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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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You can read about our first visit to Makan here.

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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!

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

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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.

Shimbashi Soba III

February 20, 2025

   

We've been eating in at the Carlton outlet of Shimbashi Soba semi-regularly over the past two years, but we tend to order the same dishes over and over. A newly printed menu inspired us to mix it up on our last visit! The business remains entirely gluten-free, with spicy and vegan dishes clearly marked.

   

I ordered two smaller dishes and called it a meal. The agadashi tofu ($14) was lightly battered and delicate to handle, sitting in a pool of thin tempura sauce. I loved the crispy lotus root garnish.

   

By contrast, the vegan sushi roll ($18) was substantial, colourful and stuffed with contrasting flavours. Within the rice was zucchini, avocado and a juicy, heavily seasoned soy meat, and it was all topped with paprika mayonnaise, more lotus chips, pickled radish and spring onions.

   

Michael deviated from his favourite Vegan Red Dragon for the tofu curry rice ($31), and regretted nothing. The accompanying miso soup was welcome, but he most appreciated the heartiness of the thick curry gravy and multigrain rice, and happily picked through the fried tofu chunks, veges and pickles.

We're still going to feel the pull back towards our original favourite Shimbashi dishes, but it's no surprise that everything they prepare is the best version of itself.

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You can read about one, two of our previous visits to Shimbashi.

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Shimbashi 

344 Rathdowne St, Carlton North 

8060 6595 

tapas; dinner roll; warm soba; chilled soba; bento; rice bowl; dessert & coffee; Japanese tea & soft drink 

https://www.shimbashisobamelbourne.com/ 

Accessibility: Shimbashi has a flat entry. Furniture is a mixture of high benches and regular height tables, all with hard wooden backs and densely packed. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. There is a very narrow passage to the toilet, which is one non-gendered cubicle.

Elektra II

February 15, 2025

   

It's hard to believe that Elektra is well over five years old! I've popped in again a few times since our first visit and blog post, though not as often as they deserve. It was the perfect spot for a long catch-up weekend brunch with a friend, colourful and cosy, and we arrived early enough to nab a booth. I tried the Namaste porridge (~$22) for the first time - it features the tender bite of black rice (plus quinoa), it's creamy with coconut milk, there's abundant fruitiness and colour from rhubarb, poached pear and pomegranate, and it's finished off with the nuttiness of toasted coconut, slivered almonds and pepitas. It's comforting, yet not too heavy for summer.

Elektra are proud of their chai options and I would have been remiss not to order the Himalayan sticky chai (~$6) - it was a lovely as always, and well insulated for slow sipping throughout my visit.

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You can read about our first visit to Elektra here. There are past positive reviews for Elektra on THEYCALLMEMAGGIE, Suzie Scribbles and Gastrology, though one is self-reported as a freebie and I suspect all three might be.

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Elektra 

268 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 

9417 4255 

https://elektrafitzroy.com.au/

Accessibility: Furniture is densely arranged! There are stools out front and mostly chairs with backs inside. We ordered at our table and paid at a regular-height counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Chào Bạn @ Henry Sugar

February 6, 2025

   

Since celebrating my birthday there late last year, Henry Sugar have clearly put me on their email list. Late in January they announced that they'd be hosting a pop-up on Wednesday and Thursday nights throughout February called Chào Bạn. They'd be serving meaty and veg-friendly xôi xéo (sticky rice) plates with a few add-ons and drinks while the sun shone on Henry Sugar's street-side deck. We stopped by for dinner after a book launch at Readings.

   

We really did hit golden hour on that deck! The light, the drinks and the fluffy turmeric sticky rice were gold, gold, gold. Michael went for beer ($10), while I had a big, icy cup of peach and ginger iced tea ($6). The rice ($22) was topped with a tumble of starchy shaved mung bean, caramel tofu, vegan nước chấm, crispy shallots and fried garlic, pickled cucumber and roasted peanuts; every mouthful a different proportion of the components and every mouthful wholly delicious. We missed out on the battered eggs ($3.50 each) and didn't have room to try the lemongrass bánh bò (honeycomb cake, $7).

This Chào Bạn event was fleeting and fun, a perfect late-summer weeknight out. We'll keep an eye out for when they next pop up!

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Chào Bạn @ Henry Sugar 

296-298 Rathdowne St, Carlton 

9448 8196 

menu 

instagram profile 

Accessibility: This pop-up was hosted in the outdoor seating, with tables at both street height and several steps up on a wooden deck. Furniture is densely spaced, with a mixture of backed benches and backed chairs. We ordered and paid at a high bar just inside the door (accessed by shallow ramp). We didn't visit the toilets.

Chanhouse

January 31, 2025

   

We enthusiastically accepted our friend Nat's invitation to join her and Ben at Chanhouse to try their special yum cha menu in celebration of Lunar New Year ($48 per person). Chanhouse was barely on our radar; it's a vegan, allium-free and alcohol-free Chinese restaurant in a modest shopping strip within residential Doncaster. Inside it's cute and comfortable, and we were happy to put ourselves in their hands with the set menu.

   

The staff rapidly served a first pot of Chinese tea and kept it replenished throughout the meal. Shark fin-style soup followed soon after, gently salty and flecked with tofu threads.

   

Then came plump crystal dumplings and steamed siu mai stuffed with mock pork, both tender and savoury.

   

I think I clapped my hands at the arrival of the turnip cake, with its thin crisp char on the outside and soft, velvety centre - this one included a bit of mock ham.

   

The fried dumpling was my favourite dish of the night - the golden-fried exterior gave way to a thick rice dough layer with a real chew to it, then a molten mock meat centre. It had a surprising sweetness to it!

   

The sweet & sour fried gluten was a novel rendition for us - the gluten was very soft, airy and absorbent, the least dense mock meat I've ever encountered. It had soaked up much of the sauce, which was translucent and brightly tangy.

   

The salad prawn rolls were crunchy-battered, Nat's favourite of the night as they brought her back to the seafood sticks she enjoyed as a youngster.

   

I was more fond of the fried taro dumplings with their delicate, lacy shell and sweet starchy centre.

   

By this time I was very satisfied, and it was difficult for me to imagine digging into the rice rolls. These tender layered pillows went down surprisingly easy thanks to a dark, mushroomy sauce and we cleared the plate.

   

The finishig jellyish ginger cake was more texture than flavour, and a little fruit was the best possible way to cap off an incredible feast. We were all delighted by this meal and the friendly, well-coordinated service we received. I'm looking forward to any opportunity we get to try Chanhouse's standard a la carte menu.

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Chan House

21 Rosella St, Doncaster East

8806 9056

Lunar New Year menu

https://chanhouse.tuckerfox.com.au/

Accessibility: Chanhouse has a narrow, shallow ramp on entry. Furniture is regular height with backed chairs with a mixture of dense and generous spacing throughout. We ordered at the table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.