13th August 2011
On a saturday afternoon i found myself in the city doing some shopping and stopped for lunch at Becco. Located down a laneway at the top end of the city off bourke street it was surprisingly quiet and secluded. The interior was an interesting choice of pale yellow panels matched with wine table clothes.
After intially being seated i was offered a choice of drinks and the wine menu. The wine menu had a good range of wines and also a good range of prices starting at about $40 and heading all the way up to the expensive vintage champagne.
The service was ok. There was a good explanation of the specials and the menu generally but the service seemed rushed and impersonal even though there was limited people in the restaurant. However at the end of the meal, even though i was the last person in the restaurant they were in no rush to move me out and wait till i asked before providing the bill.
I started with an entree of chilli flour dusted calamari. Served very simply with a pile of calamri covered in a few chopped chillis and on a bed of rocket with a small bowl of tartare sauce and lemon on the side. A good, above normal quality calamari dish but nothing amazing or new and lacked a good chilli hit.
The main course i went for the Veal Scallopini with vino blanco and prociutto. The veal pieces were well cooked but the dish was overwhelmed slightly by the salty prociutto and the vino blanco had a slightly bitter flavour. However was a decent dish but was very simple and homestyle italian food.
Desert, however took a distinct turn away from the simply cooked food with a Dark chocolate mousse with aero bar, chocolate gingerbread pieces, dehydrated pinneapple, passionfruit foam and yoghurt granita. This was my favourite dish by far and was a more elegent portrayal of the skill of the chef. The rich dark chocolate mousse with tiny pieces of chewy pinneapple pieces, aerated chocolate and the gingerbread pieces were all excellent . The passionfruit foam was fluffy and delicious but the yoghurt granita whilst nice added little to the dish. This was a wonderful display of technique, presentation and innovation as well as a delcious combo of flavours and textures.
Overall the food was decent and service was reasonable and it offered good value but not one of my favourites and would be ranked low on the scale of restaurants sampled so far.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Melbourne Wine Room
7th August 2011
On another sunny Sunday afternoon i again found myself in St. Kilda and decided to stop for lunch at the Melbourne Wine Room. A very, very relaxed place where i had to go to the bar to order and was definitely a bar / pub first and a restaurant second. Service was not gregarious and warm but efficient. Menus were left on the tables which showed a decent selection of food, beers and wine by the glass with a separate encyclopedic wine menu (as you would expect from a place called Melbourne Wine Room).
They also had my favourite beers both from the Czech republic, Budvar and Pilsner Urquell. Once the food was ordered i received a basket of cold bread (crusty on the outside and soft middle) and good olive oil.
For entree i choose the seared scallops, mash and crispy prosciutto with a red wine jus. Well cooked scallops, smooth creamy mash and extremely crisp prosciutto. It was also beautifully presented. It was a good dish but was let down slightly by the fact the prosciutto was a little strong for the mash and scallops and there was not enough red wine jus for my liking. However these were minor faults in an otherwise good dish.
The main course i choose was the cassoulet with confit duck leg, kaiser flesh and cotechino sausage. It was a good but not great dish. The beans added very little to the dish and the duck flesh didn't fall away from the leg as easily as other places. However the kaiser flesh was excellent as were the tiny sprinkle of toasted breadcrumbs on top of the dish.
A limited selection of deserts saw me try a dish that i hadn't seen at any other restaurant so far, a Omelet Rothschild. It was soft spongy and light with a nice apricot syrup and 3 apricot soaked that had been soaked in syrup. Very sweet but delicious although the middle of the dish wasn't quite cooked.
Overall a decent meal and the portion sizes were excellent. However i would much prefer the Grand for a high quality pub meal and this place was definitely more focused on the pub / bar part of the presentation than the fine dining experience. Borderline whether this restaurant is worthy of its hat but solid food nonetheless.
On another sunny Sunday afternoon i again found myself in St. Kilda and decided to stop for lunch at the Melbourne Wine Room. A very, very relaxed place where i had to go to the bar to order and was definitely a bar / pub first and a restaurant second. Service was not gregarious and warm but efficient. Menus were left on the tables which showed a decent selection of food, beers and wine by the glass with a separate encyclopedic wine menu (as you would expect from a place called Melbourne Wine Room).
