One can’t help but be drawn into Luke Mangan’s headquarters in Waterloo with the lovely offering of flowers outside and a view to stir one’s curiosity.

Upon walking in you’re greeted with a warm, welcoming smile. We were spoilt for choice for a spot as we opted for a later lunch and to be honest it was a cracker of a day and I think everyone else was at the beach.

Love the interior here. It’s a wonderful warehouse conversion. It has the right splash of yellow, a smattering of sunshine while maintaining the industrial edge.

We started with the vegetable chips, with the most wonderful guacamole and Mum’s tomato chutney, which is sweet and oh wait, there it is! Mum’s added some fire in that sauce.

Okay let’s backtrack a step, I lied, we ordered a bottle of wine first. When in Mojo, hop on the Luke Mangan wine train and indulge in the 2012 TarraWarra Rose from the Yarra Valley in Victoria. It’s a must, especially with the unexpected hot Spring day sprung upon us. She’s elegant, fruity and dry. And she makes you come back for more.

Next we find the slow cooked duck & mustard fruit cigars with tomato relish on the table. These little guys are crispy, smoky, and marry well with the relish.

The chopped house salad soon joined the table and has all the right flavours, textures and colours. Cos lettuce, radish, cucumber, celery, cherry tomatoes, spinach, hazelnuts, all with a sesame dressing. It’s a perfect match to cut through the decadent cigars.

Nice work Luke, and truth be told, if your Mum were in the house, she’d get a hug from me. LOVE that sauce!

Mojo Luke_Mangan Waterloo
Mojo Luke_Mangan Waterloo