The Sporting Club Hotel V

April 8, 2026 

 

   

 

The Sporting Club Hotel was listed in the 2006 Cheap Eats guide, then became the Charles Weston around 2015, and has since reverted back to the Sporting Club name. Cheap Eats described it as "a bit like your best mate's lounge room", which was reasonably accurate. Some of my mates' lounge rooms have had upgrades since 2006, as has the Sporting Club, but the simile doesn't really fit any more. We first visited in 2011, moved closer a couple of years later, and have since stopped in several dozen times, I'd guess - it was our go-to casual hang-out spot in the 2010s.

 

   

 

In 2006 Cheap Eats mentioned chicken parmigiana and lamb shanks, but by 2011 the menu was more of a tapas-and-tacos situation. But I reckon vege burgers are one of the better ways to track a pub's trajectory. In 2012, the $20 portobello mushroom burger that Michael ordered earned howls in the comments for being too expensive. A year later, I mentioned the $16 crumbed haloumi burger, which I went on to order many, many times (raised to $18 in 2015) - it was beloved. At some point, it got switched for a vegan-friendly tofu burger, which I declined to try for several years in my haloumi grief, and then learned was actually also very good. The pub's food experienced a post-COVID dip, and then it had its makeover, and the Southern fried enoki burger with cheese and slaw ($26, pictured above) arose. This burger made a positive impression on Michael on our most recent visit - crispy, chewy and savoury.

 

   

 

Much as I did on our first blogged visit, I flitted around the sides list. The wombok, snowpea, mint and feta salad ($14) was fun, fresh and very finely chopped. What looked like raw red onion (which I detest) was actually radish, with the additional purple on top most likely sumac. The vegan-friendly roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary ($14) were unexpectedly served with the garlic and rosemary forming a viscous green goo all over the spuds. While weird to look at, it tasted brilliant, with the potatoes having been cooked to a rich golden brown before they were dressed.

 

The current Sporting Club Hotel isn't our favourite incarnation of the pub, but it's still a pretty good one. I've no doubt we'll continue to pop in for years to come, even if it no longer feels like a second lounge room. 

 ____________

 

You can read 2011, 2012 and 2013 posts about the Sporting Club Hotel, a 2015 post about the Charles Weston iteration, and then a 2025 post about the Sporting Club reversion. 

____________ 

 

Sporting Club Hotel 

27 Weston St, Brunswick 

9996 1869 

food, drinks 

https://sportingclubhotel.au/ 

 

Accessibility: The Sporting Club Hotel has a flat standard-width entry, an even wider flat entry directly to the beer garden, and plenty of space inside. There's table service in many areas, with ordering and payment also possible at the bar, which in our experience can be very loud. It's been a while since we visited the toilets; back then they were easy to get to but were just ordinary sized cubicles split by gender.

Miss Moses

November 29, 2025

   

We've visited Brunswick bar Miss Moses a few times over the years for live music, trivia and food, but this is its first appearance on the blog. It's had decent vegetarian options as long as I've been visiting, and it currently offers a full page vegan menu separate from its mainstream menu. Dairy-free and gluten-free options are also well-marked (although the kitchen is not guaranteed coeliac-compliant). There's a lot to choose from: little snacks like pickles and olives; classic fried sides like chips, onion rings and potato cakes; tortilla chips, the now-ubiquitous cauliflower 'wings'; a couple of tacos, seven burgers, and three counter meals. That they were out of mock-fish on this day was disappointing but hardly limiting.

   

Michael chose the Spicy Chook burger ($23); the chicken tenders were doused in a tasty gochujang hot sauce, though Michael could've taken it hotter. It's teamed with pretty classic pickles, aioli and lettuce, then a serve of very decent chips.

   

I was still eating more mindfully than usual, and figured the chicken burrito bowl ($25) was my safest option. I picked my way carefully, focusing on the bed of rice, slaw, corn, beans and salsa; nibbling at the juicy seitan and tortilla chips, spreading the guacamole around judiciously. This was a great plate, and in other circumstances I would have forked it up with great enthusiasm.

I'm not currently in my pub era, but should I ever get back there, Miss Moses will be highly ranked.

