It’s two years since Sardine Eatery + Bar in Paynesville opened its doors to the public.
Since then, Sardine, the brainchild of Mark and Victoria Briggs, has gone from strength to strength.
The couple, originally from England, was recently awarded for their efforts with a Chef’s Hat in the Good Food Guide and named number 16 among the top 100 Delicious eateries in Victoria.
Mark and Victoria have just returned from a three-week holiday in Europe and were chuffed to learn of their ranking.
“It’s pretty good, we’re very happy with it. It’s come as a nice surprise,” Mark said.
Last year, Sardine was ranked as number 23 in the Delicious eateries so the gradual climb up the top 100 list is encouraging.
Mark admits it would be nice to be in the top 10, but he’s not getting ahead of himself.
“We’re going to keep doing what we do, if it happens, it happens.”
Sardine’s menu is constantly evolving.
“We look at things and see if we can do it better,” Mark said.
“The produce is getter better and better all the time and our suppliers have an understanding of what we want and they’re determined to supply us with great produce.”
Mark said the same applies to the wine and beverage list.
“The whole region is taking steps forward and improving all the time,” he said.
He credits other enterprises with raising the bar which reflects favorably on East Gippsland, naming Lightfoot & Sons and Sailor’s Grave Brewing as two examples of sustained excellence.
Mark and Victoria say their recent trip to Spain and Italy gave them an opportunity to sample different menus and compare the dining experience to Australia’s.
Victoria says restaurants along the coastline, such as San Sebastian in Spain and Italy’s Amalfi Coast, provided the best experiences with their exceptionally fresh produce.
“The white anchovies were amazing, we had them every day,” Victoria said, revealing that Sardine also sources its white anchovies from Spain.
She said the fresh fish they ate in the Mediterranean was extremely tasty.
Mark said they ate out every day and night and were inspired by some of the dishes presented.
Victoria nominates the pintxos bars in San Sebastian “as a really cool experience and something completely different”.
However, the couple agrees service in Australia is far friendlier than Europe.
“It was the end of the tourist season and it was very obvious they’d had enough,” Victoria said.
While Mark works the kitchen, Victoria is front of house at Sardine.
Mark credits her for the success of Sardine.
“Victoria runs it, she’s the driving force,” he said.
“We’re happy. It’s all going well and we are still enjoying it, which is important.”
PICTURED: A year after being named the 23rd best restaurant in Victoria in its first 12 months in operation, chef and owner of Sardine Eatery + Bar in Paynesville, Mark Briggs, has this week celebrated being ranked 16 in the top 100 Delicious eateries.
