Mushroom pâté & sesame toast

April 20-22, 2025

   

I've been a long-time reader of Anne Helen Petersen across multiple platforms and a few months ago she announced the start of a cooking club within her substack. The first cookbook we were all invited to cook from was Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart, an easy and welcome request in this household! I used this as motivation to try a couple of 'project' recipes over the Easter weekend.

The two recipes I signed up for form a clever pair within the Mushroom section. First, there's mushroom, leek & walnut pâté - I liked that it included dried porcinis for a flavour boost. There's soaking and sautéing and blending and refrigeration; nothing too complicated but best taken slowly. The process generates a lovely, savoury spread that I ate on fresh bread. I'd increase the quantity of five-spice and salt if I made this again.

Second, there's sesame mushroom toast - a home-made, vegan alternative to prawn toast. This transfers the mushroom pâté to the plainest white square bread, where it's layered with sesame seeds and shallow-fried. We love eating veg*n versions at restaurants, and I expected the home version to be messy and not quite right. How wrong I was! This sesame mushroom toast was easy to fry golden (and also successful with less oil than instructed) and tasted magnificent, especially with the sweet and sour sauce drizzle. I immediately posted photos to my veg*n groupchat with the caption I just made the mushroom sesame toast from Tenderheart and am now levitating. Then I wrote way too many effusive words in AHP's cookbook club thread. Now you get some, too!

   

Mushroom, leek & walnut pâté

(a recipe from Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

olive oil

1 leek, finely sliced

30g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes

3 cloves garlic, minced

500g mushrooms (any type), roughly chopped

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes

salt and pepper

100g walnuts, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes

Set a frypan over medium heat and add a couple tablespoons of oil. Add the leek and cooked until softened, up to 10 minutes.

While the leek is cooking, drain the porcini mushrooms and lightly squeeze them out, keeping all the soaking liquid. Roughly chop the mushrooms. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve.

To the frypan, add the fresh and soaked mushrooms and the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the five-spice, chilli flakes, and salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to cool to a temperature that's safe for a food processor.

Drain the walnuts and place them in a food processor. Add the cooled mushroom mixture. Pulse the mixture to your desired consistency. Stop and scrape down the sides occasionally for evenness, and add a little of the mushroom soaking liquid if you need more moisture (I didn't need much at all). Spread the pâté on fresh bread or toast, either straight away or after storing in the refrigerator.

Sesame mushroom toast

(slightly adapted from a recipe from Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

toast

6 thick slices square white bread

3/4 - 1 cup mushroom pâté (as above)

1/2 cup white sesame seeds

vegetable oil, for frying

sweet & sour sauce

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3 teaspoons tamari

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Make the sweet and sour sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Spread a generous amount of pâté on each piece of bread. Sprinkle over a lot of sesame seeds, aiming for full coverage, and lightly press them into the pâté. Quarter the slices into triangles.

Set a frypan over medium-high heat and pour in oil to a depth of 5mm. Set up a plate or tray with paper towel to drain the fried toasts. When the oil is very hot arrange some toast triangles in the oil, leaving decent gaps between them. The toasts should sizzle immediately. Fry them for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp, then transfer them to the paper towel as you fry the remaining toasts in batches.

Serve as soon as possible, with sweet & sour sauce drizzled over the top.

Kababi

April 18, 2025

   

We had a quiet, local Easter weekend and decided to tick a far-flung restaurant off our wishlist. It caused a little confusion but a good meal, nonetheless - Michael was aiming for SalamaTea (near Sunshine train station) but the internet directed him to Kababi, located on a dark, fairly industrial road. The two eateries are linked, and within weeks SalamaTea closed, so we landed in the spot that's still around for you to try.

   

These two restaurants describe themselves as Persian fusion, and they have a decent number of veg*n options that can generally be discerned from the menu. We got started with a plate of dolmeh ($10), little vine leaf-wrapped parcels of tender rice with soft onions and tarragon, topped with tangy pomegranate seeds.

   

Next we went for a big, cosy plate of mirza ghasemi ($14), a medley of charred eggplant and eggs in a sauce of tomato, onion, garlic and turmeric, mopped up with bread.

   

Finally, we shared a mushroom kebab main ($22). The king oyster mushrooms were huge, marinated, both juicy and well charred, served with one huge charred chilli, lovely saffron barberry rice, shallot dip, and abundant fresh basil and salad.

