It might seem like a small change — especially when restaurants update their menus all the time — but it’s a sign that rural Victoria is coming out of the pandemic once and for all.
Kathy Carter owns the Victoria Hotel alongside husband Paul, and said the return of an uninterrupted AFL season was the driving force behind the menu change.
“It’s mostly for the footy season, and a little bit because of the Easter travel,” Mrs Carter said.
“We’ve also got a few winter meals on there, like the lamb shanks which people were asking for.”
Faithful diners can breath easy — the nacho parma, surf and turf, and Mrs Carter’s home-made lasagne are all staying.
New dishes include the lamb shanks, a spicy chicken parma and an upgrade for the fish meal, which is now smoked salmon.
Furniture removalists by trade, the Carters bought the Victoria Hotel in 2020 and made the tree change from NSW.
“We took over as COVID kicked in. For awhile we ran takeaway through the bottle shop that’s attached to the hotel, that way we could keep things ticking over,” Mrs Carter said.
“The new menu isn’t bigger than the last one, but it’s a change in what we’re offering.”
BULLSEYE FOR COUNTRY TOURISM
In addition to new life being breathed into the menu, the Victoria Hotel’s Monday night darts players can now call themselves a touring team after connecting with a Leitchville darts group.
The players now have ‘home’ and ‘away’ games — perhaps regional Victoria should think about including darts in the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
Hotel owner Kathy Carter was all for the Commonwealth Games and hoped there would be some events near Bendigo, which will bring visitors up into the area.
“Getting them to Bendigo is the trick, then they’re close enough to come out and have a look at things around here,” she said.
9°C