MELBOURNE | Venues that defy categorisation are becoming more common in Melbourne. Less energy is being spent on the arbitrary distinction between bar, restaurant, cafe, and so on, with people actually focusing on what matters. Is the venue good? Do I like it? Does it make me happy? Earth Angels, which opened earlier this year, is one such venue.
Earth Angels is part restaurant, part bar, and part creative space. It’s a culmination of ideas that owners Sasha Chifura and Emmanuel John (also known by his DJ/producer name ‘Skin on Skin’) had been thinking about for a while, that evolved with input from a diverse range of people. Staff, friends, family, and even strangers that the duo encountered over their journey, all helped shape what became Earth Angels. The result is a space with lots of little touches that the local community vibes with.
At its heart, Earth Angels is a space for people to come together over good food, collaborations, and creativity. There’s jazz nights on Thursdays, a Wednesday night chess club, and regular pop-ups, art exhibitions, and workshops. Out the back, there’s a courtyard that’s a great place to enjoy a drink and snack, that will soon be used for a farmer’s market on Sundays. Upstairs, you’ll soon be able to find an art gallery.
The tiny kitchen is headed up by head chef Narit Kimsat, who conceptualises an ever-changing menu with the team, daily. Narit usus only the best seasonal produce, sourced in large part from within a few hours’ drive of the venue. His menu leans Thai, but with free reign to get creative, you never know what might pop-up.
When I visited, I enjoyed dishes like Thai-Islam ox tongue in tomato broth, dry-aged duck with pa lo and tea egg, and sugarloaf cabbage with chinkiang and chilli oil. Deboned chicken wings with gor lae and bread regularly appear on the menu, as do chips and gravy. For dessert, you might enjoy ube tang gao with sago and strawberry, or the decidedly non-Thai braided donut with cinnamon and dulce de leche.
The latter was on the menu when I visited because Narit woke up that morning and decided that he wanted to make donuts. It’s this license to change things up, and cook what he feels like cooking, that helps ensure that the food at Earth Angles is constantly exciting and delicious.
To drink, bar manager James Cohen and bar tender Gigi Cook have put together a fun wine list that leans towards minimal intervention drops from around the world, and a killer cocktail list that follows the same philosophy as the food. There’s also a decent range of non-alc options if you’re not wanting booze.
Earth Angels
225-229 Victoria Street
West Melbourne
Victoria 3003
Australia
Telephone: 0472 777 242
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Wed – Sat: 6:00pm to 11:00pm