Foodsmith

Ilona Staller | St Kilda, Vic

2012-03-19T11:54:00.001+11:00

Sometimes sequels are not that good. Die Hard 2 was not a patch on Die Hard 1 and don’t get me started on the mess that was Speed 2: Cruise Control...

It was with this in mind that I took a tentative step inside Ilona Staller – the new St Kilda East restaurant by the good people behind Cicciolina – one of my favourite restaurants in St Kilda.

As many of your learned readers will know, Cicciolina is named after a Hungarian porn star with her stage name of “La Cicciolina”. Her actual name is Anna Ilona Staller which is the source of the rather oddly named restaurant.

While Cicciolina is fairly nondescript with its small Acland Street frontage and dark side entrance, Ilona Staller operates from an imposing art deco building on the corner of Carlise and Nelson Streets near Balaclava station.

It is an exciting building to behold and stepping beyond the threshold takes you into a small entrance foyer with the main restaurant in front and a set of stairs to the right taking you up to a small upstairs bar and what looks like a private function room. Before continuing to comment on the restaurant, I must say that the upstairs bar needs some work. There is a small bar set in the side of the room with chairs and couches spread awkwardly around the room. It is echoey and on the night I visited lacked atmosphere. The bar is important to get right particularly as like its Acland street sister, there is a no bookings policy in the evening and you should expect at least a half hour wait on busy nights.

Moving through to the restaurant, it is clear that there has been a lot of investment and thought to make it a well designed space. Wood panelled banquettes curve around the room with an elegant bar on the other side. There is a touch of fifties glamour with the room, particularly the leopard print bar chairs and neon lighting. It all works very well.

Service is excellent and within moments of being seated drinks order has been taken and menus delivered. The menu is thoughtful and manages to hit the price point for an upmarket bistro which allows for quality produce and preparation but will not leave you upset come bill time.

On the night I went, we started with a special for entree of crab cakes which were delicate, filling yet not heavy or doughy like crab cakes can be. This was washed down with a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio. I am not usually one for tradition however for my main dish my eye kept coming back to the individual traditional lasagne. After assurances from our waiter that it was excellent I took the plunge and was not disappointed. The lasagne comes baked in an individual clay ramekin which allows for a perfectly crisp top hiding luscious rich meat and pasta beneath. It exuded the soft warmth of the cheese and pasta, the mouth filling hit of veal and the tangy after note of red wine. I will go as far to say as it was the best lasagne I have had the pleasure of tasting so far and was complemented with, of course, a equally delicious bottle of Chianti.

Dessert was excellent too and ours took the form of a cheesecake parfait with passionfruit curd and a lime sherbet marshmallow. The richness of the cheesecake was offset by the chilled temperature of the parfait and the lime sherbet added a zest to the dish – a very original and excellent way to end the meal.

Service throughout the experience was smooth and unobtrusive and the overall cost was in line with high end bistro pricing at around $120 for two including wine.

For those on the east side of St Kilda Road, this great addition to the Carlisle street dining scene means you do not have to go to Cicciolina for your Italian bistro experience. If we were to compare Ilona Staller to other successful sequels, you have to aim as high as The Empire Strikes Back or Toy Story 2 to come close.

Il Fornaio | St Kilda, Vic

2012-02-17T15:34:00.000+11:00

After a brief hiatus in January, Mr Smith is back after a well deserved Christmas break which of course involved many new restaurants and cafes to tantalize and titillate you with...

Summer holidays, and summer in general for St Kilda, means beach days, boozy afternoons and long brunches and lunches, and one of my emerging favourite St Kilda haunts over the summer has been Il Fornaio, at the bottom (or top depending on your perspective) of Acland street near the corner of Fitzroy street.

Sandwiched between Chinta Ria and an Aesop store, Il Fornaio is unassuming from the outside with a small amount of outdoor cafe tables on a raised level.

However, inside is a cavernous space with ample seating, a large coffee station, patisserie section and bakery to the back. It has a subdued polished concrete finish which can be a little dark – especially on a hot summer day – so try to snare one of those outside tables.

