Melbourne Dining Experiences

FONDA MEXICAN

2012-01-21T22:34:00.001-08:00

248 Swan St, Richmond - ph: (03) 9429 0085

A Fonda is a family home, turned local restaurant, open to anyone passing by. It is a place for the community to congregate and enjoy mamma’s cooking direct from her kitchen. A Fonda embodies the philosophy ‘My house, your house’ or ‘Mi Casa, Su Casa’.

Is it just me or are there more and more Mexican eateries popping up everywhere in Melbourne?

Los Amates has been here for a long time, then Mamasita kind of started the hype followed by New Market, Mad Mex, Trippy Taco... I've lost count.

Now there is Fonda Mexican to add to the list. Fonda is pretty close to home to my delight. Every time I drive past it, the place is absolutely packed.

Finally stopped for dinner the other day when I finished early and was able to get there early enough to get a table without waiting in queue.

Hubby and I decided to order a few small dishes to share and try out the menu.

We started with an antojito or bar snack tortilla crisps served with guacamole and smoky tomato salsa. Great tortillas and salsa, although there was not too much of it. The guacamole finished way before the crisps did.

Corn tortilla crisps served with guacamole and smoky salsa ($6)

A close up on the smoky tomato salsa shows how rustic is was presented - with big chunks of onion. Hubby thought that was a good sign - it's really home made. To me, it looked a bit too home made. Seriously, dicing an onion is not that hard.

Smoky tomato salsa

For something a bit more substantial, 12'' burrito of chopped beef was a winner. The mixture of beef and pork was complemented well by the chunky black beans. The tomato salsa and aioli made the burrito really moist, without being too runny. This was my favourite dish.

Chopped beef and pork burger, black beans, salsa roja, chipole aiolli ($13.50)

We also ordered a couple of tacos. The vegetarian taco of of squash, zucchini, peas and mint was pretty good and fresh. The braised port taco was my favourite. I loved the sweet and sour combination of pork and pineapple and the tangy lime.

Braised pork taco with pineapple, onion. coriander and lime ($5)

Vegetarian taco of squash, zucchini, peas, mint, salsa verde and lime ($5)

As the name says, Fonda is a pretty casual restaurant. You order and pay at the counter and help yourself to water and cutlery. Staff is really nice for a minimum service type of place.

We had a fun, tasty, quick and cheap meal - great value at $15 a head. A winner for week nights.

LUPINO Italian Bistro

2012-01-16T01:25:00.001-08:00

41 Collins St, Melbourne - ph: (03) 9639 0333

Lupino, or 'little wolf' in Italian, is a relatively new addition to Melbourne's dining scene. It is the new venture by the owners of Becco, so I was expecting a good old Italian fare.

The atmosphere at Lupino is pretty casual and relaxed. Service was quick, efficient and unobtrusive, but not too formal. I felt they've nailed the bistro style on the head.

The menu is minute yet quite varied. There are good meat and vegetarian options for entrée and main and a number of dishes to share.

We started with a fine crust rosemary and garlic pizza served with chilli oil. Crispy and well seasoned.

Garlic and rosemary pizza ($14)

I have to say I didn't really like the look of the arancini balls when they came to the table. They were really dark and looked overcooked. My impression changed as soon as I had a bite. The rice was perfectly cooked and moist. I really liked the gooey, stringy cheese you got with each bite.

Arancini balls ($3.50 each)

Next starter was a summer salad of grilled peaches served with prosciutto, white cheese, balsamic reduction and basil. A refreshing combination of sweet and sour.

Grilled peaches with prosciutto, balsamic and basil ($16)

My favourite entrée was the white anchovies marinated with fennel. It was fresh, tangy and really flavoursome. Lots of fennel, olive oil and lemon juice was a perfect match for the salty anchovies.

White anchovies marinated with fennel ($9)

After being so hyped up by our entrees, the mains were a bit of a disappointment. Hubby's gnocchi gorgozola was pretty bland. The gnocchi itself was cooked to perfection, but pungent, strong taste I was expecting from a gorgozola sauce just wasn't there.

Gnocchi gorgonzola ($24)

I can say the same about my dish of pasta and seafood. The fresh taglierini was right on the spot, the prawns were really well cooked, but the sauce lacked the richness I like so much in a seafood-based broth. Suck a stark contrast from the anchovies in terms of flavour.

Seafood taglierini with mussels and prawns ($29)

It's hard to give my verdict on this one. Lupino certainly gets a tick for atmosphere, service and food as far as starters go. My suggestion, based on tonight's meal, is to maybe just order a few entrees to share and then go straight to dessert.

RAMEN YA

2011-09-01T03:17:00.001-07:00

108 Bourke St, Melbourne - ph: (03) 9654 5838

Ramen Ya is the (relatively) new talk of town in the CBD.

There are two Ramen Ya on Bourke St. I visited the one close to Exhibition St - the other is near Myer and David Jones. I think they are both owned by the same group, although their website only refers to the latter.

Ramen noodles are a very popular Japanese dish and one of my favourites winter warmers. I love sipping the steaming miso broth and slowly eating my way through the curly noodles.

My meal at Ramen Ya was exactly what I expected. Fuss free - you order and pay at the bar; simple and quick.

You can chose your broth base from chicken, beef or miso. I went for the miso based seafood dumpling soup.

Seafood dumpling ramen

The broth was dense and rich. It was a very generous serving - I only managed to get through half of it - and came to the table steaming hot.

Just want I needed on a cold Melbourne night!

HARDWARE LANE SOCIETE

2011-08-24T05:06:00.001-07:00

120 Hardware St, Melbourne - ph: (03) 9078 5992

I keep hearing about how great Hardware Lane Societe is from one of my girlfriends who works nearby.

Finally, I managed to squeeze in a visit before heading to an appointment in that end of town.

Harware Lane Societe is a tiny shop tucked away at the far end of Hardware St. The place was surprisingly quite when I arrived around 8am (apparently, it is shockers everyday of the week).

It was such a cold morning that I thought the semolina porridge would be the perfect ask.

