[Restaurant ] Heartattack and Vine

A joint piece by Frankey & Mai

Setting: shared cicchetti for two
Bill: $70
3052/329 Lygon Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Website

Mai says: perfect for popping in quickly before catching your movie or for that nightcap on your way home. Read more.

Frankey says: a delicious selection of reasonably priced cicchetti, without the complication of a hefty drinks list. Just the way it should be. Read more.

Our selection for the day:

One of everything

Mai says:

Heartattack and Vine is a gorgeous low-key space featuring repurposed 1970s glass lampshades and suspended window panes. A striking wooden bar invites you to sit and sip away the evening. Enjoy a glass of red while you unwind in its modern take on a trattoria and the welcoming hospitality. It opens daily from 7am until 11pm, at lunchtime swapping Noisette pastries for porchetta, ciabattas and other meaty rolls and in the evening a neat menu of cicchetti, is available.

It’s both hip and classic. The vibe and decor is broad in its appeal to different demographics. Over the course of our evening whilst we enjoyed our selection of cicchetti different groups of clientele drifted in and out. A businessman sat among the communal bar space unwinding after a long day at work with a beer. Next to us two post-graduate students discussed the merits of post modernism. Behind us three gorgeous single girls discussed their latest escapades in the dating world and bemoaned the ineptitude of the male species.

Come and enjoy the homage to seasonal produce. Drop by before you head off to catch that movie. But be careful, as time is forgotten here, where music like the venue’s namesake wafts over the speakers and you unwind and forget the ticking of your watch.

Frankey says:

I’m in love with the idea of tapas. I love the concept of bite-sized portions of food that adorn a table. And I love that you can just go on all night, without a care in the world. That’s pretty much how I live my life, and having that analogy condensed into an evening meal is just my kind of thing. Thankfully, Heartattack and Vine hits the spot.

As you’ll see from the photos below, there’s not a lot of fanfare here. Options are impeccably simple and well-balanced. I never found myself overwhelmed by clashes of flavour or complexity. Ambience and décor are pleasant and I thoroughly enjoyed the vibe.

To put it shortly, Heartattack and Vine have hit a beautiful note on this end of Lygon Street and I wouldn’t hesitate to come back.