Coming Soon: Hazel's Founder, Head Chef and Drinks Manager Are Launching a New Cafe and Wine Bar in Abbotsford
Nathan Toleman, Aleksis Kalnins and Kayla Saito are all playing a part in creating Little Molli and Molli —The Mulberry's Groups latest venues.
When it comes to leaders in Melbourne's food scene, The Mulberry Group's founder Nathan Toleman has been right up there for well over a decade. When the city was undergoing somewhat of a cafe renaissance, he founded Three Bags Full, Top Paddock, The Kettle Black and Higher Ground. These were and continue to be some of Melbourne's best brunch spots.
After conquering the cafe world, he set his sights on the dinner and late-night drinks trade in Melbourne's CBD, launching Dessous and Hazel. Dessous is still one of the best bars in Melbourne, and Hazel is one of the city's top restaurants.
And now, Toleman's putting all of his learnings into two new neighbouring sites in Abbotsford that'll cover all your day- and night-time needs when it opens in June this year. Little Molli will be part deli, cafe and pantry, and Molli will be a sleek wine bar and bistro.
Open from 8am every day, Little Molli will be serving locals a selection of loaded sangas — think smoked pork shoulder with whipped cod roe on To Be Frank's legendary focaccia and ciabatta. As it transitions to later in the afternoon, Little Molli will offer an extensive range of charcuterie and cheeses, plus a carefully chosen selection of wines by the glass that'll pair well with whatever's hitting the food menu.
Hazel
Hazel Head Chef Aleksis Kalnins is heading up both kitchens, giving great attention to Molli's dishes that are said to "sidestep the everyday wine-bar fare". Small and large plates will include eats like pork neck skewers straight from the Josper oven with a rich date puree; whole alpine trout coated with a horseradish emulsion; and pork rice crispies.
"As an Abbotsford local myself, I want Molli to be the kind of place I've been missing," says Kalnins. "Really high quality and creative, but not pretentious. The food would be simple enough not to scare my mum and technical enough to make my chef friends wonder how I did it."
Kayla Saito — who spends most of her time dreaming up Hazel's and Dessous' ever-changing beverage lineup — has designed a drinks list that's said to be "relaxed but thoughtful", with a deep sustainability ethos. Saito will work closely with the kitchen when fermenting some funky tipples and aims to ensure that Molli takes food waste issues seriously. Wines will lean away from the old-world varietals, aiming to be different yet unpretentious.
Molli and Little Molli are still under construction, but Addition Studio is bringing plenty of light into the space with floor-to-ceiling windows. Warm, natural tones and wood finishes will keep things simple and lean into those classic bistro vibes, while a large rooftop garden with city views will open for special events.
Toleman has high hopes for Little Molli and Molli, hoping to make them institutions just like so many of his previous venues. Given his track record, we feel pretty sure he'll nails these, too.
Little Molli and Molli are slated to open in June this year at 20–30 Mollison Street, Abbotsford. Little Molli will be open 8am–5pm every day, and Molli will open 5-11pm on Wednesdays, 12-11pm Thursday–Saturday, and 11.30am–4pm on Sundays.
Images: Tim Harris
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