Melbourne's Stokehouse marks its 30th anniversary

When the doors officially opened at Stokehouse on New Year's Day in 1990, a queue had already formed outside the unrenovated former tearooms.

The menu was largely Italian, staff had to run dishes up to second-floor restaurant dining room via an external staircase, and dishes were priced under $10 to ensure bums on the restaurant's 400 seats, says owner Frank van Haandel, who opened the beachside restaurant with his brother John.

"We fluked a lot of it," says Frank. "People didn't seem to mind. They accepted it and felt part of the journey."

Now marking its 30th year, Stokehouse has trained hundreds of chefs, waiters, sommeliers and back-office staff, who have ended up in restaurants and food businesses all over the world.

In June, the restaurant will reprise some of the greatest hits from the past three decades.

Current head chef Ollie Hansford has worked hands-on with former head chefs Maurice Esposito (Cecconi's), Michael Lambie (Lucy Liu, The Smith) and Andrew Blake (Blake's, Blake's Feast) to capture the essence of past flavours. Two dishes from each chef will be added to the menu for one week during June.

Among the dishes making a comeback: Esposito's spicy baby calamari served on slow-roasted tomatoes and couscous (June 3-9); Lambie's roast wild barramundi with sauce vierge (June 10-16); and Blake's pumpkin tortellini with mustard fruits and citrus butter (June 17-23).

Hitting the three-decade milestone is especially satisfying considering the restaurant was rebuilt literally from the ground up after the disastrous fire of 2014, with huge efforts made to achieve the five Green Star sustainability rating.

"I feel very proud of it," says Frank van Haandel.

Stokehouse is open daily noon-late at 30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, 03 9525 5555, stokehouse.com.au.