Gourmet Chick

Tiffins Melbourne

2012-02-17T09:00:00.000+11:00

If you think there are lots of bikes in Melbourne or London then you have to visit Mumbai where the streets team with cyclists. Of course no-one in India wears fancy lycra gear or even helmets to cycle, instead cycling is a basic mode of transportation and delivery. One of the most fascinating things in Mumbai was the hordes of tiffin-wallahs who set off by bicycle to deliver tiffin lunch boxes across the city. The phenomenon has now come to Melbourne in an adapted form through Tiffins Melbourne which delivers a curry to your door for $12.

Kedar Pednakar, the owner of Tiffins Melbourne, operates a cycle powered curry delivery service - photo by The Saturday Age

I wrote something for the paper about Tiffins Melbourne. Skip over to The Saturday Age to read it.

Fonda Mexican

2012-02-15T09:14:00.002+11:00

It's Mexican mania out there in Melbourne at the moment. If you were a Sydney-sider I guess it would make more sense with all those "south of the border" jibes. The latest Mexican offering to join the throngs is Fonda Mexican at the top end of Swan street in Richmond. You can spot it from the boldly painted wall which proclaims "Mi casa, su casa" or "My house, your house". It's buzzing inside, decked out with splashes of bright orange and pink with a takeaway queue stretching out the door. There's also room to eat in with a couple of outdoor tables street side and a tiny outdoor courtyard.

Corn on the cob with aioli and cheese

In line with the motto on the wall the food is homestyle and rustic. Grilled corn on the cob ($3.50) is served street snack style on a stick. Half a cob is rolled in finely grated queso fresco (cheese), brushed with chipolote aioli and squeezed with lime. Charred black from the grill and super sweet these beauties are so simple yet so bloody good.

Your house, my house

In keeping with Melbourne's obsession with all things quinoa (seriously, this city is addicted) the grilled chicken burrito ($13.50) is stuffed with quinoa, salsa verde and cabbage. It's a controversial addition which I don't think entirely works but at least gives the burrito a point of difference to the usual black bean offerings.

Grilled chicken burrito with quinoa - this is one burrito, they are huge.

The thing I would go back to Fonda again and again for is the fish taco ($6). The tacos are made with a soft tortilla which is rolled and pressed right there in the kitchen using a rather fancy looking machine. The fish was deep fried so it was crisp and crunchy and teamed with aioli and a coleslaw like mix of tangy pickled carrot and cabbage.

The fabulous fish tacos

Fonda brings an unfussed and casual approach to Mexcian food. It's wonderfully addictive and I'd like to go back there at night time and test out the margarita slushy machine on the counter or some of the Mexican beers. Really though, I would just be returning to feed my newly found fish taco addiction.

Kerbside eating at Fonda Mexican

*A word of warning, I ate there with my friend Sophie and we decided Fonda is definitely not a date place. We emerged from lunch with chipolote aioli dripping down our faces and corn kernels wedged in our teeth. Not a good look but worth it.

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Essentials
Details: Fonda Mexican, 248 Swan Street, Richmond, VIC 3121 (Ph 03 9429 0085) Open Sun-Thu 12 noon-10pm, Fri-Sat 12 noon-late. No bookings.
Damage: Such a bargain my mother would approve. $38 for two without drinks.
7/10

10 things to do on Valentines Day that won't make you (love) sick

2012-02-14T08:27:00.000+11:00

I'm not really a Valentines day fan. It's just such a cliché. All the good restaurants are booked out weeks in advance and they are full of couples making lovey dovey eyes at each other and playing footsies under the table. Still, I feel like I should not have to hibernate at home for the day just because it is Valentines Day. In previous years I have advocated the benefits of going out for breakfast instead of dinner and this year I will be having a picnic with just me, MTV, some champagne and an awesome spicy Thai beef salad I am busy concocting right now.

Lychee and rose petal cocktail at Chin Chin = instant Valentines day cure

Anyway if you are similarly inclined I have written an article for Broadsheet on 10 things to do on Valentines Day that won't make you (love) sick. Skip on over to Broadsheet to read the article.

How to make rhubarb crumble ice cream

2012-02-13T12:03:00.002+11:00

Have you heard of Pinterest? It's the new thing on the internet. You are probably all using it already but I have only just got onto it. You can follow me on there at CaraWaters. I have been posting lots about food and travel like I do on here but also about shoes and bikes and whatever else takes my fancy. I have even started a board devoted solely to burgers.

It was through Pinterest that I discovered a great recipe for rhubarb crumble ice cream. I love rhubarb crumble but it is usually the sort of thing you would have as a wintery treat. Turning it into an ice cream allows year round eating which can only be a good thing.

The recipe I used is Delia's (we are on first name terms of course) as it doesn't require you to make a custard base like some other rhubarb crumble ice cream recipes. I've tweaked it a little by cutting back on the sugar so the tart flavour of the rhubarb is emphasised and by adding some cinnamon to give the crumble part more of a traditional taste.

Ingredients

Ice cream

450g rhubarb (about 5 stalks), chopped into 1cm lengths

150g sugar

1 tbsp orange juice

425ml whipping cream

Crumble

75g plain white flour

50g butter

50g brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

The ice cream ready to come out of the ice cream maker and into the freezer

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Mix the rhubarb with the sugar and lemon juice in a large, shallow baking dish and bake in the oven for 20mins or until tender.

2. Make the crumble by combining all the crumble ingredients together in a bowl and using your hands to rub the butter into the flour, so that the mixture comes together to form crumbs of dough. Sprinkle this evenly into the baking tin and bake in the oven for 10 mins or until lightly browned and crisp.

3. Once the rhubarb is cooked leave it to cool a little before pouring it into a food processor or blender and process until it is a smooth purée. Transfer the rhubarb purée to the fridge and chill.

4. Once it is chilled stir the cream into the rhubarb purée and pour into an ice cream maker and churn until the mixture is thick and fluffy. This took about 20 mins of churning for me. Spoon it into a container you can freeze and stir through the crumble pieces. Put the lid on the container and freeze for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight is better.

5. To make without an ice cream maker, freeze the cream and rhubarb mixture (without the crumble) in the box for 3-4 hours, then whisk and return to the freezer. Re-freeze for a further 2 hours, then whisk again and stir in the crumble before the final freezing.

*At this stage you need an invitation to join Pinterest. If you want one just mention it in the comments below (along with your email) or email me at missgourmetchick[at]gmail[dot]com and I can send you one.

The 10 Best Bars in Melbourne to Pick Up At

2012-02-10T08:44:00.001+11:00

Don't worry I haven't abandoned MTV. I consulted widely and did some extensive research to write this guide for Time Out on the best bars in Melbourne to pick up at. After all in Melbourne it's not about who you know, but where you go...

The excellent Ponyfish Island bar gets a mention in the list - on an island underneath a bridge on the Yarra

Skip on over to Time Out to read the article.

Nineteen Squares

2012-02-08T09:00:00.000+11:00

Nineteen Squares is a tiny cafe but it makes a big sandwich and a mean coffee. Everything about the place is petite from the proportions of the cafe itself wedged on the corner of Blessington and Barkly street to the child size chairs and milk crates that form the outdoor seating area.

If you eat at Nineteen Squares be prepared to perch on a milk crate

The place has a ramshackle appearance but it is hard not to be charmed by tables made out of bread boxes and a vintage tea spoon collection.

The "world famous" chicken sandwich

The short but sweet menu is scrawled on a blackboard and offers a range of brunch and lunch type items from mushrooms and thyme on toast to poached fruit. There's a claim to fame with what is promised to be a "world famous" chicken sandwich ($9.50). The sandwich appears to be famous for its sheer size. It's a behemoth of a thing served on thick Baker D Chirico sourdough bread. There's good quality poached chicken and rocket all held together with mashed avocado and lashings of house made aioli.

Bacon and egg muffin

Better than the sandwich though was the bacon and egg muffin ($9) featuring a sunny yellow egg baked wrapped in bacon and then teamed with a toasted English muffin.

Coffee then beer time - don't judge me

On the drinks front the coffee served at Nineteen Squares is Supreme Fair Trade, conjured up by David who is also the barista from an ageing La San Marco espresso machine. It's smooth creamy and a little nutty. We managed to do that post brunch morph into lunch lounging around at Nineteen Squares so it was good to discover that the cafe is also licensed so we were able to have a very reasonably priced bottle of icy cold Tui beer ($3).

Nineteen Squares is nothing fancy and does not try to impress but I liked it all the more for that.

