Mr Tulk

328 Swanston St 
Melbourne, VIC 3000

http://www.mrtulk.com.au/

I really should stop avoiding restaurants for no reason. All things considered, Mr Tulk should have been one of my favourite places in town, serving up coffee and simple yet tantalising nosh, all adjacent to the State Library. Yet I’ve been steering way clear of Mr Tulk for as long as I could remember, and I’ve no idea why. So finally, after goodness knows how many years, I’m here to make amends with the man himself. 

Mr Tulk is attached to the library, and they kept the learned theme going with their interior. The long cafe was airy, with generous windows shedding ample amounts of natural light. There were countless tomes lining the walls, and lamps shone down onto the large communal table, which was piled high with newspapers and magazines. It’s the sort of place made for studying, or reading a good book. 

Avocado on Sourdough with Fresh Lime ($10)

With my appetite ailing a tad in the last few days, I chose a simple favourite of mine – Avocado on Sourdough with Fresh Lime ($10). On the good, dense, though slightly burnt sourdough was a fresh and creamy avocado smash topped with salt, pepper, and chives. However I didn’t like the usage of lime over lemon – not enough zest to counter the avocado in my opinion. 

Barbeque Chicken Coleslaw with Cashews ($18)

K was having serious trouble deciding on what to eat, and I had serious doubts about his final choice of the Barbeque Chicken Coleslaw with Cashews ($18). And that was probably the most wrong I have ever been since doing Latin in year 7. This was astonishingly delicious; the warm salad was hearty, with tender chunks of grilled chicken imparting fragrant smokiness to the Chinese cabbage. The salad was given an Asian spin by some fish sauce in the dressing, and a smattering of mint and fried shallots. It was addictively good.

I’m really keen to come back to Mr Tulk for a repeat visit. The service was friendly though a bit scattered, having messed up our order twice before K finally got his salad, but the food coming out of the kitchen was hypnotically tantalising. I spent most of my meal jealously eyeing the meatballs of the woman sitting across from me, and I had heartily hoped that the plates of soft shell crab sailing past our table were meant for me instead.

Rating: 13.5/20 – more than that meets the eye

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the consistency of my avocado mash.