Petit-Miamx

Chef Lagenda

2011-07-13T13:48:00.000+10:00

Looking for a quick and cheap dinner, we arrived at a bustling Chef Lagenda. My friends opted to have a variety of dishes to share while I had the Chicken Curry Laksa.

My Chicken curry laksa lacked the kick of spice I normally look forward to and I would say it was on par with Laksa King's curry laksa (next door). Nothing special and I would probably have a better one cooked at home!

Chicken Curry Laksa

All the other dishes ordered were a huge dissapointment to my friends. They could tell from the texture of the fish and prawns that they were frozen, not fresh. All the dishes lacked freshness and flavour and the only saving grace would be the Fish Head curry & the Malaysian Chilli Crab. Baked Curry King Prawns with shells, Sambal mixed greens and Assam fish fillets were also ordered but not photographed.

Chicken Roti Rolls

Malaysian Chilli Crab - forgot to take a photo before it was dessimated.

Fish Head Curry

We also ordered a few drinks, and I regretted my choice of Ice blended coffee which was bitter beyond belief. Before and after shot included, drink was left untouched for the rest of the night.

Ice blended coffee - before and after shot

We had heard that the original Laksa King chef had moved to Chef Lagenda which was the reason for our visit but we definitely would not be revisiting after a disatrous dinner. Unfortunately the poor service from one particular waitress didn't help either - hot tea being dropped on one of my friends (ouch, burnn!), constantly asking for bowls for curry or general disinterest. The manager and another waitress was much more friendly. We prefer Laksa King for all aspects overall.

St Jude's Cellars

2011-07-11T11:46:00.003+10:00

Another birthday celebration for me at St Jude's Cellar with my lovely friends. It kind of has a refurbished factory feel and I really liked everything from the plants growing down from the ceiling to the racks of wine bottles available to drink with your meal or for takeaway.

We decided to start with a couple of Entrees and save ourselves for the mains and dessert. First off was the calamari which was very tender and went well with the accompanying chickpeas and charred peppers.

Pan seared Calamari with chickpeas, paprika charred peppers and coriander

The Corn croquettes were not exactly what I was expecting as it didn't feature heavily on the corn and more on the cheese. These were still decent though.

Corn croquettes with mahon cheese

My friend ordered this, and although I didn't try any, she seemed to enjoy it.

Venison

The rest of us ordered steaks which came with buttered greens and roasted bone marrow. We mopped up every morsel of bone marrow but unfortunately one of three copped a tiny serving compared to the other two so he didn't appreciate the inconsistency but nothing too major. My steak was cooked perfectly to medium-rare however Mr A*'s steak was more like a medium (he also requested medium-rare).

Scotch Fillet with buttered greens & Marrow

Oyster Blade with buttered greens & Marrow

The three sweet-tooths ordered different desserts so we can try more. I had the chocolate fudge cake which sounded better than it actually was. A bit dry and very plain sort of cake - I think I could bake myself a better one but oh well.

Chocolate Birthday Cake

The apple crumble was slightly sour and tart but it was still enjoyed.

Apple Crumble with Vanilla cream

Unfortunately the Pannacotta wasn't set properly and was more like a custard which was a shame since the flavour was nice with the rhubarb.

Vanilla Pannacotta with Poached Rhubarb

St Jude's Cellar had a nice atmosphere and food is quite decent. Our experience wasn't perfect food-wise but I am willing to give them another chance.

Jacques Reymond - I'm back!

2011-07-09T13:14:00.003+10:00

Hello, my name is Catherine and I am an absent food blogger.
Oops, where to start!?!? I guess when I came back from my South-east Asia adventures, I fell into a pit of despair where I was desperately pining for sunshine, cheap food and shopping galore. Also, coming back the miserable 10 degree weather of Melbourne did not help at all. All is well now though, I have finally accepted that I will just have to kick it back in Melbs for awhile longer before some more adventuring and just eat my way through the Land Down Under again. Starting off with Jacques Reymond! At last, the wrong-side-of-20s birthday was here and my first stop was Jacques Reymond - one of two 3 hatted restaurants in Melbourne so I had high expectations.

No alcohol during dinner - we were saving ourselves for a big night out later in the city ;)
We started off with Gougères with Gruyère - soft fluffy bundles of cheesy goodness.

Gougères with Gruyère

We were offered endless amounts of bread throughout the meal which was good on the service side, not so good for me who had to save my stomach space for the degustation.

White Sourdough & the house butter

Tea smoked chicken and watercress soup - very simple flavours but quite nice, especially with the tempura wakame oyster.

Tea smoked chicken and watercress soup, potato foam and tempura wakame oyster, azeite dende

This tuna dish was absolutely lovely. All the flavour combinations went so well together.

Gazpacho of tuna oriental style, dashi and pure natural tomato jelly, native Davidson red plum

The rockling was cooked perfectly.

Flavours of autumn: deep sea rockling with anchovy and coffee, Mount Buffalo hazelnuts and orange oil, saffron rouille dressing

I can't remember much about this dish except I did finish it but I was getting a bit sick of all this foam all up in my face. I didn't feel as if the foams brought anything else to the dish other than looks.

Western Plains young pork shabu shabu in masterstock, fresh pappardelle, Tasmanian wasabi espuma and ponzu juices

We ordered the degustation without looking at the menu so I had forgotten that rabbit was on the menu. I'm not the biggest fan (cannot get the image of a bunny rabbit out of my head) so I attempted and gave up halfway. Mr A* enjoyed it and had my share too.

Gippsland white farmed rabbit and crispy squid

The last savoury course (yay, I was getting way too full at this point) was very much enjoyed by us. Wagyu was cooked well and the ketchup sorbet gave my brain such a workout trying to distinguish if this was sorbet or ketchup sauce!?!

Wagyu beef rump and oyster sauce, eggwhite omelette of pickled chokos, grated daikon and chilli, ketchup sorbet

I almost broke out in applause when I saw this arriving - looked as wonderful as it tasted. Mr A* was a bit put out when he couldn't managed to scrape the remaining bits at the bottom with his spoon.

Iced coffee and chocolate martini, Tahitian vanilla, caramelised nuts

I haven't had the best experiences with decontructed type desserts but this cheese cake was a winner. I especially found the mountain bush pepper berries ice cream very interesting.

Deconstructed cheese cake: galette of fresh Timboon fromage blanc l‘artisan, warm fruit pudding, mountain bush pepper berries ice cream

Finishing off our meal with a flat white and petit fours, they wrote a little birthday message on our plate.

Petit Fours & Flat White

The food was good however I feel as if this restaurant is overrated. Nothing was spectacular or blew our minds but the service we received was faultless and very warm. I don't think I would have a revisit however I'm glad to at least experienced it at least once.

A short break..

2011-04-21T16:33:00.000+10:00

I'm off to Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam, Thailand, Macau and Hong Kong so I won't be posting for a couple of weeks. Enjoy your Easter Break and don't overdose on the chocolates!

xx

Hurricane's Bar and Grill - Sydney

2011-04-20T11:59:00.000+10:00

The last of the Sydney food posts! After a long and hectic day at Acer Arena watching UFC 127, we managed make it back to Darling Harbour in time to squeeze in a quickie dinner.

We ripped into the bread as soon as the waitress brought it over. She also informed us that she she had put our order on priority so that we were able to leave in 30 minutes to make it for our flight back to Melbourne which was really great.

Bread with butter

Within a few minutes, a full rack of Hurricane's Pork ribs arrived with a side of chips. The Pork ribs were tender and finger-licking delicious. Just thinking about them right now makes me salivate just a little bit.

Full rack of Hurricane's Pork ribs

The Mediterranean Salad was a great side to the ribs and was incredibly fresh and a humoungus serving.

Mediterranean Salad

Thanks for to the great service we were able to order, eat and leave within 30 minutes and just make it time for our flight. The food was simple but great and it's set in a nice location by the Harbour. If I'm ever back around Sydney side, I'll be sure to stop by again. I'm still craving the Pork ribs!!

Marque Restaurant - Sydney

2011-04-18T09:37:00.000+10:00

With a huge variety of high class restaurants at Sydney's disposal, I was at a loss for which restaurant would be special enough for Mr A's birthday dinner. In the end, I went with Marque and who could blame me with its recently awarded "Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year" and also being listed in the World's 100 Best Restaurants. We arrived early to an intimately laid out restaurant and were seated at a window table. I really liked the sleek yet simple design.

Our degustation began with Foie Gras & Betreet Macarons. These were super light and airy and the foie gras was quite delicate in flavour, not rich at all.

Foie Gras & Beetroot Macarons

The next concoction was very strange as I had never had a savoury ice cream before but I soon warmed up to the idea and scraped every last bit up. The creamy texture of the Foie Gras contrasted well with the slightly sweet Beetroot Ice.

Foie Gras Ice cream, Beetroot Ice & Maple syrup

All the flavours and textures in this dish complimented each other so well. Easily one of my favourite dishes of the night.

Almond Jelly with Blue Swimmer Crab, Almond Gazpacho, Sweet Corn & Avruga

Another stand out dish. Again, the flavours and textures blew my mind. The slight saltiness of the oyster & cavier with the sweetness of everything else were beautifully balanced.

Jellied Oyster with Honeydew, Avocado, Jellied Samphire & Watercress, Cucumber Soda

I'm not a big fan of smoked fish but the presentation warmed me to the idea. First bite, I knew I was in love. The crispy tuille dotted with lemon and dill cream provided such a great textural contrast to the incredibly smooth smoked Ocean trouth.

Cold Smoked Ocean Trout with Lemon, Dill & Vanilla

The Yellow Eye Mullet was perfectly cooked while the skin was crispy and had a seaweed taste to it. I though the kinchi pear sounded odd but it was quite tasty.

Yellow Eye Mullet with Carrots, Kimchi Pear & Nori

This was served with bread which I didn't find necessary. I didn't end up finishing as I wanted to leave room for others. It felt better suited for breakfast and seemed out of place in the whole degustation course.

Fried Duck Egg with Bonito Butter, Jerusalem Artichoke & Potato

This was a satisfying dish - the wagyu was perfectly cooked and very tender and I especially liked the idea of the Leek ash. Nice and simple.

Wagyu Striploin with Shallots, Leek, White Asparagus & Ox Heart

We were then offered bread and butter which I found strange but who am I to turn down carbs? And yes, I love butter.

I loved the presentation of this. It was like a Creme Caramel but with hints of alcohol. Very silky smooth and a great pre-dessert.

Sauternes Custard

Finally it was time for dessert which was Marque's interpretation of a Tiramisu. Nothing like the original but it may have been even better. It was incredibly light and fluffy, with Apricot puree and Vanilla foam on top sprinkled with potato & parsnip flakes and chocolate powder. The fruity apricot with the mellow vanilla was incredible with the crunchy texture of the flakes. It was literally like eating clouds. Such a great light dessert to finish off a degustation, as I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to handle anything too creamy or heavy.

'Tiramisu'

To finish the degustation, we were offered Petit Fours of Salted Caramel Chocolates and bitter bon bons. The waiter warned us to handle these carefully as they had tendencies to burst. I had a green tea to go with it, to help me digest everything. I didn't enjoy the bitter bon bons so much but the Salted Caramel chocolates had the perfect balance of salted caramel and sweet, rich chocolate. Lovely.

Petit Fours - Salted Caramel Chocolates & Bitter Bon Bons

We ended up walking from Surry Hills back to our apartment in the city in an attempt to exercise our fatty boombah asses. The food is said to be quite experimental and I found it different from the norm but it was such a fabulous meal and a great experience. The service was faultless and we thoroughly enjoyed our night.

Bourke Street Bakery - Sydney

2011-04-16T11:38:00.018+10:00

The Sydney posts begin! In February this year, I decided to treat Mr A to a trip to Sydney to watch his most recent hobby, Ultimate Fighting Championships. I won't lie and deny that this was also a plus for me as I had been itching to revisit for awhile. A long walk to Surry Hills led us to Bourke Street Bakery which is widely popular for their baked treats and pastries. We arrived sometime around 1pm and there was a queue already winding outside the door and onto the pavement.

The variety presented to us was immense and when it came time for us to place our order with the brisk and efficient staff, we were at a loss but quickly recovered. I ordered a Lamb, harissa and almond sausage roll, A* ordered a Chicken pie and we shared a Chocolate, marshmallow and raspberry tart, Lemon curd tart and a Strawberry Vanilla Brulee tart. I couldn't help myself when I spied this cute little bottles of Chocolate and Coffee milk and had to order a Chocolate one. It was probably the best Chocolate milk I've ever had! Very rich and creamy, made with quality chocolate, yum.

An epic Chocolate milk

My Lamb, harissa and almond sausage roll was on a different level from the typical rolls you experience over your lifetime. The pastry was flaky and the almonds provided a crunchy texture.

Lamb, harissa and almond sausage roll & Chicken Pie

I didn't get to try any of the Chicken pie but A* deemed it satisfying enough.

The Chocolate, marshmallow and raspberry tart was reminiscent of the Wagon wheels I used to order from the canteen in primary school. Everyone seems to love the Strawberry Vanilla Brulee tart but perhaps my high expectations got the best of me and I didn't really find anything too exciting there. Neither with the Lemon Curd tart (I've had better at Le Petit Gateau in Melb). I also found that the tart casings were too dry for my liking and really crumbly, not the good buttery kind of crumbly unfortunately.

Sweets

It's a nice bakery with a lot of variety and I would like to come back and try other savoury and sweet items. It is a bit of a trek but it's popular enough to be consider a must visit.

Madame Sousou

2011-04-14T23:37:00.000+10:00

Madame Sousou has long been on my list 'to visit soon' however other new and exciting restaurants always seem to take prescedence and it continuously loses priority. A last minute decision saw us frantically search for a restaurant on a Saturday night at 6pm and lucikly we managed to secure the last table available at Madame Sousou. The restaurant is charmingly french and has a great Bistro feel which I love in a French restaurant. Service was quick and efficient and our orders were placed. Meanwhile we had a few baskets of bread and butter as well as a bottle of wine while we waited. ('Scuse the photos, really cruddy as I was using my little point and shoot camera)

I ended up having the Steak Frites with Garlic butter which was perfectly cooked to Medium Rare, well rested and very nice. My other friend who also had the same enjoyed it very much as well.

Steak Frites

Someone else had the Asparagus Entree with came with a Scotch Egg. I didn't try any but it was rated okay by the others.

Asparagus Entree

Two of the boys had the Tuna Steak which was actually humoungous and they struggled to finish it but they deemed it nice and enjoyed it.

Tuna Steak

We were all stuffed at this point but refused to give up when we heard the waitress asked "Dessert?". Yes Please!

The Creme Brulee was perhaps a bit too thick with the toffee crust but it was heartily enjoyed by all five people who had ordered it. It also came with a madeleine which was crispy on the outside and soft and pillowly on the inside. One of the boys described it as "eating a cloud", that was how much he enjoyed it.

Creme Brulee with Madeleine

The other dessert which was ordered by its lonesome was the Tolberone parfait with salted caramel popcorn. The parfait was decandently rich however a side of vanilla bean icecream would have helped immensely. My friend still enjoyed it but struggled to finish it.

Tolberone Parfait

Madame Sousou provides a decent French meal in a nice atmosphere with excellent service. A good French restaurant, but not a great one.

Maha Bar and Grill

2011-04-05T12:53:00.001+10:00

I have previously been to Maha however that was quite a few years ago so I was hesitant to dine there again however I found myself there at the insistance of L* who had been excited to dine there for quite some time. There was no need for my apprehension as I enjoyed majority of the dishes that night. We ended up going with the 4 course Banquet as opposed to chosing off the Ala Carte menu.

We started the Banquet out with a Soup. I don't remember everything that was in there but it was a great flavour combination of hot & sour, with asaparagus and a mound of pureed avocado at the bottom to be mixed in.

First Course - Soup

Next, we moved on the small cold dishes which comprised of Dips, Marinated olives, Pickled Fennel, Shotglasses of Chicken Liver Parfait & I'm not exactly sure what those two balls were but we weren't able to get past the initial tasting. Otherwise, I enjoyed all of these starters and my favourite was the Chicken Liver parfait.

Berid Mezza - Small cold dishes

A few small plates were brought out together which were the small warm dishes. My memory is failing me so I can't remember what was inside but they were too oily and the flavours didn't mix well so we both didn't finish this.

Soukhoun Mezza - Springrolls

The Chicken was quite nice although I cannot remember any details..

Chicken

The Barrimundi was well cooked and I enjoyed this alot.

Barrimundi

The Confit Duck was a dissappointment as it was too dry and most of it was left untouched.

Confit Duck

It was time for dessert and luckily they were fantastic. The Turkish Delight doughnuts were always a favourite in my eyes and they didn't let me down although the amount of turkish delight jam inside has decreased quite a bit. The chocolate cake was very rich however the pomengranate seeds and mint jelly jubes helped aleviate the richness. But the winner was the Coffee Mousse with Cardamom Jelly shotglass - made up of so many components which all went together so well. There was also Mastic ice cream, Coffee Salted Caramel and Milk foam. An absolute delight!

Platter of Desserts

I enjoyed my meal more than I actually thought I would however I probably won't be visiting anytime soon as there are better value Banquets available in the city and nearby. A good experience if you're after Middle Eastern food.

La Belle Miette

2011-02-27T14:13:00.001+11:00

I stumbled upon this cute little French patisserie on Hardware Lane once upon a lunchtime a few weeks ago, at which point they had only been open for a couple of weeks. The store only has a handful of seats available but that's not a problem for me as I tend to take away sweets later for dessert. I have visited twice and service is friendly and helpful.

