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The Moat: 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 9094 7820
My score: 3.5/5
In the grand old State Library, under the Wheeler Centre, is a subterranean salon for eating, drinking and saving the world through ardent conversation. The room is a lustrous literary cave with a large bar and open kitchen, bookshelves with a leave-one-take-one policy (but a ban on Dan Brown), lightshades made from pianola rolls and an anagram fresco of a ‘tea moth’ by local artist Peter Robertson. The entrance is also a courtyard dining, drinking and smoking zone carpeted with fake lawn and lined with park benches and bluestone walls. It’s attractive but the odour from the underground drain was awful.
Owners Paul Bonet and Rosie Avitable have experience in moody bars (Balaclava’s Pause) and busy city businesses (Breadwell). They’ve really scored with chef and co-owner Emma Jeffrey (ex-Sapore, Matteo’s and Breadwell) whose share plates are tasty, creative and well-priced, dancing around the globe and the flavour spectrum with flair and aplomb. Prawns bathe in clarified butter in a dinky oval tin, the sweet richness abated by citrus zest. A vegetable verrine (a layered dish, usually served in a glass) is packed in a screw-top jar, the peppers within marinated in a tart dressing lightly touched with vanilla, adding a fragrant, exotic touch to a Mediterranean standard. The most striking dish is beef bresaola (air-dried, spiced, thinly sliced) topped with dramatic beetroot-infused cubes of watermelon and a puck of whipped goat’s cheese. The presentation is arresting and the combination of meaty saltiness, deep fruitiness and sharp creaminess is sublime.
Though the food would suit a bookgroup sharing eats and opinion, there are dishes that lend themselves to hunkering down solo with a hefty tome. There’s a pretty quinoa salad with a mint honey dressing, meatballs in sugo with plenty of freshness and lift, and a goat curry that falls from the bone into a rich gravy and may best be eaten with a book about polar castaways on the side. Desserts are rich and creamy, including a dense chocolate tart served with a soupcon of lemon curd. The wine list is an accessible indie selection with plenty by the glass; there are a couple of beers on tap, though serving beer in a chemistry beaker struck me as cute rather than practical. Breakfasts follow a simple toast, muesli and muffin track. Service is accomplished and easygoing, ensuring that this is a bon Moat indeed.
More bar food:
The Waiting Room, Crown Complex, Southbank, 8679 1800
Neil Perry’s version of a hotel bar is enough to turn a Crown sceptic into a high roller. The cocktails are smashing, the Mexicano snacks are marvellous and there’s high tea too.
Rose Diner and Bar, 309 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, 9681 8550
An appealing reno has given this much-transformed pub a big lift with a retro menu that includes vol au vents. The adjoining cafe, Little Rose, serves breakfast and lunch seven days.
The Bottom End, 579 Little Collins Street, 9629 3001
If fried and fatty spells fabulous, then you’re ready for this hybrid pub-club-diner’s take on drinking food. Burgers include the ‘Shane Warne’ with onion rings, bacon beetroot.
First published in The Age, March 25, 2012
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