tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65622178228449088962024-03-19T14:41:17.839+11:00ravenousMaddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-87668867130007737412010-04-23T09:56:00.003+10:002010-04-23T10:08:00.167+10:00ravenous is moving to WordPress!<div align="center">After it was made very clear at the Eat.Drink.Blog. 2010 food blogger's conference (see my wrap up of the event <a href="http://ravenousmelbourne.blogspot.com/2010/03/eatdrinkblog-2010.html">here</a> or check out what <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/blogs-the-new-spice-for-foodies-20100322-qppm.html">The Age</a> had to say) that WordPress was the blog platform of choice for the majority of those in attendance, I've decided to make the switch. This page will remain but no new reviews will be posted here; instead, check out <a href="http://ravenousmelbourne.wordpress.com/">ravenousmelbourne.wordpress.com</a>.</div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-69451685974018449972010-03-31T12:13:00.008+11:002010-03-31T13:43:11.780+11:00Not a bad word to say about Mr Tulk<span style="color:#333333;"></span><br /><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Mr Tulk</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">State Library of Victoria</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">328 Swanston Street<br />Melbourne 3000</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Ph: (03) 8660 5700</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XPJtba2XXCorw-K-qitPcBLFprIi-0xY1knMY6aluS-x-ZQ1OTR1aYHeXP4L2RFaEhtnUo85t4G-CyPbsG6sxdnz0s5WL9zTpJeK_LPJvWhHfRDAkxb-jvGKGQTw5zViR97Jre982ag/s1600/P1000621.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454608662158947298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XPJtba2XXCorw-K-qitPcBLFprIi-0xY1knMY6aluS-x-ZQ1OTR1aYHeXP4L2RFaEhtnUo85t4G-CyPbsG6sxdnz0s5WL9zTpJeK_LPJvWhHfRDAkxb-jvGKGQTw5zViR97Jre982ag/s400/P1000621.JPG" /></a><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">When I open a restaurant one day in the future, I want the service style to be just like what you get at Mr Tulk. The staff here are young and fun, and on the surface, they seem to be extremely relaxed - thankfully, this casual nature does not equal poor, inattentive service. Have a closer look at the movements of any of the staff here, and you'll find they're going fast, watching the room, talking to themselves about what needs to happen next.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">My Mum, my brother and I sat in the waiting area and ordered some drinks as staff found a table for us. Table turnover here is fast, but the cafe is usually packed, so there's a good chance you may have to wait. When you finish your meal, however, wait staff don't hustle you out the door. Any pressure the staff feel to clear the table as soon as possible is not passed on to the customer.</span> </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">My first interaction with a member of staff was as I gave my drink order to a waiter who had danced over to me. Soon, we were being shown to our table, facing the difficult decision of what to have. Mr Tulk offers breakfast and brunch, lunch, light snacks and little sweet things. There are so many things on the menu that sound fantastic, picking is tough. Last time Mum and I visited, I had breakfast and she had lunch - beautiful, creamy scrambled eggs tinted green from the basil that was mixed through, with sweet, roasted tomatoes; and a light, fresh dish of calamari frites and a rocket salad. This time, the three of us struggled to decide, at one point all wanting the same dish. It was the waiter who came to the rescue when he asked for our order.