This North Melbourne hidden gem nails both the cafe and wine-bar briefs.
As with their pals around the corner at Manzé, the way the Lumens think about wine is the way they think about food: they like to work with farmers who are small and organic. That means you’ll see some of the big labels of the internationals whose bottles crop up a lot on socials in a certain slice of online wine land (Gabrio Bini’s serragghia, Rolet savagnin, l’Octavin, Bobinet chenin, Partida Creus, Peron, Mosse and of course the wines with the faces on them – Gut Oggau) alongside their Australian counterparts. Etienne Mangier, maker of some of the finest fizz in Victoria, is represented, as are the delicious wines of Defialy.
Some of the reds are chilled, some of the whites are made with skin contact, and the words “macerated” and “white adjacent” appear on the list. (Macerated here translates to orange – skin-contact wines such as the sauv blanc Francois Blanchard makes in Touraine, or Jean-Marc Dreyer’s numbers from the Alsace; “white adjacent”, as far as we can see, means whites made in the style reminiscent of sherry, only without the extra alcohol). It’s a list with plenty of edge and direction, made more to express a point of view than to provide a wine to please all comers. Bring a sense of adventure and you’ll be rewarded.
Cocktails are to the point: Negronis, Manhattans, Martinis, with Paper Planes and a highball made with mezcal and blood orange (hello) and a Saison vermouth and nectarine spritz in for colour. Beers are by Molly Rose and Wildflower. Tight and smart.
Bring on the seasonal morsels. The day menu runs from breakfast through lunch, and we’re talking sardines on rye with sweet and sour onions and tea-soaked currents, as well as a lovely vego alternative of heirloom zucchini made crunchy with spiced almonds. They dress their tomatoes with Pedro Ximenez vinegar, list terrine as a side (yay!) and offer grazers the choice of a Producers Plate laden with seasonal vegetables, bread, and a soft-cooked Honest Egg.
Pride of place, though, might go to the egg bun: two eggs, Red Leicester cheese, a herby aioli and leaves on a toasted milk bun. It’s already a run-down-your wrist proposition even before you go for the optional addition of dauphinoise potatoes or sobrasada, Spain’s favourite spreadable sausage. Position extra napkins with care before making your approach.
At dinner it’s a similar palette of farm greens, choice proteins and mostly Mediterranean inspiration: Dog Creek bullhorn peppers paired with ’nduja butter and sourdough toast. Saucisson from LP’s, meat-curers to the stars. There’s honeycomb with the cheese and Mount Zero olive oil with the chocolate mousse. Smooth.
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