It is one of my pet hates at any dining establishment to be left standing in the doorway with wait staff rushing around not paying you any attention – so I am happy to say that in the many times visiting Il Fornaio this has not ever happened. We are always greeted within seconds of arriving and, due to the size of the establishment, almost invariably get a table straight away.

The wait team are all friendly and attentive (some will even play a game of volleyball with you for a small fee – see their menu for details) and always get down to the important business of coffee orders post-haste. Their coffee is sublime – sourced from those coffee doyens of South Melbourne, St Ali, it is reliably excellent and partnered with Fanela dried cane sugar. It is well within the top five coffees I have sampled in Melbourne – I will let you in on my other top 4 one day... If you are lucky...

The menu is exciting with some original ideas for both brunch and lunch. There is also a playful feel to it with the Optimus Prime burger, the ‘My Spanish Sweetheart’ fritters and the Ace Ventura juice (all of which I can recommend). On this occasion I ordered the heirloom tomatoes with avocado, ricotta and basil on olive toast with a poached egg and my betrothed had an interesting dish of spinach with avocado, salted ricotta and shallots on multigrain. At this point the only negative I can mention is that food service can be patchy at times. On this occasion it was very quick but this is not always the case and sometimes waits can be quite long – particularly on the weekends.

It is not often that dining reviews mention crockery, however at Il Fornaio it is definitely worth talking about. Without wanting to get too “Donna Hay” with you, my dish was served on a crisp white plate with red stripes which really complemented the bright red tomatoes – the other meal was equally well presented with thinly sliced avocado on the multigrain set against an aqua striped plate to great effect. This attention to detail then extended to the food itself. The heirloom tomatoes were scattered in red and yellow hues with chunks of fresh green avocado and bright white ricotta all drizzled with basil pesto. The olive bread is an odd combination with this fresh vibrant dish but it marries well with the saltiness of the olives counterbalancing the acidity of the tomato. The spinach, avocado and salted ricotta dish though is the real winner and a unique one in the world of hotcakes, benedicts and myriad fruit toasts in abundant supply all over Melbourne. Shallots are an ingredient not used in many brunch dishes but work spectacularly well with the salty cheese and smooth nutty avocado. Do also try the juices also which are freshly squeezed with great flavour combinations.

Prices are towards the upper end of what you would expect to pay for brunch – around $50 a couple - but you are also getting great quality for both coffee and food ingredients and combinations. One thing that doesn’t help with the final bill is that next to the counter are delectable cakes and pastries and more often than not you will find a lemon meringue on your bill unless you continue to stare straight ahead and avoid eye contact.

With summer fast approaching autumn make sure you give Il Fornaio a try, secure that outdoor table and bring a change of clothes for volleyball...

Heirloom Tomatoes with avocado, ricotta and
basil on olive bread with poached egg

Cicciolina | St Kilda, Vic

2011-11-23T13:04:00.001+11:00

Christmas is soon to be upon us and with Christmas comes sentimental TV shows, countless family gatherings and general warm fuzzy feelings. It is with this in mind that I have chosen Cicciolina in Acland Street to review.

Why is that you say? Those above adjectives that come to mind around the festive season could also easily be attributed to “Cicc”. Located in Acland Street since 1993 it certainly has the family feel about it and the cosy interior dominated with dark woods and leather chairs lend an air of warmth and comfort that many of the currently popular polished concrete and metal do not.

Unfortunately like many family gatherings, there are often not enough chairs to go around - due to the sustained popularity and relative size of Cicciolina, it is very difficult to secure a table if you arrive after seven on most Friday and Saturday nights. They have been pioneering the no bookings policy for many years now and you can see the benefits – a full restaurant most nights of the week, no tables waiting for bookings that never arrive and, when they are booked solid, there are around 50 other restaurants within walking distance. In times of disappointment another option is to retreat to the Cicciolina back bar which serves excellent dirty martinis and the best meatballs south of Naples (make sure you order extra bread to soak up the meatbally goodness!)

