Saint & Rogue

Ah, the ever-present dilemma of where to go for work drinks. I'm always up for a Google search and a catchy name will pique my interest. Thus, the decision was made to meander down to Saint & Rogue at the west end of the CBD.

This pub/bar/restaurant was very nicely decorated, all wood and soft lighting, as a pub should be really. Their insignia is everywhere it can be but it is rather well designed that I can't fault them.

Saint & Rogue

Saint & Rouge

As we were there on a Wednesday, the place was understandably quiet but I have heard that things get quite lively on a Friday night. Nevertheless, we were quite happy to order drinks at the well-stocked bar while the restaurant area was opened upstairs. With a range of beers on tap, from Kirin, to Guinness, to James Squire, there really is something for every taste, unless of course, you really want a craft beer, in which case you should probably go to a microbrewery instead.

We were seated at a large table that was perhaps a tad too high for the very comfortable booth. I felt like a child sitting on enormous furniture. Perhaps sitting on one of the chair would have been a better idea. In any case, the menu soon distracted me. With a large range of dishes, including the usual pub suspects the Chicken Parmigiana, Steak and even a Surf 'n' Turf dish as the special, it was somewhat surprising that half our group ordered the Parma. They did seem very happy with their choice in the end, and most of the plates were polished off.

My side of the table ordered a little differently. The pasta linguine with cherry tomatoes, chilli, baby spinach,
kalamata olives, fresh basil, lemon oil & parmesan was deemed tasty, if perhaps a touch small, and the Surf 'n' Turf didn't fail to impress.

As I wanted to leave some room for dessert, I went for the smoked trout, asparagus and toasted pinenut salad with
kipfler potatoes, baby spinach and horseradish cream.

Smoked Trout, Asparagus and Toasted Pinenut Salad with Kipfler Potatoes, Baby Spinach and Horseradish Cream

This wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still quite good. The trout was delicately smoked and full of flavour, and the toasted pinenuts lent a satisfying crunch to the dish. The potatoes still tasted somewhat odd to me (perhaps because I ate so many chips beforehand), and I was a little disappointed at the lack of asparagus. I did feel nourished however, and that can be hard to achieve in a pub.

I was looking forward to dessert though. Whilst there were a couple of options on offer, multiple orders of only two of the dishes were requested.

Baked Honey and Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

The baked honey and Limoncello ricotta cheesecake with raspberry coulis was by all accounts, a very good cheesecake. My co-workers seemed very enthusiastic when it arrived at the table, perhaps a little too much so. Whilst I was slightly jealous, I wasn't at all disappointed with my choice of the coconut & lime pannacotta with pineapple jelly and toasted pineapple shard.

Coconut and Lime Pannacotta with Pineapple Jelly & Toasted Pineapple Shards

It should really say 'shard' but that's just me being picky. The dessert with delicious, and suitably light. The coconut flavour was quite light, and I would have personally preferred a stronger flavour, but it was an interesting and comforting dessert.

All in all, Saint & Rogue has a great atmosphere, a large range of alcohol to choose from and most importantly, good food. If the boys weren't so picky about not going to the same place twice, I'd drag them there in two months time. As it stands, I'll need to come up with new ideas. Recommendations anyone?

Saint & Rogue
582 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Mon-Fri 12pm-Late, Sat 4pm-Late