NewsBite

Advertisement

Lona Misa

Latin, lush, luxurious.

Compressed watermelon salad.
1 / 9Compressed watermelon salad.Supplied
Inside the vegan restaurant at the Ovolo Hotel.
2 / 9Inside the vegan restaurant at the Ovolo Hotel. Simon Schluter
All of the dishes are vegetarian.
3 / 9All of the dishes are vegetarian.Supplied
Chargrilled broccoli.
4 / 9Chargrilled broccoli.Supplied
Share plates.
5 / 9Share plates.Supplied
Lively atmosphere.
6 / 9Lively atmosphere. Simon Schluter
Dessert tray.
7 / 9Dessert tray.Simon Schluter
Aguachile prawns.
8 / 9Aguachile prawns.Simon Schluter.
Plant-based morcilla.
9 / 9Plant-based morcilla.Chloe Dann

Good Food hat15/20

Vegetarian or vegan$$

Step into a dreamscape where charming waitstaff, crimson booths and classical paintings splashed with bold red paint coexist with an entirely plant-based Latin American menu.

Shannon Martinez (Smith & Daughters Social Club) once again pushes vegan eats forward, this time with fellow chef Pamella Tomio. The pair showcases uncannily delicious mock meats, many cooked over an open flame. Swipe totopos chips through smooth and cheesy queso dip topped with caramel crusted chorizo. You’ll want to add a Picante, a spicy twist on a Tommy’s margarita.

Delicate steak tartare is lifted by capers, cornichons and clever vegetable-based yolk. Smaller sharing plates like these mean you can order big. Go all out with parillada, a supersized dish loaded with charred peri-peri, thick cuts of smoky chorizo and mind-bendingly rich lion’s mane mushroom steak, complete with impressive crust. It’s a masterclass in the possibilities of plant based pleasure.

Advertisement

Continue this series

Melbourne’s Southern Suburbs
Up next
Lucia’s coffee, chocolate and bourbon dessert.

Lucia

Endangered brand of old-school dining that’s worth saving.

Spanner crab and charred flatbread at Matilda 159 Domain restaurant in South Yarra, Melbourne. Pic Simon Schluter.

Matilda 159 Domain

Park-adjacent haven for the well-heeled.

Previous
Lezzet’s baklava.

Lezzet

Spice-packed cooking, all glowed-up.

See all stories

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/vic-good-food-guide/lona-misa-20240429-p5fnbj.html