tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90780206837516029672024-02-08T01:35:21.300+11:00The Epicurean of SouthbankThe tales of one hedonist blogger living in Melbourne that is eating and drinking his way around Australia. Blogging about experiences at restaurants, bars, bistros, pubs, casual eateries and sometimes cooking, viewpoints expressed are his own and sometimes written under the influence of good wine.The Epicurean of Southbankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15134975208898473865noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-2567599959664579842014-10-26T11:12:00.002+11:002014-10-26T11:12:32.183+11:00Gradi has a home at Crown Melbourne - Recalled To Life<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are too many "food blogs" in Melbourne. I always thought this one differentiated itself because it did not promote spin and it certainly did not romanticise restaurants that provided remuneration or compensation to "turn up" and of course take the requisite photographs that embodied the marketing theme that the campaign of the day dictated. It took a relaxing evening watching the Cricket recently and a few bottles of wine to realise that there are a fair amount of very poor blogs in cyberspace that only survive with marketing dollars or are just a weak photo essay; neither of which take any intelligence or thought just to provide some sort of lame advertising after the writer was compensated a free hamburger or dumpling. When I was passionate about posting on this site before there was never any spin and I never took a bribe to promote an agenda. With that being said, I will introduce <b>Gradi</b> at the Crown Casino in Melbourne which opened a few weeks ago, which has received the customary marketing blurbs in <i>Time Out Melbourne</i> and <i>Gram Magazine</i>, but there has been no formal review until now. Exciting, hey?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The dining room after the lunch rush: Gradi Crown Melbourne</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The original and award-winning restaurant is not the newly opened location at the Crown Melbourne, but is in fact 400 Gradi on Lygon Street in Brunswick. This outpost became a talking point when it was recently awarded with the title of "World's Best Pizza" at the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.667142868042px;">World Pizza Championships in Parma, Italy. Much like the awards that are sponsored by San Pellegrino and Lavassa Coffee, it is all subjective I feel. Much like hamburgers and steaks, what one person finds wonderful, another will scoff at and since pizza can be a visceral experience, usually consumed out of a box after making a phone call late at night with a dodgy television show on and a bottle of vodka, dishing out a "best pizza in the world" award is a stretch however I was still keen to taste this fabled creation during my tour de force.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The view of Cory Campbell without the helmet from Gradi</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 22.667142868042px;">Located where the defunct and once one-hatted restaurant Guiseppe, Arnaldo & Sons once was underneath the Kings Way ramp that now features street art and a dedication to Cory Campbell at Vue de Monde, Gradi (dropping the 400) offers a new and sleek fit-out and falls in-line to the new look that Crown Melbourne is trying to promote - one that disavows the bogans (which take up residence in the newly renovated food court, much like the seagulls do on the promenade) but tries to suck those that are hard and fast with their money into their void, this humble writer included. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.667142868042px;">The principal is Johnny Di Francesco who was not spotted when we visited midweek.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.667142868042px;">When I finally found the restaurant's telephone number after many clicks, the receptionist was very perky and hospitable. I didn't have a high expectation of this place when I rang however the professionalism and the energy put me in the mood to enjoy a long and relaxed lunch. We were ultimately greeted and seated without much fanfare however we were quickly presented with not only the food menu but the wine list where the vast majority of the vintages languished under the $100 mark.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The interior of Gradi Crown Melbourne</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.667142868042px;">The menu was presented on a humble piece of paper with a pleasant typeset after which the staff invited us to enjoy salumi and formaggi to start - where we elected to indulge upon Hot Cacciatori ($12.50 for 70g) and Bufaletto ($23 for 70g) which when presented on a bed of flat bread which not only made for great presentation but provided utility in consuming the very tasty cheese and meat. The Bufaletto is allegedly DOC. I quizzed the waitron as to whether this was indeed a cheese that produced under the Italian laws enacted in 1955 to protect the names, origins, production methods and characteristics of Italian foods. She said "sure" so I am not sure that she really knew, but one has to give the benefit of the doubt in an Italian restaurant. The Hot Cacciatori was spicy - but not "hot" in terms of eradicating your innards but it made a comfortable starter whilst we engaged upon the beautiful Benanti 2012 'Bianco di Caselle' Etna Bianco. Yet another wine that has raised the bar in Italy, which was mineral-driven and very light which not only paired well with the salumi but the formaggi. There was enough wine left over to enjoy it with the Arancini Del Giorno - the crumbed Italian rice balls accompanied with mascarpone and a parmesan cream ($6/each) which really didn't do much for me besides leaving me thirsty.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The award winning Margherita Verace pizza</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.667142868042px;">The Margherita Verace pizza ($21) is what the punters were flocking far and wide to devour after Johnny won the title of the "World's Best Pizza" so how could we resist? It looked nice and and I have to say it tasted pretty good (in comparison to Pepperoni's on Elizabeth Street after stumbling out pissed from Bar Americano recently comes to mind) however the base was soggy, which I really do not think was planned by the kitchen. I did expect more but then again, it is pizza so you can't hold it to the same standard as a medium rare David Blackmore wagyu at Rockpool Bar and Grill or Ben Shewry's potato at Attica.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.667142868042px;">The highlight was the next course, the Tagiatelle al tartufo e pecorino sardo ($46) - narrow ribbons of pasta prepared with truffle butter, pecorino sardo and shaved black truffle. This was a dish that was magic and when matched with the 2011 Zuani, yet another DOC wine, which was a blend of nearly everything possible made for the best matched dish of the day. The subdued almond flavours of the wine really complemented the freckled truffle-heavy and intense flavours in the pasta. This dish left an impression and left me really wanting more days after enjoying it.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Impepata di volgole - clams in a cool pot</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.667142868042px;">The Impepata di volgole ($30) - sautéed clams with garlic, lemon, herbs, pepper and wine wine was the final dish. The presentation was lovely and the wedge of lemon did assist in relieving the alkaline taste, which really was not very distracting but more amusing paired with the Petite Arvine Valle d'Aosta, which is yet another DOC wine. I am not saying that I don't like pippis, but I expected more of a garlic flavour however they were fun to eat on the back of the third bottle of wine. The playful presentation in a cool pot left a whimsical impression and after polishing off the third bottle of wine, we ended the very relaxed lunch on a high.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.667142868042px;">Service was polished throughout the 3.5 hour experience, which is a testament to the processes and procedures that this very young restaurant have already put into place which is a credit to the management. There is a view to the Southbank Promenade but I wouldn't recommend trying to jostle for position as the majority of the outlook is the walkway eclipsed by the offramp that runs over the restaurant. Off course there is a view of street art commissioned by Melbourne City Council that can be enjoyed in between courses. Like with other Crown restaurants, the visiting masses are seemingly tourist and transitory. Would I return? Sure, but on a quarterly basis at most or when I need to entertain a customer.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_4SKhNWJURqdE3uXlS_6se8C-r5uOjJeS9Yfl59YeFEPr8CSe2_WZm9ZlFCITHIYi4mtA98YTlUm-quYldCGBwt0iXJm6AOhuzmqDDJOnHOF5zQdjN3ckp31VTIZq4zyhASPztY_B6Y/s1600/2014-10-23+13.43.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_4SKhNWJURqdE3uXlS_6se8C-r5uOjJeS9Yfl59YeFEPr8CSe2_WZm9ZlFCITHIYi4mtA98YTlUm-quYldCGBwt0iXJm6AOhuzmqDDJOnHOF5zQdjN3ckp31VTIZq4zyhASPztY_B6Y/s1600/2014-10-23+13.43.56.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gradi</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Crown Melbourne, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank VIC 3006</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(03) 9696 9888</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.gradi.com.au/">http://www.gradi.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 13.75/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.25/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">X-Factor Multiplier: 1</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I posted this review, 44% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Gradi. Still, at the time there was a very limited review pool so it will be interesting to see how this changes over time.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1891863/restaurant/Melbourne/Gradi-Southbank"><img alt="Gradi on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1891863/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com08 Whiteman Street, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia-37.8247789 144.95817320000003-63.3468134 103.64957920000003 -12.302744399999998 -173.7332328tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-86622711824185534912013-08-26T21:11:00.001+10:002013-08-26T21:11:28.975+10:00The 2014 The Age Good Food Guide Awards<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Three Hat Restaurants:</b> Jacques Reymond, Vue de Monde, Attica, Flower Drum</span><br />
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Flower Drum regained a hat</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Restaurant of the Year:</b> Attica</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Citibank Australia Chef of the Year: </b>Ben Shewry from Attica</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Regional Restaurant of the Year:</b> Tani Eat & Drink (Bright, VIC)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kitchen Aid Young Chef of the Year:</b> Oliver Gould from Stokehouse</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Wine List of the Year:</b> Brooks Restaurant</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Regional Wine List of the Year:</b> Provenance Restaurant (Beechworth, VIC)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Best Short Wine List:</b> Bar di Stasio</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>BYO Restaurant of the Year:</b> France-Soir</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Donlevy Fitzpatrick Award:</b> Cumulus Up</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sustainability Award:</b> Clive Blazey from Heirloom Seed Company</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Innovation Award:</b> Stephanie Alexander</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Citibank Service Excellence Award:</b> Vanessa Crichton of The Rockpool Group</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sommelier of the Year:</b> Mark Protheroe from the Grossi Group</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Regional Restaurant of the Year:</b> Healesville Hotel</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>New Restaurant of the Year:</b> Saint Crispin</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-53878985696347527362013-08-21T11:24:00.001+10:002013-08-21T11:24:26.949+10:00Senoritas - 180 About Face (40 Days and 40 Nights)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is strange thinking that it has been 40 days and 40 nights since I made a post on this blog. I re-read some of my previous posts and wondered why I was writing about some of the boring experiences as if they were putting me to sleep, I can imagine the public not being too bothered. I vowed to myself that if I started posting again, as I was a bit turned off of dining out in general after a run of bad experiences, that I would actually write about the negative - a theme that I have shied away from in the recent past.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How time flies in the world of hospitality. Before I write my thoughts on my recent trip to <b>Senoritas</b>, here is a wrap-up of what you may have missed:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons</b>, the Italian restaurant in Crown that a few years ago actually had an <i>Age Good Food Guide</i> chefs hat closed a few weeks ago. I ate in there once and thought the service was generally bad and the food was poor. In the spirit of not speaking ill of the dead, I will just say that this place will not be missed and I hope that it is transformed into something that will do Crown justice,</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mercy Bar & Eatery</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which is what Virginia Plain morphed into two months ago also shut its doors. This is a shame as I was a fan of Andy Harmer's work along with Mat Bayer's humour and general outlook on service. I am sure they will pop up again somewhere soon as Melbourne needs these blokes active in the industry,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>YAR</b>, the Korean/Japanese confused restaurant at Freshwater Place on the Southbank Promenade closed. No big loss as the food was dull. It is currently being renovated and <b>TGI Fridays</b> will be opening in its place soon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Meat and Wine Co.</b> also at Freshwater Place on Southbank Promenade, undertook a renovation and the place looks much nicer not only from the outside but also the inside. I had lunch there a few weeks ago and I was bemused as they were still renovating the restaurant whilst attempting lunch service. A relaxing lunch turned into a quick one mainly because it took ages for anyone to bring me my first Kosciuszko pale ale, but also its replacement. They did apologise for shoddy service and claimed the restaurant was poorly staffed at that time. If I wanted to eat at a construction site, I would have walked over to Prima Pearl or even the Grocon Myer site.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Alberts Wine Bar</b> at Southgate closed. I spent many relaxing days that turned into nights at this place and am sorry to see it go.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Shed 5</b> at South Wharf closed its doors some time ago. A sign posted on the door states that they plan on relaunching as something else at some point but there hasn't been any sort of activity at the site for months. It really comes as no surprise to me that they shut and if you keep track of my weighted rankings, you will understand why.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now for <b>Senoritas</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I originally wrote about Senoritas on Meyers Place almost a year ago to the day, so it is fitting that I became motivated to write again after visiting this Mexican place, which I have previously evangelised as the "Best Mexican" in Melbourne and made no secret about this when musing about other Mexican themed restaurants in person or on Twitter. Much like how the hospitality scene can change on a whim, using the above restaurants as an example in a mere forty days, Senoritas has gone from being my favourite to being one of my least liked very quickly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After seeing the spectacle that is King Kong, the epicurean emo and I presented ourselves at Senoritas without a booking. We were told to sit wherever we wanted so we went straight for the bar. We were then advised to sit anywhere besides the bar, partly because other diners in tables were oddly all seated very close to the bar and sitting on a high stool there would have been in turn awkward for all parties, but the staff was using the bar as a convenient place to temporarily (I hope) store rubbish and cartons. In the past, the bar had been a convenient place to dine mainly because there was effectively no wait for alcoholic beverages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without looking at the drinks menu, I ordered a Dos Equis beer and was advised that they do not stock that. Pacifico was offered as an alternative, which I happily ordered. The food menu changed since my previous vist and when service came to take our order I quizzed her as to whether the "Tostada de Pollo a la Diabla" can be served as tacos - a special that Senoritas had on offer when I dined there in the past. I was told that it wasn't possible which really vexed me. It really isn't hard to put spicy chicken in a soft corn shell and serve it as a taco, but I suppose like with everything there is a process and without it utter chaos can be expected to transpire if you don't follow a formula. We instead ordered "Pescado a la Parrilla" which essentially was the fish of the day in a taco, the Panuchos de Cochinita Pibil, the slow roasted pork shoulder tacos and the Crustaceos Enchilados, the spicy Moreton bay bugs. The server looked at us with a horrified look and claimed that was a fair amount of food to order. Four tacos and a half of a bug per person I thought was reasonable. We also decided to have the Salsa del Dia, the salsa of the day as a starter since it was nearly 10:00 PM and we were very hungry. The salsa was dark and very sweet. It was a strange taste that I personally did not like and after enjoying the trio of freshly made salsas at Senoritas in the past, which were not only really good but provided an array of flavours ranging from mild to hot, I was disappointed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fish tacos arrived and I immediately understood why the server looked shocked when we placed our order. These were not classic tacos that I expected, not only from my history of dining at Senoritas, but also taking into consideration the "street food" concept. There was a huge mound of corn salsa that blanketed the fish and extended nearly to the edge of the soft shell. It was nearly impossible to eat with your hands, a mess was ultimately made and I could not taste the fish which was marlin. A 40ml serve of Ilegal Mezcal Anejo tequilla was required to take the edge off along with a refill of beer, before taking on the next round of tacos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slow roasted pork shoulder tacos with cinnamon, orange, thyme, beans and pickled red onion followed. Not only visually unappealing, the sweet taste of the pickled red onion put me off. I scraped it off and tried the blob of beans and pork, which looked completely out of place on a soft taco shell, and once again, there was so much product on the soft shell, it was nearly impossible once again to eat with your hands and I made another mess in the process. The lack of flavour and general dissatisfaction caused us to send our dishes back to the kitchen. The host quizzed me as to why I did not like this dish, so I told him my thoughts. I also asked if the chef had changed in the restaurant as the recipes and influence had changed drastically and I was told that the head chef had indeed changed which explained why the tastes had made a very distinctive 180 degree turn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Moreton bay bugs cooked in lime and achiote butter was grandfathered partially from the previous menu and head chef however it was previously served with a dash of habanero pepper. I asked if the hot pepper was an option and I was given a side of habanero chili which really added the kick that I wanted. Although the bug was fine, I was reminded why I stopped dining out as frequently as I once did. I started thinking I could have made much better Mexican inspired food at home (including purchasing fresh seafood which would have been fun to grill) for much less than my share of the $183 food and drinks bill at Senoritas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The simple yet authentic tastes that I learned to love and expect at Senoritas is now just a fond memory much like their tequila tasting nights. Although I do like the dark yet colourful brooding fit-out, it is not a substitute to return for this menu or the current interpretation of Mexican food.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;">Senoritas</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">16 Meyers Place Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;" /><nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;">(03) 9639 7437</nobr><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.senoritas.com.au/" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;">http://www.senoritas.com.au</a></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;"><b>Current Rating: 12/20 (-3.5 change)</b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;">Service: 3/5 (-1 change)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;">Ambiance: 3.5/5 (nil change)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;">Quality: 2.5/5 (-1.5 change)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 18px;">Value For Money: 3/5 (-1 change)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://epicureanofsouthbank.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/senoritas-showdown-with-mamasita-and.html" target="_blank">Review from 23/08/12 (15.5 rating)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I first reviewed Senoritas on 23/08/13 , 62% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon liked the restaurant. One year on, at the time of this blog post, 72% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like it.