____________

Folks on The Chicken Scene were underwhelmed by the fried chicken burger.

____________

Miss Moses

581 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

8374 7825

standard menu, vegan menu 

https://www.missmoses.com.au/

Accessibility: Entry is flat and there's a clear corridor through the centre. Furniture is medium spaced; a mixture of low tables with backed seats and high tables with backless stools. We ordered and paid at a high bar. We didn't visit the toilets, but we noticed that they're located up a full flight of stairs.

The Sporting Club Hotel IV

September 13, 2025

   

When the weather forecast is warm on a day in September, we want to make the most of it! Michael suggested that we find somewhere local for dinner outdoors. This pub and its beer garden used to be a fave, though less so in recent years. We knew it first as the Sporting Club Hotel through the early 2010s and visited many, many times in the latter years that it was known as the Charles Weston Hotel. 

The food went downhill after the pandemic hit, and then it closed for a long while for secretive renovations, only to reopen under that past name, the Sporting Club Hotel. The opening menu included wagyu beef doughnuts, and the once rambling courtyard looked uniform and sterile - I wasn't impressed. It was Michael who loyally checked what they're now serving and persuaded me to give it another try.

Happily there are now a decent number of well-marked vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options across the menu, though they're still going for an upscale vibe: you'll spot oysters, celeriac cakes and tuna ceviche long before you can confirm further down the page that chips are available.

We got started with reputation-saving plate of fried Brussels sprouts ($16, pictured top). They're served atop a rich cheddar sauce, tumbled together with croutons, onion and parsley.

   

Our sunny night was rapidly cooling, and Michael drew some comfort from the deceptively filling lasagne alla norma ($32), layers of eggplant, pasta, pesto and ricotta that were perfect for the season.

   

I tried the vegetarian version of the pasta fazool ($30) - casarecce with braised beans, broccoli and a sprinkling of parmesan but no pancetta. It's the kind of dish we love making at home.

I'm still not over the loss of this pub's back garden, but those Brussels sprouts are bringing me around. You might see more of the Sporting Club Hotel on this blog yet.

____________

You can read about one, two, three of our visits to the 2010s Sporting Club Hotel, and our first of many visits to its interim life as the Charles Weston.

____________

Sporting Club Hotel

27 Weston St, Brunswick

9996 1869

menu

https://sportingclubhotel.au/

Accessibility: The Sporting Club Hotel has a flat standard-width entry, an even wider flat entry directly to the beer garden, and plenty of space inside. Ordering and payment takes place at the bar, which in our experience can be very loud. It's been a while since we visited the toilets; back then they were easy to get to but were just ordinary sized cubicles for men and women.

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.

Green Man's Arms IV

November 23, 2024

   

Green Man's Arms is probably our favourite spot for dinner around a Cinema Nova movie. Not every visit makes it to the blog, but their menu's changed a lot recently and this one's worth the note. First, the bad news: my beloved vegan charcuterie board is no longer on offer, down-sized into 'hummus olive focaccia plate', 'chorizo focaccia plate' and 'chilli hummus focaccia' options. The good news? An all-vegan menu with abundant focaccia (see above), vege sides to share, an eclectic mains list of Asian dishes, pasta and pub classics, a few desserts I never have the room to eat, and almost as many mocktails as there are cocktails. Gluten-free and allium-free options are well marked.

Michael took a shot at the linguine carbonara ($26), a deceptively small-looking but actually hefty portion of pasta in a rich sauce with tomato yolk, confit tomato, chickpea bacon and parmesan. I reckon it's the best veg*n carbonara we've eaten. (My recent Brother Bon one, while also absolutely delicious, just barely resembles the traditional dish.)

   

I was looking for something a little fresher and took a chance on the tofu larb ($24). I'd almost never order larb, and the plates I saw travelling to other tables looked a bit beige and dry, giving this dish plenty of space to exceed my expectations. The tofu was golden, succulent and exceptionally seasoned, served with pickled snake beans, a wedge of lime, and neat cos lettuce leaves.

