Now Open: Abbotsford Pair Molli and Little Molli Have Been Reimagined as an All-Day Eatery and Preserve Pantry
More genial than grandiose, Molli has been reborn as a relaxed day-to-night eatery featuring a seasonally changing, ingredient-driven menu.
Side-by-side in the backstreets of Abbotsford, neighbourhood bar Molli and its sister venue, all-day deli Little Molli, have undergone a revolution. Guided by The Mulberry Group, Molli has been reborn as a relaxed day-to-night eatery, while next door, Little Molli will transform into a pantry and workshop space. Leading this transformation is head chef Caitlin Koether (Bar Tartine in San Francisco, Relæ in Copenhagen) and an all-female leadership team — Kayla Saito (Capitano, Aru, and Sunda) and Bonnie Maguire (Falco).
Now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Molli now boasts a seasonally evolving menu that takes a less structured approach than its predecessor, with diners now encouraged to pick and choose from various sections based on their mood and appetite. Right now, the all-day breakfast menu includes options like house-made yoghurt with sour cherry granola and cashew butter, wood-fired baked beans with coddled egg and a maple and sage sausage muffin with egg.
The lunch menu, served from 11am, brings a range of smørrebrød and tartines to the table, alongside chopped salads, bread and pickles plates and lunch sets inspired by Koether's love of Korean banchan. The dinner menu is also a choose your own adventure, ranging from lighter options like creative house-made dips (we're eyeing off the tomato and charred bread dip with smoked mussels) — to hearty salads and larger mains like grilled trout with green fisherman's stew and confit radish. Throughout the menu, you'll find produce from The Mulberry Group's Common Ground Project — a regenerative farm and social enterprise based in the Surf Coast town of Freshwater Creek — as well as a range of elements made in house.
"Our food is ever-changing, a bit unexpected and genuinely informed by seasonality, drawing on the techniques I was exposed to working with the incredible teams at Bar Tartine and Relæ," says Koether. "When we're limited by the season's harvest or have an opportunity to extend flavour at its peak, it's those fermentation and preservation techniques we draw on...I want people to feel nourished and be able to come in and have an entire meal without breaking the bank."
Complementing this large-scale reimagining is a change in decor. The new Molli will take the same thoughtfully laidback approach as its menu, with high-top tables, cosy banquettes and spots for communal seating, plus a street-side al fresco area all coming together to create a venue that feels more genial than grandiose.
The adjoining Little Molli — which will open later this month — will become a pantry and workshop space dedicated to preserved and fermented goods. Using locally sourced ingredients as much as possible, Koether and her team will be using this space to create condiments, cheese, breads, pickles, as well as fortified non-alc beverages and vermouths.
The all-new Molli is now open weekdays from 7am (with the kitchen open at 7.30am), and weekends from 8am, with dinner service from 5pm Tuesday–Saturday, at 20 Mollison Street, Abbotsford. Head to the venue's website for more information.