Semolina porridge with passionfruit, rhubarb and shaved almonds ($11)

The porridge was delicious. The semolina had perfect creamy texture - absolutely lump free.

The passionfruit had been reduced to this incredibly sweet and sour sauce and the rhubarb melted away in the mouth. I liked the addition of the almonds for some texture.

Semolina porridge close up - great texture

I was also tempted to try one of their famous macarons, they looked so cute on display. Bought a coffee macaron to take away - I had to remind myself is was still before 9am and therefore not the time to be eating such a thing - but ended up not being able to resist it. I can now say that I firmly agree with what everyone else says about it - amazing.

Macarons on display

Hardware Lane Societe is definitely a gem in the city. Not only was the food great, the service was also top notch. I realised I had no money on me when I walked to the counter (they take cash only) and the waiter immediately pointed me in the direction of the nearest ATM without a hint of suspicion and a smile on his face.

I'll be coming bad for more food and more macarons!

PS. I'm also including this post in the 'dessert' category to remind me that macarrons are not a breakfast item :)

MONTALTO Piazza

2011-08-21T00:46:00.000-07:00

33 Shoreham Rd, Red Hill South - ph: (03) 5989 8412

The sun finally decided to come out again after another week of rainy weather in Melbourne! And what better way to enjoy it than going for a long drive around the peninsula and stopping somewhere nice on the way for lunch?

Montalto comprises a vineyard, olive grove, cellar door, fine dining restaurant and piazza, the latter serving a small, casual menu of local produce.

Most of the tables at the piazza are outdoors and offer amazing views of the vineyards and their huge vegetable garden.

The atmosphere here is very casual, with ordering and paying at the bar. The menu is pretty small and mainly comprised of pizzas.

We ordered:

Carrot and ginger soup with tahini mayonnaise ($14)

At first, I thought the idea of mayo on soup what a bit strange... but it ended up being no more than a drizzle of tahini on top. I loved the soup. There was only a subtle hint of ginger and the carrot puree had a rich, creamy texture. I loved how the soup was served very, very hot.

The rest of the table shared a few pizzas.

Pumpkin, semi dried tomato, feta pine nuts and garden herbs pizza ($17)

Lamb, potato, bacon and minted yoghurt pizza ($18)

Salami, bocconcini and rocket pizza ($18)

I had a bite of each and to be quite honest, did not love any. I thought the pizza bases were bland and the toppings were a bit dry (apart from the lamb and bacon pizza covered in yoghurt - that was a weird combination. They were not bad, but certainly not great either.

My favourite was probably the salami an bocconcini pizza. The spicy salami added a good quick to it.

I probably say I'd come back to eat at Montalto even though this was not a memorable meal. The venue is nice, the atmosphere relaxed, the food fresh and prices were very reasonable.

CUTLER & CO Bar

2011-08-20T23:41:00.001-07:00

57 Gertrude St, Fitzroy - ph: (03) 9419 4888

www.cutlerandco.com.au

We had a couple of friends in town for the weekend and wanted to take them to a nice but casual dinner.

I had been to Cutler & Co restaurant before. I really enjoyed the food, although the atmosphere at the dining area was a bit too formal. I remember walking through the bar as we were about to leave and finding it much more relaxed.

Flowers at the Cutler & Co entrance

Tonight we ate at Cutler & Co bar. The bar doesn't take bookings, so you need to try your luck. We got a table straight away at about 8pm on a Saturday night and the bar was full shortly after that.

The bar offers table service, but the waitress took a long while to bring us the menus and drinks. On the other hand, food started coming fairly quickly after we ordered.

Cured king fish, avocado and rye ($9)

These little toasts were amazing. I think the fish was cured with either lemon or lime; it had a delicious zesty flavour. The avocado - on the dish description - seemed to have been replaced by sour cream which, together with the black caviar, reminded me of blinis.

Anchovy pastries ($9)

One of the guys said the anchovy pastries were like hot chips - he could have had a bowl of them. I thought they were a bit too doughy for my taste, but then again, not everyone shares my love for anchovies...

Chorizo, octopus and aioli ($7)

Again, great little toasts. If the kingfish one was inspired on Russian food, this one was definitely Spanish. I loved what I believe was a paella inspired combination of chorizo and seafood.

Poached chicken, quinoa and prune salad

This salad was a winner for me. I have never eaten chicken this tender before. Incredible. I also really liked the roasted quinoa. The prune was pureed into this rich, sweet sauce that blended amazingly well with the rest of the dish.

Salad of spiced heirloom carrots, eggplant, pistachio and radish ($21)

Another delicious salad. The eggplant was slightly smoked and processed as tick emulsion. Carrots, beetroot and sweet potato were lightly cooked and still a bit crunchy, adding a nice texture to the dish. I enjoyed the combination of pureed and and whole versions of the same vegetables.

Chilli and fennel seed salami ($12)

I'm not a big fan of salami, so can't say much about this one. The olives were nice, but nothing remarkable.

Steamed pork bun with Shanghai chilli vinegar ($15)

Pork bun was the last dish to come and probably the table's favourite. The sweet buns were really soft and chunky pieces of pork were amazingly tender. I also loved the rich sweet and sour sauce served with it.

Chocolate ice-cream sandwich, vanilla parfait and salted caramel ($18 - half serve shown)

Oh my god! How creamy can a desert be? The chocolate ice-cream was unbelievably smooth and creamy. I wasn't that keen on the vanilla parfait; a bit too rich for me. But I did like the contrast between the salty caramel and the sweet chocolate.

We had a great night with lots of good food, drinks and good conversation. The atmosphere at Cutler & Co Bar is much more relaxed than the restaurant and the place was buzzing the night we visited. What's even better - I thought our meal was a bargain for about $60 pp including drinks.

INNOCENT BYSTANDER

2011-08-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

336 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville
www.innocentbystander.com.au

The Yarra Valley is such a good destination for a weekend away from Melbourne. It takes a bit more than an hour's driving to be in the middle of this beautiful countryside surrounded by vines, placid cows grazing on the fields and many fruit orchids.

There are also some cute little towns in the region and plenty of good restaurants, cafe and of course cellar doors to choose from.

