First look: Hatted North Melbourne restaurant opens a casual bar for pop-in visits

When Manze opened in North Melbourne in 2021, it was billed as a Mauritian wine bar, probably the city’s first. But in the four years since – as the cooking sharpened, the menu swelled and its Good Food chef’s hat stayed put – Manze settled into being more of a restaurant.

On Thursday, the team will open a sibling venue that’s the kind of neighbourhood bar Manze might have become, had it not found so much success for its idiosyncratic food. In the building directly across Errol Street from Manze, it’s fittingly named Boire (pronounced “bwah”), which is “drink” in Mauritian Creole. Manze is “eat”.

Boire’s identity is similarly Mauritian, but it’s more approachable and affordable than Manze.

“We know people want to go out ... we know North Melbourne’s getting busier,” says co-owner Osman Faruqi. “But we also know the economics of hospitality.”

Manze is set menu only for bookings, meaning it can fall into the “special occasion” category, and the small space is often too busy to attract or accommodate walk-ins. That’s where Boire comes in: a 24-seat, no-bookings bar built for spontaneous snacking and sipping, whether pre- or post-Manze, or for locals wanting to swan in and out.

The slender, high-ceilinged room – once a cooking school – is bright and airy, with a five-metre-long Victorian ash table at its centre for communal dining. Manze regulars will recognise certain design details, from the emerald tiles to cork accents.

Except for one Manze must-have – the taro fritter with the hot sauce du jour – there will be very little menu crossover between the two venues, to keep the experiences exclusive.

Chef and co-owner Nagesh Seethiah, whose Mauritian heritage is at the heart of both venues, has written a tight, seasonally charged menu that’s enough for a light dinner.

To start, there are wild Mount Zero olives pickled with turmeric, garlic and chilli, just like Seethiah’s mum and grandma used to make with the harvest from their olive grove.

He’s reprising some past Manze hits, including a “funky and fresh” bluefin tuna merveille (wafer-like cracker) with a house-fermented melon and chilli sauce.

From Meredith Dairy, best known for its cheeses and yoghurts, Seethiah is sourcing retired dairy goat, a product seldom seen on menus. The ribs will be braised with smoked chilli powder and served with a sour, spicy persimmon chutney for dipping.

“It wouldn’t be a Manze-adjacent venue without charcoal,” says Seethiah, and he’s harnessing it for lunchtime-only rotisserie-chicken sandwiches that are “really big in Mauritius”. An egg-salad alternative stars pickled beetroot and green-chilli mayo.

More room to move means a more fleshed-out cocktail program, led by venue manager Sophie Carles. Banana and cacao Old Fashioneds are made using rhum arrangé – rum infused with fruits and spices, common in Mauritius and other rum-producing countries.

Much of the restaurant’s wine collection has been pulled out of storage to line the walls at Boire. And there’s slightly less mark-up on some expensive, hard-to-find bottles – including natural wines from Burgundy and the Jura – to encourage punters to actually drink them.

Lunch Wed-Fri (from September); dinner Tue-Sat (Thu-Sat only this week)

8 Errol Street, North Melbourne, instagram.com/boire_melbourne/