   

Though we chose and received the drinks early, I want to place them in the context of the meal. Michael ordered a Sour Cherry from the Persian Sharbat ($8, above right), a sweet and fruity option that echoes the pomegranate seeds across our dishes. I felt adventurous and checked out the sparkling yoghurt drink ($8, above left). It's precisely as described and so different to what we're usually exposed to! Very cold, tangy with yoghurt, but thinned out and carbonated (not thick like a lassi). Savoury with salt and dried mint. Honestly, I found the flavour quite challenging on its own but it made perfect sense alongside the kebab, and I can see how refreshing it would be in summer.

   

As it was, we were experiencing a cool autumn evening, so we took home some of their churros and chocolate sauce ($7) for dessert on the couch. As you can see in the top photo, there was a wealth of little pastries and biscuits on offer, and I noticed rice pudding on the menu too.

   

Kababi was full of happy families on our visit, and we enjoyed our time there too. Keep it in mind if you're out Sunshine way!

____________

Kababi

18A Market Rd, Sunshine

9008 4084

food, drinks 

https://www.kababi.com.au/

Accessibility: Entry is flat and there is a reasonably clear path to the counter. Regular-height tables with backed chairs are arranged at high density, and there are a couple of backed stools by a higher counter at the window. There might be some outdoor seating in the summer but it was too cold and dark to consider at this time. We ordered and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Cornish Arms V

April 13, 2025

   

We've been somewhat regular patrons of The Cornish Arms in the near-decade since our last post about it. We intended to blog the rooftop opening in 2018, but we've always focused on socialising with friends while there. More recently, we've been checking in every couple of months for the Sunday afternoon trivia.

The menu has continued with variations on the same theme - majority fried pub food with plentiful vegan options, usually mock meat, in enormous servings. There's a rotating list of specials, too. It's great stuff when you're in the mood!

During our trivia sessions I've enjoyed getting acquainted with the Irish Spice Bag ($20). It's a completely new delicacy to me, though I've noticed it on a couple of Irish pub menus following The Cornish. Apparently it originates from Chinese restaurants in Ireland in the 2010s. The Cornish version rings true to the wikipedia description: heaps of chips, some crumbed and seasoned mock-chicken pieces, a good scattering of crispy chilli and green onion strips, and a curry-spiked gravy on the side. It's listed as a 'snack', but it's more than I tend to eat for an entire meal. It's definitely worth persuading a friend or two to share the fun with you.

____________

You can read about one, two, three, four of our many past visits to the Cornish Arms.

____________

The Cornish Arms Hotel

163A Sydney Rd, Brunswick

9380 8383

snacks & kids meals, mains 

https://www.cornisharms.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a ramped entryway and a reasonably clear walkway through the middle. Tables and chairs are arranged at medium density, a mixture of high tables with backless stools, and low tables with benches along the wall and backed chairs. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. The toilets are on the same level, with gendered narrow cubicles and one ungendered accessible toilet.

Green Man's Arms V

April 11, 2025 

   

The Green Man's Arms could be my favourite currently-trading pub, yet I rarely go for the pubbiest of their food, like the burger or parma. (OK, OK - I'll admit that I've eaten their pomme frites a lot.) I was in the mood to change that in a recent, typical, dinner-around-a-Nova-movie visit and checked out the Greenman's cheese burger ($30). There's a choice of two patty types here - house-made black bean or Beyond mock beef - blanketed in vegan gouda and layered into a soft bun with dill pickles, Bull's Eye BBQ sauce and garlic aioli. Then there's a handful of those pomme frites and a generous splodge of tomato sauce on the side.

I have long felt wary of mushy, messy and bland veg patties at omni pubs, and tend to avoid their burgers unless they state that they're mock meat. But I was willing to take a punt on the Green Man's version, and it paid off. Their black bean burger holds together and tastes really great! Meanwhile, my omni companion tried her first Beyond burger and was really impressed. A win for both the mock-lovers and the mock-averse!

____________

You can read about one, two, three, four of our previous visits to Green Man's Arms.

