Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique.
Askal’s cocktail destination Inuman is the latest in bar ventures from restaurants – think Maha’s opulent art deco bar Bar Jayda, Vue de Monde’s rooftop marvel Lui Bar, Longrain’s cocktail bar Longsong.
Ascending three flights of stairs from within Askal – enough to elevate you to a handsome view of Melbourne, not so many you completely lose your breath – will bring you to the bar and casual rooftop courtyard decked out with colourful striped cushions and tables.
It’s apt that the Tagalog word ‘inuman’ roughly translates as ‘to drink’. It’s a delightful mishmash of people frequenting Inuman when we visit – an older group of Filipino men, a couple, a contained trio of friends. Unlike other rooftop bars in Melbourne, Inuman remains somewhat undiscovered and the vibe, as a result, can be quiet. But what’s worse than dragging yourself up a perilous number of stairs to find a place completely full? And surely it's only a matter of time before this hidden gem is noticed.
The drinks list at Inuman is forever evolving, but it always has a distinct Filipino twist. The Southeast Asian grass jelly dessert cendol is given the cocktail treatment in the Hennessy-based Ais Cendol, while the gentle funk of durian is the lingering aftertaste of the calamansi-rich Tito Ray, an homage to Filipino bartending legend Ray Buhen. Gins infused with lemongrass and pandan, buttered popcorn rum and fried bay leaf oil are the flourishes you’ll find throughout the cocktails list.
The cocktail of the week when we visit is the Añejo Highball, where a housemade calamansicello stands in for the usual orange curaçao – culminating in a bright, summery drink that nevertheless packs a punch. Calamansi features yet again in the elegant Plum and Sand cocktail, a pleasantly sweet and sour Starward two-fold whisky concoction lifted by red plum and vermouth.
The beer list also incorporates Filipino influences, from the ube lager to the Filipino Red Horse lager, while the wines lean heavily on South Australia, Western Australia and Victorian drops.
Bars are nothing without their bar snacks, and Inuman has the pedigree of Askal underpinning its offerings. Show up between 4 and 6pm to capitalise on their happy hour, which apart from drink specials, includes freshly shucked oysters for $3 each. Fresh, creamy and garnished with a tart kiwifruit hot sauce that has a lingering piquancy, it’s the perfect bite to kickstart a summer’s evening of wining and dining.
The anchovy gilda threaded onto a skewer with pickled onion and pickled ginger is the ideal bar snack, though the chicken ‘skinato’ soft white bread sandwich, while a tasty morsel, is overly salty. The ‘chica-reetos’ seem to be the go-to. Crunchy, sizeable tendrils of puffed pig skin crackers are as good a foil for drinking as they are messy – expect dustings of nacho cheese to blanket everything you’re wearing and more. Worth it though.
Despite the two venues sharing the same building, there is less synchronicity between Askal’s and Inuman’s menus than you might expect. But though the Askalflakes with sardine escabeche, yellowfin tuna and lap cheong sinuglaw and oxtail kare kare doughnut would all go down a treat as bar snacks, we appreciate Inuman is carving out its own niche.
Head up to Inuman for laidback vibes, snacks and inventive cocktails, or head downstairs for a taste of the culinary excellence Askal is turning out day after day. The adventure is yours to choose.