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.

Sable II

Update 18/06/2023: Sable is now closed.

June 20, 2022

   

Days in the office are still a novelty for me, so when I planned my second one for the year I arranged to meet Michael afterwards for dinner at Sable. While Sable's lunch menu centres on bagels and biscuits, dinner is about salads, burgers and pasta. It remains 100% vegan and includes well-marked gluten-free options.

   

We skipped past the burgers and agreed to share a set of Italian-style dishes. We started with the unconventional lasagne croquettes ($17) - little blocks of mock-meat lasagne, crumbed and fried, served with pesto and cheese sauce. They're rich and appetising in this form, but I can't comprehend stuffing them into a bagel sandwich, which is a lunch time option.

   

Michael chose the special for one main - it featured the softest possible gnocchi on a bed of asparagus and celery puree, with cauliflower, mock-pork and shallots (pictured front left of photo). We slightly favoured it over the bold flavours of the penne alla vodka ($25, pictured centre right), with its tomato, pepperoni and roasted garlic cloves. We couldn't go past some garlic bread ($10, pictured top centre), which leaned towards limited, good quality slices rather than a Pizza Hut-style soft loaf. 

   

I felt compelled to try the tiramisu ($15) and was glad I did. It's not lightly whipped, rather a dense layering of cookies and something resembling their vegan cream cheese.

Sable flipped from a daytime to night-time atmosphere with ease, and the table service was excellent. We've had fun trying both versions, and emerged very full both times.

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You can read about our first visit to Sable here.

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Sable 

562-564 High St, Thornbury 

9480 3371 

dinner menu 

https://sable.org.au/ 

Accessibility: There's a step up on entry, a decent amount of space through the middle of the café, and densely packed tables. Tables are standard and tall heights, with a range of benches, backed chairs and tall, backless stools. We ordered and paid at the table. Toilets were ungendered cubicles of standard width, with flat access.

Sable

Update 18/06/2023: Sable is now closed.

June 11, 2022

   

Sable has been operating in Cremorne for a while, and I've periodically seen their instagram videos of over-filled bagels and gooey cookies. Last month they opened a second outlet in Thornbury, and on the weekend we visited to celebrate our friend Natalie's birthday.

The all-vegan menu is a touch overwhelming! Mock meat rules almost every bagel filling: there's bacon, smoked salmon, pastrami, schnitzel, ribs, brisket, fried chicken, and crumbed deep-fried lasagne (!). An eater seeking something simpler can try the O.G. (cream cheese), call 1800 Avocado, or build their own filling combination from a choice of around 30 items. Gluten-free options are surprisingly prevalent and clearly marked.

   

We'd prepared ourselves to go big. I ordered the Marilyn ($17), a hash brown on the side ($3), and (spurred on by my Wombat breakfast) a vanilla malt shake ($10, pictured top). The shake and hash brown very good exemplars of their kind, though if I'd noticed that the bagels were served with potato chips I might have skipped the hash brown altogether.

The bagels were lighter and breadier than we expected, which was probably a good thing given that they're teamed with such dense fillings. Marilyn's bacon, egg, mozzarella, herb cream cheese and BBQ sauce merged into a sweet, salty, and squishy experience - it was tasty but I couldn't really discern any of the constituent ingredients. Michael reported that the pickles and sauerkraut cut through that same sauciness in his Reuben ($18, pictured above), which was otherwise full of pastrami, cream cheese, American cheddar, mozzarella, and aioli. 

This was a fun, over-the-top meal for a vegan's birthday celebration. Before I ever go back for another bagel I'm intrigued to try Sable's dinner menu, where it's possible to cobble together a nearly-traditional Italian meal.

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Sable

562-564 High St, Thornbury

9480 3371

food, (some) drinks

https://sable.org.au/

Accessibility: There's a step up on entry, a decent amount of space through the middle of the café, and densely packed tables. Tables are standard height, with a range of benches and backed chairs. We ordered at the table and paid at a low counter. Toilets were ungendered cubicles of standard width, with flat access.

Barton Fink

July 26, 2019

Barton Fink is a bar on High Street in Thornbury that's been around for four or five years without ever really drawing our attention. That all changed in May this year when they introduced a fully vegan menu. It's a mock meat-heavy selection of food that feels very US dive bar: tacos, hot dogs, burgers, nachos, etc. We stopped by for dinner on our way out to a gig in Northcote.

On a Friday night things were busy without being crowded - we had no trouble getting a table and food came out super quickly. I couldn't resist the full selection of tacos on offer ($18 for 4 or $5.50 each).