<br /></span></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">"What are you deciding between?", he asked me. I proceeded to list about half the menu. Mum piped up that she liked smoked salmon; my brother, James, asked about the Caesar salad. I enquired about the day's soup special, a lamb, pea and fennel soup. "Is the soup nice?", I asked. "No", the waiter replied, "It's shit." It is this humour and relaxed nature that I love about Mr Tulk. The ordering incident came to a head when the waiter took charge of the situation: "Why don't you have the soup, you have the smoked salmon, and you have the salad." Easy, quick and helpful. I am a very indecisive customer and I value the opinion of wait staff. It is a big pet hate of mine when I visit a restaurant or cafe, ask for advice, and am told "I dunno... it's really up to you".</span> </div><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhjsk6RID7CQUcXQsC3-pYFGq4slUjXX51-u7Z58NTPfr29Ls80w1kEBH-IoIkT97uyFZFPq93mWf0aakbCr_sYrbqobkPP-Pc28OYzmOjODD6mzWNgpPIOH5MqkPXSOqispSO0tj_iA/s1600/P1000622.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454608652929976114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhjsk6RID7CQUcXQsC3-pYFGq4slUjXX51-u7Z58NTPfr29Ls80w1kEBH-IoIkT97uyFZFPq93mWf0aakbCr_sYrbqobkPP-Pc28OYzmOjODD6mzWNgpPIOH5MqkPXSOqispSO0tj_iA/s400/P1000622.JPG" /></a> </p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"><em><br /><br /><br />The view from our table: The entrance to Mr Tulk on the left, and to the State Library on the right; further down the room, guests can grab a coffee and something small to eat and sit at one of the bar stools. Note the man in the grey top with a menu in front of his face: that's our waiter, deliberately jumping and dancing to get in my picture.<br /><br /><br /></em></span></p><p align="center"></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fliHmxmgOPekegv_ce_vLjy9JRz2XT0Blldu2LnURagzTW2vIn33bJI7VbAKXLvgh6tAYkSzVLPkuIwk0ILfg6yA6PwsdmFGSTQQZ5jDPYGxt1VhZl1Zg-TFaBK6OrOWHC3jZ1VqLQM/s1600/P1000616.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454608644821767058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fliHmxmgOPekegv_ce_vLjy9JRz2XT0Blldu2LnURagzTW2vIn33bJI7VbAKXLvgh6tAYkSzVLPkuIwk0ILfg6yA6PwsdmFGSTQQZ5jDPYGxt1VhZl1Zg-TFaBK6OrOWHC3jZ1VqLQM/s400/P1000616.JPG" /></a><em><br /><span style="color:#333333;"></span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color:#333333;">Lamb, pea and fennel soup of the day with crusty bread<br /><br /><br /></span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color:#333333;"></span></em></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">This soup was fantastic. Small pieces of lamb were visible when I lightly swirled the soup, but when I plunged my spoon right to the bottom and scooped up, I found a big piece of lamb on the bone and as the dish sat there, melt-in-your-mouth chunks fell right off. Big cubes of soft potato were also present in this strong-flavoured and well balanced dish.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9kBNewirTUBnp7uxfHS2NW7MXDiIal7Rwh6R-noEfrZhaFiNIaw3iBc3WpMaDXKkweUXPAtzWKSYe5xmK4Qp1JzwhOLZKHhfeW6WPHWAez-4HLtUjTn3XAyG5s5lZOJ2PNzbVOG_64c/s1600/P1000609.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454608630286929346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9kBNewirTUBnp7uxfHS2NW7MXDiIal7Rwh6R-noEfrZhaFiNIaw3iBc3WpMaDXKkweUXPAtzWKSYe5xmK4Qp1JzwhOLZKHhfeW6WPHWAez-4HLtUjTn3XAyG5s5lZOJ2PNzbVOG_64c/s400/P1000609.JPG" /></a> </div><div align="center"><br /><span style="color:#333333;"><em>Caesar salad with white anchovy and poached egg<br /></em><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">"One of the best Caesar salads going round", claimed the waiter, and it certainly was. Beautiful creamy dressing covered good-sized pieces of bacon and parmesan, and the big, juicy white anchovies were an excellent addition. I enjoyed the bread presented, rather than as small croutons scattered throughout, as a large, lightly toasted slice sitting atop the salad.<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO61kJVBBG5EEFJmmsiR8PK2KV4fQcoIHZYoIxxETQUAyu9oxBC__SuRJIxaP4Lvhtr8nuLTYi4FnKDAJ6lcxQjivVbllrHV3aJRkcWLV2R2-JkRDa7BMWaCzBnXFhf0RLHNkmp-v2D8Y/s1600/P1000604.