When you do get a table though it is definitely worth the effort – the wait team are efficient and attentive and the wine list exhaustive with many affordable or big night out options to choose from. For our part we shared an excellent Italian Pinot Grigio.

After drinks are ordered you are presented with a basket of sliced white loaf. This bought back again those fond family memories of many Italian dinners at restaurants around Melbourne including the much loved Tiamo in Carlton. I am always interested in new gourmet bread options but for a restaurant like Cicciolina this more rustic option suits perfectly and sets the stage for solid Italian cooking.

First up we share the famous Cicciolina crab soufflé. I have been recommended this dish by so many people that it had cult status in my mind. Unlike many dishes with high expectations this certainly delivered – so much so that one between two was definitely not enough. Word of advice two diners equals two crab soufflés. Period. The soufflé itself is quite dense compared to most soufflés you may have experienced however this seems to suit the dish well with tender crab meat intermingled with the delicate flavour of the soufflé mix combined with a knockout sauce – if it were possible I would order these takeaway upon disembarking the 96 tram and eating them like an apple on the way home... Next up we ordered two pasta dishes. I was a little surprised at the limited amount of pasta dishes on offer at Cicciolina and although both were excellent, I expected more choice and would have preferred this over the larger amount of meat based dish options on both the menu and specials. The better of the two dishes was a mushroom and chestnut risotto. While it should not be difficult it is surprising how many restaurants stuff up risotto. The rice in this dish was cooked to perfection and flavoured exquisitely with a selection of mushrooms, the added texture of the chestnut and the fullness added with fresh parmesan. The other dish was linguine with salmon and capers. In most situations this would have been a great dish, but compared with the soufflé and risotto it didn’t quite reach the same heights.

For dessert I have been told by many that Cicciolina serve up an excellent chocolate tart however in this instance their location is both a blessing and curse to them as I am a sucker for Seven Apples gelato further down Acland street. Of course, many (including me) could argue that the best way to top off a great meal in the festive season is with a good cocktail or cognac which of course the Back Bar can service very easily.

Bluecorn | St Kilda, Vic

2011-10-24T14:52:00.000+11:00

I walk past the corner of Barkly and Acland Street very frequently, just like any good St Kilda resident on the way to the number 96. There are no shortage of treasures in this location – Leroy, La Roche, Big Mouth and Coles...

One place I have walked past frequently is Bluecorn, a Mexican restaurant sandwiched between Claypots and that bottle shop with five thousand different beers – yes you know that one. Until very recently I viewed this as a small but cheerful restaurant on Barkly Street, so it was with disappointment that I fronted up to a packed full restaurant looking for a feast I expected was not forthcoming.

“Dont s’pose you have a table?” said I to the cheerful bartender who replied that our waitress would be along soon to seat us. To my surprise we were shown through to a semi-outdoor section at the back of the restaurant I never knew existed that was decorated in fabulous ‘cantina’ colours.

There is a comprehensive cocktails list including many variations on the obligatory margarita. Two were promptly ordered and after a long, long wait there were two small child wading pools worth of cocktails delivered to the table. Perhaps I have discovered that there is too much of a good thing - as these cocktails were tequila heavy and, while I love value for money, it is hard to mix food with such strong liquor.

It is very easy to over-order Mexican. Why is that? I invite comment here. There is just something delicious about the typical mix of beans, red meat, sour cream, chilli and flat bread that you want to keep eating. We ordered enchiladas with spicy beef, beans and rice and the ‘too big to hold” burrito with sliced steak, BBQ sauce, pepper and onion. Both were excellent. The enchilada had a softer more filling flavour due to the rice component. The burrito had well cooked (i.e. medium rare) beef intermingled with the pepper and onion and a nice dollop of guacamole. Again service was quite slow with the food so recommend ordering promptly to ensure shorter waits.

I am torn about Bluecorn – it is hard to critique Mexican food as aforementioned beans, meat, chilli, bread make up for any number of woes, but it is on the pricier side of a St Kilda meal, service is overly slow and drinks are hit and miss. On the whole Bluecorn was a solid Mexican cantina experience – particularly in the back semi-outdoor section but will I go back? No Sé...

