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.