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Essentials
Details: Nineteen Squares, 31 Blessington Street, St Kilda (Ph +61 3 8598 9919) Open: Mon-Friday 6.30am-5pm; Sat - Sun 7am-5pm.
Damage: Such a bargain my mother would approve
7/10

The Aylesbury

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000+11:00

I'm not anti share plates. I like getting to try other peoples food and I feel the pain of sacrificing some of the food off my own plate to my dining companions is compensated for by avoiding a case of food envy. However, a lunch at The Aylesbury showcased the problems with Melbourne's love affair with share plates.

Pig and fig at The Aylesbury

I ate at The Aylesbury with the lovely Claire who writes Melbourne Gastronome and although the menu did not make sharing mandatory, it did have a tapas section and sharing appeared to be what everyone else was doing. There were no problems to start with as we ordered the cleverly named "Pig and fig"($12), cured shoulder of pork sliced into ribbons and topped with torn pieces of sweet fig. The two ingredients worked well together and the quality of the produce shone through.

Inside The Aylesbury - a big bar area great for solo diners

It was the arrival of the zucchini flower ($8) which brought our lunch to a temporary halt. The flower was filled with creamy goats curd, lightly deep fried and drizzled with honey. All good stuff except for the fact there was only one flower and two of us. Our waiter had somehow failed to mention the singular nature of the zucchini flower when we ordered and so we of course had to order another rather than try to split such a tiny morsel.

Zucchini flower singular - difficult to share

The steak with bone marrow ($18) sounded good on paper but was served as one whole piece of meat (rather than cut into slices for sharing as they do at San Telmo). It was also rather unhelpfully accompanied by only one steak knife so we had to make do with eating steak with butter knives. Unfortunately for us it was not one of those moments when the phrase "it was so tender you could cut it with a butter knife" applied.

Steak with bone marrow

To finish we tried a salad of heirloom tomatoes and caramelised onions ($10). There was no problem divvying this up, just the more major problem that some of the tomatoes were not ripe and so were very hard and bitter to eat.

Heirloom tomato salad

The Aylesbury looks good with trailing plants and jars of preserves dotted on shelves softening up what used to be Barbagallo Trattoria e Pizzeria. It's also got all the right intentions with an emphasis on sustainable, seasonal and locally sourced food and a brilliant rooftop bar. However service that redefined the meaning of perfunctory and a muddled menu left me pondering: to share or not to share?

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Essentials
Details: The Aylesbury, 103 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne 3000 (Ph: +61 (3) 9077 0451). Open for lunch Mon- Fri 12-3pm and dinner Mon - Sat 6pm - late. The rooftop bar is open Mon - Sat 3pm - late and on Fridays from 1pm.
Damage: Reasonable. Our bill came to $56 for two without drinks.
5/10

Oakdene (Gourmet Chick on the Surf Coast)

2012-02-03T09:33:00.002+11:00

Oakdene is not the sort of place you expect to find on the outskirts of Ocean Grove. It's a winery and a restaurant alongside a fantastic sculpture collection. It feels like it belongs on the Mornington Peninsula not on the Surf Coast.

The vineyards at Oakdene - they are also growing lavender alongside

I'm not complaining though about the increasing interest in food, wine and art over the other side of the heads. The grounds of Oakdene are scattered with whimsical and interesting sculptures and groupings of found objects like rusty old bikes which would be an eyesore individually but together are a thing of beauty. There are collections of old teapots and a tasting room that is designed to look like an upside down house. You can almost picture Dorothy emerging post tornado and clicking her red shoes together.

Beetroot and goats cheese starter

The food at Oakdene is equally innovative. The chef is Marty Chichester and his emphasis is on local and seasonal food. The locals secret is the "express" lunch menu of two courses for $35 available on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It's terrific value and my Mum took me there to try it out. Complimentary bread and olives began the meal. The crusty baguette was served warm with garlic and chive crème fraiche while the olives were slick with olive oil and dotted with tangy orange peel.

Pork, chicken and pistachio terrine

To start there was a tiny but delectable concoction of roasted circles of beetroot sandwiching a round of goats cheese. It was sweet and creamy with added crunch through some toasted pine nuts scattered on top. The more substantial offering was the pork, chicken and pistachio terrine. It was rustic and chunky. Served with sourdough bread it could have been a satisfying lunch in itself rather than just a starter.

Fish cake on samphire

Fat, bronzed and crumbed fishcake was made with snapper, a change from the usual salmon and potato combinations. The fish was wonderfully light and not filled out too much by the potato. It was served on a bed of tangy bright green samphire.

Roasted chat potatoes

A side of roasted chat potatoes (an additional $8 on top of the set menu) were crisp and crunchy with fluffy, soft insides. The stuff addictions are made from.

One of the garden sculptures

Service at Oakdene is excellent with well trained and attentive waiters. The sole hitch in proceedings was the limited wine selection. The only wines available by the glass are Oakdene's own wines which seems a bit restrictive particularly as I was not sold on the chardonnay I tried. Still it's a minor complaint for what was a lovely experience at a restaurant and setting that is bold enough to ask something of its diners.

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Essentials
Details: Oakdene, 255 Grubb Road,Wallington, Victoria 3221, Australia (Ph 03 5255 1255) Open: 12 -2.30pm, Wed-Sat 6.30-9.30pm.
Damage: Reasonable if you have the express $35 lunch.
8/10

Gourmet Travel Tips

Oakdene is on the back road from Geelong to Ocean Grove, about one and a half hours drive from Melbourne.
You can do some wine tasting and wander the gardens admiring the sculptures.
There is B and B accomodation at Oakdene from $220 a night. I had a peek in the rooms and liked the rustic but kooky water room where the bathroom is inside a water tank.

How to make smashed eggs with avocado

2012-02-01T09:00:00.000+11:00

You know how pregnant ladies have cravings for particular foods? I have that all the time. Except I'm not pregnant. There was my obsession with dulce de leche, my infatuation with chorizo and now the object of my current fixation is avocados. Luckily it seems the rest of Australia is currently craving avocado as well and it is difficult to find a cafe that does not feature the humble avo on its brunch menu.

Smashing the eggs

Sadly eating brunch out every day is a difficult habit to sustain financially so inspired by the menu at Porch and Parlour on Bondi Beach in Sydney* my current way to get my avocado fix has been through some Porch and Parlour style smashed eggs with avocado.

This is not so much a recipe as some loose guidance. It's ridiculously easy but there is something magical about soft boiled eggs, smashed and spiced up and paired with rich, creamy wedges of avocado. It's the perfect solution for my ongoing avocado cravings, that is until I move on to my next obsession.

Coating the eggs

Ingredients
4 eggs
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to season
1 avocado

1. Soft boil the eggs by placing in boiling water for seven minutes then removing and running under cold water. Once the eggs are cool enough to touch peel the shell off.

2. Mix the paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper together on a plate and then roll the soft boiled eggs in the mixture until they are lightly coated. Some fresh parsley added in here would be really nice as well but I didn't have any.

3. Serve with toast and sliced avocado.

Serves two.

Eggs pre smashing

*I haven't been to Porch and Parlour but am inspired to go after reading Tori's wonderful take on brunch there.

My Mexican Cousin

2012-01-30T09:00:00.001+11:00

It's all just a little bit confusing at My Mexican Cousin. Perplexingly the food isn't Mexican at all. Rather obscurely the name of the place does not refer to the cuisine being served, instead it is a nod to St Ali's most popular breakfast dish (St Ali owner, Salvatore Malatesta, is also involved in My Mexican Cousin). To add to the bewilderment the food is in fact supposed to be Creole but then was lambasted by @BurgerMary for lacking authenticity and being an "adult version of a theme restaurant". So what is it?

Inside My Mexican Cousin

My Mexican Cousin has done its best to turn this state of befuddlement into some positive publicity by cleverly enlisting Burger Mary as a consultant and revamping its menu. When the restaurant hosted a Fringe Food Festival event on Creole food it seemed to be a signal that My Mexican Cousin was working through its issues (even if the owners had strangely decided to stick with the Mexican name).

Scallop ceviche

I went there for lunch with my friend Joyce who writes the brilliant Mel: Hot or Not. The restaurant is part of the Melbourne Recital Hall building and is all shiny and new with dark wooden tables and chairs and a bright mural on wall which is an ode to Louisiana Hot Sauce. At least the mural is not Mexican I suppose.

Candied bacon

Knowing that Creole food is a cuisine most Melburnians will be unfamiliar with the menu includes a long explanation of Creole cuisine and a "Creole-pedia" to explain the terms used. My experience of Creole food is limited to a trip to Salvador in Brazil so the menu was certainly educational if nothing else. Newly enlightened we ordered up Creole style starting with the praline bacon ($6), strips of bacon candied with brown sugar and pecan nuts. On paper this sounded like the sort of thing I would love but in reality it was too dry and too much sugary bacon for two people.