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1654874/restaurant/CBD/Senoritas-Melbourne"><img alt="Señoritas on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1654874/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com016 Meyers Place, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8121805 144.97228989999996-37.812229499999994 144.97221089999996 -37.8121315 144.97236889999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-13888833433848699532013-07-10T10:59:00.000+10:002013-07-10T11:00:16.364+10:00Moroccan Soup Bar - Turning Hipster Part 1<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finally got around to spending a lazy day in Brunswick traversing Sydney Road and the general area and it helped that I found someone else to join me in my journey. He had also had never frequented this area of greater Melbourne so it was indeed a time to explore. It certainly made the day more amusing if not interesting to have a companion that was keen to eat, drink and wander about with reckless abandon. Our legs were put to the test when the sun set as it is a thirty minute walk from Sydney Road to St Georges Road in Fitzroy North, which is where the <b>Moroccan Soup Bar</b> is located and where we decided to have a "cheap and cheerful" dinner after indulging a bit at lunch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We turned up and this place and it was heaving human bodies. We were told to come back at 7:30 PM and that a table should be ready so we retreated to the Deco Bar, which is only a few metres away, and strangely devoid of customers, to top up our blood alcohol levels before returning at 7:30 PM on the dot. We were given the best seat in the house by far, which is strangely near the entrance to the toilet. This is one of the few tables that is away from the main thoroughfare of the restaurant which is always occupied by staff or patrons coming and going.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no menu at this place. You have two options which are communicated by word of mouth from the server. A "banquet" for $20 and a "banquet with dips" for $25. Having stockpiled cash as everything in Brunswick seemed to only accept cash, we were happy to splash out the extra five dollars and go for gold. About two minutes later a range of dips and bread came out. There was no explanation as to what anything was, but I was able to deduce a cous cous dip which was quite nice and some seriously good bread that I used to pick up one of the dry pieces of falafel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being so hungry, it didn't take long to eat everything included for the dip first course. I thought it was pretty cool that just the right amount of bread was provided to clean up everything served. Only a few minutes later, the mains were delivered. Strangely I was expecting some soups (hence the name of the place, thus my expectation if not confusion) but along with rice and beans, some curry variants were presented. The highlight of a bland lot was the vegetable stew. The dips had a bit of spice, but these mains did not however we found them quite filling and ended up leaving some behind. Other patrons who were obviously regulars had plastic takeaway containers with them (there is an IGA not far away in case you want to buy some) and were filling them up before leaving. Although there were some desserts left to come, we could not eat any more and simply just paid the bill with a gold note (another cash only venue) and retreated to the pub.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For $25 you will receive a fair amount of food that should satisfy most people that do not have high expectations. The restaurant is the closest to a machine that I have witnessed and can quickly turn over tables with their no-nonsense approach to customer service. This is probably why we were not offered anything to drink as they didn't want us to stay in our seat for an extended amount of time, let alone take the time to use the bathroom. My experience would have been highlighted if beer was available, but I suppose there is a time and a place for everything.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnJLHQpWbQRhTvb4phBHOvgQDmbfD3Labk4KXmsar-1gpQT6obKjSQn9LHXk9cRTuaMRhz9QTRaVi2Gro5v1UVdloOY38R5kX1iiludroM8FhzZMfAXfBqlaUqawFqQ2Yj_wDgmi_f0s/s1600/MSB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Moroccan Soup Bar, Fitzroy North" border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnJLHQpWbQRhTvb4phBHOvgQDmbfD3Labk4KXmsar-1gpQT6obKjSQn9LHXk9cRTuaMRhz9QTRaVi2Gro5v1UVdloOY38R5kX1iiludroM8FhzZMfAXfBqlaUqawFqQ2Yj_wDgmi_f0s/s320/MSB.jpg" title="Moroccan Soup Bar, Fitzroy North" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moroccan Soup Bar</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">183 St Georges Rd., Fitzroy North, VIC 3068</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(03) 9482 4240</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.moroccansoupbar.mobi/">http://www.moroccansoupbar.mobi</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 12.50/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 2.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><u>Comment:</u> Cash Only, only open in the evenings Tuesday - Sunday</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 90% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like the Moroccan Soup Bar.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761312/restaurant/Melbourne/Moroccan-Soup-Bar-Fitzroy-North"><img alt="Moroccan Soup Bar on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761312/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0183 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North VIC 3068, Australia-37.7848763 144.9823642-63.3069108 103.6737702 -12.2628418 -173.70904180000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-32129076885915440972013-07-09T09:57:00.003+10:002013-07-09T09:57:28.540+10:00Tonka - Rajasthani Royal of the Melbourne CBD<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides fighting off the flu, I was experiencing an even larger problem as my good self and one other couldn't decide on somewhere to enjoy some food and wine. We agreed that Twitter should provide the answer in the end and that we would frequent whatever restaurant or chef first appeared as the latest tweet in my timeline. On this occasion, <b>Tonka</b> on Duckboard Place in the CBD won this dangerous game of Russian roulette and I am very pleased that it did.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Interior of Tonka</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the former site of Honkytonks, a place long forgotten by most as it was a pretentious dive that only let you in if you had alligator shoes on or a big wad of sweaty green notes on you, service was more than happy to escort us to the the "sommelier's table" which is a high table next to the working wine bar. A new and clean fit-out replaces what you would have found in a bad wet dream and it was easy to sit back on my perch at least and inspect the symmetrically arranged bottles on the shelf only a metre away. Thoughts soon turned to the wine list that is influenced by Travis Howe, the 2013 The Age Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year (who is shared by Tonka's big brother, Coda) and it was with no hesitation that I choose a bottle of 2012 Ocean Eight Pinot Gris ($68) to kick things off. I am a bit partial to the Ocean Eight wines and I was delighted to see this Mornington Peninsula producer on the wine list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Executive Chef and part-owner Adam D'Sylva along with Head Chef Michael Smith have designed an intriguing Indian-inspired menu which after inspecting demanded an extended tasting session because there were just so many intriguing things on offer. Pani Puri ($4.50/each) was the first selection from the "smaller" menu to arrive after consulting with Jonathan, our all-rounder server/sommelier. True its literal meaning, this Indian "street food" with deep fried bread "Pani" intermixed with aromatic water "Puri" combined with spiced potato, mung beans, date and tamarind chutney made for a very tasty entry point to this journey across the Indian subcontinent. The addition of the aromatic water made this not only traditional but cleansed the palate and made the Pinot Gris even more accepted as my tastebuds rejoiced after being subjected to little sustenance, sudafed and sleep in the recent past. Soft-shell crab pakors ($8.50/each) with pickled cucumber, lemon, chilli and mint followed close behind the Pani Puri and I was not disappointed. It was nice to see the crab presented almost like a caricature that you would see in a drawing, or a dream and not some smooched and smashed bastardised <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;">crustacean</span> that looked like it was hit with a copy of The Age (Good Food Guide) before being served. What was served actually looked like a crab, just suspended in time and it was cooked properly. I am always scared that the head will be mush, but that was not the case at Tonka. It was yet another addictive starter that not only was visually attractive but could be enjoyed with reckless self-abandon.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Tuna tartare, pomegranate, ginger and wasabi</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The smoked trout betel leaf ($6/each) with coconut, chilli, pomelo and kaffir lime provided such enjoyment, that it required me to order another round. Rarely do I enjoy something so much that I order it again (the last time was Venison Carpaccio at Sarti, which I have so far written about) but this was truly an enigmatic and amazing starter that left my senses guessing as I consumed the leaf and everything that was placed on it. Truly complementary to the Ocean Eight Pinot Gris, like the crab, I could have been content spending the rest of my time at Tonka just eating smoked trout on the edible leaves however not to be constrained, we moved on to other offerings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a plethora of items to entice you from the "Smaller" menu so we found ourselves sucked into a vortex of sorts where the only way to escape was to gorge and just hope that our stomachs would accommodate what was being offered. My favourite dish came next, the tuna tartare ($22) with rice poppadoms, pomegranate, ginger and fresh wasabi. Pomegranate and tuna are natural pairs and I am surprised that I do not see it on menus more often. The kitchen delivered an amazing dish which not only complemented the wine brilliantly but this was also the highlight of my dining experience. We couldn't resist the Punjabi masala lamb cutlets next ($8/each) which were moist and devoid of fat however the masala is what stood out. Indian spices which really made the dish and certainly made the meat to taste even better - would have been best paired with a red wine so a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2010 Wedgetail Pinot Noir ($88) from the Yarra Valley in Victoria was ordered and quickly poured for us. This provided a bridge of sorts that had me chewing the remaining remnants of meat off the bone and disguising my inappropriate tongue action from the other diners who fortunately did not notice my ungentlemanly behavior. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMylo74DoHd1hegeh9mUxJNdruHAGDsfodt9hrpyUdqXqdpNFptIAXblRDo-NtflEQE3Xb41LX1gAgsf70m5q2Z8SpOZgonNaRttl81DrcLRa01FWW3ZjxG2vwmnebnUmAQeho9p_6Gk/s1600/20130627_163040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Tonka, Melbourne" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMylo74DoHd1hegeh9mUxJNdruHAGDsfodt9hrpyUdqXqdpNFptIAXblRDo-NtflEQE3Xb41LX1gAgsf70m5q2Z8SpOZgonNaRttl81DrcLRa01FWW3ZjxG2vwmnebnUmAQeho9p_6Gk/s320/20130627_163040.jpg" title="Tonka, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The view towards Flinders Street</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Char-grilled Mooloolaba prawns from Queensland ($10/each) with black pepper and kaffir lime dressing provided yet another bridge from the "Smaller" menu to the "Bigger" adult-oriented list of delights and reminded me that despite my love affair with smaller tapas-like tastes and offerings, there was another world to explore. This is where Jonathan's consulting was called upon. With so many attractive menu options, we didn't know just how much we would be able to pack in our already engorged stomachs so thinking that the bill should be damned, he suggested the remainder of the items that we happily agreed to order.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What was truly convenient was that the restaurant allowed us to order half-servings of items from the "Larger" menu so that more tastes could be experienced. A half order of lamb curry ($19) with roasted coconut, black cardamom and white poppy seeds appeared with another half order of Rajasthani duck ($19), cucumber, mint and buffalo curd. Not discounting the lamb, but I really enjoyed the duck and when matched with the mint and buffalo curd, the "Wow!" factor was experienced. We couldn't help but be talked into the Thirlmere corn fed chicken ($29) direct from the tandoor, an authentic clay oven that the restaurant has on-site to authentically cook not only chicken, but also Hiramasa kingfish which was also available on the menu that I regret not trying. Along with fried cauliflower ($8) and serves or rice ($6) and naan bread ($6) we enjoyed a flavoursome feast and managed to vanquish the the bottle of Wedgetail Pinot Noir with no problems whatsoever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throughout this three hour ad-hoc dining and feasting extravaganza, the various personalities providing service remained consultative, witty, chatty and good humoured. The setting allowed us to escape from the hustle and bustle of life in the CBD with food and beverage providing fuel for good conversation and debate. I think we managed to solve half of the world's problems just over the tuna tartare and if that is not noteworthy, nothing is. I really like what Tonka delivers, both the fare and the professionalism are standouts and I certainly look forward to returning to happily to take on the rest of the menu but to also watch this place evolve from strength to strength.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfOKoExSuApEjb2D_HL1l_NV9fOYvJia5tZSGeDMCjoWIfRS1OUc2voDvyhK6DNeiy8Ev4Lm7tOzuPLIKcMHQoGtHwYl0zAE4AalUJU7klfWnEyoY7qmaamCOKuFeyzd6tIyh-B5spm4/s1600/20130627_163024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tonka, Melbourne" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfOKoExSuApEjb2D_HL1l_NV9fOYvJia5tZSGeDMCjoWIfRS1OUc2voDvyhK6DNeiy8Ev4Lm7tOzuPLIKcMHQoGtHwYl0zAE4AalUJU7klfWnEyoY7qmaamCOKuFeyzd6tIyh-B5spm4/s320/20130627_163024.jpg" title="Tonka, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tonka</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">20 Duckboard Place, Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(03) 9650 3155</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tonkarestaurant.com.au/">http://www.tonkarestaurant.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 15.75/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 4.25/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.75/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.75/5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 70% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Tonka.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1738043/restaurant/CBD/Tonka-Melbourne"><img alt="Tonka on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1738043/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com020 Duckboard Place, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8157967 144.97108260000005-37.8158457 144.97100360000005 -37.8157477 144.97116160000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-51176035412945011732013-07-08T19:44:00.004+10:002013-07-08T19:44:37.280+10:00Bowery to Williamsburg - Swanky<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I read that a "NYC Eatery" opened in the CBD the other week called <b>Bowery to Williamsburg </b>my first thought was that the Mexican craze was now officially dead and buried like WorkChoices but that to my shagrin, "American" style food was on the rise. To the point, when I think of a New York City style eatery, my first thoughts are big and bold sandwiches with a Jewish flare in a swanky yet professional environment. When the name of the restaurant makes reference to a train line that runs from the heart of Manhattan to Queens, it made me even more intrigued so it was with a fair amount of curiosity that I turned up to this place for lunch with one other.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn52gt0hIGGkGc5SmuzLFG_6hY8T_su_3OgOLqEACtfEadwOs5ZwHL0IiW-Irp2Zm8JEmKF1DhfvfaSZnhBVnchbtlNg6cTIc4OSIYK6Pme-DrWVxre3nucJMuL-oAo2gLqh8bgO00dPo/s1600/B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bowery to Williamsburg, Melbourne" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn52gt0hIGGkGc5SmuzLFG_6hY8T_su_3OgOLqEACtfEadwOs5ZwHL0IiW-Irp2Zm8JEmKF1DhfvfaSZnhBVnchbtlNg6cTIc4OSIYK6Pme-DrWVxre3nucJMuL-oAo2gLqh8bgO00dPo/s320/B1.jpg" title="Bowery to Williamsburg, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Philly Cheesesteak, Macaroni & Cheese, Pretzels, Dill Pickle</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reputation of Bowery to Williamsburg proceeds itself as it comes from the pedigree of the Hardware Societe, one of the more popular laneway eateries if you believe Urbanspoon and of course my good self as I love their French-inspired breakfasts along with the warm and personable service. Following in the footsteps of its successful brother, this is another laneway haunt, within rolling distance downhill from Coda Restaurant and when we arrived we were not only greeted outside by service but advised that there would be a short wait for a table inside since that was the preference on this cold winter day. A short wait turned out to be a matter of seconds and we were happily escorted to the one long communal table inside within full view of the active and controlled food preparation area. I immediately thought that I could have been resting my arse at a Jewish deli in Manhattan as I spied the Kosher Salt, Lox (the Yiddish word for salmon) and of course bagels and a schmear of cream cheese on offer on the blackboard. Unobtrusive music plays in the background and the human machines behind the display counter creates some very attractive looking sandwiches judging from what others were eating off wooden boards next to me with a smile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After having a very average "Philly Cheese Steak" at Misty's Diner last week, I couldn't help but order the "lunch special" which was just that. If anything was going to define a NYC inspired eatery in Melbourne it was that. Sure, I was tempted by the lox but I was intrigued if anything by this special offering. A side of macaroni and cheese, which would be served in a glass jar along with half of a garlic dill pickle accompanied the cheesesteak sandwich in a very reasonable time after placing the order. I was immediately pleasantly surprised, if not shocked, by the volume of this sandwich, a bulbous artifact that had cheese permeating from all directions and as I would find, effectively constraining the steam inside the sandwich which kept the tender morsels of steak moist. There was a fair amount of sweet capsicum and nothing bizarre that overwhelmed the trio of primary tastes. The bread was fresh and I was not only content but impressed. The macaroni and cheese was creamy and a well balanced accompaniment to the feature and when a bite of the crispy dill pickle was taken, there was not only a crunch, but a taste of garlic and the texture of a pickle that I would expect to find in New York, not one of the silly sweet and sour pickles that are so commonly sold in Australia. In fact, the only place I have readily found true garlic deli dills is Costco besides of course Bowery to Williamsburg.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The coffee was so good that I had two cups and enjoyed languishing at this place having pleasant conversation not only with my guest but also with service. Although the cafe has only been open a few weeks you would never know this and the impression at least that quality products has been flogged for some time is well pronounced. This is one of those laneway cafes that I personally will look forward to visiting when the weather improves as there is outdoor seating however heatlamps will warm your cold and tired bones and it does provide a different perspective albeit there is no funky music on offer. This is one of the few times I have been excited to find a "cheap and cheerful" place that I look forward to returning to.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3LuMMlf0kwRs1ydM2q-s5rPaZvotp9e7yZ4T2dEguNM6BhTM_mRkRcGO2T-XpHYARBbnOZANV5dLOvdkM831ehzh9rTkyOv72UNzFGrp4GD58W7ic3gHIv0_EZs3oy5yU2HakE1DVkY/s1600/B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bowery to Williamsburg, Melbourne" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3LuMMlf0kwRs1ydM2q-s5rPaZvotp9e7yZ4T2dEguNM6BhTM_mRkRcGO2T-XpHYARBbnOZANV5dLOvdkM831ehzh9rTkyOv72UNzFGrp4GD58W7ic3gHIv0_EZs3oy5yU2HakE1DVkY/s320/B2.jpg" title="Bowery to Williamsburg, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bowery to Williamsburg</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">16 Oliver Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(03) 9077 0162</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>no web site</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 14/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><u>Comment:</u> Cash Only, Open for breakfast and lunch Monday - Friday</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 94% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Bowery To Williamsburg.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1757186/restaurant/CBD/Bowery-to-Williamsburg-Melbourne"><img alt="Bowery to Williamsburg on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1757186/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com016 Oliver Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.816211 144.9701619-37.81626 144.9700829 -37.816162000000006 144.9702409tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-71854468747091488692013-07-08T10:17:00.002+10:002013-07-08T10:17:46.844+10:00Mart 130 - Albert Park Railway Station Converted<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really like discovering places in and around Melbourne that reuse buildings that have a fair amount of history which in turn has a story to tell. If you happen to come across <b>Mart 130</b>, located at the Albert Park tram stop on Canterbury Road in Middle Park you would think of it as a little innocuous cafe conveniently located actually at stop 130 on the route 96 tram line en route to St Kilda, but it is so much more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mart 130 is housed within the former Albert Park railway station. Like how Beacon Cove Restaurant and Pizzeria reuses the old Port Melbourne train station, the old train station in Middle Park originally opened in 1860 and was decommissioned as a physical station in 1987 when the railway line was converted to light rail. Oddly Albert Park was originally called "Butts" and it was renamed as Albert Park in 1872. