Flora’s menu may be designed for vegetarians, but the venue’s friendliness is so outsized it ends up embracing everyone.
15/20
Contemporary$$
Have you ever opened a menu and felt instantly uninvited? You browse each page and think, “there’s nothing for me here”? Well, Flora in Newtown is powered by the opposite feeling. You sense it before even ordering: the restaurant feels permanently sunny, even at dinnertime. Sure, the food is designed to welcome vegetarians, but Flora’s friendliness is so outsized, it ends up embracing everyone.
This makes sense given its co-founders include Sarah Doyle, Elvis Abrahanowicz and Joe Valore, whose venues have revved with warmth and good times since they opened Bodega in Surry Hills almost 20 years ago. Even Porteno, their blockbuster restaurant known for its charred pork, lamb and beef, has looked after vegetarians. Abrahanowicz believes the Argentinian steakhouse is actually more famous for its fried Brussels sprouts with lentils than its grilled meats.
At Flora, Abrahanowicz oversees the menu with head chef Jude Hughes, and they’ve co-authored some ingenious creations. Case in point: dolma parcelled with blanched iceberg lettuce instead of grape leaves. Hot from the grill and topped with finger lime and dill, it’s gone in a few “wish it wasn’t already over” bites. Another standout worth repeat orders is the potato pierogi. You could view the dumplings as a riff on Abrahanowicz’s Polish heritage, but also Jude Hughes’ Irish roots. The deep-fried Brussels sprout curls may remind you of that beloved Porteno staple. The dish zings with pickled mustard seeds and tangy sour cream – I loved it.
The spotlight tilts towards ultra-local produce, such as golden enoki and king oyster mushrooms grown at Ruffle Farm warehouse in St Peters. And just an arm’s reach away is yellow-lentil miso, older than the restaurant itself. It shares shelf space with Hughes’ other condiments-in-progress, including a mushroom garum he’s been ageing since the restaurant’s February opening.
The ferments add key accents to dishes – the miso punctuates the ace Purple Congo potato gnocchi – but the chef also knows when to call things in. His vegan pepita butter (and highly moppable mushroom-yolk dish) is well-served by thick Humble Bakery sourdough slices, and the ever-changing plate of preserves and pickles features crunchy tempeh from Ferments’ Lab. The latter is presented on character-rich vintage plates from Doyle’s own collection.
Wall vases are also sourced from Doyle’s home. She fills them with herbs and emphasises the restaurant’s focus in many stylish ways: Michael Wholley paintings of artichokes and edible plants, purple corn on the counter, well-placed Golden Pippin squash (which later become rich walnut-topped souffle). Doyle’s 32 years as a vegetarian undoubtedly influenced Flora’s direction. Her dread of seeing another mushroom risotto as a restaurant’s only meat-free option spared us that cliche here.
With the 30-seat restaurant joining the team’s other venues on the block – Mister Grotto (which recently received a chefs’ hat), Osteria Mucca and Continental Deli – you may notice a few familiar faces. Restaurant manager Tobin Ventham, who used to run 212 Blu cafe a few doors down (along with Cass Balacki, who also works at Flora) looks after the smartly curated all-Australian drinks list, along with longtime Continental manager Michael Nicolian.
They cover small producers with genuine fanlike enthusiasm. Ventham will remember, without prompting, what’s back on the shelf (the citrus-bright Beechworth Bitters Co. Yuzucello you missed out on a few weeks back), while Nicolian cheerily credits the Pyewacket’s bitters for fuelling Flora’s version of lemon, lime and bitters (fragrant makrut lime shreds over ice level up the drink, too.) A well-spiced Virgin Mary recalls the long-gone gazpacho from Flora’s launch menu – a reminder of the seasons’ ever-changing tempos and harvests.
Pastry chef Lauren Eldridge’s desserts also reflect time shifts: her native ooray plum and sunrise lime sorbet studded with pepitas (which evoked a Weis Bar) has been succeeded by a passionfruit and cacao sorbet that tastes like dark chocolate deeply filtered with Australian sunshine. What hasn’t left the menu yet is the mushroom bolognese, cooked for hours in smoked tomato sauce. It’s so good that Ventham and Balacki’s children – who’ve flagged their dislike of mushrooms quite clearly – happily eat it four times a week.
The kitchen’s ability to convince veg-avoiding sceptics is in keeping with Sydney’s plant-based scene, which offers everything from Koshari Korner’s Egyptian vegan street food in Marrickville to two-hatted Yellow’s inventive wonders in Potts Point. It’s a reminder that blueprints for a great vegetarian restaurant are the same as blueprints for a great restaurant – an inviting space where every cared-for detail makes you glad you walked through the door.
The low-down
Atmosphere: Stylish vegetarian restaurant from group that offers genuine individuality in their venues
Go-to dishes: Brussels sprouts and potato pierogi with sour cream ($34); durum casarecce pasta with mushroom bolognese and ricotta salata ($34); passionfruit, dark chocolate and cacao nib sorbet ($21)
Drinks: An astute list that celebrates wines, spirits and booze-free drinks made close to home
Cost: About $140 for two at dinner, excluding drinks
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
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