Petty Cash
Petty Cash is a more casual restobar venture at Adelaide and Portland from the people behind Baro. The menu brings together what’s fresh and what’s familiar, with fun at the intersection.
Design by the same team behind Baro strikes a similar chord with lots of greenery, but more of a basis in activity with a patio, DJ booth and pool table with a wall of cassettes behind it that’s perfect for selfies.
Vintage pieces mix with purposely aged finishes, warm tones dominating.
Hummus Garden ($15) introduces the “Fresh” side of the menu, house hummus with roasted garlic and lime providing a base for a forest floor of raw crudités of broccoli, watermelon radish, asparagus, pepper and cauliflower.
This is dusted with a dehydrated olive “soil” and crumbled feta that not only looks pretty but imparts a Mediterranean flavour, the plate ringed with toasted naan.
Faux Pate ($12) is also from the healthier, more plant-based section of the menu, a spread of walnuts, mushrooms, lentils, cognac for flavour and beet juice for colour on toasted baguette with some chives and salt on top.
Popcorn Chicken ($13) reads like a high-end version of the KFC favourite, chunks of thigh meat battered with Miller High Life and crusted with panko crumbs, dusted with paprika and served with a chipotle mayo for a double smoky effect.
Buttermilk Wings ($16) from the menu’s “Familiar” section come in rotating flavours, honey lime sriracha, buffalo, and a spicy dry variety today. Sweet, sticky honey sriracha sauce forms a pool at the bottom of the plate, the meat nice and moist.
The Taco-Bouta-Salad ($17) is a bit of a heartier “Fresh” option, basically a deconstructed taco that reminds me a little of Wendy’s taco salads. A base of shredded lettuce is topped with beans, salsa, sour cream, grilled corn and fried corn tortilla chips. Add guac or adobo-marinated chicken for $5 to beef it up even more.
The Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich ($17) is on the down-and-dirty end of the menu’s wide spectrum, with juicy buttermilk-marinated and deep-fried thigh meat.
This considerably marked up but much better version of a fast food chicken sandwich has American cheese, pickled red wine vinegar red onion, shredded lettuce and mayo for that classic creamy crunchy effect, and a super soft Martin’s potato roll branded with Petty Cash’s “Piggie Smalls” logo.
The Not-So-Petty Burger ($16) is a similar offering, a quarter pounder of house-ground chuck, also with American cheese and shredded lettuce, plus secret sauce on a Martin’s bun.
A Pineapple Zaddy ($12) is a tiki play on an Aperol Spritz with pineapple juice, aperol and cava.
With such a wide and varied range of options, this spot is a surefire crowd-pleaser.
Jesse Milns