Bau Bau

COMING SOON

Tableside amaro, rare home-grown Italian veggies, and a head chef with impressive creds—Bau Bau is opening in Mount Eliza.

As we bid farewell to humble Donna Maria in Flinders after four years of gracing the Peninsula, we make a warm welcome to Bau Bau, the latest addition to the team with the culinary repertoire that includes Bistro Elba and Patsy’s.

Like its sister venues, Bau Bau is going for a suave elevated experience—the place to go when someone says, “let’s go somewhere nice”. The dishes are refined, so think light portions of hand-made Calabrian pasta, and delicate slithers of lemon cured swordfish with carefully-placed capers, all at the helm of head chef and co-owner Daniel Lidgard (Attica, Stokehouse, Pt Leo Estate).

The produce comes as fresh as can be, with the mussels collected down the road in Donna Maria’s old stomping grounds (Flinders), and the owner’s own garden harvesting rare Italian veggies and herbs.

The vino list rivals some of Melbourne’s top wine bars—five pages long with a decent selection of drops by the glass. The focus is Italian varietals, but you’ll also spot some winemakers from France, Germany, and home-grown right here in Victoria's own Mornington Peninsula.

If you really want to lean into the Italian drinking ways, get the Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo from Piemonte by the half bottle or, outside of wine, go the amaro served tableside.

Now, let us paint the picture of what you’ll walk into: in the cosy dining room, petite wooden shelves run as a railing around the entire space, with select wine bottles proudly on display. The space fits just under a dozen white-clothed tables, nestled around the open-style kitchen that resides to one corner. The exteriors are striking—a modest mid-century building with the front glass windows on an almost four-five downward degree angle.

Bau Bau will open on the daily for lunch and dinner from 12pm. Keep an eye on their Instagram for when the doors officially swing open (it’ll be any day now).

Image credit: Bau Bau | Annika Kafcaloudis