Dandelion | Elwood, Vic

2011-08-29T14:47:00.001+10:00

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the new Geoff Lindsay (ex Pearl) venture in Elwood. While those <shudder> over the other side of the Yarra have been enjoying hawker style Vietnamese fare for many years, it has been a slow time coming for the inner bay.

There are many things I love about this type of dining: casual yet stylish surrounds - tick, mix and match dishes a whole table can share – tick, vibrant and exciting flavours – tick, not far to stumble home after too much wine – big tick.

So it was with trembling anticipation that I called the number to make a booking. Clearly times are good at Dandelion as the earliest table was for 9.30pm on Saturday – I have never had an issue with eating late and was happy to see a busy restaurant with lots of people and atmosphere.

Ormond road in Elwood is slowly changing to be more like Acland street and less like where you bought lollies from near your Grandma’s house. It is slowly waking up out of a slumber and you can now find a few exciting bars and eateries which will no doubt continue to increase which is great news for those in this lovely pocket of Melbourne.

You enter Dandelion via a small nondescript entrance into a stylish polished concrete interior – the interior could have been severe however is wonderfully broken up with a glass wall to a narrow open air space with herbs and hanging baskets – works really well. The wait staff are friendly and seating is a easy and painless process that can surprising be a challenge for some restaurants.

The menu is grouped into sections including a roll and wrap bar comprising of share plate starters which also goes for the Vietnamese salad section. This is followed with a Pho and wet dishes section and a grill and large dishes. We shared the sizzling coconut pancake with crab and BBQ pork from the wrap bar, a Wagyu beef Pho and a wet dish of duck braised in mandarin juice and star anise with chilli ginger and holy basil. We were sorely tempted to try the $38 mud crab claw, bamboo and bun noodle pho but will save that for next time. The pancake looks huge when it arrives until you realise that the heat causes the thin crust to puff out. It gives the dish a great crunchy texture with the succulent crab and BBQ pork hiding underneath. There are the obligatory dipping sauces and the whole combination works splendidly. The Wagyu beef pho is a good luxury version of the cheap pho you will find OTY (over the Yarra) however I must say the $8 Pho at the old school Vietnamese takeaways seems a little more ‘real’. The highlight, and I understand already a bit of a cult favourite, is the Duck braised in mandarin and star anise. Duck and orange are a classic flavour combination and this dish takes this to a new level with the added richness of the mandarin countering nicely with the spice hit of the star anise. I could go back and order this dish every week and be happy for a long time.

Dessert was banana spring rolls with passionfruit sorbet which were a bit of let down as they tasted essentially like sweet fried pastry with a sliver of banana which was hard to pick out in the dish. Perhaps when banana production picks up in Queensland the spring rolls will be better filled out.

Service throughout the meal was friendly and convivial however there did seem to be a slight lack of knowledge of the Vietnamese cuisine by some of the wait staff – nothing to complain about but it adds another level to the service when you can tell that the wait staff have a real passion and understanding of the culture and cuisine of the food they are serving.

Yet another great addition to the St Kilda-ish restaurant scene. MF is off on holidays to our northern brothers and sisters in Queensland to potentially sort out the banana problem. Stay tuned next month for where to dine when you go to North Queensland.

Kotch Lane | St Kilda, Vic

2011-06-22T10:15:00.002+10:00

Sometimes you come across a shop, a travel destination or in this case a cafe that you are not sure whether to recommend to friends and family...

This could be due to poor quality, bad service or perhaps you just simply didn’t like the name. There is of course the other reason for not recommending – you love it and don’t want too many people to find out about it.

Kotch Lane is a very small neighbourhood cafe on Blessington Street in a collective of other small bars and restaurants. So small in fact that its closest neighbour goes by the name of Iddy Biddy Bar, and it is indeed both iddy and biddy. Kotch Lane exudes casualness (if that is a word) and from the moment you enter the small room you do feel that you have mistakenly walked into a bohemian friend’s living room who was in the middle of making you a great breakfast – I need more friends like that.