Everything was delivered without any need to rush to our movie (a 20th anniversary screening of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, an eternal fave of mine), and we even ran into an interstate friend, who comfortably fit by me on the bench seat for a catch-up. Green Man's Arms offers a high-quality veg*n experience that we shouldn't take for granted.

____________

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

____________

Green Man's Arms 

418 Lygon St, Carlton 

9347 7419 

menu

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.

Tyranny of Distance

May 17, 2024

   

We popped down to the Astor to see the new Bluebottle Kiss documentary and needed some dinner on the way. The Happy Cow guide showed that Tyranny of Distance was close by and all-vegan so we booked ourselves a table.

It turns out that Tyranny of Distance has been operating for over a decade (see blog links at the bottom of the post), although it's more like five years since it went vegan. The atmosphere and menu reminded me of past days at the Gasometer, with rambling rooms, uneven and richly coloured walls, mismatched wooden furniture and a mostly fried, mock meat-heavy menu. Tyranny has an extended semi-outdoors area so I imagine it's much brighter in summer.

   

We got started with sober mojitos ($12). 

   

For his main, Michael chose the Korean bao sliders ($21). The steamed buns were unexpectedly charcoal-coloured, then stuffed with a gochujang-marinated 'pork belly' that he liked a lot, plus shredded cabbage, peanuts and spicy mayo dripping everywhere. It was a smaller meal and thankfully he had the appetite to help me out with mine!

   

This is the enormous chicken ciabatta ($23). The bread is house-made and layered with a thick mock-chicken in a seasoned batter, lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, aioli, chipotle mayo and cheese. Both the bread and the chicken are very hearty specimens, a lot for me to take on all at once. The burger is also tall! I carefully used a serrated knife to halve it, and divide again to share with Michael. It was a mess, but a tasty one. The side of chips was great, albeit sauceless.

Across the menu there are more burgers, a couple of curries, nachos and roti rolls two ways (sweet soy duck and butter chicken!). Service was friendly and capable. While I might not cross town especially for Tyranny of Distance, I'd definitely book in a meal there any time I'm visiting the Astor.

____________

You can read old, positive reviews of Tyranny's pre-vegan menu on Eat & Be Merry and The Chommery. The more recent vegan menu has received praise from gastrology.

____________

Tyranny of Distance

147 Union St, Windsor

9525 1005

shared dishes, mains

https://tyrannyofdistance.com.au/

Accessibility: There are a couple steps up at the beer garden entry. Furniture is a mixture of high and low tables outside, and low tables inside with a corresponding mixture of backless benches, stools, backed chairs and booth seats. They're all arranged densely with meandering walkways and the odd step through the building. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

The Yarra Hotel III

March 5, 2024

   

The Yarra Hotel had such a long hiatus after the pandemic commenced that in January 2022 I declared it closed in our archives. Happily they re-opened mid-2023, we eventually caught up on the news, and in March we arranged a visit with our book club. 

The Yarra has a pub menu with at least one vegan and one gluten-free option in each section (dessert excepted, unfortunately for the vegans): cauliflower bites and corn ribs are listed ahead of the chicken ribs, and with a smoky tofu sando, quinoa salad, eggplant parma and green Thai curry for mains most predilections are covered.

We both wanted to test out that smoky tofu sando ($24). It's served on Turkish bread (which I heartily approve of) with slaw, chipotle aioli, and caramelised onion. It was the sweet-savoury onion that dominated the flavour, and I liked that! Chips were plentiful and a worthy support.

While the Yarra Hotel is very roomy, with indoor seating, a huge covered area with a fireplace, and a smaller third area for smokers, it's also very loud... with music, even when it's not packed with patrons. We're not sure that it's the right spot for ongoing book club meet-ups but their decent veg burger is something we can all rely on.

   

____________

You can read about one, two of our previous visits to the Yarra Hotel.

____________

The Yarra Hotel

295 Johnston St, Abbotsford

9417 0005

menu 

https://www.theyarrahotel.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a small step on entry and another down to the beer garden. Tables are quite generously spaced. We ordered and paid at a high bar.

The Carringbush Hotel II

Edit 30/01/2025: The Carringbush Hotel has now closed.

