21st October 2012
After a few errands in the city, i decided to finish my weekend with lunch at The European. Recently upgraded to a Hat Restaurant in the recent good food, i was intrigued that it would be increased to Hat status after years of being just short.
When i arrived it was pretty crazy with a show about to start next door and the wait staff were pretty stressed and rushed in their service. However once the initial rush settled down, which would have pushed any restaurant, the staff settled in and provided good and efficient service.
For my final meal before starting a diet, i went for the full three courses. Before ordering food i looked at the extensive drinks list including some quality European beers, including favourites Budvar and Leffe Blonde.
For entree, i went with the smoked eel and jamon croquette. Three balls of beautifully crisp croquette filled with smoked eel and jamon. Combined with a puree and topped with bean sprouts and a slice of lemon. It was very nice but nothing extraordinary.
Next up was a Pork Cotoletta with Italian Coleslaw, a big chunk of pork with the bone still attached covered in bread crumbs and with a great coleslaw. Again simple food, done well.
I finished with my favourite part of the meal, a desert of chocolate salty caramel, peanuts and yoghurt gelato. A scoop of chocolate salted caramel encased with a crisp shell of dark chocolate. Combined with a dark chocolate stick covered with crushed peanuts and surrounded with both caramelised and chocolate covered peanuts and a smooth and contrasting yoghurt gelato. This was the mix of quality home style cooking and innovation, technique and imagination that is expected of a hat restaurant.
Good quality food and service but, with the exception of desert, the dishes did have the wow factor of a hat restaurant. Still a decent meal and good value with quality ingredients and techniques that will never have you leaving hungry.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
MoVida - Return Visit
13th October 2012
With the Melbourne Marathon the next day, i was staying in the city and had a full day with no plans so i decided to have a big lunch before having carbo heavy snacks and food and drinks for dinner. After getting into the city about 2 and checking in, i needed a restaurant that was open all day Saturday. With limited choice i still decided on one of my favourites in Movida.
There was a reasonable amount of people in the restaurant for 330pm on a Saturday but nothing like the 3 month waiting list for the premium slots on a Saturday night. I was shown to a seat at the bar and offered a drink. I settled on the idea of having one beer and then water and went for a Moritz lager from a small list of Spanish influenced wines and beers but with some french and Australian wines.
I decided on two tapas and one raciones and a desert. As well as the normal menu they had a number of specials, of which i ended up ordering one tapa and one raciones. I started with the special of rich pheasant terrine encased in a crisp crouton shell and served with a beautifully sweet sherry puree and some pickled onions. Great combos of the rich earthy terrine and sweeter fresher elements.
The next tapa was one of my favourites from a previous visit to the various Movida establishments, the Pollo Escabache Al Miguel. Chicken smothered and marinated in a spicy mayo like sauce and sandwiched between two crisp crouton pieces to make a beautiful dish that will remain a favourite and a recommendation for anyone who goes to Movida.
We then moved on to the raciones which i decided on a special of confit rabbit leg which had been deboned and placed in a ceramic bowl and combined with whole almonds, carrots and a beautiful rich and decadent jus. Wonderfully cooked rabbit that was so moist and the bold rich flavours were definitely a winner. One special that i wouldn't mind being made a permanent dish.
I thought about another racione but decided that with the marathon the next day i decided to just go for desert. I went with the Pan con Chocolate, rich dense chocolate parfait between 2 pieces of toasted brioche and combined with a olive oil sorbet. Great balance and flavours and a worthy finish.
After this visit Movida still remains one of my favourite restaurants with a great vibe, good service and wonderful food that borders the line between innovative, homely and sophisticated. As last time the prices range from $5 per tapa item up to $20 for the bigger raciones but overall the cost is very reasonable and the bill was well under $100. Movida remains a top quality draw as a restaurant and well worth a visit.
With the Melbourne Marathon the next day, i was staying in the city and had a full day with no plans so i decided to have a big lunch before having carbo heavy snacks and food and drinks for dinner. After getting into the city about 2 and checking in, i needed a restaurant that was open all day Saturday. With limited choice i still decided on one of my favourites in Movida.
There was a reasonable amount of people in the restaurant for 330pm on a Saturday but nothing like the 3 month waiting list for the premium slots on a Saturday night. I was shown to a seat at the bar and offered a drink. I settled on the idea of having one beer and then water and went for a Moritz lager from a small list of Spanish influenced wines and beers but with some french and Australian wines.
I decided on two tapas and one raciones and a desert. As well as the normal menu they had a number of specials, of which i ended up ordering one tapa and one raciones. I started with the special of rich pheasant terrine encased in a crisp crouton shell and served with a beautifully sweet sherry puree and some pickled onions. Great combos of the rich earthy terrine and sweeter fresher elements.
The next tapa was one of my favourites from a previous visit to the various Movida establishments, the Pollo Escabache Al Miguel. Chicken smothered and marinated in a spicy mayo like sauce and sandwiched between two crisp crouton pieces to make a beautiful dish that will remain a favourite and a recommendation for anyone who goes to Movida.
We then moved on to the raciones which i decided on a special of confit rabbit leg which had been deboned and placed in a ceramic bowl and combined with whole almonds, carrots and a beautiful rich and decadent jus. Wonderfully cooked rabbit that was so moist and the bold rich flavours were definitely a winner. One special that i wouldn't mind being made a permanent dish.
I thought about another racione but decided that with the marathon the next day i decided to just go for desert. I went with the Pan con Chocolate, rich dense chocolate parfait between 2 pieces of toasted brioche and combined with a olive oil sorbet. Great balance and flavours and a worthy finish.
After this visit Movida still remains one of my favourite restaurants with a great vibe, good service and wonderful food that borders the line between innovative, homely and sophisticated. As last time the prices range from $5 per tapa item up to $20 for the bigger raciones but overall the cost is very reasonable and the bill was well under $100. Movida remains a top quality draw as a restaurant and well worth a visit.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Steer
5th October 2012
After heading out to Vue De Monde last year for my birthday dinner, i decided to head out for another extravagant dinner to celebrate my birthday. I settled on a place that i had yet to go to and had received a Hat in the latest Good Food Guide 2013, Steer. Steer, as the name suggests, was focused on beef and was a throwback to the great traditions of New York steakhouses but with some modern touches and embellishments.
After arriving early to catch up with Joe, my brother, we were escorted upstairs to the separate bar. Located in the Olsen hotel, the dining room had a dark modern feel with modern art hanging and lots of glass and black fittings. The restaurant was punctuated with a black wooden Steer to meet you at the door. The upstairs bar had a separate feel and also headed out to the hotel.
After selecting 2 beers (budvar) from the extensive and varied list, we settled down into some stools and had a chat whilst everyone else arrived. After a few arrived we were moved down to our table. Our table was located at the back of the restaurant and slightly secluded from the rest with the wine cellar to one side. Wood tables and wooden block holding our ornate cutlery (including a very nice steak knife) and matching well with the ultimate steakhouse theme.
After everyone had arrived and was seated we were instructed to flip our place mat by our charming, confident and quirky waitress to show our menu for the evening. Unfortunately with the size of our booking, we were forced to pre select only three dishes from a range of 10 entrees and five mains. We were also offered in advance the choice between 2 or 3 course which i opted for 2 and left desert up to individual dinners. This was a slightly disappointing draw back.
With the entrees, i selected for the 3 options - a Crisp Calamari and Pork Belly, hummus, dukkah and pomegranate; Buffalo Ricotta Gnudi and Miso Roast Scallops, pork crackling, Japanese spices and daikon. I went with the Crisp Calamari and Pork belly. Perfectly fried pieces of calamari and fatty cubes of pork belly with great flavour and texture were perfectly matched with the smoky hummus, nutty dukkah and contrasted by the sweet pomegranate seeds.
For main everyone had the choice of 3 dishes being a Scotch Fillet, Eye Fillet or Market Fish with werribee artichoke barigoule and asparagus. The steaks were served with roast bone marrow and spring salad. Everyone ordered a steak and forgo the market fish but i had previous organised with the staff for a special bday steak, a David Blackmore 900g Wagyu Rib Eye steak served on the bone (for a proposed supplement of $109 - however they only charged an additional $30 bringing the total to $109). The meat was magnificent - ridiculously smooth, silky and buttery, perfectly cooked with a pink inside and a slightly charred outside with nice grill marks criss-crossing the meat. Was also a massive cut of meat and i was definitely not hungry afterwards. Would have been worth the exorbitant price quoted but for the lower price was a steal.
As part of the 2 course menu offer, the steak was also accompanied by a number of sides - Steak chips, salad, spring greens, Asparagus and the best of the bunch Onion rings. The chips and salad were great but the standout were the extra crisp batter and great flavour of the onion rings. A must for anyone who ventures to Steer.
We then moved onto the important decision of the evening. Must to the horror of my brother, i declared that yes i would like the desert menu (after demolishing the 900g steak). As this was not part of the set menu we were offered the full desert list. The deserts also stuck to the new york style theme with a version of Reece's peanut butter cup, donuts, new york cheesecake, bombe Alaska and my desert - a Strawberry Bakewell Tart / Ice Cream Sundae.
Two deserts in one, with a slice of moist bakewell tart with a layer of strawberry jam running through the middle. Accompanying this was three scoops of ice cream and this was accompanied by meringue blobs, strawberries, strawberry gel and square blocks of chocolate fudge. Decadent, beautiful (presented on a wooden board shown half eaten below), full of flavour this was a great desert and was well worth stuffing down after steak.
Overall a fantastic night out with great company and superb food. A real focus on quality produce and ingredients, especially the steak, but with some quality and refinement in the dishes. The cost of the meal varied on the quality and expense of the steak chosen but the other items were very reasonably priced ($79 for 2 courses and extensive sides - Entrees $14, sides $8 and deserts $12 on al a carte menu) and you would never complain about portion size or not being full at the end of the meal. For an amazing steak and some outstanding cooking i would fully recommend a trip to Steer.
After heading out to Vue De Monde last year for my birthday dinner, i decided to head out for another extravagant dinner to celebrate my birthday. I settled on a place that i had yet to go to and had received a Hat in the latest Good Food Guide 2013, Steer. Steer, as the name suggests, was focused on beef and was a throwback to the great traditions of New York steakhouses but with some modern touches and embellishments.
After arriving early to catch up with Joe, my brother, we were escorted upstairs to the separate bar. Located in the Olsen hotel, the dining room had a dark modern feel with modern art hanging and lots of glass and black fittings. The restaurant was punctuated with a black wooden Steer to meet you at the door. The upstairs bar had a separate feel and also headed out to the hotel.
After selecting 2 beers (budvar) from the extensive and varied list, we settled down into some stools and had a chat whilst everyone else arrived. After a few arrived we were moved down to our table. Our table was located at the back of the restaurant and slightly secluded from the rest with the wine cellar to one side. Wood tables and wooden block holding our ornate cutlery (including a very nice steak knife) and matching well with the ultimate steakhouse theme.
After everyone had arrived and was seated we were instructed to flip our place mat by our charming, confident and quirky waitress to show our menu for the evening. Unfortunately with the size of our booking, we were forced to pre select only three dishes from a range of 10 entrees and five mains. We were also offered in advance the choice between 2 or 3 course which i opted for 2 and left desert up to individual dinners. This was a slightly disappointing draw back.
With the entrees, i selected for the 3 options - a Crisp Calamari and Pork Belly, hummus, dukkah and pomegranate; Buffalo Ricotta Gnudi and Miso Roast Scallops, pork crackling, Japanese spices and daikon. I went with the Crisp Calamari and Pork belly. Perfectly fried pieces of calamari and fatty cubes of pork belly with great flavour and texture were perfectly matched with the smoky hummus, nutty dukkah and contrasted by the sweet pomegranate seeds.
For main everyone had the choice of 3 dishes being a Scotch Fillet, Eye Fillet or Market Fish with werribee artichoke barigoule and asparagus. The steaks were served with roast bone marrow and spring salad. Everyone ordered a steak and forgo the market fish but i had previous organised with the staff for a special bday steak, a David Blackmore 900g Wagyu Rib Eye steak served on the bone (for a proposed supplement of $109 - however they only charged an additional $30 bringing the total to $109). The meat was magnificent - ridiculously smooth, silky and buttery, perfectly cooked with a pink inside and a slightly charred outside with nice grill marks criss-crossing the meat. Was also a massive cut of meat and i was definitely not hungry afterwards. Would have been worth the exorbitant price quoted but for the lower price was a steal.
We then moved onto the important decision of the evening. Must to the horror of my brother, i declared that yes i would like the desert menu (after demolishing the 900g steak). As this was not part of the set menu we were offered the full desert list. The deserts also stuck to the new york style theme with a version of Reece's peanut butter cup, donuts, new york cheesecake, bombe Alaska and my desert - a Strawberry Bakewell Tart / Ice Cream Sundae.
Two deserts in one, with a slice of moist bakewell tart with a layer of strawberry jam running through the middle. Accompanying this was three scoops of ice cream and this was accompanied by meringue blobs, strawberries, strawberry gel and square blocks of chocolate fudge. Decadent, beautiful (presented on a wooden board shown half eaten below), full of flavour this was a great desert and was well worth stuffing down after steak.
Overall a fantastic night out with great company and superb food. A real focus on quality produce and ingredients, especially the steak, but with some quality and refinement in the dishes. The cost of the meal varied on the quality and expense of the steak chosen but the other items were very reasonably priced ($79 for 2 courses and extensive sides - Entrees $14, sides $8 and deserts $12 on al a carte menu) and you would never complain about portion size or not being full at the end of the meal. For an amazing steak and some outstanding cooking i would fully recommend a trip to Steer.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Akachochin
11th September 2012
Having head into the city for a work meeting, i decided to try a new restaurant that made it into the guide this year (Score of 14) before heading out to Vic Gardens to watch Expendables 2 with some friends. So with a friend who worked in the city in tow, i headed to the waste land of South Wharf to try Akachochin.
Located on the South Wharf Promenade in a converted shed, along with some other restaurants, it is a new area of the city that hasn't really caught on as a place to go out except for people staying at the Hilton or at the convention centre. High ceilings, wooden floors and marble counter tops at the sushi bar where i was seated and a busy vibrant atmosphere greeted me. (was very busy due to the food and wine convention at the exhibition centre next door and several people were turned away. Would probably be nowhere near as busy on a normal Tuesday.)
Billed as an izakaya, or Japanese tapas restaurant, with smaller dishes offering a wide variety of choice and the ability to try more of the extensive 7 page menu. However to start with i was offered a one page beer and wine list as well as a list of Sakes (there is no wine list for this restaurant due to its desire to stay true to traditional Japanese style - however the sharing house list from next door can be requested).
I went with a beer and ended up with a Kirin Larger in a can imported from Japan. Along with the beer came a free appetiser of Asian vegetables in a sesame sauce. Very decent and good fresh clean flavours.
I started with an initial dish of fish chips. Thin crisp sheets of fish (consistency of prawn crackers) with a decent fish flavour and topped off with liberal helping of salt and AO nori. Very good and definitely addictive and left u wanting more.
I however resisted and moved on to the next course of Quail Karaage to Manju which consisted of quail cooked 3 ways. The first was a slow cooked quail egg with a delicious yolk centre and perfectly cooked. The second was quail breast braised and had a beautiful coating and great flavour. The third was a potato croquette filled with minced quail. Served extremely hot (i may have burnt the roof of my mouth) but had a soft crisp outer casing, soft potato inside and excellent quail mince inside. Excellent.
The next up was chicken wing dumpling. A deep fried chicken wing with a dumpling ball attached to the end and deep fried and stuffed with chicken mince and herb and spices. Also served a smidgen too hot but very good flavours and textures. I especially enjoyed the crispy batter on the wing and dumpling.
The final dish was a yakimono dish of Wagyu beef, thinly slices and perfectly cooked with a slightly pink inside and slightly charred on the outside with a spicy teriyaki sauce that was beautiful and perfectly balance with the meat. A simple but wonderfully executed dish.
