Ela Ada

May 23, 2026

 

   

 

When we agreed to the potluck theme of 'dumplings of the world' with friends, we were sharing pics and thinking up dishes for weeks in advance. As usual I wanted to make something sweet, and this time something especially cosy for winter. The dilemma was that for me this objective brings up puffy, cakey, flour-based recipes like custard-filled bao and European doughs stuffed with berries... yet I was mindful that there'd be at least one gluten-free guest. 

 

Mochi can be gluten-free, but I don't think of it as a winter warmer, and I could see myself getting stressed out while making it. The better alternative was the completely new-to-me ela ada. Originating around Kerala, it's also a rice-based dough, stuffed with something sweet (often jaggery-sweetened coconut) and steamed in a banana leaf. 

 

   

 

I bought frozen coconut from an Indian grocer (and probably could have just used dessicated, in the absence of fresh). The minimum quantity of jaggery available was upwards of a kilo, so I decided to make do with the palm sugar blocks I had at home. I found frozen banana leaves at Lunar Mart and spent quite some time washing them carefully.

 

Preparation took care but progressed nicely: kneading a smooth rice flour dough, frying together the coconut and sugar with a little cardamom. Then the most challenging part! Applying a little coconut oil to a banana leaf rectangle, rolling and pressing flat a circle of dough using wet hands, spooning in some filling and then firmly pressing the banana leaf in half to seal up the semi-circular dumpling. I arranged all the parcels in my steamer and hoped for the best, giving them a second steam to reheat once we were ready for dessert on the night.  

 

   

My ela ada weren't beauties but they were successful - a little chewy, with caramel sweetness, and plenty of warmth. They didn't always tear easily away from their banana leaf wrapping. I'm so glad I got to know them and could share them with friends.

 

 

 

Ela Ada 

(slightly adapted from a recipe on The Tastes of India) 

 

filling

1 teaspoon ghee, coconut oil or margarine

2/3 cup grated jaggery (I used palm sugar)

1 cup grated coconut

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

 

dough

1 cup fine rice flour  

1 cup water

1 teaspoon ghee, coconut oil or margarine

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

banana leaves, washed 

extra ghee, coconut oil or margarine 

 

 

For the dough, lightly roast the rice flour in a frypan, and transfer it to a heat-proof mixing bowl. Boil the water, stir in the ghee/oil/margarine, and pour the liquid over the rice flour. Stir it together to form a dough. When the dough is cool enough to handle, knead it until it's as smooth as possible. Set the dough aside.

 

For the filling, melt the ghee/oil/margarine in a frypan and stir through the coconut. Add the jaggery and stir until it melts. Sprinkle over the cardamom, and turn off the heat. 

 

If the banana leaves are brittle, hold them over an open flame until they become pliable. Cut the leaves into medium-sized squares and lightly grease them with ghee/coconut oil/margarine.

 

Pick up 1/4 cup of the dough and flatten it out into a circle on a banana leaf, using wet hands. Place a generous spoonful of coconut mixture in a semi-circle on the dough circle, leaving a outside border of 1 cm without filling. Use the banana leaf to fold the dough into a semi-circle and seal the edges together and encase the coconut filling. Repeat with the remaining banana leaves, dough and filling.

 

Steam the parcels for 10-12 minutes. Peel off the banana leaf and serve warm. 

20 years of...

   

 

Today marks 20 years since we published the first post on where's the beef?. The format has aged, we have aged, our posting frequency has slowed and our readership has declined, AND YET - in this obscurity we still find food blogging meaningful and useful, and occasionally we continue to get messages that some of you do too.

