Lilac Wine
Backstreet warehouse with immaculate vibes.
Critics' Pick
Contemporary$$
Lilac has plenty of quirks: comfy couches and copious plants, vinyl on rotation, a disco ball splashing light about the room. It’s giving dinner-in-a-sharehouse, albeit one with much better speakers and a kitchen that butchers its own meat.
The nose-to-tail approach sees blood-red mortadella and smoked pork rillettes paired with whisky mustard. French-inspired flaxseed-onion dip is a surprising highlight, brightened by farm-fresh radishes and best paired with charred, frisbee-sized flatbread.
Lamb rump is heady with smoke from the giant wood fired oven, as is a made-to-order clafoutis, cut through with lemon zest and plum. Capable staff steer diners around the playfully categorised wine list, and sprightly cocktails include a beeswax Old Fashioned and a liquified, boozy Iced Vovo.
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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/vic-good-food-guide/lilac-wine-20240318-p5fddg.html