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like this cafe because it isn't far from the Albert Park Driving Range, so it is convenient to hit a bucket of balls and then wander down to Mart 130 and get breakfast and coffee in the morning when it suits. There is a vibrant inside dining area but also a peaceful long and wide balcony which overlooks Albert Park. Not unlike the other times I have frequented this place, it is always busy and curiously it is popular with tourists. How so many large groups of tourists that arrive via the 96 Tram brandishing high end cameras found about this place is a mystery to me as I came across it quite by chance when I was out exploring the area by food after smashing some golf balls.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #2c2c2c;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Although Mart 130 is somewhat known for its large breakfasts, including corn fritters which I can attest to the wonderful flavour and large portions, on my last visit, I tried the split pea and ham soup and also a pressed sausage on brioche from the limited lunch menu. The soup had not only a fair amount of ham, but was rich and the perfect winter warmer. The sandwich of sorts arrived at the same time as the soup however I didn't have any trouble powering through either. The sausage brioche not only looked nice on the plate, but it was also tasty.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #2c2c2c;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">This place is a spot that should be on your breakfast calendar. It is quite easy to kick back here and enjoy the newspaper, coffee and some quiet time or also make it a meeting place considering the convenience of the tram stop being at its doorstep. Wait times can be long for a table considering the popularity of this place however all good things do come to those who wait.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXMzioLKd_h1aqgR5P7M7vJG4eoZ2eOkmXAkMk_gkXYUPIxXVSnVQqkAHzTcfpfsaYWGcGLdVjvMKWtlFsJjW5kET-U7VPS8wKsugWAywEH3K3WihBLSreD18NjLdVXkcl6ETstyN_wk/s1600/mart+130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mart 130, Middle Park, Melbourne" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXMzioLKd_h1aqgR5P7M7vJG4eoZ2eOkmXAkMk_gkXYUPIxXVSnVQqkAHzTcfpfsaYWGcGLdVjvMKWtlFsJjW5kET-U7VPS8wKsugWAywEH3K3WihBLSreD18NjLdVXkcl6ETstyN_wk/s320/mart+130.jpg" title="Mart 130, Middle Park, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mart 130</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">107 Canterbury Road, Middle Park VIC 3206</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(03) 9690 8831</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>no web site</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: n/a</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><u>Comment:</u> Cash Only</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 89% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Mart 130.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761226/restaurant/Melbourne/Albert-Park/Mart-130-Middle-Park"><img alt="Mart 130 on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761226/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0107 Canterbury Road, Middle Park VIC 3206, Australia-37.849392 144.965372-63.3714265 103.656778 -12.327357500000002 -173.72603400000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-138456323326290432013-07-06T11:57:00.003+10:002013-07-06T11:57:58.538+10:00Misty's Diner - Not Jack Rabbit Slim's<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were a few choices in and around Melbourne that had a perceived "American" theme which needed to be pursued on the Fourth of July, which was the day the American's celebrate independence of sorts. I thought it would be appropriate to give <b>Misty's Diner</b> on High Street in Prahran a try as it was also possible to get your motorcar washed next door in the adjoining facility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you enter this diner, it is like stepping back into time onto the set of <i>Happy Days</i> but on steroids. I was joking with a mate at the Collingwood-Carlton match last night that the Hungry Jack's at Wynyard station in Sydney has been decorated with 50's memorabilia, photos of Elvis, Marilyn, old American license plates: a supposed reference to a more innocent and bygone era where us human beings were not attached to smartphones, Facebook and R&B. Given that I did not see a patron in Misty's Diner, let alone ever in that Hungry Jack's that has lived through the 50's and 60's, we are left to romanticise this era and relive it in brightly coloured booths with a menu of pure comfort food that can easily be used as an answer as to why there is an obesity problem not only here but in the United States.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After entering the diner, I immediately noticed the volume of rubbish left behind on tables that had previously been vacated. It was lunch time service and it looked rather busy however a fair amount of the tables were dirty which was off-putting We were greeted with "how can I help you?" by the server in costume. A vexing question to be asked in the diner. Was I there to deposit a cheque like I did at the bank some days past? No. Was I there to discuss why my power bill went up by $500 this quarter? I think not. What did we want to achieve here? Oh, I remember now... lunch. So I asked for a table for two and we were taken past the warzone of filthy tables and around the corner next to the kitchen and seated in a corridor of sorts that provided access to the car wash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were left to our own devices for about twenty minutes to read the indulgent menus and fortunately for me, I was able to watch a replay of the Andy Murray match at Wimbledon as the television was within eyesight. When service finally came around to take our orders, I thought an "Alabama Slamma" alcoholic beverage would be a good way to start, along with some buffalo wings with a side of bleu cheese dressing. The Philly Cheesesteak also spoke to me as I had not had one in years, and it certainly wasn't anything close to being authentic back in the day so I was excited knowing that one was on offer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst waiting for food, a few other patrons were seated in the corridor next to us and after being ignored for a while, they got up and left. It would seem they were not interested in pleasant conversation like we were and of course the tennis so given the wait not only for service but also food, which was confirmed by the waitress later as she didn't actually write down our order when she originally took it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the access door to the car wash began to open and close repeatedly and strangely the people would move from the car wash to the kitchen via the thoroughfare that we were sitting in, we would be hit by a blast of air but it would be forewarned because of the squeaky door. An early warning alarm in a way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The "Alabama Slamma" was pretty much pure tomato juice and fortunately I ordered a side of salsa which I used to liven this drink up. Yes, I put salsa in my drink. I didn't taste any vodka. I am not saying that there wasn't any in this specialty drink but the tomato juice certainly disguised the meager shot, if that, which was added. The buffalo wings were in fact very small chicken wings with little meat on them. Certainly not the huge wings that you can purchase at Costco, and I reflected that I could prepare something much better (and cheaper) at home. There was nothing special about the bleu cheese dressing and appeared to be mass produced.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the Philly Cheesesteak was decent enough, it did not "wow!" me. The side of chilli fries was bland and I needed to use the side of salsa that I was using to liven up my alcoholic drink to add some zing to the American style chilli. I had high expectations for big tastes considering the carbohydrates that I was consuming and I was left feeling that I just ate for the sake of eating. Although the ambiance is amusing and the theme, like visiting the Dracula cabaret needs to be experienced at least once in your life, I will remain haunted by the characters of <i>Happy Days</i> that star on the wall that I was forced to look at when my eyes did not find my food, dining companion or tennis that exciting. These are images that would scare children. Richie, Potsie, Ralph and the Fonz all look like they survived a dose of radiation after a nuclear attack and not even the confectionery on display by the till could get me to stick around long after it was decided that drinks and conversation should be enjoyed elsewhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scene from <i>Pulp Fiction</i> comes to mind when Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace are both eating at Jack Rabbit Slims when the discussion turns to the quality of a $5 shake. You will not find anything that cheap at Misty's Diner and despite the comfort food and costumes, you will be left with a laugh or two along with a memorable experience, however for me, they will be for all of the wrong reasons.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RCeC0uHxMAeQ32z4_HuivaE8gqR38Wwsrj_mxE2MlcWG0pKCM8NMVGmywUMxONNr4ZTR_ZysWoiqZDOR18prrhdJr2ft3s9nJcv8HfJrhmGfeKpAeu661l3Gx4Do2lkZcbaRN20Bm1k/s1600/misty's+diner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Misty's Diner, High Street, Prahran" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RCeC0uHxMAeQ32z4_HuivaE8gqR38Wwsrj_mxE2MlcWG0pKCM8NMVGmywUMxONNr4ZTR_ZysWoiqZDOR18prrhdJr2ft3s9nJcv8HfJrhmGfeKpAeu661l3Gx4Do2lkZcbaRN20Bm1k/s320/misty's+diner.jpg" title="Misty's Diner, High Street, Prahran" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Misty's Diner</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">103-105 High St., </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Prahran VIC 3181</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(03) 9510 1959</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mistysdiner.com.au/">http://www.mistysdiner.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 11/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 2/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.25/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 2.75/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3/5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 71% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon liked Misty's Diner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1419267/restaurant/Melbourne/Mistys-Diner-Prahran"><img alt="Misty's Diner on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1419267/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0103/105 High Street, Prahran VIC 3181, Australia-37.851284 144.9901592-63.373318499999996 103.6815652 -12.3292495 -173.70124680000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-87401159675792867412013-07-03T06:11:00.000+10:002013-07-03T06:11:23.843+10:00Hell Of The North - Fitzroy Freezing Over<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What originally intrigued me about <b>Hell of the North</b> was the name of this restaurant and bar in Fitzroy. I was originally sucked into the grasp of this well designed space by the name and the name alone. I originally thought the name made some sort of bizarre reference to hell because the venue was a challenge to get to by road being located on Greeves Street with "No Entry" signs posted both on one entrance on Smith Street and also from the other direction on Gore Street. An enigma as such that fortunately Google Maps and the driver were able to decrypt and I reckon if the Apple Maps application was being used we would have ended up in hell itself - Docklands. It was during my first visit when we sat at the bar and drank Charlie Sheen inspired cocktails. It was when I quizzed the affable lady behind the bar as to what the name of the premises was all about as surely everything that is found behind the stately yellow door that you open bares no resemblance to hell but actually quite the opposite. I was advised that this place shares its name with a bicycle race that is held on Easter Sunday in France which is famous for its cobblestones and treacherous terrain. So not only did I become educated whilst knocking back cocktails but I gained a new found appreciation for bicycle racing and I didn't have to spend days watching it on the television. I can continue to devote my time to criticising our national cricket team instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My second visit to Hell Of The North was a planned systematic affront on what I considered some of my favourite places to go in Fitzroy as I was entertaining a blue-blooded cockney that was visiting from Sydney. His missus was at a conference and being the true mate that I am committed my afternoon and evening to not only show him some of the out of the way places in the area but to also get him pissed. Nice guy I am. Knowing that the menu would suit this gentleman, I once again threw open the yellow door with the intention to eat but also knowing that the restaurant and bar would impress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although we considered the "Let Us Feed You" option ($65 p/p) we decided to pick and choose from the menu. The cold day demanded that a French Onion soup ($12) would start us off. This was not only hearty but rich and full of flavour which was complemented by a perfect amount of cheese that was in turn part of every spoonful that entered my mouth. There was a great balance of onion and cheese which made this one of the better soups that I have had in a while. Beef Tartare ($17) was the next starter of sorts to follow. The raw meat was not bastardised by any bizarre spices or an unholy trinity of interpretation but instead it was a basic yet brilliant serve that ultimately highlighted the professionalism of the staff who noticed we were running out of bread and brought another round without having to be asked. We were left to drink beer, eat like false prophets and converse in this very attractive space that also includes an outside terrace for dining and drinking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along with a quantity of alcohol that even Charlie Sheen would be jealous of, we both ordered the Ox Cheek ($26) with Pommes Puree and a Bordelaise sauce. The highly concentrated and rich sauce was a natural pair with the cheek, which was so tender that it could be cut with not only the back of the knife, which is always a good test, but also your fork. The cockney gentleman that I was with is highly critical of cheek and I had a certain amount of satisfaction in the end that he enjoyed it also. We pondered the intriguing wine list but remained faithful to beer given the early hour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">On both occasions that I found myself at Hell of the North I was impressed by the service and the relaxed but professional attitude. On the first visit I got the opportunity to inspect the sommelier's wine book, enscribed with a pencil and is timeless as the wind. The stories that can be told if those pages could only talk just adds to the allure of this place.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Although you will not find ice cubes in hell or Fitzroy freezing over any time soon, this place is a great escape from the mortal world where you can be excused from being lead from light into darkness.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RNhpOZWadUbpiA1opaKysdkx9Ig_m3uA7v66lF1dG1x3W8gLRVdOCu8qUcfWGXbPDXBWbaP03yeiVeqm2pJ4yBnmax_PZCjIJ4SEBQ5JpseHAnef3kjr4qeUYyQtRaMgZpxBk8mYZlc/s276/hell+of+the+north.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hell of the North, Fitzroy, Melbourne" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RNhpOZWadUbpiA1opaKysdkx9Ig_m3uA7v66lF1dG1x3W8gLRVdOCu8qUcfWGXbPDXBWbaP03yeiVeqm2pJ4yBnmax_PZCjIJ4SEBQ5JpseHAnef3kjr4qeUYyQtRaMgZpxBk8mYZlc/s320/hell+of+the+north.jpg" title="Hell of the North, Fitzroy, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hell of the North</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">135 Greeves St., Fitzroy VIC 3065</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">(03) 9417 6660</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hellofthenorth.com.au/">http://www.hellofthenorth.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 15.25/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.75/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.5/5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 93% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon also like Hell of the North.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1650188/restaurant/Melbourne/Collingwood/Hell-of-the-North-Fitzroy"><img alt="Hell of the North on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1650188/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0135 Greeves Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia-37.800324 144.98353599999996-63.322358500000007 103.67494199999996 -12.278289500000003 -173.70787000000007tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-39647749192041568972013-07-02T13:51:00.001+10:002013-07-02T13:51:08.423+10:00Dainty Sichuan + Ganache Chocolate, South Yarra - Oil Spill<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I fondly remember reading <i>Epicure</i> in The Age a few months ago. There was a rambling yet detailed article describing the restaurants in and around Melbourne that are <i>perceived</i> to prepare and sell spicy food. Combined with this knowledge and the fact that a few people have suggested that <b>Dainty Sichuan</b> in South Yarra is the place to be, I organised a meeting there with the hope that I would shed tears and be overwhelmed by the flow of phlegm from my orifices.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heavy wooden tables with a hot plate built into the centre welcome you after you are taken into the dining room. I immediately thought of turning the hot plate on since the control was near my left hand and frying the phone that was placed on the plate but I thought better of it, even though it would have amused me. We had a table that was near the window so I could not only keep an eye out for the parking ranger (there is a one hour parking limit) but also spy on the pedestrians on the footpath on Toorak Road when the conversation became tedious. Service is quick to deliver not only a small list of "specials" but also a photo-menu that could be confused with <i>Go the F*** to Sleep</i> by Adam Mansbach. Neither one of us particularly liked looking at the photos of the dishes being flogged as they were not works of art in any sense of the word and I really think that the photos themselves distract from the experience. Trying to segregate the bias we had for no doubt the ugly dishes in the photos, we decided on a three prong attack that would attempt to best judge the chilli flavour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wontons in Chicken Soup ($11.80) was first delivered. Huge bowls of soup that contained upward of twenty wontons each made for a substantial first course of sorts. There was no hint of chilli in the soup and this was intended because this soup was meant to short-circuit the chilli inherent in the other two dishes that were ordered. Kong Pao Prawns ($12.80) and Chongqing Chilli Chicken ($27.80) rounded out our order. There were six small prawns bathed in a bed of chilli, onions, peanuts and Sichuan pepper. This had a "two chilli" rating which meant it should have been moderately hot and spicy but it just didn't affect me in any way. The prawns are quickly consumed and you are left to pick at the peanuts and the onions with your chopsticks. There is a substantial amount of chilli oil that does provide some flavour but I expected more. The Chongqing Chilli Chicken was avertised as a "Chef's Choice" and it was served on a large plate in a bed of dry chillis. The chicken was served as small morsels, think KFC's popcorn chicken just with two bones running through the meat. This dish had a "three chilli" rating which indicated it was going to be as hot as hell - or as hot as it could possibly get however once again, I didn't find a substantial amount of heat. In fact, I found the chicken as dry as the chilli pods and after a while it became tedious to bother removing the chicken from the small bones. The Chicken Wonton Soup provided a needed distraction and although there was nothing complex about it, a void was filled and a sense of balance was achieved between the mildly hot dish and parity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite my disappointment with my senses not being irradiated, I want to return and try some of the other dishes, like one of the hot pots, just because they have more of a potential to carry more spice. Their "Spicy Soup" along with some of the other venues in the area that can be frequented as an aside makes the journey to Dainty Sichuan worth it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Needing to cleanse my palate I walked about 100m toward Chapel Street and gave <b>Ganache Chocolate</b> my custom next. Although they do not have a substantial selection of desserts, chocolate and of course macarons as say Burch & Purchese or Luxbite, which are both in the area, I can't resist their raspberry chocolate mousse. When I am in the area, I go out of my way to get one of these lush and soft indulgences, that or enjoy a hot chocolate in either their small yet comfortable dining room or even more secluded parlour room at the rear of the building. I have been known to drive an hour out of Melbourne to the Chocolate Mill north of Daylesford to get a hot chocolate as the one on offer there is about as perfect as you will find however Ganache Chocolate does come close and ultimately saves some petrol and time in the process.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dainty Sichuan</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">176 Toorak Rd South Yarra VIC 3141</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">(03) 9078 1686</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>no web site</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 12.5/5</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 2.75/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.25/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.5/5</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Comment: One hour parking on the street so beware of the parking ranger. 1% surcharge on cards however there is an ATM in the restaurant.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 86% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Dainty Sichuan. A further 84% like Ganache Chocolate located at 250 Toorak Road, South Yarra.