I have to say we were quite surprised by Innocent Bystander. The cellar door combines wine tasting, bistro (an expansive, bright and minimally decorated affair), wood-fired pizza, bakery, cheese room and provedore. As if this was not enough, Innocent Bystander also roasts their own coffee.

Artisan bakery

Provedore - cheeses, jams and compotes

Giant Steps and Innocent Bystander wines

The food at Innocent Bystander was amazing. The menu of simple dishes like pizzas, sandwiches, salads and soups was superbly executed with top quality ingredients and house made accompaniments like bread and olive oil.

It was a cold winter day when we visited, so I ordered the winter minestrone soup with risoni, berlotti beans, basil pesto and goats curd.

winter minestrone soup with risoni, berlotti beans, basil pesto & woodside goats curd ($18)

Soup served with fresh sourdough bread

Simply perfect. Perfect balance of tangy tomatoes, crunchy pesto, silky smooth beans, tart goats curd. Each spoonful was bursting with flavour. The soup was served with fresh slices of the most amazing sourdough bread and dark green olive oil.

Hubby chose the 4 cheese pizza.

Four cheese pizza ‐ fontina, tallegio, buffalo mozzarella & cravero parmesan & roast garlic ($23)

I wasn't too impressed with the slightly burnt edges when the pizza was brought to the table. But the base turned out to be perfectly cooked - crispy, tanned, and not burnt at all. The unusual four cheeses combination worked well. The tallegio and buffalo mozzarella melted into a gooey base and the parmesan gave a beautiful texture to the mix.

Lastly, we couldn't resist trying one of their sandwiches special.

Charles Arnaud gruyère de comté, pastoral double smoked leg ham & beurre d’isigny french butter on house baked parisian style baguette ($17)

Again, ridiculously good, flawless food. This was a very simple dish that highlighted each of the artisan made ingredients. The sandwich was served with hot mustard, which I spread freely on the bread.

Innocent Bystander impressed me on the quality of ingredients they used and range of house made ingredients. You can tell this place is run with real passion. Highly recommend a visit to this Yarra Valley gem!

MAD MEX

2011-08-06T16:09:00.001-07:00

131 Chapel St, Prahan - ph: (03) 9939 1772

www.madmex.com.au

It might be the distance from Mexico, or the unfamiliarity with black beans, but until very recently Australia didn't really seem to have an obsession with Mexican street food like Americans do.

Tacos and burritos can be such a tasty, healthy option for a quick weekday lunch, yet good Mexican fast food joints are hard to find.

That said, I was keen to try Mad Mex, a relatively new fast food chain that has just opened their second outlet in Melbourne.

My first impression was of an upmarket eatery. I really liked the Corona bottles lamps.

Apart from the posh dining area, Mad Mex is like your usual fast food joint. You order and pay at the counter and help yourself to soft drinks and crockery. Burritos are made to order and you choose the fillings from an assortment of ingredients on display.

We ordered:

Burrito vegetariano - soft flour tortilla with black beans, cheese, lettuce, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and guacamole.

Burrito vegetariano ($7.90 for small)

Tasty burrito. All the ingredients tasted very fresh. Beans and vegetables were warm, but not boiling hot, which kept the lettuce crispy throughout.

Burrito vegetariano

Hubby ordered the quesadilla - grilled flour tortilla with cheese, capsicum and onions served with a choice of 2 salsas and sour cream.

Quesadillas ($9.90)

Quesadillas were nice and crispy. His green tomato salsa was too bland for me - nothing like the real tangy, sweet green salsa you get at real Mexican places...

...but not bad for a fast food place.

I thought Mad Mex offered pretty good food - fast, fresh and healthy.

BENT ESPRESSO

2011-07-13T02:36:00.000-07:00

385 Centre Rd, Bentleigh - ph: (03) 9557 1339

I visited Bent Espresso with a girlfriend who lives close by. She had never been there before, but had heard good things about this cafe.

Bent Espresso is a tiny shop off the main shopping strip. There were no free tables when we arrived, so we ordered and sipped our coffees at the bench while we were waiting for one.

Latte ($3.60)

I really enjoyed my latte - fresh coffee and hot frothy milk.

My friend had her little bub on a trolley and the staff was very nice to help us accommodate it well.

We ordered:

Corn and chive fritters with guacamole and grilled mushrooms

Corn and chive fritters with poached egg, bacon and guacamole ($19.50)

I asked for the bacon to be replaced for mushrooms, which they brought on a separate plate for no extra charge (reasonable I guess, given how much this dish costs!).

Grilled mushrooms

The fritters were fine. Not great. Not bad. Nothing out of the ordinary. I thought there was too much batter and too little corn and couldn't really taste the chives. The egg was well cooked and the guacamole was probably the best part of this dish. Very fresh with lot's of lime juice.

Salmon and herbs scrambled eggs with spinach and goats cheese on a toasted bagel ($16)

My friend liked her dish. Like me, she didn't love it - thought it was just ok. The eggs were well cooked and covered with a generous slice of smoked salmon.

To satisfy our sweet tooth, we ordered a chocolate and raspberry brownie - by far the highlight of our brunch. You can see clearly see on the picture how gooey is was, almost like a fondant.

Chocolate and raspberry brownie ($4)

The raspberries added some zesty bitterness to the sweet chocolate and complemented it perfectly.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Bent Espresso and would come back if I were in the area. I thought the prices were a bit steep, but coffee was good and so was the brownie. Perhaps next time I'll skip breakfast and go straight to coffee and cake :)

CAFE ROSAMOND - Dessert night

2011-07-01T18:18:00.001-07:00

www.pierreroelofs.com
191 Smith St, Fitzroy - ph: (03) 9419 2270

Cafe Rosamond offers a 'dessert night' every Thursday night . Dessert nights are notorious for getting a long line of people queuing all the way down the street for a chance to try Pierre Roelofs' creative desserts.

I had heard good things about this place for a long time and ended up trying it tonight totally by chance. Hubby and I wanted grab a quick bite to eat at nearby Peko Peko (post on Peko Peko to follow soon) and noticed that staff was getting ready for action.

