FAQ

You’re only open four nights a week?
Yep. We’re open from 5 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays (we’re closed on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays). We always knew we wanted to open four nights. Being owner-operated, we do so many hours behind the scenes to make the magic happen.
The thinking is: Monday/Tuesday is hospitality weekend (our region is full of people who love food and also work unconventional weeks). Then Friday/Saturday is “normal people” weekend (I don’t need to explain that one, do I?). It’s weird, but it works.

Can I come for just a drink?
We are licensed to serve drinks without food, so yes — you can pop in for just a drink. The rule is that the kitchen must be open, which is until 9 pm-ish. Sometimes a smidgen later in summer, often a little earlier in winter.

Didn’t you say the restaurant was French?
Yeah. When we opened, we called it a French-ish bistro. Isaac got really into that old-school French style of cooking. It was a way to explain what we were doing — that we bake bread, we make stock, and we do it all properly.
Even though we’re both Australian. Cuisine-wise there was a move to find “what’s next” after the Japanese and Nordic waves that rolled through Australia’s food scene in the 2010s. It’s funny to say a shift forward was actually a return to tradition — but yeah, we wanted less foam, gel, and powders, and more sauce, bread, and herbs. Herbs as an ingredient, not just a garnish.
If we’re fermenting or pickling, it’s useful and traditional — not just trendy. Use local, respect the seasons, think like a grandma.
As time went on, our menu naturally shifted: more Mediterranean in summer, and more inspired by cooler parts of Europe in winter. It just follows the seasons and what we feel like eating.
We take inspiration from all over Europe and serve wines from all over too. So now we say we’re a European-inspired bistro.

Do you do split billing?
Due to the nature of this style of eating (multiple share-style dishes), we recommend that guests split the entire bill by the number of people — including drinks — if splitting.

Can I bring my dog?
Friendly dogs are welcome on the front patio — weather permitting. It’s not undercover.

Do you cater for dietary requirements?
We have limited (but still very delicious) options for people with dietary needs. Please write all limitations in the notes when booking — yes, even the “normal” ones like vego, GF, DF, seafood allergies, etc.
The trickiest ones for us are onion/garlic allergies, FODMAP, and vegan diets, as these usually require significant hours of prep in advance.
We may be able to make off-menu magic happen — Isaac is incredibly good and impressively adaptive — but we won’t prepare separate vegan dishes etc. unless we know you’re coming.
We recommend booking at least a couple of days in advance if you have dietary restrictions. We want to prepare as best we can in our little cooked-from-scratch kitchen.

Do you cater for children?
We don’t have a specific children’s menu — we figured that’s already well covered by other venues in the region.
Children are welcome to join and eat from the regular menu with their families. That’s all good. We usually have off-menu secret French fries for the little dudes.
We don’t stock juice or ice cream, etc.
Please note the presence of children in your reservation notes and include them in the total guest count. We only have two highchairs, so they do run out in peak season.

Will you ever do lunch?
Hmm. Not unless we can clone Chef Isaac or conjure some sort of Mary Poppins-style magic to double (or triple) the fridge space. Both seem scientifically impossible at this stage.

There were three owners before, right?
Ooze & Tang was always Emily and Isaac’s long-term vision. But a friend-of-a-friend’s number scribbled among wine tasting notes led to an adventure.
Bar Manager/Co-Owner Jason (aka JP, from Agent 80) came on board just before we opened in 2022. A wizard at the dark arts of cocktails and a delight to have around.
In April 2025, he decided to fly the coop and become a barfly instead. His last night in mid-April was a party. Massive thanks to all the regulars who came in.
He’s hoping to find a lifestyle with fewer night shifts to suit his young family — something Isaac and I absolutely understand.

Why is it called Ooze & Tang?
Ah, we’ve already answered that one — about halfway down the About Us page.