Wine bar and restaurant Young's Wine Rooms opens in Camberwell

Historic Camberwell landmark Young's Auction House, which closed in December 2015, reopened in mid-January as a wine bar and restaurant.

Young's Wine Rooms, by St. Cloud Eating House owner James Klapanis​, occupies two of the three shopfronts. The third space has been leased by AFL ruckman Max Gawn, who will open a separate wine bar, to be called East End, in a few months.

Young's Wine Rooms will offer a wine bar serving tapas, and a restaurant, both designed by interior architect Elle Critchley.

Attracted by the building's "great bones" and its location opposite the Rivoli Cinemas complex in Camberwell Road, Klapanis believes the area has been crying out for good eateries, evidenced by the success of St Cloud in Hawthorn East.

"It's a growing neighbourhood with a sophisticated and discerning public who have been starved of good eateries for quite some time. Young's is a place where they can eat well, drink well and have a fantastic time, any time."

Chef Nicola Akritidis (ex. Park Street Pasta and Wine, Vue de Monde, Attica and Longrain) heads up the kitchen. His tapas menu lists bites such as jamon iberico and manchego croquetas, and mussels with freekah, onion, dill and cumin. In the restaurant, he's serving wagyu rump with charred shepherd's salad and mustard, or smoked zucchini risotto.

Like the food, the wine is European-focused, with a few Australian varietals in the mix. There's also a sharp list of cocktails and a range of spirits.

Open Tue-Sat noon-late; Sunday: 11am-3.30pm, 227-229 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East, 03 9882 6699, youngswinerooms.com.au