We finished our dinner about 7.15pm (dessert night at Cafe Rosamond starts at 7pm) and thought we should try our luck. They were obviously booked out by then, but we managed to get a couple of sits by the counter as another couple cancelled their booking last minute. I was excited!

Take home tea selection

We started by ordering some tea - lemongrass and ginger - to cleanse the palate, as our lovely waiter recommended.

Lemongrass and ginger tea

Cafe Rosamond dessert night consists of a 'blind degustation': you let them know if you have any food intolerances and nothing else. They bring you 1, 2 or 3 surprise dessert courses ($20, $30 or $40, respectively).

In addition, you can have a single shot dessert tube, which is meant to be eaten (read suck in from the tube) in one go, so that you can get the combination of flavours happening in your mouth.

We ordered 2 'profiterole' tubes consisting of creme chantilly, creme patisserie and caramel jelly.

'profiterole' tubes - creme chantilly, creme patisserie and caramel jelly ($9 each)

I liked the taste of it, but not the concept. Although the tubes looked quite cute, I had to suck pretty hard in order to get the jelly out, and half of it ended up going straight down my throat!!!
The first dessert course was beautifully presented and consisted of: coconut, rhubarb, raspberry and violet (?)

Coconut, rhubarb, raspberry dessert

I loved the presentation of this dish and all the different textures. Each ingredient was presented in different ways - candied, in emulsion, creamy, jellied... It seemed like the chef had a fun putting it together. Taste wise, this was a bit too sweet for me. I didn't get that delightful, slightly sour taste of baked rhubarb.

Second dessert didn't look as flash, but tasted better than the first one in my opinion - lemon foam, apple sorbet, vanilla cream and raisins.

Lemon foam, apple sorbet, vanilla cream and raisins

Again, loved the combination of textures. And the different flavours were perfectly combined in this dessert to create an explosion of taste in your mouth with every single bite. As we dug into our bowl, we found new textures and ingredients. Very, very good.

Lastly, the third dessert was a rich chocolate cake with walnut and cumin.

Dark chocolate cake with walnut and cumin

Very decadent and deliciously rich dessert. This was probably the smallest dish of the night (for a good reason, I'm sure!). The cumin was a totally unexpected addition to chocolate and worked really well to contrast the dark chocolate's slightly bitterness.

The texture of the cake was divine - probably more like a brownie than a soft cake - gooey and creamy. The impossibly fine walnut 'biscuits' were equally delicious. I licked my plate clean. :)

Overall, Cafe Rosamond's dessert night was an interesting and memorable experience. It doesn't come at a low cost though - we spent $64 for 1 dessert degustation (3 courses), 2 dessert tubes and tea. Would have forked about $100 if we weren't sharing...

Save it for a special occasion.

NAMASTE Indian Restaurant

2011-06-26T01:07:00.001-07:00

www.srsnamaste.com

104 Lygon St, Carlton - ph: (03) 9654 0550

I am normally not a huge fan of Indian food. I've had a few good experiences and way to many bad ones (and some horrible, like seeing rats run through the restaurant!) I find that, unless you know where to go, chances are you will end up with stomach-ache.

So when fellow blogger Ms I-Hua said Namaste Indian Restaurant was a great place for freshly made roti, I decided to give it a go.

Namaste is a small restaurant on the city end of Lygon St. When we arrived at 7pm on a Sat night, there were still a few tables empty, but they all filled soon after that. And of course, a constant flow of take away clients visited throughout the night. The place is quite simple, but staff is super attentive; stuff of fine dining restaurants.

We ordered some roti and it was served steaming hot. It wasn't as crispy as the traditional Malaysian roti I like so much, but still very good.

Roti chanai ($2.95), roti chanai bawang - stuffed with onions ($3.95) and lamb curry ($9.95)

The lamb curry had a really good balance of spices and wasn't too oily.

Prawn masala - Yera kal masala ($10.95)

Prawns masala - marinated in yoghurt and spices and grilled on tawa (thick iron plate) tasted great. I asked for not too hot and it had just the right amount of chilli for my taste. The prawns had a great texture and the spices were amazing.

Cheese and spinach dosa ($8.95)

I loved the rice pancake - dosa! Crispy, moist, tasty fillings and plentiful sauces to play with.

I'll certainly be coming back to this place. Cheap, clean, good food... and did I mention that service was great? Namaste Indian Restaurant really surpassed my expectations.

CACAO GREEN

2011-06-25T00:37:00.001-07:00

www.cacaogreen.com.au

285 Swanston St, Melbourne - ph: (03) 9654 9674

Cacao Green specialises in organic frozen yogurt and fair trade chocolate and coffee.

Came here today as part of a Nuffnang blogger meet up. I've never been to a blogger event before, so I was quite excited about meeting fellow bloggers.

The shop is very conveniently located on the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale Sts, opposite QV. It's quite small, with a couple of outdoor tables at the front and a few more out the back. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by their friendly host & marketing manager, Alvina.

She explained that the recently opened shop is the first Australian franchise of a Korean chain. They import the organic yogurt powder from Italy and prepare it daily on site. The organic Brazilian chocolate and coffee beans they use are certified fair trade and the milk used on smoothies and hot drinks is also organic.

I am a big fan of frozen yogurt, love chocolate and coffee and try to eat organic as much as I can - there couldn't be a better place for a meet up than this!

Toppings - seasonal fresh fruits, compotes, granola and various nuts

We had:

Mixed berries parfait - very refreshing and light. The yogurt was not too sweet, fresh fruit tasted great and the granola added some texture.

Mixed berries parfait - strawberries, blueberries, banana, granola and yogurt ($6.70)

Chocolate waffle - the smell was amazing when it arrived at the table. The waffle batter is made with dark chocolate and tasted really good. Texture-wise, it wasn't as crispy as I would have liked. I think the white and dark chocolate sauce on top was a bit too much.

Dark chocolate waffle made with organic chocolate ($8.70)

Japanese green tea frozen yogurt - my favourite of the day. Great green tea taste without the aftertaste bitterness that some ice creams have. This is something that I would be glad to eat everyday.