They also had my favourite beers both from the Czech republic, Budvar and Pilsner Urquell. Once the food was ordered i received a basket of cold bread (crusty on the outside and soft middle) and good olive oil.
For entree i choose the seared scallops, mash and crispy prosciutto with a red wine jus. Well cooked scallops, smooth creamy mash and extremely crisp prosciutto. It was also beautifully presented. It was a good dish but was let down slightly by the fact the prosciutto was a little strong for the mash and scallops and there was not enough red wine jus for my liking. However these were minor faults in an otherwise good dish.
The main course i choose was the cassoulet with confit duck leg, kaiser flesh and cotechino sausage. It was a good but not great dish. The beans added very little to the dish and the duck flesh didn't fall away from the leg as easily as other places. However the kaiser flesh was excellent as were the tiny sprinkle of toasted breadcrumbs on top of the dish.
A limited selection of deserts saw me try a dish that i hadn't seen at any other restaurant so far, a Omelet Rothschild. It was soft spongy and light with a nice apricot syrup and 3 apricot soaked that had been soaked in syrup. Very sweet but delicious although the middle of the dish wasn't quite cooked.
Overall a decent meal and the portion sizes were excellent. However i would much prefer the Grand for a high quality pub meal and this place was definitely more focused on the pub / bar part of the presentation than the fine dining experience. Borderline whether this restaurant is worthy of its hat but solid food nonetheless.
Maha
5th August 2011
With my father in town both me and my brother went in to the city to meet him for dinner. As he had been to the point at lunch for a work lunch (still on my list!), he was not that hungry but decided to try our luck at Maha. I thought it would be interesting to see the difference between a one hat middle eastern restaurant and the 2 hat Momo i visited on Wednesday.
Very different in style and decor from Momo it was more of a downstairs bar / club feel rather than a fine dining. Also as we hadn't booked on a friday night they only had room at the bar for us. Ordered a Efes turkish pilsner and went through the menu. A similar sharing plates theme at more affordable prices, the a la carte menu offered very poor value so me and Joe (brother) went for the 4 course souffra with my dad not very hungry he just wanted to pick at our food but was told that rather than share 2 portion for three he could just have the main for $20. (I think he would have preferred to not eat at all).
The first course consisted of warm bread with various dips and olives and a cured kingfish and black foam dish served in a shot glass. It was good filling and well cooked food. Only small issue was there was only 2 pieces of medium sized bread which was insufficient for the amount of dips. However it was quality food and portions were ample.
This was followed but our small plates which featured seasoned quail and a spanner crab and cheese middle eastern pasta. Both were quality with the quail being the better dish with the pasta lacking some wow factor or bold flavour.
The large plates were next with a fish dish and a meat dish accompanied by a middle eastern bread salad (ok nothing special) and an almond rice rilaf (bold almond flavours and great taste). The fish was firm and well cooked and was combined artichoke. Solid dish and nice flavours.
The meat dish was excellent. Fall apart lamb shoulder with a green olive and pine nut tabouleh. Beautiful meat combined well with the tabouleh. Best dish of the night.
The desert consisted of 3 different small deserts (2 of each for both me and joe). The first was a turkish delight donut. Good turkish delight and a soft doughy donut was good although more turkish delight filling and less donut would have been better. The next desert was served in a shot glass and consisted of layers of blood orange gel, citrus mousse, sweet biscuit and mandarin sorbet. The flavours worked well together and was a complex but good dish. The final desert was a carrot cake with yoghurt ice cream which has a good constrast with the carrot flavour mixing with the soft cold yoghurt.
Was a decent night out and good quality food but the gulf in class and quality between the one hat middle eastern restaurant and the 2 hat version was very noticeable.
With my father in town both me and my brother went in to the city to meet him for dinner. As he had been to the point at lunch for a work lunch (still on my list!), he was not that hungry but decided to try our luck at Maha. I thought it would be interesting to see the difference between a one hat middle eastern restaurant and the 2 hat Momo i visited on Wednesday.
Very different in style and decor from Momo it was more of a downstairs bar / club feel rather than a fine dining. Also as we hadn't booked on a friday night they only had room at the bar for us. Ordered a Efes turkish pilsner and went through the menu. A similar sharing plates theme at more affordable prices, the a la carte menu offered very poor value so me and Joe (brother) went for the 4 course souffra with my dad not very hungry he just wanted to pick at our food but was told that rather than share 2 portion for three he could just have the main for $20. (I think he would have preferred to not eat at all).
