Chefs of the Mornington Peninsula

Benedict Dowling is the chef and owner of Tulum Store on the shores of Balnarring Beach. He grew up on the Western Port coast at Somers. His connection with the local general stores of the Peninsula goes back to when he was stacking milk as a kid at the Somers General Store.

Growing up, his love of good food and feeding others developed into a career as a chef, travelling the world and working in international hotels and resorts.

Decades on, and with partner Sarah in tow, Benedict returned to his roots on Western Port and bought the Tulum Store at Balnarring Beach in 2022. Breakfast could be two Somerville eggs cooked over easy with a stack of bacon in a toasted Turkish bun. A popular lunch burger sees a generous serve of succulent, slow-roasted Torello Farm lamb topped with house beetroot relish, roast garlic yoghurt and rocket, served with a mound of chips.

Benedict has a love of modern Asian flavours, which play out in his Friday and Saturday night menu, which sees the kitchen step it up a few notches with dishes like morsels of Port Phillip calamari, fried until golden and served with yuzu flavoured mayonnaise, tingling touches of Sichuan pepper, the crunch of fried shallots and Vietnamese mint. Leaning into the great local veg are dishes such as pumpkin and Jerusalem artichoke braised in a South Asian curry sauce and dressed with crunchy radicchio and fennel, and little crimson jewels of pomegranate seeds.

The full-service night sittings are complemented by a tight list of local beers, wines and spot-on cocktails that see tables booked well in advance.

What Benedict was not anticipating was the demand for ready-to-eat, heat-and-serve takeaway meals. ‘We got it at Tulum’ is now a local refrain for people serving up soups, pasta dishes, different styles of lasagne and curries that blend styles from across Asia, all of which Benedict and his team prepare in their kitchen.

Tulum Store

Balnarring Beach Road
Balnarring Beach

Tue–Thu 8am–4pm
Fri–Sat 8am–late
Sun 8am–3pm
www.tulumstore.com.au