Dirty rice

The scallop ceviche ($5.50) was also not what I expected. Instead of thinly sliced scallops "cooked" in lime or lemon juice we were served two large scallops on a bed of pea purée. They looked good and were a welcome antidote to the heavy emphasis on deep fried food on the rest of the menu but were a little strange. Dirty rice ($12) a mixture of rice, ground pork and Creole seasoning was a tasty style of fried rice but was so dripping in oil that there was a big puddle at the bottom of the bowl once we finished eating.

The PoBoy

The one redeeming dish was the PoBoy ($17), juicy fat deep fried prawns sandwiched between crisp cos lettuce and a dense bun and dripping with mayonnaise and creole seasoning. This was very much a conversation stopper and all we could manage was approving noises for the next couple of minutes as we ate our PoBoys.

Beignets

However, to add insult to injury the delicious sounding Louisiana dougnuts known as beignets ($12) were a little tough and tasted to me like they had not been deep fried to order. Even the salted caramel dipping sauce they were served with could not make amends. Continuing the theme, the coffee ($3.80) was on the bitter side.

Latte

While I admire My Mexican Cousin for bringing a new type of cuisine to Melbourne and for avoiding the traditional theatre foyer type offerings at the moment the food is disappointing. I would only return for a cheeky glass of wine at the bar and a PoBoy sandwich.

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Essentials
Details: My Mexican Cousin, Melbourne Recital Centre, Corner of Sturt Street and Southbank Boulevard, Southbank 3006 (Ph (03) 9686 3389) Mon 7-4, Tues - Fri 7 - late, Sat - Sun 8- late.
Damage: Reasonable. Our bill came to $56 for two with just one coffee and no other drinks.
4/10

The Newmarket Hotel

2012-01-27T10:55:00.000+11:00

For a pub that used to host schnitz and tits nights* the Newmarket Hotel has come a long way. The venue has a touch of the trendys about it now with a modern but retro feeling fit out thanks to Six Degrees. Concrete arches span the ceiling and there is the same indoor/outdoor feel as The Royal Saxon.

Inside the Newmarket - featuring Greedy Diva's cardigan

The food on offer is just as trend driven as the space featuring "SoCal" cuisine. It's a pretentious label but it covers a range of good stuff - soft tacos, Catalan flat breads and Latin cured meats. Luckily I was lunching at the Newmarket Hotel with Carly who writes the excellent Greedy Diva and who has an appetite as big as mine so we managed to try a fair portion of the menu.

Corn on the cob

To start, corn on the cob cooked on the BBQ and slathered with chili and cheese. I could have done with more chili and more cheese but the corn did have a great smoky taste. Do not order this if you are on a date or with people you are trying to impress as eating it is not a pretty sight (Greedy Diva excluded - she managed it quite daintily).

Prawn tacos

The soft tacos are also not ideal first date fodder as they are as messy as they are delicious. We had them two ways, firstly with cubes of crisp, glistening pork sweetened with diced pineapple ($16) and then with fresh prawns and crunchy slaw ($16).

Pork tacos

Continuing on the pork theme we could not resist ordering the pork ribs ($36) after seeing them served at a neighbouring table. The ribs were sticky with BBQ sauce and were so comically big that they almost looked like some form of dinosaur bones. The accompanying salad was sweet and refreshing and just what was needed to cut through the sweet, rich ribs.

Pork ribs

Our waitress suggested we needed another salad and recommended the Mexican chopped salad ($12). To be honest, the salad accompanying the ribs was enough and this mix of iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes and cactus was drowned in its cheese dressing. It would have been quite filling if that was all we were having for lunch but was overkill with the ribs, tacos and corn.

Mexican chopped salad

The drinking at the Newmarket Hotel is every bit as enthusiastic as the dining. There are jugs of cocktails on offer and wines are divided into house, table and "fine" and served by the carafe. The 2011 Semillon Sauvignon from Margaret River was crisp and elegant.

Often I feel sad at the gentrification of pubs. When an old fashioned boozer is revamped into a gleaming gastro pub a little something inside me often dies. However I have no such qualms about the new look Newmarket hotel. Farewell schnitz and tits and hola SoCal!

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Essentials
Details: The Newmarket Hotel, 34 Inkerman Street, St Kilda (Ph +61 3 9537 1777) Open midday - 1am.
Damage: Pricey.
8/10

*For my overseas readers - a schnitz and tits night is fairly self explanatory. The bartenders are female and topless and schnitzel is served. Classy hey?

Lorne (Gourmet Chick on the Surf Coast)

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000+11:00

Happy Australia Day! Like most of Australia I relocated to the beach for the Christmas to New Year period and my beach of choice is Lorne. I swam in the surf, laid on the beach, plowed through my Christmas books and watched far too much cricket (thanks to MTV). MTV and I cooked up lots of BBQs but we also reacquainted ourselves with favourite Lorne cafes and restaurants while discovering a few new places as well.

Surf life boats coming in at Lorne

Skip on over here for my tips for Broadsheet on what to eat, what to do and where to stay in Lorne.

Guide to eating in Hong Kong (Gourmet Chick in Hong Kong)

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000+11:00

Happy Chinese New Year! In celebration of the Year of the Dragon I've compiled this post on where to eat in Hong Kong (that's not dim sum). My friend Terry refers to Hong Kong as "urban paradise". He's right and the city is a special type of paradise for those that love their food. I've already shared my tips for the quintessential Hong Kong dim sum experience so here is my guide to where else to eat from Michelin star restaurants to hidden suburban haunts.

Wet markets in the back streets of Hong Kong

1. Tim's Kitchen
Theoretically a private kitchen Tim's Kitchen is for all apparent purposes a restaurant and a Michelin starred one at that. Apparently some of the best dishes need to be ordered ahead but we were suitably wowed anyway by the on menu options of the pork and chicken. Tim’s Kitchen lacks in atmosphere and has a stilted formality to it but it was the best meal we ate in Hong Kong that wasn't yum cha.

Half a crispy chicken (HKD$180) had moist, tender flesh and golden, crackling skin however it was in the porky part of the menu that Tim’s Kitchen really impressed. Stewed eggplant (HKD$60) was topped with minced, slightly charred pork creating a brilliant textural contrast and fantastic flavour combination.

Crispy chicken at Tim's Kitchen

The palpable statement making dish was the honey glazed barbecue pork (HKD$88) a hunk of glazed pork complete with crisp, shiny crackling and tender, pink meat. It went straight for the jugular with big, bold and unforgettable flavours. Like the setting the wine list at Tim’s Kitchen is no nonsense with a short selection, we ordered one of the cheaper bottles, a reasonably priced Chateau Les Reuilles (HKD$180). Tim’s Kitchen is a restaurant where the focus is firmly on the food but oh, what great food it is.

Essentials
Details: Tim's Kitchen, Shop A and 1/F, 84-90, Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Ph: (852) 2543 5919
Damage: Reasonable. Our bill for three with wine came to HKD$695 ($89/£57).
9/10

The open kitchen at Cafe Grey Deluxe is raised above the diners

2. Cafe Grey Deluxe
Cafe Grey Deluxe is a place to take people to impress them and to be impressed yourself. It has the most spectacular views of any restaurant in Hong Kong with a truly magical panorama of skyscrapers and lights twinkling at night across the harbour. The restaurant itself also shimmers and sparkles with lots of glossy, modern surfaces and is dominated by the theatre of a raised open kitchen.

Cafe Grey Deluxe is all about fine dining which is unstitched and relaxed. There was textural fun to be had with the starter of foie gras two ways, seared and in a rich roulade on top of salt baked beets and doused with cranberry vinigarette.

Foie gras two ways at Cafe Grey Deluxe

Of the mains, the half roast chicken restored my faith in the dish with its crisp skin and juicy meat paired with roasted vegetables and a rich tarragon jus. It was simple but great food, in contrast to the salmon "Amandine", a decent fillet of salmon which was overpowered by the accompanying bitter caramelized endives and capers. In this case, less would have been more.

The triumphant part of the meal was dessert, the rich smell of the bitter chocolate soufflé hits you first before you delve into the fluffy soufflé to discover sticky berries hidden at the bottom. It was both decadent and delicious. The wine list at Cafe Grey Deluxe sits comfortably beside the spotlight hogging food, encompassing over 300 labels. I particularly enjoyed the subtlety and minerality of the Limoux Chardonnay.

