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.

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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.

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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.

Torn lasagne with kale & kimchi, plus pickled fennel

September 7, 2025

   

Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart has been one of our favourite recent additions to the cookbook pile, but we've got to keep reminding ourselves to keep digging through it for more gems (instead of just falling back on the classic gems). This torn lasagne has been on my list for ages, and we had a quiet Sunday night to give it a go. 

The idea of a low fuss lasagne is obviously hugely appealing - no meticulous layering, just a delicious baked melange! There's still a bit of work to prep-wise, but it's definitely easier than some our other baked pasta attempts. There are two pre-baking steps: fry up your kale a bit and then make your smokey tomato sauce and then pile everything up in a baking tray and wait. It was so perfect for my tastes, smokey and spicy and hugely cheesy - the torn lasagne sheets give just enough texture to the whole thing. I would eat it every week if possible. 

We decided it needed some sort of vegetable accompaniment and after a quick flick of Tenderheart I settled on this very basic pickled fennel. It was basically the perfect accompaniment, tangy and crunchy and just the right thing to cut through the rich lasagne. What a meal.

 

   

Torn lasagne with kale & kimchi

(from Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

1 bunch of kale

1 garlic clove, crushed

450g fresh lasagne sheets

500g ricotta

1 cup grated cheddar

1 cup kimchi

olive oil

salt and pepper

tomato sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons gochugaru

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon white sugar

800g can crushed tomatoes

sea salt

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Trim the leaves off the kale stems and roughly chop them, then finely slice the stems.

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan on high heat and saute the kale stems and garlic for a minute. Add in the leaves, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and stir-fry for another 4-5 minutes, until the leaves have wilted. Kill the heat and put the kale aside.

Get cracking on the sauce, by heating a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic in a large saucepan. Cook for 30 seconds and then throw in the gochugaru, paprika, oregano, sugar and a couple of generous pinches of salt. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and about 2 cups of water. Stir everything together and let it simmer for 20 minutes or so. 

Tear the lasagne sheets into rough strips, fairly large ones but really whatever suits your vibe. 

In a large bowl combine the ricotta with a couple of tablespoons of water and whisk until it's smooth. Add half the cheddar, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper and stir together. Fold in the kale and the kimchi and then finally gently stir through the torn lasagne sheets.

Pour the sauce into a large baking dish and then gently stir in the cheese/kale/lasagne mix. Top with the rest of the cheddar and carefully pop the whole thing into the oven. Bake for 40 minutes until the cheese has gone nice and golden. Let it all sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Pickled fennel

(from Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

1 bulb fennel, finely shaved and chopped

125ml rice vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

Place the fennel in a bowl.

Put 125ml of water into a saucepan and add in the rest of the ingredients. Heat over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and immediately pour it over the fennel. Leave to pickle for 15 minutes and serve!

Etta VI

September 6, 2025

   

This year Michael and I celebrated 25 years since our first date. We had a progressive evening celebration, starting with a cocktail and snack at Waxflower, moving onto dinner at Etta, and then dessert at Billy van Creamy.

At Etta we were agreed that we'd share my favourite, the golden tofu, and Michael's favourite, the zongzi. And what about our third dish? We assumed that the brassicas would round out the meal with some greenery but figured we'd ask the waitstaff for their recommendation. I'm so glad we did! After a quick chef consult, they offered us a new vegetarian adaptation of the crab wonton ($36).

Instead of crab, tender wonton skins are wrapped around a savoury lion's mane mushroom filling. Outside, it's the same story of pickled green tomatoes, crispy fried wonton shards, and an exquisite sweet, sour and spiced coconut curry sauce. This tremendous plate has put both of us in an awkward position - what's our favourite Etta dish now?

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You can read about one, two, three, four, five of our previous visits to Etta.