There are no menus on the table, but then the cafe is small enough that all diners can see the blackboards around the room with menu items. They have also cleverly placed the blackboard with specials in the doorway to the cafe so that every time I walk past I am enticed by the French toast with grilled peaches or the potato pancakes with spinach, poached eggs and bacon.

The regular breakfast items are equally as enticing and of particular note is the bruschetta with grilled mushrooms and herbs – a simple dish with fresh grilled sourdough with an excellent assortment of mushrooms and fresh thyme, oregano and possibly some other herbs, and the home made baked beans with a fresh tomato base goes to show how good this dish can be when not served out of a can. With these dishes and the size of the kitchen, wait times can be above average so ensure you are not in a rush.

Probably the highlight for Kotch Lane though, is the excellent Rosso coffee which is always reliably prepared and the house made muffins which if you arrive at the right time are still warm from the oven. I have sampled both the banana choc chip and raspberry and white chocolate and they taste exactly how a well made muffin should taste – doughy and not too sweet, in contrast to so many of the cakes shaped as muffins you find elsewhere.

Kotch Lane is a relatively new and great addition to the St Kilda cafe scene so make sure you check it out – just don’t tell too many people about it, I still want to get a table...

Lau's Family Kitchen | St Kilda, Vic

2011-06-22T01:09:00.005+10:00

Readers it may confuse, shock or upset you to know that I have not lived in St Kilda my whole life. Yes I have cheated on the Lady of St Kilda with whom so much cheating has taken place with. I have cavorted with that saucy minx Sydney for a number of years I must admit, and it may surprise you to learn that she knows how to do Asian dining - and then some. Melbourne is catching up - Hu Tong and Cookie attest that but what would turn the tables would be if only Australia's most celebrated Chinese fine dining establishment was to open up a mid range, more rustic and homely diner... preferably in St Kilda...

There is nothing I can say about Gilbert Lau from Flower Drum that hasn't already been said much better with much more research than I can. So when he opened Lau's Family Kitchen below the Prince Hotel at the bottom (or is that the top) of Acland Street I knew that my wayward damsel Sydney was in trouble. A contemporary Chinese restaurant serving regional family dishes with Flower Drum pedigree is a perfect match for me - where are Greg Evans and Dexter when you need them?

Lau's is a small restaurant that seats only 52 so for most nights bookings are not just essential but mandatory. From the entrance you are greeted with a glass fronted room with a small bar in the far right corner. You are invariably greeted by the excellent and efficient wait team (more on them later) and while you cannot say it is a spacious venue, at no point do you feel squashed. The wine list is reasonably priced with some excellent options ranging from aromatic Yarra Valley pinots to crisp New Zealand Sauvignons.

We started with an old favourite, Siu Mai which were some of the freshest I have tasted. Just-caught prawn with a fleshy pork and fragrant mushroom all wrapped in a delicate dumpling casing - excellent. Other starter highlights are the fresh and crispy lamb spring rolls and fresh and tender salt and pepper squid. It is great to see lamb in a spring roll which is not very traditional but allows for some of the freshest protein you can find in Australia.

Unfortunately on the night we were there, the roast crackling pork belly with steamed rice was sold out, so after wiping away my tears and attending a small counselling session I ordered szechuan style mince pork with bean curd and sliced eye fillet in a black pepper sauce. The minced pork with bean curd is an all time favourite - soft and tender warm bean curd with the salty delight of round blobs of pan fried minced pork with plenty of szechuan chilli. The eye fillet in a black pepper sauce is done so poorly in so many Chinese restaurants that I was hesitant at the first mouthful, but I needn't have worried as Lau's managed to pair incredibly tender perfectly cooked strips of fillet with a buttery and peppery sauce with just the right balance of sweet, bitter and spicy elements.