Bitter chocolate soufflé at Cafe Grey Deluxe

The prices are steep at Cafe Grey Deluxe (views like that don’t come cheaply) but if you can’t afford a meal there it is still worth popping in to the bar for one of the excellent cocktails such as the Hong Kong High Ball (HKD$120).

Gourmet Chick was a guest of Cafe Grey Deluxe.

Essentials
Details: Cafe Grey Deluxe, 49/F, Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong (Ph 2918 1838).
Damage: Budget Breaking. However on this occasion I did not pay.
8/10

Our squirming crabs ready to be cooked at Under the Bridge Spicy Crab

3. Under the Bridge Spicy Crab
There are several under the bridge spicy crab restaurants in a row so you have to make sure you get the right one. The drawcard here is the truly enormous crabs which are cooked with chilli and crunchy, deep fried garlic. We also loved the clams fried with chilli and bean sauce ($HKD60), the deep fried squid and the special rice ($HKD68). For a full pictorial run down of the menu see Follow me Foodie's review. Great for big groups and for a noisy meal with lots of beers but make sure you check what the market price of the crab is before ordering two (we didn't!) as I have a feeling they took advantage of the lack of clarity on price, charging us HKD$600 for each crab. Still, it was worth it.

The cooked crab at Under the Bridge Spicy Crab - amazing

Essentials
Details: Under the Bridge, Shop B, G/F, 401-403 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (Ph: 2834 6818)
Damage: Pricey.
8/10

4. Posto Pubblico
This Hong Kong restaurant is based on a New York osteria has a cool buzzy feel to it thanks to its Soho location and simple decor of exposed brick walls and bare tables. The mantra here is local and organic with a menu that is constantly changing to reflect the seasons. The best dishes were the starters to share of the creamiest burrata I have ever tasted. Served as a salad with slices of fresh tomato the burrata was home made and literally weeped onto my plate.

The lighting was moody at Posto Pubblico so my photos are awful. Instead this is the view from Hotel LFK where we stayed.

I am also still dreaming about the huge softball sized veal meatball with its dense, tightly packed meat and oh-so-fresh chunky tomato sauce. My main of ravioli (HKD$145) stuffed with pork, veal and beef and doused in a creamy gorgonzola sauce was technically very good but overwhelmingly rich and so did not live up to the heady heights of the starters.

Essentials
Details: Posto Pubblico, 28 Elgin Street Central, Hong Kong, Ph 2577 7160
Damage: Pricey.
7/10

5. Nagomi
There is a certain level of obsession with Japanese food in Hong Kong and so the city boasts some great Japanese restaurants. Out in Happy Valley (and conveniently located for a feed before a night at the Wednesday night races) Nagomi is a cheap and cheerful little Japanese restaurant which rewards careful ordering.

California rolls at Nagomi

The menu reads like a straightforward collection of Japanese dishes rather than a venture into the unknown but the food is simple and well executed. The stand out dishes worth seeking out on the menu were the spicy tuna rolls (HKD$58) and the eel rice box (HKD$130) with its silky smooth eel. The sashimi was spankingly fresh, a thick tranche of glistening pale pink and pearly white fish, while edamame beans (HKD$25) were crisp and covered in chunks of crunchy sea salt. There is little wow factor at Nagomi but what it does, it does well.

Essentials
Details: Nagomi, Flat C, Yee Fung Building, 1 Village Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong (Ph 2838 3848)
Damage: Reasonable
6/10

My map of Hong Kong

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Gourmet Travel Tips

Cathay Pacific flies to Hong Kong from Australia from $1150 return and from London British Airways flies there from London from £569 return.
We stayed at Hotel LFK which is bang in the middle of Hong Kong’s party hub, the Lang Kwai Fong area. Our deluxe suite was huge and stocked with everything you could ever want from a bath and rain shower stocked with Molton Brown goodies to free wifi and an in room coffee maker. The room rate also includes cocktails each night in LFK’s glamorous "Restaurant slash bar" Azure and the views over the city skyline are stupendous. Details: Hotel LFK, 33 Wyndham Street, Lang Kwai Fong, Hong Kong (Ph +852 3518 9688 ) Rooms start from HKD$2,998/£245/$379) a night.

Our room at Hotel LFK

The must do activities in Hong Kong are to catch a tram up to the top of the Peak to check out the skyline, a night out at the Happy Valley races on Wednesdays and of course shopping, shopping and more shopping.
For something different catch a ferry over to Lantau and do a hike, we hiked the Lantau peak and then caught the cable car back. We also did a day trip to Macau which I would avoid as it is a pretty soulless place and the immigration queues on the weekends are horrendous.
For researching a trip to Hong Kong I found E-Ting, Tom Eats Jen Cooks, Hollow Legs and Mr Noodles very helpful thanks also to our Hong Kong friends, hosts and tour guides Jac, Mossy, Nick and Fabian.

Mama Baba

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000+11:00

You heard it here first, there is no Sunday surcharge at George Calombrais' new restaurant Mama Baba. The pasta restaurant opened on Friday and I was eagerly there on Sunday for lunch with my friend Joyce who writes the excellent Melbourne Hot or Not, along with Tim, Joyce and Tim's adorable baby and MTV.

It's Italian and Greek fare at Mama Baba - this is the "Parma"

Calombrais has been hitting the headlines lately for complaining about paying Sunday rates to staff without charging diners a Sunday surcharge. One of his arguments against paying the rates was the cost of the $45,000 pasta extruder he bought for Mama Baba. Funnily enough, as soon as you walk in to the restaurant, tucked away in a South Yarra back street, the gleaming pasta extruder is front and centre. I was glad to see Calombrais does still have chefs, they were all there working in full view in the large open kitchen that runs along one side of the entire space. I didn't ask them what they were getting paid for their Sunday efforts.

The infamous pasta extruder

Mama Baba is housed in a warehouse style basement with soaring ceilings, polished concrete floors and long communal wooden tables. The space is sparse and minimalist. Paper placemats also serve as menus and ceramic beakers as water glasses.

Mama Baba has a warehouse feel

The menu at Mama Baba is divided into a Greek and Italian section which draw on the influences of Calombrais's Greek Mother and part Italian Father. It's very much a family affair listing dishes like salicce made by "Mr Tricarico" who is apparently Calombrais' Father in law. Whether Greek or Italian, the main affair is the pasta. It is made fresh each day from 00 flour in the pasta extruder which cost the same as a full time Nonna on Sunday rates.

Scallops

To start there are "snacks" which are easy to share. Arancini filled with bolognese and mashed potato ($7.50) were deep fried nuggets of comfort food. Plump scallops ($3.50 each) grilled and served on the shell were topped with creamy garlic skordalia and golden crisp fried breadcrumbs. The parma ($7.50) was a bite sized version of the classic pub fare - a tiny panini filled with chicken and jamon and laced with tomato sauce.

Mama Baba's version of spaghetti carbonara

It has to be said the pasta is excellent, of the soft, silky egg-yellow type. The best we tried was the tortellini ($23) which was stuffed with saganaki and served with prawns, slow roasted tomatoes and feta. I also liked Mama Baba's take on a carbonara ($27) which was constructed at the table from egg, slithers of crispy maple pork, pumpkin parmesan and a saffron broth.

Prawn and saganaki tortellini

However gnudi ($24) was dull despite the "sounds good on paper" accompaniments of burnt butter, walnuts and honey and the huge ravioli ($27) filled with beef and bone marrow were overwhelming. The wasabi which accompanied the ravioli was not quite the weird addition we expected and was actually too tame to add much kick.

"Chopped" salad ($7.50)

Desserts were a nostalgic treat in the form of reworked childhood favourites. The Mama Baba interpretation of a Ferrero Rocher ($9.50) was a hazelnut confection filled with dark oozing chocolate while Calombrais' take on a rum baba, called a "Mum Baba" ($9.50) featured boozy slices of sponge.

The Mum Baba

My tip though is to ignore the dessert trolley and instead go straight for the homemade ice-cream ($8 for two scoops) the vanilla splice was rich and flecked with vanilla bean seeds while the milo and milk and the crunchy peanut butter and salt flavour were both dude food delights. The cones were filled with chocolate at the bottom Cornetto style.

Home made ice-cream

Mama Baba serves up Italian and Greek food but not as you know it. It offers a very modern take on some comfort food classics. Despite a few exceptions it mostly works and the desserts in particular offer good old fashioned eating pleasure. At the moment eating them on a Sunday comes at no extra cost.