Shown below are Lychee, Cherry Blossom & Sake, Violet & Blueberry, Rose, Raspberry Ganache & 72% Cocoa Single Origin Chocolate (Venezuela). They also have a few other flavours available as well.

My favourites were the Chocolate and the Violet & Blueberry - the Chocolate was a delight as it resembled the texture of a fudgy chocolate brownie and slightly rich in flavour. The Violet & Blueberry, while it wasn't supposed to taste like it, was like a Fruit loop (I confirmed with A that he thought the same too!) so we loved this one too.

Another lovely patisserie catering to Melbourne's love of Macarons. The packaging is very pretty and the macarons are yummy so I would come back again. The boxes are perfect for a gift so I may consider it as a treat for a special someone next time around.

By the time this is posted up, I will be in lovely Sydney feasting my heart out and also watching UFC 127 live at Acer Arena!! Does anyone else watch? :)

Bistro Thierry

2011-02-24T13:44:00.006+11:00

Taking advantage of A's upcoming birthday, I decided to book a lovely dinner at Bistro Thierry as he wanted something a bit more lowkey. Several good things have been said about Bistro Thierry and I'm so glad that it exceed our expectations.

We were seated at a table next to the window, and although the view of Malvern Rd isn't anything special, it did pull us away from the hum of other diners and gave us some privacy.

We ordered a bottle of the Carlei Estate Pinot Noir 2005 and I'm definitely no wine expert so the description is as follows: The palate shows white peach, citrus and grapefruit mingling with hazelnuts. This is wrapped in a creamy texture that is dry with crisp but gentle, firm acid at the finish.

Starting off with Snails, we could smell them even before they arrived. The comforting and mouth watering smell of garlic and parsley butter prompted us to ask for more bread so that we could soak up all the juices that escaped the snail shells. The snails were wonderfully tender and accompanying butter was enough to satisfy my inner fatty boomba.

Snails baked in garlic & parsley butter

Now this is another entree that will have me resisting the urge to lick the plate, being a civilised person and all, you know. The scallops were cooked the way I love them, to the 'only just-cooked' stage and almost transluctant in the centre. The cauliflower mousse was great to showcase the natural sweetness of the scallops.

Pan seared Scallops with cauliflower mousse

After watching all three friends eat various Steaks the night before at The Point, I had no choice but to order the Steak Frites with Bearnaise sauce to satiate my red meat cravings. The Eye fillet was perfectly cooked to a medium rare and the crispy french fries were well seasoned as was the bearnaise sauce.

Steak Frites with Bearnaise Sauce

A chose the Oven Roasted Duck which he enjoyed alot. I only had a bite of the duck which was wonderfully flavoursome and tender.

Oven Roasted Duck with sweet potatos & ginger confit puree

For dessert, you cannot go past a Creme Brulee so that's what I had. The golden toffee crust gave way to a beautiful vanilla bean seed speckled custard. An oldie, but you know it's a goodie!

Creme Brulee

A decided to go with the Chocolate Souffle which was light & fluffy yet decadent at the same time especially after the hot chocolate sauce was poured in. Also a very nice dessert.

Chocolate Souffle with hot chocolate sauce & vanilla bean ice cream

Service at Bistro Thierry is dished with a french accent and alot of playful teasing on the waiters' behalves and our experience was made more enjoyable as a result. I would definitely come back again without hestitation for the good food and would rate it as my favourite French Bistro restaurant I have visited so far, above say, Bistro Guillaume and France Soir.

The Point

2011-02-21T20:28:00.001+11:00

We dined at The Point in Albert Park on a night that featured the faux-Summer phase that Melbourne has been going through for the past few months. I don't mind so much as I can't handle the intense heat that typical Melbourne summers experience and the dreary weather still did not falter the incredible view that The Point offers. My dear A's birthday was the occasion and it was a lovely setting to celebrate his birthday.

After perusing the menu, we settled on sharing a few entrees to start with. We were also presented with complimentary Amuse Bouches of Cured Salmon with Orange foam. With speckles of black salt sprinkled over the foam, it created a nice balance of salty and sour flavours to compliment the Salmon. This was a great way to start off the night.

Cured Salmon with orange foam

The Scallop tartare was placed in front of us while the waitress poured a warm rich cosomme around the plate. I would have prefered to have larger pieces of scallop instead of in tartare form as the flavours of the scallop (which I love) were lost amongst the consomme. The plate it was served on also made it slightly difficult to scoop the small pieces of tartare unless you tilted it over.

Scallop Tartare with consomme & quail yolk

The suckling pork crispy ontop and the meat was succulent, it was nice however I still rate Cutler & Co's suckling pig better.

Western Plains suckling pork, grilled marron, sauce ravigote and carrots vichy

The Venison carpaccio was tender and well flavoured however I did not particularly like the bitter chocolate as it didn't feel as if it meshed well together although others did not mind the combination.

Onkaparinga Valley venison carpaccio, Roquefort emulsion, pear jelly and bitter chocolate

My pigeon was difficuly to slice with the butter knife provided however, it was incredibly tender and very tasty. The gnocci did not have any substantial truffle flavour and the carrot and vanilla puree was a touch too sweet (I don't like it when there is too much sweetness on my savoury dishes) however I would class the dish a sucess. I enjoyed every bite despite a few elements being borderline for me.

Roasted Wycheproof pigeon, truffled gnocchi, carrot and vanilla puree, sauce salmis

My bestie, S, had the Beef Tasting Plate which was comprised of 5 portions of 3 different beef types. I had a few bits and can confirm that they were all delcious and cooked perfectly to her preference. She was also offered various sauces to go with her dish.

Beef Tasting Plate - Individual portions of Sher Wagyu, Hopkins River grain and Cape Grim pasture fed beef

Both of the boys opted for Eye fillets, one pasture fed and the other grain fed. The waiter explained the difference was that pasture fed is supposedly meant to have more flavour while the Grain fed is more tender. I am too novice to be able to tell the difference but both were nice and well cooked. These were both served with Roasted bone marrow garnish which we were estatic to see but it wasn't spectacular of a garnish as we wished it would be.

250g pasture fed Cape Grim Eye fillet, The Point Bone Marrow garnish

250g grain fed Clare Valley Eye fillet, The Point Bone Marrow garnish

By this point, the unrelenting pounding rain started leaking through the ceiling above our table and once we stood up away from the leak, it actually started pouring heavily through the ceiling. We could not fault the staff for this unfortunate weather affecting their premises, however we were left standing away from our table for a good 5-10 minutes while the staff dealt with the water (which was also starting to drip around other patrons' tables. When we were finally seated, we weren't offered any apology for the delay or situation. We were in good moods and didn't let it ruin our night but I still believe the lack of awareness towards us in this situation is dismal of a two-hatted restaurant.

30 minutes after this situation unfolded and we were re-seated, we were finally able to order our desserts. Before our desserts came, we were given complimentary palate cleansers of Cranberry jelly & granita which was nice.

Cranberry jelly & granita

The Vanilla bean cheesecake looked pretty and impressive when it came out however, we were expecting an actual cheesecake or something that had elements similar to a cheesecake so the tubes of cheesecake encased by a roll-up type exterior as well as the melting yoghurt sorbet left us disappointed. The saving grace of this dessert was the fresh berries and the shards of crunchy caramel. It was nice but definitely not memorable.

Vanilla bean cheesecake, new seasons berries and yoghurt sherbet

The surprise of the night was the Dark chocolate nemesis which we only ordered as an afterthought. The dense rich chocolate cake was a texture explosion with soft pillows of beetroot meringue, caramelised bananas and vanilla sorbet. All the elements went really well together and we all scraped the plate clean.

Dark chocolate nemesis, flavours of banana, beetroot and coffee

Overall it was a beautiful setting for a dinner between friends. We enjoyed the company, food and wine although there are a few factors in which I believe this restaurant falls short on.

Cumulus Inc. Part 2

2011-02-19T13:43:00.002+11:00

I'll admit I'm a victim of revisiting the same places even though I've blogged about them, it's a sin of a food blogger but sometimes if you love that place, you can't help it! That is what happened one day after work when we dropped by Cumulus Inc. for a quickie dinner before a night out in the town.

Arriving just after 5:30pm, I was glad to see plenty of tables available and we were promptly seated with food & drinks menu in hand. Another sin to commit as a food blogger... to order the same dishes!! And that is what I did, although I can justify it and say that Mr A hadn't tried them before.

We couldn't help ourselves but start off with a glass of Oakridge Pinot Noir 2008 for myself and a for Mr A. Soon after, our Foie Gras parfait with toasted brioche arrived which was delicate, creamy and rich. We enjoyed it and ordered another serving of brioche to finish it all off.

Foie Gras parfait with toasted brioche

The Tuna Tartare with crushed green pea salad was still as good as I remembered although it didn't have the lemony zing to it that I had previously experienced. I generally hate peas but these peas were so fresh and sweet, almost as if they had just been freshly picked.

Tuna Tartare with crushed green pea salad

To accompany our main, we chose the Spiced cauliflower with goats curd which consisted of so many different flavours which all went so well together.

Spiced Cauliflower with goats curd

To finish off the meal, we had the Mustard crumbed pig's tail, white cabbage, horseradish & apple. The gelatinous texture of the pig's tail was immensely enjoyed by us and the almost-slaw like salad, helped cut through the fattiness of the pig's tail. My first experience eating pig's tail (from what I remember anyway) and a very good one at that.

Mustard crumbed pig's tail, white cabbage, horseradish & apple

Unfortunately once we paid for the bill and left in a hurry to meet some friends, I remembered about the lemon curd madeleines so no dessert.
Service is friendly and helpful and the food is always consistently good. A note to myself that I must come out to the city on the weekend one day to sample the breakfast menu.

Mamasita

2011-02-16T22:37:00.000+11:00

Apologies for the epic lack of posts.. Work has been incredibly cruel to me so that even though I have a huge backlog of places to write about, I haven't had the chance yet. Here is a quick post about Mamasita which is literally just a few steps down from Mr A's workplace, so it was the most convenient choice for a quickie dinner.

After going through the menu with the waitress, we ordered quite a bit and later on, we realised perhaps a bit too much. Out came our drinks which was a glass of Sangria for myself and Tecate Chelada (a Mexican Beer with a salt rim & lime) - perfect for a hot day.

We started off with the corn, which has rave reviews and I can see why. The corn is sweet and juicy while the flavours are a combination of spicy, tangy and creamy. These left my lips slightly burning but they were worth it!

Elotes callejeros - ““Street Style”” chargrilled corn with queso, chipotle mayonnaise & lime

I found the Tortilla chips were not as crispy as I hoped they would be and the guacamole was a touch too salty for my tastebuds but Mr A was starving so he demolished the whole serving.

Tortilla chips with salsa & guacamole

The toppings were placed on a small crisp tortilla chip and were the perfect bite sized entrees. I really liked the flavour combination, especially the avocado, with the crab meat and the habanero (a type of chilli) gave it a nice kick.

Tostaditas de Cangrejo - Crab meat, avocado, cucumber, tamarind mayonnaise & habanero

Mr A and I opted to choose two different tacos and I'm glad I had the grilled fish taco. It was full of flavour and the fish was not dry as I often dread. Mr A's braised beef was deemed okay.

Taco de Pescado & Taco de Res y Chorizo - Grilled fish with lime, achiote paste & red onion salsa and Braised beef & chorizo with coriander & onion

After the tacos, there was quite a bit of a wait for the rest of our food and eventually after 20 minutes or so, our Quesadilla and Grilled prawns came out together. I found sections of the Quesadilla that were cripsy and tasty which I enjoyed, and other bits which were dripping in oil and soggy as a result. I ended up nibbling the good bits and leaving the rest on my plate.

Quesadilla de Pollo - Chargrilled chicken with ‘‘pico de gallo’’, coriander & queso fresco

The prawns were okay although I would have preferred if they were slightly less cooked. The green almond sauce and toasted garlic were nice but I wasn't wowed by anything on the plate.

Camarones gigantes al ajillo - Grilled prawns with toasted garlic & green almond sauce

We were completely stuffed at this point so unfortunately we had to miss out on dessert. I found the service from one of the waitresses was lovely and she was happy to help us through the menu however found one of the other waiter's service very abrupt so it really depends who serves you. The food at Mamasita is not ground breaking or something that I would class a 'must-visit' in Melbourne but the long line of people waiting down the stairs on a Monday night must mean something. I most likely would not visit again but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be based on some of the reviews out there.

Movida Aqui - Part Deux

2011-01-23T16:16:00.000+11:00

I'm baack! My last dinner before I jetted off to Japan (by the way, it was ridiculously awesome!) - being so caught up with my obsessive itinerary planning, we didn't get a chance to make a booking for one of my friend's birthday dinner so I opted to try at Movida Aqui, and thankfully, lucked out on a table in the non-reservation area.

We had a bottle of Praxis '09 Pinot Noir from Moorilla Estate in Tasmania (I must remember to post about Moorilla one of these days).

We started off with some freshly shucked oysters from Coffin Bay which were served natural. They had a metallic tang which I enjoyed.

Coffin Bay oysters freshly shucked

Suprisingly, I enjoyed this as I'm not a big fan of sardines but the tomato elevated the strong taste of sardines.

Imported Spanish Artisan 'Cuca' sardine with tomato on toast

The Bombas came out next which I've had a few times and I don't think are that great but my friends were keen to try. I always find the chorizo filling a tad bit overpowering but that's probably because I'd prefer some sort of cheesy potato bomb.

Bomba - Catalan Potato bomb filled with chorizo

I've also had the Calamari sandwich before and it was still good - comprising of calamari, basque quindilla peppers and mayonnaise. Sounds fairly simple but it is satisfying.

Bocadillo de calamares - Calamari sandwich with Basque guindilla and mayonnaise

We also had the scallops which were absolutely tender. The quality and freshness was superb. The cavier added mini explosions of flavour and made me want to order another plate. Just looking at this again, makes me want to run down there now!

Grilled scallops served with salmorejo, fried almonds and cauliflower

The boys were still hungry so we lastly ordered a plate of Pork belly for them which disappeared almost as soon as it was placed in front of us. The skin was crispy and indulgent while the meat was tender.

Rare breed confit pork belly with spiced carrot puree and pickled spanish onion

Last but not least, out came the Seafood paella which had a beautiful caramelised crust formed at the bottom of the paella pan. The seafood was juicy and fresh and went really great with the saffron flavoured rice. We all enjoyed the paella and whilst we were left wanting more, we needed to save room for desserts.

Paella del Marisco - Bomba rice cooked with seafood and saffron

Unfortunately, the desserts let us down a bit in comparison to the rest of the meal. My memory is failing me and I can't recall what these were. The first one was some kind of peach granita with alcohol and the other was some kind of mango flan? Either way, nothing too great or capivating and we struggled to finish these.

Regardless, we had a wonderful dinner at Movida Aqui, a consistent winner in my eyes.
I will be updating my blog with photos from Japan.. The food was amazing and I wish I was still there almost everyday! Boooo, anyone want to sponser a trip for me? :)

The Land of the Rising Sun...

2010-12-23T10:54:00.000+11:00

This year, I will be spending Christmas and the New Year in Japan which means I will not be able to blog but I'll be sure to post up my foodie adventures once I come back to reality :)

I hope you all have have a very Merry Christmas with lots of presents & have fun celebrating the New Year with your loved ones. Take care and I will be back soon ♥

Gumshara Ramen - Sydney Trip #1

2010-12-17T12:53:00.002+11:00

It was a long and weary first day in Sydney when Mr. A and I walked from the City centre out to Paddington, my feet and legs aching we caught a taxi back to Haymarket to have an early dinner at Gumshara Ramen, otherwise known as Chronic Ramen. Famed for one of the best Tonkotsu Ramens in Sydney and in desperate need of good ramen, we impatiently waited for our Ramen to be cooked up and served. The shop is located in Eating World Harbour Plaza and if you manage to secure a table minus the debris of half eaten meals, you will have a chronic bowl of ramen.

The soup was thick and full of flavour from the bone marrow while the al-dente noodles provided the perfect vessel to carry the soup from the bowl to your mouth. The char siu was tender and had ribbons of fat while the soft cooked egg had the runny yolk which I love. Honestly, everything in that bowl was all that I could hope for after a long day.

I tend to enjoy ramen in Sydney more than the ones available in Melbourne. I will be sure to revisit Gumshara Ramen when I'm back in Sydney.

On a side note, I love watermelon juice. Here's one I bought on Oxford street in Darlinghurt/Paddington, yum!

Kazbah - Sydney Trip #1

2010-12-15T10:49:00.001+11:00

A few months ago, Mr. A and I jetted off to Sydney for a last minute anniversary celebration. Being a obsessive planner I am, I made a comprehensive list and itinerary of places to eat and Kazbah was our first stop after dropping our luggage off at the hotel. Kazbah, located in Balmain, was a 15 minute taxi drive from The Rocks and we could see that it was a bustling place on a Saturday morning.

With our luck we managed to snag the last table available and after being seated we were served water from a cool jug that had sprigs of mint in it. Refreshing!

My Flat White and his Long Macchiato were good although the Turkish coffee set up I saw others enjoying intrigued me immensely.

While waiting for our food to arrive, we scribbled all over the paper covered tables with the provided crayons (which may or may not have been intended to occupy children but we couldn't help ourselves!). We are easily amused :)

Mr. A ordered the Feta Potato Cake which he enjoyed as it was definitely different from the usual brunch options although the salmon was getting a bit salty towards the end of the meal.

