Molly Rose

Molly Rose is located in a narrow warehouse in Collingwood. Go past the roller door and it’s a space filled with industrial bare timber and dark iron surfaces, playing off against more artistic touches. Then take a seat among the giant stainless-steel fermenters and grab a beer that was tapped metres away from where it was made.

Here, Nic Sandery, founder of the Molly Rose brewing company creates beers that combine historical styles with inventive new takes. That approach shows up in brews like the Beer By A Winemaker, which blends a sour ale with the notes of white peach and grapefruit you might find in a chardonnay. Molly Rose’s past beers have included a sour beer brewed with Proud Mary and a peach-infused French farmhouse ale matured in vintage brandy barrels.

In 2023, Sandery punched a doorway in the wall and opened a schmick Southeast Asian restaurant designed by the star firm behind Grill Americano: Mitchell and Eades. Head chef Ittichai “Biggie” Ngamtrairai (Nomad, Matilda, Lumi) leads the menu. His Thai upbringing and experience in Australian kitchens is reflected in dishes such as cuttlefish noodles with squid-ink mayo, and a chicken wing stuffed with baccala (a cod mousse often found inside Italian-style zucchini flowers) and glazed with a sriracha-adjacent hot sauce.

As for the rest of the drinks menu, there are three to four taps pouring prosecco, pinot grigio and chardonnay from Sandery's partner, Callie Jemmeson’s labels.