The range includes mock fish, mock chicken, jackfruit pulled pork and a beef 'n' bean mix. These are excellent vegan tacos - my two favourites were the mock fish, which had a brilliant aioli on top of some crispy battered fish pieces, and the beef and bean, which was rich and smoky. It was great to try all four though - I'd recommend it.

Cindy ordered the southern soul burger - crispy mock chicken with jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, chipotle mayo and a side of chips ($16.50).

The chips were ace and the burger was a very solid effort - we think the mock chicken patty is house-made seitan, which is always an impressive effort. It was heavy on the jalapenos, which would have suited me, but wasn't ideal for Cindy's taste. 

The atmosphere at Barton Fink was just okay - it's dark and there's footy on the tv, while the Coen brothers-inspired interiors won't be to everyone's taste. It's fine though - I sat happily in the corner and read my book before Cindy turned up. The food is definitely worth the visit though - I can't wait to go back and try the hot dogs. 

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The only blog review of Barton Fink we can find is from their pre-vegan era on Parma Daze. 

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Barton Fink

816-818 High Street, Thornbury

9484 7426
menu page 1, page 2

facebook page

Accessibility: There's a ramp on entry and a mix of regular tables and higher ones with stool seating. You order and pay at a bar. The toilets are unisex and fully accessible.

The Moor's Head II

November 25, 2012

Women of Letters drew us back to Thornbury again in November, giving us the perfect excuse to revisit The Moor's Head to sample more of their menu. This time around we were joined by Cindy's aunt Carol, meaning we could safely order two pizzas without having to worry about carting leftovers back home with us.

We started with the Saladin (red za'atar, felfeleh (red pepper and pomegranate), labne, parsley, mint, walnuts, cumin and roquette, $16.50), as recommended to us by a commenter on our first review.

This was really top notch - the za'atar makes a fantastic base for a pizza, while the felfeleh (which we guessed was the orange sauce) was tangy and creamy. Throw some crunchy nuts (plus the beautiful base of course), and you've got a superb pizza - put this at the top of your ordering list on any future visits.

To accompany it, we ordered the Beiruti (za'atar, fresh tomato, olives, onion, labne and roquette, $16.50).

This was dominated by the big fat dollops of labne, which were messy but enjoyable. The whole thing was a bit like a fantastic Greek salad on a pizza - I especially enjoyed my slices stockpiled with all of Cindy's discarded olives. We were all a bit tired of the roquette though - especially because we'd chosen a roquette salad to break up the pizzas (with shanklish and dried Iranian raisins, $8).

The bits of this where you got some shanklish and a raisin were great, but they were a bit thin on the ground for my greedy tastes.

Speaking of greedy, we were feeling brave enough to tackle a post-pizza dessert. Carol and I wanted coffees but The Moor's Head is strictly a tea-based hot beverage restaurant (which strikes me as bonkers, but anyway). Instead, we each grabbed a scoop of their coffee ice cream ($3.50), which more than made up for the lack of a latte.

Cindy grabbed a sweet black tea to go along with a giant bowl of Persian fairy floss ($5). I was just telling her that I found the fairy floss a little bit lacking on its own, but she pointed out that I still managed to eat half of it, so I guess it was better than I remember. She certainly seemed to enjoy the bits that I didn't steal.

I think I enjoyed The Moor's Head even more on the second visit - we ordered a bit better (the Saladin in particular really won me over), and we found room for dessert. I can't recommend it enough - the staff are friendly, the meals are pretty affordable and everything we've eaten has been fantastic.

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Read about our previous visit to The Moor's Head here. Since then, there's just been one extra review (positive of course) - check out the grazing panda.

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The Moor's Head
774 High Street, Thornbury (it's actually a bit of the way down Collins Street)
9484 0173
starters/salads $4.50 - 8.50, veg pizzas $16.50 - 17.50
http://www.themoorshead.com/

Accessibility: The Moor's Head has done a good job in terms of accessibility - there's a ramp on entry, a reasonably spacious interior and a unisex, disability accessible bathroom. Ordering is at the table, payment at a low counter or at the table.

Brother Alec

Update 18/06/2023: Brother Alec has closed and evolved into Nola's Foodstore Catering.

October 28, 2012

The cafe culture of the inner north is expanding at rates and distances that we can't keep up with! Still, we visit what we can and Brother Alec has the advantage of being located near the Thornbury Theatre (where we often go for Women of Letters).