In a restaurant of this size and with many seatings per night, it is almost expected that service will be rushed and chaotic. Nothing could be further from the truth at Lau's and while I believe the sign of good service is that you do not notice it much at all, Lau's offers great service which is noticeable only due to the calm, relaxed yet very efficient team - perhaps the Flower Drum pedigree has its advantages. Cost for the quality ingredients and service is not the cheapest at around $100 per couple but is certainly money well spent.

Lau's Family Kitchen is not just a great addition to the burgeoning quality St Kilda restaurant scene, but it is one of the flagships due to its excellent produce, fabulous service, moderate pricing and inspired family cooking.

The Newmarket Hotel | St Kilda, Vic

2011-05-25T12:04:00.003+10:00

OK I admit it. I watch and love Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. No, not that terrible show where he prances aggressively around a pretend kitchen, yelling at pretend chefs while serving pretend customers. I mean the one where he visits fading restaurants in financial troubles and through hard work with the team ends up saving the restaurant and getting the customers back in the door.

Why am I telling you this? Read on dear friend.

One thing Melbourne restaurants do very well is to appear very understated from the outside yet exciting, luxurious, even a bit naughty once you go through the door – think Yu-U in the city where opening the graffiti covered door down a seedy laneway offers a stylish and cool Japanese restaurant. The Newmarket Hotel is another great example where the old pub facade from the Shnitz and Tits days has been kept, yet stepping inside presents you with a LA slash Miami interior complete with bar with bench seating, outdoor bar and eating area and slightly nicer indoor restaurant section with excellent eames inspired chairs.

Some acquaintances have labelled the Newmarket slightly pretentious but I disagree – it is certainly quite a classy venue for the enduringly laid back St Kilda, however there is always an occasion that can be found for a bit of glamour. Either that or perhaps I am just pretentious...

The bar is well stocked and alongside some great cocktails and pitchers, there is quite a new feature of wine by the tap. I do not know why more restaurants with a bar focus do not follow this lead – it works so well with large tables and the wine was great quality yet still very reasonably priced. There was also a strong draught beer selection including my current fave of the Cricketers Arms Lager.

The service is friendly and efficient for a seemingly always busy place and I always welcome the addition of a host to greet you upon arrival. It is a small touch but really does help.

We were seated at the table in the restaurant section with extraordinarily comfortable chairs and presented menus.

Back to Gordon - through all the episodes of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, there is one process that always seems to result in an improvement to all the featured restaurants... simplify the menu. I could not help thinking this when choosing my meal at The Newmarket. The issue is not that there are too many choices – although there are, it is that I am not even sure how I am supposed to dine. Should we share some dishes in the section called ‘Latin Street Food’? Should we each order a meal from the grill? Do we order the roast which is costed per person or perhaps a combination of all of these? While it is great to offer choice, the menu needs to have a cohesive theme or risk leaving diners confused, potentially ordering too much or not enough and possibly not leaving as satisfied as they could be.

That being said, the dishes on the whole were very good. We started with some slightly confused soft tacos with shredded duck, plum mole (think guacamole but with plums) and a hint of chilli but a great rendition of patatas bravas with crunchy outer casing, soft and fluffy centre and a creamy aioli. We then moved on to the clear highlight of the meal from the roast section - roast chicken with pancetta, beans and radicchio. The chicken was both crispy and moist (very hard to achieve) and the morsels of pancetta and bitter radicchio worked in harmony. Fabulous. By comparison the roast pork loin with mash was fairly bland and strangely about half the portion size. Desserts are done very well at Newmarket and the chocolate and hazelnut torte was rich, sharp and velvety and definitely recommended.

Prices at The Newmarket are very fair and for a sexy establishment with good service it is great to see that outings consistently hit the $100 mark per couple – unless you sample the excellent margaritas, in which case you are on your own...

The Newmarket is a relatively new venue, opening in December last year which may account for the scattergun approach to the menu, so with some consolidation and focus The Newmarket will grow into yet another St Kilda gem. I am sure Gordon would agree.

