The type of neighbourhood bar and dining room every character suburb should aspire to have.
Young George envelops diners in warmth, not just from the wood-fired oven but also with the polished wooden floors, tables, chairs and service. There are a few ways to go here, with groups cosying up under the light of the neon signage in the front window for a hearty meal, or playing barfly with drinks and snacks. Melissa Palinkas sure has a way with them too, the beef chop chop tartare, which ties together clean-tasting raw beef with salsa fresca, crema and tostadas for scooping, is a staple, as is the “ramen-fried” chicken stuffed onto a milk bun with Caesar mayonnaise – they could open a drive-through just for this alone and it’d do good service.
Wine speaks to Palinkas’ lo-fi sensibilities, and service is friendly above all to please a local crowd.
But there’s more to keep you intrigued; the main courses are generous and think outside the box – wood-fired octopus comes chopped and tossed with chorizo and fregola, rather than as an oh-so-trendy whole charred tentacle, with fennel bringing freshness. Bright-fleshed Prince of Orange potatoes come fried with truffle aioli, and are rightly crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the centre. Wine speaks to Palinkas’ lo-fi sensibilities, and service is friendly above all to please a local crowd, who count themselves lucky to have Young George on their corner and, surely, Palinkas’ other venture, Ethos Deli + Dining Room, just down the road, too.
