Claypots Barbarossa

It is rare to find a Melburnian culinary hotspot that is thirty years in the making and Claypots Barbarossa is that place. Milk Bar Mag was honoured to meet owner Renan Goskin, a Renaissance man with big dreams.

Located in Hardware Lane, the restaurant invites patrons to escape the bustle and chaos of the city and seek refuge in its relaxing and inviting ambiance – perfect for the upcoming summer season. Upon entry you are greeted with shelves packed with an assortment of books – from Goskin’s personal collection no less – and become enveloped in soulful jazz tunes, which serve to soothe and put you at ease.

Claypots Barbarossa is one of those venues that works for nearly every occasion and serves equally well as a bar as it does a restaurant. Its main appeal is geared towards the after-work drinks crowd. Adopting an aperitivo hour at 5:30p.m., Claypots offers tapas-style snacks free-of-charge along with a great selection of local beer on tap and wine in European half-bottles.

The menu keeps in tradition with the exceptional dishes Claypots has become famous for and ranges from light bites – lobster roll; beetroot and vodka cured trout with Russian salad on toast; and ceviche fish taco, a personal favourite – to larger servings of whole-baked baby snapper with greens, grilled swordfish with pink peppercorns and crushed potatoes. For those who shy away from seafood, the shakshuka with haloumi is as mouth-watering and devine as it sounds.

When asked about his vision for the restaurant, Goskin replies that he sees Claypots Barbarossa as a meeting place – for young lovers, for friends, for family – and wants to have large quantities of food pour into the restaurant, the aroma of fresh herbs and spices filling the room while everyone mingles and enjoys the simple pleasures in life. Along with two other ventures in Goskin’s flourishing restaurant empire, Claypots maintains its strong belief in sourcing only the freshest fish and seafood.

Goskin – the Brazilian-born, but worldly restaurateur – says, ‘The Claypots philosophy combines all I love about Australia – our freedom, our casual lifestyle, and our love of fresh, abundant local food – with European-style hospitality’.

Enjoy!

Claypots Barbarossa
79 Hardware Lane, Melbourne
Open Monday-Saturday, 10am-11pm
facebook.com/claypotsbarbarossa