We're lucky to live within walking distance of Cinema Nova, and over the years we've enjoyed many films and choc-tops there. Recently they've expanded into a space, just off to the left of the stairs as you enter, that I'd not even noticed before. It's now a surprisingly slick cocktail and tapas bar overlooking Lygon St!
We've stopped by twice for light dinners in the past week. The 2-minute menu is available from noon through 'til closing; these items are stored in a display case at the cinema's snack bar. The bar food is pricier, subject to kitchen hours, and made to order. There's a decent variety of vegetarian options across the board, though nothing is straight-up vegan (there might be a few adaptable items - the menu is online here). Unsurprisingly the drinks menu dwarfs the food, with the 2-page cocktail list featuring a lot of gin.
The mushroom croquetas ($3 each) need a light touch - handle them too roughly and the crumbing is likely to fracture, spilling a mild mushroom bechamel over your fingers!
The patatas bravas ($7) are delightful - not greasy at all, with the right proportion of crust to fluffy interior, and enough tomato sauce and aioli to go around.
The country tortilla ($8.50) is mighty sturdy. I'd challenge anyone to break off and consume polite portions of this with the tools provided.
Michael is a huge fan of the vegetarian coca ($9). (A coca is described on the menu as "the Catalan twin of the Italian pizza".) The super-thin base is almost like a soft SAO biscuit, and this one is topped with bubbling cheese, artichoke pieces, red capsicum and strips of a green sauce. Again, clean consumption seems impossible, with hot flavoured oil dripping through fingers, down wrists and onto tables at the slightest opportunity.
I think I might make the Nova salad mandatory on my visits to this bar ($7) - nothing cuts through a rich meal like rocket, and the apple, quince, walnuts and dabs of goats cheese mean its a pleasant stand-alone dish too.
The Nova bar is an excellent addition to Lygon St. Its closest neighbour, mood- and food-wise, would be Markov Place. How remarkable that it's attached to a cinema! It's so refreshing to be offered quality, made-to-order morsels worthy of their asking price, just metres from the movie queue.
Cinema Nova bar
380 Lygon St, Carlton
Fully licensed
veg tapas $2.50 - $9
http://www.cinemanova.com.au/cinema_nova_bar.html
I love that you can make "soft SAO" actually sound good! Even after I got over my disappointment upon realising that the "bar" of the title wasn't referring to chocolate ;)
ReplyDeleteIs that the space that used to be a beautician or something similar? I must try it soon!
ReplyDeletesounds great - but I want to know if the staff are sympathetic to timing your visit around a movie? that is what I expect of a cinema bar because often I am hurrying to catch the movie on time
ReplyDeletewish I lived within walking distance of Cinema Nova too! the croquetas sound good :) my povo student brain has already worked out that now I can get affordable bar food AND cheap movie tickets on discount mondays...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review! I was wondering about the quality the food given that it's attached to the cinema...good to hear that it's up to scratch, as I'm always looking for a decent pre/post movie dinner location (Markov Place being one of them).
ReplyDeleteHannah - ha! Yeah, soft SAOs and non-chocolate bars aren't usually my bag either. :-)
ReplyDeleteBrian, I'm not sure. It's actually right up the escalator next to the snack bar. I really can't remember what that space used to be!
Johanna - I'm not sure how much the staff can do, but I found that the food arrived very quickly (considering some of it was made to order). We haven't been caught short yet!
HISWG - yep, Mondays are definitely the go! It's unbelievable how expensive some cinemas are now.
JJoyce - under the circumstances I think it's very good. I'll be interested to see how you think it compares to Markov Place, as we haven't been there for a while.