Mr Wolf

5/9/2014

With having to work late to finish some work on a Friday night I decided to offset that by treating myself to some takeaway food from a Good Food Guide restaurant. As I was having a craving for Pizza and with Mr Wolf (14.5 out of 20) within a 10 minute walk from the office I decided to order a take away pizza and a dessert.

After ordering on the phone, i headed over to Mr. Wolf. Located on Inkerman Street on a busy corner in St Kilda with a dark but clean dining room with a long bar along the back wall in front of the kitchen.

For the Pizza i went with the Calabrese pizza (tomato, mozzarella, parmigiano, salami, peppers & chilli - no olives). Thin crisp slightly charred base with sparse but flavourful toppings, it was a slight cut above regular pizza. However it was also at a higher price point than most restaurants.

Whilst the pizza was good, the best part of the food was dessert. An amazing mix of Chocolate semifreddo, smothered in salted caramel sauce and a scattering of pistachio toffee popcorn. Rich smooth decadent chocolate with an amazing caramel sauce and offset in texture by the crunchy popcorn, it was a great mix of tastes and textures. Also whilst the pizza was on the pricey side, the desert was a bargain at less than $10.

Overall the pizza was a cut above but the main star was dessert. Worth a visit with helpful staff, quality food and a quality location and dining room.

The Grand

25th July 2014

For Oli's bday I headed back to The Grand for my first dinner out at a Hat Restaurant in Melbourne for a while. The Grand has retained its 1 Hat status each year since I last went in May 2011. Still located in an old pub on quiet residential street in Richmond, the main bar had seen an update since i was last their with new tables and a smarter less daggy interior. The Restaurant was still located through a small side entry door through the main bar which lead to a mix of old school dining with new school touches.

After being seated at a long table for 15 we were told that our host had organised a selection of entrees for us. On the selection was a sizable antipasto plate with a selection of excellent cured meats, buffalo mozzarella, pickled vegetables and bread sticks, whole char grilled calamari with parsley, capers and a wedge of lemon to drizzle over the top and finally the favourite of Potato gnocchi with brown butter and sage.

For my main course i went with the pan seared loin of venison with truffled honey & vincotto served with miniature king oyster mushrooms. Soft delicious perfectly cooked meat with the rich gamey meats offset with the sweeter accompaniments. The main course was accompanied by 2 sides generously provided by the host including oven roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes and a Rocket, pear, walnut and Parmesan salad. Excellent side dishes with the main and in their own right especially the salad.

I was a little disappointed that one of the desert i had eyed from the menu on the Internet was not on the menu in the restaurant but not too disappointed as the alternative was Bombolini - Italian doughnuts filled with crema pasticcera and served with honeycomb and caramel ice cream. Delicious!

Again service was good and dining room was nice. Wine list (which i didn't participate in) was extensive and varied and as with last time it was well worth the trip out of the way in Richmond.