Feta Potato Cake, Smoked Salmon, Crème Fraîche, Red Wine Onion Marmalade

I opted for the Lamb Breakfast Tagine which was unbelievably satisfying as everything went so well together - especially the two just-cooked eggs laying on top. I didn't manage to finish it as it was a fairly large serve and Mr. A was no help after killing his dish but I did manage a decent effort.

Breakfast Tagine - Lamb Mince, Sucuk, Spinach, Roast Capsicum, Roast Tomato, Caramelised Onion, Feta, Eggs, Turkish Toast, Lebanese Bread

Stuffed to the brim, we waddled ourselves down to the Adriano Zumbo Patissiere in Rozelle and bought some take home Macaron packs. My favourite was the Rice Pudding - I found some of them overly sweet but some interesting flavour combinations there.

Kazbah was a really enjoyable brunch experience and I'd definitely love the opportunity to sample the Breakfast degustion.

Hutong Dumpling Bar - Prahran

2010-12-08T22:24:00.002+11:00

Hutong Dumpling Bar is located across the street from Prahran Market on Commercial Road. Despite numerous visits to the city store, I had never visited the Prahran restaurant and had heard good things about it.

Before I get get into this review, let me start off by saying that I loathe the city store. The food is good but the service is absolutely appalling - to the point where I refuse to eat there anymore!!! I called to make a group dinner reservation for my birthday and the reception was cutting in & out leading me to ask "excuse me?" a few times. The waiter ended up yelling at me for not being able to speak english & hung up?! This and a few more experiences have put me off for life so I really didn't know what to expect from the Prahran store and I'm glad the experience was much improved.

Now back to business, the restaurant is open and spacious with a luxe feel. The waitresses were accommodating and even smiled whilst clearing the dishes away. We decided to start off with the dumplings, of course.

Shao Long Bao is a steamed dumpling famous from Eastern China that are metaliciously made so that skin retains the soup inside. You can usually tell if they are made well as long as the skin does not break from the bamboo steamer to your spoon. Hutong has instructions on how to eat them properly and also provide a soy & ginger dipping sauce.

Shao Long Bao

Wonton Dumplings in Hot Chilli sauce is one of my favourite dishes at Hutong and I enjoyed this alot but found these a tad overspiced and left my tongue tingling for a good half an hour. Still tasy nonetheless.

Wonton Dumplings in Hot Chilli sauce

Pan Fried Dumplings which also had soup contained within the skin were very good as well.

Pan Fried Dumplings

The following dishes I did not take a picture so apologies for that, I know posts are more enjoyable for me when there are pictures.

The Honey prawns were deep fried in a sticky and sweet sauce which was very nice and well cooked. The sticky sauce left my lips stuck together a few times. This was enjoyed with rice.

Scallop and Eggplant in Claypot in Szechuan Chilli sauce. The eggplant and scallops went well together with the chilli sauce (which wasn't chilli at all). I like the texture of the soft eggplant and the plump scallops together.

A rare pleasant experience at Hutong Dumpling Bar which left everyone with an extremely full belly and take away containers. I know whenever I'm craving Shao Long Bao & other dumpling varieties, I will definitely be trekking out to the Prahran store.

St. ALi

2010-11-24T12:24:00.043+11:00

Another Sunday brunch at St. ALi (during Melbourne Cup weekend so there was a special menu). I'll make this short and sweet - the staff were friendly, our coffees were really good, and so was the food. I really enjoyed my flat white, robust and full of flavour.

Flat White & Latte, house blend

My friend ordered the Angus Steak Sandwich which looked appetising when it was brought out. I didn't try any but she demolished the whole plate so I'm guessing it was pretty good.

Angus Steak Sandwich

I went for the Grilled Asparagus, Poached eggs, Serrano Ham and Truffle Dressing - the asparagus had a nice bite to it, whilst the poached eggs were golden and runny inside and the ham was melt in your mouth with a punch of flavour. Very, very similar to that 'dish of the year' at Movida (Air Dried Wagyu with Poached Egg and Truffle Foam). Having this dish as my first meal in the day? Win.

Grilled Asparagus, Poached eggs, Serrano Ham and Truffle Dressing

St. ALi keeps giving me reasons to come back again and again..

~~Just FYI, there's currently a coupon on Crowdmass (ends Sunday):~~
~~$50 for $80 worth of 'St Ali Dollars' to spend at some of the best cafes in Melbourne - St Ali, Outpost, Liar Liar, Sensory Lab & Il Fornaio~~

~~A chance for some of the people out there to try one of these great places for less $.. I've already bought one myself ;)~~ (Expired)

Dukes Coffee

2010-11-20T08:41:00.015+11:00

Dukes Coffee is located near the intersection of Chapel and High Street in Prahran, the clientele are slightly too cool, the cafe's outfit is clean cut and sleek while the waitresses were friendly enough. After being seated inside away from the downpour that is Melbourne's weather, we perused the menu before deciding what to have for our first meal at 3pm.

Being a huge fan of Avocado, A* had the Avocado hummus toast which came with poached eggs, honey candied bacon and dukkah sprinkled over. All the elements were really great and tasty together leaving a satisfied belly.

Avocado hummus toast, Poached eggs, Honey candied bacon and Dukkah

I'm usually a big believer in Eggs for breakfast but I decided to go against the norm and chose the Chocolate Brioche with Vanilla bean cream and Pineapple. The Brioche was delightfully crispy on the outside and soft and delicate on the inside, while the semi bitter chocolate filling had me on sugar high. The pineapple and cream prevented the dish from being too rich or heavy.

Chocolate Brioche with Vanilla bean cream and Pineapple

I forgot to mention our coffees! A Long Mac and a Flat white which were both really good.

Long Mac & Flat White

A really cool cafe in Prahran which I hope to visit again soon to try something new. Although thinking about that Brioche, I might just be ordering that again. This weekend, I'm off to the King Valley for the La Dolce Vita Festival held on 20th (today!) - 21st November for some Wine tasting and hopefully some foodie action yumyum!

Papa Goose

2010-11-18T20:38:00.001+11:00

It's been awhile! I've been so caught up with planning my Christmas/NY trip to Japan (wheeeeee!!!) that I haven't had time to write up a blog, and even a couple of weeks away from this food blogging world, I feel so out of the loop already!

I booked a dinner at Papa Goose after reading some reviews and thought I'd give it a shot seeing that the previous reviews seemed fairly favourable. Heading down Duckboard Place (just off Flinders Lane), there was the entrance to the restaurant, while the stairs led up to the lush bar. We promptly started off with a bottle of Pinot Noir recommended by the friendly Sommelier, unfortunately I've completed forgotten what we had as it was a new bottle that had just come in the day before thus not on the website.

A complimentary starter of Seafood Velouté came out in tiny cups. A very hearty soup which we both enjoyed.

Seafood Velouté

We opted to share two entrees between us. When we were ordering, our waitress inquired if we were sharing these entrees to which we confirmed and when they came out, we found out that the kitchen had divided the entrees into two servings so that we wouldn't have to fiddle around! I thought that was such a classy touch and we really appreciated the initiative taken by our lovely waitress.

I had never tried sweetbreads before, and this certainly had a distinct offal-lish taste to it but still very nice. The scallop was incredibly tender and had the perfect balance of just cooked but texture of raw scallop. A really solid dish in terms of flavours and textures.

Veal sweetbreads, wagyu bresaola, scallop, white raisins, muscat

The following entree was also split into two portions and while the wagyu carpaccio was quite bland by itself, it was quite beautiful when combined with the other elements in the dish.

Blackmores wagyu karubi carpaccio, pickled shitake, truffled potato, radish

A Palate cleanser in the form of Pims and Grapefruit Granita was brought out which was refreshing and tasty. I was definitely loving the service and complimentary starters/palate cleansers here!

Pims and Grapefruit Granita

Now off to the mains -
The blue cod was moist and tender while the skin was delightfully crispy. The smoked tomato flavours went well with the vegetables and fish however I found that the King Prawn was slightly overcooked (almost rubbery) but that didn't spoil my main for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Blue cod, King Prawn, Smoked Tomato, Capers

A* was in the mood for steak so he chose the Hopkins River eye fillet and while it was being placed in front of him, our waitress offered him a tray of condiments to go with his steak - he chose Mustard and Tomato Relish which he declared tasty. He really enjoyed his steak and it was perfectly cooked to Medium rare.

Hopkins River eye fillet and tail, silverbeet, root vegetables, chervil, salsa verde

After our mains were cleared and our dessert order was taken, another palate cleanser came out which was Pear & Vanilla Sorbet which was really creamy and delicious. I only wish I could have gotten a larger serving of it Mmm...

Pear & Vanilla Sorbet Palate Cleanser

Dessert time!
A* had the Calvados brulee, confit apple, poached fig, ginger bread, apple milk sorbet which had a slight Brandy flavour to the Brulee with vanilla bean seeds throughout. The poached fig was a touch too sweet for me but everything else was really good. I was hoping that A* would choose the Eskimo Pie so I could share with him but this dessert was a light and delicious enough not to overload our bellies and tastebuds.

Calvados brulee, confit apple, poached fig, ginger bread, apple milk sorbet

I had the Mango and Coconut Fool which came out beautifully presented. From my memory (excuse any errors as it was a few weeks ago), the dessert was comprised of some kind of custard at the bottom, a creamy mango jelly which was set at an angle, whipped cream, fresh mango chunks, mango granita and coconut flakes. When combined in a mouthful, it was superb. Another dessert highlight for me which I'd go back for.

Mango and Coconut Fool, isn't it just a piece of art!?

The service that we received throughout the night was nothing short of amazing, the people who served us were extremely attentive and very friendly. A* honestly did not have any expectations in regards to Papa Goose but he left a very satisfied customer with a happy belly. They have only recently opened (A couple of months maybe?) so I commend them on getting almost everything right. I would love to come back soon to try some of the other dishes which caught my eye.

Café Vue at Heide

2010-10-30T18:26:00.002+11:00

I am quite out of my depth when it comes to places to eat in the Suburbs, particularly the Doncaster area. Keen on a breakfast or brunch type of meal before a shopping trip to Doncaster Westfield Shopping Centre, I looked up Urbanspoon for nearby Cafes and happened upon Café Vue at Heide. I thought "Why the hell not!" since we had never been to any of the Café Vue's (one trip to the 401 St Kilda Rd cafe had a 45minute wait so we left empty handed).

Situated at the Heide Museum of Modern Art, there were crowds of families, couples and friends enjoying the sun and sculptures on the luscious stretch of green grass and obviously in the know about Café Vue as the restaurant was fully booked and the cafe seats outside in the courtyard were all occupied.

We made the mistake of not booking a seat or pre-ordering any lunchboxes so instead, waited in the take away line for 30 odd minutes, which wasn't too bad considering the beautiful weather and mass of people there. We ordered two lunch boxes and drinks and found a spot at a nearby gazebo to devour our lunch. I quickly took a few photos before I had to give in to my stomach and eat - my stomach waits for no one!

We started off with the Potato crisps and Guacamole which was chunky and delicious, however I found the potato crisps were a tad bit greasy for me. I used the cute wooden fork to make sure I got every little bit of guacamole.

Guacamole with Crisps

The Macaroni salad was unusual in flavour, a slight mustard tangy flavour but not in the bad way - just different.

Macaroni Salad

Next came the Lamb Roll which I immensely enjoyed the Lamb Roll. It sort of had the texture of pâté and went well with the salad and creamy mayo while the roll was nice and soft. I would have gone back for another Lamb roll if it wasn't for my increasingly full stomach.

Lamb Roll

We finished off with a decadent Chocolate Brownie with studs of biscuit throughout it, which spurred the following conversation...

A*: This brownie is so good I wouldn't share it with you even if you dropped yours
Me: You really wouldn't share it with me???
A*: Just kidding, of course I would.
Me: .. You're right, this is good!! I wouldn't share mine if you dropped yours.. and I'm not kidding either.

Café Vue at Heide is located on a beautiful premises which is very appropriate for their take away lunch boxes. I'm glad to have had an enjoyable experience at Café Vue and would definitely like to come back for the Menu Du Jour option in the restaurant - I just need to remember to make a booking next time.

Attica

2010-10-28T12:30:00.014+11:00

A* wanted to take me out for dinner to congratulate me on passing my mid-year exams however Attica was fully booked out on weekends until the start of October so we had to wait until then to have my congratulatory dinner. We arrived on a Friday night after work and after being seated, we were given an option of Sourdough bread or Seeded bread with an Olive oil emulsion with black salt rock, House cured butter and sea salt. More was offered throughout the night which I appreciated. Before I start, I have to warn you that the photos are horrendous - I made the mistake of charging my camera battery and forgetting to put it back into my camera so I was left to use my outdated phone camera.

A glass of the 2009 Renato Ratti ‘Colombe’ Dolcetto d’Alba & 2008 Dexter Pinot Noir

Served with the Bread

First off, a starter of Carrot and Baby Brocolli was brought off. This was sweet and fresh.

Carrot & Baby Brocolli Salad

Underneath the fluffy horseradish snow were morsels of sweet and delicate crab with bursts of flavour from the cavier. This dish was truly wonderful and would be one of the highlights of the meal for me. You would think that with the big pile of horseradish snow, the flavours would be overpowering but everything in this dish balanced each other out so nicely.

Snow Crab

A layer of pork lard sat invisible on top of the delicately cooked Marron and added a really nice richness to it while the broth complemented the Marron. Another one of my favourite dishes.

Marron Tail, Leek, Egg Yolk, Onion Weed Bulbs

I've heard much about this Potato dish however it totally underwhelmed me. I found the goats curd was overwhelming, but while the potato was well cooked (so tender) and it actually did have earthy textures and flavours, this wasn't suited to my taste buds.

A Simple Dish Of Potato Cooked In The Earth It Was Grown

Another dish I thoroughly enjoyed was the Snapper in a broth. It was still tender and the broth went really well with the fish, and sprinkled on top were tiny flowers and I'm not sure what it was, but it added crunch and a somewhat garlic flavour to it, which really tied up the dish nicely.

Snapper, Shitake, Quinoa

The pork tail dish which was next was melted in the mouth so deliciously and I would easily have this again and again. The red melon on the side was refreshing with the fattiness of the pork tail.

Pork Tail, Pickled Onion, Red Melon, Dune Spinach

The last savoury dish was Beef which I did not enjoy as much as the other dishes and ended up leaving majority of it untouched as I was also getting very full at this point. We both found that it was quite chewy and hard to digest.

Beef, Sea Lettuce, White Cabbage

I am a huge dessert girl and I am open to try anything new but the next two dessert dishes left me slightly disappointed. The Terrior consisted of Yoghurt sorbet, with crumbled beetroot cake, frozen berries and kiwi jelly pieces as well as a lot more different elements. This dish was made up of various flavours and textures but I found that the yoghurt sorbet completely overpowered every other flavour in this dish and I had to resort to drinking water time to time to get rid of the tanginess.

Terroir

Finely grated frozen apple with Olive custard topped with Warm sugared wheat created another taste and texture sensation and was quite nice but did not exactly hit the spot for me when it comes to desserts.

Apple, Olive, Warm Shredded Wheat

Our waitress came over as we were paying for the bill with a bowl made up to look like a nest with these two gems sitting in the middle. She explained that Ben Shewry was inspired by a certain species of birds in New Zealand and hence the very realistic looking eggs. Apologies for the lack of details as I was quite dazed out from the wine. These were very sweet and I do love any chance to overload on chocolates and sugar.

White Chocolate Eggs with Salted Caramel filling

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Attica. Although a few of the dishes were not to my taste buds - mainly the desserts which disappointed me, I would say that the rest of the dishes were sensational and just thinking about those particular dishes makes me want to go back again! We were served by various waiters/waitresses but they were all equally lovely and accommodating. Attica also offers a Tuesday Night Chef Table's Menu where they test and develop new menu ideas so that would be another option for dinner.

New York Tomato

2010-10-25T14:10:00.005+11:00

Situated on the corner of New Street and York Street is a cafe called New York Tomato.In the back streets of Richmond, you'd think that noone would even know that it's there but word must spread because on a warm sunny day, we manage to grab the last table sitting in the sun.

I ordered the Baked eggs which came in a claypot of red tomatoey goodness. Digging around finding spoonfuls of gooey egg and goats cheese, this was well accompanied with toast although I would have liked an extra slice to mop up the napoli sauce but that's just me getting greedy.

Free range Eggs baked in a claypot with Napoli sauce, Goats cheese, basil and pine nuts then served with toast

The dish of the day, however, was the Eggs Benedict which A* ordered. Eggs Benedict is a fairly generic (but satisfyingly good!) breakfast choice but with the addition of lemon zest, it gave the hollandaise sauce more zing and the mushrooms added a meatier flavour. Altogether, it was an amazing Eggs Benedict. I still believe it's the best I've ever had the pleasure of eating.

Eggs Benedict with Lemon zest

A nice simple cafe located in Richmond which is great for basking in the sun while enjoying your brunch.

Tsukiji

2010-10-23T16:42:00.000+11:00

Tsukiji is a small, neat japanese cafe in Prahran that offers a very limited menu however it sells small slabs of fresh sashimi ready to be cut to order. We came here as we were craving Sashimi and thus selected a few plastic wrapped trays of Atlantic Salmon, Tuna, Kingfish and Scallop. With side dishes of Takoyaki and Gyoza, it came to a total of $45. They also sell japanese groceries that you can browse while waiting for your food to be prepared.