The first course consisted of warm bread with various dips and olives and a cured kingfish and black foam dish served in a shot glass. It was good filling and well cooked food. Only small issue was there was only 2 pieces of medium sized bread which was insufficient for the amount of dips. However it was quality food and portions were ample.
This was followed but our small plates which featured seasoned quail and a spanner crab and cheese middle eastern pasta. Both were quality with the quail being the better dish with the pasta lacking some wow factor or bold flavour.
The large plates were next with a fish dish and a meat dish accompanied by a middle eastern bread salad (ok nothing special) and an almond rice rilaf (bold almond flavours and great taste). The fish was firm and well cooked and was combined artichoke. Solid dish and nice flavours.
The meat dish was excellent. Fall apart lamb shoulder with a green olive and pine nut tabouleh. Beautiful meat combined well with the tabouleh. Best dish of the night.
The desert consisted of 3 different small deserts (2 of each for both me and joe). The first was a turkish delight donut. Good turkish delight and a soft doughy donut was good although more turkish delight filling and less donut would have been better. The next desert was served in a shot glass and consisted of layers of blood orange gel, citrus mousse, sweet biscuit and mandarin sorbet. The flavours worked well together and was a complex but good dish. The final desert was a carrot cake with yoghurt ice cream which has a good constrast with the carrot flavour mixing with the soft cold yoghurt.
Was a decent night out and good quality food but the gulf in class and quality between the one hat middle eastern restaurant and the 2 hat version was very noticeable.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
MoMo
3rd August 2011
Now this restaurant was a true epic dining experience with staff and a restaurateur that understand that a true dining experience is more than just great food but also remembers that the food is the most important part of the experience. From the moment you pressed the elevator button and the music from the restaurant played in the elevator to the 2 hosts getting the elevator for me on the way out, this was a polished superb dining experience in all regards.
Once the lift doors opened, you were greeted by an opulent and beautiful dining room with plush carpet, comfortable chairs and crystal chandeliers. After being seated, i was offered the drinks menu and decided to start with a Turkish Delight Martini. Tasting amazingly like Turkish delight with a strong rose flavour it was a spectacular drink.
The host came up after this and offered the menu stating that they normally do mostly sharing menus but as there would only one would enquire with the kitchen whether they could do a modified sharing menu for one. I agreed and went for the Arabesque sharing menu which featured 2 entrees, 2 mains accompanied with 2 side dishes, Desert Mezze and fruit and sorbet to finish for $130. A reasonably expensive price but given the amount of food being offered it was decent value.
Just before any courses were served it was offered a rose scented hand towel to freshen up. Before the entrees came out (as if i needed more food) they served warm bread, Turkish spiced crisp vegetables and a sweet molasses dipping oil. The dipping oil was beautiful and sweet and the combo was excellent.
After the breads despite having a paper and study to be going on with they also inquired whether i would like to read on of Greg's travel / food books from turkey. Another little touch and unasked for request that added another layer to the service.
The entrees both came out together which would be customary with the sharing style menu but given i was alone was a rare little thing they didn't think of. The first entree i tried was the duck breast roasted on the bone served on a bed of creamy lentil - burghal pilav and baby beets. Tender slightly pink duck breast with a fragrant and spiced pilav was a revelation and a true wonder of a dish. Perfectly put together and matching of flavours with amazing presentation and colour. WOW!
The other entree was a gingered rabbit terrine with a small salad and a whipped dip containing fior Du lait (type of mozzarella). The robust and powerful flavour of the terrine was well matched by the light dip and salad. Great dish.
With main course i decided to order a glass of wine. Having not finished my cocktail they offered to re chill the cocktail whilst i had the wine as well. They also gave an explanation of the type of wine and warned that whilst the wine would match with the two main courses, it was a very powerful wine with a bold flavour that some people wouldn't like. The wine arrived promptly after ordering and in time to be served with my main course. Another tick on the already top notch service being provided.
The first main course to come out was the quail in dukkah crumbs, stuffed with cardamon bacon and served with a mushroom and bean stew with verjuice. The rich gamey flavours of the quail and bacon were combined with the dukkah crumbs for an amazing flavour but it was the exquisitely flavour verjuice that stole the show.