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Essentials
Details: Mama Baba, 21 Daly St, South Yarra 3141(Ph +61 3 9207 7421) Mon - Thurs and Sat 5pm - Late, Fri and Sun 12pm - Late.
Damage: Reasonable. Our bill for four came to $205 with one beer each.
7/10

How to make Peri Peri Chicken

2012-01-20T09:19:00.000+11:00

Hot weather calls for hot food and the sunshine at the moment made me crave Peri Peri chicken. The secret to the chicken is in the marinade which is chock full of tiny red peri peri chillies, garlic and lashings of red wine vinegar which keeps the chicken tender and moist. The recipe is Portugese and I have happy memories of gnawing at a drumstick doused in fiery peri peri sauce at Bonjardim restaurant in Lisbon. Bonjardim cooks its chicken on a huge rotisserie but since I (sadly) do not have one of those at home I made do with the BBQ.

The key to cooking chicken on the BBQ is to spatchcock it first. I have included the instructions for spatchcocking below which is less daunting than it sounds. There is a good YouTube video of how to do it which is also pretty helpful. A coal BBQ like a Weber is best but I had to make do with a gas BBQ which I just turned down as low as possible. Don't worry if the chicken gets blackened and burnt in places, that is the whole point of peri peri chicken and it will only add to the smoky fiery flavour.

Spatchcocking the chicken

Ingredients

15 peri peri chillies (also known as bird's eye chillies), deseeded
1 tbsp oregano (fresh if possible but you can also use dried)
1 tbsp thyme (fresh if possible but you can also use dried)
2 tbsps paprika
150ml red wine vinegar
100ml olive oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 a red onion, roughly chopped.
2 tbsps brown sugar
Salt
Chicken (free range if possible)

Blending the marinade

1. To spatchcock your chicken use a sharp knife or poultry shears and cut off any excess fat around the cavity and neck. Then slice through either side of the backbone of the chicken and remove. Working from the cavity side, slice just halfway through along the breastbone so the chicken can be pushed open and butterflied out. Prick the skin of the chicken with a fork which will help it absorb the marinade.

2. To make the marinade put everything besides the chicken into your blender and whizz until smooth. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken, massaging it in and leave it to happily absorb the marinade in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight if possible. Turn the chicken around in the marinade every now and then so it soaks it all up.

3. When it comes to cooking the chicken if you are using a coal BBQ get the coals very hot then move them to the edges of the BBQ and put your chicken in the middle. If you are using a gas BBQ then keep the temperature as low as possible and close your BBQ lid if it has one while the chicken cooks.

4. Use the remainder of the marinade (apart from one small cup) to baste the chicken by brushing it regularly with the marinade. Cook until the chicken's skin is charred in places and the juices run clear if you skewer the chicken thigh. This takes about 15-20 mins per side.

Trust me when I say the black bits are the good bits

Serve with salad and maybe some potatoes fried on the BBQ as well. Put the cup of leftover marinade on the table with a brush for people who want even more peri peri action.

So Frenchy So Chic

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000+11:00

Baguettes, stinky cheese and macarons, these are a few of my favourite things. I was able to indulge to my heart's content at the So Frenchy So Chic festival which was held at Werribee park on Sunday. My friends Jules and Em organised a big group of us to attend and scored us a prime position near the stage staked out with numerous picnic rugs.

So Frenchy So Chic in the beautiful grounds of Werribee Park

It ended up being the most perfect blue sky day and we kicked back listening to Nouvelle Vague, Moriarty and Féfé and drinking copious amounts of wine. There was croquet on the go, games of petanque and lots of French food and wine.

Toasted caramalised nuts for sale

The crepe store was doing a roaring trade along with Le Sausage the mobile sausage truck which tweets its location around Melbourne at @ILoveLeSausage.

Lots of love for Le Sausage

Lots of people had brought their own picnics but I think our neighbouring picnickers were quite envious when they saw our picnic baskets arrive which had been catered for by the Werribee mansion. They were stuffed with brie filled baguettes, chunky terrine, blue cheese dressed salad, macarons and chocolate eclairs.

Macarons in our picnic basket

I have already decided I must return to So Frenchy So Chic next year as it was such a very French and very fabulous day.

The day was all a little much for some attendees

Essentials
Details: So Frenchy So Chic, Werribee Park.
Damage: Tickets were $74 which included a return bus from Southern Cross station to Werribee.
9/10

San Telmo

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000+11:00

Sometimes a girl just needs a steak and a glass of red wine. I do tend to bang on about how I am trying to eat more vegetarian meals but every now and again a red meat craving comes that just cannot be ignored. At times like these there is now a new place to go in Melbourne: San Telmo.

Mmmm steak - San Telmo's rib eye on the bone - check out the gorgeous knife as well

San Telmo is an Argentinian steak house where the meat is grilled over a charcoal grill, known as a parrilla, to impart a smoky fiery flavour. Located in Meyers Place laneway just off little Collins street the restaurant has a rough hewn warmth with wood lined walls and a black and white tiled floor alongside the bar. The owners have fitted out the restaurant with lots of bric a brac brought back from Argentina like an antique cash register and old soda siphons. Even the front door was salvaged from a Buenos Aries mansion.

Empanadas

San Telmo is named after the oldest barrio (neighbourhood) in Buenos Aires and the menu is faithful to the restaurant's Argentinian name. It boasts shiny golden empanadas ($6 each), perfectly formed, mixing textbook short pastry with a robust beef, currant and almond filling. Ceviche ($16) is strictly Peruvian rather than Argentine, but I'm happy for them to slip it in as the combination of kingfish doused in lemon and lime juice and dressed with slithers of chilli, sweet potato and ginger is refreshing and summery.

The drinks list features solely Argentine wines and beers which is a brave move but even if it had covered the whole world I think we would still have ended up ordering a bottle of Malbec. We chose the cheapest bottle of the eight different Malbec's offered (that's a lot of Malbec), the Jed Malbec 2010 ($45) which was dark and full bodied.

Slow cooked lamb - sadly cooked for a little too long

However, with the parrilla firing away, at San Telmo it is really all about the meat, and the steak did not disappoint. The 400g strip loin ($47) served on the bone and criss-crossed with marks from the grill was expertly aged, flavourful and exquisitely prepared. There's no sides at this price apart from the chimichurri made in house to spice up the steak with the heat of chilli, acidity of vinegar and fresh zing of parsley. The menu also offers a whopping 1kg rib steak for $95 which my friend Rachel and I are still talking about, along the lines of "We could have taken it, I'm sure we could have".

It wasn't all perfect, and the slow cooked lamb ($39) proved to be a disappointment. The menu boasted that it had been cooked for eight hours but in this case it was probably two hours too long as the meat was dry and was lacking any tender pinkness.

My favourite dish - sticky sweet baby carrots with goats cheese

There is a good selection of side dishes including grilled zucchini and eggplant ($10). Strangely enough in a meat lovers paradise my favourite dish of the night was probably the zanahorias ($12), baby carrots cooked on the grill until they are sticky sweet and dripping with thyme flavoured goats cheese.

A dulce de leche filled alfajore

Desserts continued on in the Argentine vein and I could not go past the fantastic caramel flavour of dulce de leche. A national passion in Argentina dulce de leche is a sweet light brown caramelised milk and sugar sauce sometimes known as "milk jam" (check out this great recipe for dulce de leche ice-cream). The dulce de leche is served two ways at San Telmo, firstly as a biscuit filling in the form of a slightly dry alfajore coated in coconut ($5) and secondly, in a fabulous, wobbling flan ($14) topped with addictive caramel salted peanuts.

The service at San Telmo is young and savvy with the staff all decked out in leather aprons but fell down slightly at the end of the night when it came time to pay our bill and everyone disappeared.

Perfection in the form of dulce de leche flan

I think Melbourne has been crying out for a restaurant like this for a long while. A decent steak joint in the city is a no brainer really and I am sure the place would succeed even if it was only halfway good. But San Telmo is more than good with its classic Argentine menu and attention to detail that goes all the way from toilets wallpapered with the faces of famous Argentines to cow hide covered menus. As they say to the best grill men in Argentina "Bien jugado". Well played.

Location

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Essentials
Details: San Telmo, 14 Meyers Place, Melbourne 3000 (Ph: 61 (3) 9650 5525). Open: Mon-Fri 7am-late, Sat midday-late.
Damage: Pricey. Our bill came to $286 for four with two bottles of wine.
8/10

How to make sumac lamb meatballs (Comfort and Spice)

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000+11:00

I have finally bought a copy of Comfort and Spice, the cook book by Niamh Shields who writes the brilliant food blog Eat Like a Girl. I was a bit late off the mark with all my travelling in India and Nepal and moving continents I had been unable to get the book but I finally tracked it down at Dymocks in Melbourne.

