Brighton finally gets the luxe big-name restaurant it has been waiting for (2025)

Ian Curley, the renowned “Brit pack” chef who’s been linked to The European, The Point and Melbourne Supper Club during his career, is betting big on bayside for his first owner-operator venture outside Melbourne’s CBD.

The co-owner of Hardware Lane’s hatted French Saloon and adjoining wine bar Kirk’s will next week open Baix in Brighton, beneath luxury apartment building The International. Five years in the making, Baix seats nearly 200 diners across a wine bar, restaurant, private dining room and an al fresco area.

“It’s bigger than Gimlet [Andrew McConnell’s celebrated city restaurant],” says Curley, a Brighton resident. But he’s insistent he’s doing it for the area, not the accolades.

“It’s not me going out to try and get two hats,” he says. “It’s going to be a good neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar ... There’s [not a lot] in Brighton.”

Linen cafe curtains run along the front windows, softening the building’s dark stone exterior. The door on the left is for Baix Dining restaurant, the door on the right leads to 81 Bay wine bar.

“Originally I thought I’d have one big restaurant,” says Curley. “But then I realised, financially, you’re going to do a wine bar [too].”

His signature European stamp is unmistakable in each venue’s offering, but the way it’s delivered is vastly different.

Open six days a week, the easy-breezy 81 Bay is there to use as you please. Go for spontaneous champagne and oysters (Appellation or Albany) in the afternoon, when natural light floods the room, filled with Thonet chairs from the original Hopetoun Tea Rooms.

More serious snacking includes smoked cheddar puffs drizzled with hot honey, and beef crackling made by poaching beef tendon, then slicing, dehydrating and deep-frying it until it reaches potato chip texture. It’s served with malt vinegar for splashing.

There’s also roasted bone marrow on toast with parsley salad and Dijon mustard, an ode to St John, the legendary London restaurant that recently . Larger dishes include black Angus steak frites with herb butter. A dedicated room-service menu is there for residents of the apartments above.

Baix-branded house wines, made by Tasmanian winery Ghost Rock, are reasonably priced but punch well above their weight. On the flipside, big-ticket burgundy and barolo populate a glass-walled cellar you can peer into from the 20-person private dining room.

Moving into Baix Dining, there’s a significant vibe shift. Open only Thursday to Saturday nights, the 40-seater is 50 shades of grey in the best way, from the plush carpet to the textured walls, which create the kind of acoustics special-occasion diners often demand.

A cut above the wine bar in style and service, the restaurant will serve a three-course set menu that differs weekly. It might be inspired by one of Curley’s long-time suppliers including New Zealand’s Ora King Salmon or Yarra Valley Caviar; centred on a seasonal theme such as truffles; or driven by a guest chef bringing a pop-up concept to town.

Baix opens on Tuesday, April 29.

Baix Dining: dinner Thur-Sat

81 Bay wine bar: lunch Fri-Sat; dinner Mon-Sat

81 Bay Street, Brighton, baix.com.au

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