Japanese green tea organic frozen yogurt ($6.50 for regular size)

Hot chocolate and matcha green tea latte - you can choose between 45%, 60% and 75% cacao hot chocolate. I chose the 60% hot chocolate, which was described as 'bittersweet and sharpened with hints of walnut and fruit'. I could definitely taste the nutty flavour. The hot chocolate was really creamy and rich; there were tiny little bits of chocolate floating through it.

Very good hot chocolate; dare I say - as good as Cafe Vue's?

60% cocoa hot chocolate ($5.80) and matcha green tea latte ($4.50 for regular size)

The matcha green tea latte was unlike anything I have ever tried before. Like the hot chocolate, really creamy and rich. It had a really strong green tea flavour, which I liked. It's not something you can have a lot of tough, I don't think I would the able to finish a whole cup. For those of you who are not obsessed with green tea, this latte might be a bit hard core, but it's worth a try.

I had a good time and will surely come back for more green tea & organics extravaganza. Most importantly, got to meet other bloggers who were all really nice people an enthusiastic about their work / hobby.

Thanks to Nuffnang for organising and Alvina from Cacao Green for hosting :)

PIZZA VERDE

2011-06-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

www.pizzaverde.com

62 Piper St, Kyneton - (03) 5422 7400

I love Kyneton! I highly recommend it for anyone living / visiting Melbourne and hasn't been there yet. This picturesque town is located about 60km away from the city. It takes about 40min to get there.

There are lots of cafes, bistros and fine dining restaurants along Piper St, Kyneton's tourist shopping strip.

I had been meaning to try Pizza Verde for a while, and today seemed like the perfect winter day for a robust warm lunch.

Specials board

Hubby ordered one of their pizza specials - a white pizza (no tomato sauce) with ham, gorgonzola and quince.

Pizza special - bianco, Istra leg ham, gorgonzola, poached quince, red onions, pine nut and rocket ($21)

The pizza was delicious. We both loved the combination of flavours. All ingredients worked well together, and you could tell they were all fresh and good quality.

I got greedy when I saw their Sunday roast special and went for the two course roast special: roast chicken with rosemary potatoes served with rocket and mozzarella salad + dessert.

Cider and caper roasted chicken, crispy rosemary potatoes and rocket and fior de latte salad ($28 - including dessert)

The chicken was perfectly cooked and very tender. I liked the addition of capers, which gave it a slightly salty punch. The potatoes were soggy and disappointing. On the other hand, the salad was really nice. Crispy rocket leaves, a bit of fior de latte mozzarella and a citrus dressing.

Poached quince crumble with Jock's vanilla ice-cream

My dessert was nice, but not exactly what I had imagined. I was expecting a juicy and steaming hot pot of quince topped with a thick layer of crumble. Instead, I got pieces of quince topped with a granola-like textured crumble. The taste of both the quince and crumble were nice, but I thought the dessert was somewhat lacking. Jock's ice-cream is always a great addition to anything!

Overall, we enjoyed our meal. Prices were honest, quality of the ingredients was very good (mostly locally sourced), service was nice and attentive and the food tasted - for most part - very good.

Pizza Verde is a place I would certainly visit again.

AXIL Coffee Roasters

2011-06-18T01:29:00.001-07:00

www.axilcoffee.com.au

322 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn - ph: (03) 9819 0093

I first heard about this place through a friend who lives in the suburb. Apparently reviews have been quite mixed - while some people didn't like the food or service, others have bragged about good the coffee is.

Based on today's experience, I don't agree with either comment. To me, the service and food at Axil Coffee Roasters were the highlight and the coffee turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.

We ordered:

Single origin double ristretto ($4.00)

Hubby said a double ristretto tasted really good, but was not hot enough. This was his second visit to Axil and he said the coffee was cold the first time as well. Not ideal.

Chicken, avocado, tabuleh and mayo toasted sandwich

The toasted sandwich tasted really good. Pretty light and not too greasy; the chicken was well cooked.

Banana, kiwi fruit, apple and spirulina smoothie ($5.50)

The smoothie was great! Slightly citric and not too sweet - really refreshing.

I thought the service was very good. Refreshingly good for a South East suburb cafe, actually. It's not often that I come across a waiting staff that is really keen to offer you a good breakfast experience - and not just good food and /or coffee. The waiter came to our table a couple of times to check if everything was alright, topped our water frequently and served us with a big smile on her face.

Too bad hubby didn't like the cold coffee. But since he thought the single origin Colombian beans tasted good, we got some for our coffee machine at home. I've had a couple of cups a home already and loved it.

I'll definitely be coming back to Axil Coffee Roasters for brunch.

PURE BREAD BAKERY - Best sourdough in Melbourne

2011-06-12T16:06:00.001-07:00

114 Union Road, Surrey Hills - ph: (03) 9836 3789

I 'discovered' this place some time ago when a friend who lives in Surrey Hill brought their bread to a barbecue at my place. After the first bite, I basically ignored the barbecue meat to eat simply bread with butter - their sourdough is that good.

Ever since then, we became regulars at the bakery (never mind the 20min Saturday morning drive to buy bread).

Pure Bread makes traditional sourdough bread. No additives, no preservatives. In addition to the basics - wholemeal, white and ciabatta sourdough - they also offer flavoured varieties, like onion and cheese, pumpkin, corn and walnut bread.

How can I describe the bread... crusty exterior, super soft inside, the slightly sour taste of real sourdough that lingers in the mouth. Just really, really good.

I love the smell of freshly baked bread whenever I go there early in the morning. We always end up getting at least a couple of loaves, so I generally don't try their sweets selection. Everything does look good. I've tried the chocolate brownie once and it was decadently gooey... perfect addition to my morning latte after a few minutes in the oven.

They also make great buns, including a delicious hot cross bun during Easter.

Pure Bread makes coffee as well, so there are a couple of cafe tables at the front; although I think most people just go for the bread. Definitely worth a visit.

CORNELIUS Cheese Wine Coffee

2011-06-04T23:06:00.001-07:00

141 Maling Rd, Canterbury - ph: (03) 9830 7915

I read about Cornelius on The Age the other day. The article was about good places to buy and eat French food around Melbourne. Their suggestions for best places to buy croissants and cheese were spot on with my favourite places, so I was excited to try what was described as one of the 'best French-style cheesy toast'.

