Maven by Morgan, Fitzroy restaurant review 2024

Melbourne’s kid doughnut prodigy has built a following for his sweet treats — see whether he sticks the landing with his first grown-up restaurant.

Maven by Morgan is kid doughnut prodigy’s first grown-up restaurant.

If you’ve ever had pommes dauphine, a French snack made from marvellous blobs of fried choux and mashed potato, this may give you deja vu.

Two ping pong sized orbs, each nuzzle-warm and smooshable as the next, are caught in a snowstorm of danish feta, with tart plum jam their saviour.

Chef Morgan Hipworth has reinvented the Spanish doughnut.

Here he swaps the spiny long churros for a three-cheese ball of halloumi, smoked mozzarella, parmesan and choux.

It’s enough to get anyone fired up about what’s to come at kid baker turned pastry prince’s first grown-up restaurant, Maven.

It seems Hipworth is up to the challenge, after more than a decade from rolling out his first Bistro Morgan doughnut shop at 13. Yes, he was an early bloomer.

Sky-high focaccia with garlic butter

In February he converted the old Rustica on Brunswick Rd, next door to his OG Bistro Morgan shop, into a 70-seater restaurant.

Getting the doors open has been a mission – and the whole fam’s been along for the ride – with his carpenter dad responsible for the restaurant’s navy tiled walls, joinery and painting.

Tables of two and four run along one side of the narrow room, a bar and counter stocked with the day’s baking haul on the other.

There’s a communal table on the way to the kitchen which reminds me of childhood family dinners.

. There’s an authentic Latin feel to the salmon ceviche

No matter how long I look at the space, it still feels like a cafe.

There’s a casualness and youthfulness to the place, not helped by the paper napkins, preset wine glasses and twenty-something girls taking selfies in the shared bathroom mirror while I try to wash my hands.

Maven reminds me of the restaurants in which I spent a lot of time in my early twenties.

The definition of a ‘Gen Z’ hotspot, generous with its portions and palatable things I can pronounce.

I’d also ironically liken it, with my drinks writer hat on, to a ‘doughnut wine’.

These vinos start and finish strong, though have a hollow middle, and in Maven’s case what comes between halloumi churros and dessert could do with some tweaks.

There’s a Latin feel to most dishes, helped largely by Hipworth’s fascination with South American flavours and co-head chef Daniel Neytha’s Colombian roots.

Maven leans into Melbourne’s current skewer trend, threading lamb rump cap ($20 for two) thrown over flame and dressing it in a patchwork of peppers, pickles and coriander.

Plump and charry where it counts.

Prawn risotto is ‘wetter’ than expected.

Say yes to the baked-to-order chocolate chip cookie.

The salmon ceviche ($25) uses a Peruvian leche de tigre (tiger’s milk) marinade, with raw fish lapping in a pond of aji amarillo (spicy peppers), coriander oil and charred corn.

Bring the fish to just below room temp and the flavours will pop.

Sky high focaccia ($9 for two) rises like a champ, spread thick in a heady garlic butter that gives the frozen supermarket kind a run for its money.

MasterChef death dish of risotto ($55), splays two perfectly cooked king prawns over the rice porridge that papa bear may deem ‘too wet’ and will benefit from a touch more emulsifying.

Bang for your buck sides could even sub in for mains.

Biscoff tiramisu is served tableside by chef Morgan Hipworth.

Broccolini ($21), also thrown over the barbie, rest on a puree of apple hummus that reminds me of posh baby food. I don’t mind it, though prefer those generous hunks of maple roasted pumpkin ($17) slumped over a white mound of macadamia tahini and candied macadamias.

Praise be for takeaway containers.

The ‘baked to order’ cookie ($18) takes roughly 15 minutes to bake, served hot with a melting glob of Fior Di Latte gelato and textural crisp crepe flakes (feuilletine), countering that rich chocolatey sweetness.

Or you could try the tiramisu ($18), made with spiced Euro biscuit of the moment Biscoff and served by Hipworth tableside.

I enjoyed my time at Maven and I’m sure many others will too. Though I do wonder what it hopes to become — a casual crusader, high-end diner, hybrid-bakery restaurant?

The vision is a little unclear for me, although, I have no doubt bright cocktails, approachable vino, hefty serves, local meal deals and Morgan’s celebrity status will get people in the door.