A large platter of Sashimi arrived and it was more Sashimi than we expected and completely sated our Sashimi cravings. The Takoyaki and Gyoza were decent but nothing too great.

Sashimi Platter - Tuna, Scallop, Kingfish & Salmon

Takoyaki & Gyoza

A good place to visit when I feel like Sashimi so I will be back however I've had enough to last me for a few weeks at least.

Misty's Diner

2010-10-21T13:14:00.002+11:00

Misty's Diner is located in Prahran and is a guady American diner fitted out with mini jukeboxes and tacky fluro signs. But that's what diners are all about!

They offer a range of drinks and I couldn't resist an Oreo & White Chocolate Thick Shake while A* got a Californian beer. The thick shake came out stopped with swirls of whipped cream and it was very good - thick and full of Oreo chunks.

We ordered a whole lot of food unsure if it would be enough and as usual, we over ordered.
The Mozerella Sticks were quite cold when they were brought out so sadly there was no gooey mess which I was looking forward to.

Misty's Homemade Mozerella Sticks

The Blooming Onion came with Ranch sauce and again I was disappointed as I thought these would be delightfully crispy but they were somewhat soggy and the onions slightly raw.

Blooming Onion

We barely touched the Chilli Cheese Fries which came as a large serving fit for 4 people. It was okay but barely warm like the other dishes.

Chilli Cheese Fries

I love Buffalo wings with Blue Cheese Sauuce and I could devoured a whole tub full of them. These were pretty good however they skimped on the Celery sticks which were sliced into small pieces.

Buffalo Wings

Misty's Diner was my first American Diner experience and left me quite disappointed with the food however I would come back for the Thick shakes and Buffalo Wings, but nothing else.

Commercial Bakery

2010-10-19T09:37:00.025+11:00

Commercial Bakery is tucked away slightly out of view along Little Collins Street and if you didn't know about it, you may not even notice it's there. I know of its existence as I had visited Gills Diner (next door) and noticed a cafe offering Baguettes, coffee and the like. I visit here frequently to grab a quick take away lunch when work doesn't permit me to eat out as the lunch options are consistently good.

Prosciutto Panini - The thin slices of prosciutto literally melts in your mouth and creates a taste sensation in your mouth. My favourite lunch pick when I'm not sure what I feel like.

Prosciutto Panani - Prosciutto, Cheese, Tomato & Rocket & Mayo.

Steak & Bacon Pie - I usually douse my pies with alot of sauce however the Commercial Bakery pies are perfect without. The pastry is buttery and soft, crispy on top and the filling is all meat (no sign of the usual fillers prominent in supermarket frozen pies) and very hearty. I've also had the Steak & Kidney pie which was equally as good.

Steak & Bacon Pie

I've also stopped by for coffee which is decent and cake. I had a big slice of Brownie here once and we struggled to finish it even between two people (but we were quite full from lunch). It was chocolatey rich and fudgey so if we have the stomach capacity to finish it, we would have. They offer a variety of pastries and desserts - I've had the Chocolate tart which is very petite and cute.

Beans & Bagels

2010-10-17T11:15:00.001+11:00

A quick lunch stop before hitting the shops on Smith Street in search of football boots for A*, led us to Beans & Bagels on the corner of Brunswick & Johnston Street. This is my go-to place for bagels and I'm glad that it's still as good as I remember after a 2 year hiatus from my behalf.

We ordered up at the counter and were given a number for the food to be brought out to us. I ordered a flat white while A* had a long mac. My flat white was normal, however A*'s long mac was a bit perculiar as it came larger than usual and it tasted more like a syphoned coffee rather than a long mac.

Our bagels come out looking quite smart wrapped up.

I had the New Yorker which had Smoked Salmon, Capers, Onion & Greens with Cream Cheese - this is my favourite bagel combination. The bagels are freshly made and they don't skimp on the fillings.

New Yorker (Plain bagel)

A* had the West Sider which came with Avocado, Ham & Honey Mustard with Cream Cheese. I'm not a big fan of ham but this bagel was surprisingly good - The honey mustard gave a slight sweetness to the ham and the generous chunks of avocado were relished.

West Sider (Herb Bagel)

I usually buy some Blueberry Bagels to take home for breakfast for the next few days but I was afraid they wouldn't last in the car so I'll just have to come back another day for them, which I'll happily do so.

Passionflower

2010-10-15T09:16:00.020+11:00

A few weeks ago, I discovered Passionflower had opened up in Melbourne while walking along Russell Street to meet A* after his dreadful haircut at Sui (lol hint hint learn your lesson!). I was giddy with excitement upon the discovery however to my disappointment, A* was not hungry so sadly I left it for another day. A few days later, I was determined to visit Passionflower so after work we hiked down to Chinatown and promptly acquired a table. The fit out was clean and simple and the colourful ice creams displayed at the front counter were extremely bright and enticing. Perusing the menu, we decided to choose a Sundae each.

I had a sundae consisting of Pandan, Durian, Jackfruit & Taro ice cream with glutinous rice balls, Coconut jelly & Coconut milk on the side.

This looked wonderful as soon as it came out however upon tasting, I found it hard to distinguish the Jackfruit and Taro ice cream flavours as they were quite bland and it actually felt like I was eating vanilla ice cream at one point. The Pandan flavour was the nicest flavour and the only one I managed to finish whereas the Durian ice cream was too intense for me and left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. The sticky balls provided some texture to the sundae however I didn't like the coconut jelly or milk.

A* had a sundae consisting of Red Bean, Black Seasame & Sticky rice Ice Cream with Black Seasame glutinous rice balls and crushed peanuts sprinkled over. He also found the Ice creams to be lacking any distinct flavour and thought it to be nothing special.

I have previously enjoyed both my visits to the franchise in Sydney but Melbourne's store didn't meet my expectations so I won't be back. I really do love desserts and never miss an opportunity but there are better places to go for dessert considering you could get a great dessert at a restaurant for almost the same price.

Izakaya Den (Lunch)

2010-10-13T10:59:00.002+11:00

Lunch at Izakaya Den is open to bookings so to avoid previous disappointment, we secured ourselves a spot at the bar for a quick lunch. We were informed by one of the waiters what set meals they had available - $18 set meal vs. $28 set meal. We both chose a $28 seat meal each, A* having the Spicy Tuna tataki while I had the Duck breast with Soy Pomegranate. Our set meals came with House made tofu, Sashimi, rice, miso, pickles and main dish - this was projected onto the back wall.

After ordering and water was poured into our cute little panda glasses, we were served the House made tofu which had a similar texture to 'Dou Fu Fa' except it came doused in soy sauce. This was okay, slightly too salty for me.

House made Tofu

After we received Scallop sashimi which was freshly sweet and tender. This also came with the pickles arranged on a plate to share. There was Okra, some sort of pickled shoots and Pickled cabbage which were okay but we were hungry so we finished the lot pretty quickly.

Scallop Sashimi (top), Pickles (BL) & Soy Sauce (BR)

Our mains were ready and placed before us with a bowl of rice and a steaming cup of miso soup.

My duck breast was perfectly cooked with a tinge of pink, very tender and went well with the soy pomegranate. I enjoyed this but would have liked more.

Duck Breast with Soy Pomegranate

A* had the Spicy Tuna tataki which he liked but again, I'm fairly sure he would have preferred a larger serving. The tuna pieces came with a garlic & Wasabi mayo which went well together.

Spicy Tuna Tataki

A fairly good meal at Izakaya Den however I don't find it to be enough food for $28 especially considering that Shoya is in the same price range and you will be fed until you're stuffed and rolling out the door. I found the food to be less exciting than I have previously experienced during dinner time - everything was prepared ahead of time instead of freshly made on the spot so I guess that's what I didn't enjoy this time. I will be coming back for Dinner but not for Lunch, as I don't think it's really worth it.

Le Petit Gateau

2010-10-10T15:14:00.009+11:00

Le Petit Gateau is located next to the RACV building on Little Collins Street. This bustling cafe is my favourite place to stop by for cakes, honestly the cakes elsewhere do.not.compare. I discovered Le Petit Gateau last year when I would trek around the city daily in search of more and more cakes. Yes, that's right, DAILY. But for the sake of my waistline and wallet, I've cut down my sweet tooth tendencies and now I try to hold out as long as I possibly can before I go sprinting up Little Collins Street.

L-R: White Chocolate Ganache (?), Lemon Tart, Brownie Passionfruit Crunchy & Black Beauty

My favourite cake is the Brownie Passionfruit crunch cake which I've had numerous times and I still want more. In fact, my dear A* bought a small sized cake for me on my birthday ($32) and we devoured the whole thing over two nights. It is sinfully rich yet not to the point that it's too much - it is made up of a Brownie base, Crunchy Praline, Passionfruit custard and Chocolate mousse with a smooth chocolate glaze on top. It is ridiculously delicious as the passionfruit custard helps with the sweetness of the chocolate brownie & mousse while the praline layer gives it that crunchy texture that most cakes lack.

Brownie Passionfruit Crunchy Cake

Another one of my favourites at Le Petit Gateau is the Black Beauty. A* told me that he had come in once to buy me some cakes and when he noticed some other girls asking what is was, umming and ahhing over it, A* immediately bought it before the other girls even had a chance. You should never umm & ahh about the Black Beauty! Although you can't see a dissection of the cake, its made up of Chestnut sponge, Milk & Dark chocolate mousse, Vanilla Creme Brulee, Black currant creamy, Cocoa shiny glaze with a Chestnut vermicelli with 24 carat gold adorning the top (Thanks to Pierrick for the exact description!). It really is as amazing as it sounds.

Black Beauty

The other day when Pierrick Boyer, Executive Pastry Chef at Le Petit Gateau, tweeted that there were Sea Salt Caramel Macarons with a Raw Sugar crunch available, I immediately braved the rain and winds and made my way down to buy 4 of these little beauties. The best macarons I've had, alongside Adriano Zumbo's Rice Pudding Macarons. These were delicately sweet (but not sickeningly sweet like the Lindt ones, yuck!) and crumbly - absolutely delicious! I'm not sure how often these Sea Salt Macarons are available but I hope they'll be there next time I visit.

Sea Salt Caramel Macarons with a Raw Sugar crunch

These are some of the other cakes I've consumed..

L-R: Banoffee, 2 x Brownie Passionfruit Crunchy, Baked Fruit Tart & Lemon Tart

I'm quite certain that everyone is catching onto this gem as when I visited last week, while waiting in line to buy some cakes, I witnessed at least 5 people purchasing or picking up their cake orders in the span of 5 minutes! So get yourself to Le Petit Gateau now and buy yourself a box full of goodies to take home to your loved one, you won't regret it.

My Birthday cake - yum yum yum!

Movida Bar de Tapas (Round 2)

2010-10-08T08:32:00.004+11:00

After one of my closest girlfriends SC* planned a wonderful birthday dinner surprise for me at Cutler & Co., I was determined to repay her kindness and decided to secretly take her to Movida Bar de Tapas. Knowing that she had always wanted to dine there, I made a booking more than a month in advanced and only managed to secure a Sunday night which turned out to still be almost full house.

We had arrived and as soon as I parked at Flinders St, she screamed after realisation that Movida Bar de Tapas was our destination. After being seated and ordering our drinks (2008 Umami from King Valley VIC), we looked through the menu and decided to share a few Tapas and Raciones dishes.

We started off with the Oyster special, I forgot what it came with but the flavours of the oyster were enhanced beautifully and we enjoyed this alot.

Special - Oysters

The croquetas followed which were full of flavour from the salty jamon and egg but very smooth.

Croqueta - Fried silky Croquette flavoured with Jamon and Egg

The scallops were slightly cool (I'm not sure if they were supposed to be cool?) but with the jamon atop and potato foam, it went down a treat.

Scallops - Oven baked Scallop with Jamon and Potato Foam

I insisted the birthday girl pierce the poached egg of Movida's signature dish as instructed by the waitress to 'make a big old mess with the jamon, poached egg and trufle foam'. I really enjoyed this dish as the jamon is incredibly delicate and salty yet the poached egg and truffle foam pulled this altogether to make a mouthful of different textures and flavours.

Cecina - Air Dried Wagyu with Poached Egg and Truffle Foam

We also had the Valencian salad which consisted of Endive, Orange, Palm Hearts and Manzanillo Olives. The salad was refreshing and much needed.

Ensalada Valenciana - Valencian salad. Endive, Orange, Palm Hearts & Manzanillo Olives

Our last savoury dish were the Bombas (featured on Masterchef) which is a potato bomb filled with chorizo. These were much tangier than usual and overwhelmed the potato and chorizo filling. I probably wouldn't order these again.

Bomba - Catalan Potato bomb filled with chorizo

For dessert, I chose the Hot Chocolate Ganache Pudding with Vanilla Bean ice-cream and Nougat. This was sinfully rich and gooey, perhaps a touch too rich as we were unable to finish this and I found the vanilla bean ice-cream to be a bit lacking in flavour as it had no distinct vanilla bean flavour and tasted more like cream.

Hot Chocolate Ganache Pudding with Vanilla Bean ice-cream and Nougat

The birthday girl chose the Special dessert of the day which was a Custard Pastry with Quince paste icecream and stewed fruits. We enjoyed this alot as the pastry filled custard was light and crispy which went well with the tart quince paste ice-cream. Everything on the plate went really well together and I preferred this dessert as it was light and very satifying.

Special dessert - Custard Pastry with Quince paste icecream and stewed fruits

Once again, another good meal at Movida Bar de Tapas. I have had two really good experiences here and would eagerly come back again. The birthday girl enjoyed her night out and was extremely happy to have finally tried Movida.

Outside, there is grafitti featured along the walls of Hosier Lane - one of the many things I LOVE about Melbourne.

Three Bags Full

2010-10-06T20:29:00.001+11:00

One of the first days that it actually felt like Spring, I found myself trekking out to Abbotsford with a friend for some coffee, brunch and gossip. Arriving just after 2pm, we managed to snag two of the last few seats available as the cafe was bustling with people savouring the weather and food.

A flat white and a latte was brought over. My flat white had a nice strong flavour but I found it to be a bit cooler for my liking which my friend also found.

Upon surveying the menu, I decided to go with the Parmesan Eggs - Poached free range eggs served on organic sourdough toast with Prosciutto, Parmesan and Truffle oil. With shavings of Parmesan sprinkled over the top and the scent of Truffle oil evident, I was sadly disappointed when I cut into my poached eggs and saw the golden congealed yolk. I liked this despite the overdone eggs, however this dish would have been so much better had the eggs not been overcooked. I mentioned to my friend that it was so wrong that there were no traces of oozy yolk on my plate.

My friend ordered the Banana Bread which come out with Poached Rhubarb & Blueberries and labna. The banana bread was thoroughly enjoyed however my friend thought there was too much poached rhubarb and the bottom serve of the Banana bread was soaked in the labna leaving it very tangy and soggy.

I really do love the vibe in here (especially love the tulips which were ridiculously gorgeous on that sunny day) however I found the food and coffee to be lacking somewhat. I would give it another chance but only on weekdays perhaps, as I can imagine that the weekends will only get busier as the weather improves.

Allegro Restaurant

2010-10-05T10:57:00.002+11:00

A key member of our staff at my firm was leaving to start her own business so we decided to have a farewell lunch at Allegro located at the Westin Melbourne Hotel. Allegro was fairly quiet when we arrived and we were quickly served with wine whilst we browsed through the menu. They offer a 'Platter for One' which consists of a limited choice of an Entree, Main and finished with a dessert however we all opted to have an Entree & Main each and share a Dessert Platter at the end.

A few of us girls chose a Dozen of Tasmanian Oysters to share - Half Kilpatrick and half Natural served with lemon. I don't have a photo but I found the oysters to be very fresh and enjoyed these a lot.

For my main course, I opted for the Baked Ocean Trout served on a herb risotto with a bacon & mushroom broth. This looked great when it came out with a brought flower placed on top. The baked Ocean Trout was nicely cooked and was moist. The green herb risotto sitting underneath was well cooked and had a nice bite to it whilst the bacon & mushroom broth gave extra flavour. The only con to this dish was the garnish on top was extremely salty and I ended up having to pick them out.

The dessert platter came out with 3 desserts - 1) Pear & apple tart with vanilla bean anglaise & caramelized nuts, 2) Baked lemon & coconut meringue cheese cake with passionfruit curd & fresh blueberries & 3) Frozen pistachio mousse with chocolate sauce & almond & pistachio bread

The Pear and apple tart was nice and my favourite of the lot. The baked Lemon & coconut meringue cheesecake was more like a Lemon tart (no hint of cheesecake at all!) was also nice however the blueberries weren't fresh (as stated), more like stewed, as they were really smushy and tasted overly sweet. The Frozen pistachio mousse was okay, everyone who tasted it had a hard time trying to distinguish what this dessert was as there were no distinct flavours at all.

We also received some take home chocolates from Cacao which was a nice touch. Overall, a very pleasant meal to send off one of our colleagues who will be sorely missed.

Salix Restaurant at Willow Creek Vineyard

2010-09-26T14:18:00.005+10:00

A surprise birthday lunch brought us all to Salix Restaurant located at Willow Creek Vineyard (Merricks North). We were on our way to our accommodation in Rye so Salix was a convenient lunch stop and the fact that it had several awards under its belt reaffirmed our choice.