Sumac lamb meatballs from Comfort and Spice

I'm so proud of Niamh for writing this book. It is true to her blog with the same gutsy, rich recipes and with Niamh's sense of humour shining through. I have been lucky enough to become friends with Niamh while living in London and we even shared a trip to Canada together foraging for fiddleheads just after she had finished writing the book. So it seems strange to be holding a copy in my hands at the other side of the world, but also very exciting.

The book

It's a great book with recipes referencing Niamh's Irish roots and her world travels. My favourite part of Comfort and Spice is the section called "Eight Great Big Dinners... and what to do with the leftovers". This is genius as it includes recipes for various roasts and then all different alternative meals that can be made using what doesn't get eaten. However when it came to testing out the book I was a bit time poor and only had to cook for me and MTV so I ignored Niamh's roast pork recipe (however tempting it looked) and tried out the sumac lamb meatballs with couscous salad.

Inside the book

I doubled the quantities in the recipe (which is written to serve two) as you can never have too many meatballs. It turns out that the leftover meatballs went brilliantly with pasta the next day. True to the spirit of Comfort and Spice I did use my leftovers.

The meatballs feature sumac, a Middle Eastern spice that I haven't really cooked with before but it's rich colour and punchy taste added some kick to the meatballs. Just like the recipes on Niamh's blog the meatball recipe was no nonsense, straight forward and delicious. I know for a fact that all the recipes in Comfort and Spice were tested three times so I wasn't surprised that the recipe worked perfectly. I'm looking forward to cooking more from Comfort and Spice but I won't be writing about the recipes here as you really all have to buy the book. Even if, like me, it takes you a while to get around to it.

Browning the meatballs

Ingredients
Meatballs
2 tbsp cumin seeds
600g minced lamb
2 tbsp sumac
salt and pepper to season
4 tbsp light oil
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
800g canned tomatoes (2 cans)
2 cinnamon sticks
a handful of coriander leaves, chopped (I had parsley so used that instead)
Couscous
300g couscous
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumer, quartered lengthways and finely sliced
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon juiced

Meatballs cooking in the sauce

1. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan over a high heat for a minute and grind with a mortar and pestle. Add to the lamb with the sumac and mix thoroughly with your hands.

2. Shape into small meatballs about 2.5cm in diameter. Season lightly and taste by frying off a small ball and adjusting where necessary. Put half the light oil in the frying pan over a medium heat and fry the meatballs on all sides until brown. Leave to the side.

3. Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds in the remaining oil. Add the tomatoes and cinnamon and stir through. Add the meatballs and cook for 10 mins until cooked through.

4. Meanwhile, cover the couscous with boiling water in a bowl and seal with cling film. After 10 mins, when the water should have been absorbed, run a fork through to fluff it up. Mix with the tomato and cucumber and dress with the olive oil and lemon. Season to taste.

5. Season the meatball sauce and add the coriander, stirring through.

6. Serve hot on top of the couscous salad.

Niamh with a fiddlehead haul in Canada

Serves four. Adapted from Comfort and Spice.

You can buy Comfort and Spice from my book club on Amazon for £9.01 (bargain!) or in Australia it is $35 in the shops (someone please explain why we have to pay SO much for books here).

Chin Chin

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000+11:00

I've joined the hordes of people worshipping at the temple of Chin Chin. Rumours of the seriously good Asian food being served up at Chin Chin had reached me while I was still living in London. Then came the reports of up to three hour waits to get tables and friends who tried to go for lunch were told to come back at 3.30 in the afternoon. All of a sudden I was not quite so enthusiastic about joining the Chin Chin cult.

The beautifully designed mosaic tiled bar at Chin Chin

The secret it turns out, is to head to Chin Chin this week. Everyone in Australia is still at the beach or on summer holidays so my friend Claire and I just walked right in for a table at Chin Chin without a care in the world. Once in, we liked what we saw. The warehouse style space on Flinders Lane is a perfect inner city playground.

Spicy and slow cooked BBQ goat

A huge mosaic tiled bar lines one side of the room while chefs do their thing in a partly open kitchen. Huge pink neon bunny ears hang on one wall and bright blue metal stools add pops of colour. The whole restaurant has been designed to within an inch of its life and I could not help but love it.

Lychee cocktail

Claire and I tucked into cocktails including a brilliant lychee concoction which included a huge ball of iced rose petals that slowly melted into the alcohol while we checked out the menu which also doubled as a placemat. The food is best described as "Asian fusion" even though in some circles that is a dirty phrase. It jumps around the continent from dumplings to Thai style curries to a porky take on peking duck rolls.

Kingfish sashimi - check out the beautiful crockery at Chin Chin as well

Whether you waltz in to Chin Chin this week or queue for hours next week, here's what I'd order. The Kingfish sashimi ($16) with thick slices of fish almost translucent and dripping with the acidity of lime juice and the punch of a chilli dressing. Crunchy deep fried corn and coriander fritters ($12) wrapped in an iceberg lettuce leaf and lathered with chilli jam, essentially the culinary equivalent of crack cocaine.

Corn and coriander fritters

You also can't miss the wild Barramundi salad ($26) with its textural contrast between the crispy deep fried fish, sticky sweet cubes of caramalised pork and the slithers of green apple.

Wild Barramundi salad

Here's what I'd skip. The pork roll ups ($18) are fun because you construct them yourself but they were timid in comparison to the other dishes we tried. Similarly while the BBQ goat ($28) was slow cooked and spicy, the dish was pleasant rather than possessing.

Pork roll ups

The wine list at Chin Chin sits comfortably beside the spotlight hogging food. It is a proudly parochial all Australian affair and we loved the crisp and dry Pachamama riesling ($39).

Chin Chin's famous neon bunny ears

Yes, I've drunk the Kool-Aid and am now already planning my next pilgrimage to that culinary temple called Chin Chin.

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Essentials
Details: Chin Chin, 125 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia (Ph: +61 (3) 8663 2000) Open 7 days, lunch until late.
Damage: Pricey. Our bill came to $173 for two with drinks.
9/10

Where to eat in Budva (Gourmet Chick in Montenegro)

2012-01-09T09:30:00.000+11:00

Before I left Europe I managed to fit in a long weekend in Croatia and Montenegro with a group of friends. In Montenegro we spent our time in the town of Budva. Budva is about two hours drive from Dubrovnik but feels like it is also ten years behind, which is actually a good thing. It is much less developed with a Meditteranean vibe alongside a bit of Eastern European bling thrown in for extra measure. The quaint old, walled town is protected by thick stone walls from the tacky restaurants and bars featuring miniature Eiffel towers and fun fair rides that line the sea front.

Cruising in a yacht around Budva - tough

Grill Basta Kralj

Possibly the nicest waiter in the world works at Grill Basta Kralj restaurant on the beachfront in Budva. He charmed our entire table with his apparent genuine pleasure in doing his job. Grill Basta Kralj is just an unassuming beach front restaurant and our expectations were not high after reading a menu littered with amusing English translations like "Stuffed pepper (with adverb)". We didn't try the adverb stuffed peppers but were pleasantly surprised with a simple salad of sliced cucumbers, shredded cabbage and juicy, ripe tomatoes. Breaded squid was tender and springy and served with a creamy potato salad. Best of all was the service with a smile.

Details: Grill Basta Kralj, Seafront, Budva, Montenegro
Damage: Such a bargain my mother would approve.

6/10

Squid at Grill Basta Kralj

Korkovada
At night time there is no more enticing place to sit an eat than just outside the city walls on the designer outdoor sofas and tables which make up the restaurant Korkovada. If you want ambience, it is there in the bucket load with mellow light spilling down from the old town walls and a passing parade of people to watch. If you want food, best to go elsewhere. Warning bells should have run when we discovered this was an Italian speciality restaurant named after a Brazilian statue (and with pictures of Brazil on the menu). The house specialty of a stuffed veal pasta (€18) was cold and claggy and the risotto (€12) had a similar gluey texture as if it had just been reheated in a microwave. Service was abysmal with a continuing game of "catch the waiter’s eye". One to avoid at all costs.

Details: Korokvada, Stari Grad, Budva, Montenegro
Damage: Pricey for Montenegro
2/10

The walled town of Budva

Jadran
Internet searches and a call for advice on Twitter did not throw up many restaurant recommendations for Budva and one helpful person told me "Don’t expect too much". In the end we turned to the receptionist at our hotel and asked if she could recommend some restaurants. "There is one good restaurant in Budva called Jadran" she said definitively.