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454608624343896386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO61kJVBBG5EEFJmmsiR8PK2KV4fQcoIHZYoIxxETQUAyu9oxBC__SuRJIxaP4Lvhtr8nuLTYi4FnKDAJ6lcxQjivVbllrHV3aJRkcWLV2R2-JkRDa7BMWaCzBnXFhf0RLHNkmp-v2D8Y/s400/P1000604.JPG" /></a></div><p></p><p align="center"><em><span style="color:#333333;">Smoked salmon bruschetta with onions, capers and creme fraiche</span></em></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">A simple dish, but a delicious one, with a generous helping of fresh smoked salmon, served with a twist: creme fraiche rather than the commonly used Philadelphia cream cheese, and pickled, deliciously vinegar-y slices of red onion.</span></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Both times I have been to Mr Tulk, service and food have been flawless - I really have nothing critical to say about the venue and highly recommend it as a great, friendly place to have a coffee or something quick to eat in between whatever it is you're doing in the city. Mr Tulk is open till 5pm Monday-Thursday and till 4pm Saturday (closed Sundays), but on Friday nights they close at 9pm and host happy hours and fish specials - something I am keen to experience. </span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></p><p align="center"><em><span style="color:#333333;">(Apologies for the lack of prices accompanying the dishes in this post. Dishes at Mr Tulk are around $10-$16)</span></em></p>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-36438105285575801892010-03-27T19:42:00.003+11:002010-03-27T20:09:00.356+11:00An update on Demitri's Feast<div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Demitri's Feast</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">141 Swan Street</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Richmond 3121</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Ph: (03) 9428 8659</span></div><br /><br /><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Reading through the very extensive coverage of Richmond on <a href="http://www.eatalmostanything.com/2010/02/breakfast-demitris-feast.html">Eat (Almost) Anything at Least Once</a>, I stumbled across a review of Demitri's Feast, a cafe whose reviews I am always interested to read as I had such a strange, inconsistent experience there. This is post is a comparison, just for interest's sake, of two pictures of the same dish. Obviously the quality of my picture is not as clear, but the differences in the dishes is still obvious:<br /></span><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP26NnzaVNUHFJXm6L9KV8qkff8f-zi34-sB2BplhSExuxcfIfY7-MtaLBVe81SUUsCjprRzx9RrWjinHrb5LdDCAVDYjULDXUYlg6wnnfuZ3YxJ2e60qJaCxz0YdBEWspqFpzxL_8mII/s1600/eatalmostanything.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453234241920593586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP26NnzaVNUHFJXm6L9KV8qkff8f-zi34-sB2BplhSExuxcfIfY7-MtaLBVe81SUUsCjprRzx9RrWjinHrb5LdDCAVDYjULDXUYlg6wnnfuZ3YxJ2e60qJaCxz0YdBEWspqFpzxL_8mII/s400/eatalmostanything.png" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">From <a href="http://www.eatalmostanything.com/2010/02/breakfast-demitris-feast.html">Eat (Almost) Anything at Least Once</a>, the Fried Eggs - a dish that doesn't look particularly exciting, but simple and probably some people's idea of a perfect, basic breakfast.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_wyCKNLru48T0YV2cUZpNhM-9igAINYwbY8HgIHXLKzppbbcusO2J0DKBK0lJzF0Ivq84BV3hXa1XuHZ0UHQFlvYJprU3xp-ayNql52Uj6wfV2yes0nz8PAPsi9EH2l25pPWL8rGFn8/s1600/yukkyeggs.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453234244362622610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_wyCKNLru48T0YV2cUZpNhM-9igAINYwbY8HgIHXLKzppbbcusO2J0DKBK0lJzF0Ivq84BV3hXa1XuHZ0UHQFlvYJprU3xp-ayNql52Uj6wfV2yes0nz8PAPsi9EH2l25pPWL8rGFn8/s400/yukkyeggs.