December 5, 2021

   

Our one regular social connection throughout the locked-down months of 2020 and 2021 has been doing the Saturday Age quiz on Zoom with friends. It's lovely, now, to have the opportunity to share a meal with them in person. The all-vegetarian Carringbush Hotel was an ideal location for our mostly-veg*n group.

The menu has unsurprisingly changed since our last visit (most likely for book club or a pub trivia night last summer), but it hits similar beats. It's mostly vegan, with gluten-free and nut-free options well marked. There are fried nibbly things, hearty pub style meals, salads that sound like full, delicious meals, and a couple of desserts. It really was tough to choose what to order!

   

Michael and I shared the dumplings as a starter ($14, pictured top). They're now served fried, with a mango lime coriander dipping sauce. We loved the super-savoury mock-pork and mushroom filling, and appreciated the green papaya side salad.

Michael also took on the deep fried tofu burger ($24, pictured above). It's a challenge to wrap your mouth around, and gets most of its flavour from a great burger sauce. 

   

I was curious to try their riff on a vegan sausage roll ($12). It's a generous portion with lovely, flaky pastry. The interior is dotted with lentils and a bit mushier than I prefer (there might be only one true vegan sausy for me). Again, The Carringbush went the extra mile with a lovely side salad to balance the plate. (And don't worry - there's abundant tomato and hot sauces available to squelch on top.)

The Carringbush sets a very high standard for veg*n pub dining - I hope we'll be able to ease back into regular attendance there in 2022.

____________

You can read about our first visit to the Carringbush here. It has also won favour on Green Gourmet Giraffe and I Spy Plum Pie.

____________

The Carringbush Hotel

226-228 Langridge St, Abbotsford

9191 0149

menu front, menu back

https://www.carringbushhotel.com/

Accessibility: There's a small step on entry. We ordered and paid at a high bar. Furniture is medium-to-densely spaced, and mostly low tables and chairs with backs. Toilets are gendered, with slightly wider than average cubicles, but we didn't notice any additional features such as handrails.

Green Mans Arms III

March 1, 2021

   

Green Man's Arms has changed up its menu since our pre-COVID visits. A highlight of their current menu is the vegan charcuterie ($20, with a gluten-free option). It's a gorgeous platter of focaccia, olives, pumpkin and eggplant dips, macadamia-based feta, and a wide assortment of fresh and pickled vegetables. Nestled between the pumpkin dip and focaccia, there are also a few discs of mock chorizo - I enjoyed their nutty, salty flavour without any point of reference and my more chorizo-familiar companion was really impressed by them.

We ordered this plate in its ideal context - when we had plenty of time to pick over it, and over the movie we'd just watched across the street at Nova.

____________

You can read about our previous visits to Green Man's Arms here and here. Since then it's been blogged by Olive Sundays, Green Gourmet Giraffe and Whatever Floats Your Bloat.

____________

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. There's full table service in the dining room. Toilets are gendered and located on the same level as the dining area.

The Workers Club

February 9, 2021

   

Pub trivia is back, and we signed up for a reunion round with friends at the Workers Club. They've had a bunch of different things going on in their kitchen over the years; at the moment it's a fairly standard Melbourne pub menu with four very welcome vegan mains listed at the bottom. There's tacos, a burrito, a parma and... a "Where's the beef?" burger ($24).

There's no official affiliation here. I assume the menu writer is making the same jokey pop culture reference that we are in our blog title, without any intended rivalry or endorsement. But we'll endorse this burger! The Workers Club are claiming this mock-beef patty to be house-made and it's a good 'un; gluteny without being too dense, with a salty, slightly earthy taste. There are also major flavour boosts from mock-bacon, mock-cheese, pickles and a double-down condiment mix of mustard and tomato sauce. The vegan buns are clearly different from the regular ones, but they're not a disappointment.

Happily we won the trivia night and earned a voucher for our troubles, so I reckon there'll be a couple more "Where's the Beef?" burgers in our future.

____________

Most past blog posts about The Workers Club cover free meals and outdated kitchen incarnations. An exception is Parma Daze, who enjoyed their parma options in 2018.