After deciding on whether i would bother with a Japanese desert (or go somewhere else), i decided to give desert a go. I settled on a Black Sesame Panna Cotta with green tea ice cream, red bean paste and slice strawberries. The flavours worked well but just wasn't for me and added into my dislike of Japanese deserts.
Overall the night was good. Efficient and speedy service and a menu designed for speed and a snacky dinner rather than a long languishing dinner extravaganza, it was decent food with a few rough edges. The cost was well under $100 and service was decent if somewhat brash at some stages. Good for a quick nice meal but not Hat worthy.
Having head into the city for a work meeting, i decided to try a new restaurant that made it into the guide this year (Score of 14) before heading out to Vic Gardens to watch Expendables 2 with some friends. So with a friend who worked in the city in tow, i headed to the waste land of South Wharf to try Akachochin.
Located on the South Wharf Promenade in a converted shed, along with some other restaurants, it is a new area of the city that hasn't really caught on as a place to go out except for people staying at the Hilton or at the convention centre. High ceilings, wooden floors and marble counter tops at the sushi bar where i was seated and a busy vibrant atmosphere greeted me. (was very busy due to the food and wine convention at the exhibition centre next door and several people were turned away. Would probably be nowhere near as busy on a normal Tuesday.)
Billed as an izakaya, or Japanese tapas restaurant, with smaller dishes offering a wide variety of choice and the ability to try more of the extensive 7 page menu. However to start with i was offered a one page beer and wine list as well as a list of Sakes (there is no wine list for this restaurant due to its desire to stay true to traditional Japanese style - however the sharing house list from next door can be requested).
I went with a beer and ended up with a Kirin Larger in a can imported from Japan. Along with the beer came a free appetiser of Asian vegetables in a sesame sauce. Very decent and good fresh clean flavours.
I started with an initial dish of fish chips. Thin crisp sheets of fish (consistency of prawn crackers) with a decent fish flavour and topped off with liberal helping of salt and AO nori. Very good and definitely addictive and left u wanting more.
I however resisted and moved on to the next course of Quail Karaage to Manju which consisted of quail cooked 3 ways. The first was a slow cooked quail egg with a delicious yolk centre and perfectly cooked. The second was quail breast braised and had a beautiful coating and great flavour. The third was a potato croquette filled with minced quail. Served extremely hot (i may have burnt the roof of my mouth) but had a soft crisp outer casing, soft potato inside and excellent quail mince inside. Excellent.
The next up was chicken wing dumpling. A deep fried chicken wing with a dumpling ball attached to the end and deep fried and stuffed with chicken mince and herb and spices. Also served a smidgen too hot but very good flavours and textures. I especially enjoyed the crispy batter on the wing and dumpling.
The final dish was a yakimono dish of Wagyu beef, thinly slices and perfectly cooked with a slightly pink inside and slightly charred on the outside with a spicy teriyaki sauce that was beautiful and perfectly balance with the meat. A simple but wonderfully executed dish.
After deciding on whether i would bother with a Japanese desert (or go somewhere else), i decided to give desert a go. I settled on a Black Sesame Panna Cotta with green tea ice cream, red bean paste and slice strawberries. The flavours worked well but just wasn't for me and added into my dislike of Japanese deserts.
Overall the night was good. Efficient and speedy service and a menu designed for speed and a snacky dinner rather than a long languishing dinner extravaganza, it was decent food with a few rough edges. The cost was well under $100 and service was decent if somewhat brash at some stages. Good for a quick nice meal but not Hat worthy.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Easy Tiger
24th August 2012
Before heading out to my brother's second EP launch (Panoptics - check them out) i decided to have a late dinner nearby. Given the gig was on Johnson street i had a range of restaurants available to visit including an old favourite in Cutler & Co. but decided on a newly crowned hat restaurant (2013 Hat winners were announced on the 27th August) in Easy Tiger.
Located on Smith Street just up from the busy corner with Gertrude Street, the restaurant was a modern but cool and relaxed fit out with both large shared tables, individual small tables and an outdoor patio area out the back.
Having arrived early at 830 for my late 845 booking i was told my table was not ready and shown to the outdoor area. Wooden tables, chairs and waiting benches, i was seated and offered an palate cleanser of subtle green tea. Fresh, hot and subtle it worked well.
They also offered me the drinks list and food menu to peruse while i waited. After a couple minutes they returned and they suggested i have some taro chips with chili salt whilst i waited and that a lager would go well to accompany them. Obviously some great minds work at Easy Tiger cos i was thinking the same thing. I went with a large Singha beer. The taro chips had a good hit of chili, were crisp and delicious and very addictive. I went back for seconds after being shown to my seat inside.
I was seated inside near the front at a low table with leather couches and candlelight. Having looked online before leaving and having looked at the menu whilst waiting i had already decided on my dishes when the wait staff came around but let the waiter tell me about the specials and recommendations in case he swayed me from my original choices. I decided on 2 small snack dishes, one main with a side and desert.
The first snack was a double serve (2) of Ma Hor. A mixture of prawn, pork and chicken mince combined with peanuts and cooked in palm sugar and then rested on a small disk of watermelon. Perfect execution, great balance of flavours with the meaty and nutty flavours balanced by the fresh sweet watermelon. A winner and a great start.
The next snack was a dish of classic Thai fish cakes with sweet chili sauce. Great, bold flavours and a slight kick of chili and were good. Maybe i shouldn't have expected more than what was stated but given the inventiveness of the menu, i was expecting a twist or something extra. But a solid dish.
The next was a main of stir fried duck with snake beans, hand main egg noodles & chili oil. Big bold flavours with a substantial hit of chili it was a superb dish and was perfectly accompanied by a side of big fluffy, perfectly cooked rice. I also went with a further side of a 'son in law egg'. Runny yolk in the centre of a slightly crisp outside batter. Excellent side dish and well cooked.
To accompany the main course i went with a moorooduc estate pinot gris which was ok but nothing special but was reasonably priced and part of a smaller (2 page) but intriguing wine, beer and cocktail list.
I then went on to desert and the desert that first attracted me to going to this restaurant. The waitress didn't even need to hand me the menu as i had known for months if i went to Easy Tiger, this would be my desert. The desert was the chocolate and pandanus dumplings, melon and salted coconut cream. The dumplings were green in colour and great in flavour and filled with a rich decadent dark chocolate. There was also small round melon balls and a layer of coconut cream that had only a slight salting. The dumplings were the standout and i would have preferred more of these than the melon but only because the chocolate was so good. Excellent dish and due to a slight delay (the waitress didn't immediately put the order in but corrected it before i noticed the time delay or even thought that it was delayed) this dish was give for free.
Definitely worthy of the hat that was recently bestowed and loved the style and atmosphere of the place. Amazing food, excellent friendly service and very decent value (snacks, 2 entrees, main and side and desert with a giant beer and a glass of wine for well under $100 - although the desert was free and would have pushed it close to $100). Would definitely go back with a group of friends to show off a very cool, hip and quality restaurant.
Before heading out to my brother's second EP launch (Panoptics - check them out) i decided to have a late dinner nearby. Given the gig was on Johnson street i had a range of restaurants available to visit including an old favourite in Cutler & Co. but decided on a newly crowned hat restaurant (2013 Hat winners were announced on the 27th August) in Easy Tiger.
Located on Smith Street just up from the busy corner with Gertrude Street, the restaurant was a modern but cool and relaxed fit out with both large shared tables, individual small tables and an outdoor patio area out the back.
Having arrived early at 830 for my late 845 booking i was told my table was not ready and shown to the outdoor area. Wooden tables, chairs and waiting benches, i was seated and offered an palate cleanser of subtle green tea. Fresh, hot and subtle it worked well.
They also offered me the drinks list and food menu to peruse while i waited. After a couple minutes they returned and they suggested i have some taro chips with chili salt whilst i waited and that a lager would go well to accompany them. Obviously some great minds work at Easy Tiger cos i was thinking the same thing. I went with a large Singha beer. The taro chips had a good hit of chili, were crisp and delicious and very addictive. I went back for seconds after being shown to my seat inside.
I was seated inside near the front at a low table with leather couches and candlelight. Having looked online before leaving and having looked at the menu whilst waiting i had already decided on my dishes when the wait staff came around but let the waiter tell me about the specials and recommendations in case he swayed me from my original choices. I decided on 2 small snack dishes, one main with a side and desert.
The first snack was a double serve (2) of Ma Hor. A mixture of prawn, pork and chicken mince combined with peanuts and cooked in palm sugar and then rested on a small disk of watermelon. Perfect execution, great balance of flavours with the meaty and nutty flavours balanced by the fresh sweet watermelon. A winner and a great start.
The next snack was a dish of classic Thai fish cakes with sweet chili sauce. Great, bold flavours and a slight kick of chili and were good. Maybe i shouldn't have expected more than what was stated but given the inventiveness of the menu, i was expecting a twist or something extra. But a solid dish.
The next was a main of stir fried duck with snake beans, hand main egg noodles & chili oil. Big bold flavours with a substantial hit of chili it was a superb dish and was perfectly accompanied by a side of big fluffy, perfectly cooked rice. I also went with a further side of a 'son in law egg'. Runny yolk in the centre of a slightly crisp outside batter. Excellent side dish and well cooked.
To accompany the main course i went with a moorooduc estate pinot gris which was ok but nothing special but was reasonably priced and part of a smaller (2 page) but intriguing wine, beer and cocktail list.
I then went on to desert and the desert that first attracted me to going to this restaurant. The waitress didn't even need to hand me the menu as i had known for months if i went to Easy Tiger, this would be my desert. The desert was the chocolate and pandanus dumplings, melon and salted coconut cream. The dumplings were green in colour and great in flavour and filled with a rich decadent dark chocolate. There was also small round melon balls and a layer of coconut cream that had only a slight salting. The dumplings were the standout and i would have preferred more of these than the melon but only because the chocolate was so good. Excellent dish and due to a slight delay (the waitress didn't immediately put the order in but corrected it before i noticed the time delay or even thought that it was delayed) this dish was give for free.
Definitely worthy of the hat that was recently bestowed and loved the style and atmosphere of the place. Amazing food, excellent friendly service and very decent value (snacks, 2 entrees, main and side and desert with a giant beer and a glass of wine for well under $100 - although the desert was free and would have pushed it close to $100). Would definitely go back with a group of friends to show off a very cool, hip and quality restaurant.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Newmarket Hotel
28th July 2012
In between looking for houses i decided to head out for lunch in St. Kilda. After thinking about heading back to some old favourites in St. Kilda (Circa, Golden Fields), i decided to head somewhere new and headed to Newmarket Hotel.
A mix of pub and fine dining with lots of glass, wood and high ceilings and open space and was a very excellent setting for both a fine lunch or a relaxing daytime drink with friends (potentially both). I decided on a selection of dishes.
First up was a special for the day which was a calamari and chorizo sopes. A crisp shelled taco bowl filled with tender pieces of calamari and rich, fatty chorizo and combined with some fresh salad ingredients it was a decent start.
Next up was a soft taco filled with beef cheek that was well counterbalanced with spicy jalapeno and fresh salad. Very decent food and good balance of flavours.
That was followed by a selection of dishes that came out together. The first was potato bravas - crisp potatoes topped with a chipotle sauce and an aioli. Potatoes were soft in the middle and a little crisp on the outside.
One of the other items to come out was corn on the cob smothered in chili flakes and a tarragon creme fraiche. A little spicy but offset by the cool creme fraiche and the corn was well cooked. This was my favourite dish.
The last of the savoury dishes was a flat bread topped with chorizo, calamari and padron peppers. Very good flavour combos and quality bread and substantial portions.
After the savoury courses, i went with a desert of a Latin style chocolate pot with Dulce de leche. Nice flavours and quality cooking but very simple and nothing outstanding.
Decent quality but nothing spectacular or noteworthy about any of the dishes. The service was very good and the atmosphere was very lively and fun. However with 2 drinks the above dishes ran up over $100 so decent but not great value and whilst an acceptable place to go for drink or lunch or dinner there are better restaurants serving better quality food for cheaper.
In between looking for houses i decided to head out for lunch in St. Kilda. After thinking about heading back to some old favourites in St. Kilda (Circa, Golden Fields), i decided to head somewhere new and headed to Newmarket Hotel.
A mix of pub and fine dining with lots of glass, wood and high ceilings and open space and was a very excellent setting for both a fine lunch or a relaxing daytime drink with friends (potentially both). I decided on a selection of dishes.
First up was a special for the day which was a calamari and chorizo sopes. A crisp shelled taco bowl filled with tender pieces of calamari and rich, fatty chorizo and combined with some fresh salad ingredients it was a decent start.
Next up was a soft taco filled with beef cheek that was well counterbalanced with spicy jalapeno and fresh salad. Very decent food and good balance of flavours.
That was followed by a selection of dishes that came out together. The first was potato bravas - crisp potatoes topped with a chipotle sauce and an aioli. Potatoes were soft in the middle and a little crisp on the outside.
One of the other items to come out was corn on the cob smothered in chili flakes and a tarragon creme fraiche. A little spicy but offset by the cool creme fraiche and the corn was well cooked. This was my favourite dish.
The last of the savoury dishes was a flat bread topped with chorizo, calamari and padron peppers. Very good flavour combos and quality bread and substantial portions.
After the savoury courses, i went with a desert of a Latin style chocolate pot with Dulce de leche. Nice flavours and quality cooking but very simple and nothing outstanding.
Decent quality but nothing spectacular or noteworthy about any of the dishes. The service was very good and the atmosphere was very lively and fun. However with 2 drinks the above dishes ran up over $100 so decent but not great value and whilst an acceptable place to go for drink or lunch or dinner there are better restaurants serving better quality food for cheaper.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Zumbo - Return Visit
8th July 2012
On the last day in Sydney, with my parents having driven off in the morning, i was left alone and having to entertain myself and couldn't think of a better way to do so than with a trip to Zumbo for some cakes as desert for lunch and to take back to Melbourne.
After looking through the various cakes and macarons and liking just about all of them, i decided to grab 2 cakes and a box of macarons. The first cake i went for was in his cookbook and one of the cakes i was thinking of making myself so it was nice to have a proper version to eat and compare to (it wasn't available last time i was up) and was the Cherry Cherry. 2 over sized macarons filled with a cherry jelly, dark creme Chantilly, coconut moisture and covered with shredded coconut. Excellent presentation and bold flavours with the cherry jelly standing out.
The next cake i had (which i took back to Melbourne along with the Macarons) was named Happy Birthday and it was a celebration of exquisite desert making and flavour. A flourless chocolate biscuit, chocolate sabayon mousse, ultimate chocolate brownie, caramel mousse, milk chocolate Chantilly and cocoa nib nougatine with a White chocolate and Passionfruit glaze. So many techniques, so many flavours and so delicious.
The final purchase from Zumbo in my purchase was a 5 pack of Zumbarons. A 5 pack of chocolate doughnut, Salted Butter Caramel, Annunziata Chocolate, Pancake & Maple Syrup and Salted Butter Popcorn. All were full of flavour and matched well with the flavour described. The pancake and maple syrup and and chocolate doughnut were personal favourites but all were exceptional.
The technique, innovation, imagination, flavours and presentation are all first rate and a trip to Sydney is not complete without a trip to my favourite desert place.
On the last day in Sydney, with my parents having driven off in the morning, i was left alone and having to entertain myself and couldn't think of a better way to do so than with a trip to Zumbo for some cakes as desert for lunch and to take back to Melbourne.
After looking through the various cakes and macarons and liking just about all of them, i decided to grab 2 cakes and a box of macarons. The first cake i went for was in his cookbook and one of the cakes i was thinking of making myself so it was nice to have a proper version to eat and compare to (it wasn't available last time i was up) and was the Cherry Cherry. 2 over sized macarons filled with a cherry jelly, dark creme Chantilly, coconut moisture and covered with shredded coconut. Excellent presentation and bold flavours with the cherry jelly standing out.
The next cake i had (which i took back to Melbourne along with the Macarons) was named Happy Birthday and it was a celebration of exquisite desert making and flavour. A flourless chocolate biscuit, chocolate sabayon mousse, ultimate chocolate brownie, caramel mousse, milk chocolate Chantilly and cocoa nib nougatine with a White chocolate and Passionfruit glaze. So many techniques, so many flavours and so delicious.
