MELBOURNE | Melburnians love a good wine bar, but we’re not as adventurous as we’d like to believe. Several Melbourne’s more interesting and unique wine bar concepts have had to adapt into more formulaic offerings to survive. Having said that, we are lucky to be blessed with several wine bars that dance to the beat of their own drum. Boire, the offshoot of Mauritian restaurant Manze, across the road, is one of them. I recently popped in for @whatsonmelb.
Anyone who has visited Manze will be familiar with owner/chef Nagesh Seethiah’s contemporary take on the food that he grew up with. It’s food that reflects the rich cultural diversity of Mauritius, blending elements of its people’s Indian, African, Chinese, and European dishes and flavours. While things are food-first at Manze, it’s more of a drinks first at Boire (boire is the Mauritian Creole/French word for “to drink”).
Boire celebrates its first birthday in September, but feels very much like a place that’s integrated into the community. Natural sunlight streams through the vintage storefront, into a single, narrow space. The small, narrow room evokes the feeling of stepping into a friend’s small apartment. A large communal table dominates the centre of the room, surrounded by the open bar and kitchen, and shelves filled with bottles of wine. There’s also a decent number of seats and tables outside if that’s more your thing.
By night, it’s a menu of snacky options. Things like Meredith ex-dairy goat ribs with tamarind and mustard; fried potatoes with dried chilli, curry leaf, and red onion; and raw Bermagui bluefin tuna with pineapple & chilli. During the day, when I visited Boire has a rotating selection of some of Melbourne’s best sandwiches, along with Mauritian paté (hand pies), and gato arouille (taro fritters) with hot sauce. The egg salad sandwich is a must try. Two lightly smoked, jammy eggs, pickled beetroot, lettuce, mustard leaves, and green chilli mayo inside a soft roll, buttered and lightly toasted on the inside.
Which leads me to the drinks list. An entire wall is dedicated to a diverse, tight selection of wines from some of the world’s most interesting producers. You’ll also find chilled wines, beer, and non-alcs in the fridge. There’s classic cocktails, and Mauritian-inspired house creations. Wines by the glass are whatever the staff think is particularly good at the time. You can also purchase any of the bottles for home, at a tidy discount.
Boire
8 Errol Street
North Melbourne
Victoria 3051
Australia
Telephone: 0401 749 051
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Sun – Mon: 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Tue – Sat: 12:00pm to 11:30pm