____________

The Workers Club

51 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

9415 6558

menu

http://www.theworkersclub.com.au/

Accessibility: There's one step up on entry and a medium-high station to check in and sanitise just inside the door. The front room, laid out for trivia bookings, had both low tables with backed chairs and high tables with backless stools. There were wide corridors through the middle of the room but tables were densely backed near each other. We ordered and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Hotel Spencer

November 5, 2020

   

Most of Melbourne is revelling in the relaxation of lockdown rules and eagerly returning to pubs, cafes and restaurants. Our mate Jess swiftly organised us a table for four at the Spencer Hotel, which serves one of his favourite vegan burgers. In light of current spacing rules, we had the entire front bar to ourselves (with other tables in use in the dining room and out on the footpath) and full table service.

The menu covers familiar ground: for the omnivores there's steak and chips, fish and chips, a parma, bangers and mash, pulled pork and Southern chicken burgers, and hot wings. The vegetarian burger looks like a rich one with mushrooms, potato and four kinds of cheese. For vegans, there's a hearty-looking bistro salad and one-to-two burgers. I'm hedging because the beef-style Smokehouse burger wasn't available and I'm not sure if they're bringing it back. Most importantly, Jess' favourite Faux' Boy ($20) was still on offer and it was all we wanted.

Cute as the pun may be this seems a very loose tribute to the Louisiana po' boy, which is commonly filled with seafood, but can be made with other meats. It features two filling pieces of battered mock-chicken, slaw, and plenty of sauce. The menu lists three condiments - cheezy bacon sauce, chipotle aioli, and jalapeno salsa - but they mostly just melded into a pleasant and slightly drippy mix. Vegans usually miss out on the 'brioche bun' nonsense that's saturated Melbourne, but the fluffy potato bun here is a worthy analogue and it contrasts well with the chicken. It steers this burger away from being a gluten-brick, which I've sometimes struggled with in other pubs.

Hotel Spencer's chips are great, there are sauces aplenty at the table, and we felt well looked after in these times of distanced-dining. While other bloggers mention it as a convenient stop-off before a show at Festival Hall, we'll have to find another excuse to revisit given that gigs are still a ways off and FH has been bought by Hillsong.

   

____________

Hotel Spencer has clocked up a few reviews, all positive, and most around 5 years old, see Gastrology, Eat & Be Merry, live life love cake, Consider the Sauce, Parma Daze and Gastronomical Ramblings.

____________

Hotel Spencer

475 Spencer St, West Melbourne

9329 9116

menu 1, 2

https://www.hotelspencer.com.au/

Accessibility: Oof, I am out of practice with this! There was a step up on entry, and medium-spaced furniture inside. We received full table service, but this might shift to ordering and/or payment at a high bar as the pandemic eases. The toilets were gendered.

Evie's Disco Diner

October 1, 2019

A couple of our vegan friends have recommended Evie's Disco Diner to us in the year or two that it's been open. It's as garishly lit as the name would suggest, with pink-cushioned booths around its edge and tall, flimsy stools in a space that you might assume is a dance-floor, but is definitely a covered-over skate pool from the burrito business that was here a couple of years earlier. We made a point of visiting on a Tuesday, when they host a free drag-themed trivia night.

The reason our mates are so keen on Evie's is that there are vegan options on every dish on its junky American menu, from hot wings and loaded fries through to hot dogs, burgers and chocolate mousse. (Gluten-free options are more like fried appetisers than full meals but also seem to include the apple pie!) A quick run-down of the terribly lit food photographed above: 

• The spiced tots ($5, top right) were heavy with smoked paprika, just like the fries down the street at Trippy Taco,
• Michael's Tex Mex burrito ($18, bottom right) was pleasant but a bit homogeneous, and
• my chicken and waffles ($18, left) had a similar 'pretty good but gets samey' vibe, although I tip my hat to their garnishing sprinkle of icing sugar - my tablemates were appalled but I thought it worked. 

By chance, I managed to capture my dessert in better light. At trivia half-time, I ordered a Reeces Pieces shake ($10). The bartender apologised that they were out of chocolate syrup, then on a whim offered to improvise a version with Oreos - and it was great! The shake was thick, plenty chocolatey, and I loved the wide, reusable glass straws they're going with. 

