After dark at Small Victories

For a cafe that’s only been open six months, Small Victories has kicked a lot of goals. The Carlton North cafe has quietly been building a dedicated, hungry following of locals after the considered, seasonal brekkies and lunches, while it also picked up The Age Good Food Guide’s Best New Cafe of the Year, if you don’t mind.

Not ones to rest on their laurels, owners Ben Farrant and Alric Hansen have recently started opening for dinner, joining the ranks of other recent arrivals including Piqueos to injecting some fresh blood into the tree-lined strip.

On the menu are lots of small. When I swung by the  salt roast organic carrot, fresh cheese, date paste and puffed grains ($14) was like a burst of late summer on a plate – light, colourful and sea-salty.

Swinging between cuisines the char-grilled quail breast with cherry escabache, buckwheat brioche, pistachio crisp ($26) packed a barbecue-y, gamey punch while the cherries were, well like a cherry on top.

The menu tends to change depending on what’s fresh, so prepared to be surprised. But pleasantly so.

I walked out feeling satisfied and quite nice, not stuffed full like a Christmas ham. For me this was no small victory.

SMALL VICTORIES
617 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North
9347 4064
Tues 8am – 4pm
Wed – Sat 8am – 10pm
Sun 9am – 4pm
smallvictoriesrestaurant.com.au