Right alongside Pakington Street in Geelong West is a bright, two-toned reimagined venue that's making a splash.
Taking over the iconic spot formerly known as Rajs On Pako, Boss Burger owners Tim Harrison and Jamie Kolovos have opened Geelong’s very first hybrid takeaway store with ‘For Pokè Sake’ and ‘Salt & Battered Fish & Chips’.
On its street-facing side, the bold coloured venue leads into an intimate space. With just a couple of seats available, a drinks fridge and a front kiosk that backs onto the kitchen, there’s more to this place than meets the eye.
Stay up to date with what’s happening on the foodie scene around the region here.
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First up, let’s talk about Salt & Battered. Having already garnered a strong reputation for its outpost in Armstrong Creek, the move to Pakington Street was a no-brainer for the business. Armed with a venue – which the business owners were running as a ghost kitchen and pop-up space sporadically over the past couple of years – and following the loss of Pako Fish & Grill just up the road, there was enough demand for the fish ’n’ chip format and a solid business model to replicate to justify bringing Salt & Battered to Geelong West.
“First we opened the cafe Overtime in Armstrong Creek which did really well, and then we opened Salt & Battered a year ago and that has just gone crazy. It’s so busy and there are so many more people moving out there,” Harrison explains.
“Meanwhile we were trying to set up this ghost kitchen on Pakington Street and we did a pop-up BBQ collaboration with Wildfire and Boss there, but we couldn’t get staff and it was a nightmare to get it off the ground as a ghost kitchen so we decided we need to move forward with a storefront and make it viable and we thought bringing Salt & Battered here would be perfect for this side of town.”
With a classic, salt-licked vibe and vibrant menu, its traditional meets modern at Salt & Battered with a tasty menu of seafood and a few burgers in the mix for good measure. Here you’ll find everything you’re looking for. There’s butterfish, flake and barramundi, tender fried calamari rings, a cheeseburger and Lot Burger both made with premium Wagyu beef, a veggie burger, and southern fried chicken burger, steak sandwiches and a range of mouthwatering souvlakis.
If you can’t decide, opt for one of their packs; with different combinations of all the favourites including butterfish, potato cakes and dim sims with a scoop of chips. Of course, you’ll also find all the favourite snacky items including battered and deep-fried chicken nuggets, pumpkin cakes, dim sim in batter, seafood sticks, fish bites, scallops, sav in batter and deep-fried mars bar or the pineapple fritter. It’s really not an Aussie fish and chippery without a deep-fried choccy bar coated in batter is it?!
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If you’re not a superfan of seafood, there is loads on their menu for you too thanks to sister business For Pokè Sake, the drool-worthy Hawaiian-inspired brand that’s also emerged from the burger kings who “just want to bring something new to the table” and allowing customers to mix and match their meals, providing more flexibility for families and patrons with varying tastes.
Building on the enduring and delicious trend of Poké bowls, the bright and flavoursome menu gives you all the holiday feels without stepping foot on a plane. Championing Japanese influenced spices, here you’ll find bowls packed with fresh sashimi salmon, grilled miso salmon, pulled pork, Portuguese BBQ chicken, poached chicken, organic tofu, roasted pumpkin, and roasted eggplant, all on a bed of sushi rice or vermicelli, veggies and tastebud-tingling sauces. Deliciously rich, these are a flavour-bursting takeaway option solving all our lunch woes.
With your first melting mouthful, you’ll wholeheartedly agree this is one of the best poké bowls around, but that’s not all you’ll find here. The menu is further bolstered by Vietnamese rice paper rolls and a selection of delicious curries – butter chicken, chicken Katsu and Thai beef curry, which Harrison describes as the ‘standout so far’.
No, we’re not done.
Because life is all about balance, the desserts are a must, especially with an indulgent Japanese cheesecake served with whipped cream sitting pretty on the menu. There’s also a dark chocolate mousse served with berry sauce if that’s more to your liking.
If that wasn’t enough, the outrageously delicious business will soon see a new item grace the menu that’s sure to please the foodies of Geelong: Sushi Tacos.
“We’re doing sushi tacos very soon, and I’m pretty sure no one does them in Geelong,” Harrison says.
“It’s seaweed dipped in batter, fried and then folded into a taco and filled with rice and sashimi. So in actual fact, it just tastes like sushi but it’s crunchy, and it’s unbelievable.”
That’s right people, sushi tacos. Combining our love for both Japanese and Mexican food, this can only be described as an epic hand-held experience. Keep your eyes on their socials for a launch date.
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Since opening their first Boss Burger on Pakington Street back in 2016, things started on a high and remained there for Harrison and Kolovos, with Boss quickly becoming one of the most popular burger joints in town. Dishing out pure, unadulterated deliciousness ever since, the Boss Burger crew have gone on to open several more stores in and around the region, pumping out some damn tasty burgers to Waurn Ponds, Leopold, Torquay, Lara Ballarat and Colac, even opening one over in Tasmania.
With the rapid success of the business, it’s no surprise the expansions keep coming. Often hailed the best burgers around, Boss Burger’s ‘Tommy the Chook’ burger was even among the 10 most frequently ordered Deliveroo dishes globally (yes, globally) and claimed the coveted number one pick for Australian users, so that’s pretty damn impressive from the local business.
With a proven business formula and knack for consistently providing high-quality food, and managing to continue to thrive despite the trials and tribulations of a pandemic, Salt & Battered and For Pokè Sake is just the latest brand to their growing portfolio of restaurants and takeaway joints in the region, with no doubt more to come.
“There will be more to come in here [at the Pakington Street venue], and we’re going to try and get some seating out the front to create a bit more of a presence.
“We have a parmi brand called Parm Springs which is currently in Leopold, Ballarat and Tasmania, which operates out of our Boss Burger venues, and we have a Hoagie brand as well, and the eventual plan will be to bring them into here to this central Geelong West location.”
With a wine bar coming soon across the road, The Resident Barber, Bao Place, and Pizza Bar, Harrison swears “this is the new end” of Pakington Street.
Watch this space people, there’s a real vibe happening here and we’re all about it.
Find Salt & Battered and For Pokè Sake at 220 Pakington Street, Geelong West.
