11th March 2011
After telling my workmate Justin about the list, he and his girlfriend Lucy were very excited about joining me and helping ticking off one item from the list. We settled on Koots Salle A Manger as it was close to work and offered a great menu.
Despite booking well in advance the restaurant was booked out at 7 & 730 so we had to settle for a 630 booking. We arrived into a clean and modern dining space with a full bar. We were the first people to arrive for dinner that night before the dining room filled up.
We decide to really go all out with a full 3 course meal. The first course involve me ordering the braised squid, local mussels and warm kipfler potato salad with aioli and bouillabaisse foam. Thin slices of braised squid and a few mussels with a soft delicate sauce that was balanced and flavourful.
Justin and Lucy decided to share the 'La terre, La Mer et La Jardin'. Presented perfectly and a wide selection of dishes, they both enjoyed the majority of the dishes although I'm not sure oysters are for Justin and Lucy given the tentative way they ate it and the faces they made whilst eating them.
Following the starter i went for the Rabbit saddle with grilled polenta, black trumpet mushroom and fresh fig. This was one of the best dishes i have had since i started the list. Amazingly cooked rabbit, with soft grilled polenta and an amazing sauce. Just an amazing dish that exemplifies french cooking at its best.
We accompanied this with a couple of sides of french fries and a witlof, with sliced apple, walnuts and blue cheese salad. Great accompaniments for the dishes as well as delicious in its own right.
The final dish was a lime panna cotta with a topping of strawberries with strawberry tart. A great panna cotta with deliciously clean fresh flavours. The only disappointment was the strawberry tart which just involved a strip of pastry covered in sliced strawberries. It was good but required something extra either extra icing sugar or something that gave it an extra wow factor.
An amazing meal that ranks as one of my favourite meals so far on the list. Everything about the meal; service, decor, wine & drinks list and of course the food was absolutely first rate.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Balzari
Before heading for a friends birthday on Brunswick Street, i decided to complete my 10th Restaurant on my list with a trip to Balzari. A nondescript outside on Lygon opened up into a warm and romantic space with an open kitchen. It felt like the decor was more suited for a romantic dinner after the sun has set with low intimate lighting and a rich decor.
An extremely enthusiastic and friendly server greeted me to my seat. Starting with an extensive wine list, i choose one of the reasonably priced wines by the glass. Along with the wine, i was given a whole basket of sesame bread with some amazing oil.
I decide to go the whole experience and go for all three courses. Starting with some pasta for entree, i choose the beautifully al dente Tagliolini with some flaky spanner crab that fell apart when touched with the fork. Mixed with an understated sauce of garlic, tomato, olive oil and chili, it was beautifully cooked and full of flavour apart from the chili was almost non existent and was a bit of a disappointment.
This was followed by a main course of a rack of Berkshire pork. Beautifully cooked and deliciously fatty, it was combined with a mango puree and little cubes of mango. On a bed of orzo pasta, it was a great combo of flavours, textures and the cold cubes of mango combining with the hot pork, pasta and lukewarm puree it was a beautifully constructed dish that looked beautiful and tasted magnificent.
The next course was desert and despite the limited selected, i found a desert i would love. A dark chocolate semi freddo with a chocolate soil and almond milk and honeycomb. Amazingly presented with the different components distinct yet interwoven within the dish. Initially it had a beautiful flavour but the aftertaste left a bitter aftertaste. A disappointed ending to an otherwise good meal.
A great meal with some slight minor misses stopping it reaching a level of some of the other restaurants previously visited. Still well ahead of Giuseppe Arnaldo's but probably near the bottom of the restaurants so far.
An extremely enthusiastic and friendly server greeted me to my seat. Starting with an extensive wine list, i choose one of the reasonably priced wines by the glass. Along with the wine, i was given a whole basket of sesame bread with some amazing oil.
I decide to go the whole experience and go for all three courses. Starting with some pasta for entree, i choose the beautifully al dente Tagliolini with some flaky spanner crab that fell apart when touched with the fork. Mixed with an understated sauce of garlic, tomato, olive oil and chili, it was beautifully cooked and full of flavour apart from the chili was almost non existent and was a bit of a disappointment.
