Inuman

Inuman, from the team behind Filipino fine-diner Askal, is a standalone bar with a rooftop courtyard on the restaurant’s upper level. It’s another feat from Askal’s founders, Michael Mabuti and John Rivera (Kariton Sorbetes), who continue to raise the profile of Filipino flavours in Melbourne.

Rivera and bartender Ralph Libo-on were raised in Aotearoa New Zealand, and their Filipino-Kiwi upbringings shine through at Inuman. The name roughly translates to “drinking session” in parts of the Philippines, and “Inu” is the Māori word for “to drink”.

Drinks at Inuman are more experimental, with fewer ingredients, than downstairs. In addition to organic and biodynamic wines, cocktails highlight Filipino ingredients like gumamela (hibiscus) grown in the province of Cavite and tapuy (rice wine) fermented in the city of Banaue. Lambanog (distilled palm tree sap) is mixed with calamansi and durian in a twist on the classic Mai Tai called the Tito Ray.

For snacky dishes, you might find a duck liver parfait incorporating Aotearoa favourite feijoa jam on a toasted youtiao (Chinese doughnut); Marcona almonds, fried with a chilli-garlic crisp; or olives marinated in adobo oil. Try the young coconut sorbet for a fresh finish; it’s spiked with Lambanog.