 

where's the beef? is a document of the 20 years we've lived in Melbourne, the people we've spent time with, the things we've done, the ways we've changed. Early on we lived very close to our workplaces: we were often home with groceries by 6pm with energy to cook something new; on the weekends we'd get on the train or tram and visit a new-to-us suburb to eat new-to-us food. Twenty years later our habits have narrowed a bit: I tend to seek out simpler new recipes and happily refer to old favourites that we've saved up here; there barely seem enough chances to support the restaurants I already know and love, and we're completely out of the loop on what's hot in the city. (Meanwhile Michael visits Iris the Bakery several times a week and has never written a post about them!) In between, we've made some of the firmest friends of our adult lives through blogging and we're having many of them over for a vegan potluck tomorrow.

 

In the past few years, my computer-based workload and bouts of vestibular migraine have put me off opening the laptop in the evenings, and one day they might do this blog in entirely (if Google doesn't do Blogger in first). For now where's the beef? is still here, celebrating vegetarian food at its own pace. 

Manzé

May 21, 2026

 

   

 

This year we celebrated Michael's birthday early, with dinner at Manzé. This Mauritian restaurant is best known for its seafood, but it's actually got a seasonal vegan set menu ($105 per person) on offer too. (Another bonus - they have a bar called Boire across the street, where we met up first and I had a stunning plum daiquiri.) Contrary to the end-of-evening photo above, Manzé was crowded with furniture, people and music, with most dining couples seated at a central communal table.

   

 

The first wave of our set menu was served across three plates: vegetable fritters were served with hot sauce, cabbage was pickled vindaye-style (a technique usually applied to fish), and pickled fruits were teamed with a blob of salted feijoa chutney - the bright and hot pickley flavours lifted any heaviness from the fried batter.

 

   

 

The second wave was my favourite. It centred around cari gros pois, a rich and savoury butter bean curry encircled with sorrel chutney and topped with fioretto (cauli blossom). There was a gorgeous, soft dal puri (lentil flatbread) to scoop it up, interspersed with side dishes of bredes songes (sour winter greens and ginger) and achard piment (green apple and chilli pickle).

 

   

 

The staff accidentally had us waiting a while for our main, having mistakenly served it to another couple at the table. We weren't fazed, and Michael was comped a lovely dessert wine later by way of apology. We worked through the meaty, well-marinated oyster mushrooms slowly, and I especially enjoyed the accompanying roasted persimmon chutney. Rice and a modest green salad rounded this out to a full meal of its own.

 

   

 

The vegan set menu had us anticipating salted coconut sorbet and plum but, since we self-reported as vegetarians, I think they lined us up with the standard dessert. This was more of a panna cotta - though it's not my favourite kind of dessert this one was special, and beautifully set off with the scaled arrangement of plum slices on top.

 

We were unsure whether a seafood-free meal at Manzé would measure up but it really did! This menu was unlike anything we've been served before, and it's designed to cycle with the seasons, so Manzé will be well worth a revisit.

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Manzé has also received a positive review from Kulture Kween. 

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Manzé
Shop 2/1/5 Errol St, North Melbourne 

0401 749 051 

vegan set menu for Waring/Wombat season  

https://www.manze.com.au/

 

Accessibility: Manzé has a step up on entry. The interior is crowded and loud, mostly densely packed regular height tables and backed chairs, plus one high table with backless stools. We ordered and paid at our table. We didn't visit the toilets.

Sleepys II

May 15, 2026 

 

   

 

After first visiting Sleepys for brunch, we returned for Michael's (unblogged, weeknight, pre-netball) birthday dinner a month later. It took nearly a year for us to return for dinner again, ready to spontaneously treat ourselves on a Friday night. Naturally the menu changed a little in the meantime, though the theme is consistent - contemporary Chinese flavours in a wine bar setting, consistently staffed with the most friendly folk.

 

   

 

We were both in the mood for a cocktail, ordering an old-fashioned and a negroni between us ($22). 

 

   

 

We ordered most of the vegetarian options, with the help of our waiter. The teeny little spring rolls ($8) were piping hot and glistened with house-made sweet chilli sauce. Fried chive dumplings ($14) were hardier, with the chives filling the centre, and their chilli vinegar served more typically on the side.

