Nothing Like Your School Canteen, Moorabbin’s Tuckshop by Comma Is All About OTT Bagels

Last year, Adam Cruickshank and Megan Kwee opened Comma Food & Wine, a neighbourhood wine bar with excellent snacks, on Station Street in Moorabbin. But now they’ve opened a second, more casual (and more lockdown-appropriate) spot – Tuckshop by Comma – just around the corner on Tuck Street.

But that appropriateness is no mistake. It started out as a lockdown pop-up before getting its own dedicated, hole-in-the-wall shopfront. It’s serving Allpress coffee and zhooshed-up bagels inspired by the menus at Comma and the pair’s Prahran bagel shop, Crooked Letters.

“This is almost entirely a mashup of two of our existing venues,” says Cruickshank. “The bagels at Crooked Letters are all very honest. Meanwhile, these are all a bit more luxe.”

Take the Cape Grim hanger-steak bagel – a play on one of Comma’s signature dishes. Here, it comes stacked up with potato crisps, dill-pickle mayo and smoked scamorza (which is torched to serve).

There’s also a herby salmon-pastrami number that includes Ora King salmon coated in a pastrami rub, caper-and-dill schmear, bread-and-butter pickles, and red onion. Other bagel options include crisp satay tofu with grilled broccolini; bacon and egg with provolone, and – for something a little sweeter – an open bagel with blueberry schmear, topped with mint and freeze-dried mandarin.

“They’re all over the top,” says Cruickshank, adding that they’ve been particularly well received by those looking to level up their lockdown lunches. “You can’t go out to a lovely sit-down meal right now [so] if you’re gonna go grab a sandwich, you might as well push the boat out.”

Tuckshop looks and operates much like its name suggests: you queue up just like you would’ve at school. But this one’s probably a bit more contemporary, with a crisp white paint job and multi-tone green tiles. Behind a little roller door, it’s got just enough room for a green La Marzocco, a petite kitchen and very little else – so for now, it’s a strictly takeaway-only situation. However, Cruickshank and Kwee plan to add some outdoor dining options as soon as they’re able.

Tuckshop by Comma
3 Tuck Street, Moorabbin

Hours:
Daily 8am–3pm

@tuckshop.by.comma