Green Bowl

Green Bowl is a plant-based and gluten-free wholefood bar at 30 Lochiel Avenue, Mount Martha, in the village under the clock tower and opposite the beach end of the shops. It is built around grab-and-go bowls rather than table service, which makes it an easy stop with a dog on the way to or from the water.

The dog setup

This is quick-service, not a dine-in cafe, so the arrangement is simple: order at the open-air shopfront with your dog on lead and take the outdoor village seating around the shops while you eat. Bring a portable water bowl, since there is no dedicated setup for dogs, and keep your dog tucked in close, the village footpath traffic is steady when the shop is open.

Worth knowing

The menu rotates weekly with Middle Eastern, Moroccan and Mediterranean influences: warm curries, house-made salads and hummus, vegan nachos, smoothies and sweet pots like the lemon curd cheesecake. Everything is plant-based and gluten-free, and locals flag the delicious-surprise factor of whatever the week's lineup turns out to be. Hours are unusual and worth planning around: Tuesday and Friday 2pm to 6pm, Wednesday and Saturday 10am to 3pm, closed Sunday, Monday and Thursday. The current lineup goes up on the website and Facebook page, and pre-orders are taken.

Getting there and parking

The village sits off the Nepean Highway at Mount Martha, with free parking around Lochiel Avenue and the shops. It gets tighter on sunny weekend mornings when the beach crowd lands.

While you're out there

The Community Forest near The Briars is the suburb's leash-free run, and Harrap Road Reserve adds another fenced option. The Balcombe Estuary boardwalk trails are a lovely on-lead walk close to the village, and the beaches allow dogs outside the summer prohibition window of 10am to 6pm across December, January and February, with signage at each access point. More of the Peninsula is on the Victoria list and in the Mount Martha guide.

Max: curry for the humans, a lap of the estuary boardwalk for me, and the bowl comes out of the bag on the village seat. Quiet streets, good smells.