 

   

 

The liang fen ($14) were very special, translucent handmade mung bean jelly noodles, naturally slippery, lightly dressed in soy, with roasted sesame seeds and Sichuan pepper.

 

   

 

The Hokkien noodles ($22) were less delicate and very satisfying, very salty, singing with soy and ginger and scattered with big chunks of spring onion. 

 

   

 

XO tofu ($30) was teamed with shiitakes on a gorgeous vintage fish plate and piled with sliced youtiao (savoury doughnut), which I loved dredging through the sauce. Some steamed rice ($5) seemed prudent.

 

   

The one dessert on offer was a star anise parfait ($15) served with plums, and it was a singular pleasure.

This was a special meal for no special occasion at all, a perhaps that made us feel all the more grateful for it. 

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 You can read about our first visit to Sleepys here.

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Sleepys 

787 Nicholson St, Carlton North 

food, drinks 

https://www.sleepyscafeandwinebar.com.au/ 

 

Accessibility: Sleepys has a step up on entry and clear pathway through the middle. Inside there are densely arranged regular and high tables with backed chairs; the backless benches outside look a little unstable. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets but it looks like there's a tight turn on the way out. (When this spot previously housed A Fan's Notes, we described the toilet as "a single, unisex toilet cubicle, which is a step up off an uneven path".)

Cherry almond bars

May 9, 2026 

 

   

 

I've broken the habit and pulled out The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits for the second time in a year (after several years of choosing it only in my summer holiday). I don't recall ever eating these cherry almond bars before (dried fruit and nuts were divisive in my family of origin) but glace cherries feel nostalgic for me, nevertheless.

 

This recipe is a mash-up of things I love - cherries, chocolate, almonds, shortbread. I omitted the lemon rind, because I made these rapidly on a whim, but I'd welcome that element too. The biscuits are formed by slicing pieces from a dense, buttery log of dough. I clearly didn't get the dimensions as intended because I made 15 biscuit slices, and the recipe estimated a batch to be 35. Yet my chunky biscuits still overcooked during the recommended baking time! They weren't burnt but they were much more golden, occasionally even brown, compared to a conventional shortbread. Fewer biscuits also meant less chocolate needed, and I've adjusted the quantity down to match my batch.

These biscuits were delicious, but less than the sum of their parts. The toastiness of the biscuits crowded out the almonds, mouthfuls of the chocolate half tasted of little else, and the cherries were rare, separate experiences. Every bite was a pleasure tinged with a search for something else. 

   

 

Cherry almond bars

(slightly adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits, also published online here) 

 

90g butter, at room temperature 

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 egg yolk

1 cup plain flour

1/3 cup blanched almonds

1/3 cup glace cherries

125g dark chocolate

2 teaspoons vegetable oil 

 

In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, lemon rind, sugar and egg yolk. Sift in the flour, partially mix, add the almonds and cherries, and mix to fully combine.

 

Unroll a large sheet of plastic wrap and transfer the biscuit mixture onto it. Manoeuvre the plastic wrap to compact the mixture into a big log, with a cross-section of about 4 cm x 5 cm. Refrigerate the biscuit log until firm, at least an hour.

 

When the dough is ready, preheat an oven to 180°C and line 1-2 baking trays with paper. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into 5-8 mm thick slices and lay them out on the baking trays. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until just beginning to go golden around the edges.

 

Melt the chocolate using your preferred method and stir in the vegetable oil. Dip half of each biscuit in the chocolate and return them to the trays; refrigerate briefly to set. Store at room temperature.  

Babka III

May 9, 2026 

   

 

Babka is still open on Brunswick St for twenty-years-on coverage, though we've missed the cafe's founder by about 3 years. It seems to have lost most of the Eastern European features it was once known for:  borscht, potato dumplings, and - most devastatingly for me - the blintzes. Instead there's the more predictable Aussie cafe run of chilli scrambled eggs, smashed avo, chicken and avocado toasties, and egg and bacon rolls. (There are no markings for vegans or gluten-free folks, and I wouldn't especially recommend the menu to either.)

