(Drank 12/16/24 MO @ 11:30am): We were certainly south of things but no dining on our first visit…read morehere!
A friend and I were on Day 3 of our 12-Day Southern Australia Explorer cruise with Princess Cruises, we took the local train into town, and after some initial morning exploration, we finally took a break at Pure South Dining. Located at one end of the Evan Walker Bridge, we've already been roaming Melbourne's downtown area for a few hours now and needed some refreshments before we continued. The location and morning crowd instantly drew our attention, so we decided to give it a shot. Now, the question was what were we going to have. Was this pure bliss at this dining establishment!?
PURCHASE
Moo Brew Tassie Lager Pale Beer 425ml Draft ($12.00AUD): Golden amber color, light hoppy malty aroma, light body, light earthy hoppy malty flavor, crisp finish, and light hoppy malty aftertaste. This was a nice morning beer! https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=pOaKXxioignZa4YpAe7RRw
SERVICE
We were immediately greeted by a friendly young hostess who easily sat us at a table close to the bar with a view pointed towards the windows that faced the Yarra River. We were handed both breakfast https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=VrokqUzZG2vQCALVhQQ8tQ and drinks https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=ATKEhvX04l--ZBZuWyyBIA menus, respectively, and given glasses of water while we perused our options. We (with my urging) both decided on a morning beer which seemed to take our server by surprise. Nonetheless, our beers arrived quickly as we settled in. Soon enough, we finished our drinks, asked for our checks, and headed out for our next adventure as the place got busier, and I'm sure they wanted to utilize the space we took up - cheers!
PARKING (Varied; N/A this instance)
There was paid basement parking within the Southgate Centre. There also appeared to be a decent amount of parking on all surrounding streets (please note any posted signs), onsite parking at the nearby Federation Square, and of course the wonderful public transportation such as the tram system which we conveniently took and then walked the rest of the way - 'nuff said.
ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE
Located within the Southgate Business Centre https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=tl0oyMEs1_TQkyxjlVLg0g on the banks of the Yarra River, this 2-level eatery (I never saw the 2nd level) had a very clean modern feel perfectly situated for all passerbyers to see. Its 1st level had an expansive floorplan filled with chairs/tables and a central bar area https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=iv40miJZUzj-s8-tj731QA that immediately caught my attention. There was decent natural lighting that entered through the many surrounding windows while an assortment of electric ceiling lights filled in the rest. There were several TVs throughout while the voices of conversations were heard in the background. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=L7UN5cQ6DpBu_XOA_q0Xpw
ATTIRE
Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops.
OVERALL
I enjoyed the location, look, and feel of Pure South Dining and would love a return to actually have a full experience. My local beer was nice, but their minimal tap beer selection https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=kJkjes82wpSywzBhwgHS4A woefully needed some help. The food aroma was tantalizing, so I only imagined it tasted wonderful, too, and the lunch/dinner menus were probably even better. The prices seemed comparable while the service was fine. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $12.00AUD / $7.50USD BEFORE any discounts/tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice... AMEX! 4.0 STARS