Melbourne restaurateur Ian Curley has taken his powerful brand of French-British cooking and made for the seaside. It’s a two-part boon for the diners of Brighton, with wine bar 81 Bay opening earlier in the week, and Baix, a fine diner, to open in June. Both, Curley says, are set to be rich with the comforting cooking that dominates his menus at CBD venues French Saloon and Kirk’s Wine Bar, which means you can look forward to exceptional steak frites at 81 Bay, chateaubriand and bouillabaisse at Baix, and a whole lotta Burgundy between both. Gnawing on a fried pig’s tail, here’s Curley with what to order at 81 Bay.
Evening, Mr Curley. Two venues, you say?
Yes, but it’s less intense than it sounds. Think of a pub. Now think of the public bar – that’s 81 Bay – and the dining room – that’s Baix. 81 Bay is our wine bar: lots of light, space, counter and table seating, and plenty of room for walk-ins. Baix is our restaurant (geographically, you’ll find it inside 81 Bay), where the menu is a little more elevated and the atmosphere a little more fine-diney. 81 Bay is open now, and Baix will be opening in June.
Both are European-leaning with a French and British influence, but we’re not strictly a modern Australian wine bar; there’s definitely an old-school style of cooking across both venues.
How about a drink?
Yes, there’s French aplenty, but we’ve also got quite an Australian-dominant wine list, covering everywhere from Mornington to Margaret River. Something we’re very excited about is a full list of Curly Flat back-vintages (we think Jenifer Kolkka does some of the best wines in Australia), but you’ll also find pinot noir from Giant Steps and William Downie, and chardonnays from Yabby Lake and Patrick Sullivan.
We’ve teamed up with Ghost Rock in Tassie for some very approachable house wines that we’re quite excited about, and if you’re after a non-alc, order a Mateo soda on ice.
I’m here for a good time not a long time.
We love a snack at 81 Bay, and there are plenty to choose from. Our chef Felix Cheung’s prawn toast is already a favourite. Fluffy shokupan, saltiness, sweetness, crunch and that sesame coating – we’ve been drinking it with a 2023 Esporao Bico Amarelo that’s super light but aromatic in a way that works perfectly.
Our other go-to is our smoked cheddar cheese puffs with hot jalapeño honey and espelette pepper – great with the Ghost Rock chardonnay.
Got anything light and fresh?
Our torched king salmon with ponzu and dill aioli and squid ink crackers.
What if I like tasty food but don’t eat animals?
Heirloom zucchini, and stracciatella à la Grecque – get it while the last of the zucchini are still available. We’ve also got an easy angel hair marinara: tomato, chilli, garlic. Simple and easy.
Which dish best captures the 81 Bay vibe?
Definitely the Ebony Black Angus steak frites. It’s the first thing we put on the menu here, and I can tell you now it will never come off it. How can you have a wine bar without steak frites? How can you? Why wouldn’t you? To me, it’s the perfect dish. Our beef is selected just for us. We use potatoes from Spud Sisters. Our herb-butter slides off that steak and creates a pool of spectacular flavour.
Let’s go big. Let’s go crazy. What have you got for me?
That’s something you’ll have to wait for until Baix opens, but you can bet on those big-ticket classics like a chateaubriand or bouillabaisse. Order a bottle of Raveneau Chablis to go with it, or really push the boat out with a bottle of 2014 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze from Domaine Armand Rousseau.
And to close?
We’ve stolen the St. John chocolate cake recipe (with permission from Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver, who were given the recipe from their old pastry chef at Bread and Wine). It’s extraordinarily rich, phenomenally dark, nutty and has the perfect crisp crust and gooey centre that somehow only gets better with a fat dollop of cream.
81 Bay and Baix, 81 Bay St, Brighton, open 5pm-10pm Tue-Sat, baix.com.au, @81bay_baix