____________

Green Man's Arms

418 Lygon St, Carlton

9347 7419

http://www.greenmansarms.com.au/

Accessibility: The entry has a small lip from the street and there's a step up between the front bar and the dining room. Furniture in the dining room is regular seated height and medium-to-high density, with padded benches along the walls and backed seats in the interior. The front bar has medium-to-high density high tables and backless stools. We ordered at our table and paid at the high bar. Toilets are gendered with narrow cubicles and located on the same level as the dining area.

Vegan chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream

April 5, 2025

   

After a couple of underwhelming bakes with my decades-old metal cupcake tray, I put "silicon cupcake tray" on my op-shopping wishlist. I easily tracked one down for a couple of dollars within weeks and then, of course, I had to test it out. I browsed my old recipe bookmarks and picked out a Burned Butter post for chocolate-peanut butter cupcakes.

The tray had only six cups, so I halved the recipe... and still ended up with 10 cupcakes. (If I'd read the source recipe properly, I'd have known that the original was supposed to make 24. I've written out my 10-cupcake version below.) The cake itself is a lovely, simple pantry-friendly vegan chocolate. The only potential pitfall is getting the batter mixed properly - I sifted the dry ingredients directly into the wet ones and ended up with a few powdery lumps in the cakes. I pulled the cakes out at the 20 minute mark to keep them moist, but found that their bottoms dragged on every surface they touched, leaving cakey smears on the baking tray, the cooling rack and the lunchbox I stored them in. The latter four had more time to rest in the tray and fared better.

My veganised buttercream went off without a hitch, and I slathered on a modest amount with a knife - I have a minimal-frills attitude to cupcakes, and these were bang on my preference. The silicon pan showed much promise, and I scavenged a second six-cupper from another op-shop a month or so later.

Vegan chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream

(recipe adapted from Burned Butter,

where it's credited to Joy the Baker and Ina Garten) 

chocolate cake

1 1/8 cups plain flour

1 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 cup water

peanut butter buttercream

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/3 cup margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup icing sugar

Preheat an oven to 180°C. Prepare a cupcake tray as you wish, with papers and/or oil.

In a medium bowl, sift together and flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarb soda and salt, then stir to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Gradually pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stirring thoroughly to combine; the batter will be quite liquid. Gently pour the batter into the cupcake tray until two-thirds full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cakes pass the skewer test. Allow them to cool before icing.

Beat together the peanut butter, margarine and vanilla. Sift over the icing sugar and beat until well combined and fluffy. Spread the buttercream over the cooled cupcakes.

Sleepys

April 5, 2025

   

Though it's not far from our home, we don't pay Nicholson Village the attention it deserves. It took a recommendation from Michael's friend Evie to alert us to Sleepys, a cafe and wine bar that occupies the spot we once knew as A Fan's Notes. The space is much brighter and more carefully composed in this incarnation. The menu is modest in length but bold in flavour: croissants are stuffed with spam and bechamel, bacon and eggs are served only inside dumplings, and the omelette is flavoured with prawns, shiitake XO sauce, and Chinese broccoli. Clear markings indicate that about half of the dishes can be served vegan, and a third gluten-free.

   

Michael was drawn to the breakfast congee ($15). It's a deeply savoury experience, with the rice garnished with soy sauce, chilli oil, a tea egg, spring onion, furikake and fried shallots; Michael took it a little further and ordered the extra Chinese broccoli and shiitake ($6).

   

I couldn't resist trying the mi goreng toastie ($14) and added a fried egg ($3) to split the carbs with some extra protein. This was oily, wiggly deliciousness - very salty and very satisfying. I reckon the composer of this dish must've worked a while to perfect it, because the toast had just the right amount of crispness to hold together right down to my last bite.

The Sleepys staff made us feel very welcome and not at all rushed. The two of us agreed to rush back for more as soon as we could.

____________

Sleepys has also received a positive review from Whatever Floats Your Bloat.

____________

Sleepys

787 Nicholson St, Carlton North

food, drinks 

https://www.sleepyscafeandwinebar.com.au/

Accessibility: Sleepys has a step up on entry and clear pathway through the middle. Inside there are  densely arranged regular and high tables with backed chairs; the backless benches outside look a little unstable. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets but it looks like there's a tight turn on the way out. (When this spot previously housed A Fan's Notes, we described the toilet as "a single, unisex toilet cubicle, which is a step up off an uneven path".)

