Food may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of the The Tote. With a longstanding reputation as one of Melbourne’s favourite rock haunts, the only time you associate food with The Tote is probably with a 3am kebab you buy somewhere on Johnston Street.
Even the owners of the beloved venue suspect as much. “The kitchen is coming soon! No joke!” they wrote on their official website when they first announced that the Collingwood venue will soon join the ever-expanding list of awesome Aussie venues where you can grab some grub.
Well, the kitchen has officially launched and we’ll start by answering your first question: “Where the bloody hell do you put in a kitchen at The Tote?” Well, as the owners have explained to several Facebook citizens, it’s “in the old gear room, between the stairs and the band room”.
According to the venue’s official Instagram channel, you can now select from a varied menu, which includes your standard $5 chips, $8 burgers, or steamed veggies with “mad sauce options”, as well as some fancier options that come courtesy of head chef Brian Edwards.
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As Beat Magazine reports, Edwards’s resume includes working at Michelin star restaurants, Brunswick’s East Elevation and Monsieur Truffle chocolate factory, as well as perhaps most impressively, cooking on tour for Bon Jovi.
“I’ve always loved the Tote, and when offered the opportunity to install a kitchen and provide food was excited and honoured to be involved in an iconic, legendary venue,” Edwards told the magazine.
Edwards and the owners certainly know their clientele, too. The kitchen will be open well into the wee hours of the morning, so you can order your veggies and mash and burgers until 2am every day of the week except Wednesday (for now).
