Simon Hemingway and Roché Dry (of Egg Design) won the 2011 Eat In Produce Award in the paddock category for their first-class charcuterie. Since then the team has opened a Chuck & Bobs eatery, where they serve their home-cured meats, drawing on traditional Italian, French and Spanish methods. This small eatery also doubles as a deli and you can sample various meats before deciding what to order. Breakfast includes green eggs and ham (fried eggs on toasted ciabatta with coppa ham and salsa verde) or frittata with chorizo, tomato and potato served with a pea, basil and tomato salad. Lunch options are also deceptively simple, allowing the meats to take centre stage. The bacon butty (BLT) made with honey-cured bacon, mustard and mayo is decadent, and the ciabatta with pastrami, pickle, rocket, slaw, mustard and mayo is worthy of the adulation the waiters bestow upon it.

The drinks

A few well-priced, easy-drinking wines are supplemented by beers from the local Standeaven Brewery and, on occasion, Chuck’s limoncello-and bacon-infused vodka with brine chaser. Aficionados love the various coffees.

The service

It’s all very casual here, but staff are super-friendly and passionately guide you through the menu and charcuterie selection. Food is made to order in a tiny kitchen, so don’t expect fast food. Kick back and relax.

The ambience

As you would expect from a space connected to an interior design company, the décor of the compact venue is quirky and clever. The deli and kitchen areas swallow up the inside floor space, so patrons sit at outside tables or the counter that offers views of Mitchell Park’s rolling lawns. The food presentation and custom-made wooden and metal furniture reinforce the artisanal, rustic feel.

And…

If you fancy a quick late-afternoon or early-evening snack, make a mental note about Chuck’s Tapas Thursdays, which run from 3pm to 7pm.