The final purchase from Zumbo in my purchase was a 5 pack of Zumbarons. A 5 pack of chocolate doughnut, Salted Butter Caramel, Annunziata Chocolate, Pancake & Maple Syrup and Salted Butter Popcorn. All were full of flavour and matched well with the flavour described. The pancake and maple syrup and and chocolate doughnut were personal favourites but all were exceptional.
The technique, innovation, imagination, flavours and presentation are all first rate and a trip to Sydney is not complete without a trip to my favourite desert place.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Quay (Sydney)
5th July 2012
After travelling down from Brisbane with my parents and Nanna, we decided to mark my Nan's last night in Australia with a special dinner at Australia's best restaurant and number 29 in the world. After checking in to our hotel, heading our to look around Sydney and heading back to get ready, we caught a taxi in the pouring rain down to The Rocks.
Located on the top edge of The Rocks on the water looking out over Circular Quay with spectacular views of the harbour bridge and Opera house on the upper level of the overseas passenger terminal. The dining room was dimly lit with purple carpet and all glass exterior to provide maximum view of the harbour and sites. The place settings and table were amazing and everything about the restaurant screamed class and elegance.
We were lead to our seats past the long section of the dining area to a circular area on the edge of the restaurant and closest to the harbour bridge with wide panoramic views. After being seated we were presented with a extremely long and varied wine list. Along with the wine list there was substantial list of beer, spirits and cocktails.
We were then presented with the food list that was broken down into 2 sections and very beautifully presented. The first part showed the 8 course degustation as your immediately opened out the menu and when opened out fully it showed the 4 course menu that was broken down into 4 pages with the 5 options for each course on a separate page.
After ordering each of our courses from the extremely efficient, courteous and polite staff but who didn't deviate to much from the script, we were presented with an amuse bouche to cleanse our palates for the culinary extravaganza to come. Served in a tiny curved glass was a mix of a tiny piece of marron tail, served over shaved coconut and a subtle Asian style jam. Very nice and good mix of flavours.
After the amuse bouche they came around with a basket filled with 4 types of bread. I went for the black sesame and grain bread which was accompanied with beautiful french butter served on a white rock. They also came around again with the basket after the first course and i took some Sourdough bread that time. Both breads and the butter was first rate.
For my first course i went with the Sashimi of corner inlet rock Flathead, trumpeter topped with shavings of black tipped abalone, raw sea cabbage, nastricums, warriguls and periwinkles and combined with a smear of salt cured wild oyster cream. Perfectly balanced, wonderful technique and intricacy to the preparation of the dish and the flavour. Despite all the fish and seafood flavours it wasn't overpoweringly fishy and was a dish very much worthy of a three hat restaurant.
The next course was a dish of rock lobster, squid, golden tapioca and lobster velvet. Decadent, luxurious and again excellently presented with the lobster sitting in the middle of shaved squid (look of linguini) and the lobster velvet was incredible.
The main course i choose was the poached Wagyu beef encased in a sauce and bread crumb of farro, buckwheat, hazelnut and Ezekiel. The beef was sitting on a bed of black pudding puree. The beef was of the highest quality cut, cooked to perfection and was fall apart tender. The coating added a bit of crunch to the beef and added some additional flavour whilst the black pudding puree was very nice and complemented the beef well. (Surprising that i have like Black pudding at both Aria and Quay despite loathing it normally).
Served with the main course was a share plate for the whole table of leaf salad with a red wine vinaigrette. Whilst very, very good especially the vinaigrette, i thought given the quality of the restaurant and the variety of the main course putting down one generic side was strange.
On to the most important course of the meal and the one i had been looking forward to, desert. Having seen it on TV and in the Quay cook book i went for the 8 texture chocolate cake whilst my mum went for the other well known desert of Guava strawberry snow egg. The chocolate cake was presented as 7 textures with an 8th a chocolate sauce poured into the middle which melted the centre casing and allowed the chocolate to flow over the dish. A very nice touch of culinary theatre. Unfortunately the cake itself was the slightest of let down with the dark chocolate layer slightly overpowering the other layers. At any other restaurant it would have been a more than acceptable dish but with perfection expected it was not up to the level of the others.
However the snow egg which i was allowed to try was magnificent with the egg having to be cracked and the many different layers giving a great mix of flavours and textures.
After the desert we were served tea or coffee (i went with a Darjeeling tea) and petit fours which were two types of truffles, a dark chocolate truffle filled with amaretto and muscatels and covered in chocolate crispies and a milk chocolate and caramel truffle filled with hazelnuts. Both were superb and an excellent finish to the meal.
Everything about the meal showed off why this is considered the best restaurant in Australian and highly regarded world wide. From the prime location and impressive view of Sydney, to the service, outfitting of the restaurant, serving bowls, plates and utensils (each dish was presented in a unique and unusual bowl or plate) and most importantly the food it screamed class, sophistication, quality and the whole dining process was thought through and perfectly executed. Whilst there was little use of high tech techniques or gadgetry, that by no means meant a lack of innovation. Everything about this meal (except for the slight disappointment with the chocolate desert) was superb and is well worth a visit (if you can stand the extensive wait for a table - 2 months for a week night and 6 months for a weekend).
After travelling down from Brisbane with my parents and Nanna, we decided to mark my Nan's last night in Australia with a special dinner at Australia's best restaurant and number 29 in the world. After checking in to our hotel, heading our to look around Sydney and heading back to get ready, we caught a taxi in the pouring rain down to The Rocks.
Located on the top edge of The Rocks on the water looking out over Circular Quay with spectacular views of the harbour bridge and Opera house on the upper level of the overseas passenger terminal. The dining room was dimly lit with purple carpet and all glass exterior to provide maximum view of the harbour and sites. The place settings and table were amazing and everything about the restaurant screamed class and elegance.
We were lead to our seats past the long section of the dining area to a circular area on the edge of the restaurant and closest to the harbour bridge with wide panoramic views. After being seated we were presented with a extremely long and varied wine list. Along with the wine list there was substantial list of beer, spirits and cocktails.
We were then presented with the food list that was broken down into 2 sections and very beautifully presented. The first part showed the 8 course degustation as your immediately opened out the menu and when opened out fully it showed the 4 course menu that was broken down into 4 pages with the 5 options for each course on a separate page.
After ordering each of our courses from the extremely efficient, courteous and polite staff but who didn't deviate to much from the script, we were presented with an amuse bouche to cleanse our palates for the culinary extravaganza to come. Served in a tiny curved glass was a mix of a tiny piece of marron tail, served over shaved coconut and a subtle Asian style jam. Very nice and good mix of flavours.
After the amuse bouche they came around with a basket filled with 4 types of bread. I went for the black sesame and grain bread which was accompanied with beautiful french butter served on a white rock. They also came around again with the basket after the first course and i took some Sourdough bread that time. Both breads and the butter was first rate.
For my first course i went with the Sashimi of corner inlet rock Flathead, trumpeter topped with shavings of black tipped abalone, raw sea cabbage, nastricums, warriguls and periwinkles and combined with a smear of salt cured wild oyster cream. Perfectly balanced, wonderful technique and intricacy to the preparation of the dish and the flavour. Despite all the fish and seafood flavours it wasn't overpoweringly fishy and was a dish very much worthy of a three hat restaurant.
The next course was a dish of rock lobster, squid, golden tapioca and lobster velvet. Decadent, luxurious and again excellently presented with the lobster sitting in the middle of shaved squid (look of linguini) and the lobster velvet was incredible.
The main course i choose was the poached Wagyu beef encased in a sauce and bread crumb of farro, buckwheat, hazelnut and Ezekiel. The beef was sitting on a bed of black pudding puree. The beef was of the highest quality cut, cooked to perfection and was fall apart tender. The coating added a bit of crunch to the beef and added some additional flavour whilst the black pudding puree was very nice and complemented the beef well. (Surprising that i have like Black pudding at both Aria and Quay despite loathing it normally).
Served with the main course was a share plate for the whole table of leaf salad with a red wine vinaigrette. Whilst very, very good especially the vinaigrette, i thought given the quality of the restaurant and the variety of the main course putting down one generic side was strange.
On to the most important course of the meal and the one i had been looking forward to, desert. Having seen it on TV and in the Quay cook book i went for the 8 texture chocolate cake whilst my mum went for the other well known desert of Guava strawberry snow egg. The chocolate cake was presented as 7 textures with an 8th a chocolate sauce poured into the middle which melted the centre casing and allowed the chocolate to flow over the dish. A very nice touch of culinary theatre. Unfortunately the cake itself was the slightest of let down with the dark chocolate layer slightly overpowering the other layers. At any other restaurant it would have been a more than acceptable dish but with perfection expected it was not up to the level of the others.
However the snow egg which i was allowed to try was magnificent with the egg having to be cracked and the many different layers giving a great mix of flavours and textures.
After the desert we were served tea or coffee (i went with a Darjeeling tea) and petit fours which were two types of truffles, a dark chocolate truffle filled with amaretto and muscatels and covered in chocolate crispies and a milk chocolate and caramel truffle filled with hazelnuts. Both were superb and an excellent finish to the meal.
Everything about the meal showed off why this is considered the best restaurant in Australian and highly regarded world wide. From the prime location and impressive view of Sydney, to the service, outfitting of the restaurant, serving bowls, plates and utensils (each dish was presented in a unique and unusual bowl or plate) and most importantly the food it screamed class, sophistication, quality and the whole dining process was thought through and perfectly executed. Whilst there was little use of high tech techniques or gadgetry, that by no means meant a lack of innovation. Everything about this meal (except for the slight disappointment with the chocolate desert) was superb and is well worth a visit (if you can stand the extensive wait for a table - 2 months for a week night and 6 months for a weekend).
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Patisse
5th July 2012
Whilst watching Masterchef on the Monday, they introduced a new desert king rather than the usual Adriano Zumbo, Vincent Gadan from Patisse in Sydney who made a desert called 'Parfum de Femme' . As we were headed down to Sydney in the new few days I managed to convince my family (not that it much) that we should head down and try this amazing looking desert.
When we arrived on Thursday, we headed down to Patisse which is housed in a old warehouse which mostly housed expensive furniture outlets and located in a slightly dodgy area with housing commissions nearby between the suburbs of Redfern and Surry Hills in Sydney.
After arriving we sat down at a mismatch of what appeared to be garden furniture and ordered our food. I went with the aforementioned Parfum de Femme and agreed to split the desert with my mum, who ordered a different desert. A salted praline mousse with some crushed pureed fruit and a piece of praline inside and covered in a crystallised violet and rhubarb velvet with a gold painted chocolate spray top and string leading down to a truffle filled with rhubarb coulis.
The result as show below was a masterpiece of presentation and vision and the taste equalled the beauty of the cake. The truffle filled with rhubarb coulis was exquisite and the mousse was rich decadent and wonderfully flavoured.
My mum choose the Yuzu cheesecake (a Japanese citrus fruit) with salted caramel and a macaroon Breton base. Great contrast of flavours with the citrus and the salt from the salted caramel acting brilliantly together. Whilst not as pretty or as good as my desert, i was still a masterclass in cake making.
The quality of these deserts was on a par with Zumbo and whilst the range and creativity was not as extensive, the signature desert was a masterpiece and well worth the trip down to this oddly placed patisserie. If in Sydney and you love cakes, it is a must visit.
Whilst watching Masterchef on the Monday, they introduced a new desert king rather than the usual Adriano Zumbo, Vincent Gadan from Patisse in Sydney who made a desert called 'Parfum de Femme' . As we were headed down to Sydney in the new few days I managed to convince my family (not that it much) that we should head down and try this amazing looking desert.
When we arrived on Thursday, we headed down to Patisse which is housed in a old warehouse which mostly housed expensive furniture outlets and located in a slightly dodgy area with housing commissions nearby between the suburbs of Redfern and Surry Hills in Sydney.
After arriving we sat down at a mismatch of what appeared to be garden furniture and ordered our food. I went with the aforementioned Parfum de Femme and agreed to split the desert with my mum, who ordered a different desert. A salted praline mousse with some crushed pureed fruit and a piece of praline inside and covered in a crystallised violet and rhubarb velvet with a gold painted chocolate spray top and string leading down to a truffle filled with rhubarb coulis.
The result as show below was a masterpiece of presentation and vision and the taste equalled the beauty of the cake. The truffle filled with rhubarb coulis was exquisite and the mousse was rich decadent and wonderfully flavoured.
My mum choose the Yuzu cheesecake (a Japanese citrus fruit) with salted caramel and a macaroon Breton base. Great contrast of flavours with the citrus and the salt from the salted caramel acting brilliantly together. Whilst not as pretty or as good as my desert, i was still a masterclass in cake making.
The quality of these deserts was on a par with Zumbo and whilst the range and creativity was not as extensive, the signature desert was a masterpiece and well worth the trip down to this oddly placed patisserie. If in Sydney and you love cakes, it is a must visit.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Verve - Gold Coast
30th June 2012
After having booked my flight up to the Gold Coast for the Saturday morning before the Marathon on Sunday, i realised i would have plenty of time after picking up my race pack and checking in to my hotel to have a substantial lunch and therefore have a smaller nutritious dinner before heading to bed early in preparation for the race.
With my hotel and the race pack pick being in Broadbeach, i decided to choose a restaurant close to the area and settled on Verve which was a 15 minute walk from the hotel room. Located in broadbeach waters it was in one of the more unusual locations on the whole list. Located on a corner of a suburban housing area next to a milk bar and a hairdresser, it was an unassuming outside contrasted by a elegant decor inside which still had the Queensland spirit of open shop front which allowed views of outside and the bright Queensland sun to envelope the restaurant.
The restaurant itself was very empty with just two other people in for lunch. The decor was sophisticated with white table clothes, fine cutlery and purple walls and what would be a romantic setting during the night. A small one room dining area and what appeared to be an even smaller kitchen gave the place a homely, cozy feel.
After settling down on my banquette style seating, i was offered a reasonably sized wine list from which i choose a glass of Catalina Sounds Pinot Gris. The food menu had one page with about 7-8 choices each for entree, mains and sides and deserts and cheese, with a separate initial page for small tasting plates to start. They also offered a degustation menu. After contemplating the degustation option, i decided to go for a entree, main and desert feeling my training would overcome any overeating for the marathon the next day.
With several of the options on the entree menu i was torn and spoilt for choice. I eventually went with a Quail pie. Rich buttery pastry (that unfortunately stuck to the ramekin slightly) was broken to reveal a filling of tender moist chunks of quail meat , Swiss brown mushrooms and several small tarragon and truffle dumplings and a rich sauce. Very good and touches of both rustic homeliness and modern ingredients and techniques. The only disappointment was the rocket salad on the side which was bland, unseasoned and unnecessary.
Although there were also several great options for main course, there was one that jumped out and required me to order. And it did not disappoint with a sublime dish of slow roasted pork neck that fell apart with the slightest touch of a fork served with a sweet potato cream, pickled love plums and a honey and mustard jus. Each ingredient was fabulously cooked and presented and the taste was superb both individually and as a combination. Another mix of superb homely food with modern techniques and finishes to create a memorable dish.
Having had 2 fairly heavy courses, i decided on a lighter desert (although i was sorely tempted by the cinnamon donuts, pot au chocolate, caramel gel and espresso ice cream). Whereas the two previous courses mixed rustic and modern, this dish was all modern technique and flash. Toasted passion fruit marshmallows, with a mango salad, candied lime slivers and a small almond and coconut milkshake. Perfectly presented with a light balanced and delicious flavour it was an excellent end to the meal with the candied lime a personal highlight.
Overall not much to fault with this restaurant, a mix of quality food, technique, style value ($85 for 3 course and wine) and service meant a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon gazing out into the bright sunshine of Queensland enjoying delicious food and wine. If you find yourself in the Gold Coast for any reason, try to find your way to this restaurant that warranted its hat status in Queensland's inaugural good food guide.
After having booked my flight up to the Gold Coast for the Saturday morning before the Marathon on Sunday, i realised i would have plenty of time after picking up my race pack and checking in to my hotel to have a substantial lunch and therefore have a smaller nutritious dinner before heading to bed early in preparation for the race.
