Plant-based pub classics with a zing at Ballards

As unconventional as booking systems go, texting the chef for availability is up there in peculiarity, but it sets diners up for the ad hoc passion-over-perfection approach that chef and owner Tamely Martinovich-Faulkner has taken with his inner north plant-based wine bar and restaurant, Ballards.

From social media posts that are a wordy blend of opinion piece and business notices, to a website that warns of daily menu changes “due to the seasons, alignment of the stars or mood”, the Ballards experience begins well before you’ve even stepped through the old-school, cream-panelled doors.

As a marble bust sporting a sailors cap supports a leaning tower of melted candle wax greets you at the bar, the interior can only be described as vintage-home-maximalism. The walls are filled with books, tiger tapestries, and framed photo upon framed children’s drawing, bringing the room of squished diners into an osmotic state of comfort, like sitting in a warm living room – it’s not yours but it’s familiar.

The lamps may be as varied as its customer base, but the similar warm tungsten glow they effuse spills over the tables as if with friends around a campfire, a sense intensified if you order the $24 Tuesday steak night special, an intensely smoky char-grilled lions mane mushroom paired with a bright fennel salad, celeriac cream and chips of course.

Martinovich-Faulkner’s culinary passion is only exceeded by his determination to provide good food at reasonable prices. Most menu items are below $20, and you’d only be expected to fork out another tenner to indulge in the gnocchi mains. That is, if you don’t catch the gnocchi special on a Wednesday, offering 2 side, gnocchi, and garlic bread for just $40. With flavour and innovation at the forefront of the eating experience, it is not your average affordable dinner. Texting your dietaries ahead of time, chef can prep and print a specific menu for you to ensure no one misses out.

Decision paralysis might return to a vegan diner not used to a full plant-based menu, especially with classic dishes such as the Sunday roast or innovative dishes like the 6-hour braised cabbage with a rich lentil barigoule carefully dancing with a rich red wine jus boasting subtle anise flavours.

While you should definitely satisfy your fried food cravings and grab a serve of the popular crispy potato skins, which turn the gnocchi mains practically zero-waste, the eggplant dip is the small dish worth making the trip up the 86-tram line for. Its sublime smokiness is contrasted by vibrant ‘surprise’ pickles, perfectly served with the fresh house-made focaccia. Still can’t decide? The feed me option will bring you 6-10 dishes to sample a bit of everything for $65 a head.

There is an overarching aura of insouciance oozing out the doors and spilling onto the street-front tables where sprawling diners are seen winding down with one of the many rotating wines on offer. The whole experience tickles your inner socialite – snagging a seat at the hottest spot in town with just a quick text, and take your pick: bar, booth or beer garden.