In 2020, the old school hall in the basement of the 140-year-old Mackenzie Quarters building was transformed into a speakeasy lounge bar and restaurant with a southern European-inspired menu. Located in Bendigo's art precinct, it's the perfect pitstop after you've worked up an appetite strolling through Bendigo Art Gallery and the manicured Conservatory Gardens.
To pay homage to the space's previous life as a school, the restaurant is named after the owner's mother's former kindergarten and music teacher. On top of being a beloved teacher, Ms Winifred Batterham made several notable civic contributions, including writing the music for 'The Song of Bendigo', the city's centenary song.
The front entry is inconspicuous, leaving the inside to the imagination of any passersby who haven't stepped inside. The posh space features plush booths, marbled tabletops and velvet curtains, and the only trace of the building's history is the occasional glimpse of exposed brick peeking out from behind the white-washed walls.
The drinks menu leans heavily Victorian, and in support of local small-batch gin distilleries, you can choose from more than a dozen craft gin and tonic pairings. The list is ever-evolving and chosen by the resident gin-spurt, and you can choose to have your gin served tall, in a large balloon glass, on the rocks or with a splash of dry tonic or soda.
Head chef Travis Rodwell curated the food menu, which changes seasonally and features a mix of small and large plates designed to share between two or three people. If your party has a host of dietary requirements and allergies, this isn't the type of place that will relegate them to munching on plain salads and salted chips; all dishes are clearly marked if they are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free or dairy-free.
Rodwell stays fairly true to classic European fare, serving a classic French-style minute steak with crunchy gaufrettes and a hearty pat of café de Paris butter and cubing, frying and battering minced lamb in a delicious hybrid of meatloaf and a croquette. After mingling with beetroots, heirloom carrots are blood-red and served with a spicy and refreshing blend of harissa and cumin yoghurt, and kingfish is plated atop a bed of cucumber and sea foam with thin slices of apple and radish.
It's a little taste of Europe tucked away in Bendigo, and while there's a whole host of reasons to make the drive, it's worth a visit all on its own.
