August 17, 2023
We've known 295 Sydney Rd primarily as the spot that housed Maddox, and still hold dim memories of Empire Cafe Gallery before that. We didn't ever make it to Pogo for a sandwich before it was replaced by Bar Magnolia. Michael had his eye on the bar menu for a couple of months, but it took some complimentary instagram stories from Lidija before I paid proper attention. I booked us a table to stretch out those holiday vibes into our first working week back.
Magnolia has a seasonally shifting menu of share-friendly food with a decent proportion of well-marked vegetarian and vegan dishes. We ordered most of them, starting with Akimbo Bakery sourdough with whipped butter ($4 each).
I'm always up for artichokes when someone else is preparing them, and we liked these roasted artichoke hearts à la barigoule (i.e. braised in white wine, with vegetables, $12). Michael was excited for baby leeks ($20), served here as Poireaux vinaigrette (i.e. poached with a tarragon vinaigrette) and topped with smoked almonds.
The surprise star of our meal was probably the beetroot pavé ($24), myriad super-thin layers of golden beetroot compressed into a loaf slice, served with pear to bring out the sweetness and uplifted with horseradish.
Our most substantive savoury dish was a rich, flaky Jerusalem artichoke and chestnut tarte Tatin ($28), served with a salad of watercress, endive, cara cara orange and hazelnuts ($14).
I talked Michael out of ordering pommes frites in the name of dessert, and he had the appetite for us to order both sweets on offer: a perfectly portioned and caramelised crème brûlée ($12), and a prune and Armagnac clafoutis with crème épaisse ($18).
An abundant meal of French-style food is rare for veg*ns, so this was fun to try. The setting feels grown-up and special, but it's not so stuffy that it won't serve fries. We'll definitely keep it in mind when we're feeling fancy, now that our beloved Theodore's has closed.
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Bar Magnolia
295 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Accessibility: Tables are closely packed but efforts have been made, including ramps replacing steps and a large unisex toilet with handrails. We ordered and paid at our table.
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