Pub Grub: Ferdydurke

BAR SIDE

Given that their opening hours are from 12pm to 1am every day of the week, it’s obvious that Ferdydurke on Lonsdale Street is in the business of partying.

31 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne,  CBD
VIC
(03) 9639 3750
ferdydurke.com.au

 

We’re not sure who would be in need of a late night session on the bar at 1am on a Monday, but then again, the Polish parade of festivities at this little spot is never-ending. The folks at Ferdy have developed a special place for the wacky and wonderful in Melbourne, with a focus on supporting local bands and artists. For a night of peculiarities and something completely different, Ferdydurke is the place to be. Almost everything here is under $5, so it’s worth splashing out on a (feasibly consumable) mountain of Polish Parowka frankfurters and giving everything on the menu a go. If you’re willing to break the bank, the decadent $6 piñata box of spicy goodness involves serious quantities of nachos, picco de gallo hot sauce, cheese, sour cream and jalapenos. Make sure you have your hand firmly wrapped around a Polish brew to wash it down, because you’re going to need it. The cocktail list reads like a bible for the worship of Dionysus and it’s best to ask the staff what to suggest. Australian wines and beers are available too, but the brave who give the Polish imports a crack will be rewarded with a perfect match to their hot dog feast.

‘Ferdydurke’ originates from a 1930s Polish novel by Witold Gombrowicz that explores his general dissatisfaction with the rapidity of life and the pervasiveness of conformity. Hence, the owners wanted to create a space where, in the words of the man himself, “…against the background of general freakishness, the case of my particular freakishness was lost.”