This Borderland II

April 4, 2025

   

As 2025 opened, Preston diner This Borderland celebrated their 6th year but also announced that it would be their last one. I've been determined to get back there at least once more, and there are still a few months left for you to do so too!

   

The menu has remained pretty consistent for years - a suite of burgers and fried sides, plus a couple of desserts. Vegetarian and vegan options are available on all meat-based dishes, but there's no explicit guidance for coeliacs. Our fries ($7) arrived quickly and were excellent, with the full line-up of sauces.

   

I just had to stick with my favourite order, the Half Charlotte ($15.90) - a beautifully seasoned piece of southern fried seitan with a little pool of chipotle mayo, plenty of pickles and a huge mound of slaw.

   

Michael went all out on a Buffalo Bill ($21.90), a mock-beef burger with bacon, cheese, slaw, onion rings, bbq sauce and mayo. Even the very-game Michael had to eat the onion rings first before wrapping his mouth around this burger.

The desserts - cherry pie and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake - always look incredible but impossible after a meal this filling. I've got just a few months to figure out how to fit one in!

____________

You can read about our first couple of visits to This Borderland here.

____________

This Borderland

208 Tyler St, Preston

no phone

food, liquids 

instagram

Accessibility: There are two steps up on entry; most of the seating is in booths, but there are high backed seats at the window and the counter too. We ordered and paid at a low counter. There's a single unisex toilet - it's quite small and not particularly accessible.

Smith & Daughters XI

March 28, 2025 

   

There are numerous Smith and Daughters posts in our archives, but none since they moved to Collingwood in 2021! The friends we shared food with in the ninth and tenth posts arranged a shared dinner at what's currently known as Smith & Daughters Social Club. The vibe is a touch more relaxed than the original Fitzroy incarnation - less crammed with witchy artwork and knick knacks, with a bit more space around tables - but still dark and moody, with a menu of rich vegan food.

   

In a very rare occurrence, I was the one person at the table to order alcohol! I started the night with a strawberry and vanilla spritz ($20), while my companions all had non-alcoholic spiced margaritas ($16). Smith & Daughters has always been proud of its cocktails, and these upheld that standard.

This was as much decision-making as we could be bothered with - we elected to sit back and see what was in the four course chef's choice menu ($95 per person).

   

We were started with a small bowl of smoky, earthy BBQ baked beans and burnt ends with brightly contrasting watermelon pickle and a side of corn bread madeleines. We also shared out fried green tomatoes with a tangy, creamy remoulade.

   

Jerk oyster mushroom skewers were meaty and spicy! I had to drain some of the hot oil from my skewer, and others gladly mopped it up.

   

The little platter of rice, red beans and plantain was all starchy comfort - it'd make a satisfying main meal all on its own.

   

The gumbo bowl looked small but there was plenty to go around, with a mock-shrimp each, plus sausage, okra and veges in a thick broth.

   

Black eye pea fritters were thickly crumbed and dragged through hot pepper sauce. 

   

The most memorable course might've been the ultra-cheesy baked mac n cheese, dotted with bacon and grilled corn, teamed with a fresh and colourful plate of tomatoes and BBQ plums.

   

But that wasn't even the main savoury course! It was building towards a plate of southern fried lion's mane mushrooms (oddly, three to share among four) with white gravy and chow chow. Another impressive main in its own right, we were content to share a taste at this late stage in the meal.

   

We were offered the choice of two desserts of the three on the menu to finish out. We thought we wanted more than half a dessert each but we were mistaken - the sweets were generously portioned and there was plenty to go around. Ben took the lead on a banana pudding, a densely packed cup with fresh banana slices suspended in layers of creamy pudding.

   

Michael and I split the skillet brownie, which had absorbed its coffee chocolate fudge beyond recognition and was topped with a little icecream.

It's been a long time between Smith and Daughters visits, and it has retained the elements we value most: rich and abundant vegan food drawing from traditions across the Americas, fit for a special occasion and served by friendly and highly competent staff. We'll have to commit to more visits if we want it to stick around.

____________

You can read about one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten of our previous visits to the past Brunswick St version of Smith & Daughters.

