Westwood Wine Bar opens in West Melbourne

Michael and Monica Underwood, of Fitzroy North wine bar Underwood, have opened a new European-style cafe and wine bar in the former Clever Polly's site in West Melbourne.

Unlike Underwood, where all the booze is Australian, Westwood Wine Bar features drinks from smaller producers from around the world. "It's basically just things we like, things we'd want to drink, interesting things that you might not see in other places," says Michael.

The by-the-glass list is short (about 10 wines) but changes regularly, currently featuring a txakoli from Spain and a pais from Chile alongside a skin-contact blend from the Yarra Valley. Thanks to a general liquor licence, bottles are also available to take-away.

The menu changes regularly, too. Open from 7.30am daily (8am at weekends), breakfast dishes include croissants and other pastries, a house-cured bacon sandwich, and fried eggs with sauce vierge on toast. Chef Lynton Tapp, MasterChef Australia season five runner-up, heads the kitchen.

From late afternoon, "simple, ingredient-driven" options include stracciatella with broccolini and pumpkin seed oil; pan-fried kingfish with grilled peppers and karkalla; and a slow-cooked pork cheek with pencil leeks and cauliflower.

Structurally, they've left the space much the same, giving it a fresh coat of grey-green paint, and decking out the room with various different styles of table and bits and pieces the couple have collected over the years.

"West Melbourne as an area feels a bit overlooked at times, so we're really happy to be here doing this," says Michael.

Open Mon 7.30am-4pm, Tue-Fri 7.30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 8am-10pm.

313 Victoria Street, West Melbourne, 03 9348 9406, westwood3003.com