Melbourne’s best bar snack might be at new Filipino rooftop bar Inuman on Exhibition Street. On paper, it’s just a chicken sandwich, but this one packs in enough thrills to make you sit up and take note. The Inuman team, who also run Askal restaurant two storeys below, have plenty more lightbulb moments for your tastebuds.
They’re calling Inuman – which means “to drink” – Melbourne’s first Filipino cocktail bar. The list is by co-founder Ralph Libo-on, who was previously shaking at Serai , also part of Melbourne’s current wave of contemporary Filipino venues . Once again, Libo-on is putting Filipino ingredients, from ube to tapuy rice wine, front and centre in tongue-in-cheek yet delicious drinks.
Snacks are by Askal’s culinary director John Rivera (also a co-founder at Inuman), who trained in fine dining then brought Melbourne gelato shop Kariton Sorbetes before opening these venues. Think of Inuman as a capsule of the Filipino flavours that are on show downstairs at Askal. Or just a really fun spot for snacks and drinks that you won’t find elsewhere around town.
What to drink We’re calling it: the Sari-Sari Sparkle will be the most photographed drink of the summer in Melbourne. The thirst-crushing vodka, lemongrass, feijoa and hibiscus number comes in a crumpled-looking glass that Libo-on spent months hunting for. He wanted it to resemble the plastic pouches that soft drinks are served in at Filipino convenience stores, called sari-sari.
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