We felt a little out of step with Evie's Disco Diner - while the bar staff and trivia team made us feel welcome, the lighting and furniture were for younger eyes and bodies than ours. Their vegan junk food is fun, and we'd be up for ordering another round.

____________

Evie's Disco Diner has garnered a positive review from Suzie Scribbles and a mixed review from The Penguin Eats. 

____________

Evie's Disco Diner
230-232 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
9419 4192
menu
https://www.evies.net.au/

Accessibility: The entry is flat and wide. Seats are a mixture of narrow booths and high tables and stools, not particularly comfortable, although there's lot's of clear space through the bar (see top photo). The coloured flashing lights and loud music could feel overwhelming. We ordered and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

The Rochester Hotel

April 14, 2019

Vegan about town Steph drew Hayley and I into The Rochester Hotel for a Sunday night dinner, having learned that they've been running a Kerala-styled pub menu for almost a year (!). Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are clearly marked and well-represented; we really did need some time to figure out what combination of fried and fresh, shared and all-to-ourselves dishes we wanted.

First, we ticked off fried. The chips and curry ($10) were excellent and included a thin, crisp batter. I loved the little pumpkin and coconut ada ($4, pictured right and front), which was served with a surprisingly spicy mint chutney. Hayley couldn't resist the egg bonda ($4, pictured right and back); actually half a boiled egg piled with onion masala and fried in batter.

For our mains, we got a little more fried in by all ordering parota. Steph declared it to be the crowning glory of her vegan thali ($24, pictured at the top of the post), while Hayley and I shrewdly ordered it as the centrepiece of our meals. Our potato wraps were too full to really be wrapped, our parotas bursting with tender and lightly spiced smashed potatoes, more onion masala, fresh green herbs and generous dollops of that eye-watering mint chutney.

On another night I'd be extremely tempted to follow through with vegan coconut custard ($6, with fruit and cashew praline!), but we elected to walk off our curry chips instead. I fear my limited stomach space is going to force me into a delicious chip/parota/dessert trade-off every time I stop in.

____________

In its current incarnation, I've just spotted two blog posts about The Rochester Hotel, both freebies, on The Spice Adventuress and gastrology.

____________

The Rochester Hotel

202 Johnston St, Fitzroy

9419 0166

menu

https://rochey.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a step up on entry. Inside is a mix of high and low tables. We ordered and paid at high bar. Toilets are gendered, narrow, and a couple of extra steps up.

The Carringbush Hotel

Edit 30/01/2025: The Carringbush Hotel has now closed.

April 7, 2019

Cindy read about the newly renovated Carringbush Hotel on Messy Veggies before it opened and we headed down with some friends soon after they were up and running. The new folks in charge (the gang from The Old Bar) have turned it into an entirely vego pub, with a cosy and welcoming fit-out. There's a front bar, a couple of indoor dining spaces and a cute little courtyard out the back. It seems like The Carringbush is going to be mostly about the food - it didn't seem like there was any space for live music etc.

The food options are pretty diverse - fancy salads, burgers, pasta, plus a few other bits and pieces. More than half of the menu is vegan and there are heaps of gluten-free options as well. We started out on the bar snacks menu, with a bowl each of the root vegetable crisps ($7) and crispy wonton skins ($5). These both came with fancy salts - cumin salt for the wontons and rosemary salt for the root veggies - and were incredibly addictive.

We split a serve of the excellent vegan smoked potato and eggplant dumplings with a soy/lime dipping sauce ($14) and then picked out our mains.

Cindy ordered the beer-battered cauliflower with chips and tartare sauce (vegan, $18.50). This is basically fish and chips for vegos and it really hit the spot - perfectly crunchy batter and a great vegan tartare. It might be wise to pair this with one of the salads next time though - it's a lot of fried.

I wanted chips with my meal as well, so I got the falafel and hummus burger with herb salad, tomato, pickles and herb yoghurt (vegan, $21). This is a solid pub burger - it's not life-changing, but the herb salad and pickles add some nice flavours to a pretty standard assembly. 