Entrance of Salix Restaurant

Our view overlooking the vineyard

We decided to start off with Mains and leave some room for dessert. Some of the boys chose the Seared scallop salad which may have been the wrong choice as it was on the smaller side. Although they did enjoy this dish, I think this would be better suited for people after something lighter as the boys ended up slightly hungry & unsatisfied.

Seared scallops warm salad, crispy pork belly, peach & roquette, ginger & sherry dressing

SC* who had this dish really enjoyed this dish as it was light but filling. She thought the snapper was cooked well and everything went well together.

Pan fried local pink snapper fillet, Matt's asparagus, king prawn & fennel aioli, roast tomato & white bean puree

A* chose the Wagyu rump and although it sounded nice in theory, I found that it was too overpowering as the wagyu rump was coated with a peppercorn crumb and took away any possibly flavour from the wagyu and just made it peppery. The salad and potatoes on the side provided a slight break from the wagyu but did nothing to save the dish.

Roasted Sher wagyu rump, cos & witlof salad, kipfler potatoes, blue cheese butter, jus

My dish was the Eye fillet which was perfectly cooked to medium rare and the Heidi gruyere gratin was a combination of potato and cheesy goodness and complimented the Eye fillet well.

Char grilled eye fillet, potato and Heidi gruyere gratin, local broccolini, chutney jus

For dessert, the others selected the assiete of desserts so that they could sample a bit of everything. They enjoyed the variety and it also came out with a candle for the birthday boy.

Assiette of desserts (a selection of our desserts to share)

We chose the Pavlova which was stunning in presentation and tasted just as nice as it looked.

Merricks mess of vanilla bean pavlova, poached peach & raspberries, almond glass

A nice surprise lunch accompanied by good food and friends made for a great day. I can't see a repeat visit coming up but a pleasant experience nonetheless.

Max's at Red Hill Estate

2010-09-24T15:26:00.002+10:00

It's rare to see a day like this in the middle of Winter but to experience it, A* & I had to travel out of Melbourne into the Mornington Peninsula (Thanks Celeste for the correction!) region. We had a whole day planned for our day trip into the wining and dining region, which started off with a lunch date at Max's at Red Hill Estate.

Looking out into the vineyard

Max's

While perusing the menu, they brought out Bread which came with their own Olive oil, Balsamic Vinegar & crushed Dukkah. We were recommended to dip the bread in each one which proved to be a great flavour combination.

Bread with Olive oil, Balsamic Vinegar & crushed Dukkah

With too many options, we decided to choose Fresh antipasto plate which allowed us to sample a few entrees. The pumpkin soup was warm and hearty and the Smoked Salmon with the beetroot dip went well together. The calamari was tender but along with the Kangaroo fillet, which was tough, they were nothing special. I did not taste the ravioli so cannot comment but A* said it was okay.

Max's own antipasto include Salmon, Soup, Calamari, Kangaroo & Ravioli

I prefer my Oysters au natural however I am always open to trying new combinations. The yarra cavier gave salty bursts when they popped and however I found the Balsamic vinegar was too heavy with the oyster.

Freshly shucked oysters with Balsamic Vinegar & Yarra Cavier

Red Hill Estate Shiraz

The lamb was still pink inside and tender with a dukkah crust. They splashed my dish with their Balsamic Vinegar which I noticed (and I'm sure you can too) that they use alot in their dishes. The Balsamic Vinegar was used too heavily and I had to rely on the carrots for relief of the overly tangy flavours.

Lamb - Max's dukkah crusted lamb rack with crushed winter peas and honey roasted carrots

As you can see again, they used their Balsamic Vinegar promeninently in the dish. The Pork was tender and the skin was wonderfully crispy. However, the Balsamic Vinegar let the dish down as it made it far too salty and tangy and I had to offer A* some of the carrots from my dish as everything on his place was doused in the vinegar.

Pork - succulent baked tuscan porchetta, rolled with garlic and rosemary atop roasted kipfler potatoes and crispy prosciutto

The Chocolate fondant was decadent and gooey while the Panna cotta was beautifully creamy and had specks of vanilla bean. The petit orange and almond cakes were slightly hard but it was a nice dessert altogether.

Chocolate - chocolate fondant pudding with vanilla bean icecream and chocolate shards

Panna cotta - trio of vanilla pannacotta topped with spice petit orange and almond cakes and orange syrup

This is a nice homely restaurant and it is obviously a favourite for locals although it doesn't compare to my favourite restaurant in the area which is Montalto Winery (review to come).

The Firehouse

2010-09-24T09:56:00.000+10:00

On the weekends, we frequently travel out from the eastern suburbs to Brunswick, Collingwood, Fitzroy to have breakfast and it does get a bit draining with all the travel so one weekend we opted for The Firehouse located in Ringwood. I noticed it when browsing through the 2009 Good Food Guide and mentally made a note to go there when we were too lazy to travel too far.

We started off with some drinks. I had a latte which was satisfactory while A* ordered the Napoleone & Co. Apple Cider.

Napoleone & Co. Apple Cider

Ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter
A* ordered these and was in awe as soon as he took a bite. He loved the honeycomb butter with the hotcakes but I thought there could have been more banana in the dish.

Spanish Eggs with chorizo & black pudding
I liked the soft eggs with the yolk oozing out which helped with the acidity of the napoli sauce while the chirizo gave the dish a spicy kick. This was also my first time trying black pudding which I found not to my liking.

A nice suburban cafe/restaurant which has good food but nothing worthy of tempting me back for a re-visit.

Proud Mary

2010-09-24T09:41:00.000+10:00

I have been a huge fan of Proud Mary when it first opened. Located in the back streets of Collingwood is this busy cafe which usually has small groups of people waiting for a table on the sides. I love brunching all over Melbourne in search of better breakfasts and better coffee but I always keep coming back to Proud Mary.

Inside the cafe

Harrah Ethiopian Blend espresso
A* ordered this and found it to his liking

The Syphoned Geisha coffee
I ordered this as I had never tried Syphoned coffee before and although it was very different, I enjoyed the lighter and cleaner taste of this. It was almost like a tea but with a coffee flavour. A* didn't like it as he thought it tasted like weak coffee.

Avocado, herbed feta & slow roasted tomato on toast, rocket, lemon
I felt like something lighter and this fitted the bill perfectly.

Potato hash, crispy bacon, buttery spinach, a poached egg, with bagna cauda
This dish is amazingly tasty and one of the best breakfasts we've ever had.

Overall, this bustling cafe is a hot spot and although you may have to wait a bit for a table to free up, it's definitely worth it. I cannot wait for Melbourne's weather to warm up a bit and sit outside on the cute little stools.

Maze - Degustation

2010-09-14T10:41:00.002+10:00

After a month's worth of anticipation, we were finally heading to Maze restaurant for the first time on a busy Saturday night. It is located in the new Crown Metropol hotel and although I originally had no interest in trying another celebrity restaurant, some good reviews on several food blogs changed my mind and I was quite keen on a visit.

Maze restaurant offers a Chef's menu which is 7 courses for $110, so that was an easy choice for us. Our waiter suggested that instead of choosing which courses we wanted (some courses had an option between two dishes), he would bring out one of each dish so that we would be able to share and sample everything to which we agreed.

The lush decor inside the restaurant area

White focaccia bread with seaweed butter
The seaweed butter was salty and full of flavour which was nice however after eating a bit, I started to feel really greasy. It was addictive so I had to resist myself from stuffing myself before the courses even came out. I liked it as it was different but normal butter is still my fav!

We also ordered a bottle of The Wanderer Pinot Noir 2008.

I love the way the cutlery is set on the table.

Marinated beetroot with goats curd, cabernet sauvignon vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts
I adore beetroot so this dish was gold in my eyes. The tart beetroot contrasted with the salty goats curd and the pine nuts gave the dish texture. A really nice appetiser to start with.

Seared yellow fin tuna, white radish, yuzu, enoki mushrooms, black garlic
The tuna was slightly seared on the outside and left the deep red colour of the fish still visible which I liked. It was accompanied by the white radish and enoki mushrooms which gave a variety of textures and the black garlic gave the dish a bit of oomph. A simple yet beautiful dish.

Applewood smoked kingfish, fennel purée, pickled celery, globe artichoke, finger limes
The smoked kingfish was not overpowering and delicate so it fell apart in your mouth. The mixtures of pickled celery, globe artichokes and finger limes gave a lightness to the dish to counter the flavours of the smoked kingfish. This dish was slightly reminiscent of our favourite dish at Cutler & Co but Cutler & Co's dish is still number 1 in our eyes!

Pan seared scallop, caramelised kelp, samphire, mussels, Champagne veloute
The pan seared scallops were juicy and tender and it went really well with the champagne veloute. There was also a green paste underneath the champange veloute which tasted like a wheatgrass shot. It wasn't bad but the caramelised kelp which was sticky and sweet helped ease the green taste and overall this dish was fantastic.

Pan roasted barramundi, butternut squash, compressed cucumber, pumpkin seeds
The barramundi was a winner, cooked to perfection with its crispy skin.The butternut squash was a silky smooth paste that was perfect with the tender barramundi.

Roasted quail, black olive caramel, young spring onions, rocket
This tender dish of roasted quail was delightful especially with all the sides provided. A mouthful of everything proved that all the flavours complimented each other well.

Ox “tongue and cheek”, caper and raisin, carrots, horseradish pomme purée
The Ox tongue and cheek was braised in a rich sauce to perfection and melted in my mouth. Although I didn't quite enjoy the horseradish pomme purée as much, A* quickly snatched it from me and gobbled it down.

Seared Venison
I am a bad food blogger who gets overly excited about food and forgets all about jotting down what certain dishes are. This is what happened in this case. The seared venison was delicately seared and incredibly tender and flavoured well. I'm not sure what this potato stack looking thing is but I loved it. It was creamy but had a subtle crunch on top. Bad blogger, I know.

Exotic fruit vacherin, passion fruit curd and mango sorbet
I was dismayed when I saw this dish as I'm allergic to kiwi fruit but A* promptly scooped up all the kiwi bits for me (and I'm certain he took a bit extra too...). This was a light and fruity dish, while the fruit was sweet, the passion fruit curd provided a sour contrast. There was also meringue for texture and a beautiful mango sorbet, yum!

Maze “lamington”, rosella jam
The bottom bit was almost like a dense chocolate fudge cake and combined with the fluffy sponge cake on top and rosella jam, it did taste like a lamington, however there was just too much rosella jam for me. I did enjoy this dish nonetheless.

Take home Petit Fours
I didn't try these but A*'s sister had these the next day and was suffering a sugar headache for awhile.

White chocolate and Strawberry ice cream balls
The presentation of these when they came out awed us and we were very happy to finish our meal with these. The exterior was white chocolate which encased strawberry sorbet. A light and refreshing way to finish off a great meal.

The bite into the icecream balls.

Overall, despite being a celebrity restaurant with all its allure and glamour, Maze Restaurant does manage to please the senses and provide a great dining experience. The degustation is a great way to sample the menu and the service is professional and friendly. I tend to dislike restaurants located at Crown Casino however I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here and I'm very glad I gave Gordan Ramsey a chance.

I'll be back.......

2010-09-07T13:39:00.000+10:00

next week as I'm currently down with a cold :( and heading off to the Gold Coast :D tomorrow!

Maze Restaurant degustation review is up next..
Take care until then lovelies :) xx

Syracuse

2010-09-04T14:52:00.002+10:00

My old friend was back in town for a week before jetting off to Hong Kong again so we decided to catch up for some good food and wine. We chose Syracuse as it was in the Entertainment book (which we forgot to bring) but also because it was rated as a One Hat restaurant. The review on I'm so hungreeeeeeeeee's blog was enticing and positive so I was looking forward to the night.

We started off with a bottle of Kooyong Estate 2008 Pinot Noir and some turkish bread with minted yoghurt which was good as we were famished.

Turkish bread with minted yoghurt & a bottle of Kooyong Estate 2008 Pinot Noir

Saganaki
While I haven't tried enough Saganaki to make a reasonable critique, this saganaki was nice with the lemon and crispy exterior.

Cubed and seared tuna with pickled baby cucumbers
The seared side of the tuna was well seasoned while the pickled cucumbers and mushrooms were a nice addition.

Pan fried calamari with wild rocket, walnut, chilli and lemon dressing
The calamari was tender and the chilli dressing gave it a mild kick. I appreciate a good calamari dish, especially if it's not overcooked and chewy!

Crispy Roast duck with mushroom
This was my favourite dish of the night - the duck was cooked perfectly so that it was still pink and tender inside while the skin was crispy. The fried mushrooms on top added a great texture to the dish.

Grilled scotch fillet with oxtail ragout, roasted green beans with cumbled goats feta
The scotch fillet was grilled to medium rare and was sliced up for us by the cooks. I found that the oxtail ragout along with the scotch fillet was too 'meaty' for me and found relief in the roasted green beans. However my dining companions enjoyed this.

Cheesecake mousse with pecan brittle and lemon syrup
The cheesecake mousse smooth and creamy and the crunchy pecan brittle added another level of textures in this dish. The tart lemon syrup helped allay the creaminess and sweetness of the mousse and pecan brittle.

Anzac panna cotta with raison and tea puree with shaved frozen apple
The crumbling of Anzac biscuits on top of the panna cotta enhanced the flavour however the table agreed that the Cheesecake mousse was the winning dessert.

Service was fairly good, although it did seem a little iffy during some points of the night however the manager was very friendly and welcoming. Syracuse has a very classy and more mature atmosphere which was a nice change from the loud dining halls featured heavily in Melbourne's food scene.

Der Raum & Black Pearl

2010-09-02T14:10:00.004+10:00

I thought I would change it up a bit and post up some photos of two great bars I've visited this month and think worthy of a mention. Both have won an array of bar awards with staff who know what they're doing and can whip you up an impressive drink in no time.

As usual, Der Raum is a place to impress newcomers who awe at the bottles of alcohol strung up and the flashy makings of cocktails. I am hoping to attend a Saturday night Degustation they have recently started offering. It is 5 courses for $70 which is great value for money considering that their cocktails normally cost $20-25 each.

Der Raum with its signature strung up bottles

Amuse Bouche to open up your senses made with dry ice to create this visual effect.

Spritzing the 'Zombie' to create a large flame

The 'Zombie' in heat.. the passionfruit half filled with sugar and alcohol lit up

I've forgotten what this drink was called but it had Yellow Chartreuse in it and was one of the MTS drinks. It also had a dehydrated lemon to garnish, nifty!

The 'Zombie' - Don's style

Making of 'Big in Japan'

'Big in Japan'

Next up is Black Pearl, based in Fitzroy, which has an award winning staff always friendly and ready to mix up a cocktail for you. The bar is decorated with interesting light fixtures and comfortable couches and the bartenders there, who sing & chat in-between throwing your cocktail together, really makes you feel welcome and relaxed.

The comfy couches although it is a very dark photo

The bar area

The menu

We chatted to our bartender who explained that the Zombie consisted of 5 varieties of rum, one of them being Wray & Newphew 'Overproof White Rum' from Jamaica which is the top selling high-strength rum in the world (an alcohol content of 63%) - lethal! Adorned on top was a absinthe lemon flame, this drink was sure to knock anyone off their feet. Our bartender told us that 3 Zombies would be more than enough to send someone into a drunken stupor and it surely did.

The Zombie

I asked our bartender for a recommendation for a sweet cocktail to which he presented this "don't be fooled, it may look sweet but it's deadly"

The description of the left drink below

My favourite drink of the night would be the Fuzzy Lil' Man Peach which was beautiful as you could taste the peach but also smell the cinnamon on top. The drink on the right was tequila based and quite nice considering we are not big fans of tequila. Similar to a Long Island ice tea.

Between A* & I, we had only consumed 4 cocktails but we left stumbling out the door.

Our bar tab

So there you have it, two of my top favourite bars known for their creative mixology methods.

Taste of Melbourne 2010

2010-09-01T10:16:00.001+10:00

The last weekend in August 2010 brought upon us, the Taste of Melbourne Festival which features at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton annually. Despite the lack of Restaurants which had previously been featured at the Taste of Melbourne festival, we were looking forward to it.

Armed with our tickets and 210 crowns (between 5 people, we're not absolute pigs!), we first visited The Palace by Luke Mangan to sample the Wagyu burger and Hopkins River Eye fillet, potato mash and bordelaise sauce.

The Wagyu burger was nice but there was no big difference between that of a normal burger. I liked it nonetheless as it was my first meal of the day.

The Eye fillet was enjoyed by those who had it and thought it was very tender and went well with the potato mash and sauce.

We then followed on top have two cocktails from Longrain Bar. The bar was pumping extremely loud music but that did not deter me from getting the cocktails which were refreshing and oh so pretty to look at.

Moscow Mule & Calm'n'Miranda Cocktails

The Wagyu Beef Cigars with artichoke tapenade from Stokehouse were crispy while the wagyu beef inside was tender and flavoursome. The artichoke tapenade also went well with the cigars.

From Mezzo Bar & Grill, we had the Slow braised pork cheek which was suprisingly tender and not dry.

We also had the Cavatelli de messina with prawns, peas, pecorino and lemon oil which we all found too salty and could not finish it.

Seared cured Marlborough King Salmon, warm sweet corn and potato salad
The salmon was perfectly cooked and seasoned, enjoyed by everyone.

Calabrian prawn sausage, pickled cucumber salad from Sarti
This was not bad however I had no idea what I was eating at the time but it had quite a fishy taste to it and I mentioned to A* that it tasted like fish eggs to which he agreed. The pickled cucumber helped get rid of the fishy taste as well.