With my hotel and the race pack pick being in Broadbeach, i decided to choose a restaurant close to the area and settled on Verve which was a 15 minute walk from the hotel room. Located in broadbeach waters it was in one of the more unusual locations on the whole list. Located on a corner of a suburban housing area next to a milk bar and a hairdresser, it was an unassuming outside contrasted by a elegant decor inside which still had the Queensland spirit of open shop front which allowed views of outside and the bright Queensland sun to envelope the restaurant.
The restaurant itself was very empty with just two other people in for lunch. The decor was sophisticated with white table clothes, fine cutlery and purple walls and what would be a romantic setting during the night. A small one room dining area and what appeared to be an even smaller kitchen gave the place a homely, cozy feel.
After settling down on my banquette style seating, i was offered a reasonably sized wine list from which i choose a glass of Catalina Sounds Pinot Gris. The food menu had one page with about 7-8 choices each for entree, mains and sides and deserts and cheese, with a separate initial page for small tasting plates to start. They also offered a degustation menu. After contemplating the degustation option, i decided to go for a entree, main and desert feeling my training would overcome any overeating for the marathon the next day.
With several of the options on the entree menu i was torn and spoilt for choice. I eventually went with a Quail pie. Rich buttery pastry (that unfortunately stuck to the ramekin slightly) was broken to reveal a filling of tender moist chunks of quail meat , Swiss brown mushrooms and several small tarragon and truffle dumplings and a rich sauce. Very good and touches of both rustic homeliness and modern ingredients and techniques. The only disappointment was the rocket salad on the side which was bland, unseasoned and unnecessary.
Although there were also several great options for main course, there was one that jumped out and required me to order. And it did not disappoint with a sublime dish of slow roasted pork neck that fell apart with the slightest touch of a fork served with a sweet potato cream, pickled love plums and a honey and mustard jus. Each ingredient was fabulously cooked and presented and the taste was superb both individually and as a combination. Another mix of superb homely food with modern techniques and finishes to create a memorable dish.
Having had 2 fairly heavy courses, i decided on a lighter desert (although i was sorely tempted by the cinnamon donuts, pot au chocolate, caramel gel and espresso ice cream). Whereas the two previous courses mixed rustic and modern, this dish was all modern technique and flash. Toasted passion fruit marshmallows, with a mango salad, candied lime slivers and a small almond and coconut milkshake. Perfectly presented with a light balanced and delicious flavour it was an excellent end to the meal with the candied lime a personal highlight.
Overall not much to fault with this restaurant, a mix of quality food, technique, style value ($85 for 3 course and wine) and service meant a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon gazing out into the bright sunshine of Queensland enjoying delicious food and wine. If you find yourself in the Gold Coast for any reason, try to find your way to this restaurant that warranted its hat status in Queensland's inaugural good food guide.
Sette Bello
29th June 2012
For our end of financial year dinner the directors (on Brent's suggestion) took us out to a restaurant that featured in my Good Food Guide, Sette Bello. Having heard glowing reports from Brent about the quality of this place i was keen to see for myself whether it lived up to his hype.
However as this was an office function the normal dining experience would be slightly different. After initial drinks and casual conversation between work people and partners, we sat down to a three course meal. We were working off a slightly reduced menu from the full one but they still offered a selection of 5-6 options for each entree, main and desert. Having had the menu emailed around during the day i was already on top of what options i was going to select whilst others frantically choose their meals as the waiter patiently waited for their orders.
With everyone settled and speeches finished we sat down to our first course. I had chosen a carpaccio of very thinly sliced beef eye fillet topped with fried capers, pear, rocket and Parmesan. Nicely cooked beef and quality cut of meat and excellently balanced with the pear, cheese and rocket. Very nice flavours, well presented and a great start to the meal.
The main course arrived in a reasonably short time after (although not rushed out). For main course i went with the Porchetta. A roll of crisp skinned pork belly filled with rosemary on a bed of sauteed spinach with roman potatoes, caramelised apple and a sherry vinegar reduction. The pork belly was well cooked and delicious but was unfortunately occasionally overpowered by the strong rosemary centre. The spinach and potatoes were a great touch as was the sherry vinegar reduction. However the apple had an unusual texture and didn't fit with the other accompaniments. It could have done with just one of these elements either the apple or spinach and potatoes but not both.
The final course was a modern take on an Italian classic of Tartufo. A classic hazelnut parfait filled with a sweet cherry centre was classic Italian cooking and perfectly done. However the modern additions were crushed hazelnut praline encasing the parfait and topped off with Persian fairy floss sitting as a crown and an earl grey infused chocolate sauce. This was my favourite course, an excellent blend of flavour, texture and both modern and classic cooking.
Overall a very fun night out with work people supplemented by some quality food. The service was decent and drinks were always on offer but apart from that the wait staff were inconspicuous when not needed. Given it was a work function the value was extremely good with the company picking up the whole tab. A few mistake lead to the overall meal to be slightly below hat worthy but well worthy of a visit if you find yourself out in Glen Waverley.
For our end of financial year dinner the directors (on Brent's suggestion) took us out to a restaurant that featured in my Good Food Guide, Sette Bello. Having heard glowing reports from Brent about the quality of this place i was keen to see for myself whether it lived up to his hype.
However as this was an office function the normal dining experience would be slightly different. After initial drinks and casual conversation between work people and partners, we sat down to a three course meal. We were working off a slightly reduced menu from the full one but they still offered a selection of 5-6 options for each entree, main and desert. Having had the menu emailed around during the day i was already on top of what options i was going to select whilst others frantically choose their meals as the waiter patiently waited for their orders.
With everyone settled and speeches finished we sat down to our first course. I had chosen a carpaccio of very thinly sliced beef eye fillet topped with fried capers, pear, rocket and Parmesan. Nicely cooked beef and quality cut of meat and excellently balanced with the pear, cheese and rocket. Very nice flavours, well presented and a great start to the meal.
The main course arrived in a reasonably short time after (although not rushed out). For main course i went with the Porchetta. A roll of crisp skinned pork belly filled with rosemary on a bed of sauteed spinach with roman potatoes, caramelised apple and a sherry vinegar reduction. The pork belly was well cooked and delicious but was unfortunately occasionally overpowered by the strong rosemary centre. The spinach and potatoes were a great touch as was the sherry vinegar reduction. However the apple had an unusual texture and didn't fit with the other accompaniments. It could have done with just one of these elements either the apple or spinach and potatoes but not both.
The final course was a modern take on an Italian classic of Tartufo. A classic hazelnut parfait filled with a sweet cherry centre was classic Italian cooking and perfectly done. However the modern additions were crushed hazelnut praline encasing the parfait and topped off with Persian fairy floss sitting as a crown and an earl grey infused chocolate sauce. This was my favourite course, an excellent blend of flavour, texture and both modern and classic cooking.
Overall a very fun night out with work people supplemented by some quality food. The service was decent and drinks were always on offer but apart from that the wait staff were inconspicuous when not needed. Given it was a work function the value was extremely good with the company picking up the whole tab. A few mistake lead to the overall meal to be slightly below hat worthy but well worthy of a visit if you find yourself out in Glen Waverley.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Cookie
20th June 2012
After deciding that a group of us hadn't caught up in a while, the four of us decided to go out for dinner again, after heading to Papa Goose for the first event. After various places were suggested, we settled on Cookie, which i had never been to for food, and added a fifth member to our group (not a sixth, sorry Meg).
Having booked a 7pm dinner reservation, we were still required to wait and have a drink in the exceedingly cramp, noisy and busy bar area. After a short while we were shown to our table located at the back which was also a bit cramp and close to the other tables. A mix of cartoon art and reasonably loud music gave the place a hip vibe but also not a place to enjoy a long relaxing meal.
After taking a seat we were offered extensive menus of both food and drink (the wine list was upwards of 50 pages and there was a separate menu for a non wine drinks). The food menu was broken down into 3 areas of small, medium and large dishes. Given the varied tastes we decided to eat order our own food and i decided on a having both a medium and a large item both served at the same time as everyone else was having one dish.
For the small dish i decided to compare a dish on this menu with one i had previous eaten (at Longrain), the egg net salad with minced chicken, spinach, chili and cashews. Compared to Longrain's version the ingredients were of a lesser quality and the egg net itself was slightly thicker and less delicate and the flavours were less complex and balanced but overall a more than acceptable dish.
The large course was served on a huge sizzling plate with several fat pieces of squid stuffed with mice pork, lime leaf and served with an abundance of hot and sour sauce and dried herbs. The pieces of squid were decently cooked and had good flavour and the hot part of the sauce packed a decent punch, however the sourness of the sauce was overdone and it added a weird after taste that didn't go down great.
With the selection of deserts being fairly limited and most of Asian themed (except one random tiramasu) nothing jumped at me and we decided to skip desert. The food overall was of a decent quality but nowhere near the quality of Longrain or hat worthy. Very decent value and the portion sizes were plentiful and service was actually reasonable considering how busy it was. But would go back back to Longrain every time rather than here.
After deciding that a group of us hadn't caught up in a while, the four of us decided to go out for dinner again, after heading to Papa Goose for the first event. After various places were suggested, we settled on Cookie, which i had never been to for food, and added a fifth member to our group (not a sixth, sorry Meg).
Having booked a 7pm dinner reservation, we were still required to wait and have a drink in the exceedingly cramp, noisy and busy bar area. After a short while we were shown to our table located at the back which was also a bit cramp and close to the other tables. A mix of cartoon art and reasonably loud music gave the place a hip vibe but also not a place to enjoy a long relaxing meal.
After taking a seat we were offered extensive menus of both food and drink (the wine list was upwards of 50 pages and there was a separate menu for a non wine drinks). The food menu was broken down into 3 areas of small, medium and large dishes. Given the varied tastes we decided to eat order our own food and i decided on a having both a medium and a large item both served at the same time as everyone else was having one dish.
For the small dish i decided to compare a dish on this menu with one i had previous eaten (at Longrain), the egg net salad with minced chicken, spinach, chili and cashews. Compared to Longrain's version the ingredients were of a lesser quality and the egg net itself was slightly thicker and less delicate and the flavours were less complex and balanced but overall a more than acceptable dish.
The large course was served on a huge sizzling plate with several fat pieces of squid stuffed with mice pork, lime leaf and served with an abundance of hot and sour sauce and dried herbs. The pieces of squid were decently cooked and had good flavour and the hot part of the sauce packed a decent punch, however the sourness of the sauce was overdone and it added a weird after taste that didn't go down great.
With the selection of deserts being fairly limited and most of Asian themed (except one random tiramasu) nothing jumped at me and we decided to skip desert. The food overall was of a decent quality but nowhere near the quality of Longrain or hat worthy. Very decent value and the portion sizes were plentiful and service was actually reasonable considering how busy it was. But would go back back to Longrain every time rather than here.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Pei Modern
14th June 2012
After being out on tuesday for a late dinner, i was back out again (this time slightly earlier) on thursday night this time in the city at Pei Modern with a friend. A new restaurant (opened in February) from renowned Sydney chef Mark Best (Marque - 3 hats) this was billed as more of a bistro rather than a fine dining extravaganza but with the quality of a exemplary chef. After having seen a review in the age (15/20 indicating a hat worthy restaurant) and having walked past a few times in the past month i felt i needed to give it a try.
Located at Collins plaza on the ground floor of the Sofitel lobby it was under the big canopy that covers the entrance way, allowing us to sit outside and watch poeple go by without a thought for the perpetual rain that seems to be aflicting Melbourne at this time.
The restaurant inside was split into 2 sections with a bar and casual bar snacks on one side and the rest of the restaurant to the other side with the bar splitting the 2 areas. Dark with soft lighting and edgy furniture. We opted for the alfresco dining area outside which offered the same level of comfort but with an open view.
After getting settled and asked by several of the staff if we wanted the heating turned on, we settled in with the wine menu, (i choose a glass of white that was very nice) and the reletively small but enticing menu.
After a few deliberations, i went with the whole 3 courses and settled in for a throughly enjoyable dining experience. After we selected our food, we received some housemade sourdough bread delivered in its own cloth bag with housemade. Very good quality and a great introduction.
For entree i setlled on the almond gazpacho with blue swimmer crab with red grapes and parsley. A vibrant flavoursome, rich and creamy gazpacho with hints of almond and lemon is matched with beautiful chunks of fresh and delicate crab. The grapes provide a different tangy flavour and the parsley added an additional freshness. A sublime dish.
The main course was a beautifully presented dish of roast rabbit, saltbush, wakame and jerusalem artichoke. The rabbit was clearly slow roasted and was beautifully moist on the inside (although a couple of pieces were the tiniest bit rubbery on the outside) and excellently paired with a mix of nutty and salty flavours. I choose to accompany this with a side of Dobson's chips which were amazingly crunchy on the outside and have great flavour.
Unfortunately my favourite course of any meal was a slight let down after the inspired cooking of the previous 2 courses. Good and well worth having but certainly not in the same class as the other 2 courses. I went with a mix of white chocolate, mandarins, sorrell sorbet and milk wafers. Extremely fresh and very good flavours indivudally and wonderfully presented but the sorrell sorbet drowned out and muted some of the other flavours especially the white chocolate. A reweighting of the different ingredient sizes could have lead to another winning dish but as it stands it was only above average.
Food that was certainly very much more hit than miss and several highlights acomapnied with great service meant it was worthy of the 1 hat that will likely be bestowed on it in the next Good Food Guide. For 3 courses and a side dish and a glass of wine for $100 was decent value and is well worth a visit.
After being out on tuesday for a late dinner, i was back out again (this time slightly earlier) on thursday night this time in the city at Pei Modern with a friend. A new restaurant (opened in February) from renowned Sydney chef Mark Best (Marque - 3 hats) this was billed as more of a bistro rather than a fine dining extravaganza but with the quality of a exemplary chef. After having seen a review in the age (15/20 indicating a hat worthy restaurant) and having walked past a few times in the past month i felt i needed to give it a try.
Located at Collins plaza on the ground floor of the Sofitel lobby it was under the big canopy that covers the entrance way, allowing us to sit outside and watch poeple go by without a thought for the perpetual rain that seems to be aflicting Melbourne at this time.
The restaurant inside was split into 2 sections with a bar and casual bar snacks on one side and the rest of the restaurant to the other side with the bar splitting the 2 areas. Dark with soft lighting and edgy furniture. We opted for the alfresco dining area outside which offered the same level of comfort but with an open view.
After getting settled and asked by several of the staff if we wanted the heating turned on, we settled in with the wine menu, (i choose a glass of white that was very nice) and the reletively small but enticing menu.
After a few deliberations, i went with the whole 3 courses and settled in for a throughly enjoyable dining experience. After we selected our food, we received some housemade sourdough bread delivered in its own cloth bag with housemade. Very good quality and a great introduction.
For entree i setlled on the almond gazpacho with blue swimmer crab with red grapes and parsley. A vibrant flavoursome, rich and creamy gazpacho with hints of almond and lemon is matched with beautiful chunks of fresh and delicate crab. The grapes provide a different tangy flavour and the parsley added an additional freshness. A sublime dish.
The main course was a beautifully presented dish of roast rabbit, saltbush, wakame and jerusalem artichoke. The rabbit was clearly slow roasted and was beautifully moist on the inside (although a couple of pieces were the tiniest bit rubbery on the outside) and excellently paired with a mix of nutty and salty flavours. I choose to accompany this with a side of Dobson's chips which were amazingly crunchy on the outside and have great flavour.
Unfortunately my favourite course of any meal was a slight let down after the inspired cooking of the previous 2 courses. Good and well worth having but certainly not in the same class as the other 2 courses. I went with a mix of white chocolate, mandarins, sorrell sorbet and milk wafers. Extremely fresh and very good flavours indivudally and wonderfully presented but the sorrell sorbet drowned out and muted some of the other flavours especially the white chocolate. A reweighting of the different ingredient sizes could have lead to another winning dish but as it stands it was only above average.
