Shit happens. In the case of St Kilda wine bar The Walrus, the shit was a financial disagreement between couple Marty Webster and Amy McGouldrick and their silent partner Micheal Weal. It led to the bar’s sudden closure in December last year, less than two years into its lifespan, and a messy fight for the remaining assets.
But behind the boarded-up facade, things were happening. After some legal wrangling, Webster and McGouldrick have managed to take control of the business with Caitlin and Cameron Marshall and Barney and Kate Flanders, the same two couples they own Hot Listed pub The Carpenter’s Ruin with next door.
“We literally pulled the boarded-up windows down at 5 o’clock when we opened yesterday. So no one really knew, apart from a couple of die-hard regulars,” McGouldrick says. “It was pretty exciting to have everyone in yesterday being like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’”
Having the site unified under one set of owners makes sense – that’s how it was set up and operated when Karen Martini ran Mr Wolf pizzeria and the adjoining Little Wolf bar. The new structure allows The Walrus to make use of the much bigger and better equipped kitchen at The Carpenter’s Ruin. Webster will serve as chef across both venues.
“[Now] we have a bit more capacity for doing bigger things at The Walrus, like larger meals, more hot foods, that kind of thing,” McGouldrick says.
Otherwise, the dishes locals came to know and love are sticking around. There’ll always be oysters from multiple regions, Gildas and the carbonara-style sea urchin pasta, featuring a creamy sauce, black pepper, guanciale and an egg yolk. This week, the ever-changing menu also includes a smoked mussel focaccia and half Moreton Bay bug with Sichuan butter.
Drinks have gotten a minor rethink too. The wine list is still “a little bit obscure, a little bit classic”, but the bar has been experimenting with new shrubs and other seasonal elements for its cocktails, plus refining the spirit selection. But rest assured, the popular Dirty Martini isn’t going anywhere.
“[Now] we have a bit more capacity for doing bigger things at The Walrus, like larger meals, more hot foods, that kind of thing,” McGouldrick says.
The Walrus
9 Inkerman Street, St Kilda
(03) 8626 7711
Hours
Daily 5pm–late