I Carusi II | St Kilda, Vic

2011-04-18T13:02:00.003+10:00

Melbourne has a very strong Italian heritage with around 170,000 Italians immigrating to Australia after the Second World War. They have bought with them innumerable blessings – espresso, parmigiano reggiano, fully sik subwoofers but most of all pizza

It is always interesting to think that many of the great staples of the food world were borne from peasant dishes. Pizza and pasta, curries, stir fry even the aussie(ish) meat pie all have their roots in basic peasant food yet they are often some of the most enjoyable meals.

I Carusi II (sister restaurant to I Carusi in Brunswick and unrelated to I Phone) upholds this simplicity offering unfussy Napoli style pizza on Barkly Street just near the corner of Blessington.

Through the entrance you are met with a glass encased bench behind which dough is being kneaded and fresh tomato sauce is being deployed. You are greeted by friendly and mainly Italian, almost undoubtedly attractive wait crew who will guide you to your table or to the bar upstairs. The upstairs bar serves excellent Italian sourced cocktails which are worth trying – a simple prosecco with campari and gin always hits the spot.

The other reason for trying the upstairs bar is unfortunately timeliness does not seem to be an Italian trait – on each occasion visiting I Carusi our table has not been ready and we have always had to wait over thirty minutes past our time of booking. This slow service often extends to food also with long waits for pizza – however...

It is certainly worth the wait. My father has a theory that you can judge a good pizza venue by their Margherti - at I Carusi it is exquisite. Thin wood fire base with fresh zingy tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella and soft piquant basil leaves – bliss. Other highlights are the Mario with pancetta, red onion and chilli or the white pizza (Giuseppe) with potato, rosemary and caramalised onion.

The wine list is small but effective and interestingly the more basic and cheaper end is the best bet. Above all though, please, I implore you, leave room for the pizza dolce – dessert pizza. While not often offered in most pizza houses the peach and white chocolate pizza dolce is approaching perfection and could pass for a $30+ dessert in many fine dining establishments. Not bad for $9.50!

Invariably, after a session at I Carusi II you will leave very satisfied, not much poorer (around $50 a double) and possibly a little inebriated. Not much has changed from our peasant days...

Dr Jekyll | St Kilda, Vic

2011-04-18T13:01:00.001+10:00

St Kilda is not exactly short of cafés. Draw a one kilometre radius from the centre of Acland Street and cafés will vie in numbers with bars, shops and deranged yet friendly local nutjobs almost always wearing corduroy suits.

So how do you make a new cafe venture a success in such a saturated market? Easy, just be better.

Brunch is my favourite intermediate meal, even more so than Lunner or a mid-10pm snack. I value myself as something of an expert and prefer nothing more on a lazy Saturday or Sunday than a 12 noon brunch involving at least two espressos and a large plate of embryonic goodness.

So therefore I feel qualified to propose that Dr Jekyll is currently the best breakfast going around in St Kilda.

The cafe is located on Grey Street in St Kilda (no doubt where the odd Dr Jekyll has turned into Mr Hyde in seedier times) and upon walking in has a crisp, airy feel with an outlook from the front entrance through folding doors to a tranquil tree lined courtyard.

Despite the normally busy atmosphere, you are almost always greeted quickly by a friendly, relaxed and confident front of house crew and rarely have to wait more than ten minutes for a seat.

It is always a reassuring sign when any food establishment has a limited, well planned menu – there are such items as mascarpone fruit toast with mango and seasonal berries, a breaky burger with fried egg, leg ham, chorizo, melted cheese, tomato chutney and rocket but the jewel in the crown is the avocado and feta mash with fresh mint on rye – make sure you add a poached egg on the side for good measure. The mint cuts through the richness of the avocado and feta and is balanced out with the mild piquant flavour of the fresh rye bread. A poached egg adds protein and fullness.

Coffee is excellent, rich and tangy and always consistent and there is the assortment of fresh juices also.

In bohemian St Kilda it could be said that all cafés are created equal – it is just that some are more equal than others...

Spice I Am | Darlinghurst, NSW

2011-04-18T12:55:00.002+10:00

Does anyone out there have a younger brother that is good at sport?

Or who perhaps has more luck with the ladies? Or perhaps you may even have that nagging feeling that your parents may like him a little bit more than you?