Food that was certainly very much more hit than miss and several highlights acomapnied with great service meant it was worthy of the 1 hat that will likely be bestowed on it in the next Good Food Guide. For 3 courses and a side dish and a glass of wine for $100 was decent value and is well worth a visit.
Bistro Theirry
12th June 2012
After heading out for more marathon training and returning to the office to pick up some stuff i ended up being too late to go around to a friends to hand over some DVDs, so being close to 9pm and way too late to go home and cook i decided to head out for dinner. After checking they would be still open (and not too upset about having someone come in so late) i headed to Bistro Theirry for dinner.
I headed into a restaurant with dim lighting, fancy table settings and a very french themed interior and waiters with heavy french accents that felt like it could have been right on the banks of the Seine. After taking a seat looking out onto Malvern road, i was offered a wine list and 2 menus, regular and a list of specials for the day.
I selected a glass of Chablis that was very reasonably priced at $12 and the wine list was very extensive with a slight tilt towards french wine but a big mix and very reasonably priced (no massive mark ups). For the food there was a dozen options for entree and main courses. I decided given the time frame that asking for the full three courses would be a bit much and given my love of deserts i went for the main and desert option.
For main course i went with a fairly simple dish of traditional steak frites. A thick juicy and perfectly cooked eye fillet steak with a perfect pink inside and had a crust of peppercorn accompanied with the pepper sauce. Excellent sourced meat and the double pepper flavour gave it a real boldness. The thin fries were crisp on the outside and moist on this inside. I also ordered a side dish of haricots verts sautes. Sauteed green and white runner beans in a delicious mix of garlic (that could be smelt as soon as they arrived) and thinly sliced almonds, it was perfectly cooked and an excellent tradition side dish.
For desert i went with another french classic of Crepes Suzette which was a masterclass in classic french cooking. A large thin crepe folder in the middle of the plate with a perfect grand marnier and orange sauce liberally covering the crepe. Topped off with orange sorbet and to finish orange rind that had been caramelised and covered in icing sugar. Great technique and additional touches created a flawless piece of french cooking and an sumptuous desert.
With the bill (a reasonable $90 for 2 courses, a side and a glass of wine) i also received 2 complimentary dark mint chocolates. A very traditional french restaurant that sticks to tradition and creates memorable hearty french classics with some modern touches. If you are out in toorak this is well worth a visit and is up there or close to the 1 hat french restaurants.
After heading out for more marathon training and returning to the office to pick up some stuff i ended up being too late to go around to a friends to hand over some DVDs, so being close to 9pm and way too late to go home and cook i decided to head out for dinner. After checking they would be still open (and not too upset about having someone come in so late) i headed to Bistro Theirry for dinner.
I headed into a restaurant with dim lighting, fancy table settings and a very french themed interior and waiters with heavy french accents that felt like it could have been right on the banks of the Seine. After taking a seat looking out onto Malvern road, i was offered a wine list and 2 menus, regular and a list of specials for the day.
I selected a glass of Chablis that was very reasonably priced at $12 and the wine list was very extensive with a slight tilt towards french wine but a big mix and very reasonably priced (no massive mark ups). For the food there was a dozen options for entree and main courses. I decided given the time frame that asking for the full three courses would be a bit much and given my love of deserts i went for the main and desert option.
For main course i went with a fairly simple dish of traditional steak frites. A thick juicy and perfectly cooked eye fillet steak with a perfect pink inside and had a crust of peppercorn accompanied with the pepper sauce. Excellent sourced meat and the double pepper flavour gave it a real boldness. The thin fries were crisp on the outside and moist on this inside. I also ordered a side dish of haricots verts sautes. Sauteed green and white runner beans in a delicious mix of garlic (that could be smelt as soon as they arrived) and thinly sliced almonds, it was perfectly cooked and an excellent tradition side dish.
For desert i went with another french classic of Crepes Suzette which was a masterclass in classic french cooking. A large thin crepe folder in the middle of the plate with a perfect grand marnier and orange sauce liberally covering the crepe. Topped off with orange sorbet and to finish orange rind that had been caramelised and covered in icing sugar. Great technique and additional touches created a flawless piece of french cooking and an sumptuous desert.
With the bill (a reasonable $90 for 2 courses, a side and a glass of wine) i also received 2 complimentary dark mint chocolates. A very traditional french restaurant that sticks to tradition and creates memorable hearty french classics with some modern touches. If you are out in toorak this is well worth a visit and is up there or close to the 1 hat french restaurants.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Golden Fields - Repeat Visit
22nd May 2012
After completing some more marathon training around Albert park, i decided to not bother cooking or heading back to work to grab clothes and just try to head into St. Kilda and go to Golden Fields. Despite coming in straight from training and in shorts, they let me have a seat at the bar (just next to a table with owner Andrew McConnell).
After starting with a glass of Grenache blanc, i also received some cumin covered seeds. A very nice bottle of wine and good additional touch of the seeds.
Similar to the last time i came i decided to forgo any heavy main share dishes and have a selection of small plates. Given the limited selections involved with McConnell restaurants (Cutler & Co., Cumulus Inc. and Golden Fields) i had some duplicate dishes from the previous trip and some new dishes.
The first dish was a different dish of pork belly rolled in a thin layer of chicken with kimichi and a chili sauce. Beautifully cooked meat with full flavours and more than a hint of chili and bite. Great flavours and cooking and perfectly put together dish.
The next dish out was a favourite from last time, the Hot Lobster roll. Still amazing with a hot buttered roll filled with a generous serving of cold poached crayfish with kewpie mayo and a garnish of watercress.
After this came a dish of soft shell crab, alternating pieces of lightly battered soft flesh and crisp legs combined with a slightly spicy and slightly sweet dragon sauce and a slice of lime to splash over the top. Very nice but a little too much of the crunchy legs.
The final savoury course i choose was also a dish from the previous visit. I went with the rustic shanghai pork dumpling with chili vinegar. Beautiful fleshy pork belly stuffed in a doughy dumpling. The chili vinegar provided some bite and additional flavour and was a good dish.
For desert i went with a repeat of the previous visit with a great dish of peanut butter parfait sitting on a puddle of beautiful salted caramel topped off with a scoop of soft chocolate and some chopped peanuts. Excellent dish and one of my favourites. Superb mix of flavours and textures. I was also accompanied with a free desert wine. Surprisingly with the ingredients (peanuts) it matched very well and was more subtle, fresh and less sickly sweet than most desert wines.
Overall a great return visit with a mix of old favourite dishes and new dishes that i enjoyed. Very small amount of dishes but each one very well put together and full of flavour. Good wine list and very decent value. A favourite for a light, quick dinner.
After completing some more marathon training around Albert park, i decided to not bother cooking or heading back to work to grab clothes and just try to head into St. Kilda and go to Golden Fields. Despite coming in straight from training and in shorts, they let me have a seat at the bar (just next to a table with owner Andrew McConnell).
After starting with a glass of Grenache blanc, i also received some cumin covered seeds. A very nice bottle of wine and good additional touch of the seeds.
Similar to the last time i came i decided to forgo any heavy main share dishes and have a selection of small plates. Given the limited selections involved with McConnell restaurants (Cutler & Co., Cumulus Inc. and Golden Fields) i had some duplicate dishes from the previous trip and some new dishes.
The first dish was a different dish of pork belly rolled in a thin layer of chicken with kimichi and a chili sauce. Beautifully cooked meat with full flavours and more than a hint of chili and bite. Great flavours and cooking and perfectly put together dish.
The next dish out was a favourite from last time, the Hot Lobster roll. Still amazing with a hot buttered roll filled with a generous serving of cold poached crayfish with kewpie mayo and a garnish of watercress.
After this came a dish of soft shell crab, alternating pieces of lightly battered soft flesh and crisp legs combined with a slightly spicy and slightly sweet dragon sauce and a slice of lime to splash over the top. Very nice but a little too much of the crunchy legs.
The final savoury course i choose was also a dish from the previous visit. I went with the rustic shanghai pork dumpling with chili vinegar. Beautiful fleshy pork belly stuffed in a doughy dumpling. The chili vinegar provided some bite and additional flavour and was a good dish.
For desert i went with a repeat of the previous visit with a great dish of peanut butter parfait sitting on a puddle of beautiful salted caramel topped off with a scoop of soft chocolate and some chopped peanuts. Excellent dish and one of my favourites. Superb mix of flavours and textures. I was also accompanied with a free desert wine. Surprisingly with the ingredients (peanuts) it matched very well and was more subtle, fresh and less sickly sweet than most desert wines.
Overall a great return visit with a mix of old favourite dishes and new dishes that i enjoyed. Very small amount of dishes but each one very well put together and full of flavour. Good wine list and very decent value. A favourite for a light, quick dinner.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Maris
3rd May 2012
After doing running training for my upcoming marathon run, i headed back to the office to pick up my stuff and decided i couldn't be bothered cooking dinner and would head to a restaurant near work. Having walked past it a few times and it being in the Good Food Guide (13.5), i decided to go to Maris for diner. Located just near the corner of glenferrie road and dandenong road, a busy intersection but the restaurant itself feels a world away from the busy traffic.
The staff were very helpful, friendly and suggestive. Offered a quieter table at the back as i came in with work stuff. After taking a seat unloading my bags and other items i was offered a decent wine menu and choose a glass of pinot gris.
After the wine i was offered menu with about 5-6 options under entree, main and desert. Whilst i was selecting the food they placed a plate serving bread that was dusted with spices. The bread was served cold but was excellent. It was offered with excellent quality butter, topped with rock salt. The only problem was that both butter and bread were served cold which made spreading the butter difficult. I was also offered additional bread after entree (which i did decline).
The first course i choose was a delicious, delicately balanced dish of crisp fried calamari, chorizo, chick peas fennel and saffron sauce. Wonderfully presented and the fresh flavours of of the salad combined well with the meaty chorizo and slightly salted crisp crumbed calamari.
For main course i went with one of the signature dishes, the western plains suckling pig with crispy skin (which was extremely crisp) combined with a pumpkin cream, apple puree and balsamic dressing. I loved this dish. Crisp skin combined with dense rich flesh meat and combined well with the other ingredients.
For desert my original choice of chocolate crumble, choc mousse and honeycomb ice cream had run out, so i was forced to go for the signature dish of Vin Santo (desert wine) pannacotta, macerated figs and apricots and almond biscuit ice cream with a almond crisp. This was touted as the best desert by far by the waiter and it was very good. (Given my preference i still feel the chocolate would have been my personal favourite). Subtle but nicely flavoured pannacotta with a heap of sweet macerated fruit and a nice dollop of ice cream on top and a crisp to dip in. Very good quality.
Overall it was very decent food and the highs were quite high especially the pig. Reasonable prices and quality of food meant a good evening out. Overall probably a step off being a hat restaurant.
After doing running training for my upcoming marathon run, i headed back to the office to pick up my stuff and decided i couldn't be bothered cooking dinner and would head to a restaurant near work. Having walked past it a few times and it being in the Good Food Guide (13.5), i decided to go to Maris for diner. Located just near the corner of glenferrie road and dandenong road, a busy intersection but the restaurant itself feels a world away from the busy traffic.
The staff were very helpful, friendly and suggestive. Offered a quieter table at the back as i came in with work stuff. After taking a seat unloading my bags and other items i was offered a decent wine menu and choose a glass of pinot gris.
After the wine i was offered menu with about 5-6 options under entree, main and desert. Whilst i was selecting the food they placed a plate serving bread that was dusted with spices. The bread was served cold but was excellent. It was offered with excellent quality butter, topped with rock salt. The only problem was that both butter and bread were served cold which made spreading the butter difficult. I was also offered additional bread after entree (which i did decline).
The first course i choose was a delicious, delicately balanced dish of crisp fried calamari, chorizo, chick peas fennel and saffron sauce. Wonderfully presented and the fresh flavours of of the salad combined well with the meaty chorizo and slightly salted crisp crumbed calamari.
For main course i went with one of the signature dishes, the western plains suckling pig with crispy skin (which was extremely crisp) combined with a pumpkin cream, apple puree and balsamic dressing. I loved this dish. Crisp skin combined with dense rich flesh meat and combined well with the other ingredients.
For desert my original choice of chocolate crumble, choc mousse and honeycomb ice cream had run out, so i was forced to go for the signature dish of Vin Santo (desert wine) pannacotta, macerated figs and apricots and almond biscuit ice cream with a almond crisp. This was touted as the best desert by far by the waiter and it was very good. (Given my preference i still feel the chocolate would have been my personal favourite). Subtle but nicely flavoured pannacotta with a heap of sweet macerated fruit and a nice dollop of ice cream on top and a crisp to dip in. Very good quality.
Overall it was very decent food and the highs were quite high especially the pig. Reasonable prices and quality of food meant a good evening out. Overall probably a step off being a hat restaurant.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Papa Goose
24th April 2012
Having been passed this restaurant several times on the way to the multitude of restaurants in the Good Food Guide on Flinders Lane i had always intended to try this restaurant. However it wasn't until the suggestion of a friend that we decided to try the modern British cuisine offered at Papa Goose. With Em booking for four people, we were joined by Anja and Lyd on a blustery, rainy and cold Melbourne night.
The restaurant was split into 2 levels with a private dining room, toilet and a bar called loose goose upstairs and the main dining room downstairs. Very modern chic with a dark feel and mood lighting upstairs, Lyd and I, who arrived early headed up to the bar for a drink before the others arrived.
After our drink we headed back down to the slightly brighter dining room. We were seated at a simple wooden table and chairs that were comfortable and cosy. With everyone arrived we were offered the usual option of tap or sparkling water, which i decided tap but the girls choose sparkling ($24 for 2 reasonably big bottles).
After the opening and selection of wine from a reasonably list, both in terms of selection and price, we moved on to food. The menu was a single large page with 5-6 options under several different headings - larder, starters, mains, beef from the grill, sides and deserts. They also offered a 5 and 8 course degustation. The food itself was listed as modern British with a focus on some British game and a heavy British theme on deserts but everything else was just essentially modern food.
I decided to share an item from the larder section and a starter with em, before choosing my own main course and desert. With the larder item we choose the rabbit croquette. Rich flavouful meat with a crisp outer shell. Very nice but not amazing.
This was followed by a starter of twice cooked quail, game terrine, pistachio, watercress and baby gherkins. Nicely cooked small pieces of quail but the bones were still attached which made it fiddly to eat. The game terrine look like a cross between a sausage and black pudding and had a rich meaty flavour. The combination of the rich meat combined well with the pistachio and fresh salad but something special was missing from the dish and it barely registered as above average.
The main course i choose was a slight variation of the one on the menu as they had no pork loin but amended the dish for pork cheek. The dish featured the pork cheek, scallop, compressed apple and purees. Pork cheek was well cooked and substantial and the combination between the fatty delicious pork, caramelised scallop and fresh compressed squares of apple was good. Good quality ingredients matched with some flair and well matched together provided a good dish.
We then moved on to the deserts which were a great change and offered real quality with old fashioned British flavours done in modern ways. I choose the double decker, a playful take on the english chocolate bar. A square block with 2 different portion, one smooth and one crunchy, accompanied by a chocolate stout ice cream and sour plum. Great contrasts of flavour and the double decker was very good quality.
A decent meal out with a good premise, very decent produce and some flashes of quality cooking. However i will not be rushing back to this restaurant in the near future for an encore. Decent prices with most starters under $20, mains about $30-40 and desert about $15.
Having been passed this restaurant several times on the way to the multitude of restaurants in the Good Food Guide on Flinders Lane i had always intended to try this restaurant. However it wasn't until the suggestion of a friend that we decided to try the modern British cuisine offered at Papa Goose. With Em booking for four people, we were joined by Anja and Lyd on a blustery, rainy and cold Melbourne night.
The restaurant was split into 2 levels with a private dining room, toilet and a bar called loose goose upstairs and the main dining room downstairs. Very modern chic with a dark feel and mood lighting upstairs, Lyd and I, who arrived early headed up to the bar for a drink before the others arrived.
After our drink we headed back down to the slightly brighter dining room. We were seated at a simple wooden table and chairs that were comfortable and cosy. With everyone arrived we were offered the usual option of tap or sparkling water, which i decided tap but the girls choose sparkling ($24 for 2 reasonably big bottles).