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Etta 

60 Lygon St, Brunswick 

9448 8233 

http://ettadining.com.au/ 

Accessibility: The entry is flat and there is one step up from the bar area to the dining area. Tables are moderately spaced and lighting is quite dim. We received full table service. Toilets are unisex and spacious, but we didn't notice handrails or other mobility aids.

Sani II

August 30, 2025

   

Sani was a handy local spot for brunch in bad weather, forming a convenient little loop with the food shopping we had planned. On our first visit, we strung together a funny medley of very good savoury plates; this time we ordered a little more conventionally.

   

Michael was very much in favour of the Sani interpretation of avo toast ($26) - smashed then topped with bbq corn salsa, feta, pickled onions and coriander, chipotle aioli between the toasts - except for their choice to stack the slices. At least it made room for his bonus fried egg ($4).

   

I was similarly pleased with how they play French toast ($23). It's a single thick brioche slice - not too eggy - served with a moat of vanilla anglaise, topped with a hearty dollop of mascarpone, enough poached rhubarb, and a scattering of macadamia crumble.

I find the Sani setting a little stark, although the staff are plenty friendly. Vegan options were sparse for Brunswick (adaptations on the otherwise-cheesy avo toast and winter salad) but what they do, they do well.

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You can read about our previous visit to Sani here.

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Sani 

63 Lygon St, Brunswick East 

9020 7952 

menu

https://www.sanimelbourne.com.au/ 

Accessibility: Sani has a shallow-ramped entry and clear walkway through the main areas. Furniture is medium-spaced regular-height tables with backed chairs and cushioned benches. We ordered at our table and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

A snippet of south-east Queensland

August 14, 2025 

   

Following our sodden long weekend in Sydney, we moved onto south-east Queensland, where the blue skies smiled down upon us. (The photo above was taken spontaneously while waiting at a bus stop - even this pedestrian activity was a pleasure.) We were focused primarily on spending time with family and friends, which meant mostly home-cooked meals or cafes chosen for convenience over cachet. Here are two exceptions.

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When I grew up north of Brisbane, North Lakes did not exist. Now it's a suburb of two decade's standing and my mum is plugged into the local council's events, including yoga in the park and a science week panel discussion that we went along to together. Even more surprising, North Lakes has a Thai restaurant with a dedicated vegan menu! Thai Ginger Express and Vegan! Thai-riffic are effectively the same business, though I assume the separate names help their SEO.

Between three of us, we shared tofu satay sticks ($9.50), dense little drumsticks ($8, not the layered yuba version I expected but still good), a very spicy basil and chilli stir-fry ($16.50) with mock chicken ($4), and a smoky Pad See Ew ($15.50) with tofu ($2). It wasn't quite a match for Sydney's YOD but it far exceeded my expectations for a neighbourhood I had to move out of to experience Thai food at all.

   

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After we dropped our luggage in our Brisbane hotel, we headed immediately to Sendok Garpu for lunch. We had a tasty meal that nonetheless confirmed we ordered best on our first visit a year earlier. Bakwan jagung (corn fritters, $9.95, pictured above left) were sweet and crunchy and teamed with a smooth peanut sauce. An Es Kopi Hitam (iced black coffee, $6, pictured above right) served Michael the caffeine he craved while I chose the Es Kopyor ($9, pictured above right), a super-sweet milky rose concoction stacked with coconut jelly slices.

My gado gado ($16.95, pictured below left) was a trusty, mild medley of tofu, steamed tempeh and veges (including heaps of bean sprouts) under a blanket of peanut sauce, and sides of boiled egg and crackers. By contrast, Michael's nasi kampau komplit ($29.95) was very spicy! Sendok Garpu thoughtfully replaced beef rendang with jackfruit and chicken curry with more corn fritters; the cabbage green bean curry and excellent chilli eggplant came standard.

   

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There's plenty of other good veg*n eating to be had in south-east Queensland but we didn't mind missing out this year - it's much more important that our other meals were shared with the people we love spending time with, year after year.