Southern fox

Slowly, but surely, the near total domination of great pubs North of the Yarra is dwindling. And a surprising number of those Southern upstarts are conveniently congregating in a small area between South Melbourne, Port Melbourne and Albert Park. The latest arrival is particularly symbolic as it is the remote outpost of one Collingwood's best.

The Fox has moved into the, classy but troubled, Montague that overlooks one of Melbourne's more peculiar junctions. And, to the raised eyebrows I'd wager of nearby St Vincent Place residents, they've brought a pool table, a whopping twelve taps of craft beer (and a further eighty bottles) ... and a grouse pub grub menu that deftly satisfies both the parma appreciators and vegos/vegans of the world. It feels a world away from the its Northern brother's rooftop outlook over the Eastern highway, yet somehow its inherited claret red walls and homely carpet fit this Fox very warmly.

This very welcome addition to the pub scene means that there is now a superb little pub crawl to be had between this pub (stop 27 on tram 1), the Railway, O'Connells, the Palace and the Wayside (stop 126 on tram 96). That's five truly great pubs within a couple of blocks of each other and, happily, within stumbling distance of most readers of this guide's homes.

Beers on tap: Too many to list
Wine range: $7.50 - $9.00
Parma: $20
Gastro: Less so than its predecessor
Tradie vs Yuppy: As hipster as it gets in the South