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760554/restaurant/Melbourne/South-Yarra-Toorak/Dainty-Sichuan-South-Yarra"><img alt="Dainty Sichuan on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/760554/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1492107/restaurant/Melbourne/South-Yarra-Toorak/Ganache-Chocolate-South-Yarra"><img alt="Ganache Chocolate on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1492107/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0176 Toorak Road, South Yarra VIC 3141, Australia-37.839251 144.99302750000004-63.361285499999994 103.68443350000004 -12.317216499999997 -173.6983785tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-86579524158879551772013-07-01T10:22:00.002+10:002013-07-01T10:56:30.232+10:00Harbour Town Hotel + Costco - The Shadow of the Wheel<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was with a sense of disbelief that I saw the Southern Star "Wheel of Misfortune" turn the other day at Docklands. Not because it is back in operation, but for other insidious reasons no doubt. I am surprised that it did not just decide to roll down the Tullamarine Freeway just because it is tired of being inactive. It casts a shadow over the <b>Harbour Town Hotel</b> in the Docklands Harbour Town precinct and is supposed to be a draw card to not only this area in general, but also to this pub. It will be interesting to observe what happens when it ultimately goes back into service and whether or not the public will flock to this much maligned area.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before taking on <b>Costco</b> which is next door, I called into the Harbour Town Hotel with the hope of getting a pub lunch and a pint of beer. Upon entry, you are affronted by a sign that says "please wait to be seated" in this pub that reminded me of a RSL just without any pokies in sight. Service escorted me to a table near the window, which is where the other patrons had been seated. One thing that irks me about service in general is when they assume a diner is interested in a view, in this case the outlook was to a construction site and gantries constructed over the walkway near the merry-go-round at the base of the Southern Star wheel. It isn't exactly the view from Lui Bar or Vue de Monde at Rialto Tower so I don't understand why exactly everyone was being wrangled into this area. As 90% of the dining room was vacant, I simply just moved my tired and thirsty old bones elsewhere. I was a bit annoyed that despite the bar area being long, you couldn't sit at it and were instead forced to dine with a perceived sense of civility at a table. Despite being taken to a seat, the patron still needs to get up and order food and drinks at the bar. Ultimately the food is brought to you however it just seems like a process from hell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After consulting the list of daily specials and other things that were being displayed on the LED televisions, I ordered a chicken parma. There was a substantial amount of breaded chicken and in the end I did not finish it all just because it was so excessive. Unlike the beautiful chicken that I received at Porgie + Mr Jones recently, this was a bit dry and there was only a small amount of sauce however most would be satisfied with the size of this dish and the accompanying salad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides the Nandos and the Coffee Club, there really is not much dining choice in this area. Normally I would just have a hot dog and drink ($2.50 with as many drink refills that you want) from the Costco membership warehouse however on this trip to do my monthly shopping, I wanted something a bit more substantial. The truth be told, there were some value-for-money lunch "deals" at the Harbour View Hotel and it may be a popular place in the evening to watch the footy on the weekend however would I go out of my way to visit this place if I was not intending to provide custom to Costco? I certainly would not.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJok0L2dqx5veU4lONqo2JUO9kXLQzKByxOvAkoAs2cJQ0GjG7ov8O7u2zv-nzCQ8A3D6xjZfAnoJK5zHK5hQWoULvrnIijCDV9IXhxqvbJKb7zcwZ6QNjTw-4A-5CSa4DQ3X7z2EMKEg/s304/costco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Costco Docklands" border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJok0L2dqx5veU4lONqo2JUO9kXLQzKByxOvAkoAs2cJQ0GjG7ov8O7u2zv-nzCQ8A3D6xjZfAnoJK5zHK5hQWoULvrnIijCDV9IXhxqvbJKb7zcwZ6QNjTw-4A-5CSa4DQ3X7z2EMKEg/s320/costco.jpg" title="Costco Docklands" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Bulk buying is addictive at Costco Docklands</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It also amazes me still that there are so many people that do not know what Costco is. It is a membership-only warehouse where you can buy items in bulk to put it simply. Individual membership costs $60/year and after the first time you shop there you will have saved that amount of money - I know that I did. I purchase a fair amount of liquor, non-alcoholic drinks (just picked up a slab of Cherry Coke for $9.99) and even white goods from the warehouse. The Hoover that I purchased broke down after six months and Costco was happy to take it back after I wheeled it into the warehouse dirty, without a box or a receipt and issued me with a store credit - no questions asked. The return policy is very American and is truly amazing. There is also a substantial meat and produce section where not only prime cuts of beef (think Waygu) and whole ducks that are on offer but also freshly made cakes, bread and fresh seafood. You can't go wrong with twelve freshly shucked coffin bay oysters for $11 either. Besides my love-affair with Costco (sometimes I will walk there from Southbank just to get a duck) there is a cafeteria of sorts that sells pizza, churros, salads and of course the aforementioned $2.50 hot dog with all you can drink soda. That has to be one of the best value-for-money quick and easy lunches in Melbourne and it is usually what I have before taking on the hordes of shoppers in the warehouse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can get a"guest pass" at Costco on Monday-Thursday if you want to check out the warehouse. Be aware that Costco checks membership cards if you try to park in their parking structure on Friday-Sunday.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7ipJT2HSANLooUQ9oVZX0-lnIpiDeMzOyuaws8YkGm1ajC45g472HJkMpfpfhC3B9H88Fn8itBccI0vNYZ1v2aCg9F9Ol5cJ9CkZxEXkyrsmvMs5cqlFPoRl-vGqBu8QF2_r3Pv3SFo/s275/harbour+town+hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Harbour Town Hotel, Docklands" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7ipJT2HSANLooUQ9oVZX0-lnIpiDeMzOyuaws8YkGm1ajC45g472HJkMpfpfhC3B9H88Fn8itBccI0vNYZ1v2aCg9F9Ol5cJ9CkZxEXkyrsmvMs5cqlFPoRl-vGqBu8QF2_r3Pv3SFo/s320/harbour+town+hotel.jpg" title="Harbour Town Hotel, Docklands" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harbour Town Hotel</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">9/12 Star Circus, Docklands VIC 3008</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">(03) 8080 9800</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.harbourtownhotel.com.au/">http://www.harbourtownhotel.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: n/a</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: n/a</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 64% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Harbour Town Hotel. A further 90% like the cafeteria inside Costco.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1444814/restaurant/Melbourne/Harbour-Town-Hotel-Docklands"><img alt="Harbour Town Hotel on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1444814/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1570092/restaurant/Melbourne/Costco-Docklands"><img alt="Costco on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1570092/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com09/12 Star Circus, Ozmosis Harbour Town, Docklands VIC 3008, Australia-37.812277 144.93662900000004-63.3343115 103.62803500000004 -12.290242500000002 -173.754777tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-42049877773557788102013-06-29T14:29:00.003+10:002013-06-29T14:29:57.348+10:00The Grain Store - Gentrifying The King Street Precinct<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There has been a fair amount of positive press about <b>The Grain Store </b>which recently opened on Flinders Lane. Enough so that my curiousity was piqued so much that I collected one other and made it a lunchtime meeting venue the other day with the hope that a cheeky bottle of wine and some fresh food would help kill the flu-like symptoms that I was trying to fight off.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vynPeDHS7I4jewNCTynJTwgebbuzt4UpIAjw0X77p_y-s_hrM4flEJwoQNJxyKzjpkix7nPjpV5x41tH1u-K9Oena9I-l04qU8BMu65LdpcTeRfcgZ_uajuVvfWtKq2M19250FUnBMc/s1600/20130626_153406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Grain Store, Flinders Lane, Melbourne" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vynPeDHS7I4jewNCTynJTwgebbuzt4UpIAjw0X77p_y-s_hrM4flEJwoQNJxyKzjpkix7nPjpV5x41tH1u-K9Oena9I-l04qU8BMu65LdpcTeRfcgZ_uajuVvfWtKq2M19250FUnBMc/s320/20130626_153406.jpg" title="The Grain Store, Flinders Lane, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The Grain Store Dining Room</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The "new" appearance shines through literally in this clean dining room with white walls complementing the wooden tables, chairs and exposed white ceiling. The name of the restaurant which pays homage to the bygone era of Melbourne when The Grain Store Tavern stood steadfast around the corner satisfies a much needed injection of quality into the business-end of Flinders Lane in an area that is populated with "gentleman's clubs" and dodgy pubs on King Street.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were enthusiastically greeted at the door and queried if we were interested in drinks (I am assuming coffee) or a long and relaxing lunch. Of course I was interested in the latter so we were taken to a table and provided menus that were concise but enticed you as everything looked to be quite intriguing on paper. Whilst I browsed the menu and enjoyed some light conversation, I had the chance to try a True South Pilsener ($8/schooner) which is produced by a microbrewery in Victoria with the same name. A very drinkable golden beer which I consumed quickly and then ordered a bottle of Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Pinot Noir ($64) which seemed appropriate. Oddly Ten Minutes by Tractor on the Mornington Peninsula was in the back of my mind strangely since I had just posted a review of my degustation experience at that restaurant earlier that day on this blog. The Iron Bark Pumpkin Soup ($11) was my first choice as this winter warmer, combined with the wine, I was hoping to affront not only my senses but fight off my flu-like symptoms. The wine softened my palate and allowed me to taste the sage oil and beautiful Chantilly cream intermixed with the pumpkin which went down my gob without any hesitation. Whilst devouring this first course, I spotted service moving whole pumpkins back to the kitchen ironically which was a testament to the freshness of this very reasonably priced dish.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhVtxMGyAr-avOKIlMlGaDLbWmesQVRo2PW4_DokWm3wy9KiQP1Z24cQL2xMLR-ixvVlUHz9jRGdAtA_BNvPBkAuZPvgc6Ilisg9aTNiwxsiKTkmMTErjz117dDdcKv5Q6QLkqYht1qw/s1600/20130626_153413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Grain Store, Flinders Lane, Melbourne" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhVtxMGyAr-avOKIlMlGaDLbWmesQVRo2PW4_DokWm3wy9KiQP1Z24cQL2xMLR-ixvVlUHz9jRGdAtA_BNvPBkAuZPvgc6Ilisg9aTNiwxsiKTkmMTErjz117dDdcKv5Q6QLkqYht1qw/s320/20130626_153413.jpg" title="The Grain Store, Flinders Lane, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Grain Store, Dining Room</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Romsey Range "Buttery" Beef Cheeks ($23) was delivered in time for me to match with my fair share of the wine. For some strange reason I was ravenous on this cold day and despite the excessive and lively conversation being had at the table, there was not much delay in cleaning out the bowl of soup remnants with the toasted bread that was provided so when the tender cheeks from the Romsey (Macedon) Range arrived, I quickly ascertained that they were so tender that I could cut them with the back of my knife. The Russian red kale and vanilla parsnip puree added some colour and additional excitement to this dish which would have easily held its own, especially when matched with this particular pinot noir. My dining companion had a simple beetroot salad ($16) and enjoyed it and also ordered a side of Brussel sprouts ($7) with pancetta and confit garlic which I was invited to share. Once again, the produce was fresh, crunchy and full of flavour which complimented a healthy serve of beef cheeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service was very friendly and happy to talk about the restaurant, the area and the entirety of this new and popular venture. The enthusiasm was infectious which led to an interesting conversation about food and wine. Besides being a seemingly popular destination for quick business meetings over a coffee, this venue is best enjoyed when you can sample not only the fresh food but the overall service experience. Sadly the restaurant closes at 4:00 PM but hopefully the popularity combined with the fact that the business end of Flinders Lane needs a quality eatery after hours, they will extend trading into the evening soon. At least I can hope.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SQ9LtgPUuAag98u59HanNAX1IFi0u7i1Wef-K6mz7IKK5whh3_zN7IGC47mtWqCl6ZEyUJbLOAjtS91MZKiWraFmCqjdOMzF0yxBzVaywqcxApkEYXmD9j1xFCBUlCfLf7cZSPxjPZA/s269/Grain+Store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Grain Store, Flinders Lane, Melbourne" border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SQ9LtgPUuAag98u59HanNAX1IFi0u7i1Wef-K6mz7IKK5whh3_zN7IGC47mtWqCl6ZEyUJbLOAjtS91MZKiWraFmCqjdOMzF0yxBzVaywqcxApkEYXmD9j1xFCBUlCfLf7cZSPxjPZA/s320/Grain+Store.jpg" title="The Grain Store, Flinders Lane, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Grain Store</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">(03) 9972 6993</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.grainstore.com.au/">http://www.grainstore.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 15/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 4/5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 90% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon also like The Grain Store.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1744696/restaurant/CBD/The-Grain-Store-Melbourne"><img alt="The Grain Store on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1744696/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.819482 144.95688599999994-63.3415165 103.64829199999994 -12.2974475 -173.73452000000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-61699599794424441502013-06-29T13:32:00.001+10:002013-06-29T13:32:36.584+10:00Porgie + Mr Jones, Hawthorn - Quirky<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A weekend visit to Hawthorn should inevitably involve some time being spent at the venerable <b>Porgie + Mr Jones</b>, a very quirky cafe on Auburn Road. I took time out for lunch with one other on a recent trip to the area, as it is always good for a relaxing laugh and some extremely fresh and tasty food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite being open for dinner and having a small degustation menu available two nights of the week and having a bit of a reputation for a killer breakfast, I found myself there for a relaxing Saturday lunch mainly because I slept in after an enjoyable night prior listening to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (presenting Rachmaninov's Third) and of course enjoying some alcoholic beverages, as one does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wanting some sugar, I ordered a Coke however an organic "SOHO" cola was presented. Personally I can't stand the taste of organic cola so I didn't drink it and instead offloaded it to my dining companion. Porgie + Mr Jones takes the produce that they purchase and ultimately sell very seriously so I wasn't surprised that something organic was being flogged as a substitute. We started our lunch with the crostini with sardines ($16.90) which was served at the same time as the steak standwich ($22.90) and the Porgies parma ($21.90) as we were feeling especially hungary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lillydale-sourced chicken probably made this parma one of the more robust offerings that I have ever had. Slices of apple complimented the ham hook, cheese and roasted tomatoes where the perfect amount of sauce made this lush, moist and huge piece of bread crumbed chicken a contender for my forthcoming "best of" commentary. The crostini translated as "little toasts" were accompanied by three dollops of roasted tomato salsa, avacado and a herby sour cream respectively. The avacado was amazing and you can easily tell that everything is freshly prepared which makes the journey to this cafe really worth the effort.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a very active and popular place and we were fortunate to only have to wait for a minute before securing a table. Besides having a takeaway counter for desserts and coffee, the cafe is segregated into areas with noticeably different themes: quirky hipster cafe, more formal dining room with lighter colours, a room for events and a garden terrace that is popular regardless of the weather it seems. You are certainly spoiled for choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides needing to source street parking in the area which is always a challenge, you need to remember to bring cash as credit cards are not accepted. Conveniently located next to the restaurant is a Commonwealth Bank ATM, so payment doesn't turn out to be a drama at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really like Porgie + Mr Jones. It has something for everyone, is a relaxed place with a buzzing ambiance and after you enjoy some hearty yet fresh food, you ultimately will leave happy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqX6vvM3q2a8YN5j3DL-IGbv08YC3f2AL1q_EI9V07P-pnHkCBHr_9hD7967H-BvyQNFsm0y9rFdwR2MbZ2478lJgHhTjSmpxrbgRoB1tEMY4r2dA6lSZp-_Q4EYq_vlCymOxnw8k8zpY/s240/porgie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Porgie + Mr Jones, Auburn Road, Hawthorn" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqX6vvM3q2a8YN5j3DL-IGbv08YC3f2AL1q_EI9V07P-pnHkCBHr_9hD7967H-BvyQNFsm0y9rFdwR2MbZ2478lJgHhTjSmpxrbgRoB1tEMY4r2dA6lSZp-_Q4EYq_vlCymOxnw8k8zpY/s320/porgie.jpg" title="Porgie + Mr Jones, Auburn Road, Hawthorn" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Porgie + Mr Jones</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">291 Auburn Rd Hawthorn VIC 3122</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">(03) 9882 2955</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.porgiemrjones.com.au/">http://www.porgiemrjones.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 13.5/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Comment: Cash only</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 81% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon also like Porgie + Mr Jones.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761527/restaurant/Melbourne/Porgie-and-Mr-Jones-Hawthorn"><img alt="Porgie and Mr Jones on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761527/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-41299507571702013412013-06-29T12:45:00.003+10:002013-06-29T13:26:10.967+10:00Portland Hotel - Tumbleweeds<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a 2:00 PM meeting so I really couldn't languish around in a restaurant and eat and drink as per usual, so one other hungry bloke and I opted to have lunch at the <b>Portland Hotel</b> which is on the corner of Little Collins Street and Russell Street in the Melbourne CBD.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What was strange about this place was that when we first entered this pub/hotel/restaurant, there was were absolutely nobody else eating or drinking. A virtual wasteland of empty tables and of course a bar and when I was approached by a member of staff my first query was whether or not they were in fact open for service. When he responded "yes" and let us choose a table, I wondered why there was nobody else in this place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ordered a pint of Porter as I thought that would accompany the "steak and kidney" pie quite well. My dining companion would ultimately enjoy bottle of cider and the "clubhouse" sandwich. It is always awkward having the only occupied table in a restaurant as I always think that the chef and kitchen staff will become annoyed that they have to do something. The "clubhouse" sandwich was prepared quickly and placed within sight under the heat lamp whilst presumably the pie was prepared. After the sandwich enjoyed getting its fake tan for about fifteen minutes and we watched the tumbleweed blow past, service brought out the food. I was advised that the "clubhouse" sandwich was quite dry. I wouldn't have thought fifteen minutes under the lights in the kitchen would have made that much of a difference but I could be wrong. the "steak and kidney" pie was rather underwhelming and it left a metallic taste in my mouth. With the single round of alcohol the total bill came to $70, which I thought was really excessive for what we got and given that the experience lasted just under an hour which would have been a choice regardless of whether I had a meeting or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the abundance of choice in the immediate area, I can think of at least ten other places that I would be happy to return to in the future and not feel annoyed that I ultimately had to part with money for minimal enjoyment. In future I may just visit on the weekends or evening where you can enjoy many different offerings of the James Squire range before heading elsewhere for nourishment.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODDl57ByXQby4g6gpkprX92sg6q1krTA7sJ70Wj8l1Lu66rFKBXyTs3UK8J4FCr_Af4Npqjjf5k4SqwkbW5Dh5sHyMmkTT_o77-jUYhYbhFsVbgnN4i8GAGsqE4ZDG77W6ybIgbPlC7I/s286/portland+hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Portland Hotel, Little Collins Street and Russell Street, Melbourne" border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODDl57ByXQby4g6gpkprX92sg6q1krTA7sJ70Wj8l1Lu66rFKBXyTs3UK8J4FCr_Af4Npqjjf5k4SqwkbW5Dh5sHyMmkTT_o77-jUYhYbhFsVbgnN4i8GAGsqE4ZDG77W6ybIgbPlC7I/s320/portland+hotel.jpg" title="Portland Hotel, Little Collins Street and Russell Street, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Portland Hotel</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">115-127 Russell St., Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">(03) 9810 0064</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.portlandhotel.com.au/">http://www.portlandhotel.