The team behind the Temperance Society on the south side of the Yarra has finally ventured north, setting up the brand new Green Phoenix on Sydney Road, Brunswick. Green Phoenix was all set to open in March 2020 but due to some unforeseen circumstances, the venue decided to hedge their bets and wait it out.
Green Phoenix opened in mid Feb, making a bold entrance into this quiet part of Sydney Road with an offer no Melburnian could refuse – free coffee. With a focus on plant-based foods, natural wines, vegan cocktails and coffee for days, I was very much looking forward to checking this place out for myself.
I was greeted at the door by a staff member who led me through the bright, modern venue to my table for lunch. With booths at the front, shared tables at the back and sun flooded tables on the street, it looked like there was a place for any occasion. I opted for the shared table at the back and ordered a long black while I waited for my friend. First up, the coffee was strongggg and smooth, just the way it should be.
The place was pumping by the time my friend arrived. The menu is separated into all day dining from fruit toast to Eggs Diablo to a trio of sliders and, a panna cotta shaped and assembled like a burger (yes, you read that correctly, a dessert burger), as well as separate vegan/vegetarian menu and an extensive drinks list.
My friend and I opted to share La Mancha, moreish, crispy manchego croquettes with slow cooked pulled lamb shoulder on a bed of cous cous and beetroot hummous and topped with braised red cabbage and smoky chipotle mayo, and the Craboulade, crab cakes on a bed of vibrant pea puree with perfectly poached eggs, tangy chipotle remoulade and garnished with a mango salsa and broccolini. We also ordered a Salted Caramel Espresso Martini and a Frozen Phoenix cocktail to wash it all down because it was after 12pm on a Sunday and we are adults, okay?!
The salted caramel espresso martini was sweet with that heavy hit of coffee that makes this cocktail very brunch friendly. My friend’s frozen Phoenix was the kind of refreshing that makes you envision pools and pool bars somewhere much more tropical than the concrete jungle of Brunswick. The food looked fab, fresh and full of colour and the taste did not disappoint. The crunch of the La Mancha croquettes met with the so-tender-it-was-melting meat filling was a hit, but the spicy, sweet, savoury flavour show of the Craboulade was my pick of mix. We satisfied our dessert cravings with the Parisian French Toast which was superrr light and fluffy with all the delicious vanilla mascarpone trimmings, mango curd and a chocolate egg dripping with butterscotch sauce.
The only downfall of this menu was the constant food envy as the other menu items were paraded past us.
As we were finishing our meals, the table next to us was delivered a fish bowl sized Aperol Spritz. After a simple side eye to my friend, she motioned to the waitress, two of those please. With our own giant Aperol Spritz each, our casual lunch had seamlessly rolled into Sunday afternoon cocktails, and I was pretty darn happy about it.
Green Phoenix, 62 Sydney Road, Brunswick. Vegan and vegetarian friendly.