   

 

The overflowing sweets cabinet still reigns, and there were plenty of customers queuing for takeaway coffee, bread and baked sweets, rather than the sit-down menu.

 

   

 

Michael ordered the aforementioned chilli scramble ($21.50), a likeable, decently proportioned plate with a choice of bread (sourdough here), fresh herbs, chilli slices, grated cheese and a house-made chilli sauce from yesteryear.

 

   

 

Blintzless, I pivoted to French toast ($21.50). I was perfectly happy with one slice - it was nicely battered without being too eggy. The accompanying 'fresh fruits' were mostly tasteless strawberries, and the scoop of mascarpone was great. I didn't need any of the maple syrup on offer. 

 

   

 

We picked out a lil' something from the dessert case to take home for later. Michael rated his plum frangipane tart ($9) highly. I was even happier with the lemon tart ($9) - while I though the pastry was average, the lemon filling was exceptional, with a gorgeous wafer-thin crust of burnt sugar.

 

   

 

The Babka menu clearly isn't what it once was, but there's still a comfort to the place. The classic cafe fit-out feels just right. We were perched near the coffee machine and noticed the manager cheerfully chatting with everyone, with many clearly being regulars. The customers spanned generations and Brunswick St subcultures. I'm glad Babka has found a form it can sustain. 

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You can read about one, two of our previous visits to Babka. Since then, it's received generally positive reviews on Multicultural Melbourne, Almost Always Ravenous, Spoonful of Sugar, and Vanilla Slice (Snot) Blog.

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Babka

358 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 

9416 0091 

menu: one, two 

instagram page 

 

Accessibility: There is a step up on entry and a crowded interior. Furniture is densely arranged regular height small tables and backed chairs. We ordered and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets. 

Fitz Curry Cafe III

May 8, 2026 

 

   

 

The next stop in our 20 year anniversary tour of the 2006 Cheap Eats guide is the 25-year-old Fitz Curry Cafe. It's well over a decade (perhaps nearing two!) since we last visited, but Fitz Curry was an early front-runner in Michael's search for a favourite Melbourne Indian restaurant. The Cheap Eats review highlighted their organic ingredients; these seem to be less of a selling point in 2026, although the cafe's website mentions organic flour roti.

 

   

 

Eating in at Fitz Curry includes that touch of Indian restaurant hospitality we love: a basket of papadams with a light yoghurt-based mint chutney. Having had one cocktail and little food in the preceding hours, I fell upon these enthusiastically.

 

   

 

We ordered as we did so many years ago: navaratan korma ($8-10 in 2006, $23.99 in 2026), malai kofta ($8-10 in 2007, $24.99 in 2026), garlic naan ($4.99), and steamed basmati rice ($4.99). The curries were quite mild and sweet (we requested medium heat), the kind we've known and enjoyed many times from family Indian restaurants. We're more excited about the likes of Horn Please, Bhang and Masti these days, but Fitz Curry Cafe hit the mark for a nostalgia tour such as this.

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You can read about one, two of our previous Fitz Curry experiences. 

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Fitz Curry Cafe

44 Johnston St, Fitzroy

9495 6119 

banquets, mains page 1, mains page 2, sides & desserts 

https://fitzcurrycafe.com.au/

 

Accessibility: There are two shallow steps up on entry and a clear, flat corridor through the middle of the restaurant. Furniture is densely packed, consisting of regular height tables and backed chairs. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Harissa butter beans

May 6, 2026

   

 

I've got a bit of a type when it comes to dinner recipes: come up with some kind of one-pot, bean-based situation with lots of flavour and a solid dose of veggies and I'm going to put it on my list. So when I saw a colleague eating this for lunch at work I was immediately nagging her to send me the recipe. 

