We recently had our Work Christmas party at Fortress Melbourne (Shop 25/23 Caledonian Ln). A giant gaming bar and restaurant in Melbourne’s Emporium shopping centre. It was a lot of fun and very different to anything our team had been to before. Here’s a summary of what we got and how much it all cost so that if you’re thinking of having a big lunch, dinner or even buck’s night with some family-friendly fun and games, then here’s what you can expect.
Fortress Melbourne Party Planner
In the lead-up to the event, our party planner Taisa helped me to figure out which package was best for us. The hardest decision was whether to go with a drinks package (about $40 more per head to have unlimited basic drinks) but we went with an open bar tab instead.
The minimum party size is for 10 people and our package was $85 per head without the drink package.
The Christmas / EOY event packages that we chose was as below:
CHRISTMAS TAVERN TABLE PACKAGE – 3 HOURS
Includes:
Event Space
- 3 Hours Tavern Restaurant tables
Activity
- Board game and card game play
- Arcade Alley Card with $10 credit per person (games are mostly $2)
Beverage
- 1 x Festive Christmas Cocktail on Arrival
Catering
- Deluxe Canape Package (11 items pp)
- Served share style on platters
Canapes – Eight
- Tomato Bruschetta (V)
- Mushroom Arancini with Garlic Aioli (GF,V)
- Coconut Prawn on a Sugarcane Stick (GF)
- Mini Beef Wellington
- Vegetable Dumplings with Sweet Chilli Sauce (V)
- Skewered Satay Chicken
- Bacon, mac & cheese croquette
- Lamb Kofta with Cumin Yoghurt (GF)
Substantial Items – Two
- Dessert Canapes – One
- Assorted Mini Doughnuts
Items are subject to change and availability
(V) = Vegetarian (VG) = Vegan (GF) = Gluten Free (GFO) = Gluten Free Option
Pre-Selected Games
- Quoridor
- What Do You Meme?
- Jenga
- Codenames Pictures
The pre-selected games were chosen by me. We only got to play the first three, however.
Fortress Melbourne Cocktails
Fortress Melbourne Food
Below is the food that was brought out to us. Fortress has an extensive menu of meals you can also order for regular meals.
Other food we received
Some of these dishes I believe were due to dietary requirements. I’m not sure why we also got fish tacos, it seems like a totally random extra meal that I thought was an alternative to something else, but I think we actually did get everything on our menu so now I’m confused.
Board Games at Fortress Melbourne
Arcade Games at Fortress Melbourne
We each had $10 for arcade games and the final 5 of us stuck around for a few more hours playing the arcade games using up all the credit and spending a bit of extra money of our own on games and a few more drinks.
Conclusion
Overall, everyone was very happy with the venue, the food and the activities and some team members claimed it to have been one of the most entertaining Christmas parties they’ve been to. I would definitely book another function here and some of the team members are planning to return with their friends.
Fortress Melbourne Menu
Bites
Cheesy Shroom Balls – $16
Gooey mozzarella & mushroom arancini balls.
Crumbed Haloumi Wands – $15
Golden panko-crumbed halloumi served with chipotle aioli.
Buttermilk Popcorn Chicken – $15
Tender & juicy buttermilk popcorn chicken bites.
Mac n’ Cheese Orbs – $15
Molten mac n’ cheese balls rolled in crumbs.
Dragon Cauliflowers – $16
Crispy buffalo cauliflower florets served with housemade blue
cheese sauce.
Dragon Wings – $16
Mouthwatering roast buffalo chicken wings with housemade
blue cheese sauce.
Dips w’ Charred Flatbread – $15
Hummus, baba ganoush & beetroot dips served with gently
toasted flatbread.
Rustic Beef Meatballs – $15
Meatballs ladled in tomato gravy & topped with shaved parmesan.
Sauces – $2
Chipotle Aioli, Garlic Aioli, Mayonnaise, Sweet Chilli, Sour Cream,
Tartare, Tomato, Sriracha, Mustard, Vegan Mayo or Barbeque.
Fries
Bolognese Loaded Fries – $18
Crispy thick fries topped with bolognese, melted mozzarella &
spring onions.
Chilli Cheese Loaded Fries – $18
Crispy thick fries topped with chilli con carne, melted mozzarella,
spring onion & fresh chillies.
Vietnamese Loaded Fries – $18
Crispy thick fries topped with melted mozzarella, hoisin sauce,
sriracha, garlic mayo, crunchy rice noodles & spring onions.
Thick Cut – $9
served with tomato sauce.
Shoestring – $9
served with tomato sauce.
Wedges – $12
Served with sweet chilli & sour cream.