This course was also accompanied with the first side - the goat's milk haloumy fritters with almond and leatherwood honey. The goat's milk haloumy was cooked in a beautiful light tempura batter and covered with the almond and honey. Soft delicate and delicious and of the 2 sides this was perfectly matched to this main dish by the staff.
The second course was a signature dish from Greg Malouf and one of the favourites of other guests and the wait staff. It was the duck bisteeya. Confit duck covered in a filo pastry and topped with icing sugar and Cinnamon. Served with a lime and cabbage salad and served with a side of whipped dutch cream potatoes with french butter and pine nuts. The bisteeya was everything that the staff had said and was one of the best dishes i have ever eaten. Rich duck served in a crisp filo pastry with a slight sweetness from the icing sugar and Cinnamon contrasted and worked amazingly. Combined with the fresh salad and mash it was exquisite.
Following the main course was the dessert mezze. Three small desert on the one plate - one a Persian saffron tart with passonfruit curd and mascarpone cheese, the next a lemon and orange flower ice cream with a hazelnut and dried rose crumble and finally the hot chocolate and Kahlua cake stuffed with whipped Medjool date. Deserts was equally amazing as the savoury dishes with the chocolate cake being my favourite especially the whipped liquid date centre.
Following the desert plate was a plate of fruit and sorbet with pistachio halva. By this stage i was beginning to feel full and only had a few pieces of the extremely fresh and tasty fruit. I enjoyed the sorbet immensely but have always disliked halva i only tried a little to know that this food was too chalky and not for me even cooked at a 2 hat restaurant. Accompanying this was the Darjeeling tea which was served in two beautiful tea cups and tasted as good as it was presented.
Served with the tea was 3 petit fours, a Florentine, Turkish delight and a walnut bread with coffee mouse. Again a notch up from your regular Turkish delight and Florentine whilst the mousse was excellent.
From the opulent dining room, the top notch silver service and amazing first rate food this was how fine dining should be and was an extravagant and amazing experience. Normally i look forward to the next restaurant as the new and exciting usually trumps the restaurant i have just been too but this place i looked forward to going back to and would recommend again and again. It was truly a class performance from first to last and well worth the extravagant price tag that accompanied it. Favourite restaurant so far and there is a decent margin.
Now this restaurant was a true epic dining experience with staff and a restaurateur that understand that a true dining experience is more than just great food but also remembers that the food is the most important part of the experience. From the moment you pressed the elevator button and the music from the restaurant played in the elevator to the 2 hosts getting the elevator for me on the way out, this was a polished superb dining experience in all regards.
Once the lift doors opened, you were greeted by an opulent and beautiful dining room with plush carpet, comfortable chairs and crystal chandeliers. After being seated, i was offered the drinks menu and decided to start with a Turkish Delight Martini. Tasting amazingly like Turkish delight with a strong rose flavour it was a spectacular drink.
The host came up after this and offered the menu stating that they normally do mostly sharing menus but as there would only one would enquire with the kitchen whether they could do a modified sharing menu for one. I agreed and went for the Arabesque sharing menu which featured 2 entrees, 2 mains accompanied with 2 side dishes, Desert Mezze and fruit and sorbet to finish for $130. A reasonably expensive price but given the amount of food being offered it was decent value.
Just before any courses were served it was offered a rose scented hand towel to freshen up. Before the entrees came out (as if i needed more food) they served warm bread, Turkish spiced crisp vegetables and a sweet molasses dipping oil. The dipping oil was beautiful and sweet and the combo was excellent.
After the breads despite having a paper and study to be going on with they also inquired whether i would like to read on of Greg's travel / food books from turkey. Another little touch and unasked for request that added another layer to the service.
The entrees both came out together which would be customary with the sharing style menu but given i was alone was a rare little thing they didn't think of. The first entree i tried was the duck breast roasted on the bone served on a bed of creamy lentil - burghal pilav and baby beets. Tender slightly pink duck breast with a fragrant and spiced pilav was a revelation and a true wonder of a dish. Perfectly put together and matching of flavours with amazing presentation and colour. WOW!
The other entree was a gingered rabbit terrine with a small salad and a whipped dip containing fior Du lait (type of mozzarella). The robust and powerful flavour of the terrine was well matched by the light dip and salad. Great dish.