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 10/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 2/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 2/5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 64% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like the Portland Hotel.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761529/restaurant/CBD/Portland-Hotel-James-Squire-Brewhouse-Melbourne"><img alt="Portland Hotel & James Squire Brewhouse on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761529/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0115 Russell Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.813667 144.96820000000002-63.3357015 103.65960600000003 -12.291632500000002 -173.723206tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-79288388387981975472013-06-27T12:21:00.000+10:002013-06-29T14:40:18.945+10:00Mercy Bar + Eatery - Virginia Plain Reborn<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After meeting up with a mate who was down from Sydney for work at the Transport Bar in Federation Square, I was warned that he could not enjoy a "big" night as a meeting was scheduled for 7:00 AM the following day on St Kilda Road. I was told that any dining experience that I organised would not be able to be "over the top" but he knows me well enough, as do most, that is simply a prerequisite to going out in this fine city with me. Having been interstate myself when <b>Mercy Bar + Eatery</b> opened its doors to the public mid-June, I was very curious to see what exactly the old Virginia Plain transformed itself into to so it was without too much convincing we took on the cold and had a wander up Flinders Lane.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the top of the stairs we were greeted by Mat Beyer and I noticed the familiar face of Andy Harmer in the kitchen. Sommelier </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Raúl Moreno Yagüe was noticeably absent after leaving the Virginia Plain venture which would become evident after examining the truncated wine list. Mercy is attempting to reign in their wine list after having some rather expensive and rare vintages on offer in its previous incarnation which is smart considering that they are trying to rebrand the restaurant to cater for both the casual beer drinker but also the smart and savvy diner that isn't necessarily looking for a Vue de Monde type of experience. Andy Harmer, being ex-Vue de Monde himself I learned in the Virginia Plain days knows how to walk the fine line of value for money and quality so I was excited to see that a small five course degustation menu ($65/pp) was being offered. I was certainly intrigued to see what the kitchen could and would produce for such a small amount of money. It was perhaps one of the best value of money degustation menus in Melbourne before when the kitchen was pumping out seven courses before for a mere $89 whilst music played from the legendary turntables.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">After we finished our Aaoni IPA ($13.50) from the Yoho Brewing Company, we were convinced that the restaurant is taking its lateral slide to wanting to appeal to beer drinkers seriously. Yoho produces craft beers in a can in Japan and they are hard to find in Australia. The happy blue face on the can that would stare at us and ultimately the bottle of 1981</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia</span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">(D.O.C.) from Spain soon took pride of place on our table. It didn't take much convincing for Mat to talk us into ordering this 32 year old bottle which would turn out to be wonderfully balanced, complex and earthy. We were earmarked to "help" the restaurant decrease their stash of wine bottles and we in turn were happy to oblige. As we allowed the wine to open up it developed even further and I would soon learn that it provided a very nice pairing with the first course, a modest serving of French onion soup. Topped with a very appealing </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Gruyère cheese that was purveyed by the Swiss affineur Rolf Beeler and a playful cheese foam made this first offering from the busy kitchen not only contemporary but modified to merge into what Mercy is trying to communicate: a relaxed environment where you should be taking conversation instead of the food seriously. You can see the Vue de Monde influence on this dish but it is in turn simple, full of flavour and certainly helped line the stomach in preparation for a further assault by the Rioja.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Quail and mushroom terrine with raisin puree and chestnuts would turn out to be my favourite course. Besides never having enjoyed a quail terrine, this was really amazing paired with the wine. Both creamy and a consistency that melts in your mouth, the flavours of the little bird were only complemented by the mushroom and the raisin flavour and provided a natural transition to match with the Rioja. I was really impressed with this dish and I was left wanting to take a loaf of terrine home with me to spread on anything and everything.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Having made quick work of the bottle of Rioja, we were offered a bottle of 2007 Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie Blonde. It is a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier with great characteristics however it was a bit presumptuous to order yet another bold wine knowing that a delicate cod fillet from <strike>Cheltham</strike> Chatham Island (an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about 700 kilometres southeast of New Zealand) with French green lentils (lentilles du Puy), carmalised endive and saffron sauce was indeed the third course. Much like how I reflected that the green lentils made the dish when they accompanied the Flinders Island Wallaby recently at Ten Minutes by Tractor, the lentilles du Puy was the highlight of this dish for me. Not discounting the delicate and tasty fish, the lentils seemingly matched better with the earthy wine. <i>Note, I was recently publicly corrected on Twitter for misspelling the name of Chatham Island, for which I apologise for.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">However when the Syrah-Voignier blend was experienced with the next course, roasted bone marrow. I was impressed. Unlike my dining companion, I quite enjoy the texture of marrow and had fun scooping it out of the bone. Although some would argue it is not the most substantial amount of food, the colour and the taste are amazing and makes for a wonderful course when matched with a bold wine or even beer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">A simple pear and chocolate dessert provided for an amusing and tasty finale. Soft pear and rich chocolate is always a winner when matched together and did not require much thought or distraction from the other courses that ultimately provided both nourishment and left a positive impression.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Some wine racks have been removed in the restaurant and street art has been left in their place. Most of the 120-person long dining room remains the same however some high and long tables have been strategically placed near the bar which will encourage the after-work crowd to pull up a pew and have a few quiet ones whilst ultimately being tempted from the food menu. Mercy goes out of their way to make things convenient for the drinkers and diners which is smart as once you enter this long room and notice the grand bar, you will not want to leave after smelling what is being prepared in the kitchen. Tables are spaced well so even when you are in the proximity of a rambunctious crowd, it doesn't feel like you are being invaded by the hordes and I am confident, vice-versa.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Service always remained very cheerful, engaging and consultative and although I didn't get around to talking Mat into switching out the vinyl that was spinning for The Cure, the Virginia Plain tragics will be happy to learn that the turntables are still in operation. Oddly with the subtle transformation, I am more inclined to visit Mercy and leaves itself as a serious contender for your dining (and drinking) dollars as it sits regally next to stiff competition in the form of both Cumulus, Inc. and Cumulus Up.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ62Lp9iBaZxCW1iV5qqWTCRCGRrlyYAcwTkIuz1J5Py23Xr5WK7ffIkbB14QsNTqQTuwyUj-mVlrU_GFdDNIYkTDMrII0LAyqi8dz1CYlG9VmeMqhomY15lAPCqjekC_giiJpYxIfvY/s1600/Mercy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mercy Bar + Eatery, Flinders Lane, Melbourne" border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ62Lp9iBaZxCW1iV5qqWTCRCGRrlyYAcwTkIuz1J5Py23Xr5WK7ffIkbB14QsNTqQTuwyUj-mVlrU_GFdDNIYkTDMrII0LAyqi8dz1CYlG9VmeMqhomY15lAPCqjekC_giiJpYxIfvY/s320/Mercy.jpg" title="Mercy Bar + Eatery, Flinders Lane, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mercy Bar + Eatery</b><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">31 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br />
<nobr style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">(03) 9290 0400</nobr><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mercybareatery.com.au/">http://www.mercybareatery.com.au</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 15.25/20</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 3.75/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 4.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Comment: Great value 5 course degustation</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I made this post originally, 85% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon also liked Mercy Bar + Eatery however there was only a small sample of 27 votes to date.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1758451/restaurant/CBD/Mercy-bar-eatery-Melbourne"><img alt="Mercy bar + eatery on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1758451/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com031 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8146756 144.97330569999997-63.336710100000005 103.66471169999997 -12.2926411 -173.71810030000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-48350508417796932162013-06-27T09:17:00.001+10:002013-06-27T09:17:41.282+10:00Kenzan - Sterile<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I finished the task of getting my haircut on a lazy Monday afternoon, I arranged to catch up with a mate at Bar Ampere on Russell Place for a quiet drink. We both admitted that we had been too busy (lazy) to enjoy either breakfast or lunch for that matter on that particular cold day so we decided to source some food at an early hour. Given it is more of a challenge to find a restaurant open on a Monday evening, we settled on <b>Kenzan</b> at 45 Collins Street which is at the "Paris End" of Collins Street, within Collins Place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a drink was enjoyed at the bar inside Pei Modern, we presented ourselves at 6:00 PM on the dot frothing at the mouth and wanting fish. Heaps of raw fish for that matter. We were given two seats at the sushi bar and a wine list almost immediately. It didn't take long to realise that this Japanese restaurant is devoid of character. The intensity of the light shining down us was a bit extreme and the cold dead corpses of the fish at rest within the refrigerated sushi case were minimal at best. The wooden bar contrasted with the general dining room that is partitioned from the sushi bar area by a wooden lattice. This is a transitory yet rated eatery according to the latest The Age Good Food Guide and is notably frequented by Sofitel hotel guests who want to "work at the table" which contrasts with the look and the feel of the restaurant completely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we drank our Asahi ($8.50) we decided to order a 720ml bottle of Hatsumago Junmai honkarakuchi "Makiri" Sake ($85) which is pretty pricey compared to the retail cost. The server was a bit shocked that we ordered the 720ml bottle. At first my dining companion thought it may have been a 1.5L bottle and was relieved to learn I didn't pull that old trick however we were both confident that we would polish off that volume of cold sake without a drama.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the spirit of making things easy, we decided to order essentially everything besides the vegetarian options on both the "sushi" and "sashimi" menus. Once again the server was shocked and claimed that it was a fair amount of food. I exclaimed that we were starving from not having eaten all day and that we would be fine. She communicated our order to the sushi chef and he looked equally surprised. There was what appeared to be a tense conversation behind the sushi bar and then the chef began work on our feast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The soft sake and its citrus taste was "easy drinking" and when we received our first plate of maki - sushi - I would find the sake to be a good match and also it being thrown down my gob at an accelerated rate. Unagi Maki (Freshwater Eel - $9.90), Tekka Maki (Red Tuna, $7.70), Sake Maki (Salmon), California Roll Maki (Avacado and Prawn, $9.90), Spicy Tuna Rolls ($11.00/each), Tobiko California Roll Maki (Avacado, Prawn and Flying Fish Roe, $13.00) and Ebitem Maki (Prawn Tempura, $22.00) all appeared at the same time and made for a small feast. I did not find the tuna or salmon especially oily and besides for the grilled eel, everything to be rather uneventful and simply just filler which I realise is a bit extreme to say.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After quickly consuming the sushi, a plate of sashimi was delivered. Ebi (Cooked Prawn, $6/each), Hotate (Scallop, $5.50/each), Tuna ($6/each), Ikura (Red Salmon Roe, $5.50/each), Unagi (Freshwater Eel, $5.50/each), Toro (Tuna Belly, $8.00/each) and Uni (Sea Urchin, $7.00/each). The standouts which were a bit "special" and full of flavour was the raw tuna belly and the sea urchin. Although not the premium "o-toro" the belly of the tuna was so good that we would order three repeat orders of both that and the tasty sea urchin before we vacated the bottle of sake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although service was attentive, it was not over the top in my humble opinion. Sometimes I have found when sitting at the sushi bar in other premium restaurants that service would frequently reach in and interrupt your conversation to refill the sake from the bottle that rests on your table. This didn't happen at Kenzan and the lack of extended service may put some people off however I find this sort of attention very distracting so I appreciated what I got at the restaurant. I was hoping for more "special" kinds of fish on offer however this shortcoming combined with the dull and sterile ambiance where nothing was really a stand-out simply made me feel that I was filling my stomach in the end. It was all certainly good, but special? No.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kenzan received one chef's hat in the 2012/2013 The Age Good Food Guide.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmFbKA0sk_uff458f8Kx1nqe8WG7325BsMoBNedVHOKap1fWmttvKuHgGCsiSjOL7VBFIMI4gvG2wWkG4YQaaAtPjLvSYfpNumZ38024MajH7d6rBSsyctdo4mdIXtqX0ejxv0_j5ctc/s1600/kenzan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kenzan Restaurant, Collins Place, Melbourne" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmFbKA0sk_uff458f8Kx1nqe8WG7325BsMoBNedVHOKap1fWmttvKuHgGCsiSjOL7VBFIMI4gvG2wWkG4YQaaAtPjLvSYfpNumZ38024MajH7d6rBSsyctdo4mdIXtqX0ejxv0_j5ctc/s320/kenzan.jpg" title="Kenzan Restaurant, Collins Place, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Collins Place</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">45 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">(03) 9654 8933</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kenzan.com.au/">http://www.kenzan.com.au/</a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 14/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 88% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Kenzan Restaurant.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760994/restaurant/CBD/Kenzan-Japanese-Melbourne"><img alt="Kenzan Japanese on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/760994/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com045 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8178624 144.95807109999998-37.8179114 144.95799209999998 -37.817813400000006 144.95815009999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-74272725470753672902013-06-26T12:17:00.000+10:002013-06-26T12:17:06.479+10:00Ten Minutes by Tractor - Mornington Peninsula Indulgence<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides having the intention of visiting a plethora of wineries on my recent day trip to the Mornington Peninsula, I wanted indulge my senses at Ten Minutes by Tractor. Their degustation menu had come highly recommended from multiple sources and far be it for me to ignore people in the know with excellent taste. Combined with the fact that the restaurant added an additional chef's hat to their collection in the latest The Age Good Food Guide and the fact that they are sourcing wallaby from Flinders Island Meats made this destination in Main Ridge almost impossible to pass up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The small dining room is situated behind the winery's public cellar door which has a few vintages on offer to taste before you are ultimately escorted to your reserved table. Fortunately for us we were seated on the perimeter of the restaurant with direct views out to the vines and the sheep that methodically followed each other up and down the rows of grapes chewing on grass however every table in the house has a good view. It is an idyllic and relaxing backdrop that merges well with the fit-out of the contemporary dining room. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were two different degustation menus available and surprisingly, I opted for the more limited five course option ($109 + $62 for matching wines) only because I knew if I enjoyed the hospitality of the restaurant all afternoon I would fail in my task of visiting four of the wineries that I really like being Stonier, Eldridge Estate, Oceans Eight and Paringa Estate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A simple but powerful goats' cheese from neighbouring Red Hill with pickled mushrooms, toasted brioche, apple and walnut kicked off proceedings. The produce was regional, fresh and exciting as the tastes competed for position on my palate. My customary West Winds Gin and Tonic ($10) placated my thirst and I was left contemplating the cheese thinking that I needed to source some from Red Hill on my journey back to Melbourne. This was an outstanding way to start this degustation experience and the woes of the world took a back seat as thoughts and conversation turned to food, wine and everything associated with the epicurean journey that was ahead of us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roasted Hapuka, a deep sea wreckfish from the southern waters off of South Australia appeared next with cauliflower, curried quinoa, crystal bay prawns and romesco. I was not only impressed with the produce but also with the presentation. Matched with 2009 Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate Chardonnay really complemented both the Hapuka but also the prawns very well. The curried quinoa gave the needed kick to make the fish go from good to great across the palate without distracting you from the taste of the fish. Service demonstrated their professionalism by keeping the table orderly and not interrupting our ruckus conversation and ensuring that I always had some wine in my glass to drink.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quail was next sacrificed to satisfy our hunger. The little bird was smoked and served with pumpkin, black rice, kaiserfleich and macadamias. The kaiserfleich is ham made from the eye of pork loin supplemented the tender meat of the quail and had a thought-provoking taste which I pondered both silently and later verbally as I enjoyed it with a 2010 Turners Crossing Shiraz Voignier, the wine being sourced from Bendigo, Victoria. I had never thought of merging these tastes together and I was really happy that I got to experience it in such a lovely venue paired with such a bold wine.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9SuLfaKZGXWgdXLuzOELJlM8DLSBGFMN3FiR2t1A9djRV7k2qdB0v5dp4oASJpZUa1AhWGotQstxsYh4B4FMJ3H28VPdoU68PY4ySEkc4j9ltyFKheN7Nm3UAnapZJTrg7PaIKJtV1k/s1600/wallaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ten Minutes by Tractor, Wallaby, Flinders Island Meats" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9SuLfaKZGXWgdXLuzOELJlM8DLSBGFMN3FiR2t1A9djRV7k2qdB0v5dp4oASJpZUa1AhWGotQstxsYh4B4FMJ3H28VPdoU68PY4ySEkc4j9ltyFKheN7Nm3UAnapZJTrg7PaIKJtV1k/s320/wallaby.jpg" title="Ten Minutes by Tractor, Wallaby, Flinders Island Meats" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Flinders Island Wallaby</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was excited knowing that the next course was in fact Wallaby sourced from Flinders Island Meats. At this point I had enjoyed their fine product at Attica, Vue de Monde and Jacques Reymond and I really enjoy seeing how top chefs work with this meat. In Chef Stuart Bell's case, he devised a sublime dish with French green lentils <span style="background-color: white;">(</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lentilles du Puy)</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, heritage carrots, quince marinated potatoes, tarragon and minted peas. Although I adored the wallaby, I really think that the lentils is what made this dish work so well. The texture of both of the elements, interestingly enough paired once again with the Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Chardonnay, however this was the 2011 vintage, really worked. I thought the wallaby despite being brilliant would have been more appropriate being served rarer however that is just a personal choice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The aptly titled "Avant Dessert" being a vanilla creme brulee with baked apple espuma and raspberries proceeded the decadent Michel Cluizel chocolate and rhubarb ganache with rhubarb panna cotta and a cointreau ice cream. I don't have many favourite dessert "flavours" but the kitchen can seemingly read minds and put everything that I like on a plate where the presentation just<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2O7Tlt6Fx8kOV2TkNZzJXvi4gPqrj01v88kTs5A4RmwCWGFmWqy3tvtKlzK-8HHwZH_28hOT9jBNEu-o3NxsrrU_-DrhRNA7idusbN17WKTvgefa-8SoBG8l7Zjte6xOdzdEL1_DqPU/s1600/choc+rhubarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ten Minutes by Tractor, Chocolate Rhubarb Dessert" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2O7Tlt6Fx8kOV2TkNZzJXvi4gPqrj01v88kTs5A4RmwCWGFmWqy3tvtKlzK-8HHwZH_28hOT9jBNEu-o3NxsrrU_-DrhRNA7idusbN17WKTvgefa-8SoBG8l7Zjte6xOdzdEL1_DqPU/s320/choc+rhubarb.jpg" title="Ten Minutes by Tractor, Chocolate Rhubarb Dessert" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chocolate and Rhubarb</i></td></tr>