Eggy all-day breakfasts take prime position on their menu, but there's also muesli and porridge, toast (including gluten-free with a surcharge), soup, dahl, nachos and rolls. As well as build-your-own fry-ups, those eggs batter French toast, get stuffed into rolls and breakfast burritos, or sit atop a bed of mushrooms, artichoke and spinach. Vegan and gluten-free options aren't obvious, but I reckon it would be worth asking the friendly staff for advice.

In an unexpected move, I tried the breakfast roll ($12.50) - Turkish bread layered with tomato relish, a thin omelette, a terrifyingly thick wodge of spinach and a smear of house-made mayo. It's an excellent combination of flavours, tipped slightly off balance by the low ratio of egg to spinach that they served up.

Michael's huevos rancheros ($16.50) was more huevos burrito, a big tortilla stuffed with black bean chilli and scrambled eggs then topped with grilled cheese, fresh salsa and sour cream. Though he would've liked some hot sauce, Michael spoke highly of this hearty dish.

We found time for a coffee and a yo-yo ($3.50) - this is a lovely, buttery rendition of the biscuit without quite reaching the heights of Purple Patch's passionfruit-spiked vegan glory. Still, it's located at least 15km closer to our house. (It's high time I worked how to conjure them from my own oven 5 metres away, isn't it?)

Brother Alec is a cute and unassuming addition to High St with cheery staff, a couple of nods towards accessibility and some nice variations on the usual egg-and-bread breakfast.

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Brother Alec has been received positively by Little Miss Soy Latte and Do You Want To Stay For Breakfast?, and with ambivalence from juganaut's foodie thoughts.

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Brother Alec
719 High St, Thornbury
9416 9428
veg dishes $6-16.50
facebook page

Accessibility: Brother Alec has a short-and-shallow ramped entry and moderately spaced tables. We ordered at our table and paid at a low-ish counter. The toilets are unisex; there's ramp access but the corridor and cubicle are a little narrow.

The Moor's Head

September 30, 2012

We've been meaning to hit up The Moor's Head since Claire reviewed it about a year ago. Even with our semi-regular visits to Thornbury for Women of Letters, we've never quite got it together for a visit. This week we finally rectified things, dropping by for an early dinner on the way home from a weekend away. Run by one of the same people as Rumi, The Moor's Head is aiming at being a fancy version of Mankoushe. Their tag-line is 'inauthentic pizzas', and manoushe and pide make up the bulk of the menu. We turned up right as they were opening and settled right into our pick of the tables.

The menu is super veg-friendly - almost half of the pizzas are vegetarian, as are most of the starters and all of the salads. Vegans will struggle, although there were a couple of pizzas that looked modifiably vegan. They do gluten-free bases for the coeliacs (at an extra $3). We deliberately over-ordered, safe in the knowledge that we could pack up any leftovers to take home (side-note for those in the area/with a car: everything at The Moor's Head is available to takeaway).

We started with the a serve of the baby peppers, stuffed with feta and served with walnuts and olive oil ($8). There was something vinegary about the peppers, which worked nicely with their sweetness and the salty feta stuffing. The walnuts were a reasonably good accompaniment, although I wouldn't have minded them halved and stuffed inside the peppers with the cheese.

We also ordered a salad to accompany our pizzas - chickpeas, parsley, tahini, yoghurt and almonds ($8.50).

This didn't wow either of us - it was fine, but anything so reminiscent of the famous Moroccan Soup Bar fatteh is going to be a bit of a let-down in comparison. The almonds were good, and the dressing was fine, but a bit of extra salt and maybe having it at room temperature rather than cold would have tipped things more in its favour.

To the main event! After a quick twitter consultation with Claire, we settled on two of the pides - first up the Istanbuli (pumpkin, tahini, dukkah and parsley, $17).

This was great - a good combination of flavours served in tasty and tender dough.

The pièce de résistance was the much vaunted Omar Sharif, a combination of three cheeses with oregano, mint, nigella and soused onion ($17.50).

You can almost feel your arteries solidifying as you gobble it down - salty and gooey, with just enough herby flavours to cut through the hefty cheese filling. I think a whole one of these would be too much, but splitting it in half (and saving half of that half for lunch the day after) meant that it was a real highlight.

I was very impressed by The Moor's Head - the service was friendly and speedy (helped no doubt by our early arrival) and the food fresh and delicious. I was feeling pretty happy with the prices (~$60 bought us more than we could eat plus two drinks) until Cindy drew the direct comparison with Mankoushe. The pizzas here are definitely a step up in terms of ingredients and variety, but when you think about the haloumi or spiced fetta manoushes available for around a fiver at Mankoushe, it's hard to justify the expense. Still, The Moor's Head shouldn't be punished for Mankoushe's insanely good value - it's still a very satisfactory and affordable meal (especially if compared with the fancy pizza places it's more realistically going up against).

