Square One Rialto

Nathan Toleman has earned his stripes in Melbourne’s hospitality scene. He was a key figure in the cafe renaissance of the early 2010s before branching into the wine bar and restaurant world with Dessous, Hazel and Liminal.

But Square One Rialto – his ambitious concept cafe in the CBD – is something special. Some of the country’s finest chefs have come on board to contribute dishes to its seasonal menus, including Victor Liong (Lee Ho Fook), Nagesh Seethiah (Manze), Jemma Whiteman (Sydney’s Ante), and more. Every three months, 10 chefs each develop a dish for the Square One menu. And as the season changes, 10 new chefs will create 10 new dishes to replace the last cohort’s offering.

Liong’s creation is a cumin-lamb pancake with Lanzhou chilli oil, Mendes contributed a Portuguese pork sandwich, while Sydney chef Mitch Orr (Kiln) is behind an ube waffle with whipped Pepe Saya butter. The menu also includes year-round house staples like chilli-whipped ricotta, a seasonal omelette, and eggs on toast.

The space doubles as a retail footprint for Square One, the roastery Toleman’s Mulberry Group operates, and there’s espresso, filter coffee and cold brew on pour.

Like all Mulberry venues, 10 per cent of profits from Square One Rialto go towards the group’s Common Ground Project – a regenerative community farm in Freshwater Creek, about an hour and a half outside Geelong, that provides education, training and career pathways for people facing disadvantage.