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blew me away. Regular readers of this blog know that I rarely take photos of food (I find it rude but in this case I was able to take photos of not only the Wallaby but this Chocolate and Rhubarb dessert without being noticed and of course without the flash being on) but this particular course deserved to be immortalised for all posterity. Paired with a Topaque Cambells from Rutherglen, a sweet wine of kings that matched perfectly with the rich chocolate. The rhubarb ganache left me wanting more and when combined with the simple flavour of the alcohol-infused ice cream, I found another contender for a "best dessert" of the year award.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We finished the 2.5 hour meal with various cheeses - more amazing goats' milk and hard cooked cheese both hailing from the Main Ridge Dairy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service remained very hospitable and throughout the experience went out of their way to make us comfortable. They made it seem like nothing was ever too hard and that our one or two requests would of course not be a drama at all. Both my wine glass and the water glass always remained filled and the homely yet rustic ambiance really set the mood for a relaxing lunch that is destined to be one of my highlights for 2013. I am looking forward to not only incorporating Ten Minutes by Tractor into my frequent wine tasting excursions on my frequent trips around the Mornington Peninsula but also taking on the more expansive degustation menu on a future visit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ten Minutes by Tractor was awarded two chefs hats in the 2012/2013 The Age Good Food Guide.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZg_WrV4sJpibCS-F7fW-MaCLs30rdDG8p5cYLib8tiai5NTMfRJ0uaqZg0MQUe8BdFErQ5Or_siSJT0uecjV4V-uRn7_J-j2OJEr0K1z0rtOGebrlBXAhCkM8VZcL-zYG-i2euGVg8Y/s1600/10X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ten Minutes by Tractor, Mornington Peninsula, Main Ridge" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZg_WrV4sJpibCS-F7fW-MaCLs30rdDG8p5cYLib8tiai5NTMfRJ0uaqZg0MQUe8BdFErQ5Or_siSJT0uecjV4V-uRn7_J-j2OJEr0K1z0rtOGebrlBXAhCkM8VZcL-zYG-i2euGVg8Y/s320/10X.jpg" title="Ten Minutes by Tractor, Mornington Peninsula, Main Ridge" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ten Minutes by Tractor</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">1333 Mornington Flinders Road</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">(03) 5989 6080</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au/">http://www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au/</a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 17.5/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 4.25/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 4.25/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 4.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 82% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Ten Minutes by Tractor.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/346/1495653/restaurant/Victoria/Red-Hill/Ten-Minutes-by-Tractor-Main-Ridge"><img alt="Ten Minutes by Tractor on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1495653/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com01333 Mornington-Flinders Road, Main Ridge VIC 3928, Australia-38.394792 144.99483099999998-63.9168265 103.68623699999998 -12.872757500000002 -173.69657500000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-79526731913045252142013-06-26T10:33:00.000+10:002013-06-26T10:33:13.025+10:00Café Vue 430 Little Collins Street - Fifi Box<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With five of Shannon Bennett's café's dispersed around Melbourne, you are never far away from sampling his fabled "lunch box" and on a recently cold and blustery day, I arranged to have a lunch meeting at the site of the old Vue de Monde mothership at 430 Little Collins Street, where <b>Café Vue </b>shares its space with Bistro Vue. There are advantages to frequenting this particular Bennett café as you have direct access to the heavily stocked bar in the Bistro next door and every Friday night (subject to confirmation on their website) Café Vue puts on a cocktail degustation where five alcoholic drinks are paired with five small courses for the tidy amount of $95. There is a reason to stay in the CBD after hours when you combine music, cocktails and small servings of food but I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At both breakfast and lunch you need to arrive with a certain amount of resolve and patience to take on the masses not only on the hunt for takeaway coffee and desserts but be ready to snatch a table when ultimately one becomes free. There are roughly thirty seats at tables in the small dining room, including some high stools that border the glass wall. There are a few tables that would be considered "outside" of the café, but they are not truly outside, just essentially comfortable areas retrofitted in the corridor connecting the entrance and Bistro Vue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staff do a good job keeping both the diners at the tables and those having takeaway requirements under control. I intended to spend over an hour here but it turned out to be two because of the ability to order drinks from the Bistro Vue bar, as ultimately I enjoyed three rounds of Hendricks Gin and Tonic ($11.50/each) all whilst enjoying pleasant conversation. The menu is simple and effective but I noticed that it leads customers asking a vast array of questions about the various dishes. How many questions can you really devise about a sandwich or a salad? People manage to at this place simply because they are looking for the full Shannon Bennett Vue de Monde experience but wait, this is Café Vue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 48 hour lamb leg ($24) with Yorkshire pudding, battered mash and mint salad seemed appropriate to order considering the weather. Normally I would purchase a lunch box as they all contain a starter, salad, savoury and sweet items for a reasonable $20. There are also vegetarian and gluten-free lunch box options which only compounds the popularity of this café when the lunch whistle sounds but that is what gives this space such charm. I could cut my lamb leg with the back of my knife and the pudding along with the mash made for a hearty single course lunch whilst I sipped my Hendricks & Tonic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not being a stranger to Café Vue during the day, I find the service consistently "busy" satisfying everyone's needs which does tend to lead to some delays if you are a seated diner. An LED television is affixed to a wall so you can keep up to date on the never-ending Labor leadership crisis also.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I want a quick fix of Shannon Bennett's fare, I head to Café Vue. Knowing that on days where I just get a lunch box to takeaway, I just have to part with a single orange note is refreshing in a way as I can live my life vicariously through what is happening on top of the Rialto tower through a few morsels that not only evoke memories of the past but further entice me back into the warm arms of the Bennett empire.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16sPICy4luzhyphenhyphen1ygZAhMZWhGC-wcHWBf83v0mq-kQkvo5WYiQIzqkrkIzyhu46pb4U40EKhJAgsNYr4IUNfV08TzyK6OioXtL0wUhaGAzT6qhFXiLDLHgMU72ZMxEppxOU-nDFWoFgYU/s1600/cafe+vue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cafe Vue, Normanby Chambers, 430 Little Collins Street, Melbourne" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16sPICy4luzhyphenhyphen1ygZAhMZWhGC-wcHWBf83v0mq-kQkvo5WYiQIzqkrkIzyhu46pb4U40EKhJAgsNYr4IUNfV08TzyK6OioXtL0wUhaGAzT6qhFXiLDLHgMU72ZMxEppxOU-nDFWoFgYU/s320/cafe+vue.jpg" title="Cafe Vue, Normanby Chambers, 430 Little Collins Street, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Café Vue</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">430 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">(03) 9691 3899</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/">http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/</a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 13.25/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3.25/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 3.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 80% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Café Vue at 430 Little Collins Street</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1432307/restaurant/CBD/Cafe-Vue-Melbourne"><img alt="Café Vue on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1432307/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0430 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8169999 144.95726200000001-37.817048899999996 144.95718300000001 -37.8169509 144.957341tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-78253650338212929582013-06-26T09:38:00.001+10:002013-06-26T09:38:02.839+10:00Sarti - Reborn<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is almost with a sense of amusement I think back to the circumstances as to how I ended up at Sarti on Russell Lane recently. I was walking across the pedestrian footbridge with the epicurean emo and we were musing about where to get some food and wine. I checked Twitter and saw that the most recent tweet from a restaurant was in fact <b>Sarti</b> stating that their Peroni representative was in the restaurant and that those hungry, thirsty or just curious should stop by. Not having been to Sarti since the recent renovation and and change of the head chef, I was intrigued.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were greeted and given a table despite not having a reservation. It had been a few years since I dined at Sarti and the recent renovations are not only immediately noticeable for anyone that has had the pleasure of dining at this Italian eatery in the past but now the introduction of warmer and brighter colours that effectively makes the bar in the centre of the restaurant a focal point all the more interesting. Not being distracted by the inviting bar, which one could easily exploit for a few glasses of red and a cheeky dish on the side, we took our assigned table happily and were quickly provided bread and a wine list. Not wanting to be immediately concerned with wine pairing as we were provided a glass of Peroni courtesy of the on-site beer agent, I opted for the 2010 Hauner Salina Rosso Rose ($64) which is from the island of Salina in the Aeolian Islands off the northern coast of Sicily. What would be regarded as a "cheap and cheerful" wine, this matched well with our first course, a "Mixed Board" ($29) which included a selection of salumi and buffalo mozzarella. I was not only impressed with the volume of the meat but also the quality of both it and the cheese which was classified D.O.C. as you would expected. Morsels of the spicy salumi matched well with the spices inherent in the wine and given that the grapes were produced from a volcanic region, I found the tastes to be complimentary.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HQ_YyEA_MVpSX2NMsX_ZBuJHhp0pVwLJgA1MyQRDXSf6GLgTnYNwtVLP-KV1_-6OP4MGOTB2iaKrkpDLKe2DQIjhW3ysKwoBTYClukk6talUKTvDn8H75u-SBdWFlkw4zY869qe35UE/s1600/Sarti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sarti Restaurant, Russell Place, Melbourne" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HQ_YyEA_MVpSX2NMsX_ZBuJHhp0pVwLJgA1MyQRDXSf6GLgTnYNwtVLP-KV1_-6OP4MGOTB2iaKrkpDLKe2DQIjhW3ysKwoBTYClukk6talUKTvDn8H75u-SBdWFlkw4zY869qe35UE/s320/Sarti.jpg" title="Sarti Restaurant, Russell Place, Melbourne" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Mozzarella roll ($19) which included cured ocean trout, mascarpone, avacado and Avruga caviar followed. I was enamored by the simple beauty of the dish but also the substantial amount of produce which was just not limited to avacado. The caviar and ocean trout were not only refreshing but also paired well with the wine. Fortunately the great mixture of tastes matched the high quality of presentation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were advised that one of the entree specials was in fact a venison carpaccio ($16) which I was very interested in trying. After recently enjoying some beautiful venison over two courses at Grossi Florentino, chef Paolo Masciopinto (ex-Sosta Cucina) certainly had to meet let alone exceed some very high expectations for this dish of raw meat. Alll I can say is - Wow! Once again I was amazed and my expectations were exceeded. So much so, I ordered a repeat serving of this dish just because it was so amazing. Repeating orders is a rare occurrence for me and to this day I am haunted and sullen that I did not opt for a third round.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spaghetti alla Chitarra ($28) which is a combination of black ink pasta, Western Australian blue spanner crab, fresh tomato, garlic, chilli was the final dish to find its way to me from the kitchen. Paired with a 2012 Dal Zotto Rosato ($9/glass) I found this dish not only full of flavour which was highlighted by an appropriate amount of ink, but also the substantial amount of blue swimmer crab. Everything just worked so well and the chilli was just the right amount not to overwhelm the pasta or kill the wine. I really enjoyed this dish - in fact I really enjoyed everything at Sarti.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recent facelift of Sarti combined with a new head chef has caused Sarti to evolve positively. Between the comfortable bar, the layout of the tables which are far enough apart that you do not intrude upon other diners and a relaxing outdoor patio that is easily accessed, this restaurant has the ability to satisfy even the most demanding of patrons. The smart yet consultative service was always at hand to provide advice, especially with the wine list and later the menu to ensure that our bizarre and greedy palates were satisfied and they succeeded. I walked out of Sarti after spending 2.5 hours there much happier than when I arrived which was not only refreshing in itself but certainly put the restaurant on the forefront of my radar where I look forward to returning soon and often.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sarti received one chef's hat in the 2012/2013 The Age Good Food Guide.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8JabaDxapX0Os4B-afeJJYOtxcPUVU_JOlrf4LtqSjXdTwG-zXAZwG1GoTQHJMl2fQMlAGG8i4cCYfRZDXzerMwZWm7LNAhw4ZsQbLLRNrZZ2Kf3f9djA8eHyr7EeQElx9pgva79Xn4/s1600/sarti-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sarti Restaurant, Russell Lane, Melbourne" border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8JabaDxapX0Os4B-afeJJYOtxcPUVU_JOlrf4LtqSjXdTwG-zXAZwG1GoTQHJMl2fQMlAGG8i4cCYfRZDXzerMwZWm7LNAhw4ZsQbLLRNrZZ2Kf3f9djA8eHyr7EeQElx9pgva79Xn4/s320/sarti-2.jpg" title="Sarti Restaurant, Russell Lane, Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sarti</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">6 Russell Place, Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.sartirestaurant.com.au/">http://www.sartirestaurant.com.au</a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 16.75/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 4.25/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 4/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4.25/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 4.25/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 71% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Sarti.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761686/restaurant/CBD/Sarti-Melbourne"><img alt="Sarti on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761686/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com06 Russell Place, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8140122 144.96755280000002-63.3360467 103.65895880000002 -12.2919777 -173.7238532tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-66977950023515078612013-06-22T10:51:00.001+10:002013-06-22T10:51:56.234+10:00Siglo - Parfait, Caviar and Red Wine<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was recently posed with the question of where one can eat and drink but also smoke cigarettes, I thought of the tables outside of European on Spring Street however knowing that <b>Siglo</b>, which is the rooftop terrace bar above both European and Melbourne Supper Club would not be as packed - or at least I didn't not expect it to be as packed, would make a good alternative that satisfied the simple yet smelly prerequisite that was given to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once you emerge on the rooftop after walking up a flight of stairs that takes you past the Melbourne Supper Club dining room, you are greeted by service. Walking past the bar en route to a table is when you first see the view of both St. Patrick's Cathedral and the top of Parliament House. Plants and heat lambs provide unnatural barriers between your table and other guests and as I would find the smoker puffing away and sitting rather regally whilst he waited for us to join him and order both beer and wine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My original plan was to stay at Siglo for an hour but time seemingly got away from me and it turned into a four hour eating and drinking marathon. Starting off with many bottles of Alhambra ($11.50) a beautiful beer from Spain that is a golden lager that is very drinkable on a cold winter night, we moved onto glasses of 2010 Artadi Tempranillo. This is when I thought I would only be at Siglo for an hour however this biodymamically produced wine that hails from the north of Rioja, Spain was excellent and either made me lethargic or encouraged conversation (I suspect both) so ultimately I made myself comfortable and stayed for the long hall. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A very reasonably priced dish of escargot ($12) was arranged by the kitchen. Not simply served in garlic butter, but it also had hints of parsley and cognac, made these morsels of our garden friends very tasty and I would soon find paired well with the bottle of 2010 Bird in Hand Nest Egg Shiraz ($139) from the Adelaide Hills. Interestingly, this vintage was awarded Winestate Magazine's "Best Shiraz in the World" which I find intriguing. In this competition, 720 wines were judged and 20 of them were awarded five stars. This being one of them but this vintage also took out top honours curiously. Given the price point, it makes this bottle great value for money however is it the best Shiraz that I have enjoyed from 2010? Probably not however it was great to see the Adelaide Hills win an award of this type.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Truffled duck liver parfait, pear chutney and toasted brioche ($15.50) appeared on the mish-mash of tables that were assembled before us next. What always impresses me about Siglo, let alone European and Melbourne Supper Club is when you order a parfait, you get an adequate amount of bread. There is nothing as annoying as not having a good ratio of elements as it is very inconvenient when you ultimately must wait to have your foodstuff topped up so you do not have to act uncivilised. Prawn and lemongrass wontons with sweet chili ($13.50) contrasted the smooth flavours of the parfait and ultimately the oil inherent with the wanton would thankfully further coat my stomach as bigger and bolder things were being planned to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caviar (30g for $250 at market price) would arrive next with a bottle of 2008 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.2em;">Domaine Faury Côte-Rôtie Syrah ($150) from Northern Rhone, France. The tart taste of the wine when matched with the caviar, literally left an explosion of complimentary tastes across my palate. This wine had great structure and made for a fantastic pair with the caviar however if I was in a more lucid state before this course of sorts, I would have enjoyed a shot of vodka just to cleanse my tastebuds from the </span><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">niceties</span><span style="line-height: 1.2em;"> that were previously enjoyed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2em;">Service remained more intrigued if anything because we were hitting it hard with reckless abandon however as my learned friend said, you have to live while you are young. Although in general we were tasked with topping up our wine glasses, this did not matter in the end because of the crowded nature of our little area. To have service constantly turning up to undertake this duty would have been inconvenient for all involved. Although there were only a handful of people at Siglo at 6:00 PM, the entire rooftop was buzzing at 10:00 PM. There were enough heat lamps running so we never noticed that it was the dead of winter but at the same time we did not bake.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 1.2em;">I like Siglo. I like everything in this building actually and given the late, or should I say early morning opening hours, it makes for a good destination to finish your night or even quite the opposite as it is easy to lose track of time especially when you have such good food, wine, service and of course </span><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">pleasant</span><span style="line-height: 1.2em;"> conversation to distract you.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHGTDExvVFkFVo_R-EGGXkozekJHye0-zbpo7tbcz1cq9o7702P83DWs90-WdGVgln9YHm6Vpj3ZaPFdT__bU-uPNne6mIkIZ7eq_BRMx1M70rD7AlZx2im2n_Dx4f5ttaP2CSmNK7rE/s1600/Siglo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHGTDExvVFkFVo_R-EGGXkozekJHye0-zbpo7tbcz1cq9o7702P83DWs90-WdGVgln9YHm6Vpj3ZaPFdT__bU-uPNne6mIkIZ7eq_BRMx1M70rD7AlZx2im2n_Dx4f5ttaP2CSmNK7rE/s320/Siglo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fffde9;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.2em;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Siglo</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Level 2, 161 Spring St., Melbourne VIC 3000</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">(03) 9654 6300</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.theeuropean.com.au/functions.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.theeuropean.com.au/functions.html</span></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 14.75/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3.25/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 4/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 82% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Siglo.