Pablo Honey is the new South American inspired bad boys in town located in the heart of St Kilda, conveniently located in front of the tram stop, opposite lunar park and 5 minutes walk from the beach (I told you it was in the heart!). They’ve only been open for 4 months and already, the place is buzzing with excitement.The decor is beautiful. There’s beautifully handcrafted skulls made by Jess Carpenter from Killer Diller Designs inside honey combs (the HONEY part!) where each one has it’s own personality and name, best part is that they’re also for sale.
The paintings inside are also painted by one of the staff Isabella Iskaf from Bella Illustrates which are AMAZEBALL and are also for sale.
Anywho, getting back on track, when Mr D and I stepped inside, we were greeted very warmly by the staff and was shown to our table. We decided to get drinkies first since we were quite parched. Mr D got the speedy gonzalez which was an expresso with a punch to it. Mr D absolutely LOVED it and was a tad on the happy side if you know what I mean. And yes, that is a chili in the drinkie.
Speedy Gonzalez
I opted for something on the sweeter side and went with The Hustler. This cocktail sure delivered – oh so sweet and refreshing.
The Hustler
While sipping on our cocktails and enjoying each other’s company (too cheesy), the dishes starts to come out. We decided to get all the recommended dishes on the menu (greedy little piggies) and first up was the coconut and lime prawns with a side of squid ink prawn crackers. THESE. WERE. AMAZEBALL! The prawns were bursting with flavour and I didn’t find them too sweet either (BONUS!).
Coconut & Lime Prawns
Now, when the staff nudged us to get the Green Tree Ant Cured Salmon, I was worried a plateful of ants came along with the salmon. The staff assured me that wasn’t the case (with some giggling from both sides) and I’m so glad we got this dish because it was THE BOMB (bow-chigga-wow-wow)! It was such a light and refreshing dish, great for a summer night (yes, we’re in autumn right now).
Green Tree Ant Cured Salmon
I’m a sucker for beef tartare and when I saw that there was grass fed beef tartare on the menu, I just HAD to get it. It came with a side of salt and vinegar taro chippies. Now, I’m not a fan of salt and vinegar at all, just the thought of salt and vinegar packet chippies sends me to the dark depths of the earth but these taro chippies, I could handle. The vinegar wasn’t super strong and with a touch of the beef tartare, it was great. The beef tartare was quite YUMMILICIOUS, very tender and full of flavour. Be warned though, the smoke chili will smack you right in the face.
Grass Fed Beef Tartare
We got the Tomato Escabeche which was the vegetarian dish with a quail egg and coriander garlic pebre. Mr D wasn’t a fan of this dish which might be due to his lack of love for tomatoes. I on the other hand, love tomatoes so this was awesome sauce for me. It was super duper fresh and a little bit on the sour side. I do have a teeny tiny issue, another quail egg would be nice and evens out the plate a tad. Other then that, all good in the hood YO!
Tomato Escabeche
Next up was the coffee BBQ suckling pig with soft tortilla and adobo. The adobo was lovely, really fresh and full of flavour. The suckling pig was pretty average and could have been a bit more tender. The coffee BBQ sauce, I wasn’t a big fan. I found it to a bit bitter (due to the coffee) and didn’t really enjoy it.
Coffee BBQ Suckling Pig
The last savoury dish of the night, the smoked chicken wingettes. These are known to be spicy and the pebre sauce (AKA salsa) to counteract the spiciness. I found this to be quite average and the spiciness does hit you a bit later on.
Smoked Chicken Wingettes
If you’re on instagram, you’ll know the skull dulce de leche mousse. You crack the skull (danger!) and underneath is the mousse on top of a bed of freeze-dried berries and popping candy (WHAT??!). Let me warn you, this is a cool, theatrical dessert but you’ll need to have a super duper sweet tooth to have this or else you’ll need litres of water in between.
Dulce De Leche Mousse
The staff insisted that we get the Spiced Rum Mango just to compare and my gosh, it blew my mind (MIND BLOWN). It was AMAZEBALL! Definitely, hands down, best dessert (sorry dulce de leche). The sponge and meringue gave it more of a texture and the salted caramel balanced the spiced rum mango. Sure it wasn’t the best looking dish but don’t judge a book by it’s cover because this dish had a marvelous personality. Definitely a go to dish here.
Spiced Rum Mango
Pablo Honey supports the community and their staff which is a sign of a great establishment. When they their food is great, it’s all justified because their food is AMAZEBALL! Lovely atmosphere with lots of laughter and everyone is just so friendly, get your gang together and head on down to Pablo Honey for some tapas and tequila!
Disclaimer: I was invited to dine by Pablo Honey and all opinions expressed are my own.
68 Acland Street, St Kilda, VIC 3182
Tel: (03) 9534 3246
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