For Melbourne's bookish types, there are few better places for showing off one's literary prowess while downing a glass of wine and a baguette than at State Library hotspot Mr Tulk. Or there weren't, but then the Wheeler Centre flung open the doors to a new café/bar yesterday; so now it's on for young and old.
The multi-spaced venue has an AstroTurf courtyard for discussing philosophy/drinking a boutique beer, while inside there's a restaurant area and bar for hitting up the not-too-shabby wine list and the Middle Eastern/European small and share plate menu. We've got our eyes on the slow cooked lamb neck with roasted garlic labne, flat bread and quinoa salad. We're also champing at the bit to get our hands on the Moondarra wagyu salami and a goats cheese crème brûlée-style custard. This is some next level snacking, ladies and gents. But that's to be expected, because the lady behind the pans here is Emma Jeffrey, who has done her time at Reserve, Fenix and Matteo's.
It's an exciting menu in a block that needed a bit of a shake up, so throw a Penguin classic in your knapsack and get to the Moat as fast as your bike will carry you, comrades.
