Marama

December 13, 2024

   

After a thoroughly enjoyed dinner at Henry Sugar, we cycled a little way north on Rathdowne St to another wine bar, Marama, for dessert. We once had a great (though unblogged) dinner of shared plates at Marama with a friend in 2023, so we entered optimistically. While Henry Sugar was sedate and welcoming, Marama had attracted a rowdy Friday evening crowd and we almost preferred to be offered a window bench on the farthest edge of it.

There were two desserts on the menu, so we were exempt from decision-making. The first was sticky date pudding ($19), with miso butterscotch and custard. While the miso didn't make a strong impression the classic elements were present and correct: a dense square of caramelly cake and a rich, silky sauce.

   

Second was something a little more creative and summery, centred on grapefruit ($20). A segment of lightly burnt grapefruit sat atop a scoop of white chocolate mousse, itself nestled within chunky-yet-tender black sesame crumbs, all with a side of grapefruit granita. These contrasts of texture, colour, temperature and flavour excite me most: the earthy, creamy, and icy; the sweet, rich and brightly tangy.

Marama did well to serve both the dessert traditionalists and the novelty-seekers with their two options! And they did their best to serve both the revellers and the more reserved patrons. Hopefully we'll find the right moment to return in 2025 and document more of their menu.

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Marama

793 Rathdowne St, Carlton North

9077 3303

dessert menu

https://www.maramawine.com.au/

Accessibility: There is a small step at the narrow door and a flat interior. Furniture is densely arranged with a clear pathway through the middle, a mixture of regular height tables with backed chairs and cushioned benches, and high tables with backed stools. We ordered at our table and paid at a high bar. We didn't visit the toilets.

Henry Sugar

December 13, 2024

   

I've been quite oblivious to Henry Sugar's reputation as a wine bar and restaurant. Locking my bike out front each time I got a haircut led me to looking them up on instagram, where I noticed that their Sunday lunch specials often had appetising vegetarian options. I decided to follow through with a visit for my birthday dinner with Michael.

The menu fits easily onto an A5 page. No dietary features are marked but we found it pretty easy to figure out what was vegetarian; the staff would no doubt be happy to help with other constraints.

   

Naturally there was a cocktail list and thankfully a few mocktails as well. I had the longest ice cube of my life, surrounded by Aces, rhubarb and rosemary ($14, pictured left) while Michael chose a Noël Sour from the seasonal specials ($23, pictured right), a concoction of white peach brandy, whiskey, rum, oloroso, crème de mure and lemon.

   

I was delighted when our crisps ($9) arrived in their own Henry Sugar packaging. These are lightly tempura-battered leaves seasoned with salt and vinegar, a fun way to get started.

   

The bread course ($9) is a little playful as well, as they serve puffy focaccia with Vegemite butter. 

   

Getting into the meal proper, we shared a shallow dish of smoked eggplant, stracciatella, curry honey and buckwheat ($24). This was soft, sweet and smoky with a contrasting crunch from the buckwheat, and the right thing to have alongside the bread.

   

The butternut 'short rib' ($29) was the meat-mocking we didn't expect to see on an omni wine bar's menu. It didn't resemble the texture of meat at all, but the sweet pumpkin was a good substrate for lacquering with koji BBQ sauce. Alongside was a spicy sambal tumis, which we both enjoyed in differing proportions.

   

As a side to the 'rib', we shared an excellent plate of charred asparagus served on a scoop of burnt scallion cream cheese with a halo of chilli crisp ($26).

We were pleasantly filled and very happy by this stage, ready to trust that the desserts would be very good. But it was early and the weather was gorgeous so we opted to get back on our bikes and make that a second stop of its own. The service at Henry Sugar was prompt and friendly, and I'd gladly go back if I found a special occasion for it. They're also well-placed for a sneaky mocktail-and-crisps after my next late-arvo haircut.

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Henry Sugar

296-298 Rathdowne St, Carlton

9448 8196

menu 

https://www.henrysugar.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a shallow ramp on entry. Furniture is medium-to-generously spaced, with a mixture of high tables and backless stools toward the front and regular-height tables with backed chairs and padded benches toward the back. We ordered and paid at our table. We didn't visit the toilets.

Holy Crumpets

December 11, 2024

   

I've had my eye on Holy Crumpets for a while. Their street signs are modest (with the previous occupant's name, babajan, still visible) and I suspect it's taken them a while to hit on regular opening hours (although these are now clearly visible on their door and their instagram page). Happily those hours included my 2024 birthday and we stopped in for breakfast at the start of a work-from-home day.

Holy Crumpets is a simple operation that suits me well: they make and serve sourdough crumpets with classic toppings (butter, Vegemite, honey, jams) and more elaborate special toppings, plus the requisite coffees and teas. That's it! The crumpets are vegan, as are many of the toppings, but there's no joy for the gluten-free.

   

Michael's long black ($5) and my chai ($5) arrived promptly in cute retro cups, and we didn't have to wait too much longer for our crumpets. I had a single crumpet topped with vanilla marscapone, raspberry coulis and chocolate flakes ($14, pictured top). It was almost as good as it looked, let down slightly by a lukewarm temperature. Meanwhile, Michael doubled up on the labneh, dukkah, olive oil and spring onion topping ($18, pictured below). The crumpets themselves are dense and textured, and we took home a pack to extend the fun.

I liked the casual set-up and constrained yet thoughtful menu at Holy Crumpets, and I'd like to return a few times to get a sense of their rotating specials and the consistency of their execution.

   

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Sweet & Sour Fork visited Holy Crumpets when they were operating in the CBD.

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Holy Crumpets

713 Nicholson St, Carlton North

food, drinks, specials

instagram page

Accessibility: Holy crumpets has one step up at the door. Furniture consists of a few medium-spaced regular-height tables with backed chairs and a high bench with backed stools. We ordered and paid at a regular-height counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

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.

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

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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.

Mankoushe XI

November 23, 2024

   

Mankoushe has been one of our neighbourhood favourites for well over a decade, and we don't manage to stop in as often as we'd like. All year, every time they pop into my instagram feed, I've been telling myself that we're overdue to stop in for brunch.

The menu is simple and savoury, with most items baked in the wood-fired oven; three days per week there's a lunch plate ($18), there's a small selection of dense sweets at the counter, and custards or rice puddings spiked with fruit in the fridge. Veg*ns are always well cared for, while coeliacs might prefer to avoid the prevalence of flour.

   

I ordered the zataar bread ($5) toasted and filled with tomato, cucumber, onion, olives and mint ($4). The bread's a little thinner and grainier than it used to be and I like that! I picked out the onion but, in a big step for me, I left the black olives in. They were the right salty seam through the fresh salad and earthy, spiced bread. (Maybe it's time to update our bio.)

   

Michael can rarely look past a shakshuka ($19) when it's on offer and this was the hearty dish he hoped for: eggs dressed with tomatoes, capsicum, onion, garlic, cumin and paprika with a side of the same wholemeal pita.

We both enjoyed glasses of blood orange juice ($7 each) and Michael added his requisite long black ($4). We keep coming back to Mankoushe because we always leave feeling nourished.

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You can read about one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten of our previous visits to Mankoushe.

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Mankoushe 

323 Lygon St, Brunswick East 

9078 9223 

breakfast & lunch

https://mankoushe.com.au/ 

Accessibility: There is a small step up through a narrow entry. Tables are regular height, chairs have backs, and furniture is medium-spaced across the floor. We ordered at our table and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.