Wallaby tataki, ginger soy, horseradish from Charcoal Lane
I was a tiny bit wary of the gamey taste of Wallaby however this was so similar to beef tataki that I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Oyster - tempura, with local condiments, dressing & dipping sauces
The oyster tempura was made on the spot so it was still hot and the sauce went great with it. The only complaint I have is the tiny size of it, which was smaller than a 20 cent coin, for 10 crowns. Another oyster was purchased and we all saw the sizable difference as it was twice as large. While it was nice, I dislike it when there is an inconsistency with dishes.

Pistachio 'panna cotta', caramel salted popcorn from Sarti
This beautiful dessert caught my eye immediately however the panna cotta was quite heavy and creamy but I was disappointed when there was no substantial pistachio taste to it. The caramel salted popcorn was nice but did not make up for the lack lustre panna cotta.

This piece of art from Embrasse caught murmurs of awe and admiration from passerbys. The chocolate parfait was wonderfully creamy however the only let down as that the sorrel mint granita had no flavour which I have previously sampled at the restaurant. As you can see in the photo, it lacks the intense green colour that the mint granita is supposed to have. Overall, this dessert was enjoyed by all.

Pat and Stick's Ice cream sandwich - Espresso Lace
I was urged by one of my friends to try Pat and Stick's icecream sandwiches which they rated as the best sandwiches ever. However by the time I was ready for dessert, half of the flavours had sold out (I would have chosen the double choc one!) so we picked Espresso Lace and what a caffeine hit it was. The flavours were intense and while the cookie was extremely hard, the ice cream sandwich was altogether nom-worthy.

With our last 2 crowns, we opted for a scoop of Triple Caramel Chunk ice cream from Ben & Jerry's which had caramel filled chocolates dotted throughout the ice cream.

An enjoyable experience once again at the Taste of Melbourne festival this year. A lot of people do think this festival is a waste of money and complete rip off but I see it as a good way to experience restaurants that you normally wouldn't visit and a nice foodie day out. Although I'd like to see better restaurants featuring next year. I have heard rave reviews about the Taste of Sydney festival so that will be my next Taste festival destination, hopefully.

Il Fornaio

2010-08-30T14:58:00.001+10:00

After St. ALi and Philippa Sibley recently took over the kitchen at Il Fornaio, I was keen for a visit but always ended up deferring as St. Kila is out of the way for us. But on this most recent Friday night, despite getting lost and making what should have been a 15 minute drive into a 45 minute adventure, we managed to find parking and obtain a cosy corner table at Il Fornaio.

I immediately took a liking to Il Fornaio's atmosphere and vibe & our waitress, who we throughout the night asked for her recommendations, was extremely friendly & engaging making our visit even moreso enjoyable.

The cute menu with 'salty' and 'sweet' options & I added in close-ups for those who want an idea of what's available :)

The view from our table

First off, we started with some bread and butter which we can never resist.

Prawn and Saffron Arancini with aioli
These were perfect deep fried balls of prawn and saffron risotto. We didn't order more as we were determined to save room for 2 desserts otherwise we would have.

Coq au Vin pithivier - Chicken & Mushroom pie with puff pastry
Our waitress recommended this to us as it was easier to share. The chicken and mushroom filling was full of flavour - the chicken was tender and perfectly seasoned. The puff pastry was light, crispy and buttery. We really enjoyed this.

A dissection of the Coq au Vin pithivier

Snow White Rose Red - crystallized violets and the combination of textures and flavours is what it's all about.

This dessert consisted of Fresh Strawberries, Poached Quince, Raspbery Sorbet, Heilala Vanilla icecream, and embellished with meringue sticks & crystalised rose petals on top. This was sensational altogether, especially the delicate rose petals which, when eaten with the heilala vanilla icecream, gave you an explosion of rose flavoured icecream. This dessert is definitely worth coming back for!

The famous 'Snickers'
Apparently this dessert was featured in Masterchef which was why I originally wanted to come. A mouthful confirmed that this did taste exactly like a Snickers bar. The caramel parfait glace was light and creamy while the salted peanut caramel combined with the milk chocolate mousse made the dessert. However this was very rich and we did end up struggling to finish it despite how tasty it was.

Il Fornaio has an intimate yet lively atmosphere which I would approve and go back for date nights. The excellent service is probably what enhanced our enjoyment of Il Fornaio so props to our waitress who was unwaveringly friendly & helpful. We enjoyed both the salty and sweet offerings and hope to be back sometime soon.

Hardware Societe

2010-08-29T10:55:00.001+10:00

A mid-week lunch was decided to be had at The Hardware Societe. I had previously attempted an unsucessful visit due to the fact they were closed on Sundays so was this visit was long overdue. The cute and quirky cafe hidden on Hardware Street is furnished with chalkboards with daily specials, ladders safe-keeping reading material, and funky lights hanging from the ceiling. As you can see from the photos, everything is made to please the eyes.

We started off with drinks while perusing the menu.

A Orange and Passionfruit sparkling mineral and a Flat White.

Sausage on potato with sweet relish.
The sausage was very nicely flavoured and went well with the potato and sweet relish. I'm generally not too keen on sweet relishes (bad experience which has scarred me) but I had a minimal amount with everything else which was good for me. A simple but satisfying dish.

Chicken Stew with couscous
The chicken was very tender and although not something that A* would normally pick but he enjoyed the combination of chicken, couscous and stew and thought there was a perfect proportion of everything.

Custard Tart
We were tempted to order another custard tart but had to resist due to full bellies. The pastry was buttery and crumbly while the custard was perfectly creamy. Easily the best custard tart I've had to date. A* tried to throw me off from having any of this by telling me that it didn't taste nice trying to monopolise the tart - how selfish!

Passionfruit and Chocolate & Licorice Macarons
These macarons were nice and the flavours were promenient. I liked the chocolate flavour in the Passionfruit & Chocolate macaron. A* enjoyed the Licorice macaron which was packed with chunks of licorice inside.

A dissection of the Licorice Macaron.

The interior is visually pleasing, the service is super friendly and the food makes for a satisfying meal. I only wish I could wake up early enough to make it here for breakfast before work.

Anada

2010-08-27T11:53:00.001+10:00

Anada is another bustling Gertrude Street pearl that offers tapas and wide range of spanish wines. In my experience, you will need to book a week in advance for a table on the weekends because that's how popular it is. Aside from the tapas and raciones, they also have 7 and 12 course banquets available. We opted for the 12 course banquet and also requested that two of the courses be the quail and pork belly dishes which was fine with the chefs. I apologise that some of the photos are blurry, my camera was low on battery so I was in a rush to take photos quickly.

Bread was brought out with olive oil and much to our delight, there was black salt provided as well which was interesting to try. The oysters were full of flavours from the sea. I prefer the smaller sized oysters like these.

St Helen’s oyster with lemon (Tasmania)

Next came piping hot beaker-like glasses with Celeriac Soup with labneh and black salt. I was so excited that I immediately drank it along with the black salt flakes floating on the top. Once mixed altogether it was a lovely, hearty soup.

Celeriac Soup with labneh and black salt

Rabbit Empanadilla was basically like a pastie with well flavoured rabbit meat in it. The pastry was nice and crunchy.

Rabbit Empanadilla

I originally didn't want to try the jamon in the banquet but this turned out to be delicious. It melted in my mouth and had such a nice texture and flavour.

Acorn fed Iberico jamon de Jabugo. Imported organic pata negra jamon, aged 3 years

The stuffed calamari was tender and was very nice with a big squeeze of lemon over the top. The grilled quail was nicely grilled with crispy skin and the pomegranate gave pops of sweetness with the frekeh salad.

Stuffed calamari with sumac + Charcoal grilled quail with frekeh & pomegranate salad

The salad was a refreshing break and the crispy garlic was addictive. Now, this pork belly from Anada is famous by its own rights. The meat was juicy and tender while the skin was well seasoned and oh-so crunchy. One of my favourite pork bellys thus far.

Gem lettuce & chervil cress with crispy garlic and 12 year old Andalusian white balsamic + Western Plains pork belly with fennel seed & smokey aubergine

Next came the Charcoal grilled prawns with salmorejo and pancetta which I forgot to take a photo of as we were hungry. The prawns were good and the pancetta gave a perfect crispy texture to the dish.

The potato cakes had a golden fried exterior which encased a hearty lamb filling. The zucchini dish did not impress my memory but they were okay.

Potato cake stuffed with lamb & sweet paprika + Zucchinis (forgot what they were)

We were stuffed at this point and were amazed to see this big plate of desserts come out. This dessert platter had a variety so we got to try almost all the desserts available.

The churros were light yet crunchy and the dark chocolate sauce went well with them. I've only had legit churros one other time at Movida Aqui and I rate Anada's better. The pomegranate & orange blossom sorbet was so light and fruity while the pedro ximenez & muscatel icream was beautifully sweet and creamy. I can't remember what the dessert in the middle was but it was sour and some kind of cake. Very interesting but I focused on the ice creams and churros.

Churros with chocolate + Pomegranate & orange blossom sorbet with sugared pistachios + Pedro Ximenez & muscatel ice cream

I immensely enjoyed the 12 course banquet as the service and food were impecable. I would reccomend that you to get yourself there now!

Little Creatures Dining Hall

2010-08-25T09:45:00.001+10:00

After attending the Fat garage sale earlier this year, we headed across the road to have an early lunch at Little Creatures Dining Hall. It is set in a large warehouse and the furnishings are rough, yet sleek and comfortable.

We started off with some drinks and I couldn't resist getting the Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato - I had recently tried it at the Innocent Bystander Winery. A* naturally chose the Pipsquek Cider which was light and less fizzy than beer which I prefer.

Pipsqueak Cider & Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato

Crumbed Buffalo Mozzarella, Asaparagus, Cherry tomatoes, Zucchini
Everything went so well together and the crumbed buffalo mozzarella is sinful.

Lamb Shanks, Mash, Vegetables
The lamb was fall-apart tender and the vegetables and mash were perfect to soak up the rich juices from the lamb. It was a rainy day so this was perfect.

Calamari Salad, Chilli, Citrus
This dish was sweet and spicy at the same time which I enjoyed.

Our bill came in this book

I like the communal vibe and the open spaced warehouse feel. I can imagine it would get very busy on the weekends. They also have bikes that you can borrow near the entrance which is a nice quirky touch.

Dead Man Espresso

2010-08-24T11:14:00.003+10:00

After dragging myself out of bed after an all-nighter, we decided to head out for some brunch and shopping. Dead Man Espresso is another Melbourne cult coffee hangout, nestled within the quiet streets of South Melbourne cooly furnished with a boarded up balcony overlooking the footpath below.

First off, we ordered some coffees to get the adrenalin pumping. A* ordered a long mac and I asked for a recommendation for my latte which turned out to be the Seven Seeds blend. My latte was a bit cooler than I usually like but still good.

Long Macchiato and Latte

For food, I opted for the Bangers and Mushies which consisted of Sausages, mushrooms, two poached eggs, bacon bits, small scattered pieces of toast and goats curd. This dish was interesting although I didn't have enough bread to go with everything else on the plate. I only probably got one slice of bread all up at most. I tend to go by the rule - 1 slice of bread to 1 egg but that's just my preference.

Bangers and Mushies

A* chose the Crumpets with Smoked Salmon, Mango and Avocado Salsa. He thought this dish was okay but he liked that the smoked salmon wasn't as overpowering as it can be at times.

Crumpets with Smoked Salmon, Mango and Avocado Salsa

Afterwards, I ordered a flat white which was the Dead Man Espresso blend which I immensely enjoyed.

Flat White (Dead Man Espresso blend)

The service is very friendly and the staff are always ready to help you with any recommendations. The food we had that day was okay but I'd like to come back for just coffee on the balcony during the warmer months.

Ibuki (Flinders Lane)

2010-08-23T10:39:00.003+10:00

If you are looking for good value, authentic and tasty Japanese, then Ibuki is the place to go. Ibuki was formerly based in Bentleigh East offering banquets to groups of 10 and more. I never had a chance to visit but took the oportunity as soon as I heard that Ibuki was moving into the CBD. They firsted opened up on Lonsdale Street and later opened another on Flinders Lane. I have visited both restaurants several times and rely on it when I have cravings for Japanese

Sashimi Moriawase
Salmon, Tuna & Kingfish sashimi were all fresh and thickly cut and the wasabi was freshly grated.

Nasu Dengaku - Eggplant with sweet miso paste
The eggplant was smooth and silky and the sweet miso paste gave it a flavour kick.

Tempura Moriawase
There was an assortment of tempura including prawn, squid and the usual vegetables (capsicum, sweet potato, lotus root, zuccini, radish & pumpkin) and all were tasty. For $21, I really don't know where else you can get a plateful of tempura like this.

Gyu Tataki
This beef tataki was slightly a bit too salty but still very good. It had sprinklings of sesame seed, shallots, pickled radish and mayonaise. Just to illustrate, the two guys at the next table over re-ordered this dish 3 times.

Shabu Shabu - Thinly sliced beef with vegetables in a light broth with sesame & ponzu dipping sauce

Plate of food to be cooked
Lastly, we had Shabu Shabu which comprised of us cooking the beef and vegetables in a cast iron pot they brought out. This was nice but I probably would have prefered Sukiyaki here as it is more flavoursome and filling.

Green Tea & Black Sesame Ice cream
We finished off by having green tea and black sesame ice cream. A nice and refreshing way to end the meal. Although I think the serving should larger for the price and these were two half scoops ($8.50).

They have expanded their menu for more variety so now there is more reason to come. The prices are very reasonable, food is fresh and service is attentive. I overheard the waiter on the phone saying that they were fully booked out on weekends til 12th September so be sure to book ahead if dining during the weekend. On our next visit, we plan to try the 10 course Omakase which includes Lobster Sashimi ($100pp) - can't wait!

Comme Kitchen

2010-08-22T09:22:00.000+10:00

Heading up to the City on a Friday night for dinner was more hectic than expected so L* & I ended up missing our dinner reservation at The Deanery. We ended up waiting 10 minutes at Comme Kitchen and afterwards, got a cute little table by the fireplace. The darkly lit dining space with candles placed on tables provided a nice intimate atmosphere which I instantly liked.

We started off with an entree to share. The stuffed olives were deep fried and together with the heirloom tomatoes and fresh goats curd, it was a wonderful combination. I was disappointed when I noticed this was no longer on the menu a few weeks later.

Salad of heirloom tomatoes, stuffed olives, fresh goats curd, basil

I chose the Lamb as my main. Nice flavours and incredibly tender.

Medley of Lamb with Salad and Roasted Eggplant

L* enjoyed her steak.

Cape grim abgus rump, pomme frites, watercress & bearnaise

We decided to share a dessert which was the Creme Brulee, with the tart fruits it was a light way to finish off a very pleasant meal.

Creme brulee with a peach, plum and almond salad

Service was friendly and food was good which made for an enjoyable evening. I've made a note that Comme would be an ideal restaurant to go on a date, if the bar next door isn't too rowdy.

EARL Canteen

2010-08-21T14:05:00.008+10:00

The name EARL Canteen was brought about as an anagram for Real food and this is what EARL Canteen delivers in the other end of Collins street away from the high label boutiques. It is tucked away at 500 Bourke Street underneath Movida Aqui & Terraza in a sunny courtyard.

A quick browse over the menu and we knew what we were after.

A* chose the Pork Belly which has seen rave reviews from just about everyone who has tried it. The crackling was super crispy, the meat succulent and went well with the coleslaw. One minor let down was that the baguette was a bit too tough for A* but still a good meal.

Pork Belly - Crisp skin Otway pork belly, apple, cabbage & fennel coleslaw, wilted silverbeet, baguette

I was so looking forward to this - the thought of mushrooms, truffle paste and a soft cooked egg excited my tastebuds but unfortunately it didn't hit the spot for me. The gluten free wrap was really dry, the mushrooms were okay but the soft boiled egg was more like a normal boiled egg sliced up. I was pretty envious looking at A* crunch his way through the Pork Belly baguette.

Truffled Mushrooms - Autumnal mushrooms, wilted spinach, truffle paste, soft cooked egg, gluten-free wrap

We ended the meal with some takeaway macarons. I can't remember what flavour they were but they were petit and yummy.

Mini macarons

The ladies serving us were lovely and friendly and although it is a bit of a distance away from my office, I'd trek down once in awhile to try their other gourmet baguettes.

Tempura Hajime

2010-08-20T09:57:00.000+10:00

Birthday Dinner #5: My actual birthday day and my last & final celebratory dinner! I decided to take A* out to Tempura Hajime for dinner to thank him for spoiling me on my birthday.. but obviously you can see that I was just using that as an excuse to go out and eat!

I have visited Tempura Hajime before but this time around, Daisuke Miyamoto was no longer the Chef and had entrusted his restaurant to a young new chef (I believe formerly from Kenzan?). Seating only 12 people at a time, you feel like you've found a hidden gem in South Melbourne.

I only had my phone camera on me at the time so excuse the shoddy pictures.

We started off with some drinks which were very refreshing. I heart Plum wine so much.

Plum wine with Soda and Shochu, Blackcurrant & Soda

For starters, we had a few slices of Salmon & Kingfish Sashimi and a Chicken salad on the side. The sashimi was incredibly fresh and delicious. The chicken salad was also nice.

