Dining Haul: 86-88 Ormond Road, Elwood, 9531 9771
My score: 2.5/5
The contemporary cafeteria may not have trays, communal tables or point-and-pick food but it’s fuss-free, fast paced and flexible. Dining Haul is a smart reinvention of an institutional dining room with a leaning towards seafood and fancy drinks. I love the sleek plywood fit-out, somewhere between a boatshed and a nightclub. Sleek does suggest noisy, however, and it can get screechy in here: think seagulls and a bag of chips. Seating is diverse: there’s a long freestanding countertop, window seats and tables for six that become communal when the numbers lean that way.
Watching and experiencing the service here was illustrative of broader Melbourne issues. Some waiters were switched on, intuitive, observant and pleasant. But some just didn’t seem to get it: no water, no wine, the wrong food, dirty plates left to encrust, a serious lag for the bill. Those one percenters can be a dealbreaker for the diner, undoing the good work of many. It’s a shame because there’s plenty to like here.
Nibbles and share plates from the ‘short haul’ menu were a highlight. The rollmops are a cute idea: instead of the traditional herring, ocean trout is cured, sliced and rolled around sweet pickled onion. They’re stabbed with a toothpick and drizzled with a creamy mustard and dill sauce to create a nice, clean appetiser that’s indicative of a creative mind in the kitchen. A long log of haloumi is fried and drizzled with lemon and herbs. It’s hot and tasty, squeaky and satisfying. Battered flathead morsels with chilli mayonnaise make an addictive nibble too. Of the larger plates, the best I tried were the lamb ribs with candied hazelnuts: the meat was rich and the accompanying salad crunchy and fresh.
For the kids’ fish and chips, rockling is hidden deep inside a crisp batter casing. The mushy peas are lively and bright and skin-on chips are good. Rockling held together nicely in an undistinguished curry served with coconut rice so gluggy it would have been binned in most student share houses. The desserts were no recovery. Cinnamon donuts were okay but the Eton Mess was extremely shambolic. Just because a dish has ‘mess’ in the title it’s no excuse for a shapeless and unsubtle pile of plain cream, soggy meringue and sloppy coulis. It was not good.
Dining Haul has great bones, a cool concept and some good food and service. With a little more rigor, it could be an excellent Elwood eatery.
More modern cafeteria:
Rita’s Cafeteria, 239 Johnston Street, Abbotsford, 9419 8233
Pizza is the main focus at this new all-day caf, with counter, communal and booth seating, plus breakfast, sandwiches, pasta and risotto.
Flora, 238 Flinders Street, Melbourne, 9663 1212
Flora is far from flash and the welcome isn’t always dazzling, but for cheap, fast Indian food from north and south, it’s an easy city option with plenty for vegetarians.
Munsterhaus, 371 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North, 9489 4420
The concept is simple at this stylish vegetarian cafeteria: pick a bowl size and point at what you want piled into it. That might be salads, bakes, dips or handmade tempeh and tofu with greens.
First published in The Age, July 8, 2012
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