Pretty Little

THE VERDICT

Pretty Little is the tiny dining room located just off Balaclava’s iconic Carlisle Street. The dining destination practically named itself with the space being just that; pretty little. Here you’ll feel like you’re attending an intimate dinner party with your closest friends and newest acquaintances. This unexpected culinary venture has got hosting long lunches and decadent dinners down to a fine art.

Pretty Little has no intention of recreating the tried and true restaurant formula. The open plan kitchen that sits pretty at the end of the single sixteen-seat dining table has Pretty Little feeling more like a private dining room than a cramped restaurant. But the sense of a communal dining affair is only heightened with a coordinated set menu. 

 

You can opt for the four-course menu for the ideal light dinner or go all in and indulge with the six-course dinner menu. The produce-driven set menus evolve naturally with the seasons so no two weeks are ever the same. Previous starring dishes have been calamari with young coconut, confit fennel and snapper bisque and wild venison with apple, Illawarra plum, cacao and jus. So you can return to the Balaclava local for an entirely new dinner party vibe each week. 

 

The all-Australian wine menu is something to behold with its rotating thirty-eight bottle selection. Just like the set menu, Pretty Little is focussed on sourcing from local Aussie producers and the wine list is no exception. Whatever your wine palate they’ve got you covered but the hosts are ready to pair a glass with your every course to optimise your dinner party experience.

 

If you can’t secure a booking to be wined and dined at the communal table, Pretty Little welcomes walk-ins for their lounge and courtyard seating areas. Choose from the weekly wine by-the-glass selection accompanied by some snack plates created by the kitchen. 

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