Devour stacked sandos and bountiful bowls at Fortitude Valley’s LOVEMENOT
Chinatown Mall has a flirty new resident, wooing passersby with a foolproof seduction technique – a hearty lunch that satisfies. With fresh sandwiches, vibrant bowls and a mischievous tattooed Cupid keeping watch, LOVEMENOT might just be your new lunchtime crush.
Since his early teens, Dylan Kaye had dreamt of being a fighter pilot. He trained for it. He took all of the right classes at school. He had his whole life mapped out ahead of him. But when that all unexpectedly shifted, he found himself following his father’s footsteps – joining him as a commercial plasterer.
“I just sort of landed there,” Dylan reflects. “But I never really wanted to be a plasterer.” What he wanted, he realised, was to work in hospitality.
That spark led him to open his first venture, Nomads Eatery, on Adelaide Street in 2020. The timing couldn’t have been tougher – launching just as COVID hit – but Dylan threw himself into it, serving heath-focused eats and learning the ropes of small business ownership. He ran the cafe for three years before deciding to close its doors.
Back on the tools, Dylan tried to convince himself that construction was the safer choice, but it just didn’t stick. “I just don’t enjoy construction – I never really wanted to be there,” he admits. “Hospitality has always felt more like me”. That conviction eventually became too strong to ignore – and it’s what led to LOVEMENOT.
Opening officially today, Tuesday September 9, LOVEMENOT is a playful little nosh spot tucked beneath the TC Beirne & Co building in Chinatown Mall. The fit-out draws on its urban surroundings, with concrete features, stainless-steel countertops and some (literal) cheekiness underfoot – a bare-bottomed modern-day Cupid is stamped across the floor, complete with tatts and a backwards cap.
LOVEMENOT might flirt with you through its branding, but its menu plays it straight – hearty sandwiches, wholesome bowls and coffee made to fuel busy days. The first few weeks of trade will see LOVEMENOT offer a limited menu, with the full line-up set to roll out soon.
Each item on the menu carries a wink, named after modern-love moments that match the brand’s cheeky personality. From 7:00–10:30 am you can swing by for a classic breakfast bite that allows you to choose your own adventure. It starts with the egg-and-cheese-filled Base Sando and then you choose your add ons – think bacon, mushrooms, smashed avo, rocket and a selection of sauces.
By lunchtime, the bowls and sandos are ready to make their move. The bowls are packed with nourishing ingredients and your choice of up to two bases from brown rice, spiral pasta and salad leaves. Mexican-inspired flavours abound with The Thirst Trap, featuring slow-cooked beef (or pulled jackfruit to come soon), kale, pumpkin, corn, black beans and lime-coriander dressing, finished with fresh salsa, chipotle drizzle and tortilla chips. If your type is more Mediterranean, The Summer Fling is for you. Choose from poached lemon-herb chicken or portobello mushrooms atop kale, pumpkin, roasted capsicum, olives, red onion and dill, with a lemon-mint dressing and tzatziki drizzle. The final suitor is The Slow Burn, with teriyaki chicken (or tofu coming soon), cucumber, broccoli, carrot and edamame tossed in a sesame-ginger dressing, sprinkled with fried shallots, sesame seeds and sriracha mayo. Each bowl is made to order before your eyes, and the LOVEMENOT team makes all of its dressings and marinades in house.
LOVEMENOT’s sandwiches are built on fresh focaccia from Danny’s Bread, with select options featuring premium smallgoods from Salumi Australia that are sliced in store. The opening line-up is just a taste of what’s to come with four sandos, which will eventually expand to seven. Wife Material leads the offering, layered with prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato, rocket, balsamic glaze and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Love Accidentally sees mortadella paired with stracciatella, dijon mustard cream, pickles, crushed pistachios and honey, while the Red Flag is stacked with beef brisket, mayo, provolone, chipotle sauce, lime-coriander slaw and tortilla chips. Finally, with buffalo mozzarella, tomato, basil, rocket, pesto and balsamic glaze, the Green Flag wins the hearts of those seeking a vego lunch.
A selection of chilled drinks and caffeine from Melbourne roaster Commonfolk Coffee round out the menu, and you’ll soon be able to customise your own sandwiches or bowls. To celebrate its grand opening, LOVEMENOT is serving up $10 bowls and sandos and $4 coffees for three days only – swing by from Tuesday September 9 to Thursday September 11 to find your perfect match.
LOVEMENOT is now open, offering a casual, approachable lunchtime option in Chinatown Mall. For opening hours and contact details, head to The Directory.