Historically, 'beautiful' is probably not the first word you'd pick to describe your local butcher shop. But then again, Victor Churchill isn't your average meat store.
For Sydneysiders, the name is a familiar one, with the butcher's OG Woollahra site an eastern suburbs staple since opening in 2009. Anthony Bourdain famously once called it ' the most beautiful butcher in the world'.
But these days it's Melbourne's turn, after the Victor Churchill stable expanded to include a southern flagship on Armadale's High Street.
Opened in 2021 in a former bank, the Armadale store more than ' meats' your expectations of a butcher, boasting a specialty charcuterie counter, wine bar, grocery corner, retail booze offering and lunch counter, along with its premium curation of meat products.
It's an undeniably dapper space, too, clad in warm timber, green marble floors and chic copper accents, with dry-ageing meat hung theatrically as if in a gallery.
The brand is a family affair, founded and run by Anthony Puharich and his fourth-generation butcher father, Victor. And together they've built some serious pedigree, with their wholesale business Vic's Premium Quality Meat a longtime supplier of top Melbourne restaurants including Attica, Flower Drum and Grossi Florentino.
Here at the Armadale outpost, Victor Churchill is continuing its legacy of serving top-quality protein sourced from leading Aussie producers. As with its sibling, the store also does away with the traditional physical butcher's counter, in an effort to make the shopping experience more inviting and personal.
The aforementioned wine bar is an intimate, 12-seat space at the back of the venue, where you can settle in for a glass of vino, a cocktail and dinner. Here, a Josper charcoal-fuelled rotisserie, charcoal oven and basque grill guides a menu filled with top-notch meat, charcuterie and seafood.
Think, steak tartare, prawn cocktail and lobster pulled fresh from the tank.
Meanwhile, your picnicking endeavours are serviced by the bumper charcuterie counter, that is stocked with an ever-evolving selection of house-made patés, terrines and snags, plus savoury goodies whipped up by the house pastry chefs.
While you're there, you can shop a considered retail curation of seasonal produce, pantry staples and wine. And you probably shouldn't leave without grabbing one of the signature lunchtime rolls, loaded with rotisserie chicken or hot roast beef.
Images by Pete Dillon.