‘Overlooked’ Mornington Peninsula spot scores a destination diner, Orson

Despite its central seaside location on the Mornington Peninsula, “Rosebud tends to get overlooked” when it comes to wining and dining, says chef Sarah Cremona, who lives in the suburb. “There’s cafes and pubs, but there’s nowhere to really go that’s refined.”

Until now. Cremona and fellow chef Ryan Spurrell opened modern Australian diner Orson last Thursday, with stunning heritage features and a strong sense of place running through the menu.

Locals have watched excitedly as the chef couple transformed the foyer of Rosebud’s 1928-built Broadway Theatre into their debut restaurant. (The theatre itself is undergoing a separate restoration, led by local arts collective Barnacle Studios.)

Cremona and Spurrell together bring 30-odd years of experience to the table. Her CV includes a stage (work experience) at Noma in Copenhagen, and time at hatted peninsula restaurants Moke and Laura, while Spurrell was previously chef de partie at The Ledbury in London before the pair met while working at Scott Pickett’s now-closed Saint Crispin in Collingwood.

Their first restaurant is a celebration of all the Mornington Peninsula has to offer, seen on the plate and in the glass.

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The produce ethos is “local first ... spreading the love across the peninsula,” says Spurrell. The kitchen ethos? “Showing where you can push and pull [that produce] to.”

Wakame from Dromana’s Southern Seagreens accompanies cured and charred mackerel in an umami-powered entree. Different textures of local Mushroom Forestry fungi – maybe maitake or lion’s mane – pair with a terrine of braised leeks and nori, which looks a little like a sushi roll. As summer nears, expect dishes starring Flinders mussels.

The seasonal prix-fixe menu lets you choose your own adventure from two ($65), three ($89), five ($100) or seven ($130) courses.

Bar snacks are available a la carte. Think oysters, charcuterie and a take on sabudana vada, the Indian fritter made with potato and tapioca pearls, dressed up with spanner crab and green goddess.

Orson may sound fancy, but Cremona is adamant that it caters as much to those wanting to splash out on seven courses as those wanting to slink in for a quick bite and a beer.

Three slim, interconnected spaces ensure that. The 40-seat main dining room with restored terrazzo floors is flanked by red banquettes. Beyond, there are six or so stools at a recycled timber bar that Spurrell built himself. And at the back is an eight-person chef’s table of white marble with green velvet seats around it. Here, the theatre’s old ticket booth has been repurposed as a peephole into the restaurant’s galley kitchen.

House pours are just as locally minded as the food, with beers from Dromana breweries Jetty Road and Two Buoys, rum from nearby Jimmy Rum and vodka from Rye’s Penni Ave.

An on-tap spritz will round out a cocktail list of Prohibition-era classics, while wines include stalwarts of the region such as Ten Minutes by Tractor pinot noir.

Lunch Fri-Mon; dinner Mon, Thu-Sat

1017 Point Nepean Road, Rosebud, orsondining.com.au