Kariton Sorbetes II

October 5, 2025

   

Even since before my first visit, I've been coveting the sundaes at Kariton Sorbetes and waiting for the time and place to try one. I made the time after a Sunday rally in the city and pounced on a small Taho ($11) - it's a still-generous swirl of silken tofu soft serve, a decent spoonful of soy milk pannacotta, and a drip of small tapioca pearls in oolong tea syrup. After years of resistance, I think I'm finally getting the hang of soy milk as a dessert - and this is a fine way to do it without any masking of the flavour. Even so, I would have liked a little more of that dark tea syrup to distribute across the cup.

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You can read about our first visit to Kariton here. You can also read about the various Kariton outlets on Sweet & Sour Fork, Mamma Knows East, Mamma Knows West and The Resolved Wanderer.

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Kariton Sorbetes 

177 Russell St, Melbourne CBD 

menu 

https://www.karitonsorbetes.com/ 

Accessibility: Kariton Sorbetes has a flat entry and somewhat narrow, roped queuing system. There are few seats, mostly low backless stools. I ordered, paid, and picked up our icecreams at a low counter. I didn't visit the toilets.

Walrus

September 29, 2025

   

We've not paid much attention to Walrus and its diner style in the couple of years it's been on Sydney Rd. It's clearly popular, though, with people often spilling onto the street on weekends. A couple of recommendations from friends filtered in and I decided to visit for a quiet solo lunch on a weekday. A staff member offered me a seat at the counter top and the booths rapidly filled up behind me.

The menu is very firmly grounded in diner traditions - sunny side up eggs with Texas toast, blueberry pancakes, biscuits and gravy, steak and eggs, hash browns, Denver omelettes - but there are a few nods to the present-day brunch scene, like avocado as an add-on, and apple porridge flavoured with miso and lemon balm. There are no indicators of what fits dietary requirements, and it took a chat with the staff to officially rule out the biscuit and gravy as not vegetarian. 

Instead I chose a bodega roll with hash, egg and cheese ($14) and a huge, ice-filled orange juice ($6). The roll was wrapped, steamy and comforting, with a tangy tomato sauce that cut through the richness of the triple-yellow filling.

   

The specials board right next to me announced the pies of the day, and I had to try the key lime ($11). It was exceptional, with a buttery crumb and smooth filling that was equal parts creamy, sweet and sour. The frill of aerosol cream added to the retro look, but I could take or leave it, really.

The staff were welcoming and sufficiently available. I had a great little time at Walrus, but it's not as inclusive as what I'm usually looking for - the fixed booths and high, backless stools won't suit all bodies, and the menu doesn't have vegans or coeliacs in mind. They've successfully found their crowd, regardless.

   

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Walrus has also received a positive review on Around Melbourne.

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Walrus

312 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

7071 2596

food, drinks

instagram

Accessibility: There's a small lip on the door and a clear, flat corridor through the centre of the café. Seating is mostly fixed booths at regular height; there's also a high counter with fixed backless stools for individual customers. I ordered and paid at the high counter. I didn't visit the toilets.

Omelette roll sushi rice bowl

September 26, 2025

   

This is a fun little Meera Sodha recipe that we'd never think to compose ourselves, but we love on sight! So much so that we repeated it one night later with our remaining eggs, and again perhaps a month after that. The hook is the mirin-sweetened omelette roll. It's teamed with sushi rice, quick-pickled carrots and wasabi mayo. 

We've made some minor adjustments. We prefer less rice in the ratio and sprinkle a little shichimi togarashi over it for extra spice. We add a scoop of microwaved edamame for some extra greens and a novel texture. That's it! If there's a downside, it's that this meal isn't particularly leftover or lunchbox friendly. But it's a level of effort that we're willing to make on a weeknight, and it feels like a treat.

Omelette roll sushi rice bowl

(slightly adapted from a recipe by Meera Sodha in The Guardian)

200g sushi rice (this was too much for us, and we reduced by a third the second time)

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup sushi rice vinegar, or 1 tablespoon caster sugar dissolved in 1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1-2 teaspoons wasabi paste

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 cup frozen edamame

6 medium eggs

1 tablespoon mirin

1 1/2 tablespoons tamari

2 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

shichimi togarashi

1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds

Place the rice in a saucepan and cover it with 280ml water. Bring it all to the boil, cover it with a lid, turn down the heat to low and cook for a further 10 minutes. Turn off the heat but keep the lid on for another 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together half of the salt and half of the sushi rice vinegar. Set it aside. 

Place the carrot matchsticks in a medium bowl, pour over the remaining sushi rice vinegar and salt. Stir it all together and set it aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the wasabi paste and mayonnaise. Set it aside too.

Place the edamame in a microwave-safe bowl and cover them generously in water. Microwave for 2 minutes, until hot, and set aside.

Now, the main event. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and beat them well. Add the mirin, tamari, and half a tablespoon of sesame oil. Set a frypan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of the sesame oil. When it's hot, pour in half of the egg mixture and cook until golden on the bottom and just barely set on top. You can take the omelette out now, or flip it to fully set the other side if you prefer. When the omelette is done, transfer it to a plate and repeat with the remaining sesame oil and egg mixture.

To serve, divide the rice between two shallow bowls and sprinkle it with shichimi togarashi. Roll up each omelette, slice them into inch-thick spirals and arrange them next to the rice. Add the edamame and pickled carrot to the bowl, then spoon in the wasabi mayonnaise and sprinkle it with black sesame seeds.