This was followed by a main course of a rack of Berkshire pork. Beautifully cooked and deliciously fatty, it was combined with a mango puree and little cubes of mango. On a bed of orzo pasta, it was a great combo of flavours, textures and the cold cubes of mango combining with the hot pork, pasta and lukewarm puree it was a beautifully constructed dish that looked beautiful and tasted magnificent.
The next course was desert and despite the limited selected, i found a desert i would love. A dark chocolate semi freddo with a chocolate soil and almond milk and honeycomb. Amazingly presented with the different components distinct yet interwoven within the dish. Initially it had a beautiful flavour but the aftertaste left a bitter aftertaste. A disappointed ending to an otherwise good meal.
A great meal with some slight minor misses stopping it reaching a level of some of the other restaurants previously visited. Still well ahead of Giuseppe Arnaldo's but probably near the bottom of the restaurants so far.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Press Club
With my brother back from Europe and in Melbourne for a few days, i decided to treat him to lunch at the Press Club as a very belated Christmas present. After entering a very cool space with an open kitchen allowing you to see the intricate preparation involved in each dish.
After being shown to our seats, we were asked whether we prefer wine, beer and soft drink and after selecting beer, our waiter asked our beer preference and selected an appropriate beer for us. Little touches like this occurred throughout the meal and added a little extra class to the service. We were then provided with some bread (unfortunately served cold), but was well matched with some black volcano salt and some exquisite olive oil.
We settled on the Kerasma, a four course sharing menu. Starting with both the tastes and entree courses. The first we tried was the shredded meat encased in pastry with a fig puree. Amazingly strong flavours and great taste. A great way to start the dish.
Following this was the ouzo cured fish. Whilst fish is not our favourite, we felt that it would be even bland for people who liked fish. Lacking any strong flavours, it was meant to seem even more bland after the flavourful previous dish.
For main course we had 2 different dishes with the first being a beautifully cooked portion of salmon with an amazingly crispy skin. Served on a bed of potato salad with grilled vegetables. The second dish was a beautifully seasoned chicken combined with a rich and flavoured ragu and covered in a tzatziki. Amazing combo and great flavours. It was the favourite dish of the meal.
Followed as a conclusion to the meal was desert which was a chocolate parfait, with a honeycomb mix and topped with a beetroot puree. Interesting combo but somehow it worked and was a very delicious desert but not as good as soon other desert at other restaurants.
Great comfort food with special service. A couple of dishes were slightly off the mark but others were pure perfection with a great mix of comfort home cooked Greek food with some modern touches. Very worthy of 2 hats.
After being shown to our seats, we were asked whether we prefer wine, beer and soft drink and after selecting beer, our waiter asked our beer preference and selected an appropriate beer for us. Little touches like this occurred throughout the meal and added a little extra class to the service. We were then provided with some bread (unfortunately served cold), but was well matched with some black volcano salt and some exquisite olive oil.
We settled on the Kerasma, a four course sharing menu. Starting with both the tastes and entree courses. The first we tried was the shredded meat encased in pastry with a fig puree. Amazingly strong flavours and great taste. A great way to start the dish.
Following this was the ouzo cured fish. Whilst fish is not our favourite, we felt that it would be even bland for people who liked fish. Lacking any strong flavours, it was meant to seem even more bland after the flavourful previous dish.
For main course we had 2 different dishes with the first being a beautifully cooked portion of salmon with an amazingly crispy skin. Served on a bed of potato salad with grilled vegetables. The second dish was a beautifully seasoned chicken combined with a rich and flavoured ragu and covered in a tzatziki. Amazing combo and great flavours. It was the favourite dish of the meal.
Followed as a conclusion to the meal was desert which was a chocolate parfait, with a honeycomb mix and topped with a beetroot puree. Interesting combo but somehow it worked and was a very delicious desert but not as good as soon other desert at other restaurants.
