Chef-owner Matt Podbury – from Anglesea’s now-closed Captain Moonlite – is joined in the kitchen by his partner, chef Joanna Karlin. His sister Gemma and father Jeff work front-of-house, sharing stories and suggesting wines from a list featuring smaller French producers and Australian wineries doing French varietals.

The affordable, fixed-price menu offers two options over three courses, changing every three weeks to highlight seasonal ingredients. Podbury’s contemporary approach to French cuisine is evident in dishes such as the gurnard fillet brushed with a caper sauce and topped with grated, toasted almonds, served with a roasted cauliflower puree and a foam-like almond sauce.

The aged breast and confit leg of duck, cooked in duck fat, arrives with celeriac and quince in a duckbone sauce that’s been reduced down over three days. Dessert choices include Bellarine honey and glazed pumpkin with pumpkin seed ice cream and brioche; and goat’s milk sorbet with pear, honeycomb and whisky caramel, made with goat’s milk Podbury collected from the farm that week.

La Cachette translates as “the hideaway”, apt for its location tucked down a quiet laneway on Geelong’s waterfront, and is well worth seeking out.

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