With main course i decided to order a glass of wine. Having not finished my cocktail they offered to re chill the cocktail whilst i had the wine as well. They also gave an explanation of the type of wine and warned that whilst the wine would match with the two main courses, it was a very powerful wine with a bold flavour that some people wouldn't like. The wine arrived promptly after ordering and in time to be served with my main course. Another tick on the already top notch service being provided.
The first main course to come out was the quail in dukkah crumbs, stuffed with cardamon bacon and served with a mushroom and bean stew with verjuice. The rich gamey flavours of the quail and bacon were combined with the dukkah crumbs for an amazing flavour but it was the exquisitely flavour verjuice that stole the show.
This course was also accompanied with the first side - the goat's milk haloumy fritters with almond and leatherwood honey. The goat's milk haloumy was cooked in a beautiful light tempura batter and covered with the almond and honey. Soft delicate and delicious and of the 2 sides this was perfectly matched to this main dish by the staff.
The second course was a signature dish from Greg Malouf and one of the favourites of other guests and the wait staff. It was the duck bisteeya. Confit duck covered in a filo pastry and topped with icing sugar and Cinnamon. Served with a lime and cabbage salad and served with a side of whipped dutch cream potatoes with french butter and pine nuts. The bisteeya was everything that the staff had said and was one of the best dishes i have ever eaten. Rich duck served in a crisp filo pastry with a slight sweetness from the icing sugar and Cinnamon contrasted and worked amazingly. Combined with the fresh salad and mash it was exquisite.
Following the main course was the dessert mezze. Three small desert on the one plate - one a Persian saffron tart with passonfruit curd and mascarpone cheese, the next a lemon and orange flower ice cream with a hazelnut and dried rose crumble and finally the hot chocolate and Kahlua cake stuffed with whipped Medjool date. Deserts was equally amazing as the savoury dishes with the chocolate cake being my favourite especially the whipped liquid date centre.
Following the desert plate was a plate of fruit and sorbet with pistachio halva. By this stage i was beginning to feel full and only had a few pieces of the extremely fresh and tasty fruit. I enjoyed the sorbet immensely but have always disliked halva i only tried a little to know that this food was too chalky and not for me even cooked at a 2 hat restaurant. Accompanying this was the Darjeeling tea which was served in two beautiful tea cups and tasted as good as it was presented.
Served with the tea was 3 petit fours, a Florentine, Turkish delight and a walnut bread with coffee mouse. Again a notch up from your regular Turkish delight and Florentine whilst the mousse was excellent.
From the opulent dining room, the top notch silver service and amazing first rate food this was how fine dining should be and was an extravagant and amazing experience. Normally i look forward to the next restaurant as the new and exciting usually trumps the restaurant i have just been too but this place i looked forward to going back to and would recommend again and again. It was truly a class performance from first to last and well worth the extravagant price tag that accompanied it. Favourite restaurant so far and there is a decent margin.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Livingroom
4th August 2011
Just down the road from work, a fund manager invited us to lunch and we gladly accepted her invitation to take us out to Livingroom.
A homely welcoming inside with a split level and decent staff and service.
For entree i went with the citrus cured kingfish. A block of kingfish delicately sliced into small strips with a beautifully light citrus flavouring accompanied by a creamy, rich yet delicately flavoured mayo.
For main i went with the salmon, beautifully crisp skin and a great flavour and cooked well, served with a bed of spinach.
Homely space and homely beautifully cooked food make this place a excellent place for a meal, especially when someone else is paying. First time i have been here so cannot comment on its elevation and improvement from 13.5 in the 2011 Guide to 15 in 2012 but thoroughly worth going to.
Just down the road from work, a fund manager invited us to lunch and we gladly accepted her invitation to take us out to Livingroom.
A homely welcoming inside with a split level and decent staff and service.
For entree i went with the citrus cured kingfish. A block of kingfish delicately sliced into small strips with a beautifully light citrus flavouring accompanied by a creamy, rich yet delicately flavoured mayo.
For main i went with the salmon, beautifully crisp skin and a great flavour and cooked well, served with a bed of spinach.
Homely space and homely beautifully cooked food make this place a excellent place for a meal, especially when someone else is paying. First time i have been here so cannot comment on its elevation and improvement from 13.5 in the 2011 Guide to 15 in 2012 but thoroughly worth going to.
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