Hunter & Barrel

It's Tuesday and the place is jumping, we haven't booked and might not get a seat. Luckily we squeeze in upstairs among the couples, families, seniors, mates from mixed netball, and the girls from book club.

Everyone is chuffed about the recent opening of Town Square, a beautifully landscaped, slightly The Truman Show-esque outdoor food court crowning Eastland's $665 million renovation. They've lured some big names here – Calombaris, Wilson, Camorra – and Hunter & Barrel is definitely the date place.

The fitout is masculine Euro ski lodge meets Freedom furniture: think bunches of hanging twigs, barrels, logs, candles in cages, a cow hide flung over a light fitting, more barrels. There are screened private rooms and a dramatic open kitchen where ribs of beef smoulder over coals.

Our beaming waiter is fresh from training camp and ready to upsell us into a house barrel-aged cocktail or fat-washed spirit. Does meat have a place in a beverage? If you're dining here, you probably think so.

The Chieftain is subtitled "not for vegetarians", watermelon juice undercut with sweet Midori and a whisper of prosciutto-infused Belvedere vodka. Drinkable, but not memorable. Same goes for the Stomping Ground, which looks identical to the Chieftain except for its yellow hue. The Aylesbury vodka and fresh pineapple is slightly bitter with elderflower and a fizz of prosecco, and doesn't taste terribly boozy.

A solid list of craft beer and mid-range wines are better, though there could be more from the nearby Yarra Valley on the list. It's mostly South Australian, Argentinian, German, designed to match man-sized portions of meat. Bar snacks hit the mark, including juicy chicken wings with sticky chilli relish, or discs of corn over-seasoned with mild chilli salt.

Look twice and you'll see the 'Hunter's Club' loyalty cards, genial feedback forms, gift voucher specials. H&B is as much of a chain as H&M downstairs, part of The Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group's stable of carnivorous blockbusters including The Meat & Wine Co and Ribs & Burgers.

But nobody who's crammed in here on a Tuesday night cares about that. The suburbs are crying out for diverse hospitality options and this is a step in the right direction – if you can get a seat.

THE LOW-DOWN
Drink this The Chieftain, $16
Eat this Chicken wings, $11
Say this "This menu reminds me of The Hunger Games."
Know this There are two custom-built charcoal grills cooking meats at up to 300 degrees.