We really enjoyed the food at The Carringbush, but even more we enjoyed the vibe - it's a lovely space for a quiet Sunday afternoon meal. We sat around doing the crossword and chatting and just soaking up the relaxed atmosphere. We'll be back!

____________

The Carringbush Hotel
226-228 Langridge St, Abbotsford
9191 0149
bar snacks, main menu
facebook page

Accessibility: There's a small step on entry. You order and pay at a high bar. There's a mix of tables with low seating as well as bar seating. We didn't visit the toilets.

The Reverence Hotel IV

Edit 07/03/2020: The Reverenece Hotel is now closed.

September 23, 2018

Last time we visited The Rev, we lamented that the for-sale signs might be forecasting its demise. Happily, 18 months later, they're still hosting live music, trivia nights, taco Tuesdays and big veg-friendly pub meals all week long. The menu still follows the same themes - deep-fried everything, plenty of mock meat and vegan cheese, with lots of Mexican-ish meals alongside burgers and pizzas.

Unusually, it was Michael who picked out the fish burger ($18) - here it's a dense battered mock-fillet layered with tartare sauce, beetroot relish, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions, and then a side of fries. It was rich, yet nothing that Michael couldn't handle.

After some lengthy indecision and consultation, I picked out the smoked chicken pizza ($15) and shared around a couple of slices. The base had that uniform supermarket vibe, but the toppings were more lively: napoli and melty-enough cheese, mock chicken pieces, spring onion, pineapple and some very hot little chilli rings, all drizzled with barbecue sauce.

I left enough room to help our friend Natalie out with those chocolate nachos ($15) that we'd previously noted on the menu. The concept is deeply questionable, but the execution is really very impressive! The Rev kitchen have worked cocoa and a little sugar into their flour tortilla dough, then fried it up into chips - these were topped with scoops of vegan icecream, crushed nuts, strawberry wedges and stripes of chocolate sauce. It's a fun, crunchy and very shareable sundae.

Though we barely make it to the Rev more than once a year, we really like what they do and it seems that plenty of locals do, too!

____________

You can also read about one, two, three of our previous visits to The Rev.

____________

The Reverence Hotel
28 Napier St, Footscray
9687 2111
snacks, tacos, mains, burgers, pizza, dessert
http://www.reverencehotel.com

Accessibility: There's a small step at the (narrowish) front door, but the side door is flat and wide. Inside things are fairly spread out, with at most small steps between the bar, side-room and courtyard. We ordered and paid at the bar, and didn't visit the toilets.

A Fan's Notes V

Edit 02/01/2021: A Fan's Notes is now closed, but its owner runs Ballard's.

May 20, 2018

I'm not sure how many more posts about A Fan's Notes this blog needs. I've photographed the underlit, overcluttered front bar ad nauseum, and we've covered the brunches, the burgers and the unexpectedly fancy vegan degustations. But we've found one more reason to stop in - the irregular and unmistakably unfranchised trivia nights. 

It was a good excuse for another burger. This is a menu with six (six!) vegan burgers and three (LOL, three!) beef-based burgers. Four of those vegan ones share a common beetroot & quinoa patty, there's a nifty fishy alternative, and a crumbed shiitake-kim chi affair that I'm going to work up to one day. Michael ordered his beetroot & quinoa patty southern fried ($13), which comes with coriander-pineapple salsa, avocado and, for a price (+$4), fries. It was an utter mess to eat and an utter delight to taste.

I thought I'd check out the vegan parma ($20). It's got an eggplant base, but it's mashed with brown rice rather than being sliced and crumbed on its own. As you can see, the vegan cheese is more of a sauce, and the overall effect is of sweet tomato sugo comfort, with the rice providing just enough to chew on. Fries and green salad are generously portioned.

Our trivia team slumped from equal first after round one to mid-ranking by the end of the night, but we're unperturbed. The quiz is fun, the food is more vegan-friendly than any of us could rightly expect, and the venue is like no other.

____________

You can read about one, two, three, four of our past visits to A Fan's Notes.

____________

A Fan's Notes
787 Nicholson St, Carlton North
9943 8373
seasonal specials, daily specials, burgers, others
facebook page

Accessibility: There's a flat entry way to a slightly crowded interior. We ordered and paid at the high bar. There's a single, unisex toilet cubicle, which is up a step off an uneven path.