Starters of Sashimi & Chicken Salad (not pictured)

The waitress soon places a tray of condiments in front of us and explained what to do. The silver juicer held a lemon inside so when you squeezed it, lemon juice would drip out. That was paired with Pink Murray River Salt. In the white bowl contained Tentsuyu sauce (tempura sauce) which you could mixed grated daikon (radish) according to your preference. We were advised to only dip it in one sauce at a time and not to mix.

Condiments - Lemon with pink Murray River salt & Tentsuyu Sauce with radish

First came the Sweet Corn tempura which was sweet and juicy. The batter was light yet crunchy without the greasy feeling.

Sweet Corn Tempura

The Tuna and Avocado Sushi tempura was perfectly cooked so that the Tuna was only half cooked and the bit surrounding the avocado was still raw. This was drizzled in sauce and topped with mayo. The Eel tempura was also really nice - very juicy and tender and I enjoyed it which says alot, since I generally don't like Eel.

Tuna and Avacado Sushi Tempura with mayo & Eel Tempura

The Prawn tempura was delicate and on a totally different level from those heavily battered prawn tempuras you get the foodcourts. I liked this with the Tempura sauce.

Prawn Tempura

Next was the mixed salad which was refreshing but we wanted more tempura!

Salad

The Sweet Potato tempura was addictive! The sweet potato was, wait for it, sweet and dipped in the slightly salty Tempura sauce left me wanting more. I also liked the Scallop and Sea Urchin tempura - the Scallop was also half cooked so the centre was still transluctent and the Sea Urchin gave it a distinct 'From the Sea' taste. Usually I don't like sea urchin but it was a wonderful mix.

Sweet Potato Tempura & Scallop filled with Nori and Sea Urchin Tempura

This is what fish and chips should be like. The fish was still moist inside and was only just held together by the tempura batter.

John Dory and shiso Tempura

The Mushroom with the plump prawn mince tempura was also beautifully cooked.

Mushroom stuffed with minced prawn Tempura

I expected the wagyu to be a little more tender but it was still nice and the flash of pink in the middle satisfied me.

Wagyu Tempura

Afterwards we had our palate cleanser which refreshing. I think they cater to what drinks you're already having so you can try something different.

Palate cleanser - Yuzu, Shochu & Soda

I was full so I passed this onto A*. He gobbled both bowls up in record time. Basically it was a cluster of mixed tempura (seafood & vegies) with Teriyaki sauce.

Rice with tempura vegetables & Fish and teriyaki sauce

The last course was dessert and similar to panna cotta, we relished every bit.

Dessert - Yoghurt Jelly with grapes and cointreau & muscat juice dressing

Dinner at Tempura Hajime is not something that you'd label as good value but I definitely believe it's an experience to try Melbourne's best tempura in Degustation style. A* & I really enjoyed ourselves but it's not something that we'd visit often but once in a while for special occasions.

And what girl wouldn't be supremely happy after an Epic weekend long birthday feast, best friends and a bouquet of flowers from her hubby? If only life could be like this every weekend ;)

Movida Bar de Tapas

2010-08-19T10:55:00.027+10:00

On a warm and sunny Sunday, A* and I trekked to the city to have breakfast at Hardware Societe. After finding parking and walking a far way there, we discovered that it wasn't open on Sundays! After some fretting and calling around, we found out that Movida Bar de Tapas was open. After relocation and waiting 20 minutes for a table, we were seated by our friendly waitress who explained the menu to us - smaller vs. larger dishes (Yes, phone camera again unfortunately).

A* chose the Pear cider which I really liked while I chose the Moorila Estate pinot noir which we discovered on our Hobart trip previously. A* followed up with a 'Bling' India Pale Ale after seeing another lady nearby order it (what a lemming haha).

Le Pere jules cidre bouche (Pear cider) and Moorilla Estate 'Praxis' pinot noir (right)

& 'Bling' India Pale Ale (left)

We decided to pick a few Tapas and some Raciones to share and leave room for dessert.

Anchoa
A* ordered the Anchoa and liked it. I warned him not to bite into the sorbet like I did! Not a problem because he stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

Fried silky croquette flavoured with leek and mahon cheese
These were made for winter! The crunchy exterior and the blissfully smooth and creamy potato, leek and cheese filling would equate to my definition of comfort food.

Oven baked Scallop with Jamon & Potato foam
These were neither cold or hot but still very tasty. The Potato foam softened the savouriness of the Scallop and Jamon. There was a moments hesitation before I resisted licking the shell and I'm fairly certain I saw A* glance side to side to see to check if anyone was looking so he could get away with it as well.

Air dried Wagyu beef with Poached egg & Truffle foam
This is Movida's signature dish and the taste alone explains why it was voted "Best dish of the year" a few years ago and it still rates highly in my opinion. The wagyu beef is salty but not overwhelming so, and the burst of golden yolk combined with the truffle foam did placate it to produce a wonderful, flavoursome dish.

Spiced Chicken Escabache Tapa on crisp crouton
This tasted like chicken pate on a crispy crouton. It wasn't anything great though.

Prawn Pincho with Romesco
This had more impact visually, than taste-bud wise. It was like cold prawn in jelly form, not one of my favourites but not horrible.

Pan seared Quail breasts with fried bread & grapes
This was one of my favourite dishes - the quail was delicately cooked and had a crispy skin, while the fried bread had absorbed a buttery flavour but still had a crunch and the grapes added the needed sweetness to the dish.

Roast Lamb Cutlet encased in a Catalan pork & paprika pate
A* ate this as my stomach had given up at this point. The lamb was soft but needed the pate to ease that distinct lamb taste.

Homemade Ice cream with Fig bread - Gingerbread ice cream, Pear sorbet & White Chocolate ice cream
All these flavours were intensely beautiful and the fig bread was dense with bits of dried fig throughout. The Gingerbread ice cream brought you back to Christmas memories, bold and spicy gingery flavours. The Pear sorbet was light and delightfully sweet. The White Chocolate ice cream was unlike others I've had and the texture was very nice.

This dessert ended our meal at Movida Bar de Tapas on a beautifully high note - I was driving home, high on good food, while A* slipped into a food coma. Between the two Movidas I have tried (Aqui & the original), I enjoyed the food more at Movida Bar de Tapas. Also the venue was more intimate and dark compared to the clamour and bustle of Movida Aqui.

Basque

2010-08-18T13:30:00.000+10:00

After attending the Advance Screening Premiere of 'Centurion' at Jam Factory, I decided that we should finally hit up Basque for some tapas before we made the long journey home. It was only a Monday night but the place was almost full when we arrived.

After browsing the menu, we decided to start off with some deep fried balls of potato goodness. These were very moreish & perfect for a drizzly cold night.

Jamon croquetas served with red capsicum sauce

Next up were the lamb cutlets, nothing special but not too bad.

Herb marinated Lamb cutlets with parsley and mint patte

We decided on the asparagus dish to lighten up the meal. This was nice and tangy but I would have preferred a bit more bite to the asparagus.

Fresh asparagus with avocado chunks and sun dried tomatoes

We can never say no to pork belly however this dish was lacking flavour. Really plain once you got past the honey glaze on the outside.

Honey glazed pork belly

We were stuffed at this point so there was no room for dessert. It was a decent meal but I don't think I'd go back as there are better places to eat at around this area.

Circa, the Prince

2010-08-17T22:26:00.000+10:00

Birthday ~~Dinner~~ Lunch #4: To make the most of my birthday weekend, A* had booked lunch at Circa for us. Sunday lunches are more casual and offer a three course menu.

I believe Circa recently finished renovations - it had alot of natural light coming in from the clear ceilings, a wall of plants & herbs and modern furnishings. It had a very organic feel to the place.

Bread with creme fraiche
A nice change from olive oil and butter

Curried pumpkin soup, confit duck with pickled mushrooms
This was an oriental twist on the classic pumpkin soup and the duck and mushrooms gave punches of different flavours to keep the soup exciting. There were bits of salted crunchy-like duck pieces which were nice.

Rare seared beef, black bean, crispy shallots, radish
This was similar to the japanese Beef Tataki only with a hit of saltiness from the black bean. I liked the crunchy textures from the shallots and radish.

Jed's oysters with cucumber jelly
The cucumber jelly and ginger complimented the oysters well. Yum, wish I had more.

Grilled quail, fritter, yoghurt & Smoked duck breast, beetroot, goats curd, sorrel
The grilled quail was nice but I couldn't figure out what the fritters above tasted like. I recall they had a slight curry flavour to them. I liked the flavours of the duck, beetroot and goats curd together. This was quite a large serve for starters so I was already starting to get full.

Milawa chicken breast, braised radicchio, confit garlic, potato fondant
Chicken mains tend to be quite boring in my opinion but this one satisfied me, especially the potato fondant and confit garlic. The chicken was succulent and seasoned well.

Port short loin, baked autumn leaves, white onion, slippery jacks
A* enjoyed this and said this was very nice. The skin was crispy and everything tasted nice. The only problem was trying to finish it!

Rhubarb & quince crumble, vanilla bean ice cream
When this came out, I was a bit confused because it was so large, I thought it was a serving for two. The crumble was bigger than the span of my hand! The Rhubarb and quince crumble was a nice dessert to finish off the banquet of a meal we had just had. The vanilla bean ice cream was really nice and A* ended up stealing the rest.

Banana Creme Brulee, Chocolate crunch
A* wasn't so sure about the Banana Creme Brulee but decided to give it a go since he had such an affinity for Creme Brulees. He really enjoyed the Banana Creme Brulee with the dark chocolate mousse on the side. I found it nice and it was like banana pudding with a caramelised layer on top but it became a bit too much for me after a while so the vanilla bean ice cream helped lighten up his dessert.

Considering that Circa is a Two Hatted restaurant, I was extremely surprised at how good for value their Sunday lunches are. It almost felt like we were in the country where the Entrees are the size of Mains (in city restaurants). The food and service was good and hopefully I will be back soon to sample their dinner menu.

Cutler & Co - Degustation

2010-08-16T15:44:00.000+10:00

Birthday Dinner #4: After a hectic night from celebrating my Quarter-life crisis, my beloved took me out for a dinner at Cutler & Co. I was severly disappointed from the previous night's dinner at Sarti but I was sure that Cutler & Co. would cure my disappointment. Before the menus were even handed out to us, we looked at each other with mutual agreement and promptly order the Degustation for two.

We were admiring the decor and concluded that it felt like the older bad-ass sister of Cumulus Inc.

In no time, our table was overloaded with the starters.

Wagyu bresoala with anchovy pastry
We were to roll the wagyu bresola around the anchovy pastry. This was a good flavour combination and I really liked it.

Petit Clair de Lune oysters
These were extremely cute in size and had a creamy texture. I love how they serve it with the lemon cheek, class!

Slow cooked octopus done two ways - with aioli & chorizo
This was very tender and delicious and left me wanting more.

Parmasen crackers
A different take on prawn crackers, left a cheesy aftertaste though.

Cured Kingfish, pickled cucumber, beetroot, creme fraiche & cavier
This dish would have to be the highlight of the meal, in fact, it would be A*'s all time favourite dish and I would have to agree. I can't even begin to describe the deliciousness that is this dish. The slightly salty Cured Kingfish was offset by the creme fraiche and picked cucmber and the textures of beetroot jelly were delightful. I was instructed by A* that I had to have a bit of everything in one mouthful to appreciate it.

Spanner crab, abalone, sweet corn soup (horrible picture I know)
This soup had large tender chunks of crab and abalone. I embarrassingly clinked my bowl one too many times trying to savour every last bit.

Raw, cooked and pickled carrot salad, radish, candied walnuts
I didn't really enjoy this dish as I would have preferred to forgone this dish and left a bit more breathing space in my painfully expanded stomach at the end of the night. However the carrots were sweet and cooked well.

Duck done two ways, radicchio, crispy capers, foie gras cigar
This was also very nice. The duck was tender and the foie gras cigar which was I looking forward to the most was as decadent as I had imagined as the crispy wafer crumbled to reveal the foie gras Mmmm.

Wood grilled Rangers Valley short rib slow cooked for 12 hours, XO spring onions
Incredibly melt in your mouth tender with the right amount of spice from the sauce.

Sheep's milk yoghurt, mandarin and carrot granita
A light dessert but the carrot granita was a bit strange for me. I spent awhile trying to figure out what that familiar taste was before I realised it was carrot.

Violet ice cream, chocolate ganache, sour cherry
People describe this as a deconstructed Black forest cake. The violet ice cream was really enjoyed by me and I liked the sorbet-ish texture it had and the taste was very unique. It's a shame that the icecream sandwich dessert wasn't in the Degustation menu as I would have preferred that over these two desserts but it's always good to try new dishes.

This was my favourite birthday meal and a fantastic dining experience. I have been raving on and on about Cutler & Co. ever since my two visits!

Ladro (Collingwood)

2010-08-15T17:07:00.002+10:00

A* & I headed off to the original Ladro in Fitzroy for our date night sometime in July. Ladro is well-known as a pizza establishment in Melbourne and they have recently expanded and opened another Ladro in Prahran.

Once again we were both hungover so stuck to the non-alcoholic drinks. Our waitress was very friendly and despite the bustle of the restaurant, we were well looked after.

Daylesford Mineral Pink Grapefruit & a Petit Pear Nectar

Pickled green tomatoes served with burrata and drizzled with olive oil
The rich and creamy burrata went so well with the pickled green tomatoes and we finished this off with the bread that was offered to us.

Potato Gnocchi with cabbage, bacon & pecorino
The bacon and percorino gave bursts of flavour to these soft and fluffy pillows of gnocchi which was altoghether heavenly.

Puttanesca (recommended by the lovely waitress) - tomato, mozzerella, parmigiano, cherry tomatoes, anchovies, capers, fresh chilli, black olives, basil
A very simple looking pizza but very nice.

Panna Cotta - pepper, clove and vanilla panna cotta with honey poached granny smith apple
The pepper and cloves gave this panna cotta a odd taste but not in a bad way. You could definitely taste the spices but still had the sweet vanilla taste most prominent and the honey poached granny smith apple was sweet and firm.

We then followed on outside to view the Gertrude Street Projection festival which was a nice end to the night. Ladro is a nice casual option with simple but good food.

Sarti

2010-08-14T17:07:00.035+10:00

Birthday Dinner #3: I found Sarti in The Age Good Food Guide 2010 listed as a One Hat Restaurant. I liked the sound of the outside balcony and it was a convenient location for dinner before my friends and I headed out for a big night out celebrating my birthday. Reviews for Sarti were a bit mixed but I made a booking hoping for the best.

Inside, it was intimately light and we were seated near the bar area on the couches.

Keen to get some drinks into me after a stressful afternoon fretting about this and that, I ordered the Sherbet fizz cocktail & A* the 20th Century Martini. My other friends ordered Scotch on the rocks with a splash of coke & beers.

We ordered the scallop specials which turned out to be disappointing. There was nothing interesting about it and it simply tasted like scallops with bread crumbs which were grilled and had no flavour.

Scallops in half shell with pumpkin seed crust

Next up was Pork Belly cooked in Beer. This was cooked okay but again, nothing special.

Pork Belly cooked in Beer

Out of drinks? We quickly ordered two Long Island Iced Teas.

Long Island Iced Teas

My friends had the following two mains but nothing great was said about them. They said their dishes were 'okay' but nothing that you'd expect at a quality restaurant and with the prices they charged.

Chargrilled 1824 ribeye ‘con la vera caponata siciliana’

Mini lamb ‘cotoletta, chiodini, lambascioni,’ candied black olives, dried tomato

‘Mirto’ marinated suckling pork, blood orange glaze, cauliflower and almond puree
Presentation-wise, this looked appetising however A* immensely disliked this, stating that there was no meat, all fat and overly salty. Also lacking enough cauliflower and almond puree to compensate for the saltiness of this dish.

‘Risotto al taleggio e speck’
This would have been the only dish out of all of us that was enjoyed. My friend said that there was a strong smell but it tasted nice and wasn't as overpowering as it smelt.

Squid ink ‘spaghetti alla chitarra’ crayfish, green beans and ‘salsa Saint Eufemia’
My dish was also a let down. I'm far from a pasta expert but my 'spaghetti alla chitarra' was rubbery and hard and very much like hokkien noodles (what the?) whilst the crayfish was chewy and tough. The dish was over-salted and left my throat burning for water.

We ended up paying ~$70 per person which I was terribly disappointed with as we didn't even enjoy our meals. A* and I agreed that this would be rated as one of the worst restaurants we had been to (I feel bad for saying this, but it's true). The set up inside is nice and it has all the elements to be a really good restaurant, but unfortunately we were let down by the food at Sarti.

Punch Lane

2010-08-13T09:32:00.004+10:00

Birthday dinner #2: My dreaded Quarter-life Crisis was looming closer so my bestie S* was taking me and our boyfriends, A* & AL*, out to celebrate and what better way to celebrate than with good friends, good food & lots of wine! I chose Punch Lane, one of the best wine bars in Melbourne. (Sorry, once again I was in a rush to take photos so some are blurry)

The iconic yellow chairs

Spanish plate: Marinated prawns, grilled sardines, a selection of italian cured meats, spanish tortilla & marinated sicilian and ligurian olives.
This was a good way to sample a few starters. I particularly liked the tiny olives (not sure what they were?).

Crispy duck confit and goats cheese mash, french style peas & beetroot
A* enjoyed this quite a bit and the goats cheese mash was good with the peas & beetroot while the duck was tender.

Crispy pork belly with apple puree
AL*, being a huge pork belly fan, really enjoyed this. I had a bite of this - the pork was tender and the crackling was tasty & crisp.