Cornelius is located on Maling Rd, this really picturesque shopping strip lined filled with antique shops and cafes. It was a sunny autumn morning when we came for brunch, so we went for a walk around the tree lined road in all shades of orange, yellow and red... I was already in a good mood when I entered the cafe :)

The cafe is quite small; a few tables at the front and a large counter where you can buy cheese, pates and cured meat.

We ordered:

Croissant ($6)

The croissant was served warm, which I liked, but wasn't anything spectacular. I thought the dough was a bit dry.

Coconut, mango and lime milkshake ($6)

Milkshake was tasty and not too sweet. It's a huge serve - I think there was almost 1/2L of milk on it. More than enough for 2 people.

Tinned Spanish sardines with toasted sourdough and vine tomatoes ($11) with an extra poached egg ($4.50)

My dish was a bit of a mixed bag. The sardines and tomatoes were delicious, but the bread was burnt (you can see the black bits I scrapped off on the side) and the egg looked more like cooked than boiled - and costed $4.50 as an add on!

However, when I complained about it to the waiter, he promptly offer to replace my dish. The next poached egg was perfectly cooked.

I really liked how the sardines were cooked on their own tin. It tasted great.

Replacement poached egg

When the star of the day - cheese toast - arrived, we were a bit disappointed. I thought it was a very small serve (1 toast!) for the price. Taste wise, it was a nice CHEESE on TOAST, nothing the creamy, spices filled cheese toast you get at Richmond Hill and Larder (my favourite). To be honest, hubby's version with cider tastes much better.

Italian Job - Tallegio washed rind, Parmigiano Reggiano & Proscuitto ($13.50)

The relish was probably the best part of this dish; fresh, tangy and well spiced.

Overall, I thought the food was pricey for what it was. Service was ok and the location is great, but I think there are better places for coffee on Maling Rd and best places for croissants and cheesy toast.

I might come back to buy cheese, but not to eat in.

PIZZA MEINE LIEBE

2011-04-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

231 High St, Northcote - ph: 9482 7001

I'll start this post with the disclaimer that I had high expectations about Pizza Meine Liebe after hearing so many bloggers rave about this place.

I've heard really good comments not only about the food, but also about the restaurant's atmosphere and vibe. Unfortunately, I have to say that I didn't like either.

Starting with the vibe. The restaurant is set up with a few large tables at the front (when we visited, there was a group of about 12 using most of that space), a few narrow tables at the corridor / kitchen entrance, and a larger dining area at the back.

I happened to get one of the narrow tables. Just by taking a look at the picture listed on urbanspoon you can see that being squeezed against a white tiled wall (looks like a bathroom wall) doesn't really cut it as a great atmosphere for a restaurant.

Now, to the food. I ordered the meatball calzone topped with 4 cheeses sauce.

The sauce was too runny and quickly made the dough soggy. After the first couple of bites, my dish was looking more like a soft lasagna than a crisp calzone.The meatballs were pretty tender and tasted good.

Small braised meatball calzone topped with 4 cheeses sauce ($15)

What really disappointed me was the salad. Apart from not including any seasoning / dressing what so ever, I actually tool close up pictures to show how old the rocket leaves were.

Side salad served with the calzone

My friend's mushroom pizza wasn't as bad. Although she didn't like the dough (it tasted more like flat bread than pizza dough), the toppings were good. Her salad leaves didn't look as bad as mine either.

Mushroom, mozzarella and asiago large pizza ($19.50)

Service was also ok, but nothing remarkable. We were so disappointed with what we got, that we left about half of our food still on the place and went elsewhere for dessert.

I'm not sure if we were just really unlucky to eat there on a bad, no-fresh-salad-leaves day, but I'm certainly not looking forward to coming back for a second try.

HAUSFRAU

2011-04-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

32A Ballarat St, Yarraville - ph: (03) 9687 8365

Hausfrau is the cutest little bakery in Yarraville. They have so many cakes, pastries, biscuits to choose from! Not a place that I would recommend to someone in a diet, but a great place for anyone with a sweet tooth like myself :)

Since I came here for lunch, I resisted the temptation of heading straight to the sweets and started with a savoury cheese and corn muffin.

The muffin was served warm and was light and fluffy. I really liked the sweet and sour combination in the side salad - shredded carrots, green apple and raisins. The dish was filling, but light at the same time; leaving the exact amount of stomach space for dessert!

Savoury muffin with carrot, green apple and raisins

I indulged in THE BEST chocolate brownie ever. It was moist, crunch, not overly sweet and had little morsels of white chocolate throughout that melted in the mouth. Thoroughly enjoyed my dessert!

Chocolate brownie

Hubby ordered a ham & cheese sandwich made with serrano cured ham and gruyere cheese. He liked the ingredients - specially the crispy bread - but thought the sandwich was a bit dry. I think it would have been better toasted.

Ham & cheese sandwich

He also ordered a plain croissant, which was pretty good, but not as good as 'frenchy's'. Still, a pretty good effort.

Croissant

Cute place, worth coming for desserts, cakes, muffins... I'm glad Hausfrau is too far from me for frequent visits; I wouldn't be able to go past without stopping for a treat!

PIZZA RELIGION

2011-04-21T18:53:00.001-07:00

493 Tooronga Rd, Hawthorn East - ph: (03) 9882 2555

We came across Pizza Religion by chance the other night on our way back from a friend's house.

We were looking for a BYO place around Hawthorn, saw they had pretty good reviews on urban spoon and only charged $2 per head in corkage (were were sold on the corkage!!!)

The restaurant is really small, with a large communal table at the front overlooking the kitchen and some more tables in the outdoor backyard. Weather was lovely the night we went there, so we were happy to sit outside. (I'm not so sure how well the backyard atmosphere will work during winter...)

Staff were lovely - we could clearly see the lady serving our table was one of the owners - and working hard to please customers. I love it when you get that seamless eagerness to please in new family restaurants.

