The death of SOS (the supposed vegetarian restaurant in the upper levels of Melbourne Central shopping centre that focused on sustainable seafood) and the birth of it’s little sister, 100 Mile Cafe (resurrected in the same exact locale) have created quite a buzz in our household. Anytime we read about it in the papers or passed by it’s mysterious, seemingly non-penetrable exterior we vowed to have a meal there. That was of course, when our budget was non-existent and our bank balance was hovering at ground zero, anything beside a glass of tap water and a bowl of olives to share was out of the question. With both of us earning decent wages we’re able to actually venture out to places NOT gracing the pages of The Age Cheap Eats and dabble in The Good Food Guide from time to time. We paid the 100 Mile Cafe a visit on an unsuspecting Tuesday when I was released from work at a decent hour.
100 Mile Cafe is a concept restaurant that aims at doing it’s part to reduce food mileage and leave a light footprint where ever it should step. The majority of the menu items are not from more than 100 miles of the restaurants jurisdiction. The menu seems to change often, as the menu online just 2 weeks ago has already been replaced with one that has heaps more vegetarian options! When the restaurant first opened the vegetarian option was a sushi plate, when I went it was sukiyaki. When we dined there, the pizza oven was out of commission that that eliminated some options. We opted to share a serve of spelt bread with olive oil and Geelong sea salt while we waited for our mains. I remember having to choose between a lentil dahl and vegetarian sukiyaki, not whole wheat spaghettini, house-made vegetable dumplings, or zucchini flowers that are now on the menu. I opted for the vegetarian sukiyaki over the lentil dahl and don’t quite remember the world crashing down around me it was so good. The spelt bread was light and tasty, but it was more like pita chips with the olive oil and sea salt already baked into the product so there was absolutely no dipping or sprinkling permitted while we were enjoying a bottle of pinot gris (which was excellent at $40 for the bottle). The only difference between the sukiyaki here and the one I usually get at the Japanese Ramen House down the street is the absence of a thickening agent in the sukiyaki sauce. Although it was delicious, the vegetables didn’t taste fresher, the rice didn’t feel fluffier; the only notable difference was the price. My partner had fish for his main and while that was good as well, he was not impressed.
For around $100, give or take, we enjoyed a good-tasting, yet unremarkable meal, with a nice view, great staff and zen-like interior. The hype created by the media didn’t match our dining experience, which is unfortunate, as the place has a lot of potential.
100 Mile Cafe
Level 3, Melbourne Central, 211 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