It's very simple and very adaptable and has already had a second go around for a weeknight dinner here - you've got a bit of bite from the harissa smoothed out by the coconut milk and some nice depth of flavour from the nooch and the sun-dried tomatoes. Butter beans are great here, but it would work equally well with white beans. We've had it with little roti breads on the side (as pictured) and with some fresh sourdough, both of wich were excellent. It will slot smoothly into the rotation, alongside other beany favourites. 

Harissa butter beans

(via this recipe from Nutri View)

2 cans butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, peeled and sliced finely

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped (the recipe drains the oil off, but I reckon it's worth tipping it in!)

3 tablespoons harissa paste

400ml coconut milk

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped

Heat the olive oil over med-high heat in a large pot and cook the shallots for a few minutes until they've softened. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or two. Tip in the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil and stir to combine. 

Add the butter beans and the harissa, stirring to coat the beans in the spice paste. After a couple of minutes, tip in the coconut milk and lower the heat. Bring the mix to a low simmer and stir in the nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. 

Simmer for about 15 minutes until it's thickened a bit and then add the chopped kale, cooking just long enough for it to properly wilt - about 5 minutes. 

Serve, with whatever bread product you fancy. 

Trippy Taco V

May 2, 2026 

 

   

 

Trippy Taco does not actually appear in the 2006 Cheap Eats guide, but it's entrenched in where's the beef? lore, opening on Smith St in that first year we lived in Melbourne and instantly becoming Michael's favourite place for a workday lunch, as well as a semi-regular nighttime hang-out with friends. It's now been on Gertrude St much longer than it was ever on Smith, and most recently we walked across from the VAS Gallery with some friends for a weekend lunch. 

 

While the menu's not strictly the same, changes to the spread of casual Mexican-inspired foods are subtle: there are no longer sultanas in the salads, and they now offer something called 'heart attack fries'. Everything's vegetarian; vegan and gluten-free options are plentiful; and there's more dietary information than most places on the printed menu. 

 

   

 

A large basket of trippy fries ($9) for the table was essential. (The smaller serving was $4 in 2008 and is now $7 in 2026.) Their seasoning has always been heavy on the smoked paprika and that's how everyone likes it.

 

   

 

Michael returned to an old fave, the tofu asada burrito ($9 in 2008 and now $17 in 2026). It's precisely as it's always been, from his memory: chunky and full of flavour, with bright salad and guacamole, and even better when doused in something from TT's hot sauce collection. 

 

   

 

I've always had a soft spot for the Trippy Taco tamale ($8.50 for a more elaborate version in 2008, now $13 in 2026 + $3 for guacamole + $2.50 for salsa) - so sweet and tender and carby! I still haven't had the dessert version, once a special and now a menu fixture. Twenty years later, Trippy Taco still has a little more to offer us. 

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You can read about one, two, three, four of our past visits to Trippy Taco. Since then, it's appeared on veg*n blogs melbourne with the rocket, Green Gourmet Giraffe, I Spy Plum Pie, Veggo Melburnian, and I Travel For Vegan Food. It's also appeared on omni blogs They Call Me Maggie, FOOD CHEE, Sweet & Sour Fork, Ms I-Hua, The Epicurean of Southbank, and Melbourne Vita.  

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Trippy Taco

234 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

9415 7711 

menu: one, two 

https://www.trippytaco.com.au/

 

Accessibility: There's one step on entry, and there's a clear flat pathway through the centre. Furniture is densely arranged, regular height tables and backed chairs. We ordered and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets. 

Arepa Days

April 19, 2026

 

   

 

Arepa Days has been on our wishlist since it opened, it being a sibling to Michael's beloved Sonido. (The list ticks over slowly, with Arepa Days opening back in 2018.) At long last, I found my excuse to meet up with a friend there for Sunday brunch! I love the cafe's relaxed fit-out and splashes of colour, though I'd rather more of the seats had backs. Thankfully I was in early enough to grab a bench against the wall. 

