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The finishing touches are coming together at Sebastopol’s legendary Royal Mail Hotel, set to open on November 28. For chefs Isaac Johnson and Craig Storer, it’s a return to a beloved pub they worked at many years ago. The two blokes from Sebas are proud to be part of their neighbourhood hotel’s new chapter, and promise an accessible menu with a few twists. READ MORE: What’s been missing from Ballarat’s pub life? This could be the place Mr Johnson said he worked at the pub about seven years ago, before bouncing through several venues. The coronavirus pandemic left him high and dry, however. “It’s been nice having some time off but I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “Having all this time to sit there and write a menu, think ‘well, I’m not happy with that, scratch that’, start again, then having the menu written down, it’s not far from being complete – I’m just keen to get back in. “A lot of people have questioned how different it is, or how much it’s changed, if it’s a fancy pub now – it’s just like it was but with a fresh coat of paint and new carpet, it’s just had a tidy up.” Mr Storer was at the Royal Mail just before Mr Johnson – he said the pub’s reopening will bring something vital back to this part of town. “I live close by, and once I knew the pub was opening again, I thought it was great – I worked here for five years beforehand, so to know it was coming back, and with live bands, that’s just great,” he said enthusiastically. “We’re keen to get the place up and running again like it used to be, with a bit of atmosphere – back the way it was.” That means the standard pub fare – parm, fish and chips, the works – will definitely be on the massive chalkboard menu, which was scrawled with ideas for specials during the interview. “I’m not going full three Michelin star restaurant food that’ll scare people off – there’s something for the older generation, for younger people, for vegetarians, it’ll have that little bit of everything,” Mr Johnson said. “There’s people that just can’t wait to go and sit in the bar again, that just want to come back who drank here for 40 or 50 years, and then they had to find somewhere else.” IN THE NEWS The pub’s first few nights are already completely booked out within days of hooking up the phone lines – co-owner John Rattley said he was thrilled the momentum was building. “As proprietors, we’re proud and delighted to have found two local lads, who’ve worked here before, then gone off and developed their careers and come back,” he said. Phone 5335 9000 to book a table. Have you signed up to The Courier’s variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that’s happening in Ballarat.
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The finishing touches are coming together at Sebastopol’s legendary Royal Mail Hotel, set to open on November 28.
For chefs Isaac Johnson and Craig Storer, it’s a return to a beloved pub they worked at many years ago.
The two blokes from Sebas are proud to be part of their neighbourhood hotel’s new chapter, and promise an accessible menu with a few twists.
Mr Johnson said he worked at the pub about seven years ago, before bouncing through several venues.
The coronavirus pandemic left him high and dry, however.
“It’s been nice having some time off but I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.
“Having all this time to sit there and write a menu, think ‘well, I’m not happy with that, scratch that’, start again, then having the menu written down, it’s not far from being complete – I’m just keen to get back in.
“A lot of people have questioned how different it is, or how much it’s changed, if it’s a fancy pub now – it’s just like it was but with a fresh coat of paint and new carpet, it’s just had a tidy up.”
Mr Storer was at the Royal Mail just before Mr Johnson – he said the pub’s reopening will bring something vital back to this part of town.
“I live close by, and once I knew the pub was opening again, I thought it was great – I worked here for five years beforehand, so to know it was coming back, and with live bands, that’s just great,” he said enthusiastically.
“We’re keen to get the place up and running again like it used to be, with a bit of atmosphere – back the way it was.”
That means the standard pub fare – parm, fish and chips, the works – will definitely be on the massive chalkboard menu, which was scrawled with ideas for specials during the interview.
“I’m not going full three Michelin star restaurant food that’ll scare people off – there’s something for the older generation, for younger people, for vegetarians, it’ll have that little bit of everything,” Mr Johnson said.
“There’s people that just can’t wait to go and sit in the bar again, that just want to come back who drank here for 40 or 50 years, and then they had to find somewhere else.”
The pub’s first few nights are already completely booked out within days of hooking up the phone lines – co-owner John Rattley said he was thrilled the momentum was building.
“As proprietors, we’re proud and delighted to have found two local lads, who’ve worked here before, then gone off and developed their careers and come back,” he said.
Phone 5335 9000 to book a table.
Have you signed up to The Courier’s variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that’s happening in Ballarat.
