28 Apr Sun Moth Canteen & Bar, Melbourne CBD

Sun Moth Canteen and Bar recently opened as a venture between Luke Mutton and Kylie Mackinlay (founders and former owners of Dead Man Espresso and Common Galaxia), Jackson Duxbury and Tod La Mar. True to its name, Sun Moth’s fit-out is clean, minimalistic and canteen-like with long tables and benches. An indoors projector, which today was screening snowsports and music videos, give it a casual vibe perfect for relaxing and lingering. Sun Moth has been earmarked on my list for a while so I was excited when I was invited to a Zomato meetup that was to be hosted there.

The kitchen sits on the other side of the bar and because there is no exhaust, their focus is on simple (but of course tasty) and wholesome food. The extensive wine list features mostly natural wines, and today we had the privilege of sampling some Domaine Lucci Noir de Florette 2014 from McLaren Vale in South Australia. The menu for tonight was to be an example of the type of food they serve and to start, we munched on two items from the bar snacks menu.

The crunchy fried bread with green olives, lemon, chilli, garlic and pecorino were so moreish. All these ingredients really packed the dish full of flavour. I haven’t had anything like this before and I can see why it would be a great bar snack.

Buttery and smooth, the duck liver parfait tasted wonderful with the salted figs, which helped cut through the richness of the parfait and also added an extra dimension of flavour. We were warned not to eat the salted figs straight because of how salty they were, and it was true. It also meant there was plenty of it to go with the parfait!

The addition of spring onions and fried shallots made the sweet corn and chicken soup taste very similar to something I’d eat at home, when mum would throw together a few ingredients for a quick and easy lunch. The dumplings were not stodgy or doughy at all and they made the dish hearty and perfect for winter.

I loved the plump and flavoursome mushrooms with the barley risotto. The barley had been cooked nicely, so they still had a bit of chew to them. Although I was surprised when I tasted the olives in my first spoonful, I thought it went well and helped to lift the dish’s creamy flavours.

I loved Sun Moth’s focus on simple food done well, and the inclusion of healthy, wholesome ingredients. It makes for a great great city hideout!

Disclaimer: I was invited to dine at Sun Moth as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own and not influenced by them in any way.

Sun Moth Canteen & Bar
28 Niagara Lane (3/377 Lonsdale St)
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
(03) 9602 4554
http://www.sunmoth.com.au/