Seared scallos with fregola (sardinian cous cous), semi-dried tomatoes, basil, spring onion & red pepper dressing
S* enjoyed this as the scallops were still plump and perfectly cooked.

Grilled rib eye of beef with wilted spinach & tomato salsa
This was my dish, and it appeared more medium than the medium-rare I ordered but it was really tender and liked by everyone. Although, I ended up pushing the tomato salsa off because I prefer mushroom sauce with my steaks.

Passionfruit yoghurt with compote & madeleine and Chocolate fondant, hazelnut praline & frangelico cream
S* ended up eating the Passionfruit yoghurt by herself as she tends to favour the lighter, fruitier desserts. The boys and I fenced with our spoons over the Chocolate fondant and its oozy chocolate centre. Little did they know that while they were away in the toilets, AL* & I cheekily picked up the strawberry on the Chocolate fondant and stole a spoonful of chocolate sauce each and plunked the strawberry back on top to cover up lol!

Overall it was a very satisfying dinner made with great company and lots of wine. There was nothing to fault during the course of the meal. I think Punch Lane is a cute intimate place to stop by and have dinner with a glass of wine or few. I have to thank my bestie for taking me out - you gotta love friends who help you eat your way through a Quarter life crisis!

Outpost

2010-08-12T10:58:00.001+10:00

Before a day of shopping along Chapel Street, we drove down Yarra Street just next to South Yarra train station to find the somewhat hidden cafe, Outpost. The main area is basically an open kitchen set up but we were seated in the other dining section which was totally different from the kitchen. It felt a bit like a unused room in the building but we preferred it over the seats outside on such a windy day.

Service was a bit abrupt and I didn't find them as friendly as the people I had encountered at St. ALi or Proud Marys who helped us with our coffee choices and explaining the differences etc. Nevertheless we held nothing against the wait staff as it was fairly busy during the time we came. We started off with two flat whites.

two flat whites please

I ordered the Eggs Benedict which turned out to be one of the best EB I've ever had. The difference was in the ham - it was thickly cut off the bone so it was plump and tender with little rivers of fat. Everything else was cooked well and the Hollandaise sauce was light and creamy.

Eggs benedict

A* was feeling under the weather and lacking his usual appetite so opted for the Ham & Cheese toastie. I was too absorbed in my Eggs Benedict to sample his toastie but he liked it alot. It was cheesy and the ham was "effing amazing, none of that BS shaved ham crap".
Yes, the ham really was that amazing!

Ham & Cheese Toastie with salad on side

I really liked the aesthetic of Outpost as it really is a joy to look around the place and I'm looking forward to seeing their new dining room which is currently under construction. Both the food and coffee are good and I will be back.

Cutler & Co - ala Carte

2010-08-11T20:50:00.003+10:00

Birthday Dinner #1: Back in late May this year, one of my favourite girls SC* was taking me out for a surprise birthday dinner at some unknown location. We were driving down Gertrude Street and I still had no idea where we were going until I saw the blue glow of Cutler & Co. I literally squealed in excitement!

I fell in love with the interior design and the lights. It was so modern and grunge chic.

As we sat down and looked through the menu, two glasses of NV Larmandier Bernier 'Brut champagne were offered to us. It turns out my dear SC* organised for these to come out on arrival, I felt so lucky!

We wanted to save our stomaches for dessert so chose to start with our mains.

Roast suckling pig, mustard fruits, cavolo nero & pearl barley
This is the king of all suckling pigs, the skin was so crisp and the meat was juicy and tender. I raved about this to A* as soon as I got home. I had never had pearl barley before but it reminded me of risotto but slightly different texture.

Baked ricotta, eggplant calabrese, raw artichoke & fennel salad
I had a tiny bite of this, very different although not really my kind of dish. I prefer dishes that make you feel guilty for eating, then again not really because it tasted so damn good.

Steamed nicola potatoes with parsley butter
We ordered a side of these which were cooked and seasoned perfectly. This is a really simple side but I still look back and think fondly of these.

Chocolate ice cream sandwich, vanilla parfait & salted caramel
I felt extremely spoilt when my dessert came out with a birthday candle on top. Thank god, there was no song! This dessert left me in chocolate heaven, the combination of chocolate, salted caramel and vanilla parfait melded together so perfectly, I ended up scraping the plate for crumbs.

Candied apple, milk jam, cider pastry & Earl grey tea ice cream
I had a small bite of this, the candied apple was very interesting and was somewhat like dehydrated apple. The earl grey icecream was a favourite of mine, subtle tea flavours.

I am very lucky to have friends who take me out and spoil me on my birthday! The only problem was going home and breaking it to A* that I had just dined at Cutler & Co when we were due to eat the Degustation for my Birthday dinner the following Saturday... Not that I'm complaining! I can see why Gordan Ramsey rates it as one of his local favourites.

Movida Aqui

2010-08-10T16:55:00.001+10:00

L* & I, having been friends for 6+ years, are mutual food lovers. We visited Movida Aqui on a Wednesday night to pop our Movida cherry!

Hand filleted cantabrian artisan anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet
The smoked tomato sorbet offset the fishiness of the anchovy. This was really nice except I ended up scoffing the whole thing after a painful bite into the icy sorbet, silly me.

Scallops grilled with jamon on pisto, braised manchego style vegetables
The scallops were oh so tender and the crispy jamon on top with vegetables made the perfect mouthful.

Calamari sandwich with basque guindilla and mayonnaise
These were as delicious as all the blogs had described them to be. I had to stop myself from ordering another one to share.

Roasted capsicum, tomato salad with andulacian flavours
This got a bit too tangy for me after awhile but L* didn't give up and demolished the whole thing.

Catalan potato bomb filled with chorizo
The famous catalan potato bomb where Marion outcooked Frank Camorra. We visited Movida Acqui early May so I had no idea about these. The chorizo mixture was a bit too salty for my liking but L* enjoyed it thoroughly.

Slowly braised beef cheek in pedro ximenez on cauliflower puree
I really liked this dish, the braised beef cheek fell apart with the slightest prod and the sweet cauliflower puree helped with the richness of the sauce.

Chocolate mousse with salted caramel and cherries with olive oil jam
I don't remember much about this dish, pleasant enough.

I enjoyed my first experience of Movida Aqui and ended up going to the original Movida with A* the following Sunday which I enjoyed even more.
I also went back to Movida Aqui for a lunch banquet with my colleagues a few weeks later which wasn't as great as my first two Movida experiences. I would have preferred to pick my own dishes but gotta love a free meal!

Maedaya

2010-08-09T11:57:00.002+10:00

I have previously been to Maedaya back when it first opened in 2008, however A* had never been so what better opportunity to take him than to congratulate him on a new job!
(Photos are a bit dodgy as I used my phone camera)

We started off with some well deserved drinks.

Maedaya Mojito & Oriental Wave

Soft shell crab
I love the crunch of soft shell crab, I could eat it everyday.

Buta Kakuni - pork belly in sweet soy sauce
Like I said, Pork belly is very hard to say no to for us. I ended up separating the fatty part from the meat and eating it as I was getting full but didn't want to miss out on the fatty goodness.

Maedaya Sumiyaki Set - pork belly, chicken tsukune, bacon cheese shiso, chicken thigh, chicken skewers & Wagyu skewers
I enjoyed the pork belly, bacon cheese shiso and wagyu skewers the most.

Kaiso seaweed salad
I was happy to see this bowl of salad come out, my tastebuds were dying from flavour overload.

Scallops with beanshoots & mushrooms in butter sauce
This was exactly our kind of dish, the scallops & vegies were still sizzling on the hot plate soaking up the butter sauce. Very tasty but couldn't eat much at a time due to the butter sauce.. so rich!

Green tea cake with black sesame icecream & fruits
This was sort of like a Green tea fondant, the inside of the cake was still gooey and the black sesame icecream had flecks of black sesame in it. I ended up using my fruits to make the most of the green tea fondue.

Green tea fondue dessert
We were a bit wary about this dish, it didn't sound too appetising but the menu said that it was back from popular demand so we thought why not! We ended up loving this dish, the green tea fondue had a nice matcha flavour and wasn't overly creamy. I wish i knew how to recreate it at home.

Definitely worth a try for an izakaya experience.

Church St Enoteca & Der Raum

2010-08-08T08:08:00.011+10:00

After a long hard day at work my bestie, S* & I were keen for a nice dinner at Church St Enoteca with our boyfriends.

Arriving at 6 on the dot, we were the only customers so far. We were all oyster fanatics so we decided to start off with them.

Freshly shucked pacific oysters with cucumber granita & limoncello vinaigrette & salmon pearls
The oysters were fresh however these particular flavours didn't do it for me. The cucumber granita was a pain to eat as you couldn't savour the oysters properly without wincing from the iciness of it. The limoncello had a bitter taste so it didn't compliment the flavours of the oysters. Give me lemon with tabasco sauce anyday!

Kingfish carpaccio with mayonnaise & micro herbs
The kingfish was a bit salty but the mayonnaise and micro herbs helped with the saltiness. We all enjoyed this dish.

Wagyu rump braised for 12 hours
S*'s dish was a special. I had a bite and it was a bit chewy but she seemed happy with it.

Berkshire Pork Loin cutlet
A horrible picture but everyone was waiting for me to finish taking pictures before they ate so I rushed. I had a bit and the pork was very tender.

Rabbit Rotolo
I've never had rabbit before but this seemed okay. I wasn't particularly keen as I kept picturing a little bunny rabbit while i was chewing.

Braised suckling lamb
This was my dish which came out with only the semolina gnocci in the middle & I thought that was it! The look of horror on my face was evident to my friends who were trying furiously not to laugh out loud until the waiter came back with a pan full of lamb. This dish was nice but I generally don't like braised dishes, don't ask me why I chose this!

Chocolate and Chestnut Budino - guanduja mousse, warm chocolate sauce, torrone gelato, gold leaf
Our boyfriends being chocolate lovers devoured this in moments.

Strawberry Semifreddo - Moscato D'Asti jelly, milk chocolate gelato and blood orange sauce
This was a lighter dessert and was perfect for S* & I. I especially liked the milk chocolate gelato.

Afterwards, we walked down the road to Der Raum to sample their highly rated cocktails.

Chamomile Chroming; caramelising fruits; 'Big in Japan' & 'Smokey Ol' Bastard'; Smokey Ol' Bastard

Pharmacy; El Moroccan Blazer; Zombie; Jack Rose
Jamaican Black Strap, Suissess & Paper Plane; making of 'Nitro Xocolate Flip'; Nitro Xocolate Flip; ??

I thought it was a fun experience to see all the bartenders do their thing. Although the drinks may seem expensive, I think it more of an experience to be had. The bartenders were very friendly and helped me out with my requests. I will be revisiting Der Raum very soon!

On a side note, I'm in Sydney at the moment celebrating A* & I's anniversary.
Happy ONE YEAR baby! ♥

St. ALi

2010-08-07T12:00:00.006+10:00

One dreary Sunday, we were off to seek a Thank you present for A*'s colleague. We stopped by St. ALi for a late brunch and revitalisation.

St. ALi is renoun for making some of the best coffees in Melbourne. A had the Cold drip which was like a thick ice coffee liquer.. guaranteed to wake you up in an instant! I had the coffee of the day which was Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (Coffee tasting notes: Very sweet with hint of peaches and honey. Delicate floral aroma) as a latte.

A* chose 'My Mexican Cousin - Grilled Haloumi, poached eggs on a fried corn fritter' which he really liked.

I had the 'Sultan's Eggs - Poached eggs with basil pesto, yoghurt, spinach & sourdough soldiers' which was a nice change from the usual Eggs Benedict I normally order. There was a good balance of flavours in my dish.

They have a communal table set up and we were seated on the edge of the table which made it very awkward as we were very aware of lack of elbow space. After the brunch crowd cleared out, it was much better and less hectic. I will have to come back soon to try St. ALi's nights.

Cumulus Inc.

2010-08-06T00:37:00.006+10:00

I have been to Cumulus Inc. before however I was due for a catch up with some old uni friends, L* & T*, and we decided that this would be the perfect place on a Thursday night. We started off with a bottle of the 2005 Carlei 'Green Vineyards' Shiraz

2005 Carlei 'Green Vineyards' Shiraz

L* & I being the foodies were in charge of ordering and tried not to get too carried away.

Slow cooked octopus with aioli, dehydrated olive
These little morsels of octopus were incredibly tender and tasty. These disappeared very quickly and we usedthe bread provided to mop up the remaining olive oil.

Tuna tartare with crushed pea salad
L* only recently learnt how to eat raw food so hesitantly choose this dish but it turned out to be really nice. The tuna tartare went really well with the zingy pea salad. I'm not a fan of peas but I went for seconds.. and thirds.

Foie gras parfait with toasted brioche
L* & I love Foie gras and T* had yet to try it so this was a must order for us. The parfait was very light and fluffy and on the toasted brioche with sultanas, this was very yum! We ended up ordering more toasted brioche for the leftover parfait while I did a sneaky thick slathering of parfait on my tiny piece of brioche.

Cracked wheat & freekah salad, preserved lemon, barberries
This is not something I would usually order but it ended up being quite pleasant. Very different but tasty.

Grilled dry-aged Black Angus sirloin on the bone, horseradish & lemon
Who can resist red meat? I definitely can't. With a squiz of lemon over the top and dipped in the horseradish sauce, this was melt in your mouth tender.

Special - Grilled carrots with spicy sauce & almonds
These carrots were caramelised in the sweet spicy sauce and had the right amount of bite.

Pear sorbet, burnt butter shortbread & almond milk
We were struggling but had to at least try dessert. The buttery shortbread combined with the pear sorbet and almond milk was so good, we were fighting with our spoons for the last bites.

Madeleines, filled with lemon curd
And how can you visit Cumulus Inc. without trying their infamous freshly made lemon curd madeleines. The madeleines were crunchy on the outside, soft inside and the warm lemon curd was perfect.

Overall, the service was very friendly & efficient, nothing to fault. I really enjoy dining at Cumulus Inc. although the only problem would be that they have a no booking policy for small groups. It is constantly busy and you'd expect quite a wait for a table to free up which says alot about the food.

Props to Andrew McConnell, I can't wait to come back!

Jorg

2010-08-06T00:25:00.005+10:00

When I heard news that the ex-head chef of Jacques Reymond, Michael Smith, and ex sous chef of Church Street Enoteca, Bryce Bernhardt were coming together for a joint venture in North Fitzroy, I wanted to go there immediately, and we did!

Located on St Georges Road, it almost looked out of place next to a brightly coloured toy store. The decor was very reminiscent of Cutler & Co (which I absolutely love) with the raw brick walls and modern furnishings.

We started off with some Entrees.

Chargrilled baby squid, braised ox cheek, gremolata & Hot and sour chicken ribs.

The baby squid was very tender and while I have a fear of braised meats, the ox cheek was good too. The hot and sour chicken ribs had a hot & sour dressing to dip into which went really well with the chicken ribs.

A* decided on the Wagyu steak with roasted tomato, red wine jus and hand cut chips. I didn't taste it but it seemed to satisfy A enough. Nothing to write home about though.

Wagyu steak with roasted tomato, red wine jus and hand cut chips

I never usually order Fish as a main but I was feeling under the weather that night (read, hungover) so I chose panfried Barrimundi as a lighter option. This was a win for me - the Saffron and tomato broth was full of flavour without being too salty, the seafood in the dish was tender and fresh and the Barramundi was panfried to perfection.

Saffron and tomato brother, shellfish, pork sausage and panfried Barramundi

Ever since we started dating, A* has instilled in me the motto "We always have room for dessert ;)" so we quickly requested the dessert menu. I chose the chocolate dessert immediately and A*, having a recent obsession with panna cotta, promptly chose that.

Bitter chocolate and caramelised walnut tart, milk chocolate chantilly and dolce latte icecream.

The tart was sensational and when i combined it with the milk chocolate chantilly and dolce latte icecream... heaven! I would have to say that this is one of my favourite desserts I've ever had.

Vanilla bean pannacotta, blood orange and campari jelly, meringue and biscotti

This dessert was also a winner. The vanilla bean panna cotta was light & delicate but the fruitiness of the jelly and the crumbly texture of the meringue brought it to a whole new level. Every mouthful was a delight!

We went here in the first few weeks of opening (20/06) but weren't disappointed. It felt like they were still working out some kinks service wise but that's expected in the first few weeks. I'll have to re-visit sometime soon, even if just for the desserts!

Market Lane Coffee

2010-08-05T21:59:00.004+10:00

A* & I decided to hit up Market Lane Coffee before his haircut in Prahran on Saturday. I had heard alot of good things about Market Lane and really needed a coffee hit. For some reason, I never realised that they didn't serve breakfast so instead, we opted for bread with jam & butter and some coffees.

I had a latte while A* had a long mac.

Bread with jam & butter.

I was a bit disappointed when I found out they didn't have breakfast but I have a very unhealthy obsession with butter so as simple as this sounded, it definitely hit the spot. On a side note, A* came back saying we were having "Bread with german butter", silly boy misheard "Jam & butter" haha

I really liked the open feel of the place with lots of natural light (which I'm lacking these days being cooped up in my office). You have to go up to the counter to order but the Market Lane Coffee had a very friendly vide. I'll come back again if i'm ever in the area.

first post

2010-08-05T21:57:00.003+10:00

I ♥ food. If I'm not eating, I'm thinking about eating :)

I've eaten out at a number of places this year so I'm slowly catching up on reviewing them all.