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1486801/restaurant/CBD/Siglo-Melbourne"><img alt="Siglo on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1486801/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0161 Spring Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8109466 144.97278570000003-63.3329811 103.66419170000003 -12.288912100000001 -173.7186203tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-31705367022758889832013-06-17T13:39:00.001+10:002013-06-19T15:24:57.372+10:00Quay, Sydney - Three Hats and Counting<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you who read my tribute to Marc and Cher Thompson of Bistro Lilly yesterday, you would have learned that for many years whilst I lived happily in Sydney, it was in the quiet and secluded harbourside suburb of Millers Point. Bordering The Rocks and only a stones throw from Circular Quay gave me ease of access to not only the restaurants but the bars in this picturesque tourist mecca. When I was part of a "gentlemans club" which is essentially four arseholes (sic) that met up once a month with the intent to go fine dining and talk about important topics like women, the ASX, wine and sport (not in that order) the last venue that we attended was <b>Quay</b> in Circular Quay West before I moved to Brisbane. It had been roughly three years and many chefs hats, a plethora of awards and an abundance of accolades that had been thrust on both the restaurant and Executive Chef Peter Gilmore since I last sat in this restaurant so it was with not only morbid curiosity but a sense of nostalgia that I chose to dine at Quay last week with a client. My sole intention for my day trip to Sydney was to take this particular client out to lunch so he was thrilled to be invited to Quay as it was his first visit and was high on his bucket list. After recently dining at the best that Melbourne has to offer over the last six months I was most interested in comparing and contrasting the overall epicurean experiences and left talk about transformation and other boring topics take a back seat.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNVOZ3E0_JLG3cB4wPbS-4c4tkzBsrjH2LGRmnN2uffCl1buL2tOnkIzd7Ub1dpZLXdhDhvw7YEmy9cMn6KHrkrc05zGaW2gLcVK1j8VPqkJTaj1tZtI617KiwZJSyRu-ysTYFqAUanU/s1600/Opera+House+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sydney Opera House, outside Quay Restaurant, Sydney" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNVOZ3E0_JLG3cB4wPbS-4c4tkzBsrjH2LGRmnN2uffCl1buL2tOnkIzd7Ub1dpZLXdhDhvw7YEmy9cMn6KHrkrc05zGaW2gLcVK1j8VPqkJTaj1tZtI617KiwZJSyRu-ysTYFqAUanU/s320/Opera+House+(1).jpg" title="Sydney Opera House, outside Quay Restaurant, Sydney" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Sydney Opera House - View from outside Quay</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As rain pelted down in Melbourne last Wednesday and the inhabitants of the best city in the world shivered with their Collingwood scarves lovingly draped around their necks like a noose, I escaped to the Harbour City and after the fog cleared, Qantas came to my rescue and delivered me at a reasonable hour in the morning after Virgin Australia cancelled my scheduled flight. If it wasn't for Qantas, I would have missed this much anticipated client lunch and would have been charged for not turning up for the scheduled booking at Quay. It turned out to be a mild 22c in Sydney. The sun was shining and all signs were pointing to a relaxed lunch with spectacular views of the harbour on offer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were greeted at reception with a smile and taken to our table. Fortunately it was in the area of the restaurant that offers the best view of not only the harbour but also the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the touristy restaurants at Campbell Cove. Drinks orders were taken and I requested a Hendricks Gin & Tonic ($15) which is turning out to be quite a ritual when dining these days whilst we socialised the menus and had small talk about the wonderful Sydney weather. Although an a la carte menu was available, most of the dining options articulated were also part of an eight course degustation menu which we quickly agreed was the best option moving forward. Of course the client knew that I was on the hook to pay so he was happy to agree to anything I would imagine. There were also two options for matching wine, we opted for the more expensive "premium" wine match, so the total degustation with matching premium wines was a reasonable $400/pp. This is on par with the higher end tasting menus available at Jacques Reymond and Attica so I wasn't too surprised by the cost.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppQxYCyZLGrIcVbAI-f8tp6HugUSwoip3X56h3_2WBfcoFk-EyDfQ9ImejkcvFJ83MOUEQyuSyMl4_x1tLg-TYXkUL6Y0lL35NVZkvE6bKAvOKqv2bnuAdUdH99piFSb6AmPxliTlgB0/s1600/Quay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Interior Quay Restaurant, Sydney" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppQxYCyZLGrIcVbAI-f8tp6HugUSwoip3X56h3_2WBfcoFk-EyDfQ9ImejkcvFJ83MOUEQyuSyMl4_x1tLg-TYXkUL6Y0lL35NVZkvE6bKAvOKqv2bnuAdUdH99piFSb6AmPxliTlgB0/s320/Quay.jpg" title="Interior Quay Restaurant, Sydney" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Inside Quay</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't long until the first course was delivered. It would become my favourite course and set the standard for everything that was served later. Congee of Northern Australian mud crab with fresh palm heart and an egg yolk emulsion. The broth with the added consistency of the emulsion was absolutely amazing and certainly brought out the amazing flavour within the mud crab. Matched with a 2005 Keith Tulloch Semillon from the Hunter Valley, I thought was apt and a wonderful choice that allowed both the food and wine pair without giving an extraordinary amount of emphasis to either one. I seem to be partial to white wine matched with seafood these days so I am not surprised this turned out to be my favourite dish however my interest in the rest of the menu was not only piqued but I was left hungry wanting more. Service was happy to give us refills of wine, not only whilst enjoying this dish but we would find that it was no problem to get "top ups" whilst experiencing the remaining courses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salad of albino and chioggia beetroots, preserved wild cherries, goats curd, scorched beet leaves and violets were then matched with a 2010 Revendy 'Terre de Maimbray' Sancerre from France. Revendy is a very small producer but has the most awards for Sancerre, and like the small producer, the theme knocks on to the small yet delicate wild cherries, cold morsels of goats curd and smatterings of leaves, beetroots and edible flowers. This is a very pretty dish and the both the curd and beetroot brought out the flavours inherent in the wine. The dish properly matched with the view of the harbour as an aside. This is one of the few restaurants where you will find that visual stimulation is taken just as seriously as evoking your other senses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Red claw yabbies with a garlic scented custard and yabby velvet was then matched with a non vintage Gosset Grande Rose from Champagne, France. A rose that was made intentionally as opposed to being thrown together as an aside was a great choice to match with the yabbies as it gave the allure of being a bit sophisticated, but not too sophisticated as not to outclass the yabbies. Yet another visually stunning dish that was full of flavour, further complimented by the choice of wine made this another contender for "favourite" further enhanced by the sommelier being generous with the refills allowing us to take the pain away from discussing business and action items.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was most intrigued by the next dish as I had never had goose before. Besides calling one of my best mates this waterbird and seeing them chase children in various parks, I have never been offered one to eat. Roasted with "forbidden" rice, a black miso and hatsuka radish, it was matched with a 2010 Bass Phillip 'Estate' Pinot Noir from Gippsland, Victoria. In ancient China, black rice was considered the finest grain and only served to the Emperor, thus the name "forbidden" rice which was a novel touch to accompany a bird that is not commonly consumed by the masses. A subtle gaminess was enjoyed but the black miso really made this a special and a different taste that defined why you go out to eat - to try new things and I am now hooked on goose. I will never look at my mate the same way again. It was nice to see a wine from Victoria represented in this tasting menu and I can't think of a nicer match. This fruity Pinot Noir really complemented the goose and they both turned into a conversational highlight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smoked and confit pig cheek, shiitake, shaved scallops, Jerusalem artichoke leaves, bay and juniper followed with a 2010 Algueira Merenzao from Riberia Sacra, Spain. This is a decadent dish - a fatty dish with an amazing texture. I am so used to eating parts of the pig at Movida however I had never experienced the pleasure of the pig cheek. The scallops and artichoke leaves really added to the mystery of this dish as my palate didn't know what to make of it at first but then when you pair it with the bold </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Algueira, it made for a complete contrast to the goose and really took you on a trip from Australia to Spain. This was my dining partner's favourite dish and nearly mine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pasture raised veal with a bitter chocolate black pudding, green walnuts, slow cooked wallaby tail, salsify, smoked bone marrow and chestnut mushrooms was the final savoury dish matched with a 2010 Luke Lambert 'Reserve' Syrah from our own Yarra Valley. What a cornucopia of tastes that all jostle for position across your palate. The wallaby tail, <strike>from a producer in the southern NSW highlands</strike> (note: Flinders Island Meats supplied the wallaby and have corrected not only be but advised the restaurant that the server advised me with wrong information) was not so different than any other wallaby offering that I had enjoyed in Melbourne, yet was equally as good. The bone marrow was rich and along with the veal and pudding, the mix of tastes and texture were very intriguing and bold - along with the big and beautiful Syrah, this was a perfect winter warmer as the sun shined on my back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andalucia citris and almonds along with a 2011 Joh.Jos. Prum 'Wehlener Sonnenuhr' Auslese Riesling from Mosel, Germany essentially acted as a palate cleaners and first sweet course and was followed by a Guava snow egg and a 2009 Pegasus Bay 'Aria' Riesling from Waipara, New Zealand. A simple dessert that had a controlled amount of flavour that effectively acted as a denouement and brought my senses back to earth. I liked that a rich and bold dessert was not served to finish off this experience and that the biggest and boldest tastes were left to make an impression with the last savoury dish along with the black pudding that paired with the wallaby tail and the Yarra Valley Syrah.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After petit fours, we clocked up nearly four hours enjoying both conversation and this tasting menu. It proves that business can not only appropriately mix with pleasure but when you add a venue such as Quay and a wonderful degustation menu, time can literally get away from you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Quay ambiance has always been a matter of contention for me. Sure, you experience a great view and you are effectively distracted from the minimalist surrounds which I think is appropriate for the restaurant. The view of the harbour is first and foremost and can lead to distraction from your guests (as I have noticed in the past) but it certainly does add a certain amount of tranquility to the experience as you watch the ferries and tourist vessels move back and forth. When you make a booking in the summer, I would advise you to confirm that a cruise ship will not be docked in the harbour otherwise you will have the pleasure of looking at the side of the boat however in the past I have equally enjoyed dining experiences at Quay without the view as in the end, I at least am there for food, wine and conversation with a view as an afterthought. This is why I was a bit sullen when Shannon Bennett moved Vue de Monde from the humble Normanby Chambers on Little Collins Street to the opulent top floor of Rialto Tower in Melbourne so he could truly get a view of the world. Both Jacques Reymond and Attica have not fallen into that trap, or even gimmick, and in the end manage to excite your senses by having them focus on the matters at hand instead of what is happening outside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service throughout the four hours remained attentive, consultative and kind. I have frequently been caught out holding Sydney service to a different level than you experience in Melbourne and once again, I thought although service was great and for Sydney standards and it was top-notch, however when held against my Melbourne standards, it was just above average. I have always found the "top" restaurants to be a bit more service-focused in Melbourne and I noticed the small nuances once again at this trip to Quay. The dining area also became a bit warm. I noticed this on all of my previous visits when dining in this same area including in the evening also so it just wasn't because the sun was shining brightly in. I can only imagine what it would be like on a hot 40c sunny Sydney day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did really enjoy my trip to Quay and have always considered it one of my favourite restaurants in the city that I used to call home. Would I choose it over the Melbourne three hat restaurants, Vue de Monde, Attica or Jacques Reymond if I was given a complimentary free night out or if I won the Lotto? The easy answer is no however I do still rate this experience as one of the best that I have had in 2013 so far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quay received three chefs hats in the SMH 2012/2013 Good Food Guide and won restaurant of the year in 2011 and 2012. Quay was also ranked #48 in the world according to the 2013 San Pellegrino "World's Best" list.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcum1DiajBsAyj98gjrHcDzobmHEapSOKBFzg4tevj4Bg3tvvfAwTChpHMDNxey5Cf9VQdTzMGuRrvcpuueeNgdhm1xrLtjy0SdTV8bf2DIKVnQkbhKYS-lbr1pdkyexTvWdp8KG6Iu8/s1600/quay+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Quay Restaurant, Circular Quay, Sydney" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcum1DiajBsAyj98gjrHcDzobmHEapSOKBFzg4tevj4Bg3tvvfAwTChpHMDNxey5Cf9VQdTzMGuRrvcpuueeNgdhm1xrLtjy0SdTV8bf2DIKVnQkbhKYS-lbr1pdkyexTvWdp8KG6Iu8/s320/quay+2.jpg" title="Quay Restaurant, Circular Quay, Sydney" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Quay</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">5 Hickson Rd The Rocks NSW 2000</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">(03) 9251 5600</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.quay.com.au/">http://www.quay.com.au</a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 17.75/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 4.25/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 4.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 4/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 86% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Quay.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/751817/restaurant/Sydney/Quay-The-Rocks"><img alt="Quay on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/751817/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0Circular Quay West, The Rocks NSW 2000, Australia-33.859228 151.2094932-33.865821000000004 151.1994082 -33.852635 151.2195782tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-78595437966053517692013-06-17T11:09:00.000+10:002013-06-17T11:09:05.488+10:00Lobster Cave Beaumaris - Motion In The Ocean<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">South of Sandringham and Black Rock, you will find the sleepy suburb of Beaumaris with a simple shopping strip with the <b>Lobster Cave</b> a distinct architectural highlight, nestled in next door to a Pizza Capers franchise. Despite people raving about this place and both the quality and volume of seafood that is in offer, a visit elluded me until I was out driving around with someone else where I was the passenger. I was in the area picking up a snowboard and boots for the forthcoming snow season (please, let it snow!) so I offered to pick up the tab at the Lobster Cave knowing that I could get stuck into wine and not have to worry about driving home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were given a table outside under the bright and hot heat lamps. After exploring inside the restaurant, I was grateful that we were seated outside as it was calmer despite the footpath that separates the outdoor tables from the restaurant being used by random people. Service was quite welcoming, almost too welcoming, indicating they were singing from a hymn book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drinks orders were taken. I ordered a Hendricks Gin & Tonic to start off things. A small bottle of Bombay Sapphire, a small bottle of tonic and a glass of ice was brought out and the elements were all placed in front of me on a small tray. So I was tasked with making my drink. Weird. The same sort of odd service was wrapped around serving the sparking mineral water. Two empty glasses, two glasses of ice with tongs and two bottles of water were placed on the table. I have never met anyone in my life that requires a certain variable of ice cubes in proportion to the volume of water so all I was seeing was a bit of extravagance just for the sake of it and far too many glasses on the table especially after I quickly knocked back the G&T and ordered another one, this time articulating that I wanted Hendricks gin. The wine list was procured as was the food menu and it took some time to read about all of the options available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We decided to order the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Ultimate" Combination Platter with Whole Rock Lobster ($299.90 for two) and I requested a bottle of chardonnay from the Yarra (honestly, I can't remember what I ordered as I lost the scrap of paper I wrote it on) and when I quizzed service rather facetiously as whether there would be enough food, we were offered fries and a salad, to which we declined. About twenty minutes later, the bonanza of seafood was delivered. As expected, it was a massive amount of food. There was one two level riser with two plates of assorted delights, a plate of fried seafood and a plate with the Rock Lobster, rice, bivalve mollusks and other assorted condiments. This was a table for two and after all of the food was delivered, there was absolutely no space left (note my comment about the exceptional amount of glassware earlier) which left some of the plates dangling precariously over the side as our eyes attempted to digest the task ahead of us.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36MenY_YQLKT6wZceA5ZdcT1miJKbSrnRthR67YcMPw02oOOqHmEWMBSyGj7KuUW8Cv0RH5Bq83b5QKIGXnPIxVVIJ9ALey4DOTLEY9-jsBEPxNNrwlsDzcAu78Y6gAmokIgOZhzQq_8/s1600/20130616_183854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Lobster Cave "Ultimate" Combination Platter with Whole Rock Lobster" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36MenY_YQLKT6wZceA5ZdcT1miJKbSrnRthR67YcMPw02oOOqHmEWMBSyGj7KuUW8Cv0RH5Bq83b5QKIGXnPIxVVIJ9ALey4DOTLEY9-jsBEPxNNrwlsDzcAu78Y6gAmokIgOZhzQq_8/s320/20130616_183854.jpg" title="Lobster Cave "Ultimate" Combination Platter with Whole Rock Lobster" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whole flame grilled Rock Lobster was apparently the star of this performance. At least given the name of the restaurant and the striking beauty of this </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">crustacean which was cut in half so that we could easily pull the meat from the cavity. I really like lobster. I especially like it when it is pulled from the tank, slaughtered in front of me and the meat ends up on rice in a sushi bar within one minute of its death. I also like it boiled and steamed at Chinese restaurants. For some reason though, this grilled Rock Lobster did not do much for me. It seemed a bit dry and I did not want to disrespect its memory by dressing it with condiments. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whole seared cray tail infused with lemon, garlic, parsley olive oil and the Queensland (Mooloolaba) jumbo cooked tiger prawns were some of the highlights of this feast. The kitchen conveniently sliced the sharp exoskelton of the tiger prawns in the kitchen so it was convenient to remove the flesh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pacific oysters served three ways - crab meat and caviar, horseradish cream and smoked salmon with pearls and mornay bordered two of the large dishes. An interesting and tasty take on classic oysters and the horseradish cream was a nice touch especially since I was looking for something to excite my palate a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Returning to the fried food which was quickly filling my stomach, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the salt and pepper squid was another highlight and perhaps my favourite if you can believe it. The </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hot chilli steamed black mussels were served in a large bowl and they were all perfectly cooked in a mild sauce where I only came across one mussel that did not open during the cooking process. The </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">grilled Kangaroo Island abalone was also filled with flavour and unlike the lobster, I enjoyed this mollusk grilled and it was probably the best abalone that I have ever had.