Tregan Borg reviews Wolfe and Molone
Wolfe and Molone
282 Centre Road, Bentleigh
http://www.wolfeandmolone.com.
Wine bars are popping up all over Melbourne. Recently opened Wolfe and Molone in Bentleigh is just another perfect example of why good food and wine are welcome additions to the outer burbs.
Wolfe and Molone is the brainchild of two sisters who wanted to create a relaxed space for locals to stop in and enjoy a glass of vino with a bite to eat. Almost a full house on a chilly Tuesday night, they’ve been seemingly welcomed with open arms to this quiet pocket of Centre Rd.
I came across these guys on my Instagram feed where I happened to see a photo of an incredible looking antipasti platter that my friend had posted. I would have to say this was definitely the top menu choice coming out of the kitchen, beautifully plated, large and full antipasti. Funnily enough, I didn’t order an antipasti platter, much to my regret as I suffered food envy for the remainder of the night. However there was more on the menu I had to get myself through, and a girl can only eat so much.
The Middle Eastern cigars ($14) were almost like a love child of a spring roll and sausage roll, but strangely enough delicious. House made puff pastry, encasing a chickpea smash, capsicum coulis and honey. I expected small-ish one to two bite-sized pieces, these pieces were quite mammoth, great alongside pickled radish for that little bit of acidic kick against the sweet honey.
A salmon bagel isn’t an obvious menu choice at a wine bar, and generally wouldn’t be something I would order, however the waitress spoke so lovingly about the way the “French” chef made the bagel from scratch that I had to give it a try. It was a good recommendation, and yes the house made bagel was crispy on the outside and soft and doughy and ever so slightly sweet in the middle. The bagel encased a generous serve of smoked salmon, dill cucumber, parsley cream cheese ($14).
The 24hr pulled pork, kimchi pancake, dehydrated apple and pinnapple was heavy on Asian flavours of soy, ginger and five spice. Beautifully plated and a substantial amount of pork with what can really be described as a hash brown like sweet potatoe pancake. The pork was impressively moist, which can sometimes be lacking with pulled pork. I’m not sure where the kimchi came into the show as I couldn’t really taste any. The dish was a little heavy with sweetness for my palate, but maybe not so much for someone else.
Lastly we were off to Italy, with ricotta filled tortellono (Made by Danny Pasta from Pasta Classica), prawns, brocollini and garlic shoots. I kind of wanted my mind blown as the dish was $38. Three tortellono beautifully presented, and generously filled with ricotta, packing flavour. Sauteed prawns grilled a top the pasta, were slightly overcooked but was a nice addition of seafood to the dish. Worth the $38, undecided but leaning towards probably not, however all of the other dishes were reasonably priced and pretty good serving sizes.
You can grab yourself a grazing platter for around $50, with a loads of cheeses, meats and snacky bites to choose from to DYI perfect platter.
The wine of choice was a Turkish red, which was way too easy and smooth to drink.
Without stating the obvious the wine list is well thought out with options to meet differing palates and budgets.
There are lots of by glass options which is a tick for me and however if you do opt for the bottle and don’t finish it off there’s the option to take home!
Craft beer is on tap, along with a choice of aperitifs, mixers and cocktails.
Big thumbs up to the staff who I found to be delightful, with an honest friendliness.
Well-informed and quick to respond to suggestions for both food and drink.
The ambiance is warm, with neutral to dark tones and your standard greenery.
A small-ish yet not not cramped space, still fit to cater for smaller and larger groups.
Upfront is more laid back bar-like with stool dining, and further towards the back are tables.
Whether it’s a casual catch-up with friends or date night, I am pretty certain this neighbourhood eatery will fit the bill.