Ask any Prahran local, and they’ll probably have a fond story for you about the Duck. The much-loved hotel has been servicing the neighbourhood since the late 1800s, with one of the few intact Victorian-era hotel facades remaining in the area.
When it came time to refurbish it under its new ownership, the team behind Rustica and Hobsons Bay Hotel made sure to stay true to its rich 150-year-plus history, elevating its gastro-pub status with a new layout and refined menu.
Its interior now features an 84-seat open-plan dining room, public bar and 40-seat private dining room, matched with a lush, sprawling beer garden perfect for long and lazy summer afternoons. In its previous iteration, the spaces in the pub lacked cohesion. Now, a large part of the inside has been opened to create the expansive dining room, with its earthy tones and brass accents.
Head chef Ben Pigott (Hobsons Bay Hotel, Supernormal, Cumulus Inc, Van Haandel Group) offers up a classic brasserie menu, centred around the new wood-fired grill. Feast on wood-fired wholemeal flatbread with black garlic toum & smoked salmon caviar, grilled Shark Bay scallops with herb butter and charcoal grilled duck breast with braised red cabbage, crispy potato hash and plum jus.
“Our menu reflects the history of the building in that we have set out to create food offerings that combine classic pub fare while wanting to keep things interesting with some refined dishes,” says Pigott.
Expect all the classic pub specials during the week, including a steak night, trivia night and Sunday roast special, with $8 schooners and $9 house wines between 4-6pm.