After the opening and selection of wine from a reasonably list, both in terms of selection and price, we moved on to food. The menu was a single large page with 5-6 options under several different headings - larder, starters, mains, beef from the grill, sides and deserts. They also offered a 5 and 8 course degustation. The food itself was listed as modern British with a focus on some British game and a heavy British theme on deserts but everything else was just essentially modern food.
I decided to share an item from the larder section and a starter with em, before choosing my own main course and desert. With the larder item we choose the rabbit croquette. Rich flavouful meat with a crisp outer shell. Very nice but not amazing.
This was followed by a starter of twice cooked quail, game terrine, pistachio, watercress and baby gherkins. Nicely cooked small pieces of quail but the bones were still attached which made it fiddly to eat. The game terrine look like a cross between a sausage and black pudding and had a rich meaty flavour. The combination of the rich meat combined well with the pistachio and fresh salad but something special was missing from the dish and it barely registered as above average.
The main course i choose was a slight variation of the one on the menu as they had no pork loin but amended the dish for pork cheek. The dish featured the pork cheek, scallop, compressed apple and purees. Pork cheek was well cooked and substantial and the combination between the fatty delicious pork, caramelised scallop and fresh compressed squares of apple was good. Good quality ingredients matched with some flair and well matched together provided a good dish.
We then moved on to the deserts which were a great change and offered real quality with old fashioned British flavours done in modern ways. I choose the double decker, a playful take on the english chocolate bar. A square block with 2 different portion, one smooth and one crunchy, accompanied by a chocolate stout ice cream and sour plum. Great contrasts of flavour and the double decker was very good quality.
A decent meal out with a good premise, very decent produce and some flashes of quality cooking. However i will not be rushing back to this restaurant in the near future for an encore. Decent prices with most starters under $20, mains about $30-40 and desert about $15.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Huxtable
21st April 2012
Having traversed the city starting in Malvern, going into the city and ending up in Fitzroy, i decided to complete one of the restaurants on my 2012 list, Huxtable. Having checked the website whilst travelling i saw that they were open from midday until late. Unfortunately when i arrived (at 3pm) they stated that whilst they were open but only offered the bites menu outside lunch (12-3) and dinner hours (6-1030).
I still decided to sit down and grab a selection of bites. The bites menu had about 10 selections and the mains were broken down into sea, land and earth with about 5 options in each.There was also a set menu option for a very reasonable $50 per person. I was then offered a drinks list which was limited but decent and a couple of speciality beers on tap including the Thunder Road pale lager i choose.
I decided to have 4 different bites options.The first to come out was 2 jalapeno and cheddar croquettes. Molten cheese with a strong hint of jalapeno spice encased in a very crisp casing. Amazing flavours and contrast of textures. Amazing and a must have.
The next option was equally as must have. A slightly sweet XO bun filled with a mix of crab, jalapeno and a Thai basil mayo. Warm bun that was superb and the filling had a great flavour and a little jalapeno bite.
These first two came out very quickly and there was a short break between the first 2 and the next 2 options. The next one was a crisp filo log of lamb puttanesca with a lemon yoghurt. This had a nice lamb flavour and crisp stringy pastry. The lemon yoghurt was decent but an interesting mix with the lamb and pastry.
The final bite was a tempura eggplant prawn fritter and served with a sweet chili sauce. Served extremely hot and a good mix of prawn mixed with eggplant covered with a light tempura batter. The chili sauce was mild but decent and worked well together.
They did allow me to have the full selection of deserts. I decided on the chocolate and peanut delice (a choc and peanut set mouse in a semi circle encased in dark chocolate), with a slick of salted caramel, lines of hazelnut praline and peanuts and a chocolate sorbet. Put together in front of me, it was a work of art, looked amazing and tasted equally so.
Overall a bit disappointing that there was no mention of the limited service on the website but the bites and desert were exceptional. A bit of a mix of cuisines and a casual relaxed service and style of food but the food worked well. I would have enjoyed the full menu and may come back to try the main courses. Coming back is made more palatable given the excellent value for money. Well worth a visit and would be a great place for casual lunch or dinner with friends.
Having traversed the city starting in Malvern, going into the city and ending up in Fitzroy, i decided to complete one of the restaurants on my 2012 list, Huxtable. Having checked the website whilst travelling i saw that they were open from midday until late. Unfortunately when i arrived (at 3pm) they stated that whilst they were open but only offered the bites menu outside lunch (12-3) and dinner hours (6-1030).
I still decided to sit down and grab a selection of bites. The bites menu had about 10 selections and the mains were broken down into sea, land and earth with about 5 options in each.There was also a set menu option for a very reasonable $50 per person. I was then offered a drinks list which was limited but decent and a couple of speciality beers on tap including the Thunder Road pale lager i choose.
I decided to have 4 different bites options.The first to come out was 2 jalapeno and cheddar croquettes. Molten cheese with a strong hint of jalapeno spice encased in a very crisp casing. Amazing flavours and contrast of textures. Amazing and a must have.
The next option was equally as must have. A slightly sweet XO bun filled with a mix of crab, jalapeno and a Thai basil mayo. Warm bun that was superb and the filling had a great flavour and a little jalapeno bite.
These first two came out very quickly and there was a short break between the first 2 and the next 2 options. The next one was a crisp filo log of lamb puttanesca with a lemon yoghurt. This had a nice lamb flavour and crisp stringy pastry. The lemon yoghurt was decent but an interesting mix with the lamb and pastry.
The final bite was a tempura eggplant prawn fritter and served with a sweet chili sauce. Served extremely hot and a good mix of prawn mixed with eggplant covered with a light tempura batter. The chili sauce was mild but decent and worked well together.
They did allow me to have the full selection of deserts. I decided on the chocolate and peanut delice (a choc and peanut set mouse in a semi circle encased in dark chocolate), with a slick of salted caramel, lines of hazelnut praline and peanuts and a chocolate sorbet. Put together in front of me, it was a work of art, looked amazing and tasted equally so.
Overall a bit disappointing that there was no mention of the limited service on the website but the bites and desert were exceptional. A bit of a mix of cuisines and a casual relaxed service and style of food but the food worked well. I would have enjoyed the full menu and may come back to try the main courses. Coming back is made more palatable given the excellent value for money. Well worth a visit and would be a great place for casual lunch or dinner with friends.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Bistro Guillaume (Return Visit)
6th April 2012
Before catching a flight up to Brisbane to catch up with the family over Easter, i headed into the city early before catching Sky bus to the airport. However forgetting that on Good Friday everything pretty much shuts down left me with little to do. So after looking at a couple of restaurants that i still hadn't been to yet (which were also not open), i decided to go back to a restaurant i had previously visited, Bistro Guillaume.
Located in crown, i knew that it would be open and had one of my favourite deserts from my lists (raspberry macaroon). The restaurant was fairly full despite the day and time and always seems to have a flow of people in the restaurant. After being seated i choose a Kronenborg on tap without seeing the wine list. The menu had a selection of 15 or so wines by the glass of good quality.
After being served the beer, i also received some amazing french bread served warm with a crunchy outside and soft inside and served with rich french butter and rock salt. Excellent quality.
For main course (no entree) i went with the Berkshire pork belly with lentils and tarragon vinaigrette. A big single slab of perfectly cooked pork belly with a reasonably crispy top and great flavour. Combined with the well cooked lentils and the tarragon vinaigrette provided a strong contrast to the pork belly. Accompanied with a side of fries (which i was advised i would need but probably didn't) that were crisp and very good quality.
For desert they didn't have the raspberry macaroon on the menu (i would assume it would be seasonal) so i went with the chocolate delice with hazelnut praline and coffee ice cream. The delice was good with a chocolate brownie base, chocolate mousse middle and a chocolate glaze on top. Topped with sprinklings of crush hazelnut praline and the rich coffee ice cream. Quality desert and technically perfect even if it wasn't at the heights of my preferred desert.
Again perfectly executed, assured and confident french cooking. Great dishes and very sizable portions and value with mains at low $30s and deserts at $15. I enjoyed my second visit to Bistro Guillaume nearly as much as my first.
Before catching a flight up to Brisbane to catch up with the family over Easter, i headed into the city early before catching Sky bus to the airport. However forgetting that on Good Friday everything pretty much shuts down left me with little to do. So after looking at a couple of restaurants that i still hadn't been to yet (which were also not open), i decided to go back to a restaurant i had previously visited, Bistro Guillaume.
Located in crown, i knew that it would be open and had one of my favourite deserts from my lists (raspberry macaroon). The restaurant was fairly full despite the day and time and always seems to have a flow of people in the restaurant. After being seated i choose a Kronenborg on tap without seeing the wine list. The menu had a selection of 15 or so wines by the glass of good quality.
After being served the beer, i also received some amazing french bread served warm with a crunchy outside and soft inside and served with rich french butter and rock salt. Excellent quality.
For main course (no entree) i went with the Berkshire pork belly with lentils and tarragon vinaigrette. A big single slab of perfectly cooked pork belly with a reasonably crispy top and great flavour. Combined with the well cooked lentils and the tarragon vinaigrette provided a strong contrast to the pork belly. Accompanied with a side of fries (which i was advised i would need but probably didn't) that were crisp and very good quality.
For desert they didn't have the raspberry macaroon on the menu (i would assume it would be seasonal) so i went with the chocolate delice with hazelnut praline and coffee ice cream. The delice was good with a chocolate brownie base, chocolate mousse middle and a chocolate glaze on top. Topped with sprinklings of crush hazelnut praline and the rich coffee ice cream. Quality desert and technically perfect even if it wasn't at the heights of my preferred desert.
Again perfectly executed, assured and confident french cooking. Great dishes and very sizable portions and value with mains at low $30s and deserts at $15. I enjoyed my second visit to Bistro Guillaume nearly as much as my first.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Chester White
31st March 2012
With a busy day running around the city and heading into work to pick up some papers, i decided to reward myself by starting my journey with lunch at Chester White. Located just off the busy section of glenferrie road in Hawthorn it was very empty even for a Saturday afternoon.
Clean white and wood dining room with big glass windows with a view out onto the street. Friendly staff greeted me as i entered (although they may have just been happy that someone had come in). They offered me a reasonably good beer, wine and cocktail list. I went with the Pilsner Urquell that was served in a chilled glass. As it came out i was served with bread (cold) served in a bowl and accompanied by pink rock salt and good butter.
I decided to miss the entree and head straight to main course. The menu was decent but slightly limited and provided a selection of pizzas and 6 of each entrees and main course. I chose the wagyu rump steak (sliced, perfectly cooked, pink middle slightly charred and peppered crust) combined with a good red wine and shallot butter and hand cut chips (very big but extra crisp outside and soft inside).
After the main course i decided to have a desert of a chocolate pot with salted caramel and shortbread. Served in a glass jar with a bottom layer of gooey almost treacle like salted caramel, then a big layer of chocolate mousse and topped with chocolate shavings and cream. With a shortbread biscuit on the side, it was very decent desert.
Quality, simple food but didn't provide anything new or exciting but was well executed and offered good value with 2 beers, entree and main for less than $60.
With a busy day running around the city and heading into work to pick up some papers, i decided to reward myself by starting my journey with lunch at Chester White. Located just off the busy section of glenferrie road in Hawthorn it was very empty even for a Saturday afternoon.
Clean white and wood dining room with big glass windows with a view out onto the street. Friendly staff greeted me as i entered (although they may have just been happy that someone had come in). They offered me a reasonably good beer, wine and cocktail list. I went with the Pilsner Urquell that was served in a chilled glass. As it came out i was served with bread (cold) served in a bowl and accompanied by pink rock salt and good butter.
I decided to miss the entree and head straight to main course. The menu was decent but slightly limited and provided a selection of pizzas and 6 of each entrees and main course. I chose the wagyu rump steak (sliced, perfectly cooked, pink middle slightly charred and peppered crust) combined with a good red wine and shallot butter and hand cut chips (very big but extra crisp outside and soft inside).
After the main course i decided to have a desert of a chocolate pot with salted caramel and shortbread. Served in a glass jar with a bottom layer of gooey almost treacle like salted caramel, then a big layer of chocolate mousse and topped with chocolate shavings and cream. With a shortbread biscuit on the side, it was very decent desert.
Quality, simple food but didn't provide anything new or exciting but was well executed and offered good value with 2 beers, entree and main for less than $60.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
St. Katherine's
9th March 2012
With my friend Clare, who originally suggested going to St. Katherine's when it opened, leaving for a 6 month holiday to Europe we decided we would probably go and check it out. A group of four of us headed to the closest restaurant in the good food guide to our houses for a 8pm dinner.
Always packed and busy and noisy, the open and high ceilings of the restaurant help to create the desired atmosphere of welcoming, sharing and homeliness. The staff were friendly, playful but competent (apart from one incident where i was bumped in the shoulder by a fork as the server cleared the plates) and the overall evening was a pleasant and fun one. However if you came in expecting the quality of the Press Club you would be sorely disappointed.
Given the style of food, potions and the goal of the restaurant, it made sharing several entrees and main between the four of us. I left Clare up to deciding the majority of the dishes with only some input from me (KFC half bucket and Pork Belly with Spicy Peanut sauce) and each person was left up to their own for desert.
We decided on a selection of 3 entrees, 1 Pide and 2 mains with a side. For entrees we went with the grilled flat breads brushed with olive oil and Za'atar (middle eastern herb), Coal grilled haloumi with mint, currants, fresh apricots and pine nuts and the half bucket of KFC.
The grilled flat breads were nicely cooked, warm and well spiced. The haloumi was only slightly grilled and the salty taste of the cheese was well matched by the fresh sweet fruit and nuts. The KFC was nicely spiced and boneless and better than the 'original recipe' and was served with a spicy BBQ sauce and Japanese mayo. Delicious.
The next out was the Pide. Clare choose the mint, ricotta, haloumi and peppered figs. Good combinations but nothing spectacular flavour wise.
We had 2 main courses served at the same time with a side of rice pilaf. The rice pilaf was nicely spiced and flavoured and contained many different elements and was well cooked. The first main course was the rotisserie. As we had had chicken in the entree we decided to just go for the Lamb. However the lamb was slightly overcooked and was nothing spectacular. The second main course was also slightly disappointing. Cinnamon rubbed pork belly that had an excellent layer of crackling and the flesh was good but too much of the fat layer. It was combined with a roast peanut sauce which was good on its own but not sure about combined with the pork belly.
After the main course we all decided to forgo the option to add more savoury courses and went straight for desert. I went for one of the Mr Whippy ice creams. I went with the salted caramel (great), pomegranate brownie (delicious) and a chocolate pomegranate sauce (decent). The ice cream was better than usually Mr. Whippy but not on the level of top class restaurants. It was a decent desert but nothing fantastic. (should have gone withe the peanut butter parfait, choc sorbet, baklava crumbs and orange blossom foam).
The others all decided on the mousse and donuts. A layer of whisky jelly, choc chip mousse, chocolate shavings and topped with 2 mini jam donuts. Very nice mousse and decent donuts, it was a very good decent.
A decent restaurant that achieved great heights but had some significant let downs. Very decent value though at less than $50 each (with $50 on drinks) and pleasant service. Wont be rushing back and rushing out to recommend it but a quality local restaurant.
With my friend Clare, who originally suggested going to St. Katherine's when it opened, leaving for a 6 month holiday to Europe we decided we would probably go and check it out. A group of four of us headed to the closest restaurant in the good food guide to our houses for a 8pm dinner.
Always packed and busy and noisy, the open and high ceilings of the restaurant help to create the desired atmosphere of welcoming, sharing and homeliness. The staff were friendly, playful but competent (apart from one incident where i was bumped in the shoulder by a fork as the server cleared the plates) and the overall evening was a pleasant and fun one. However if you came in expecting the quality of the Press Club you would be sorely disappointed.
Given the style of food, potions and the goal of the restaurant, it made sharing several entrees and main between the four of us. I left Clare up to deciding the majority of the dishes with only some input from me (KFC half bucket and Pork Belly with Spicy Peanut sauce) and each person was left up to their own for desert.