Burgers & Dogs
Flame Grilled Cheese Burger – $23
Beef brisket on a milk bun, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce,
garlic aioli, tomato sauce & pickles.
Crunchy Chicken Burger – $22
Buttermilk fried chicken on a milk bun, cheddar cheese, slaw,
lettuce, tomato, chipotle aoli, tomato sauce.
Flame Grilled Beyond Beef Burger – $25
Beyond beef on a milk bun, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, garlic
aioli, tomato sauce & pickles.
Adventurers Arise Burger – $16
Gooey fried egg, bacon & cheese on a brioche bun.
The Humble Dog – $13
Frankfurt hot dog in a soft bun with cheese, mustard &
tomato sauce.
The Sly Dog – $13
Vegan hot dog in a soft bun with cheddar cheese, mustard &
tomato sauce.
The Tavern Kransky – $15
Smoked Kransky infused with gooey cheese in a milk bun &
dijon mustard.
Jim’s Classics
The Champion’s Chicken Parma – $24
Hand-crumbed chicken with rich tomato gravy,
mozzarella, Virginia smoked ham, basil & thick fries.
Beer Battered Fish n’ Chips – $25
Beer battered flathead fillets with a fresh garden
salad, thick fries & tartare sauce.
Flame Grilled Chicken – $24
Flame grilled chicken marinated in gentle spices
with a fresh garden salad & thick fries.
The Heroic Eggplant Parma – $23
Generously stuffed eggplant baked in a rich tomato
gravy with mozzarella, basil & thick fries.
Hearty Salads
Fresh Garden Salad – $16
Mixed salad leaves, capsicums, tomato & cucumber in a
French dressing.
Glorious Greek Salad – $16
Cos lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, red onion,
chunky fetta, green olives, balsamic dressing.
The Captain’s Caesar Salad – $16
Cos lettuce, parmesan, crispy bacon & croutons tossed in
a creamy Caesar dressing served with a soft boiled egg.
Wild Rocket & Parmesan Salad – $16
Wild rocket leaves, crisp pear slices & parmesan tossed in
traditional balsamic dressing.
Tacos
Pulled Pork Tacos – $18
Pulled pork on three soft tortillas, topped with pickled
cabbage, fresh salsa & hoisin sauce drizzle.
Flame Grilled Chicken Tacos – $18
Flame grilled chicken on three soft tortillas, topped with
pickled cabbage, fresh salsa & chipotle drizzle.
Beer Battered Fish Tacos – $18
Beer battered fish on three soft tortillas, topped with pickled
cabbage, fresh salsa & garlic lemon drizzle.
Crispy Tofu Tacos – $18
Crispy salt & pepper tofu on three soft tortillas, topped with
pickled cabbage, fresh salsa & vegan mayo.
Pizza
Pepperoni – $20/$45
Pepperoni, capsicum, wild rocket & mozzarella.
Hawaiian – $20/$45
Napoli sauce, ham, pineapple & mozzarella.
Margherita – $18/$42
Napoli sauce, basil & mozzarella.
BBQ Chicken – $20/$45
Napoli sauce, BBQ chicken, capsicum & mozzarella
Bianca Rosemary – $18/$42
Olive oil, parmesan, garlic, rosemary & mozzarella
Meat Lovers – $20/$45
Napoli sauce, bolognese, ham, pepperoni & mozzarella
Veggie Lovers – $20/$45
Capsicums, olives, mushroom, corn & mozzarella
Sweets
French Crepes – $16
Nutella filled crepes w’ chocolate, berries, bananas,
coconut, sorbet & cream.
Mini Churros – $14
Thick churros served with chocolate dipping sauce
Cosy Chocolate Waffles – $15
Fluffy wholesome waffles drenched in chocolate sauce &
fresh strawberries.
Lovers’ Hazelnut Pizza – $17
Pizza loaded with Nutella, banana slices & strawberries.
Cocktails – $19
Bootes’ Gamble
Gin, rhubarb & honey topped with
a ginger cloud.
Kadath’s Dream
Bourbon, mint & blackberries.
Tormance’s Glow
Tequila, vanilla & coconut smoothly
blended with ice.
Vela’s Venom
Midori, absinthe, orange & pea flower.
Carina’s Secret
Sloe gin, apricot brandy & bitters.
Espresso Martini
Vodka, coffee liqueur, coffee & sugar syrup.
Mojito
Rum, sugar syrup, lime & mint.
Margarita
Tequila, lime & agave syrup.
Amaretto Sour
Amaretto, lemon, sugar syrup
& egg white.
Old Fashioned
Bourbon, sugar syrup, bitters
& orange peel.
