The ‘Dirty Gutter’ is spruced up into a charmer with a ‘bloody good’ parma

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Is there any better boon for a neighbourhood than someone turning a janky old boozer into a welcoming, contemporary pub? Doutta Galla, a huge 1889 corner hotel, didn’t have the best reputation in recent times. The upstairs was boarded up, pigeons moved in and you’d as likely come here looking for a fight as a frosty cold one; “Dirty Gutter” was one nickname.

Now it’s been sold, gutted and reworked into an appealing charmer, hitting classic pub tropes while feeling fresh, new and drenched in natural light. The Doot is back.

The venue is a beast with about 600 seats across three levels and a terrific mix of rooms, nooks, bar seats and private spaces; it’s especially impressive upstairs where plant-slung atriums have been created by punching through the ceiling. There are places you could muster mates to watch the cricket, bring a date, sidle in for trivia nights or nurse an ale, solo.

On a recent Friday lunchtime visit there were two families with newborn babies, suits meeting over a laptop, befrocked lunching ladies and beer-sippers adjusting the fielding at the Ashes.

The Doot opened for spring racing and was promptly slammed by Flemington punters. Since then, locals have been piling in for specials: 400 people kept the grill sizzling for a recent Tuesday $25 steak night.

Co-owner Ben Lougoon has been recruiting staff on their cheery demeanour as much as their skill; when the latter catches up with the former, some areas will offer table service. For now, it’s QR code or ordering at the bar.

The chicken parmigiana is a bloody good example of the genre. The breast isn’t bashed flat; it’s brined to ensure it stays juicy, panko-crumbed and topped with good-quality tomato, ham and cheese.

There’s a cabinet above the bar for dry-ageing steaks, which develops flavour. A daily list of a dozen or so cuts points to the serious approach to meat.

Fancier dishes are designed with speedy execution in mind. Halloumi is prettied with roasted grapes, a lively play of oozy and sharp. The gentle give of lightly seared tuna is set against pickled beetroot. Flaky empanadas spill with a gooey slurry of corn-studded cheese. It’s all nicely done.

A nostalgic part of me wishes every hospitality business was independently owned by a local operator, with the community engagement you’d hope that means. In the real world, larger companies running multiple venues make more and more sense. Kickon Group owns a dozen pubs and restaurants in Victoria and Queensland, including The Continental in Sorrento and The Collective on the Gold Coast.

Group chef Jake Furst uses buying power to keep prices keen, moving steak cuts to the places they’re selling best and developing recipes that are used across venues. If you think the red wine sauce is consistent in pubs from Fitzroy North to Fortitude Valley, that’s because it’s made to the same formula.

Locals have been piling in for specials: 400 people kept the grill sizzling for a recent $25 steak night.

But the Doot has its own identity, too. Pubs have to if they’re going to succeed: the vibe needs to be “custodian” rather than “overlord”. Lougoon has invested heart and soul in the place, and a couple of local ex-footballers also have a stake. One staff member is an official community-liaison officer: the postcode’s kindergartens will be in touch about their fundraisers. Members of the pub’s steak club each have their own handmade knife, crafted from old door timber from the site and fashioned by artisan Aidan McKinnon.

All in all, the Doot is a hoot, a killer mix of canny perspective and a loving eye on the ’hood.

This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.