Village Belle Hotel

202 Barkly St , St Kilda, 3182. (03) 9534 2200
Score: 28/40
When a friend announced that were heading for a pub meal, I was giddy with excitement, but when I found out she meant this pub, my stomach lurched, mainly because I had never heard a word about it. But I’m happy to report that my fears were misplaced.

As soon as we sat down, it hit beer o’clock. Off we went to the bar where they had a nice selection of beers, ales, lagers and cider. I chose a Bulmer’s cider. Delicious.

This is a typical pub menu; five kinds of parma ($18.50 – $19.90), steaks ($18.90 – $28.50), lamb shank ($17.50), fish & chips ($15), beef and bacon pie ($15.90) and a variety of other pasta, snacks and even salads. But something strange came over me, as I sat in the pub. It was a warm and pleasant night, I don’t eat parma and nothing else took my fancy. Nothing except the snapper on the specials menu.

There were quite a few things that worried me. Firstly, fish on the specials menu can sometimes be dodgy. Secondly, could a pub turn around a whole baby snapper with a pepper salsa that didn’t taste like, well, poo? The answer, dear radishes, is…wait for it…YES!

My little darling snapper was absolutely delicious; perfectly cooked, slightly blackened, giving it a smoky flavor, but it was also tender and moist inside. The fish was covered in a really tasty, slightly spicy salsa, made with a variety of peppers and capsicum.  It was served with chips and salad. The busy kitchen means that everything that emerges is fresh and hot.

The staff, mostly backpackers from what we could tell, were also friendly, chatty and helpful and our food didn’t take too long to arrive. The atmosphere is laid back, casual and relaxed.

Atmosphere: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Value for money: 7/10
Food: 7/10