Lots of support for new food experience

 

One of Docklands’ newest restaurants is already developing a reputation for great food and a great atmosphere.

Merchant Society opened in Merchant St at the end of last year and has quickly gained a collection of loyal customers.

“Lunch is very busy with local workers and we always have plenty of local residents coming in for dinner,” owner and operator Charles Ng said. “We’ve had a lot of support.”

Mr Ng is no stranger to the restaurant game, having operated restaurants in Surrey Hills, Mentone, Hawthorn, Patterson Lakes and in Perth.

His newest venture is an Asian fusion restaurant, offering Malaysian and Thai cuisines.

Fully-licensed and offering eat-in and take-away, Merchant Society has a range of fresh and delicious meals to please any customer, according to Mr Ng.

“All of our meals are cooked fresh after each order, nothing is pre-cooked,” Mr Ng said. “We offer freshly cooked cuisine and service with a smile.”

“I think that is the reason we have had success so far – because of the delicious food and excellent service,” he said.

The restaurant is also pet-friendly, with Mr Ng encouraging locals to bring their furry friends with them to dine in the al fresco area.

“We are very pet-friendly, we welcome residents to bring pets with them to enjoy a meal outside. I’ve got four big heaters out there and we have bowls of water for the dogs, so you’ll be very comfortable,” Mr Ng said.

Apart from delicious dine-in options, Merchant Society also offers takeaway and last month introduced freshly-prepared takeaway salads for lunch.

“Salads are made and packed daily and are ready to pick up and take with you for lunch,” Mr Ng said.

According to Mr Ng, the Merchant St area is quickly developing into one of Docklands’ hot-spots.

“It’s definitely an up-and-coming area,” Mr Ng said. “This restaurant is a long-term commitment for me and I’m looking forward to watching the area develop.”

Merchant Society is located at 71 Merchant St in Victoria Harbour. You can contact the restaurant on 9078 5844.


Meet your local travel agent

The team at Docklands Travel considers itself to be Docklands’ local travel agents.

Having worked in the travel industry for 35 years, Beulah Phillips last year joined Docklands Travel at Yarra’s Edge.

A Docklands resident herself, Ms Phillips says building relationships with clients was Docklands Travel’s number one priority.

“I think the key to my business is the personalised service that we do offer,” Ms Phillips said.

“When I work with a client I follow it from beginning to end. I have clients who have been booking travel with me for more than 20 years.”

Offering a full range of services to assist with any travel plans, Ms Phillips says Docklands Travel aims to make every travel experience the best it can be.

The company also specialises in travel to South Africa, with Ms Phillips having worked in the country for 10 years at the beginning of her travel industry career.

Docklands Travel is also moving into the field of medical, cosmetic and wellness tourism and Ms Phillips recently travelled to India and Thailand on a research trip.

“Everyone wants to look after their health and appearance so this kind of travel is becoming more popular,” she said.

Docklands Travel facilitates international procedures by ensuring the correct medical provider is selected to suit the client’s needs, organising flights and accommodation and providing on-the-ground contacts to assist clients before and after procedures.

Docklands Travel can also provide information about health and wellness retreats.

“I’ve done all the research and now we are just putting this next phase of the business into practise,” Ms Phillips said.

Alongside her work at Docklands Travel, Ms Phillips is also the brain behind a Customer Relations Management (CRM) tool that is used widely across the travel industry.

The software, known as Zuma Technologies, provides businesses with a process management system, a database management system and web management system.

“Initially it was developed as a tool for the travel industry but it can be adapted for any business,” Ms Phillips said.

Ms Phillips said the system would suit many of the small and medium businesses across Docklands.

You can contact Ms Phillips and the Team about Docklands Travel or Zuma Technologies by calling 9646 2056.

You can also visit http://www.docklandstravel.com for more information

 

Take the Highroad to success

The team at Highroad aim to do design a little bit differently.

“What sets us apart is that we’re designers who print,” Highroad creative director Henry Ngo said.

Located in Docklands at the base of the Watergate building, the Highroad studio offers graphic design, web development, printing and sign writing.

With a design studio and printing lab, all work can be done in-house, which allows the Highroad team to follow each project from start to finish.

“We aim to do something different in that we want to be involved in the whole process,” Mr Ngo said.

“We offer clients a consultative approach. We consult our clients and are involved in the whole design and printing process. We offer a real assessment of what we think is the best approach.”

Highroad has been operating as a design studio for a number of years and the printing lab was added when the business moved to Docklands in January.

According to Highroad business co-ordinator Darcy Sudholz, one of the benefits of opening a design studio in Docklands was the existing creative community.

“We’ve found there’s a real creative community here, which we didn’t realise before the move,” he said.

“We’re enjoying making connections and there’s a lot of potential for growth in the area too, given it’s only 50 per cent developed.”

According to Mr Ngo, the move to Docklands has opened up Highroad to a whole new raft of clients.

“What we’ve found to be great about this community is that there’s a very tight cluster of businesses of all sizes.”

In addition, the close proximity of a range of Docklands businesses has made it easy to forge connections and add the personal touch of delivering orders by hand.

“It’s very much a personal connection, we’re willing to put in the hours to ensure jobs are delivered on time. It’s a really personal touch we hope to offer,” Mr Sudholz said.

You can find Highroad at 7 Waterview Walk at the base of the Watergate building.

For more information or to get in touch with the Highroad team visit http://www.highroad.com.au

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