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616 Elizabeth Street (corner Queensberry Street), Melbourne, 9348 2957
My score: 4/5
Since visiting The Last Jar, I’ve wanted to go back every day, sometimes with a painful pining pang. I love this place. It’s an Irish pub but not a shamrock-infested sham. Rather, it’s authentic and welcoming, with the humble, sparse décor that adds up to a peculiarly Irish form of cosiness: there’s a dim front bar, a central parlour with fireplace and well-spaced small tables, and a homely rear dining room that feels like eating in mammy’s kitchen.
The Last Jar is owned by Siobhan Dooley from Kilkenny and her Australian chef partner Tim Sweeney. The pair met in Dublin and have worked in fine dining restaurants in Ireland and Melbourne. It shows in the service, which is genuine and professional, and in the food, which is way, way better than I expected. The menu includes plenty of snacks (oysters, crumbed mushrooms), hearty sandwiches (potato, egg and mustard mayo), stews, and steaks with hand-cut chips. There are odd meaty bits (pig’s ear, brawn, ox tongue) but also lots for vegetarians (celeriac pie). Everything is made here, including the butter, bread, sausages and bacon.
What struck me was the delicacy of the food, even in robust dishes. Whiskey-cured salmon is furled alongside whipped cream cheese, a spriggy herb salad and delicious treacly soda bread. A stonking baked spud sees the potato’s centre rumbled with blue cheese and stuffed back into the skin. It’s served with a bouncy salad of shredded witlof and radicchio. Dublin coddle, a substantial sausage and pork belly stew, even has its lighter moments, the sticky but sparkling stock strewn with parsley. The black and white pudding is spectacular: the black slab of pig’s blood sausage is crispy without and melted within and the white sausage is properly rich, lardy and bready. This pair of puddings stars in the Irish breakfast that’s served from noon on weekends. Another draw is live music by the fireplace every Sunday from 5pm but I reckon any day is a good day to head to The Last Jar.
See their website.
More cosy pubs:
Local Taphouse, 184 Carlisle Street, St Kilda, 9537 2633
The upstairs saloon has atmosphere aplenty. There are dozens of great beers (try a tasting paddle) and good, hearty pub food to go with it.
Gem Bar and Dining Room, 289 Wellington Street, Collingwood, 9419 5170
Pubs don’t come cosier than this neighbourhood…um…gem. There’s a southern US states focus to the menu and a Texan barbecue on weekends. Check out the upstairs room for functions.
Station Hotel, 59 Napier Street, Footscray, 9687 2913
Book for the dining room but just walk into the bar for oysters, burgers, excellent steaks and winning winter desserts like sticky date and walnut pudding with butterscotch sauce.
First published in The Age, June 29, 2014.
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