Emilia reviews buzzing South Yarra restaurant that is entirely plant-based

Click PLAY to hear Emilia’s full review of Lona Misa on 3AW

At the bottom of the funkily styled Ovolo hotel in South Yarra sits Lona Misa. 

Victorian-style art fills the walls marred by red graffiti spelling out “mételo en la boca” (Spanish for “put it in your mouth”). Iterated by the name of the joint, you immediately understand the ‘vibe’ of Lona Misa. A twist on the traditional.

Lona Misa is owned by hospitality stalwarts and esteemed Melbourne chefs Shannon Martinez of Smith & Daughters and Ian Curley of French Saloon, of Kirk’s Wine Bar. They offer a predominantly Latin-inspired menu, drawing from Martinez’s Spanish heritage and her experiences in the Hispanic communities of New York and Los Angeles over eight years, the restaurant embraces a fusion of flavours.

Lona Misa services the guets at Ovolo round the clock in their 90-seat venue. They’re best known for their dinner menu though which centre stage, boasting an extensive selection of bold flavours and inventive dishes. 

Rule #1: Always order the croquetas. Their version was Crispy Bechamel Croquetas, Parmesan Cheese, Served with House Aioli. Perhaps my favourite dish all night actually hit me right at the start of the night with the Barbacoa Tostadas (Caribbean cooking style), Braised Lamb, Fermented Pineapple & chilli Salsa. With only 2 tostadas in each serving at $16 a pop you want to try and savour each bite. I think I over estimated my appetite for melted cheese when ordering the Queso Con Chorizo, in a bowl of creamy Warm Cheese Dip, Served With tortilla chips. 

We finished off the starters with The Lona Steak Tartare, Served With Rice Crackers, Fried Capers, pickled cucumber. Here’s your first red herring of something different about this restaurant in this review because – if you’re normally not a raw beef fan you’ll still happily lay into this version…

Thanks to the restaurant’s built-in charcoal Josper oven there is their Parrillada (which is a mix of BBQ’s meat), Fire Roasted Assado Mix With Chicken Basted In Fermented Peri Peri Sauce, Charred Mushroom Steak, Chorizo, Okra, Served with Chimichurri, Pico De Gallo, Plantains & Farofa. Clue number two is hidden in this delightful dish. You could happily just order this and one starter and be sorted for the night. It’s a huge smorgasbord of smokey flavoured different ‘cuts’, the peri peri chicken is a must.

We also tried the Traditional Latin stew with Rich Braised Beef, Roasted Root Vegetables,Cauliflower Purée, Seco Jus & Salsa Macha, this felt traditional and comforting. And the Moqueca – Brazilian Seafood Stew Cooked in a Spiced Coconut, Tomato & Lime Broth, Served Over Rice.

I first had this over Christmas at a BBQ and when I saw it on the menu just had to try a professional take on a Watermelon Sala – this one had Compressed Watermelon Served With Black Quinoa, Queso Fresco & Fresh Herbs (Compressing uses pressure, often of a vacuum sealer, to remove the air between the cell walls in foods)

Ok….there’s one thing I haven’t told you about Lona Misa. It’s entirely vegan; the beef, chicken, seafood, chorizo. All vegan. At the moment it’s orthodox Easter, essentially, if they follow the orthodox fasting rules the easiest diet to follow is a vegan diet. That’s a whole group of people, and their mates who aren’t vegan year round but now have the task to find where they can eat out in Melbourne. Mona Lisa’s whole ethos is to make vegan food loud, vibrant and exciting. 

Food wise – when I ordered, I really liked that they likened the food to meat dishes so an omnivore like me could visualise what dishes were going to be but when we tried them my opinion on this flipped a bit. With meat flavours in mind when I bit into non meat the texture obviously wasn’t the same, whilst it was delicious, so it confused my brain. 

My favourites were the Barbacoa Tostadas, anything from the Josper, Cocido and the Watermelon Salad. It has a bit of a cult status with the vegan community, I even had a vegan ‘celebrity’ spotting in Animal Justice MP, Georgie Purcell. 

Prices were about $16-24 for starters, $56 for the huge plate of BBQ, and over $30 for mains.

Wines started at $60 and are all vegan too. 

Lona Misa

234 Toorak Road 

South Yarra