Stringers, the iconic Sorrento corner store which overlooks Port Phillip Bay, has reopened to the public after an extensive renovation.

Darling Group, the team behind the likes of Higher Ground, The Kettle Black and Top Paddock are at the helm, with executive chef Ash Hicks freshening up the menus.

“I’m very conscious of the history of the building and what part Stringers plays in the community,” says Hicks of what’s been a Peninsula fixture since 1896. While there’s little retained from previous incarnations, Hicks says his goal was to be respectful of what the community would want, making it “super accessible” and a place where “people aren’t going to empty their wallets when they come in.”

Designer Chris Connell was tasked with the job of renewing Stringers, while respecting its heritage. The existing limestone building remains untouched, while the new interiors channel Italian vibes, with mustard-coloured tiles, grey washed oak flooring and tan leather banquettes. “The layering of materials was crucial in instilling a sense of warmth, vibrancy, and tactility,” Connell says.

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For breakfast, you might get pine mushrooms on toast with stracciatella and crispy kale, or hotcakes with seasonal berries, double cream, toasted seeds, grains and maple syrup. Coffee is the signature Darling Blend found across the group’s other venues.

Handmade pasta figures heavily on the lunch and dinner menu, says Hicks, as does pizza made from a 72-hour fermented dough which is cooked in a rotary pizza oven. The installation of “an amazing grill” will also guide the direction at Stringers with dishes such as barbecue split chilli prawns, a crispy bay lobster roll with chilli mayo and iceberg, and flank steak.

“Anything from those two sections is really going to highlight the provenance of the region and the ingredients we’re going to use,” he says. The culinary ethos is food prepared simply, with respect, not too fussy, and Italian-centric in flavour. “Nice and light with that Australian coastal feeling,” says Hicks.

While we’ve got a way to go, the chef says he can’t wait for summer when they’ll introduce cold and hot seafood platters, half crayfish from the grill, and the pizza and the gelati section will be “really flying”.

Mount Zero Olives play heavily in the menu, as do a host of trusted producers, with beef from the Bass Strait and locally sourced seafood. “I think as far as I’m going [for seafood] is South Australian squid for the calamari fritti,” says Hicks.

The onsite providore offers a selection that Hicks hopes will become a point of difference, with pastries and piadinas, their signature coffee blend and eventually that freshly extruded pasta.

While many will love the new Stringers, purists may hanker back to the simplicity of an Aussie burger, and they won’t be disappointed. “I think you need an Australian-style cheeseburger,” says Hicks. “A white bun, not a brioche, with fresh lettuce, fresh tomato, a grass-fed beef patty, and nice Australian cheddar. Classic Australian.” And what about beetroot or pineapple? “I can’t bring myself to.”

Stringers Sorrento
2-8 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento
03 5984 2010
Providore: daily from 7am
Restaurant: daily from 8am – late
stringerssorrento.com.au

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