Great comfort food with special service. A couple of dishes were slightly off the mark but others were pure perfection with a great mix of comfort home cooked Greek food with some modern touches. Very worthy of 2 hats.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Cumulus Inc - Bonus Breakfast
30th January 2011
Having already tried Cumulus Inc for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it, i suggested to my parents who were in town to try it for breakfast. Much to my surprise (mostly because they called me at 830 on sunday morning) and delight they invited me to join them for breakfast.
Extremely packed with a loud and noisy buzzing atmosphere and a no reservations policy, we were require to wait for a few minutes for a table to open up. My parents had already ordered coffees and were very happy with the strength and taste.
We were shown to our seats and were promptly attended to for drinks order. Despite the temperature outside i choose a hot chocolate which was rich and chocolate. My parents decided on the grapefruit juice (after having their initial choice of orange juice rejected as they had run out and explained to both of them separately due to the noise). and despite being very pleased with the taste, it was a bit disappointing for them to run out of orange juice in the middle of service.
For food i ordered the Pain d'epices. Generously spiced bread was well balanced with the whipped maple butter and candied walnuts. Amazing combinations of flavours, possibly would be too sweet for most people at breakfast but given my sweet tooth i found it delightful.
We finished off breakfast with a Madeleine filled with lemon curd for me and my mum and a large Canelle for my dad. Having rolled into 1130 we decided that this meal would now be classified as brunch and that the deserts after breakfast were more than justified.
However the first desert plate came out with 2 desert on and me and my mum assumed that these were for us, not thinking that they had taken less than the 15 minutes cooking time for the Madeleines or the shape was different from the normal shape of Madeleine. We bit into the crisp caramelised outer crust and the soft custard infused centre. After initially remarking on how little lemon taste there was and being initially disappointed, we soon overcame this and were impressed with the flavours and texture and the way it left you wanting to order another round. My mum allowed my dad the smallest of bits into what turned out to be his own desert.
About 5 minutes later (possibly about 15 mins since we ordered) we were presented with a unmistakable Madeleine shaped desert with zesty lemon oozing out. Soft perfectly cooked Madeleines with a powerful zesty lemon flavour were what we expected and realising our mistake half of one of the deserts was given to a miffed father.
Finished off with another round of hot chocolate and coffee, it was an excellent way to start a Sunday morning and worthy of the hype of the Cumulus Inc breakfast.
Having already tried Cumulus Inc for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it, i suggested to my parents who were in town to try it for breakfast. Much to my surprise (mostly because they called me at 830 on sunday morning) and delight they invited me to join them for breakfast.
Extremely packed with a loud and noisy buzzing atmosphere and a no reservations policy, we were require to wait for a few minutes for a table to open up. My parents had already ordered coffees and were very happy with the strength and taste.
We were shown to our seats and were promptly attended to for drinks order. Despite the temperature outside i choose a hot chocolate which was rich and chocolate. My parents decided on the grapefruit juice (after having their initial choice of orange juice rejected as they had run out and explained to both of them separately due to the noise). and despite being very pleased with the taste, it was a bit disappointing for them to run out of orange juice in the middle of service.
For food i ordered the Pain d'epices. Generously spiced bread was well balanced with the whipped maple butter and candied walnuts. Amazing combinations of flavours, possibly would be too sweet for most people at breakfast but given my sweet tooth i found it delightful.
We finished off breakfast with a Madeleine filled with lemon curd for me and my mum and a large Canelle for my dad. Having rolled into 1130 we decided that this meal would now be classified as brunch and that the deserts after breakfast were more than justified.
However the first desert plate came out with 2 desert on and me and my mum assumed that these were for us, not thinking that they had taken less than the 15 minutes cooking time for the Madeleines or the shape was different from the normal shape of Madeleine. We bit into the crisp caramelised outer crust and the soft custard infused centre. After initially remarking on how little lemon taste there was and being initially disappointed, we soon overcame this and were impressed with the flavours and texture and the way it left you wanting to order another round. My mum allowed my dad the smallest of bits into what turned out to be his own desert.
About 5 minutes later (possibly about 15 mins since we ordered) we were presented with a unmistakable Madeleine shaped desert with zesty lemon oozing out. Soft perfectly cooked Madeleines with a powerful zesty lemon flavour were what we expected and realising our mistake half of one of the deserts was given to a miffed father.