 

The name clearly indicates the features here: a daytime cafe with a menu centred on arepas. The menu is mostly gluten-free, and the arepas are also vegan when not explicitly cheese-stuffed. They can be served simply, with just cheese, butter and salt or some corn, or built up with eggs, beans, pulled beef, even black pudding. There are rice bowls, too, lots of sides to customise your plate, and an attractive little selection of sweets at the counter. 

 

   

 

I was early and cold, and started with a chai ($6.40). It was milky and not too sweet; it could have been spicier but was nevertheless lovely to nurse.

 

   

 

When it came time to eat, I went for the huevos arepa plate ($18.10) with a side of beans ($5.50). It looked a little small but proved deeply satisfying, with lots of golden scrambled eggs striped with hogao and piled onto a soft arepa, the flavourful beans dotted with feta and everything scattered with fresh coriander leaves.

 

Staff were happy to let us linger, and I would have lingered longer still if I didn't have places to be. Arepa Days was everything I anticipated.

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Arepa Days has also been reviewed by Mamma Knows North. 

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Arepa Days

25 Preston St, Preston  

food, drinks 

https://www.arepadays.com.au/

 

Accessibility: Arepa Days has a wide entry with one step up. The interior is quite crowded with furniture, mostly regular-height tables with backless stools, and some benches along the walls. We ordered and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Lankan Tucker II

April 12, 2026 

 

   

 

Michael loved our first visit to Lankan Tucker, but it just wasn't conveniently located for us to make many follow-up visits. Last year Lankan Tucker shifted to Carlton, nestled within College Square and invisible from the street, but Michael got wind of it somehow. We took refuge there for lunch on a day with dreadful weather, and were warmed by the staff welcome long before the food.

 

While the menu starts with eggs and toast, it's Sri Lankan flavours from then on: lots of roti, a biriyani burrito, tacos stuffed with black pork curry, and banana leaf rice and curry. There aren't any dietary markings on the menu, but the staff seem to know their stuff.

 

   

 

Michael relished the vegetarian version of kotthu roti ($26), a warming toss-up of shredded roti, veges and egg flavoured with soy sauce and chilli, nicely charred around the edges and garnished with curry leaves. It worked well with a fresh glow juice (carrot, apple and ginger, $10, pictured top). 

 

   

 

Sadly for me they were all out of Milo French toast (and now I think it's disappeared from their menu entirely!). I bounced back rapidly, having seen faluda on the menu ($10, pictured top). This one's a cheerful layering of rose syrup, milk and cream with a sprinkling of seeds, but no rival to the over-the-top versions I've previously enjoyed at Savour and Maalu Maalu. More unique was the veg pan roll ($7, pictured above), subtitled "the much cooler cousin of the sausage roll": here a warm vegetable curry is wrapped in a crepe, crumbed and deep-fried. The shell reminded me more of a Chiko roll, though it was much better, with this roll offering greater sophistication in its textures and flavours. No sauce needed!

 

   

 

Lankan Tucker are also doing quite a line in take-home products, from T-shirts to preserves, tea and ready-made meals.

 

It was so nice to be back at Lankan Tucker after so many years. Though they're tucked away, they've remained front of mind and I've already been back for another faluda-pan roll lunch! 

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You can also read about our previous visit to Lankan Tucker at its original location. Since then, its Brunswick West incarnation was reviewed on Melbourne Vita, Good Food, Good Karma, and Whatever Floats Your Bloat. 

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Lankan Tucker

570 Lygon St, Carlton

8000 3929 

food, drinks 

https://www.lankantucker.com/

 

Accessibility: Lankan Tucker has a flat entry and a heavy door. Furniture is medium spaced, mostly regular height tables and backed chairs. There is one large table located up two steps, and one large high table with backed metal seats. We ordered at our table and paid at a high bar. 

