It’s easy to confuse yourself when arriving at Many Little. The Southeast Asian bar and bistro by Polperro Winery is neatly nestled in a strip of shops in Red Hill Village, and the only telltale signs of its residence are a string of fairy lights and the arrival of high-heel cladded guests.
We sit outdoors in view of a grand gumtree overlooking a carpark where trees line the horizon and you’d be hard pressed to believe you’re in the crux of the Mornington Peninsula. Indoors is another story; its stark, modern features don’t necessarily translate to the food, though it’s safe to say the chef has a certain je ne sais quoi when plating up curry.
There’s a small community here in Red Hill South and we could’ve sworn we saw the server at Polperro Winery, but alas, it was her sister. She tells us the bartender is exceptional at his job, and it’s clear by observing the extensive cocktail list that he has flair.
It’s sad to hear that the Sixth Voyage Punch offering Sri Lanka’s signature Ceylon Arrack (distilled from the sap of a coconut flower) has sold out, and instead Kirby’s Margarita comes to my aid with fresh cucumber and agave nectar. The wine list champions all that is local to the Peninsula and spruiks a few of Polperro and Even Keel's own bottles.
In true Sri Lankan fashion, head chef Gayan Pieris, who was born in the country’s hilly city of Kandy, ensures no-one leaves hungry.
The set menu commences with a crumbed sphere of chicken ambulthiyal, a process that’s usually reserved for fish, lending it sour. But here it's instead applied to chicken and mashes it with goraka, cardamom and a peppery heat that’s dulled by the bed of sweet hogsplum chutney it sits upon.
Flavoursome but fresh, we’re starting to sense a pattern here. Soon tomatoes from Polperro’s own farm arrive at the table, intermingled with goat's cheese and crisp, star-shaped kokis derived from coconut.
It's followed by WA marron sourced from Clamms Seafood that voyages to us butterflied, topped with a fragrant medley of lemongrass and Balinese sambal matah. It’s so moreish we find ourselves scraping at the bones. Finally, the pièce de résistance, the very definition of eating the rainbow – a hopper thali featuring the country’s much loved crepe-like domes, hoppers, or appam. Pick and choose your curries, yes, there’s butter chicken for the inexperienced, but we recommend the classic Sri Lankan chicken curry with gravy so silky and beautifully balanced you’ll have a hard time not drinking it. It's at that point of the evening that things start to get handsy. Fingers and mouths are soon coated in turmeric-spiked dhal, sticky eggplant moju and peppery beef curry, no social niceties needed, only an approving grunt in between mouthfuls.
Finally it's time to undo your top button and digest the flavourful expanse you've just consumed, and be sure to grab a few pre-mixed bottles of Many Little's cocktails on your way out. It’s exciting to see a winery such as Polperro heralding Southeast Asian food in the way that it is, and if this is just the beginning of Many Little’s journey into these cuisines, then we can’t wait for what’s to come.