1. After ‘one of those days’, there is nothing better than heading in
the opposite direction to the crowds of galoots leaving work to
go to a hoachin’ city bar for a wine spritzer, and instead stepping
into one of those secretive wee bars that easily go unnoticed,
and better still, instantly transport you to another country (in
mind and spirit, if not body).
Feeling slightly cross-eyed and gagging for a beer after a
hard day’s slog at the office, I dragged Em (blatant lie here,
where beer is concerned this girl never needs her arm twisted)
out to Brunswick Street to check out Little Hop.
This cute craft beer bar has hopped onto the pop-up cuisine
train, and is currently hosting Los Hermanos Mexican Taqueria
from Brunswick. With a delicious smell wafting out the door
onto the street, I was more than up for jumping aboard that bad
boy – tacos were made for munching with beer.
The bar is long and skinny, with two-tone orange and blue
walls, pretty mosaic tiles, big murals and green plants, and the
dim lighting and cool reggae beats provided just the right kind
of relaxed Spanish-style atmosphere for unwinding after a pure
mental day.
There are little tables inside and on the street but we opted to
be as near to the booze and food as possible, so sat perched
at the bar, which was a double bonus because we got to watch
the chef at work while sipping on our beers, just like two tired,
gurny auld codgers.
But first we had the task of choosing a beer from a mammoth
selection. We tried the two on tap – the first being a “house
brew” made by brewer friends of the bar, who preferred to
remain anonymous. It was a kashmiri curry pilsner, which can
really only be described as bizarre, with a spicy kick that would
make it difficult to drink in quantity. God only knows what the
next day’s backlash would be if you managed to get guttered
on that stuff.
The second one was Cucumber Hippy by Kiwi brewers
8 Wired. Initially refreshing, it fast became a mouthful akin to
cucumber reflux. And that’s just minging. Fair play to Little Hop
for tapping into experimental beers outside the bog-standard
box though! Changing weekly, it’s all about getting creative.
Back to the beer list, which has quite a few Kiwi numbers.
The list is something beer nerds could have a square go
about, with a few mistakes in the details to be spotted. But
the fact they stock most of the 40-plus beers is pretty damn
impressive, I say.
Spoiled for choice, it took a good few minutes of debating
and tossing up options, with the hoppy list luring Em in and the
little hops one pulling me in.
Em settled for a Semiconductor Session IPA from 8 Wired,
but after one sip she declared there was just not enough bang
in the glass for her buck. “I think I underestimated my hop
desires and should have gone straight to big hops section [this
was merely in ‘hoppy’].”
I had more success with my Courage Blonde Ale by Cavalier
Brewing. Silky smooth like Goldilocks’s luscious mane, it
was just right for my sensitive palate. Gentle, inoffensive yet
delicious. Luckily, it also goes with any food, because I decided
to have three different kinds of tacos. With seven kinds to
chose from (including three vegetarian options), I was like a fat
kid in a lolly shop.
Em stuck to the De Hongos tacos – field mushrooms, corn,
manchego, coriander and queso fresco – which were so good
they transported her back to her travels in Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, fat bastard over here would have had one of
each of the seven if she wasn’t so paranoid she would have no
room left for beer. First into the hungry gub was the De Pollo
– braised chicken, chipotle salsa, potatoes, cheese, lettuce,
and green tomatillo salsa. Wrapped in textured taco wraps, the
tender filling was tasty and juicy but very importantly, not so
moist that it was falling apart … which in my opinion is the only
potential pitfall of taco time.
C R A F T
B E E R
NATURAL
W I N E
S M A L L
B A T C H
C O F F E E
RESTAURANT REVIEW
LITTLE HOP
277 BRUNSWICK ST, FITZROY
SCOTTISH-ENGLISH DICTIONARY
Words by Claire Henderson // Pics by Emily Day
Galoots: idiots
Hoachin: crazy busy
Gurny: grumpy
Auld codgers: old men
Guttered: drunk
Minging: disgusting
Next was the De Puerco – slow cooked pork, orange, vinegar,
lime, achiote and pickled onions. It was a little on the dry side
but still tasty.
Last but certainly not least, with the fanciest name and the
most flavour of the lot, was the De Calabazitas – zucchini, corn,
tomato, sour cream and manchego and queso fresco. Yum.
Just for experimental sake, we decided we had to try a serving
of gorditas, as neither of us had experienced these wee puffy
tortilla balls filled with cheese and beans. Incidentally, gordita
means “little fat girl” in Spanish, and that’s exactly what you will
become if you eat too many. But it’s definitely OK to share.
Our hipster barman tried to tempt us with an after-dinner nip
of tequila but we were back onto that beer list. Em decided to
go hard and ordered a Californicator by Big Shed Brewing.
Let’s just say the label is colourful and is not suitable for the
eyes of bairns. Em described it as “being smothered by Winnie
the Pooh in a pine forest”. She went to a very hoppy place.
Talking of places, don’t be fooled by the name or the taste,
because this “sweet and syrupy like honey” liquid is from South
Australia, not California.
My final poison was a Venom Golden Ale (see what I did
there!). Nowhere nearly as scary as the name, it’s fresh and
easy to drink, with a little kick to it to keep the taste buds
on their toes. And the disgustingly awesome label is one to
collect too.
A couple of drinks and some scran later, and we were
perfectly relaxed. It’s a place we could easily sit for hours
to drink and eat... drink and eat. Isn’t that the best kind of
bar to be in?
Verdict: The Mexicans ken whit’s whit
Gub: mouth
A square go: an argument
Nip: shot
Bairns: children
Scran: food
Ken: know
“A COUPLE OF DRINKS AND SOME SCRAN
LATER, AND WE WERE PERFECTLY RELAXED”
“A COUPLE OF DRINKS AND SOME SCRAN
LATER, AND WE WERE PERFECTLY RELAXED”