____________

Smith & Daughters

107 Cambridge St, Collingwood

9123 1712

menu

https://www.smithanddaughters.com/

Accessibility: There's a wide, flat entry and medium-spaced furniture inside with a clear walkway through, mostly regular-height tables with backed chairs but also a padded bench, and backed stools at a high bar. We ordered and paid at our table. We didn't visit the toilets.

Blistered beans with gnocchi Trapanese

March 22, 2025

   

We're increasingly obsessed with Meera Sodha's recipes and have been digging around for ideas whenever the urge to cook something new takes us. She's very good at putting together really tasty dishes that don't require as much fussing as an Ottolenghi (for example). This is increasingly our cooking sweet spot - we don't put aside whole afternoons for dinner prep very often these days, so something that can be whipped together in less than an hour is always looked on favourably. 

We picked this one out for a lazy Saturday night in March and it delivered exactly what we needed. The little pesto you make is super simple but a cut above using a store-bought sauce. We added a can of white beans to the blistered green beans to bulk things out a bit, but it makes a pretty scant four serves, so consider doubling this if you really want to get into some leftovers.

Blistered beans with gnocchi Trapanese

(based on this recipe from Meera Sodha's Guardian column)

50g flaked almonds, lightly toasted

100g olive oil

30g basil (fresh leaves is best, we got stuck with those weird Gourmet Garden packet herbs which worked okay in the end)

30g sun-dried tomato in oil, drained

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

350g green beans, trimmed

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

500g gnocchi

Put the oil, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional years, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a food processor and blend to a paste. Tip the almonds in and just pulse it all a couple of times - you want some decent sized almond bits for texture. 

Pop a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the green beans over med-high heat, turning occasionally, until they start to blister up. Add 3 tablespoons of water and pop a lid on the pan, cooking for another few minutes until they're nice and tender.

Cook the gnocchi as per the packet instructions, combine with the pesto, green beans and drained white beans and serve immediately.

Short Round

March 15, 2025

   

I was tempted not to blog about this meal - it feels like the kind of Melbourne brunch we've experienced many times before. But it's a very good rendition of that thing, which probably explains why Short Round has been around for over a decade and still has people spilling out the door.

What's so familiar? The white walls, exposed bricks, blonde wooden mid-century furniture and indoor plants. The all-day menu, with porridge or toast for vegans....

   

... the chilli scrambled eggs (technically "crispy chilli folded eggs", $24), which Michael ordered with a side of avocado ($6.50). But take a look at the photo, and see what a handsome rendition it is! They didn't even stack the toast.

   

In my caprice, I skipped over the porridge, the granola, the unexpected cinnamon torrijas, all the sweets in the cabinet, lingered over the house-made flatbread with cheese and pickles, the roasted mushrooms, and... ordered crumpets. To Short Round's credit these are made in-house and served with a perfectly tangy lemon curd. I paired it with a smoothie ($11) of banana, peanut butter, date, coyo and almond milk - strong stuff that couldn't be managed with a paper straw by the end.

That flimsy straw was the only teeny flaw in our experience. The light was golden, we were comfortable, and we were so well fed.

____________

Much older, positive reviews of Short Round appear on Cafe Hunting Melbourne and Chewing is Exercise.

____________

Short Round

731 High St, Thornbury

9484 3904

autumn food menu, drinks

https://www.shortround.com.au/

Accessibility: Short Round is split level, although there's a mindfully built shallow ramp on entry and one step between dining areas indoors. Furniture is quite densely packed with clear corridor through the middle, a mixture of regular-height tables with backed chairs and padded long benches, and high tables with backless stools. We ordered at our table and paid at a regular-height counter, and didn't visit the toilets.

Tahini & soya mince noodles with pickled radishes

March 8, 2025

   

Meera Sodha's vegan recipe column at The Guardian is becoming a staple of our research when we feel like cooking something new. Cindy bookemarked this really simple looking noodle dish and we made it a priority to give a try at home. It's really so straightforward - a perfect weeknight option, especially if you've got veggie mince and chilli bean sauce in your pantry. The tahini really makes this rich and savoury and you need a good portion of the tangy radishes to cut through (some chilli oil helps too). This is already in our regular rotation - you should add it to yours.

