25 May 2009
Nigel Hopkins
Main South Road, Sellicks Beach, South Australia, Australia.
+61 8 8556 3083.
At first sight, the Victory is a pretty traditional pub with a million-dollar view over Gulf St Vincent, about a 45-minute drive south of Adelaide. But it’s just had a multimillion-dollar makeover, which has given this traditional 1850s watering hole a new sense of stature. It always was a great place for King George whiting and chips, and an exploration of owner Doug ? Govan’s legendary cellar. The cellar has tripled in size with a separate area just for some 100 cases of Burgundy – this is a seriously thought-out collection that would do a Michelin-starred restaurant proud. What’s on show is only about a fifth of Govan’s total collection, most of which is stored off-site. Chef Todd Steele’s menu still provides unfussy pub food such as a beef burger with chilli onion jam, but also aims to showcase local produce such as local snapper and school prawns; perhaps an escabeche of Cape Jervis tommy ruffs; Goolwa cockles with chorizo and risoni; or a Coorong Angus eye fillet with a McLaren Vale shiraz glaze.
Open: lunch and dinner daily. Licensed & BYO ($7.50 per bottle). Mains $18.50-$32.50.
Source: Qantas The Australian Way June 2009