Green Man's Arms II

March 19, 2018

New-ish vegetarian pub Green Man's Arms proved a great spot for a quick, early dinner before we hit the cheap movies at Nova this week. The menu's changed since our last visit! It's more clearly divided into sharing dishes, meals for one, sides and sweets... even with this guidance Michael couldn't help over-ordering.

Importantly, the pommes frites ($8.50) are still present and still fantastic.

The falafel now form part of a mezze plate ($19.50), along with three dips (hummus, beetroot, and spicy capsicum), flat bread and pickles.

A new offering is mac & cheese ($17.50) - it's plenty cheesy yet not too heavy, spliced with zucchini ribbons topped with lots of fresh green herbs.

We didn't make it through all of this food, but I've got my eye on plenty more besides: Yemeni luhuh stuffed with tempura sweet potato, pate, a mushroom burger with those killer pommes frites and a watermelon 'tuna' salad. I hope this menu sticks around long enough to allow me the opportunity.

____________

You can read about our first visit to Green Man's Arms here. Since then a positive review has also appeared on Olive Sundays.

____________

Green Man's Arms
418 Lygon St, Carlton
9347 7419
menu: 1, 2, 3, 4
https://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. We ordered and paid at the high bar on this occasion (there's full table service in the dining room). Toilets are gendered and located a couple steps up near the dining area.

Green Man's Arms

November 1, 2017

We were excited to read that new owners had taken over the old Percy's pub in Carlton and turned it into an all-vego pub with a Middle-Eastern vibe. We quickly rounded up a gang and got along to check it out. 

The fit-out is comfortable and a little retro, with a few high pub-style tables in the front bar and a casual dining room out the back. The staff are hugely enthusiastic and were almost overwhelmingly helpful on our visit. I imagine things will get a bit more slick and efficient once they settle into their rhythm, but we had staff checking in every few minutes.

The menu is a mix of small plates and mains, with most of the vegan options among the former. We shared a bunch of dishes between the four of us for near-comprehensive coverage of the Green Man's Arms' food.

First up was two serves of the Yemeni lahuh bread filled with asparagus, mushroom ragu and fresh creamed corn ($6.50 each), and the house made hummus with pita bread and pickled veggies ($8.50). The breads were fantastic - the lahuh bread had an injera-like texture, but a sweeter flavour. The hummus was solid, without being life-changing and the lightly pickled veggies that came with both dishes added a nice sharpness.

The only vegan main is the house made couscous ($15), which came with a vegetable purree and some roasted beans, corn and onions. It's kind of a weird dish to be honest - you might be a bit disappointed if you ordered it as a main for yourself, and as something to share around the table it wasn't as simple to divide as it looks.

Much more successful were the pomme frites ($8) - a plate of the most deliciously fried smashed potatoes, heavy on the seasonings and served with aioli and house made tomato sauce. The best dish of the night. I liked the falafel ($7) as well, although they weren't chewy enough for everyone at the table. 

We finished off by sharing a sample of all the desserts on offer: halva ice cream ($7, vegan and pictured left), knafeh ($10 and pictured centre) and barboosa ($8, vegan and pictured right). The halva ice cream was an impressively creamy vegan version, with some Persian fairy floss and hazelnuts to keep things interesting. The knafeh was a crisp-edged ricotta-stuffed pastry served with pistachios, pickled grapes, syrup and some weird little jelly cubes. The barboosa was a very sweet semolina cake, served on top of a rosewater infused coconut cream. I think we all had different favourites, which is a good sign.

It's great that the Green Man's Arms is offering up another decent veg option in Carlton, but we were only partially wowed by this early visit. The menu needs a few tweaks I think - some more (and more interesting) vegan mains seem like an obvious addition. It will be interesting to see how this pub develops!

____________

The Green Man's Arms
418 Lygon St, Carlton
9347 7419
menu, desserts

facebook page

Accessibility: The entry has a small lip from the street and there's a step up between the front bar and the dining room. We had full table service and didn't visit the toilets.