Tahini & soya mince noodles with pickled radishes

(based on this recipe from Meera Sodha's Guardian column)

1 bunch of radishes (~150g), trimmed and finely sliced

150ml rice vinegar

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 2/3 cup tahini

4 tablespoons chilli bean paste (e.g. this one)

1 tablepoon golden syrup

4 teaspoons sesame oil

4 tablespoons peanut oil (the original recipe has rapeseed oil here)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

120g dried soy mince (usually sold as textured vegetable protein/tvp)

180g dried ramen noodles

toasted sesame seeds

Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and heat it up until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Pour the hot pickling liquid over the sliced radishes and leave in a bowl to cool.

In a different bowl stir together the chilli bean paste, tahini, syrup, sesame oil and a shake of salt and set aside.

Add the peanut oil to a frying pan and gently fry the garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes. Throw in the dried soy mince and stir for another few minutes, then add 350ml of water. Stir everything together for a few minutes until the water has been absorbed, then stir in the chilli bean/tahini sauce you made earlier and kill the heat.

Cook the noodles as per the packet instructions, drain and rinse and then toss through a glug of oil and stir them into your mince mix. 

Serve, topped with sesame seeds and pickled radishes.

Lunar

March 8, 2025

   

We didn't pay much attention to Lunar as we walked by it on Sydney Rd, even though it often had a queue out the front - it took a recommendation from vegetarian summering-in-Brunswick friends to get it on our list. The queue is doubly impressive given the extensive seating inside: high chairs at the bar up front, densely packed tables along one interior wall, followed by a few better-lit metal tables out back. We probably waited 15 minutes for an outdoor spot around midday on a Saturday.

   

The menu is Japanese with sweet and savoury dishes of all sizes, some novel drinks and a scattering of veg*n options (vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes are labelled, and their menu is primarily online). I got started with nori ume onigiri ($8), a tender package of rice flecked with wakame seasoning, topped with a dot of tangy plum paste and a spinkling of sesame seeds. The wrap-it-yourself presentation meant that the nori was crisp and dry, and could keep the soft filling tidy - an optimal onigiri experience!

   

We both enjoyed beverages beyond our norm. Michael is a new convert to the yuzu spritz ($7.50, pictured right), a layered tumbler of cold brewed coffee, yuzu syrup and sparkling water. I sipped on a coffee-free sesame latte ($6.50), which was nutty, milky, and gently sweet with brown sugar.

   

The show-stopper at our table was undoubtedly Michael's sansai udon with vegetable tempura ($24), a huge bowl of noodles in broth with golden-fried toppings and several fresh and pickled vegetable sides; he requested an onsen egg ($3.50) too.-

   

I rounded out my meal with ogura toast ($12), a big, white square of toasted bread with a scoop of sweet red bean paste and a little package of fancy butter.

We won't hesitate to join the queue at Lunar again - there's still a tofu and roasted veggie meal set and an egg sando to try, plus a host of little snacks and desserts.

____________

You can also read a positive review of Lunar by Laura Angelia.

____________

Lunar

458 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

onigiri & shokupan; sando & set meals; side dishes; desserts; house special, coffee combo & filter; espresso, black coffee & white coffee; taste of Japan

https://www.lunarbyhikari.com.au/

Accessibility: Lunar has a long, shallow ramp on entry and narrow waiting area with a few regular-height backed chairs. In the front area, tall backed stools are densely arranged at a high bar. In the main middle area, regular height tables are densely arranged with regular height backed chairs. In the back courtyard, regular height tables are spaced out and paired with backless long benches. We ordered and paid by phone app from our table. We didn't visit the toilets.

Makan II

March 7, 2025

   

When a long-time food-blogging friend was back in town, we needed somewhere to eat around the CBD on a Friday night, quiet enough to hear each other chat, with plentiful veg*n and dairy-free options, and ideally structured to share. Back to Makan we went! While we waited for Gill to arrive, I picked out a TGIF mocktail, the sweet-and-sour citrusy Calamansi Groove ($16). This kicked off a month of seeking out multiple salt-rimmed drinks - the concept is nothing new, but I was newly appreciative of it.

   

Gill urged us to lead the ordering, and I was didn't want to miss out on tempeh. The Tempe Mendoan ($15) was thinly sliced, well battered, and accompanied by an excellent makrut lime sweet soy dipping sauce.

   

Michael was in the mood for corn ribs, known here as Jagung Bakar ($18) - they had a thorough but superficial char that kept the corn fresh and juicy, a dusting of chilli salt and a rich garlic dip on the side.

