Former Fabbrica head chef Keir Ballantyne is leading Stokehouse's new kitchen, with Andrew McConnell and Colin Mainds developing a seafood-focused menu for the St Kilda restaurant
Keir Ballantyne has taken over as head chef at Melbourne's Stokehouse, following the restaurant's reopening under Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann.
The St Kilda restaurant reopened in early November with a refreshed dining room and a new menu centred on Australian seafood, marking a significant change for the waterfront venue.
Keir, previously head chef at Fabbrica in Sydney, has worked with Andrew and Trader House group development chef Colin Mainds to develop the new offering.
The appointment follows the departure of former executive chef Jason Staudt, who had led the Stokehouse kitchen since 2019.
New leadership in the Stokehouse kitchen
Keir joins Stokehouse as the restaurant enters its first summer under Trader House, which took over the business from the Van Haandel family in October.
The new menu has been developed in collaboration with Andrew and Colin, whose experience includes several of Melbourne's best-known restaurant kitchens.
Originally from Scotland, Colin spent three years at the two-Michelin-starred Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles before moving to Australia.
He later joined Trader House as a chef at Cumulus Inc., progressing to head chef at Cutler & Co., where he also oversaw the kitchen team at Marion.
In 2021, he became executive chef at Gimlet, working closely with Andrew on the restaurant's menu and relationships with producers.
His current role as group development chef brings that experience to projects across Trader House, including the reopened Stokehouse.
For Keir, the appointment means taking responsibility for the day-to-day kitchen operation at one of Melbourne's longest-established waterfront restaurants.
Australian seafood shapes the new menu
Stokehouse's menu retains its longstanding focus on seafood, although the new kitchen has introduced different preparations and flavour combinations.
A royal red prawn tart is among the smaller dishes, while the raw bar includes wild kingfish with guindilla pepper and rock samphire, alongside bluefin tuna with Sicilian capers and lemon.
Another seafood preparation pairs Tasmanian white asparagus with picked mud crab, Marcona almonds and brown butter.
For larger dishes, John Dory and red mullet are served with clams, mussels and sauce américaine, while King George whiting is accompanied by pil pil.
The menu draws on several European cooking traditions, incorporating classical sauces alongside ingredients and preparations associated with Spain and the Mediterranean.
Other dishes take a different approach, including Mooloolaba prawns with Thai dressing.
The range of preparations gives the kitchen several styles of cooking to manage, from raw seafood and shellfish to grilled fish and sauce-based dishes.
There are also substantial meat dishes, including Aylesbury duck breast with mustard greens and grilled grapes, and roast lamb rack with txistorra, sweet peppers and sheep's yoghurt.
The combination reflects a menu that remains centred on seafood without being limited to one cuisine or cooking style.
Retaining Stokehouse's identity
Stokehouse has been part of Melbourne's dining scene since the Van Haandel family opened the restaurant in 1990.
While its ownership and kitchen leadership have changed, the new operators have retained several dishes associated with the restaurant's history.
The current menu includes grilled coral trout with sauce vierge, lobster 'Champeau' and dry-aged Gippsland rib-eye among its Stokehouse classics.
The approach allows the kitchen to introduce new dishes while maintaining familiar options for returning diners.
Andrew and Jo have also introduced a more relaxed direction to the upstairs restaurant, although Stokehouse remains separate from the casual dining venue downstairs.
The former Stokehouse Pasta & Bar reopened as Marea Beach House & Bar on 26 October.
Marea has its own menu, with an emphasis on informal Mediterranean-inspired dishes, seafood and cooking over a wood grill.
The two venues now operate as distinct restaurants within the Trader House portfolio.
A new chapter for an established kitchen
The reopening brings new leadership and a different cooking direction to Stokehouse following its transition from the Van Haandel family to Trader House.
For Keir, it is an opportunity to lead an established kitchen with a menu developed alongside chefs with extensive experience across Melbourne's dining scene.
For Andrew and Colin, the project adds a beachfront seafood restaurant to a portfolio that includes Gimlet, Cutler & Co., Cumulus Inc. and Supernormal.
The new menu retains Stokehouse's connection to Australian seafood while introducing different ingredients and cooking techniques.
With the restaurant now operating under its new kitchen leadership, attention turns to how Keir and his team develop the food and maintain the standards associated with Stokehouse.
Read The Staff Canteen Australia's earlier coverage of Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann taking over Stokehouse.