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The Moor's Head has received some excellent reviews from melbourne gastronome, Let's Get Fat Together, The New Good Life, jessinabubble, Excess Baggage and Food Sailor, while Double Dutch Oven prefers the value on offer at Mankoushe.

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The Moor's Head
774 High Street, Thornbury (it's actually a bit of the way down Collins Street)
9484 0173
starters/salads $4.50 - 8.50, veg pizzas $16.50 - 17.50
http://www.themoorshead.com/

Accessibility: The Moor's Head has done a good job in terms of accessibility - there's a ramp on entry, a reasonably spacious interior and a unisex, disability accessible bathroom. Ordering is at the table, payment at a low counter.

August 28, 2011: Northern Soul

Update 18/06/2023: Northern Soul has closed and been replaced by Capers.

After a deliciously junky but ultimately unfulfilling breakfast, Cindy and I were in need of some more sustenance before we hit Women of Letters at the Thornbuy Theatre. I'd grabbed a takeaway coffee from Northern Soul last time we were in the WoL queue, and I thought they'd be worth trying out for a quick bite this time around.

They've got a nice vibe going on - the cute owl logo on the window was always going to win over a bird-nerd like me - and the interior has a minimalist kind of style going on. They do a pretty good trade in the hours before Women of Letters, but we managed to nab our own table. The breakfast menu runs all day and they've got a blackboard full of lunchy options (the dhal in particular was pretty tempting). Gluten-free and vegan options are well-labelled (although there was nothing on there that covered both bases). Despite it being after 2pm, Cindy and I both stuck to the breakfast menu. She ordered the muesli, which came with poached pears, rhubarb compote and yoghurt (gluten-free, $10).

That's a pretty good fruit-to-muesli ratio isn't it? The muesli was untoasted and was a good mix of fruit, nuts and grains, but the real key to this was the tangy rhubarb. A good, vaguely healthy follow-up to the morning's unhealthiness.

I was feeling like being a little health conscious as well and went with the house-made baked beans on pumpkin toast (vegan, $10).

This was a very hearty plate of food for $10. The beans themselves were a smidgen on the dry side, so it was lucky that the pumpkin bread was tender and moist and not requiring a good sauce-soaking. The flavour combination of the slightly sweet bread and the peppery beans worked well. Perhaps a side of avocado would lift this to something a bit more memorable but at $10, it was a pretty satisfactory lunch.

The service at Northern Soul was friendly and efficient even as the place filled up around us. Coffee (Toby's Estate I think) was good and you really can't go past the prices - there aren't many breakfast places around where more than half of the menu is $10 or cheaper.

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The reviews of Northern Soul around the blogosphere are all pretty positive, check out: Breakfast Aficionado, Ravenous, Hookturns, Do You Want to Stay for Breakfast?, Perfectly Poached (although they don't like the vibe) and Vetti Live in Northcote.

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Northern Soul
843 High Street, Thornbury
9480 2333
veg breakfasts $5-$15

Accessibility: Pretty great - a wide entrance with a small ramp, reasonable space between the tables, a unisex disabled toilet, good light and a relatively low counter for payment.

March 5, 2011: Human Powered Cafe

Edit 01/03/2012: Human Powered Cafe is no longer operating under the same management. It seems to have been renovated and we've no idea what its current incarnation is like!

A few months back, Cindy and I heard a rumour that Human Powered Cafe were serving up this blog's semi-famous vegan sausage rolls. We've been meaning to check them out ever since, and finally got around to it on a glorious Saturday morning.

Alas, the only sausage rolls on offer the day we visited were lamb-based ones, so we didn't find out how well they reproduce one of our favourite dishes. Instead, there were a few lunch options - pastries and sweets, fruit toast, a vegan big-breakfast, and a veg focaccia.

I couldn't resist the vegan chow down - scrambled tofu, sauteed mushrooms, house made baked beans, rocket, caramelised red wine onion & toast ($16.5).

It was a pretty decent sized plate. The scrambled tofu looked amazing and had a nice warm flavour to it, but was a tad on the dry side. The beans were almost non-existent (seriously, there was like a tablespoon) yet everything was redeemed by the glorious caramelised red wine onion.

Cindy had delayed her breakfast for too long and hadn't worked up any real hunger, so just went with a flapjack ($3). This was an incredibly dense oaty treat that ended up being too much food for her despite its modest appearance.

I like the idea of a combination bike-shop and cafe, and Human Powered do a pretty good job. Decent coffee, friendly and efficient service and loads of wonderful old bike posters on the walls - it's a nice place to just sit and hang out.