Waterside tables at Jadran

The restaurant has white linen clad tables along the waterfront in a setting which is tacky by day but almost verging on glamorous in the evening. To start, bowls of steaming mussels (€10) were served in a fragrant broth and tiny spicy sausages arrived on a huge platter heaped with fried onions. A whole fish (€45 per kilo) was baked in salt then set alight at our table before the hard shell of salt was cracked to reveal the tender fish which was packed with moisture. This was easily our best meal in Budva.

Details: Jadran, Sea front, Budva, Montenegro.

Damage: Pricey for Montenegro

7/10

Eating a whole salt based fish at Jadran

Gourmet Travel Tips

We flew to Dubrovnik in Croatia return from London with Wizzair (£190/$287) and then got a taxi transfer to Budva which is around £80/$120 per car.
In Budva we stayed at Villa Lux (€70/£57/$87) which was out of the old town on a busy intersection. Rooms were dull, threadbare towels and half the rooms did not have working air condition. Let's just say the use of the term "Lux" in the name of the hotel was quite misleading. One to avoid like the plague.
Highlights included catching a ferry to the island and also hiring a boat for an afternoon (about €30 per person, negotiate at the port).

How to make Indian Vegetable Curry

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000+11:00

After spending five weeks travelling around India I have vowed to try and eat more vegetarian food. I haven't given up meat and fish but I think it is healthier and let's face it cheaper to have at least one day a week where vegetables are the stars of the show. This is a recipe that was taught to me by Rajan who is one of the chefs at the idyllic Shreyas Retreat in India.

Rajan guides me through his curry recipe at Shreyas Retreat

Shreyas grows over half of the food it uses in its own organic vegetable garden and even has its own small herd of cows which keep the grass in the grounds trim and produce fresh milk for the retreat. As Shreyas is a yoga retreat the emphasis is on healthy food and so this is a very light curry recipe which uses oil instead of the heavier ghee which is often used in Indian cooking.

The vegetables ready to go in the curry

All the instructions are below but I have also posted a video of Rajan showing me how to make the key parts of the vegetable curry.

Ingredients
1 cup baby corn, finely diced
I cup carrot, finely diced
1 tbsp neutral oil like sunflower oil
2 tbsp red onion diced
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced to a paste
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced to a paste
1 cup green beans, finely diced
1 cup cauliflower florets, finely diced
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (can use any mild chilli powder)
1/2 tsp cardamon powder
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped

Reducing the curry

1. Bring a medium sized saucepan of water to the boil and add the carrot and corn and cook over a high heat for 5 mins before adding the green beans and cooking for a further 2 mins.

2. Meanwhile heat a frying pan with 2 tbsp of oil on a low heat. Once the oil is hot add the red onion and sauté for 2 mins or until the onion starts to soften and change colour.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the ginger and garlic paste to the onion then return to the heat and continue to stir for 1 minute.

4. Add the diced tomatoes into the frying pan and stir then add 1 tsp salt and half a cup of water. Cook over a medium heat for 2 mins while stirring then set aside until cool.

5. Add the cauliflower to the vegetable mixture and cook for a further 2 mins or until all the vegetables are tender.

6. Drain the vegetables (making sure to set aside the water they were boiled in as vegetable stock) and rinse under cold water to refresh them and maintain the colour of the vegetables.

7. Once the ginger and garlic mixture is cool blend it in a blender until it is smooth.

8. Put the blended mixture in a frying pan over a high heat, add half a cup of the vegetable stock to dilute the mixture along with the garam masala and chilli powder. Stir the mixture and cook for a further 2 minutes or until it starts to come to the boil.

9. Add the vegetables to the mixture with the cardamon powder and fenugreek powder and half a cup of water and mix together well and continue to cook over a medium heat for a further 5 mins or until the sauce is thick.

10. Check if more salt is needed then garnish with the fresh coriander and serve.

Serves four people. The curry mixture can be kept for a few days in the fridge and the taste will improve as the flavours intensify or you can freeze it.

Jungle Juice

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000+11:00

I'm all set to explore lots of new places in Melbourne this year but I am also looking forward to visiting some old favourites. One of these is Jungle Juice, a tiny cafe in Hardware Lane which I have been going to for years. I had barely been back in Melbourne a week and I found my way like some kind of homing pigeon to what must be one of Melbourne's smallest cafes and kitchens.

Crates serve as outdoor seating at Jungle Juice

It was great to see that pretty much nothing had changed. You can still basically touch both walls of the cafe while standing in the middle of it, there was still the Little Golden Books covered menus and the same things to order, bagels or my personal favourite the Jungle Juice Club Sandwich ($11). The club sandwich is a towering creation with chicken breast, bacon, lettuce and tomato wedged between slices of toasted bread. It puts the club sandwiches at most hotels to shame and gives a nice holiday feeling to any lunch time.

Little Golden Book covered menus

The bagels were also just as good as I remembered with the classic flavour combination of a BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato) ($10.50) hard to go past with its crusty bronzed bagel shell and dense breaded interior packed with the good stuff.

BLAT bagel

On the drinks front, Jungle Juice does excellent freshly squeezed juices, granitas and homemade lemonade which sadly errs on the side of being a little too bitter. They also have a La Marzocco coffee machine so you know the coffee is top notch.

Homemade lemonade

It's good to be back Jungle Juice, I missed you.

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Essentials

Details: 20 Centre Place, CBD, Melbourne Vic 3000, Australia, (Ph +61 3 9639 8779) Mon-Fri 7am-5:30pm, Sat-Sun 8:30am-5pm.

Damage: Such a bargain my mother would approve.

8/10

Shreyas Retreat (Gourmet Chick in India)

2012-01-02T09:00:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year! If you are anything like me you will have been desperately thinking up some new year resolutions over one final glass of champagne on New Years Day. So it strikes me as the perfect time to tell you about Shreyas Retreat in India. Deprive me of meat, alcohol and coffee normally and the result is not a pretty sight. But I willingly (and gladly) gave up all three during a three day stay at Shreyas Retreat last month. Shreyas is one hours drive from Bangalore but a million miles away from the hustle and bustle, chaos and confusion of the city.

Pool side at Shreyas Retreat - not your typical yoga retreat

Shreyas is one of the world's best yoga retreats and is also renowned for its cuisine so I jumped at the chance to stay there despite the absence of three of my favourite things from the menu. Any thoughts of sacrifice instantly disappeared when I arrived at Shreyas and was greeted with a cool face towel, freshly squeezed carrot and ginger juice and had a garland of marigolds placed around by neck. Although Shreyas is a yoga retreat it is as far removed from an austere ashram as it is possible to be while still espousing the same principles.

Dessert Shreyas style - rasmali topped with pistachio nuts

Set in a 25 hectare coconut plantation there was plenty of space to escape and relax at Shreyas. The retreat also boasts an infinity swimming pool, private cinema complete with big screen and reclining chairs, spa, library of 1000 books and even its own cricket machine (which was great for entertaining MTV). Rather than bunking down in an ashram dormitory I discovered at Shreyas I had my own tented suite with plush bedding and an open aired bathroom which I instantly wanted to replicate at home.

The verandah of our tented room

Most importantly though, rather than subsisting on dahl and rice, the food at Shreyas was designed to convert even the most rabid carnivore to temporary vegetarianism. For breakfast there was cereals, porridge, toast and fresh fruit with milk fresh from Shreya’s own herd of cows. This was followed by an Indian style dish such as soft paratha bread dotted with fresh fenugreek leaves or spongy rice cakes of idli with a spicy masala sauce.

Cauliflower soup for lunch

Lunch made the most of Shreya’s expansive organic vegetable garden which supplies most of the retreat’s produce. It started with a peppery roasted vegetable soup, tangy salad of sprouts and subtly spiced cauliflower with green peas, sauted okra with onion, rice flecked with cumin and papery whole wheat roti bread followed by a spongy rasmalai doused in a sweet, creamy sauce and topped with crushed pistachio nuts.

Sprout salad, cauliflower curry and okra for lunch

Dinner was served outdoors lit by flickering Chinese lanterns hanging from the trees by the pool or with tables arranged around a bonfire on chillier nights. We ate a zesty salad of beetroot served with tandoori roasted mushrooms and paneer, char grilled corn on the cob with a squeeze of fresh lime and stuffed capsicums in creamy sauce.

The yoga pavilion

Service at Shreyas was genuinely friendly and warm thanks in part to staff classes in yoga and meditation which ensures all staff are passionate about the ethos of the retreat. There is a meticulous attention to detail with shoes left outside rooms carefully turned the right way around, mediation notes on pillows at night time and tables and rooms strewn with flower petals. Although admittedly, the rose petals and marigolds scattered everywhere can make it feel like you have crashed someone's honeymoon.