Finished off with another round of hot chocolate and coffee, it was an excellent way to start a Sunday morning and worthy of the hype of the Cumulus Inc breakfast.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Coda
29th January 2011
With parents down for the Tennis, my parents, brother and I decided to catch up at lunchtime over a meal and complete number 8 off my list. Having decided on Coda, we arrived to find an empty dining room with beautifully set out places and large pristine white bowls.
With a menu designed to share, we settled on several small share plates and two large dishes to share.
Starting with Spanner crab, galangal, roasted chilli and lime betel leaf, combining soft cool crab and betel leaf with a hint of chilli.
A further dish of Quail lettuce delight continued to involve soft lettuce casing filled with a combination of meat and mushroom and salad. Great combinations and great flavours.
Next up was herb crusted lamb chop with a lemon zest. Well cooked lamb and a delicious crust kept the meal flowing.
Sweet and Sour spare ribs were a rare miss. Average tasting meat with a very disappointing sweet and sour sauce left you feeling underwhelmed with the dish.
Sugar cane prawn featured prawn meatballs on a sugar cane lollipop and mung bean noodle and deep fired were full of flavour and offered a contrast of different flavours and textures which was extremely enjoyable.
Moving on to the main course, we settled on 2 dishes. The first being a Kung Pao Chicken slightly blackened and strong in flavour and spice with a few nuts and vegetables thrown in for extra flavour. We also went with the highly recommended yellow duck curry. Nicely cooked duck with a pungent and strong tasting curry sauce add an extra level to the flavour. Whilst reasonably spicy, the spice did not overpower the dish. Both excellent main courses that were a step above the smaller sharing plates.
However the star of the meal, very surprisingly in an Asian influenced contemporary restaurant was the desert. Raspberry parfait was smooth and delectable. Combined with a chocolate ball and white chocolate mouse with caramelised almond pieces was a perfect combo and a great way to finish a pleasant and flavour packed meal.
After hearing such rave reviews about Coda, it fell a touch short of those expectations. However well worthy of a 1 Hat rating with some dishes being a little hit and miss but the larger dishes and desert being real winners.
With parents down for the Tennis, my parents, brother and I decided to catch up at lunchtime over a meal and complete number 8 off my list. Having decided on Coda, we arrived to find an empty dining room with beautifully set out places and large pristine white bowls.
With a menu designed to share, we settled on several small share plates and two large dishes to share.
Starting with Spanner crab, galangal, roasted chilli and lime betel leaf, combining soft cool crab and betel leaf with a hint of chilli.
A further dish of Quail lettuce delight continued to involve soft lettuce casing filled with a combination of meat and mushroom and salad. Great combinations and great flavours.
Next up was herb crusted lamb chop with a lemon zest. Well cooked lamb and a delicious crust kept the meal flowing.
Sweet and Sour spare ribs were a rare miss. Average tasting meat with a very disappointing sweet and sour sauce left you feeling underwhelmed with the dish.
Sugar cane prawn featured prawn meatballs on a sugar cane lollipop and mung bean noodle and deep fired were full of flavour and offered a contrast of different flavours and textures which was extremely enjoyable.
Moving on to the main course, we settled on 2 dishes. The first being a Kung Pao Chicken slightly blackened and strong in flavour and spice with a few nuts and vegetables thrown in for extra flavour. We also went with the highly recommended yellow duck curry. Nicely cooked duck with a pungent and strong tasting curry sauce add an extra level to the flavour. Whilst reasonably spicy, the spice did not overpower the dish. Both excellent main courses that were a step above the smaller sharing plates.
However the star of the meal, very surprisingly in an Asian influenced contemporary restaurant was the desert. Raspberry parfait was smooth and delectable. Combined with a chocolate ball and white chocolate mouse with caramelised almond pieces was a perfect combo and a great way to finish a pleasant and flavour packed meal.
After hearing such rave reviews about Coda, it fell a touch short of those expectations. However well worthy of a 1 Hat rating with some dishes being a little hit and miss but the larger dishes and desert being real winners.
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