The Mulberry Group (Lilac Wine, Hazel et al) is flexing its muscles, planning two more venues this year, hot on the heels of announcing the winter opening of hummus prince Tom Sarafian’s first venues.

Molli and Little Molli will tick the boxes of neighbourhood restaurant and cafe-deli-grocer, respectively, when they open in Abbotsford this June.

The 100-seat Molli, accessed via Mollison Street, will be a neighbourhood bistro and wine bar that Mulberry founder Nathan Toleman believes will plug a hole in Abbotsford’s dining scene.

“You’ve got really great pubs, lots of great cafes, really good Asian restaurants, and it seems there’s an opportunity for a neighbourhood wine bar,” he says.

Spanning a large corner of a new office building, the two venues have separate entrances and are connected by a private dining room. Chef Aleksis Kalnins, coming from the group’s city restaurant Hazel, is leading both.

“You’ve got really great pubs, lots of great cafes, really good Asian restaurants, and it seems there’s an opportunity for a neighbourhood wine bar.”

Nathan Toleman

Kalnins (ex-Matilda 159 Domain) is interested in dishes that are simple to look at and feature just two or three ingredients but are, in fact, carefully put together.

“Wine bar or bistro food that’s a bit more technical, without showing off,” he says.

The restaurant, Molli, has a wood-burning Josper oven to char flatbreads and dishes such as pork neck skewers with date puree. Two steaks – one to share and one smaller – will join pastas and a wide selection of small plates to share as a table.

Little Molli, seating 25, will cater to residents and office workers by day with a rotating line-up of salads and slow-cooked meats, such as pork shoulder, from the Josper. There’ll also be six sandwiches, such as capocollo (cured pork neck) with braised peppers, served on focaccia and ciabatta from To Be Frank. Charcuterie and cheese can be sliced for dine-in or takeaway; a retail range rounds out the offer.

The venues, designed by In Addition, are flooded with light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and possess a homely, informal atmosphere, according to Toleman. A wraparound bar inside Molli overlooks the bar, led by Kayla Saito, and the kitchen. The building’s rooftop, to be used for growing herbs and holding private events, has views of the city, Yarra River and Abbotsford Convent.

The opening of these two venues, plus Tom Sarafian’s Zareh restaurant and Sarafian deli, will bring Mulberry Group’s portfolio to 10 venues, plus the social enterprise farm Common Ground Project in western Victoria, to which all venues donate profits.

Toleman is unfazed by the big year he has ahead.

“As tough as the last couple of years have been, there is still that excitement about food in Melbourne,” Toleman says. “We want to help promote that and change the narrative a bit.”

Molli and Little Molli open early June.

20-30 Mollison Street, Abbotsford, molliabbotsford.com.au