Sunday lunch: Ginger Baker Wine Bar and Cafe, Bright

CHEF Tim Walton wants to set the record straight. He didn't name his Bright restaurant Ginger Baker after the English drummer from the 1960s bands Cream and Blind Faith.

He actually named it after his neighbour's cat — but admits he doesn't mind Baker's music just the same.

Ginger Baker Wine Bar and Cafe, which opened in November, sits in a prime spot overlooking the meandering Ovens River that weaves its way through Bright.

Rustic wooden tables set under huge, shady oak trees are perfect for long, sunny afternoons or, when the weather turns, diners can head inside the cosy cafe.

Quirky decor such as preserving jars ingeniously turned into lights with globes collected from old ovens are always a talking point, according to Walton.

He owned three Melbourne restaurants, including Mr Percival in Malvern, before opting for country life with his young family.

There's a bright-red table for groups or communal dining and slabs of local woodwork as bar benchtops and stools.

But it's the menu that is the most impressive. It has 15 shared plates and we settle on four dishes — smokehouse salmon with rocket, horseradish cream and rye bread, calamari and chorizo with lemon, pork belly, and pork and fennel meatballs with red sauce ($12 each). The servings arrive in terracotta bowls and there's plenty to satisfy two appetites — the fennel meatballs are particularly memorable.

Skirt steak with garlic herb butter, chicken liver pate with toast and cornichons and apple, celery, walnut and rocket salad are among the other options.