We decided on a selection of 3 entrees, 1 Pide and 2 mains with a side. For entrees we went with the grilled flat breads brushed with olive oil and Za'atar (middle eastern herb), Coal grilled haloumi with mint, currants, fresh apricots and pine nuts and the half bucket of KFC.
The grilled flat breads were nicely cooked, warm and well spiced. The haloumi was only slightly grilled and the salty taste of the cheese was well matched by the fresh sweet fruit and nuts. The KFC was nicely spiced and boneless and better than the 'original recipe' and was served with a spicy BBQ sauce and Japanese mayo. Delicious.
The next out was the Pide. Clare choose the mint, ricotta, haloumi and peppered figs. Good combinations but nothing spectacular flavour wise.
We had 2 main courses served at the same time with a side of rice pilaf. The rice pilaf was nicely spiced and flavoured and contained many different elements and was well cooked. The first main course was the rotisserie. As we had had chicken in the entree we decided to just go for the Lamb. However the lamb was slightly overcooked and was nothing spectacular. The second main course was also slightly disappointing. Cinnamon rubbed pork belly that had an excellent layer of crackling and the flesh was good but too much of the fat layer. It was combined with a roast peanut sauce which was good on its own but not sure about combined with the pork belly.
After the main course we all decided to forgo the option to add more savoury courses and went straight for desert. I went for one of the Mr Whippy ice creams. I went with the salted caramel (great), pomegranate brownie (delicious) and a chocolate pomegranate sauce (decent). The ice cream was better than usually Mr. Whippy but not on the level of top class restaurants. It was a decent desert but nothing fantastic. (should have gone withe the peanut butter parfait, choc sorbet, baklava crumbs and orange blossom foam).
The others all decided on the mousse and donuts. A layer of whisky jelly, choc chip mousse, chocolate shavings and topped with 2 mini jam donuts. Very nice mousse and decent donuts, it was a very good decent.
A decent restaurant that achieved great heights but had some significant let downs. Very decent value though at less than $50 each (with $50 on drinks) and pleasant service. Wont be rushing back and rushing out to recommend it but a quality local restaurant.
Monday, March 19, 2012
French Brasserie
3rd March 2012
After having been recommended to go to the French Brasserie by a friend (Em), me and Anja decided to try it for ourselves. With the food and Wine festival happening we decided to try a special dinner evening event. After booking several months in advance, we found out that they had lost our reservation and unfortunately we would be seated outside. (especially bad given the cold and rainy Melbourne night - although there was a heater). Not a great start but they did attempt to make it up to us by giving us free drinks all night, very nice but as both of us were driving we had limited opportunity to sample. (After an Anja email they also offered for us to come back again for a free 5 course degustation for 2).
A very strange dining room and restaurant down an otherwise deserted lane way off flinders lane with a split level and very high expansive ceilings with exposed pipes and heating, a bar and a private dining area up a flight of stairs.
The service apart from the initial hiccup was familiar (somewhat overly - i don't think i have been given a massage before at a top restaurant) and efficient especially given the large amount of people taking part in the special event and all being seated and ordering the 5 course dinner at the same time. The pacing of the dinner however was extremely slow and party animal Anja was drifting off by the end due to lack of sleep the night before (or i was just really boring company). Although they did try to keep us entertained with some performer playing instruments and singing French songs.
After being told to arrive for 630 for champagne and to be seated, the first course wasn't until about 715. The first course was a thin slice of puff pastry topped with asparagus, shallots and a sweet garlic cream. Very well cooked pastry and a good fresh blend of flavours was a good start to the meal.
After that came the second course of a smocked pork hock, leek and carrot terrine accompanied by a dandelion salad and a small amount of hock broth. Very well presented and with a full flavour, there was a little too much jelly rather than meat for me.
The third course was the fish course. Consisting of a well cooked Flathead fillet sitting on a very small amount of excellent fish soup (shame there wasn't more which i mopped up with some bread) and finished off with baby carrots and potatoes and a crouton.
The last main course was a confit lamb shoulder which had been slow cooked until it had a dense fat apart meat. Topped with a citrus crust it was a great piece of cooking. Combined with potato salardaise (which was nice but not fantastic) snow pea tendrils and a lamb jus. Quality cooking that was let down slightly by some elements (potato and unnecessary snow pea tendrils).
The next course was the cheese course. Normally not the greatest fan of cheese courses at restaurants, this one did it's best to convert me. A soft cheese with strong flavour that may have been too strong on its own but was perfectly matched by poached pear in spiced syrup, beetroot dressing and brioche. A balanced flavour that match relatively ordinary ingredients and added a class to a dish.
The last course was clearly my favourite though. Named 'La fantaisie de chocolat' and it truly was a fantasy. A chocolate almond dacquoise with chocolate mousse, crystallised chocolate, frozen aero and a creme fraiche ice cream. Beautiful texturally and exquisite flavours and wonderful presentation. Anja was glad she stayed awake for this one as if she had fallen asleep i would have eaten hers as well rather than wake her up.
Overall a very good meal and apart from the major glaring hiccup in service it was a well presented and executed evening. The price was acceptable but some of the lustre was taken off the evening by the being separated from the majority of the dining room. Not my favourite French restaurant (maybe an indication is i allowed Anja to take someone else for the return) but well worth a visit.
After having been recommended to go to the French Brasserie by a friend (Em), me and Anja decided to try it for ourselves. With the food and Wine festival happening we decided to try a special dinner evening event. After booking several months in advance, we found out that they had lost our reservation and unfortunately we would be seated outside. (especially bad given the cold and rainy Melbourne night - although there was a heater). Not a great start but they did attempt to make it up to us by giving us free drinks all night, very nice but as both of us were driving we had limited opportunity to sample. (After an Anja email they also offered for us to come back again for a free 5 course degustation for 2).
A very strange dining room and restaurant down an otherwise deserted lane way off flinders lane with a split level and very high expansive ceilings with exposed pipes and heating, a bar and a private dining area up a flight of stairs.
The service apart from the initial hiccup was familiar (somewhat overly - i don't think i have been given a massage before at a top restaurant) and efficient especially given the large amount of people taking part in the special event and all being seated and ordering the 5 course dinner at the same time. The pacing of the dinner however was extremely slow and party animal Anja was drifting off by the end due to lack of sleep the night before (or i was just really boring company). Although they did try to keep us entertained with some performer playing instruments and singing French songs.
After being told to arrive for 630 for champagne and to be seated, the first course wasn't until about 715. The first course was a thin slice of puff pastry topped with asparagus, shallots and a sweet garlic cream. Very well cooked pastry and a good fresh blend of flavours was a good start to the meal.
After that came the second course of a smocked pork hock, leek and carrot terrine accompanied by a dandelion salad and a small amount of hock broth. Very well presented and with a full flavour, there was a little too much jelly rather than meat for me.
The third course was the fish course. Consisting of a well cooked Flathead fillet sitting on a very small amount of excellent fish soup (shame there wasn't more which i mopped up with some bread) and finished off with baby carrots and potatoes and a crouton.
The last main course was a confit lamb shoulder which had been slow cooked until it had a dense fat apart meat. Topped with a citrus crust it was a great piece of cooking. Combined with potato salardaise (which was nice but not fantastic) snow pea tendrils and a lamb jus. Quality cooking that was let down slightly by some elements (potato and unnecessary snow pea tendrils).
The next course was the cheese course. Normally not the greatest fan of cheese courses at restaurants, this one did it's best to convert me. A soft cheese with strong flavour that may have been too strong on its own but was perfectly matched by poached pear in spiced syrup, beetroot dressing and brioche. A balanced flavour that match relatively ordinary ingredients and added a class to a dish.
The last course was clearly my favourite though. Named 'La fantaisie de chocolat' and it truly was a fantasy. A chocolate almond dacquoise with chocolate mousse, crystallised chocolate, frozen aero and a creme fraiche ice cream. Beautiful texturally and exquisite flavours and wonderful presentation. Anja was glad she stayed awake for this one as if she had fallen asleep i would have eaten hers as well rather than wake her up.
Overall a very good meal and apart from the major glaring hiccup in service it was a well presented and executed evening. The price was acceptable but some of the lustre was taken off the evening by the being separated from the majority of the dining room. Not my favourite French restaurant (maybe an indication is i allowed Anja to take someone else for the return) but well worth a visit.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Comme Kitchen - Breakfast
2nd March 2012
Before heading in for a day of heavy metal and hard rock at Soundwave, i decided to fuel up on some decent breakfast (not likely at Soundwave) and headed for breakfast at Comme. Having already been to the restaurant for dinner i was intrigued to see if the quality translated to breakfast (although by the time i got there it was probably more brunch).
After a brief scan of the menu, i settled on the bacon and truffled scrambled eggs in a roll. Relatively crispy bacon and hot well cooked eggs with a hint of truffle giving a richer flavour. Slightly chewy bread with a crisp outside was good but not great. Great presentation rather than just all slopped into the roll, it was a quality breakfast and a good start to the day and great full for an action packed day.
Before heading in for a day of heavy metal and hard rock at Soundwave, i decided to fuel up on some decent breakfast (not likely at Soundwave) and headed for breakfast at Comme. Having already been to the restaurant for dinner i was intrigued to see if the quality translated to breakfast (although by the time i got there it was probably more brunch).
After a brief scan of the menu, i settled on the bacon and truffled scrambled eggs in a roll. Relatively crispy bacon and hot well cooked eggs with a hint of truffle giving a richer flavour. Slightly chewy bread with a crisp outside was good but not great. Great presentation rather than just all slopped into the roll, it was a quality breakfast and a good start to the day and great full for an action packed day.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Cumulus Inc.
18th February 2012
With a busy and tiring morning of errands, house auctions (no i didn't buy any), followed by a 12km run around the tan i felt like i deserved a treat for lunch. Having finished the run at about 330 the majority of the nice restaurants i had in mind were closed so i went back to an old favourite and one of the first restaurants i completed for the list, Cumulus Inc.
Conveniently open from lunch right through to close after dinner service, it was still reasonably full and bustling even at 4pm. Having been rushing around all morning i was very hungry but skipped any of the entrees and charcuterie and went straight for the main course. Also to cool me down and refresh me from my run i went with a glass of Truman pilsner - an excellent beer for a warm, sunny day.
I went with the main course of duck, cooked to a pink perfection and sliced and resting on a bed of toasted grains, lentils and blobs of a plum puree. Quality produce and a focus on healthy foods and a mix of textures was good but there may have been too many grains and not enough duck for me. However the taste was great even if it didn't wow.
I then went for a desert of malt parfait, spelt crumbs, soft chocolate and a raisin sauce. The soft chocolate (a chefs and my favourite) was outstanding and work well with the malt parfait which was also superb and the crumb s and sauce both added a boost to the flavour and texture. Very, very good dish.
Having now been here a few times, i am running out of things to choose off the reasonably small menu but everything i have tried so far was been of an great quality and stuck true to the goal the restaurant to provide quality, reasonably healthy food in a fun and hip environment. The cost was not cheap but decent value and well worth a visit or two.
With a busy and tiring morning of errands, house auctions (no i didn't buy any), followed by a 12km run around the tan i felt like i deserved a treat for lunch. Having finished the run at about 330 the majority of the nice restaurants i had in mind were closed so i went back to an old favourite and one of the first restaurants i completed for the list, Cumulus Inc.
Conveniently open from lunch right through to close after dinner service, it was still reasonably full and bustling even at 4pm. Having been rushing around all morning i was very hungry but skipped any of the entrees and charcuterie and went straight for the main course. Also to cool me down and refresh me from my run i went with a glass of Truman pilsner - an excellent beer for a warm, sunny day.
I went with the main course of duck, cooked to a pink perfection and sliced and resting on a bed of toasted grains, lentils and blobs of a plum puree. Quality produce and a focus on healthy foods and a mix of textures was good but there may have been too many grains and not enough duck for me. However the taste was great even if it didn't wow.
I then went for a desert of malt parfait, spelt crumbs, soft chocolate and a raisin sauce. The soft chocolate (a chefs and my favourite) was outstanding and work well with the malt parfait which was also superb and the crumb s and sauce both added a boost to the flavour and texture. Very, very good dish.
Having now been here a few times, i am running out of things to choose off the reasonably small menu but everything i have tried so far was been of an great quality and stuck true to the goal the restaurant to provide quality, reasonably healthy food in a fun and hip environment. The cost was not cheap but decent value and well worth a visit or two.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Chin Chin
28th January 2012
After a morning of house hunting in Middle Park and in the city, i was hungry and decided to try to go to one of the restaurants on my list for this year - Chin Chin. Having heard it was frequently busy and that getting a table straight away was very rare, i was surprised when i was given a choice of a table or a seat up at the bar or at the food preparation station.
Located in a funky hip converted warehouse and with a loud, hip vibe. After taking a seat i was offered a decent drink list which i choose a Bohemian Pilsner.
The food menu was written on one page and was broken down into several sections including smaller bites, salads, grill and deserts (and several others). Being lunch and i was not massively hungry i decided to have one of the smaller bites and a salad.
The first was the Chin Chin "Roll Ups". Consisting of moist but meaty red braised suckling pork pieces with some crackling thrown in. Served with very thin pancakes and a substantial salad of bean sprouts, herbs and chili it was full of flavour and surprisingly filling.
The second course was a steamed spanner crab and chicken salad with green mango, chili and coconut dressing. Excellent flavours and a real punch of flavour it was quality food.
The cool vibe and the style of food and the sharing concept of the food reminded me of going to Golden Fields and even the 2 dishes i chose were quite similar to two of the ones i had at Golden Fields. The quality was also very similar and was well worth heading back to.
After a morning of house hunting in Middle Park and in the city, i was hungry and decided to try to go to one of the restaurants on my list for this year - Chin Chin. Having heard it was frequently busy and that getting a table straight away was very rare, i was surprised when i was given a choice of a table or a seat up at the bar or at the food preparation station.
Located in a funky hip converted warehouse and with a loud, hip vibe. After taking a seat i was offered a decent drink list which i choose a Bohemian Pilsner.
The food menu was written on one page and was broken down into several sections including smaller bites, salads, grill and deserts (and several others). Being lunch and i was not massively hungry i decided to have one of the smaller bites and a salad.
The first was the Chin Chin "Roll Ups". Consisting of moist but meaty red braised suckling pork pieces with some crackling thrown in. Served with very thin pancakes and a substantial salad of bean sprouts, herbs and chili it was full of flavour and surprisingly filling.
The second course was a steamed spanner crab and chicken salad with green mango, chili and coconut dressing. Excellent flavours and a real punch of flavour it was quality food.
The cool vibe and the style of food and the sharing concept of the food reminded me of going to Golden Fields and even the 2 dishes i chose were quite similar to two of the ones i had at Golden Fields. The quality was also very similar and was well worth heading back to.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Adriano Zumbo
20th and 21st January 2011
After watching Adriano Zumbo on master chef and receiving his cookbook for Christmas, one of my priorities for the trip to Sydney was to go to his patisseries. Having got to Sydney fairly early i decided to go on the Friday night and grab some pastries for breakfast the next day. I also decided to grab a cake as a snack for myself as well.
Given the end of the day, i only had a few selections left. I decided to grab 2 berry brioche, 1 apple danish and a Pain aux raisins. I went with the berry brioche, fresh berries yogurt and a delicious sweet brioche. Excellent quality and superb taste.
I also had a cherry cherry bar. Consisting of a chocolate biscuit base and a chocolate outer casing with a edible Zumbo branded chocolate topping. Filled with a cherry compote, a cream filling and several other layers. Amazing flavours, highly complex and amazing technique
The Star restaurant also has a desert train (like a sushi train but for deserts) which we decided that we would go to on the Saturday. We headed back after lunch on the Saturday but unfortunately I didn't read the opening times and the desert train was not open at the time we visited. Instead we just had some of the cakes and pastries for take away.
I ended up choosing one cake and one pastry. The cake was a Christmas V8 cake. An 8 layer masterpiece of desert cooking with Cinnamon Creme Chantilly, Morello Cherry Jelly, Pain D'épices, Toasted Nougat Brulee, Vanilla Chiffon Cake, Vanilla Ganache, Pistachio Crunch and Pistachio Dacquoise. Topped off with coconut crusted into the base and a coconut ball on top. Technically incredible and amazing flavour.
