End of an era for The Town Mouse in Melbourne

• Recipe: the Town Mouse's fried artichokes and pumpkin seed cream

The team behind popular Melbourne restaurant The Town Mouse are moving on, announcing plans to sell.

After five accolade-packed years, the Town Mouse won't be going out with a squeak. From February 1, the six-week countdown to closure kicks off with dinners and lunches featuring dishes and faces familiar to the many who loved this little Carlton gem.

A set four-course menu ($75 per person) will showcase a collection of regularly changing favourite dishes from the past, plus a series of new creations from executive chef, Dave Verheul. A limited a la carte menu will also be available for casual or last-minute bookings.

Sunday lunches will be a three-course menu inclusive of dessert ($50 per person) and BYO is welcomed – or find a bargain on the discounted wine list.

There will also be cameo appearances from past service staff.

"We ask all those who have supported us from the beginning to come and raise a glass or two over the coming weeks to celebrate the venue's remarkable last few years before the baton is passed on and new adventures beckon," says co-owner Christian McCabe.

McCabe says it felt like the right time to wind up The Town Mouse. The partners, who also own Melbourne's Embla wine bar, hope to open another restaurant above Embla in April.

Installing a two-tonne wood oven upstairs tested the limits of the 100-year-old brick building but McCabe says the natural light and wooden floors give the room a good atmosphere. Work on the second-level kitchen and bar for the still-unnamed restaurant is now under way.

312 Drummond Street, Carlton, 03 9347 3312, thetownmouse.com.au