The Clam - Lorne

Seaside tavern serving food, drinks and music.

Open Friday - Sunday from 12pm until late

Next door to the refreshed @lorne_theatre

82 Mountjoy Parade, Lorne

The Clam
No phone

Hours:
Fri to Sun 12pm-late

theclam.au
@theclamlorne

broadsheet.com.au says

First Look: Chef David Moyle Opens Phase One of The Clam, His Seaside Tavern in Lorne

The former chef at Longsong in the CBD and Franklin in Hobart has opened a cool laid-back deck for dumplings, wine and DJ sets. Still to come is a seafood and pickle bar and an indoor bar with room for 200 people.

"My life's been a bit more on the paintbrush than the pans lately," says chef David Moyle. The former chef at Longsong and Hobart's now-closed Franklin is getting ready to open phase two of The Clam, a new seaside tavern and bar in Lorne.

He opened what he's calling phase one of the spot - which neighbours the newly revamped art deco cinema the Lorne Theatre - with George Barnes (who has curated events and music programming at Fratelli Paradiso, 10 William and Icebergs Dining Room and Bar) at the tail end of last year.

Phase one of The Clam is a teal-coloured outdoor deck complete with festoon light bulbs, that will feature food vendor pop-ups and residencies, roving DJ sets, live music and wines curated by Blackhearts & Sparrows.

At the moment, the team from Melbourne dumpling institution Shandong Mama has a stall on the deck, and last weekend they served Cantonese yum cha while Moyles put on a clambake, a New England-style outdoor seafood-centred celebration (think a seafood-centric barbeque).

Phase two, which the duo is optimistic will open at the beginning of February, will be a seafood and pickle bar with snacks including oysters, anchovies, house-pickled vegetables and "top-line chips". You'll find this bar inside The Clam, and it will exist in addition to what is currently open on the deck. As a result of phase two, there'll be room for around 200 people indoors.

"We want it to be a mixed juice," says Moyle, explaining that the team hopes The Clam will be a multi-functional space where people are welcome to come for a snack, linger over a bottle of wine, or grab a drink before heading off to a movie.

The building, which Moyle believes was once a Pancake Parlour, will be "grown-up in its sensibility - but a hell of a lot of fun". The venue will be open year-round, with a fireplace and cosy corners for the winter months.

And it doesn't end at phase two (or even three or four). "It's going to be an ever-evolving place," says Moyle.

Barnes and Moyle also recently opened The Salty Mangrove in northern New South Wales and Moyle, who grew up in Port Fairy, plans to split his time between Byron Bay and Lorne for the foreseeable future. "I've just signed up for my life to be pretty chaotic, but I think it's worthwhile," he says.

Published on 25 January 2024
by AUDREY PAYNE | broadsheet.com.au