Human Powered Cafe has had pretty good reviews from Vetti, Hey Bambini and Do You Want to Stay for Breakfast?.

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Human Powered Cafe
562 High Street, Thornbury
9480 0848
veg dishes $4-$16.50
http://www.humanpoweredcafe.com.au

Accessibility: Human Powered seemed pretty accessible - no step, lots of space and great light. Once again, we didn't check out the loos.

October 31, 2010: El Joyero

Edit 20/05/2012: El Joyero is now closed and has been replaced by Lowlands.

On Sunday afternoon, Cindy and I had a date at the Thornbury Theatre with 10 of the finest men Australia has to offer. Lunch beforehand was essential, and El Joyero promised to be both convenient and delicious. Shamefully it has taken us almost exactly a year to visit this place, despite glowing reviews from some of Melbourne's greatest veg-bloggers. Things have obviously changed a bit recently - they've renovated the place and expanded the menu. As part of this process, they've dropped the strict vegetarian menu, adding in a few chorizo and fish-based dishes. Regardless they're still very attentive to dietary requirements, promising vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free adjustments wherever possible.

Having skipped eggs at Proud Mary the day before, I decided to indulge this time, opting for the poached eggs with butter and rosemary mushrooms plus avocado with lime and green chilli oil ($11.50).

The downsides: the eggs were just a touch over-poached, with the yolk hardening up around the edges and the toast was a bit dry and crunchy. The upsides: the mushrooms tasted much better than their slightly bland appearance suggested and the avo was ripe (but not too ripe!) and perfectly set off by the lime and chilli. At $11.50, this was pretty good value, but Melbourne is chock full of places doing excellent poached eggs and El Joyero fell just a tiny bit short of my hopes.

Cindy chose from the sweet side of the menu, opting for home made waffles with baked banana and mascarpone, topped with berries and walnuts ($12).

She had fewer quibbles than me - the cute waffle flower was topped with a great range of toppings, and she ploughed through it happily.

El Joyero has a lot going for it - it's a lovely space, littered with cute odds and ends, recycled furniture and a scattering of zines and CDs for sale. Throw in friendly staff, great coffee and decent prices, and it's easy to see why they were doing solid business the whole time we were there. We'll definitely be back again to sample more of the menu.

El Joyero has received unanimous blog praise. Check out: Tess, externality held close and Vetti, along with the already-linked Pip and Lisa.

Address: 923 High Street, Thornbury
Ph: 9480 1634
Price: $5 - $12
Website: http://eljoyerocafe.blogspot.com

September 20, 2009: Tart'n'round

On a Sunday with nothing important to do, Michael and I eagerly set off for Preston by bike. Our first stop was La Panella for a lunch of pies and sausage rolls. Afterwards we slowly made our way back south along High St, pausing at an Indian grocer for inessential (but fun!) supplies. Ultimately we were aiming for dessert at Tart'n'Round. We first encountered this company's vegan gluten-free sweets at last year's World Vegan Day and since then they've opened up a cafe in Thornbury. Kristy scooped their opening almost three months ago and still can't stop gabbing about how great they are.

This didn't just influence us - Kristy's ravings had inspired Steph and D to stop in for lunch too! They thoroughly enjoyed sampling the savoury side of the menu, and between us I think we covered the range of soy shakes ($6 each). Steph's chocolately version had mighty wodges of the stuff, while my strawberry one was a little more restrained; D seemed to approve of the banana version.

Restrained is not the appropriate word for the desserts on offer at Tart'n'Round. For starters, check out that black forest cake ($6) at the top of this post! The gluten-free flour gives the cake an unusual texture (one I'm not a fan of) but this dish will immediately win over lovers of mock cream and over-the-top sweets.

Michael's choc-mint mudcake ($6) is more my style. It has the fudgy intensity found in many flourless chocolate cakes but the mint takes it somewhere new - it's as if they've distilled the essence of a thousand Mint Slice biscuits and crammed them into each piece. In servings this large, it could be lethal. Oh, but what a way to die!

Dessert comes in other shapes and sizes - there's ice-cream, slices, biscuits and other confections, all available to take away as well as eat in. I don't think we'll be so bold as to order a dessert each again, but I've vowed to return for the brownie sundae whether Michael agrees or not.

Update 10/5/10: Unfortunately, Tart 'n' Round Cafe has ceased trading - they're back to focussing on their delicious sweet treats.

Address: 839 High St, Thornbury
Phone: 9480 0818
Website: www.tartnround.com.au