Sister of Society, Prahran (by invitation) by Benny

Our hosts Fraser and Olivia are expertly working the room, giving all of their guests a friendly welcome, ensuring that this launch event is going to be a success. A lot of thought and work has gone into the design and set-up of Sister of Society – an on-trend bar and nightspot in the fashionable part of Chapel St.

The view through the tinted full length windows gives a hint of the modish interior and great-looking bar – enough to pique the curiosity and draw you inside. Low lighting creates a warm enticing ambience, tinged bright red by the SOS neon on the wall. A mix of seating ensures the perfect spot to match your mood and the size of your party: squeeze into a comfy booth, park on a bench at a coffee table, convene around a bar table, or perch on a bar stool for counter-style eating, drinking and conversing. Looking for a bit of privacy? Head right down the back past the bar and servery and you’ll find a very comfortable nook, ideal for a half dozen or so close friends.


Moroccan spiced lamb with pine nuts, hummus, labne and pomegranate

Inside you will find craft beers (bottle and draught, both local and international), trendy cocktails and a decent selection of wines and spirits, plus great friendly service (which, to be fair, is hard pressed tonight, but is holding up very well). And the reason that Bilby Blue and I are here – the food!

Tonight’s event is very crowded and instead of the expected plates of food to share between two or four, it is very much a cocktail event with roving waitresses offering finger food. So photography is a lot more challenging than normal, and disappointingly more than one dish floats by without either of us managing to snaffle a taste. However, we do get to sample a good range of the menu.

The food at Sister of Society is designed to complement the drinks – but it would be grossly unfair to describe it as ‘bar snacks’. The menu promises good, fresh food at reasonable prices, most presented as share plates. Just about everything on the menu – which encompasses a real global mixture, from Asian to Middle Eastern to European to Mexican – is designed to be finger food.


Having watched the stuffed betel leaves vanish into the crowd, our first taste is the grilled haloumi with salted watermelon, toasted almonds and fresh mint – a pleasant hit of salt from the haloumi, sweetness from the watermelon and a hint of flavour from the mint. Very refreshing.


Karaage sake chicken ribs with sriracha mayonnaise – the deep fried ribs were perfectly cooked and presented in a crispy crumb, but the sriracha mayo was very mild, without the hoped-for spicy hit.


Zesty marinated BBQ prawns with Thai chili almond crème and fresh lime was definitely the star dish of the night. Plump generous prawns char grilled just right. However, the spice level was again very mild.

Moroccan spiced lamb with pine nuts, hummus, labne and pomegranate was a thick dense stew served in a bowl spread with the hummus (see first pic) – again, pleasant enough, but not enough flat bread to scoop up the meat (forks were definitely required) and the spiciness was very mild.


Pork san choi bao was another dish that escaped our grasp. The lettuce cups and accompanying fresh vegies looked super fresh.


Next was an off-menu pizza that also managed to evade our taste buds.


And for a sweet finish there was Birramisu – a beer-based twist on tiramisu, served in beer mugs. Hmm – OK, but I much prefer the classic recipe.

Verdict

We liked it. An honourable mention to the waitresses who had to cope with a tightly packed crowd.

Overall

A good place for drinks with friends, with fresh food available at reasonable prices and helpful staff.
Sister of Society has only been open for a couple of months. Even though Fraser claimed that all of the kinks had been ironed out, I felt that there was a lot of potential to improve the food, and vegetarian options were scant. The basics are certainly all in place, but it needs some judicious tweaking to provide punchier flavours.

Find it at

Sister of Society
254 Chapel St
Prahran Vic 3181
Phone (03) 9972 8208