We ordered one the day's special entree:

Battered calamari with rocket and lemon

The calamari were a bit soggy, not great.

Pizzas were a much better choice:

Mushroom, thyme, talleggio, balsamic vinegar, Spanish onions ($17)

The mushroom pizza had a very nice, slightly sharp taste. The base was thin and crispy, the pizza was very moist and mushrooms were well cooked.

Sicilian salami, tomato, goats cheese and mint ($17)

Sicilian salami was great. I liked the (slightly weird) combination of pork and mint. The flavors were well balanced and goats cheese and tomatoes added some lightness to the salami.

There is nothing over special about Pizza Religion's pizza making. They don't have a wood fire oven and probably don't use expensive Italian mozzarella on their pizzas. But they do have a great, relaxed atmosphere, nice staff, decent pizzas and you can bring a nice bottle of wine to share with your friends.

Since our first visit, we've already been back twice with friends and had a great time each time. Kudos on the owners for their hard work in creating this 'hidden gem'!

SKINNY DOG - Take 2

2011-02-19T23:08:00.000-08:00

155 High St, Kew - ph: (03) 9853 8023

I rarely ever post about the same restaurant twice. There are so many places to write about; I try to always bring something new to the blog.

Having said that, the meal at Skinny Dog - and the ambiance, and the menu - was so different from the last time I've been there, it feels like I'm writing about a new place!

Hubby and I went there on a cold week night for quick dinner and ordered their traditional parma.

They still praise themselves on their ridiculously large parma - as you can see in the pictures!

But the parma was a bit different now. I'm not a huge fan of fried, greasy food. So I admired the fact that the chicken crust was crispier and less oily then I remembered it and the chicken was perfectly cooked.

We´ll be coming back!

THE STATION HOTEL

2011-02-11T12:47:00.000-08:00

59 Napier St, Footscray - ph: (03) 9687 2913

www.thestationhotel.com.au

I have been hearing good things about The Station Hotel for some time. From different people. From blogs. So yes, I was pretty excited about going there for dinner.

The chef - Sean Donovan - spent a long time working at restaurants in Europe before returning to Melbourne. The Station is decorated with many pictures of menus prepared by him when he was working in the UK and France. It gives the place a nice European bistro feel.

We had made a reservation for the dining room, but were running really to make it in time for our booking. By the time we got there, we would need to eat in a hurry before the next seating (I'm always annoyed by the 2 seating times policy...). Staff were very nice about it though and quickly got us a table at the bar, where we could order the same food as in the dining room anyway...

We ordered:

White and green asparagus served with poached egg and mousseline sauce.

White and green asparagus served with poached egg and mousseline sauce

The asparagus tasted great and the egg was perfectly cooked.

I was a bit disappointed with the mousseline sauce - a very traditional French sauce that is similar to hollandaise, with the addition of whipped cream. Neither the texture nor the taste resembled the sauce served in France. I was expecting more given Donovan's long experience working in Europe...

Surely, we had to order one of their steaks - that's what the restaurant is well known for.

Hubby had the Black Angus T-bone. The meet was very tender and perfectly cooked. Great steak. Chips were done very well and the generous serve of salad pulled the trick at making us believe we had a healthy meal!

140 day grain fed Black Angus T-bone ($42)

As much as the French-style entree let me down, the steak got me excited about this place again and wanting to come back for more.

Between taking these pictures and actually writing this post, I've already been there again - for the steak only - and recommended it to a couple of friends.

Worth a try.

THE MEAT & WINE CO

2011-01-28T20:48:00.001-08:00

3 Queensbridge St, Southbank - ph: (03) 9696 5333

http://themeatandwineco.com

The name says it all - you come here for meat (enormous pieces of it) and wine (quite comprehensive list for a steak restaurant).

The Meat & Wine Co. is an international chain of steakhouses. They have restaurants in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In Australia, the Meat & Wine Co. is in Melbourne and Sydney.

I'm normally not a fan of restaurant chains, specially American-style, huge-serving-sizes, greasy ones. On Southbank. So I had pretty low expectations about this dinner...

The restaurant's location is quite nice, with a large al fresco area facing the Yarra. Our table was right at the front and it was really nice to get a cool breeze on such a hot summer night.

Now, to the food. I ordered steak (their specialty; there are a few cuts, types and sizes to choose from), served with a side chips and pepper sauce.

I wasn't sure which cut of meat to go with, so asked the waiter for his suggestion. I was looking for something lean and not too big. He recommended the 'New Yorker' (Monte Gold, 120 days grain fed, 300g) and I went for it.

The 'New Yorker' (Monte Gold, 120 days grain fed, 300g) served with fat chips and pepper sauce ($34)

The meat was well cooked (medium rare), but way to fatty for my liking - given that I had specifically asked for a lean cut. I ended up leaving quite a lot of it on the plate, but the lean part that I did it was quite nice. The pepper sauce tasted very commercial - basically cream mixed with stock. Chips tasted alright.

Hubby went for the gigantic portion of pork ribs served with chips.

Pork ribs: full rack - 1kg ($52)

The ribs looked impressive when they were served. Obviously a lot of the 1kg was bones, but it was still a pretty big serve. I tried some of it and all I could taste was the really sweet and artificial sauce / glazing they used to make the ribs look so pink and glossy. It was hard to taste the actual meat underneath all that flavouring.

We also ordered some sharing plates for the table.

The mushrooms stuffed with fetta were probably the best dish of the night for me. I liked the crispy baked fetta and the fresh thyme leaves.

Stuffed mushrooms with fetta cheese ($8)

Onion rings were as greasy as they looked. I didn't try them.

Onion rings ($5)

Overall, I liked the ambiance of this restaurant and the service (surprising!). The food was probably in line with what I expected. In my opinion, you can get better value - and less GSM - elsewhere. I didn't hate it, but will not be rushing back either.

MR WOLF

2011-01-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

9-15 Inkerman St, St Kilda - ph: (03) 9534 0255

Owned by well know chef and food writer Karen Martini, Mr. Wolf is - and has been for years - one of St Kilda's hottest spots.