Masses Bagels

April 11, 2026 

 

   

 

Michael's been visiting Masses Bagels regularly with his run club and telling me, often, how much he thinks I'd like it. It took many months before we made use of an errand in Richmond to breakfast at Masses together on the way through.

 

The setting is a little stark, with brushed metal surfaces, concrete floors, and low-height backless seating. At least the staff make up for it in warmth! The bagels distinguish themselves by being wild fermented, and they're probably the thinnest, crispiest bagels I've experienced. There are also gluten-free bagels available (acknowledging the flour contamination risk), quark-based cream cheese and a cashew-based vegan alternative.

 

For eating in, there's an array of 'bagel tartines', most of which have a vegetarian option, and a few of which have vegan options. Michael loved the balance of the egg gribiche topping ($17), which is richly dressed, and cut through with gherkins, tarragon, chive and capers.  

   

 

After considering the couple of sweet options (honey, peach and lemon verbena jam with quark), I swerved savoury and ordered the pickled green tomato ($18.50), which comes with parmesan cream, fermented hot honey and mustard leaves. The acidity of the tomatoes offset the bagels nicely, but the parmesan cream that I was eagerly anticipating didn't really shine through. My choice to drink an orange juice ($8) just dialled up the acidity further.

 

Masses Bagels wasn't precisely what I expected, but it was a nice time and I'm curious to try more. Given his frequency of visits, you'll be better off asking Michael for tartine recommendations in the meantime. 

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Masses Bagels

5 Smith St, Fitzroy

menu 

https://www.massesbagels.com.au/

 

Accessibility: There is a flat entry and clear path to the low counter. Furniture is a mixture of low tables with backless small stools and milk crates. We ordered and paid at the counter. We couldn't see any sign of a toilet.  

Knafeh Nabulseyeh

April 9, 2026 

 

   

 

Trying knafeh has been on my wish list for several years, and I finally made it happen at Knafeh Nabulseyeh in Coburg, after I had a medical appointment in the area. This modest cafe focuses on serving knafeh in the tradition of Nablus, Palestine, and it also offers tea and coffee, baklava, falafel, shawarma and chips.

 

Knafeh can be bought one slice at a time, by the plate and by the kilo (!), in both coarse and fine (kataifi/shredded pastry) varieties. I made my debut with one slice of the coarse style ($10.90), which was heated up to order and topped with syrup. The base layer of cheese was dense and springy, contrasting with the golden crunch of the pastry, and crushed pistachios added a fun stripe of colour to the top. the knafeh was rich and comforting, though I might have liked a pinch more salt in the flavour profile. I should have ordered a cup of tea, but made do diluting the sweetness with water.

 

Skipping out on knafeh that day would have saved me from getting absolutely smashed with rain on the cycle home, but I had no regrets - this was an afternoon tea to remember, and to revisit.

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Knafeh Nabulseyeh

442 Sydney Rd, Coburg

9569 4085

https://knafehnabulseyeh.com.au/

 

Accessibility: There is a step up on entry and an open area leading to the counter. Furniture is densely packed around the walls, with regular height tables, backed chairs and benches. I ordered and paid at a low counter. I didn't visit the toilets.

The Sporting Club Hotel V

April 8, 2026 

 

   

 

The Sporting Club Hotel was listed in the 2006 Cheap Eats guide, then became the Charles Weston around 2015, and has since reverted back to the Sporting Club name. Cheap Eats described it as "a bit like your best mate's lounge room", which was reasonably accurate. Some of my mates' lounge rooms have had upgrades since 2006, as has the Sporting Club, but the simile doesn't really fit any more. We first visited in 2011, moved closer a couple of years later, and have since stopped in several dozen times, I'd guess - it was our go-to casual hang-out spot in the 2010s.

