Chowder House

97 Main Rd, Hepburn Springs (map)
Phone 03 5348 2221

Chowder always reminds me of The Simpsons episode where Mayor Quimby’s nephew, Freddy Quimby, ridicules a French waiter over the pronunciation of this soupy classic.  ”Say it Frenchy!  Say Chow-dah,” Freddy would mock in a high pitch JFK parody, to which the waiter would defiantly reply ”Chaudière”.  Pandemonium subsequently ensued.

However you pronounce it, I have always wanted to try this dish.  I got my wish, not on the east coast of America, but in the spa capital of Victoria (Hepburn Springs) at the popular Chowder House.

The name of this diner proclaims its speciality as loudly as the decor of its kitsch interior, which is a mish mash of retro 50′s vinyl chairs, tablecloths and paraphenalia.  There’s even a vintage ladies hairdryer (one of them conical ones on a stand) in the loos.  The main attraction, however, were the charming staff and owners, one of whom was reading out the newspaper quiz as we walked in, with diners calling out the answers.

The menu consists of  seven or so chowder (natch), plus brekkie dishes like pancakes and Frenchies (toast, not waiters), as well as muffins and cakes.

We opted for pescatorial chowders in the form of smoked cod and the New England classic of clams.  Just look at this bad boy!  A rich, creamy yet light broth came laden with chunks of cod so smokey, we felt like we had just left a BBQ stoked by a forest of hickory.  Mellie actually found it a tad too smokey to finish it all.

We ordered side serves of the most delectable corn bread - a slight crunch on the outside and moist and corny on the inside.  I know that this term has been poo-poo’d by many blogger/tweets but feck it – it was TO DIE FOR!

I channelled my inner Kennedy with the extremely tasty clam chowder.  The soup base was a little less rich than Mel’s and it was chock full of little sweet pippi-like clams.  It was seriously a Soup Nazi moment for me, a broth so tasty you had to sit down to eat it.

The servings were so huge that we didn’t quite finish everything, for which we were good naturedly chided by the owners.  In reply, we lamented that the serves were so big that we now couldn’t fit in one of their passionfruit fairy cakes.  Imagine our surprise when, after we had paid and were leaving, one of the owners gave us a free fairy cake to take away!  Money just can’t buy the happy and friendly vibe coming from this diner.

Alas, we drove by the next day and noticed that Chowder House has a Business For Sale sign on the door   We were somewhat saddened, yet hopeful that the new owners (whoever they may be), continue the legacy of serving top broth in spa country.  Less hopeful are we about replicating the charm of the staff and owners, who will prove a hard act to follow.