The restaurant is always packed. It's one of those places that you visit to 'see and be seen', so I thought it was the perfect place to take our guests from overseas for a bite after spending a day at the beach.

The pizzas have a very thin base - not as crispy as from a wood fire oven - but very smooth and moist.

We ordered a few pizzas to share:

Funghi pizza - porcini, roasted garlic paste, roasted mushrooms, mozzarella, thyme ($21)

Funghi pizza tasted really good. I loved the fresh thyme, but felt they could have used a bit more mozzarella (or spread it more evenly through the pizza).

Melanzane pizza - tomato, roasted eggplant, ricotta, fior de latte, chilli and basil ($20.50)

The melanzane (or eggplant) pizza was my favourite. Lots of mozzarella (fior de latte - made from fresh milk) on this one, crispy eggplant, lots of chilli. A very juicy, flavoursome combination.

Spicy pork pizza - tomato, mozzarella, sausage, pickled peppers, pancetta and fennel ($23)

The spicy pork pizza was also a winner, apart from the somewhat burnt edges. Again, good combination of flavours - I really liked the green and red picked peppers - and ingredients. Fennel was an unusual addition to the pizza that worked really well.

Rocket, radicchio, endive, witlof salad ($10)

With all that doughy goodness, we had to have at least a bit of green. A generous serve of mixed leaves was just what we needed to add some freshness to our meal. The slight bitterness from the endive and radicchio leaves balanced well all the creamy cheese we ate.

I love Mr. Wolf's chic and casual atmosphere, their efficient staff and most importantly, the food!

PORT PHILLIP ESTATE

2011-01-08T02:01:00.000-08:00

263 Red Hill Rd, Red Hill South, Mornington Peninsula - ph: (03) 5989 4444

I've been to this winery a couple of times before and think the building and views are absolutely astonishing.

Port Philip Estate make good Pinot Noir and their Chardonnay is not bad. But the big attraction is really the scenery.

The venue has a cellar door, bistro and fine dining room. Today, we visited the dining room for lunch.

Lunch on weekends is normally a set menu of three courses for $75. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with some freshly baked sour dough bread, olive oil and olive tepanade - all sourced and made locally.

Sour dough bread with olive tepanade

We ordered:

White fish carpaccio with fried capers

Unfortunately I took a crappy picture that does not do this dish justice. The carpaccio was deliciously light with a hint of lemon. Fried capers had a lovely crispy texture and surprisingly didn't lose any of their flavour.

Crab and white asparagus on rye toast with salmon roe

Very fresh, subtle dish. I really enjoyed this one.

Blue eye with broad beans and butter mussels

Again, a light and fresh dish with nice subtle flavours.

Duck breast with lentils and hazelnuts

Although the duck breast looked a bit too well done for my taste, it was perfectly cooked and melted in the mouth. The flavours were very well balanced, neither overpowering the duck, nor disappearing under it.

Rib eye stake with sautee potatoes

The rib eye fillet looked and smelled amazing. I tried some of the meat and it was cooked to perfection. The sauce was delicious; too bad there was not more of it on the dish!

Overall, all our entrees and mains hit the spot. I specially like the balance of flavours in each dish. Seasoning was definitely the chef's biggest strength for me.

After such good savoury food, I have to say I was a bit disappointed by the desserts.

We ordered:

Raspberry parfait

The parfait was underwhelming and tasted more like frozen double cream. Not really exciting...

Apple doughnut, apple sorbet, calvados custard

The apple doughnut & sorbet were also pretty bland, just like the custard. I could hardly taste any apple on the doughnut; the sorbet was tasty, but not enough to save the dish for me. Again, nothing wrong, but nothing really exciting either...

Cheese platter

The cheese platter was the highlight of the desserts course. First of all, it was a very generous serve (the picture shows a cheese platter for one person!). The double brie and blue cheese were deliciously creamy. Biscuits and brioche were very fresh and tasty. We all ended up leaving half of our desserts behind and just sharing the platter.

I recommend making a booking on the weekend, specially during summer. The restaurant was at capacity when we arrived at 2pm and gradually got emptier after 3pm. Service was pretty slow and inattentive at the beginning, but did get much better during the course of our meal - as they got less busy.

The restaurant hasn't been opened for that long; I think less than a year. I got the impression they are still learning their way around a bit, but overall really enjoyed the experience.

Despite the hiccups, I thought Port Phillip Estate was a great place for a long, relaxed weekend lunch with family and friends.

THE CLARENDON

2010-12-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

209 Clarendon St, St Melbourne - ph: 03 9686 5205

Came here the other day for a quick dinner after work. The pub was about half full on a Wednesday night, which was perfect - no need to wait for a table or for service.

Hubby ordered his usual pub combo, parma and pot. To his surprise, week night specials at The Clarendon consist of 4-5 options of pub meals + drink for $15. Parma, of course, was one of the options, so he got his good value for money.

A sizable chicken parmigiana was soon brought to us. I normally prefer it when the tomato sauce is lying under the cheese and you get some nice toasted cheese on top. For me, there was way too much tomato sauce on the dish, which made it a bit soggy.

Chicken itself was moist and well cooked. Chips were alright.

Chicken parma served with chips and salad + pot ($15)

Although the picture description says parma with 'chips and salad', hubby asked for 'chips and chips'. For the readers though - I just want to say that you can actually be a bit healthier and get some greens with your meal :)

I didn't really want a big meal, so chose the pumpkin and beetroot salad - not one of the specials...

Roasted vegetables salad - roasted pumpkin, beetroot and pine nuts, spinach leaves and fetta ($18)

The salad was pretty bland. The pumpkin and beetroot were well cooked and tasted nice, crunchy pine nuts added a nice texture to the dish and the fetta added a salty tang. All good base elements were there, but it definitely lacked an exciting dressing - some lemon, vinegar, honey, herbs would make a real difference.

Overall, I would is was not that bad for a pub meal. Reasonable price for the specials - check. Quick service - check. Few options of beer on tap - check. Good food - err, not bad; check.

Wouldn't recommend driving to South Melbourne for it, but worth a try if you're in the area and interested in the week night specials - parma, burger, pasta - I thought my salad was bit overpriced for what I got.