   

Michael also voted for the Opor Labu ($24), a mild curry featuring pumpkin and potatoes with plentiful broth.

   

We had to go back for another round of Roti Serabi ($8) for the spongy coconut batter and very spicy gulai sauce.

   

My favourite of the night was probably the Tahu Telor ($25), a huge tofu and egg omelette sliced into wedges, topped with garlic soy sauce and herbs. I've been fond of salty omelettes on rice since Middle Fish days, and this one really hit the spot. (I might consider ordering it on its own if I found myself here ordering alone!)

   

As if this weren't all enough colour and flavour, there were Krupuk and Acar on the side for spreading across the dishes. 

Having eaten and talked so much already, we agreed that dessert wasn't necessary (though I will certainly report back if I ever get a spoon into the Cendol Panna Cotta!). Even without it, we'd confirmed Makan was as handy as fun as we found it on our first visit.

____________

You can read about our first visit to Makan here.

____________

Makan

Collins Way, Melbourne CBD
menu 

https://makaninmelbourne.com.au/

Accessibility:  Makan has a step down from its Collins Way entry into the main restaurant floor. (Michael thinks there is potentially another flat access point from elsewhere in the building, but prior arrangements might be needed with the staff outside of business hours.) The tables are regular height and generously spaced, with a mixture of padded benches and backed wooden chairs. We ordered at our table and paid at a low counter. Toilets are gendered and include an accessible option.

Vex

February 25, 2025

   

A friend kindly gifted us a voucher to eat at Vex, and we booked a summery Tuesday night table after work. We trusted their recommendation of restaurant, and we transferred that trust onto Vex and requested the chef's vegetarian choice ('Vex menu', $90 pp). Looking across the a la carte options we were optimistic that we'd be treated to some lovely, seasonal vegetables and something fun for dessert. There were no explicit dietary markings, but a high likelihood that the staff would well know what's what and adapt as needed.

   

We started strong with some unique beverages - a rhubarb and vermouth spritz ($19) for Michael and a TINA can of oolong, pear and calamansi ($15) for me. The TINA was subtle and complex, a welcome adult option for a non-drinker to enjoy with a special meal.

   

Two starters swiftly followed: a creamy, cheesy panisse each, and a rye crisp with fennel puree, pickled green beans and a sprinkle of mountain pepper.

   

Poached daikon was surprisingly soft and mild, topped with slivers of green rhubarb and fennel.

   

The confit tomato with horseradish, nigella seeds and mint was my ideal late summer side dish, and also included some sneaky nectarine wedges.

   

I would've liked to soak up the tomato juices with bread, but the stockbrot was more self-contained. A little awkward to handle but worth the effort, we unwound the warm, seeded bread from its skewer, divvied it up, and slathered it with roasted yeast butter.

   

The centrepiece of the meal was a plate of melt-in-the-mouth glazed eggplant with lentils, bullhorn peppers and black walnuts. Eggplant and lentils can often come off a little austere but they were sillky, luxurious and savoury here.

   

Sharing the spotlight were tender confit potatoes with oregano and linseed, and grilled carrots with blood plums, sunflower seeds and basil. I loved the seamless inclusion of stonefruits in savoury dishes.

   

The best part might have been discovering that Vex values dessert as much as I do - we tasted two! First, we received a full portion of spagat krapfen each - a crisp fried pastry with rhubarb, thick cream and fig leaf. This alone would have been a very satisfying end to the meal.

   

Second, we split a neat little cacao cream with a crumbly chocolate heart and sour cherry crown - one of my favourite dessert flavour combinations.

   

Our evening at Vex was a special one at an entirely unspecial time. Their vegetarian options were abundant with fresh produce and a bit light on the usual sources of protein, but we were sated nonetheless. Hopefully we can come up with a special excuse to visit again!

____________

You can also read praise for Vex on Whatever Floats Your Bloat.

____________

Vex

66-68 High St, Northcote

9191 7720

food, drinks, desserts & last drinks

https://www.vexdining.com/

Accessibility: There's a step up at the door and a small lip on the transition to the courtyard. Furniture is medium-spaced, regular height with backed chairs and a few benches out back. There's a clear walkway through the space. We ordered at our table and paid at high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.