 

   

 

In 2006 Cheap Eats mentioned chicken parmigiana and lamb shanks, but by 2011 the menu was more of a tapas-and-tacos situation. But I reckon vege burgers are one of the better ways to track a pub's trajectory. In 2012, the $20 portobello mushroom burger that Michael ordered earned howls in the comments for being too expensive. A year later, I mentioned the $16 crumbed haloumi burger, which I went on to order many, many times (raised to $18 in 2015) - it was beloved. At some point, it got switched for a vegan-friendly tofu burger, which I declined to try for several years in my haloumi grief, and then learned was actually also very good. The pub's food experienced a post-COVID dip, and then it had its makeover, and the Southern fried enoki burger with cheese and slaw ($26, pictured above) arose. This burger made a positive impression on Michael on our most recent visit - crispy, chewy and savoury.

 

   

 

Much as I did on our first blogged visit, I flitted around the sides list. The wombok, snowpea, mint and feta salad ($14) was fun, fresh and very finely chopped. What looked like raw red onion (which I detest) was actually radish, with the additional purple on top most likely sumac. The vegan-friendly roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary ($14) were unexpectedly served with the garlic and rosemary forming a viscous green goo all over the spuds. While weird to look at, it tasted brilliant, with the potatoes having been cooked to a rich golden brown before they were dressed.

 

The current Sporting Club Hotel isn't our favourite incarnation of the pub, but it's still a pretty good one. I've no doubt we'll continue to pop in for years to come, even if it no longer feels like a second lounge room. 

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You can read 2011, 2012 and 2013 posts about the Sporting Club Hotel, a 2015 post about the Charles Weston iteration, and then a 2025 post about the Sporting Club reversion. 

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Sporting Club Hotel 

27 Weston St, Brunswick 

9996 1869 

food, drinks 

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. There's table service in many areas, with ordering and payment also possible 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 split by gender.

Tokyo Maki

April 2, 2026 

 

   

 

We had a decent shot at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year - seven shows across four nights - with only the last one located at the flagship Melbourne Town Hall. Our first night out had us seeking an early dinner near the Speakeasy Theatre. While the theatre itself proved cute as a button, we weren't inspired by its location in the south-western corner of the CBD. Happy Cow once again came to our rescue, noting that Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant Tokyo Maki has a dedicated vegan menu.

 

   

 

Tokyo Maki was casual and welcoming, a little more than half full when we arrived. We noticed hotplates in the centre of many tables, and space-saving slide-out drawers in the tables for cutlery and napkins. The vegan menu runs to a full A4 page of several dozen items, proudly headed I am a Vegan. Flip it over and you'll find the equally confident alternative, Hate Gluten. Aside from being funny, it's unusual and welcome for Japanese food!

 

   

 

I was in the mood for several snack plates. First to arrive was the agadashi tofu ($9.90) in fine form. Michael and I also split the vegetable croquettes ($7.50), which had a unique savoury flavour that pleasantly surprised us. I spaced my food out with a house-made honey ginger tea ($5.80), served with a kawaii relaxed dog spoon (see second photo above).

   

 

When Michael sees the words 'mapo tofu', he's hooked. This Japanese Mapo Tofu Don ($18.50) didn't have the Sichuan pepper bite he's accustomed to, but he loved the rich and still-spicy douban sauce. It was packed with tofu cubes, veges and rice.

   

My last snack of the night was lotus root chips ($11). They were plentiful and came with nice condiments, but unfortunately they weren't crispy all the way through, the only flaw in our meal. 

Tokyo Maki was a nice little surprise in what we consider to be an unattractive corner of the city. The staff were lovely; the vegan food was plentiful, arrived on time, was mostly terrific, and on reflection very good value for money. We won't hesitate to return and sample more if back in the neighbourhood. 

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Tokyo Maki

547 Flinders St, Melbourne CBD 

9620 0375 

vegan, gluten-free, drinks & dessert 

order online

 

Accessibility: Tokyo Maki has a flat, reasonably wide entry. Regular-height tables and backed chairs are arranged at medium density. We ordered at our table and paid at a regular-height counter. We didn't visit the toilets.