Shreyas keeps India's flower growers in business

The retreat is not entirely a rural idyll - a noisy train line runs nearby and at dusk there are some pesky mosquitoes. However in typical Shreyas style any problems have already been anticipated before they arise with a set of earplugs and natural mosquito repellent in every room.

Visiting the local market with Shreyas as part of the culinary package

Shreyas is the ultimate luxury retreat which stretches its guests in more ways than one. I won’t pretend the experience has converted me entirely to vegetarianism and an alcohol and coffee free life but I honestly did not miss any of my three addictions at all during my stay and felt so much better for a temporary detox. A stay here is pure bliss.

Shreyas own ambassador taxi is at the service of guests to get around

Essentials
Details: Shreyas Retreat, Santoshima Farm, Gollahalli Gate, Nelamangala, Bangalore 562123, India. (Ph: +91- 80-27737102, 27737103, 27737183)
Damage: Budget Breaking. Nightly rates start at USD$280 (£179, $275) a night. A culinary package (7 nights accomodation, meals, yoga, activities and treatments) is USD$3,370.
10/10

Gourmet Chick was a guest of Shreyas.

Video review of my suite at Shreyas

Gourmet Travel Tips

There are direct flights with British Airways from London to Bangalore from £519 return or Singapore Airlines flies from Melbourne to Bangalore for $1010 return. Shreyas is a one hour drive from Bangalore airport and the retreat offers a complimentary transfer service (complete with cold face towels and bottled water in the car).
Each guest receives a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor. The doctor carefully explained the philosophy behind Ayurveda to me, diagnosed my Ayurvedic dhosa and tailor made a program for me for my three day stay at the retreat including massages and Ayurvedic treatments at Shreyas brilliant spa.
At the retreat there are group Hatha and Ashtanga yoga classes at 6.30am - 8am every morning and 4pm -5pm every afternoon along with mediation sessions at 10am every morning. Private yoga and mediation sessions are also available.
I undertook Shreyas' culinary package (although on a shorter three day time frame) which included a tour of the local market and a private cooking lesson with Shreyas' chef Rajan. More details on my cooking lesson at Shreyas to come in a later post.

2011 in Review

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000+11:00

2011 has been a big year at Chez Gourmet Chick with three months of travelling in Europe and Asia and then landing back in sunny Australia to finish off the year. This is my year in review post, the written equivalent of having a few drinks and chewing the fat on what the highlights (and lowlights) of the year have been.

Sunset cocktails at Udaipur in India.

1. Best meal in London in 2011
Heston Blumenthal arrived in London with a bang thanks to the opening of Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental this year. The food is intriguing but also damn delicious and more approachable than Blumenthal’s fare at The Fat Duck. The do not miss dishes were clearly the meat fruit and tipsy cake but it was all outstanding.

2. Best meal travelling in 2011
I can't stop thinking about my meal at Inaki Aizpitarte's amazing Le Dauphin in Paris, just a few doors down from his first restaurant, the acclaimed Chateaubriand. It’s a "small plates" style restaurant set in a buzzy, modern place with the room decked out from head to toe in white marble and dominated by a central bar which walk in diners can perch at to eat. Everything we tried was brilliant. Highlights included the sweet, sharp heritage tomato salad, smoky slices of almost rare wagyu beef, creamy squid ink risotto and piping hot matcha flavoured madeleines.

Heritage tomato salad at Le Dauphin in Paris

3. Worst meal in London in 2011
It wasn't the worst meal I had but it was the most disappointing given the price paid. I was left very underwhelmed by my meal at Nuno Mendes' Viajante thanks to some interesting ideas which just did not deliver in terms of taste. At just under £200 for our meal for two I expected more consistency.

4. Worst meal travelling in 2011
I had some great food in Dubrovnik, Croatia but my meal at Storia failed to deliver. Despite Storia's beautiful setting overlooking the harbour and friendly service, I had to leave most of my seafood risotto uneaten as it had a claggy texture and was over salted. So disappointing in a country with such amazing seafood.

Mmmm spaghetti carbonara

5. Recipe of the year
A weekend in Rome left me with a serious carbonara addiction and so I had to concoct the perfect spaghetti carbonara recipe. I had eaten carbonara before but nothing that tasted like the carbonara in Rome. It was silky smooth, rich and utterly satisfying. At home, attempting to replicate the classic dish I discovered the key was to cut out any extra ingredients, cream being the most obvious omission. The beauty of a good carbonara is its simplicity.

6. Cookbook of the year
I have total Momofku mania and cannot wait to get myself up to Sydney to check out David Chang's new restaurant there (or a visit to one of the originals in NYC would be nice). In the meantime I am making do with the brilliant, sweary and utterly compelling Momfuku cook book.

The easiest and most delicious noodle recipe from the Momofuku cookbook

7. Total number of posts for 2011
145. Not bad going given my nomadic existence and at times non existent internet.

8. Most far flung reader in 2011

Hello to Georgia! I have heard a lot about your country and would love to make it there one day.

9. Weirdest search term used to get to Gourmet Chick in 2011

Elegant Hat Chef. I do love a good hat come Spring Racing carnival but am a bit bewildered by that one.

2012 Wish List
As the time of year for New Year's resolutions here are a few food and travel related ones for me - a virtual wish list of places to eat.

Melbourne
I'm excited to be back in my home town and there are so many places I want to visit. Melburnians let me know what you think of this list and if there is anywhere else I should be heading to...

Chin Chin, according to Sharking For Chips and Drinks, and any friends I have who have been, it is one of Melbourne's "hot new openings";
Vue de Monde, as I went a few years ago but have not been since the restaurant moved to its new digs at the Rialto;
Wombat Cafe in Daylesford, I love the Lake House so am excited about checking out its new cheaper sibling;
Albert Street Food and Wine, Phillipa Sibley's new restaurant (currently loving her cook book);
Cutler and Co, which Joyce at Mel: Hot or Not, raves about and which I still have not been to; and
Golden Dragon Palace, out in Templestowe for my yum cha fix after developing a serious dim sum addiction in Hong Kong.

Ah Brazil - how I loved you. And how I love finishing this post with another cocktail picture.

Travel
After a crazy year of travel in 2011 which included holidays to Brazil, France, the USA, Spain, Mallorca, Madeira, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, India, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Ireland, Nepal and Hong Kong, I am planning some jaunts closer to my (new) home in 2012. Here's hoping for...

A traditional Australian holiday of time down by the beach at Lorne;
A trip to Sydney is certainly in order and long overdue; and
More time in Asia with both Japan and Bali on my wish list.

How to make mini salmon and dill fish cakes

2011-12-28T12:00:00.000+11:00

If you are putting on a New Years Eve bash these mini salmon and dill fish cakes are the perfect thing to have with a glass of champagne. Given that the holiday season is all about family and friends having a drink and a catch up, they could be your secret weapon sitting in the fridge ready to go. I served them up on Christmas day as (one of many) starters and they went down a treat.

Salmon and dill patties a go go

If you are feeling more practical you could also make these as a bigger size and serve for a light lunch or dinner with lots of salad and some post Christmas virtuous eating. Of course they are not quite so cute when they are not quite so mini and who needs virtue at this time of year? Slather on the mayonnaise I say and dig in.

Ingredients
300g salmon fillet, skin and bones removed if possible
2 tbsp thick cream
30g fresh breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
30g goats cheese
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup chopped dill
2 tbsp plain flour
Salt and pepper to season
20g butter
2 tbsp olive oil

The mixture ready to go in the fridge

1. Remove the skin of the salmon with a knife and any bones with tweezers if this has not already been done. Cut the salmon into bite size pieces.

2. Pour cream over breadcrumbs and leave for 5 mins.

3. Combine salmon, breadcrumb mixture, goats cheese, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor and blend quickly. You only need to mix for a short burst as the aim is to combine the ingredients and not to make a paste.

4. Put the mixture into a mixing bowl and combine with the egg yolk and half the dill then cover and leave to chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

5. Dampen your hands and divide into around 24 small patties or 8 large ones.

6. Roll the patties in flour and then heat the butter and oil in a large non stick frying pan over a medium heat.

7. Cook the patties until just browned on either side being careful not to overcook and dry the salmon out. Serve topped with mayonnaise (I made my own) and the remainder of the dill.

Patties ready to be fried

Makes 24 pieces for finger food or would serve four as a light lunch or dinner.