I also went with a Pepito - a brioche feuilletage filled baked with custard, chocolate and orange zest. This was very good as but not as technically spectacular as the others but still quality.
My parents also had some macaroons that i tried. Redskin, Lime and Mint mojito and chocolate chili macaroons. These had amazing flavours and were bold in their flavour and tasted exactly like the decrisptions. The infusing of the flavours was extraordinary.
Everything at this store was done with an amazing level of dedication, a long thought process and technique above the level of ordinary deserts and pastries. Would love to return and recommend to anyone in Sydney who like cakes and pastries and to those who don't they will be converted.
After watching Adriano Zumbo on master chef and receiving his cookbook for Christmas, one of my priorities for the trip to Sydney was to go to his patisseries. Having got to Sydney fairly early i decided to go on the Friday night and grab some pastries for breakfast the next day. I also decided to grab a cake as a snack for myself as well.
Given the end of the day, i only had a few selections left. I decided to grab 2 berry brioche, 1 apple danish and a Pain aux raisins. I went with the berry brioche, fresh berries yogurt and a delicious sweet brioche. Excellent quality and superb taste.
I also had a cherry cherry bar. Consisting of a chocolate biscuit base and a chocolate outer casing with a edible Zumbo branded chocolate topping. Filled with a cherry compote, a cream filling and several other layers. Amazing flavours, highly complex and amazing technique
The Star restaurant also has a desert train (like a sushi train but for deserts) which we decided that we would go to on the Saturday. We headed back after lunch on the Saturday but unfortunately I didn't read the opening times and the desert train was not open at the time we visited. Instead we just had some of the cakes and pastries for take away.
I ended up choosing one cake and one pastry. The cake was a Christmas V8 cake. An 8 layer masterpiece of desert cooking with Cinnamon Creme Chantilly, Morello Cherry Jelly, Pain D'épices, Toasted Nougat Brulee, Vanilla Chiffon Cake, Vanilla Ganache, Pistachio Crunch and Pistachio Dacquoise. Topped off with coconut crusted into the base and a coconut ball on top. Technically incredible and amazing flavour.
I also went with a Pepito - a brioche feuilletage filled baked with custard, chocolate and orange zest. This was very good as but not as technically spectacular as the others but still quality.
My parents also had some macaroons that i tried. Redskin, Lime and Mint mojito and chocolate chili macaroons. These had amazing flavours and were bold in their flavour and tasted exactly like the decrisptions. The infusing of the flavours was extraordinary.
Everything at this store was done with an amazing level of dedication, a long thought process and technique above the level of ordinary deserts and pastries. Would love to return and recommend to anyone in Sydney who like cakes and pastries and to those who don't they will be converted.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Gastro Park (Sydney)
20th January 2012
With me meeting my family in Sydney and the need to sell my car for my potential apartment purchase, i decided to drive up to Sydney on the Friday and have my father drive the car the rest of the way back to Brisbane. As such i decided to make the most of the trip and go to one of the hat restaurants in Sydney. After a quick review of the 3 hat restaurants, including Quay, i found that they were booked out for several months in advance.
However having previous read an article over the Christmas break of a new and exciting restaurant in Sydney that had received 2 Hat, i decided to try Gastro Park. With a very average name and interesting location (in the middle of Kings Cross - possibly due to it being the chef's first self owned restaurant), a moderately simple dining room and a slight wait in the bar for my table, the food was required to make up for all these shortcomings.
And it really did! Having originally headed there for a simple 3 course but the waiter informed me that they also offered a 7 course and a 10 course degustation menu which offered a selection of the al a carte menu with 4 courses of snacks, 1 entree, 1 main and 1 desert (all three of the substantial courses being their signature dishes).
Before the first course arrived i was presented with a piece of sourdough bread with a smear of unsalted butter on a tile with a sprinkling of rock salt.Quality bread and the nice touch of being able to salt it as required.
Up first of the real courses was a 2 part 1st course. Place on the same plate was 2 puttanesca wafers intertwined with flavours of olive, tomato and Parmesan. Crunchy crisp and full of flavour and technique.
The other part was a grissini wrapped in cured thinly sliced blackmore short rib cover in shaved cheese. Simple but exquisite and a well thought out beginning to the meal.
The next course was a very intricate dish that combined many elements. First was a scallop carpaccio with thinly sliced pieces of scallop with some very finely sliced chives adorning them. Underneath was a olive oil and lime sauce with some black olive soil scattered around the edges. Beautifully balance intricately put together and a wondrous array of flavours that worked even better together than separately. To top off the dish was a long piece of crafted bone that was filled with a tuna bone marrow. Extravagantly and elegantly presented it lacked the magic flavour of the other parts of the dish but was still a great piece.
The third snack course was a alternating thin slices of hare and beetroot completely covered in a shaved fois gras snow and accompanied by a red cabbage granita. A wondrous display of technique and imagination, however the flavours were only good. I did like the red cabbage granita and the hare and beetroot but the fois gras snow was less than stellar and did not match that well with the other ingredients.
The final snack dish was served on a tile with a moist dense piece of swordfish glazed with soy and mustard and served with 3 textures of cucumber - granita, puree and pickled. The cucumber provided a good contrast and a freshness to the dense rich swordfish, although was not strong in flavour itself.
On to the entree and it consisted of liquid butternut gnocchi, floating in a mushroom consomme in a glass bowl with an added touch of a Parmesan crisp crown topped with enoki mushrooms sage and a couple of extra liquid gnocchi. The mushroom consomme was poured at the table adding a little theatre but the flavours and texture were the real standout. A rich and flavoursome mushroom consomme that worked well with the liquid centred, explode in your mouth gnocchi. The crisp crown had excellent flavour and was a nice little touch on top of a great dish.
The main course was a masterclass in imagination, technique and food artistry. A crispy scaled snapper (with the scales removed, deep fried and then embedded back into the fish), smoked potato puree blackened calamari crackling, calamari hoops and a piece of calamari and completed with a squid ink croquette and squid ink reduction. Masterful technique especially the scales, calamari crackling and squid ink croquette (all firsts for me) that pushed the boundaries but were underpinned by exceptional skill and produce of a perfectly cooked piece of fish.
The final course was desert and it was a great way to finish the meal. A white chocolate sphere that i was instructed to crack with the spoon and produced a flowing river of orange flavoured chocolate that ran out onto a bowl with a bed of nitrogen cooled honeycomb and cookies and cream pieces. An outstanding dish and the flavours matched the quality of the imagination of the chef.
A comparable restaurant to Verge in Melbourne (one of my favourites) where the food pushed boundaries and explored techniques but never forgot to encompass quality produce and flavour. Every part of each dish was thought out and had a purpose and everything matched well together. The service after the initial wait was jovial but professional and the dining experience was first rate. The degustation was comparable with other 2 hat restaurants and was expensive but reasonably good value. If you are in Sydney, this is very much worthy of a visit.
With me meeting my family in Sydney and the need to sell my car for my potential apartment purchase, i decided to drive up to Sydney on the Friday and have my father drive the car the rest of the way back to Brisbane. As such i decided to make the most of the trip and go to one of the hat restaurants in Sydney. After a quick review of the 3 hat restaurants, including Quay, i found that they were booked out for several months in advance.
However having previous read an article over the Christmas break of a new and exciting restaurant in Sydney that had received 2 Hat, i decided to try Gastro Park. With a very average name and interesting location (in the middle of Kings Cross - possibly due to it being the chef's first self owned restaurant), a moderately simple dining room and a slight wait in the bar for my table, the food was required to make up for all these shortcomings.
And it really did! Having originally headed there for a simple 3 course but the waiter informed me that they also offered a 7 course and a 10 course degustation menu which offered a selection of the al a carte menu with 4 courses of snacks, 1 entree, 1 main and 1 desert (all three of the substantial courses being their signature dishes).
Before the first course arrived i was presented with a piece of sourdough bread with a smear of unsalted butter on a tile with a sprinkling of rock salt.Quality bread and the nice touch of being able to salt it as required.
Up first of the real courses was a 2 part 1st course. Place on the same plate was 2 puttanesca wafers intertwined with flavours of olive, tomato and Parmesan. Crunchy crisp and full of flavour and technique.
The other part was a grissini wrapped in cured thinly sliced blackmore short rib cover in shaved cheese. Simple but exquisite and a well thought out beginning to the meal.
The next course was a very intricate dish that combined many elements. First was a scallop carpaccio with thinly sliced pieces of scallop with some very finely sliced chives adorning them. Underneath was a olive oil and lime sauce with some black olive soil scattered around the edges. Beautifully balance intricately put together and a wondrous array of flavours that worked even better together than separately. To top off the dish was a long piece of crafted bone that was filled with a tuna bone marrow. Extravagantly and elegantly presented it lacked the magic flavour of the other parts of the dish but was still a great piece.
The third snack course was a alternating thin slices of hare and beetroot completely covered in a shaved fois gras snow and accompanied by a red cabbage granita. A wondrous display of technique and imagination, however the flavours were only good. I did like the red cabbage granita and the hare and beetroot but the fois gras snow was less than stellar and did not match that well with the other ingredients.
The final snack dish was served on a tile with a moist dense piece of swordfish glazed with soy and mustard and served with 3 textures of cucumber - granita, puree and pickled. The cucumber provided a good contrast and a freshness to the dense rich swordfish, although was not strong in flavour itself.
On to the entree and it consisted of liquid butternut gnocchi, floating in a mushroom consomme in a glass bowl with an added touch of a Parmesan crisp crown topped with enoki mushrooms sage and a couple of extra liquid gnocchi. The mushroom consomme was poured at the table adding a little theatre but the flavours and texture were the real standout. A rich and flavoursome mushroom consomme that worked well with the liquid centred, explode in your mouth gnocchi. The crisp crown had excellent flavour and was a nice little touch on top of a great dish.
The main course was a masterclass in imagination, technique and food artistry. A crispy scaled snapper (with the scales removed, deep fried and then embedded back into the fish), smoked potato puree blackened calamari crackling, calamari hoops and a piece of calamari and completed with a squid ink croquette and squid ink reduction. Masterful technique especially the scales, calamari crackling and squid ink croquette (all firsts for me) that pushed the boundaries but were underpinned by exceptional skill and produce of a perfectly cooked piece of fish.
The final course was desert and it was a great way to finish the meal. A white chocolate sphere that i was instructed to crack with the spoon and produced a flowing river of orange flavoured chocolate that ran out onto a bowl with a bed of nitrogen cooled honeycomb and cookies and cream pieces. An outstanding dish and the flavours matched the quality of the imagination of the chef.
A comparable restaurant to Verge in Melbourne (one of my favourites) where the food pushed boundaries and explored techniques but never forgot to encompass quality produce and flavour. Every part of each dish was thought out and had a purpose and everything matched well together. The service after the initial wait was jovial but professional and the dining experience was first rate. The degustation was comparable with other 2 hat restaurants and was expensive but reasonably good value. If you are in Sydney, this is very much worthy of a visit.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Bonus Item - Restaurant 2 (Brisbane)
29th December 2011
After several previously attempts to go to Restaurant 2 (functions, bday parties), my parents surprised me and brother James with a trip the day before i headed back to Melbourne. A big high ceiling and spacious room with 2 distinct areas with a function area and bar on one side of the doors and the more formal sit down area on the left.
After being seated and being offered an extensive wine and drinks list, we were also offered a menu that had both degustation and al a carte options. Given the expense and need for at least 2 people to have the degustation menu, we all went for the al a carte options.
For entree i went with the chicken wing and porcini consomme accompanied with 2 little truffled mushroom tartlets. A rich and boldly flavoured consomme with strong porcini mushroom flavour with pieces of chicken in the consomme. The two tiny tartlets had great pastry and had good flavour of mushroom with an added nutty flavour from the truffle. A great dish especially the consomme. (other entrees tried were Moussaka of scallops and eggplant, Moroccan spiced quail and a salad of figs, Roquefort, prosciutto, pecans and pecan vinaigrette).
After much discussion and changing of minds, i went with the rare sealed venison, beetroot risotto, with pickled beetroots and onions with a horse radish foam and a spicy chocolate sauce. Perfectly cooked and flavoured venison with a very red inside but seared on the outside and not blood. The beetroot risotto was well cooked and worked well with the meat. The horse radish foam was subtle and the spicy chocolate sauce was barely noticeable but overall a great dish full of technique and quality produce.
(The three other main courses were 2 sirloins with confit potatoes, grilled bacon and red wine jus and eye fillet with Paris mash and a vegetable stew (tombe)).
For desert i finished with a dark chocolate fondant, which was rich and gooey in the centre and was made with quality dark chocolate. Accompanied with poached cherries and a cinnamon ice cream that worked well with the fondant. Great cooking but nothing spectacular or innovative cooking.
Overall great cooking and quality technique with amazing produce and sourcing of ingredients. Reasonably pricey but given a relative dearth of quality eating options in Brisbane (although improving at a rapid rate) it is comparable with the other high end places. Good service although with the usual slower pace of Queensland service and a very decent wine and drinks list. Well worth the wait after so many attempts to go.
After several previously attempts to go to Restaurant 2 (functions, bday parties), my parents surprised me and brother James with a trip the day before i headed back to Melbourne. A big high ceiling and spacious room with 2 distinct areas with a function area and bar on one side of the doors and the more formal sit down area on the left.
After being seated and being offered an extensive wine and drinks list, we were also offered a menu that had both degustation and al a carte options. Given the expense and need for at least 2 people to have the degustation menu, we all went for the al a carte options.
For entree i went with the chicken wing and porcini consomme accompanied with 2 little truffled mushroom tartlets. A rich and boldly flavoured consomme with strong porcini mushroom flavour with pieces of chicken in the consomme. The two tiny tartlets had great pastry and had good flavour of mushroom with an added nutty flavour from the truffle. A great dish especially the consomme. (other entrees tried were Moussaka of scallops and eggplant, Moroccan spiced quail and a salad of figs, Roquefort, prosciutto, pecans and pecan vinaigrette).
After much discussion and changing of minds, i went with the rare sealed venison, beetroot risotto, with pickled beetroots and onions with a horse radish foam and a spicy chocolate sauce. Perfectly cooked and flavoured venison with a very red inside but seared on the outside and not blood. The beetroot risotto was well cooked and worked well with the meat. The horse radish foam was subtle and the spicy chocolate sauce was barely noticeable but overall a great dish full of technique and quality produce.
(The three other main courses were 2 sirloins with confit potatoes, grilled bacon and red wine jus and eye fillet with Paris mash and a vegetable stew (tombe)).
For desert i finished with a dark chocolate fondant, which was rich and gooey in the centre and was made with quality dark chocolate. Accompanied with poached cherries and a cinnamon ice cream that worked well with the fondant. Great cooking but nothing spectacular or innovative cooking.
Overall great cooking and quality technique with amazing produce and sourcing of ingredients. Reasonably pricey but given a relative dearth of quality eating options in Brisbane (although improving at a rapid rate) it is comparable with the other high end places. Good service although with the usual slower pace of Queensland service and a very decent wine and drinks list. Well worth the wait after so many attempts to go.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Restaurants for 2012
With the list finished i have a few restaurants for next year that i still want to go to. They either didn't receive 15/20 and therefore didn't get hat status or are new restaurants that are rated highly or are in the country.
1. The Brix
2. Easy Tiger
3. Mamasita
4. Huxtable
5. St. Katherine's
6. Gingerboy
7. Chin Chin
8. French Brasserie
9. Desert Evenings @ Rosamond
10. Maris
11. Dandelion
12. Ten Minutes by Tractor
13. Loam
14. Royal Mail Hotel
1. The Brix
2. Easy Tiger
3. Mamasita
4. Huxtable
5. St. Katherine's
6. Gingerboy
7. Chin Chin
8. French Brasserie
9. Desert Evenings @ Rosamond
10. Maris
11. Dandelion
12. Ten Minutes by Tractor
13. Loam
14. Royal Mail Hotel
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