Mark + Vinny's Spaghetti & Spritz review: Vegan egg comes before the chicken

It's made in a complicated way (I'll insert a pause here, so you can look up "reverse spherification" on YouTube) and draws on a seaweed extract and plant-based protein to give the egg the nutritional bragging rights that come with the hen-hatched original.

Strike its centre with a fork, and a sunny yolk spills over strands of black bucatini (fashioned from activated charcoal), smoked cashew cream and cubes of mushroom that are cured like pancetta.

Pasta purists might fume at the idea of a carbonara that exists without the staple ingredients of cheese and pork, but as an alternative remix, this charcoal bucatini is so smoky and awesomely rich that it mounts a good case for ditching the meat.

It's also proof that the stereotype of vegan food as sad, under-flavoured variations of salad has reached its use-by date.

The back story of the egg conveniently provides a good explainer for who co-owners Mark Filippelli​ and Vince Pizzinga​ are.

Pizzinga is a songwriter (his name features on liner notes to Delta Goodrem's records), so he isn't the most obvious candidate for running a pasta joint. But one night in LA, while eating home-made bolognese with restaurateur Filippelli, he revealed his idea for pioneering a vegan egg using reverse spherification. The pair nailed the technique at their Melbourne vegan cafe Matcha Mylkbar​ and it has travelled with them to their first Sydney venture.

As for other convincing plant-based dishes at Mark + Vinny's Spaghetti & Spritz, there is the zucchini linguini (wryly called "the impasta") cooked in a bold chickpea ragu, and a surprisingly excellent eggplant parmigiana made with a soy mozzarella.

Not every dish here is plant-based: there is also Ranger's Valley rib-eye steak, pasta with actual pancetta and a short-rib ragu derived from a recipe by Pizzinga's nonna.

And the dish most likely to upstage the charcoal carbonara for Instagram ascendancy? The crab with spirulina tagliatelle. The pasta strands are such a jolting bright blue they resemble the colour of an aquarium or a manga character's hair.

Sure, you could dismiss it as a novelty act, but head chef Adrian Jankuloski's​ credentials will make you reconsider. He's worked at hatted establishments (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar and the Dolphin Hotel) and his tagliatelle – naturally made from blue spirulina seaweed – aptly reinforces the dish's strong wave of ocean-evoking flavours.

He tops the hand-made pasta with grated bottarga, swimmer crab and crunchy pangrattato. His broth, made from slow-cooked crabs, only reinforces the sense of coastal tides and shorelines.

Desserts also riff on hand-made pasta, too, with apple pie agnolotti and vegan "no-tella" ravioli on offer.

As the venue's name indicates, spritzes are part of Mark + Vinny's mission statement. But our orders (a Negroni spritz, an Australian spritz made with locally sourced ingredients and a "virgin" watermelon spritz) don't quite hold up like the pasta dishes. Somewhat flat or overly bitter, they lack the breezy charm of a spritz, which is a typically bright, sparkling entry point to a meal. Perhaps we should have tried a more light-hearted creation (something called We Thought Mum Was Drinking Tea has to be fun, right?) or the cocktail named after the "fly me to the moon" signage that illuminates the cosy, timber-lined room.

Whether you strictly abide by a plant-based diet (or initiatives such as meat-free May), or you want to revel in the comfort of enjoyably hefty pasta dishes, Mark + Vinny's Spaghetti & Spritz offers a highly inclusive welcome – and an answer to an age-old question. Sometimes the egg does come before the chicken.

THE LOWDOWN

Main attraction: Creative, rich vegan dishes in a cute, cosy and laidback setting – with some carnivore options, too. Don't pass up the charcoal carbonara and the novelty of trying the vegan egg.

Must-try: The charcoal carbonara, of course, but the blue spirulina tagliatelle will definitely tempt the curious.

Insta-worthy dish: It's a close match between the charcoal bucatini with the convincing sweet-potato egg and the Instagram-baiting blue of the spirulina tagliatelle.

Coffee: N/A.

Tea: N/A.

Prices: From $10 for From Nonna's Backyard salad to $36 for Ranger's Valley rib-eye steak.

Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-11pm.

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

WYNO BAR & SHOP

4/50 Holt St, (enter via Gladstone Street), Surry Hills

This tiny wine bar by the Porteno team is a hidden gem. Enjoy first-rate focaccia and other snacks, settle in for a glass (or three!) from the beverage list, or grab a bottle to take home. There are regular events with guest wine-makers, too.

BELVOIR STREET THEATRE

18 and 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills

Catch a play from this Sydney institution's main program, such as Tom Wright's adaptation of Peter Carey's Bliss; or head downstairs for the 25A slate of emerging works, such as Yarramadoon: The Musical.

MEET MICA

Shop 5, 492-500 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills

Known for its Instagram-friendly dishes, such as the lavish matcha lava toast with matcha milk foam, strawberry dust and scattered fruit, this cafe also has understated dishes that you shouldn't overlook (such as the vegetarian-friendly cold udon).

CHALK HORSE GALLERY

301A, Level 3, 77-83 William Street, Darlinghurst

Next on this gallery's calendar? Every Habitual Action by Sydney ceramic artist Alexandra Standen, which runs until May 19.

THE DOLPHIN HOTEL

412 Crown Street, Surry Hills

There are many great reasons to drop by this one-hat pub, such as the excellent pizza and sandwiches, smart wine list by award-winning sommelier James Hird and the Aperitivo Hour program of $5-$7 snacks by guest chefs (such as the award-winning Josh Niland and Pasi Petanen, who are scheduled to turn up soon).