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
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.
