Good food and good drink at one of the top spots in town!
Growlers has long been a Surf Coast favourite for beach-side dining and drinking. The bungalow, planted along the Esplanade in the heart of Torquay, has views outwards to the sloping lawns of Front Beach and the Southern Ocean beyond. It’s hard to think of a better place to spend a relaxed summer afternoon with friends or family.
It’s very unusual, between the three children and two businesses, that Claudia and I find much time to ourselves with nothing on the calendar. So when such a moment does present itself, like last Saturday morning, it takes a while to think of a plan.
A good start, we thought, was to take advantage of of the beautiful summer’s day and go for a stroll along the beach. So down the road, and through the dunes we wandered, all the way to Torquay’s Front Beach. By that point, we’d both worked up quite a thirst–maybe it has to do with the salt air? It was decided to go for a drink, and, with the sun hot overhead, there was no better spot than the sandy front lawn of Growlers.
However, as soon as we sat down we realized neither of us had planned ahead and brought the credit card. With just enough money for two beers, we ordered a pot and a pint of Boags, quenching our thirst and wetting our appetite for more.
The afternoon was still free, though, and we decided to take advantage of that rarity. A quick trip home and replenishment of Claudia’s chaucha (Chilean coin purse), and we were back in our new favourite spot in the Growlers garden.
We looked over the menu while sipping on two more Boags, deciding on the Roasted Pumpkin, Pine Nuts and Orange Salad and the Seafood Basket. To pair with my seafood lunch I chose a glass of white from the Mornington Peninsula, Ferryman Pinot Gris.
By the time we walked out of Growlers’ white picket gate late that afternoon, our stomachs were satisfied and we felt beyond content having shared a spontaneous afternoon in the truest Torquay fashion: beachside, basking in the sunshine, enjoying good food and good drink at one of the top spots in town.