Melbourne weekend hit list August 15-16: eat here, drink this
Eat...
Melbourne's first permanent food truck mustering station opens tonight (August 14) in Thornbury. The brainchild of the Mr Burger team, which also runs Fancy Hank's, Homeslice and Brunswick Mess Hall, it's a similar concept to the pop-up food world that has taken over a large chunk of Shoreditch in London this past northern hemisphere summer. Hosting four to six food trucks, plus sheltered beer, wine and cocktail bars, the space can handle more than 700 street-eaters every night. First cabs off the rank: Mr Burger, The Curry Truck, Lil Nom Noms, Billy Van Creamy and more. Take your queueing shoes.
520 High Street, Northcote, (03) 8682 1000, open daily 5pm-1am.
Drink...
What do you get when you take the city's most talented bar minds and install them in a city bar with a jukebox, craft beers, hard liquor, a 3am licence and a pool table? You get Heartbreaker: the essence of an LA rock bar brought to life in shades of red, neon, and skull by Sebastian Reaburn and the team who brought you the Everleigh. The juke box is fully charged with Iggy Pop, James Brown and Elton John's Bennie and the Jets, and the taps are pouring craft beer.The Everleigh's bottled cocktails are there to drink in house or buy to take home.
Heartbreaker, corner Russell and Lonsdale streets, Melbourne CBD. Open Mon-Sat 5pm-3m; Sun 5pm-11pm; bottled cocktail bottle shop open daily 5pm-11pm.
Brunch...
Maurice Manno and Dan Zeidan, the team behind Lazerpig pizza pub and the Grace Darling, have opened a greengrocer-cafe hybrid in Abbotsford. Mavis offers local, sustainable Melbourne produce with a kitchen garden out the back. Everything is made on-site, from potato omelettes to pikelets.
197 Vere Street, Abbotsford, 9419 3900, mavisthegrocer.com.au
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Gemima Cody is former chief restaurant critic for The Age and Good Food.