Williamstown's iconic Nelson Place is one of the oldest streets in Greater Melbourne with many of its building facades dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. While this may not impress European pundits it's flamin' old for us Aussies I can assure you!
The restaurant strip that has grown there as the area becomes increasingly cosmopolitan could be used as a microcosm for the various immigration patterns throughout Australian history. From the good honest Aussie pub tucker that belongs to Anglo-Australia you can move on to
Italian, Greek,
Croatian then beyond Europe to the Americas with the obligatory
Mexican restaurant.
Pub grub Atomic style
Venturing further afield like a latter day Marco Polo (without the scurvy) there are the
sub-continental and Southeast Asian offerings of the now fashionable Thai restaurant. Nearby will find a
contemporary Australian restaurant that offers some of the best seafood and views in Melbourne.
Sitting amongst this veritable pantheon of cuisines for twenty years has been the Atomic Bar. It bills itself as a Bar, Grill and Café and manages to tick most of those boxes with
beer on tap, decent grits coming from the kitchen and an
espresso machine somewhere on the premises.
Salmon on grilled polenta
It is a pleasant place to enjoy a weekend brunch al fresco in the summer months where you can admire the various artisan automobiles that peacock their way down Nelson Place when the sun is shining. Mid-year Atomic Bar also serves as a venue where you can kick on into the evening following a hearty winter feed indoors. With sporting events televised on one wall and stools for those who wish to prop up the bar the venue does a good job of being all things to all people.
The kitchen does a commendable job of offering marrying pub favourites such as burgers, fish n chips and the pub staple Parmagiana with a few more highbrow offerings like the Moroccan salad and the smoked salmon veggie stack on grilled polenta.
Cook it yourself
I had to do a double take when I came to the steak section however, given one is asked to cook the steak yourself. I inquired if gutting and scaling the barramundi was necessary however this has yet to be delegated to the customer - should Tony Abbot continue to encourage businesses to review their EBA's though this may not be too far away.
They will cook this one for you
Given the stiff competition it faces Atomic Bar stands up very well appealing as it does to a broad range of audiences. The fact it's been there for twenty years and is still going strong bears testament to how well they run things.