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Refreshing the palate with watermelon and rock melon intermittently during this war on the seafood stocks, the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">whole grilled Moreton Bay bugs were devoured quickly and in between bites of fruit my share of </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hervey Bay scallops on the half shell and the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">whole crumbed and fried soft shell crab was consumed. Wine was drank. The night being spent on the street of Beaumaris was turning into a festive occasion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point we were looking at each other with consternation and agreed that we could not finish all of the food so tactical decisions had to be made. The </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Western Australian scampi, smoked Tasmanian salmon with caviar pearls and the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tempura tiger prawns were polished off. Despite </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wok tossed blue swimmer crab being available, I found it too difficult to get any meat out of them and the quest for some of my favourite flesh from the sea was quickly abandoned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had to fully ignore the</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Thai style South Australian baby calamari salad and the beer battered King George whiting fillets. The latter mainly because these fillets were huge and we could not tolerate anything fried after some of the wonderful tastes of seafood available on these four huge plates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service was a mixed bag. One of the servers was amusing, pleasant and engaging. He was ultimately succonded to the wealth of diners inside as by the time our "Ultimate" platter was nearly polished off, there were but a handful of diners outside. I overheard another server be told to check on us every 15 minutes but that did not happen. Yet another member of service kept appearing asking if we wanted tea or coffee however I wanted more G&T's and kept ordering them. The attack of the empty glasses started in again and by the time I had my dessert which consisted of a fourth G&T after polishing off the bottle of wine, the table looked very unkempt with remains of seafood, rice, serviettes and empty glasses that the infrequent service did not really pay much attention to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the bill was requested, that was brought out quickly along with a fair amount of propaganda relating to the Lobster Cave "Gold Medallion Club" where we were advised that the one-time $99 joining fee had been waved and that we should hand over all of our personal details so that we can join said secret society. The benefit would have been should we return, we would be entitled to a free bottle of wine to takeaway provided that we spend a certain amount of money. Like with Taco Bill, I am not a fan of these sorts of gimmicks so I couldn't be bothered signing up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given this is the Lobster Cave, I expected to see tanks of lobsters respectfully hidden within the walls inside the restaurant. There are tanks with tropical fish and an LED television on the wall with an "under the sea" screen saver, but I did not see any evidence of what was on offer and the seafood presumably rests behind the scenes somewhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the Lobster Cave is impressive and would make for a good venue to host a doo, I find it quite inconvenient to get to so it would be a challenge to end up there again under favourable circumstances.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuX33iY4aRrapkmR1amhJdEyjFQ0zcPpfzMtsP5T3I6yyyl5w0qZQ-_Lxv5qsP1ZJWygNdCba6ZuciT9r9WSwe7YoPoEmR1SgcV5POfiLIztcBJJlmhg2zSlRadbx67pdiUGn54IhtOY/s1600/lobster+cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuX33iY4aRrapkmR1amhJdEyjFQ0zcPpfzMtsP5T3I6yyyl5w0qZQ-_Lxv5qsP1ZJWygNdCba6ZuciT9r9WSwe7YoPoEmR1SgcV5POfiLIztcBJJlmhg2zSlRadbx67pdiUGn54IhtOY/s320/lobster+cave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lobster Cave</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">16/18 North Concourse, Beaumaris VIC 3193</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">(03) 9589 6329</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.lobstercave.com.au/">http://www.lobstercave.com.au</a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 13.5/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 4/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 65% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Lobster Cave in Beaumaris.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1430046/restaurant/Melbourne/Lobster-Cave-Beaumaris"><img alt="Lobster Cave on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1430046/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com016/18 North Concourse, Beaumaris VIC 3193, Australia-37.985767 145.03419869999993-63.5078015 103.72560469999993 -12.463732500000003 -173.6572073000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-62151407283971100782013-06-16T15:28:00.000+10:002013-06-16T23:40:25.750+10:00Bistro Lilly Sydney - A Tribute to Marc and Cher Thomson (RIP)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I experienced a fair amount of shock and an extreme amount of sadness when I was first told that Marc and Cher Thompson, the owners of Bistro Lilly in Millers Point, Sydney, took their own lives. I then read the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/family-stunned-as-inseparable-restaurant-owners-found-dead-20130514-2jjxo.html" target="_blank">article</a> in the <i>Sydney Morning Herald</i> and wondered how a restaurant - a business, could drive two seemingly happy and vivacious people, that had a true passion for their restaurant to commit suicide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had known the Thompsons since 2005 when Bistro Lilly opened at the base of Observatory Tower - the tall green tower that used to be the IBM buiding in the days of old, which casts a shadow on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Not only does Paul Keating call this particular residential tower home but so does Lisa McGuigan who operates Kent Street Cellars at the street level. The Bistro Lilly restaurant superseded two other cafes that came and went in the previous few years and after visiting it for the first time, I really hoped that this French-inspired cafe would be successful as I was hooked.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being a resident of Millers Point and living across the street until 2010 enabled me to call Bistro Lilly my "local" if a restaurant can in fact be considered one, but given the amount of times that I would take up residence at the small bar, chat with Marc and Cher for hours at a time and madly try to catch up on work e-mails throughout the evening whilst drinking a tremendous amount of wine, I suppose it is a suitable qualification.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the evening service stopped, Marc, Cher, sometimes the service and frequently the chef and I would lament about life and times outside on the patio. Not only the challenges of opening and running a restaurant in highly competitive Sydney was a topic frequently discussed, but also politics, love, lust, food, wine and ultimately tall drunken tales early into the morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent more time speaking to Mark and Cher outside late at night compared to my own parents since I officially became an adult. They were truly lovely and genuine people that I considered not only neighbours but also friends. They will be missed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my last trip to Sydney I made a point of walking to Observatory Tower to leave some flowers outside of Bistro Lilly. The sad part is that there is so much corporate foot (and bicycle) traffic flowing from the pedestrian tunnel that connects Kent Street, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Clarence Street and York Street that would never have had the pleasure of stopping in at Bistro Lilly, enjoying the hospitality of the owners or the ever changing degustation menu that was always great value for money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Regardless of the Sydney dining scene losing a fantastic bistro, friends, residents of Millers Point and the human race lost some fantastic people and for that I am both sad and angry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lesson learned is to support your local restaurants. Take time to get to know the owners and make these public places part of the community. Sometimes the people behind what ends up on the table are what is truly remarkable about a place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope Marc and Cher can rest in peace.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com068 Kent Street, Millers Point NSW 2000, Australia-33.8595779 151.20358799999997-33.859629399999996 151.20350899999997 -33.8595264 151.20366699999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-12946875434796983492013-06-16T14:14:00.000+10:002013-06-16T23:44:33.318+10:00Taco Bill South Melbourne - The Voucher King<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew that <b>Taco Bill </b>was a franchise but I was rather shocked to learn there are roughly thirty of them. When I was recently in Warrnambool, I was looking forward to some "good times" as the result of imbibing in classic margarita punchbowls and some attempt at food with flavour but recently that franchise reverted to the "Cactus Jack" banner (which turned out to be a decent enough meal in the end) so it was with some consternation really that I presented myself at Taco Bill on Clarendon Street in South Melbourne before going to the Albert Park Driving Range with the intent to test out my new club.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately I was able to drag one other person with me mainly because I had a 25% voucher that always seems to be lurking on the back of a Coles docket if you can be bothered to pay attention. I suspect that the promise of hitting some golf balls excited this bloke more than the promise of food and drink though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is always some gimmick at Taco Bill's. Whether it is a free sombrero if you purchase a $30 margarita in a fishbowl glass which ironically only has three nips of tequila because of the licensing laws, pencils and forms on the table for you to provide the restaurant with your birthday so they can get in contact you with freebees or as I would learn upon paying the bill, sealed envelopes that you can bring back in the month of July that would be opened by the restaurant that contained a voucher. The only thing I really wanted was some decent food and alcoholic beverages before smashing some golf balls so my requirements and expectations were quite low. I didn't want all of the distractions, just some food and drink.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The menu listed Corona beer as being the only listed Mexican beer available and that you should ask your server for other beer that may be on offer from Mexico. I opted for the Dos Equis Lager ($7.50) which fortunately they had in stock after I quizzed the server as I just can't stomach Corona. We laugh in Australia that Fosters beer tastes like cat piss. Well, in Mexico the same joke and observation is made about Corona.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The board of specials listed a Carne Asada Taco ($5.50) which appeared impressive along with other items I was not interested in, like a beer battered fish taco which proclaimed to be "Authentic Baja" style. Whilst travelling Baja California I never witnessed anywhere sell beer battered fish tacos. This is a haven for resorts and street food, especially on the 1000km drive between the California/Mexico border and Cabo San Lucas and I do not think anyone could possibly be bothered to beer batter anything let alone destroy the delicate taste of the fish that the <i>pescadores</i> haul in from the sea. I really don't know why some "Mexican" restaurants beer batter the fish before putting it in a simple tortilla - it is really confusing. The taco proved to be quite average and bland. The meat was tender however the tortilla was mass produced. There was nothing special about the produce and I needed to add spicy green sauce to the taco to give it some kick. Was I surprised to see that both the red and green sauces supplied on each table have Taco Bill's own label on them? Yes, for a small price you can buy their brand of hot sauce too. Speaking of which, whilst you wait for your first order of drinks, you are provided a handful of tortilla chips and salsa to set the mood. This salsa is also mass produced and in generally it is not nice. It is the same salsa that I have seen in other Taco Bill's which is disappointing as it doesn't take much effort to make a decent salsa with fresh (or canned) tomatoes, onion, garlic, white vinegar, chillis and a blender as a baseline. I really don't like it when I find restaurants being lazy and substituting something that would only take a few minutes to prepare and substitute it for something very inferior.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would soon learn that the Chicken Quesadilla Suprema ($21.50) that I ordered would inherit the generic products that I just lamented about. This time the mass produced and supplied flour tortilla contained a fair amount of chicken but once again, it was bland. The salsa claimed to be "house made" but it was the same type that was served previously with the tortilla chips. A smattering of cheese, rice, beans and guacamole, which also was not seasoned rounded out the experience. Fortunately I was able to enjoy another Dos Equis lager before departing to hit some golf balls very hard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I get really angry after allowing myself to fall in the trap of the Taco Bill's of this world. With all of the other dining options on Clarendon Street, including pubs at my disposal, I decided to visit this place simply because I had a voucher and really because it was close to the driving range. It proves that marketing techniques work and the ability to save $16.50 on the bill I suppose made it taste better in the end however this is not Mexican food. I proved to be just as lazy in securing a more suitable dining option, much like Taco Bill is guilty of mediocrity.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9lUzJ0_XePXuRdah6kjaH89fBI3nzRuSMivvDOrR3lF2rrzwJiELkGXEy-dcacv4RUwrUz3I94Q5_0pcnJFkv5TjN398Rr_fy0HCYy_Ckjjx8m2WhcWhJ0rUu6GLtUc__VIsrfCLBMU/s1600/taco+bill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Taco Bill, Clarendon Street, South Melbourne" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9lUzJ0_XePXuRdah6kjaH89fBI3nzRuSMivvDOrR3lF2rrzwJiELkGXEy-dcacv4RUwrUz3I94Q5_0pcnJFkv5TjN398Rr_fy0HCYy_Ckjjx8m2WhcWhJ0rUu6GLtUc__VIsrfCLBMU/s320/taco+bill.jpg" title="Taco Bill, Clarendon Street, South Melbourne" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Taco Bill - South Melbourne</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">375 Clarendon St., South Melbourne VIC 3205</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">(03) 9690 2077</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.tacobill.com.au/locations/list-all-restaurants/south-melbourne/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.tacobill.com.au/locations/list-all-restaurants/south-melbourne/</span></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 11.25/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 3/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 2.75/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 2.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 3/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 71% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Taco Bill South Melbourne.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761847/restaurant/South-Melbourne/Taco-Bill-Mexican-Restaurant-Melbourne"><img alt="Taco Bill Mexican Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761847/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0375 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205, Australia-37.8360908 144.96219889999998-63.3581253 103.65360489999998 -12.3140563 -173.72920710000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078020683751602967.post-57439424799925248482013-06-16T09:58:00.001+10:002013-06-16T09:58:41.637+10:00La Camera Southbank - A Room in Southgate<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>La Camera</b> is translated as "The Room" and is a recently renovated faux-Italian restaurant in the Southgate complex with views out to Southbank Promenade. Not to be confused with the recently transformed Der Raum, which is translated as "The Space" in Richmond, this is one of the restaurants that I would expect to end up on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares if Gordon ever brings his travelling circus to Australia to film some episodes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it was the Queens Birthday public holiday the day that I frequented this restaurant with one other, we were presented a menu with a few specific specials but also prices that were commensurate with the reward rate. An amazing $24.20 for a very ordinary Bunga Bunga pizza was just one example of the outrageous prices. I probably wouldn't have been so annoyed by the bloated prices for food and beverage if the service was equally exceptional. They were not. Despite seemingly being fully staffed, it took twenty minutes for service to bring our drink order. This involved simply opening a bottle of Peroni Red ($9.20) and a bottle of Rekorderling cider ($17.30) and having them carried three metres from the bar. During this hiatus, I observed the table on one side of us be served items they never ordered which they rejected. Ultimately when they did receive the pizzas that they in fact ordered were provided with a wheel-type pizza cutter so they could cut it themselves. The table next to us got tired of waiting for the menus presumably and left. All of this time was spent musing about the political landscape and looking at the food that had been left on the floor that nobody seemed to care about cleaning up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually we ordered Salame Cacciatore ($13.80) and Mozzarella di Bufala ($20.70) to start. Given the price of the cheese, I asked the server if it was D.O.C. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262523; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Denominazione di origine controllata</i> ("controlled designation of origin") is Italy’s certification system to identify and protect cheeses produced within specified regions within the country. Regional specificity is just one requirement; to achieve certification cheeses must also be produced using exacting, predefined ingredients and methods, and must meet rigorous quality standards. This cheese I would later learn was not classified D.O.C. No matter really, I wasn't surprised but with so many other places that are flogging D.O.C. cheeses which are cheaper, it really just set the mood of this experience at La Camera.The Salame was spicy thankfully and I was grateful to have a bit of taste with the bland Mozzarella di Bufala and made me long for more Red Peroni, which came out quite quickly when I ordered my second round and later the third round.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #262523; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Linguine Al Granchio ($36.80) came in a timely manner after we had finished the meat and cheese. For the price I wanted something amazing and in turn received something mediocre. Although the pasta was prepared perfectly, the "Australian crab meat" was really disgusting. The seafood was supposed to make this dish but the kitchen killed it. I had the opportunity to taste the Bunga Bunga pizza ($24.20) which the server was kind enough to slice for us. It was good, but nothing that you would feel comfortable paying that much money for. After recently having amazing pizzas at other venues around Melbourne, I was rather disappointed to say the least.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #262523;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">There is outdoor seating however being wintertime, the balcony is protected by a dirty shroud so there is really no view available of the beautiful (sic) Yarra River. This is a puzzling restaurant which left me sullen. Given all of the hands on deck to provide service which ultimately did not bother, the condition of the dining room and the high prices for rather mediocre if not substandard food, I thought this place would be a good candidate for Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. I would imagine this restaurant survives off the tourist dollar given the high rent for the property and position within the Southgate complex which disappoints me in a way as aforementioned tourists will ultimately judge the dining options of this great city, which is known for its epicurean offerings on an experience such as what you are bound to have at La Camera. Now that is what makes me sad.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #262523;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">If you are a tourist and reading this, check out Sarti or Rosetta as an alternative, you will thank me later.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwegaE6gs8otd8aAmxcdqb_MnDIBaM4uU4W0Wm-uPFv48WaPyGndrE_aqIBxqOf9Xohp9IHmXm5vQOPGdWeTWSzY8mnDNeG0ejtJ5jT20Z_83fHgsNVY3C7PAzlODy8uFptvt2l6ta8LE/s1600/la+camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="La Camera, Southbank, Melbourne, Southgate" border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwegaE6gs8otd8aAmxcdqb_MnDIBaM4uU4W0Wm-uPFv48WaPyGndrE_aqIBxqOf9Xohp9IHmXm5vQOPGdWeTWSzY8mnDNeG0ejtJ5jT20Z_83fHgsNVY3C7PAzlODy8uFptvt2l6ta8LE/s320/la+camera.jpg" title="La Camera, Southbank, Melbourne, Southgate" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>La Camera</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Shop MR2 Mid Level East End/Southgate Ave, Southbank VIC 3006</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;">(03) 9699 3600</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.lacamera.com.au/">http://www.lacamera.com.au</a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My Rating: 10/20</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service: 2.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ambiance: 3/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality: 2.5/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value For Money: 2/5</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twitter: </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">@epicurean3006</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e-mail: <b>epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">web: <b><a href="http://www.epicureanofsouthbank.com/">www.epicureanofsouthbank.com</a></b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">At the time of this post, 73% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like La Camera.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761055/restaurant/Melbourne/La-Camera-Southbank"><img alt="La Camera on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761055/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08987765374721127127noreply@blogger.com0Southgate Avenue, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia-37.8203264 144.96606250000002-37.8234624 144.96102000000002 -37.8171904 144.97110500000002