This may be how the more mature, grown up Spice I am Darlinghurst might be feeling...

The original Spice I am has been operating in Surry Hills for many years now and is one of the true Thai cuisine experiences that you are likely to find south of the Andaman sea. It has those rich soupy curries long forgotten by most western Thai restaurants and clean spicy flavours that dazzle the senses and the same time coercing your to reach for the crisp semillon to cool the palate.

The sequel was always going to be challenging - much like the "difficult second album syndrome". Use Your Illusion I & II anyone?

It was with this in mind that I approached the elaborate fascia of the new Spice I am Darlinghust. Greeted by a friendly smiling host we were shown to the bar area for a drink prior to being seated. What immediately hits you about this new incantation is what a departure it is from its younger brother. While the Surry Hills restaurant (rebranded to an eatery) is more street-stall chic, Spice I Am Darlinghurst is more luxury Phuket hotel lobby. The backdrop for the bar is around a hundred large pottery jugs all stacked on their sides to the ceiling and it looks great. Gloss black tiles complete the sumptuousness of the interior and it truly is a stylish venue complete with stylish floor staff.

I think this is clever - were the Spice I am crew to try to replicate or slightly improve the Surry Hills experience they would have undoubtedly failed. Repositioning this in a different market enables the owners to keep the Spice I am goodwill while delivery a new experience.

We started with cocktails and the bar staff were friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. The cocktails were exciting, fresh and used Thai flavours and combinations which worked well to set up the palate for the meal. The Pink Lily was a stand out which arrived in a generous glass with fresh strawberries, vanilla bean, vanilla vodka and the hint of guava. The St Arnou pilsner on tap was also appreciated on the warm night.

We were seated in the lounge area for dinner (which we were aware of when booking) and the low slung cushioned cane baskets and glass table were comfortable and interesting. One point here though, I counted six such of these tables in the lounge area taking up the space of roughly ten regular tables. For such a popular venue, more patrons could be seated without losing the stylish aspect of the lounge.

We chose a special to share for our entree - Crispy roast duck with chilli jam on a bed of iceberg lettuce and garnished with some fried noodles - to follow, deep fried snapper fillet with a red curry paste and the hint of kaffir lime and also a red curry of crispy chicken thigh fillet with Thai sour bamboo and young coconut flesh.

There was quite a wait for the food but nothing too serious as it was prime time around 9pm on Friday night. Alas, as I saw the first dish land on our glass receptacle it looked very marine and not so agricultural. While being stared at by an uncomfortable fried snapper we asked where our duck salad entree was and were told that there was some confusion and the entree was being bought out as a main. This mistake would be of no concern in an eatery however more concerning when $35 plus mains are the norm. We were given the dish at the entree price but not before much confusion between at least three of the waitstaff.

The food was excellent in parts, mundane in others. The aforementioned snapper fillet was sublime - complex spice notes, light flavoursome snapper flesh and thoughtful kaffir lime addition. The crunchy spicy mixture that sat atop soft and fluffy steamed jasmine rice was the highlight of the meal.

The duck salad had clearly homemade delicious oily dressing and the only disappointment was the duck itself. Quite dense and with heavy flavours overpowering the leaves and noodles and also heavy bulk not sitting well on the other ingredients.

The red curry of crispy thigh fillet is a polariser. The young coconut and bamboo are both very earthy flavours which can be both unpalatable and unfamiliar to many, however for those used to these flavours it is a great representation. The chicken itself was well cooked if not as crispy as it could have been.

So what to make of it - I really wanted to like it. Most of the boxes were ticked however if you closed your eyes and took another mouthful of the delicate and delicious fried snapper you could be sitting on a plastic stool on Wentworth avenue eating a dish for half the price - and drinking wine you bought yourself.

It is certainly sexier and more grown up than the eatery and could easily compete with Longrain for this market however at the end of the meal I couldn't help but feel that while the older brother has the resources to impress in his new Zegna suit, the younger brother delivers similar substance in an old t-shirt.