KORUMBURRA Best country pub & best Parma in Victoria!

Words by Ken Roberts | Photos by Doug Pell

It’s a bold claim but The Middle Hotel in Korumburra, affectionately just known as ‘The Middle’, won the Australian Hotel Association award in 2024 for the best Regional pub in Victoria, best outdoor area and the best Parma in the state!

A visit to this traditional looking brick country pub located on Commercial Street, Korumburra will soon give you the clues as to why these accolades were achieved.

Built in 1890 The Middle was once one of your standard typical country pubs but for several years now this has been changing. Ben ‘Fish’ Fisher and wife Elyse took over the licence in 2019 after running the San Remo Hotel for nine years, with their mentors Peter and Colleen Williams.

Ben grew up in nearby Loch on a farm and had trained as a Chef at the San Remo Hotel. Once his apprenticeship was completed he moved to front of house. Elyse completed a traineeship at the San Remo Hotel and went on to be a bar manager in her younger years and travelled up the east coast working hospitality. Fish travelled and worked in a variety of jobs, always returning back to the area.

They eventually returned permanently and settled again in San Remo. The couple both worked again at the Hotel, eventually taking over the management together. It was the desire to have a place of their own that saw Fish and Elyse move to Korumburra in 2019 and take over The Middle Hotel.

In his ‘training ground’ at San Remo, Fish learnt a really strong focus on customer service and premium hospitality standards. Both Fish and Elyse gained a level of experience not always found in your average local, but aimed at doing better and giving service above what was generally expected.

This, added with an innate congeniality, gave Fish the ability to give a special touch to operating a 7-day a week business. His experience both back and front of house gives him an understanding of all involved in running a successful venue. You will find him behind the bar pulling a beer, checking on the running of every section of the pub and connecting with regulars and new customers.

Elyse is very passionate about all things community; she is a member of the Women’s shed, the local business association and loves organising events.

Their aim is that as soon as somebody walks through the door they will encounter a comfortable and engaging environment. Every visit should be a positive and memorable experience. The awards recognise that they have well and truly achieved this.

Gone are the days of the dowdy outdated pub. Fish, Elyse and their amazing team, with décor that blends country style with chic modern accents that creates an atmosphere of welcome, have slowly regenerated The Middle.

From the outside it has a traditional look of a solid country pub but when you enter, there is a cosy ambience. A medium sized gaming room and TAB are discreetly located on one side of the building; then the welcoming bar is on the corner facing Commercial Street. This leads into the generous sized Bistro, including a function room, which can be hired separately. They cater for a wide range of functions such as birthdays, corporate events, weddings; even the local book club get together there!

Doors open to the deck of the outdoor area that is on different levels and directs you down to a large entertainment space, still with a few quiet sheltered corners. The days of the outdated pub beer garden are well and truly over. What Fish has done to transform an unused car park and old bottle shop area at the back of the pub into a smart, trendy casual outdoor area is amazing. This area is discreetly sheltered by hedges from the street and is on several easily accessed levels with an outdoor bar and facilities. The décor is fresh with a modern historic twist on images from Korumburra’s past. In summer this area comes alive and is a popular place for guests to relax and listen to the occasional live entertainment. The area has even hosted a couple of wedding ceremonies. The success of this revamped outdoor area was evident in that they also won the award from the AHA for the ‘Best Outdoor Experience’.

The Bistro has table service by attentive staff who detail orders on tablets and another innovation are the LED lights on each table that turn red when tipped upside down to alert staff that you require service. They also have an innovative service of ‘bringing the pub to you’ where they deliver take away food to Korumburra every night and surrounding towns on Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm within a 25km radius.

Social media alerts customers to the frequent special events that occur and often the popular Bluey character will appear to delight the kids. Footy tipping is a favourite and competitive fixture during winter. There really is something for everybody!

Who would have thought that the award for the best Parma in the entire state would be found in South Gippsland? The Middle Hotel beat out 16 other finalists to win the award at a glittering awards night at Crown Casino in May. The mystery judges who visit each establishment take into account the Parma itself on taste, presentation and ingredients as well as many factors of the Pub like the décor, greeting and general feel of the place.

The Middle scored a perfect 100% when rated. Fish, Elyse and many of their staff were rightly chuffed to get up on stage to receive this award as well as their ‘Overall Best Hotel of the Year (Regional)’ title.

The attention that their best Parma award received was phenomenal! National Nine News was on their doorstep when they returned from the awards to sample the famed Parma and do a story for the evening news. Social and print media were also all over it and Fish says that the demand for the Parma went over the top. They almost doubled their weekly meals from 800 serves in the wake of the win and some visitors were making a special trip from around the state to sample it!

The Middle’s chef Mark Smith said the secret to the success was about quality ingredients as well as preparation. Hailing from the UK Mark had to become familiar with this Aussie pub icon but has obviously got it well and truly down pat. He and his team are very proud to win the award.

Community is at the very heart of what The Middle Hotel stands for. Fish and Elyse are very generous in their support of many local events, fundraisers and clubs. They are active in various causes such as ‘The Big Freeze’ that raises money to fight Motor Neurone Disease and ‘RULE Prostate Cancer’. “They go out of their way to help whoever they can that needs a hand up and the community clearly appreciates what they do in the loyal support that is returned.

The transformation that has occurred at The Middle has adapted an outdated pub model into a community hub where friends, family and visitors meet, catch up and relax. It’s still a pub but with so much more. The bistro is more like a restaurant and has a menu to match, catering for all dietary requirements. They have an ongoing program of entertainment and proudly support their community in many ways including employment for many locals.

The success of this South Gippsland classic is well deserved. Credit goes to Fish, Elyse and their team in creating such an award winning and forward thinking pub.

Why not visit, order a Parma and see what all the fuss is about!

BRUNCH, ALLPRESS COFFEE, LUNCH, BREAKFAST, FRESH BREAD, ALL AVAILABLE IN THE SEASIDE TOWN OF NEWHAVEN ON PHILLIP ISLAND. THE SIMPLE THINGS... DONE REALLY WELL!

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