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"><br /><br />The dish that Bf received: apparently the same dish, but presented in an appalling manner, unlike the neat, clean stack above, and we assume the kitchen ran out of the lokaniko sausage as there were a few pieces but most of the meat served was bacon. (This was not explained to us at all when the waitress delivered the meal).</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Finding this photo was very interesting for me as I had already done a whole blog post on how Demitri's delivered a few great dishes, but failed to keep up that same high standard. It's just incredible to me that the same dish can be served to two customers so differently - one presented quite nicely in a stack and the other, an unappealing mess - within the space of less than a month. </span></p>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-74366408827146703682010-03-22T19:52:00.013+11:002010-03-22T22:37:36.619+11:00Eat.Drink.Blog. 2010<div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">Eat.Drink.Blog. 2010<br />The Essential Ingredient, Prahran;<br />and<br />St. Ali, South Melbourne</span></div><div align="right"></div><div align="right"></div><div align="right"></div><div align="right"><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSx2ZUAgw903Qzn5187u6AUZddAogrEGCzsIMccradnbeFFiDntgn3cETdq_O_8hzF2jl7PxvZefXwyuxPSEIemakM2doe4RkU2dCED76CKOQun9SYwTkrYADebhhcnzyRz2rMl0Meco/s1600-h/eatdrinkblog400px.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 349px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451399742430771346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSx2ZUAgw903Qzn5187u6AUZddAogrEGCzsIMccradnbeFFiDntgn3cETdq_O_8hzF2jl7PxvZefXwyuxPSEIemakM2doe4RkU2dCED76CKOQun9SYwTkrYADebhhcnzyRz2rMl0Meco/s400/eatdrinkblog400px.jpg" /></a> <span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFfXhbwusRTrYntWY8zRz-NSflq9tqWJHaCSmrJhL3ebTqPpLbWst50CSuhwD9KERPWJyOqzsoIhmnADg-FIkx06CKIr4gCg0VCkALLs7tv-F8iJS-YklG-poJLaOCNCj8y9Xmz4ajJw/s1600-h/esntlingred.jpg"><span style="color:#000000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451381707721848306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFfXhbwusRTrYntWY8zRz-NSflq9tqWJHaCSmrJhL3ebTqPpLbWst50CSuhwD9KERPWJyOqzsoIhmnADg-FIkx06CKIr4gCg0VCkALLs7tv-F8iJS-YklG-poJLaOCNCj8y9Xmz4ajJw/s400/esntlingred.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span></p><div align="center"></div><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend the inaugural Eat.Drink.Blog food bloggers conference. I was one of 45 bloggers who came together at the drool-worthy foodies store, </span><a href="http://www.theessentialingredient.com.au/"><span style="color:#333333;">The Essential Ingredient</span></a><span style="color:#333333;">, went upstairs to their demonstration kitchen and discussed all things blogging - from how and why we blog, making money, ethics, and photography, to copyright and other legalities, being more social in the blogging community and SEO.<br /></span></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Receiving this invitation was thrilling for me as realised I would get to mingle with some of my favourite food bloggers, such as Ed from </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/tomatom.com.au"><span style="color:#333333;">tomatom.com.au</span></a><span style="color:#333333;"> and Claire from </span><a href="http://www.melbournegastronome.com/"><span style="color:#333333;">Melbourne Gastronome</span></a><span style="color:#333333;">. When I arrived it was evident that many of the bloggers knew each other from online or from previous events, and as a relative newcomer to the food blogging scene it was a relief to find each and every person was friendly and welcoming.<br /><br /><br /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">There were so many highlights, so many funny moments throughout the day, and one was the Twitter broadcast that was projected up onto the wall. Even if you didn't make it to the event, if you followed #eatdrinkblog or #eatdrinkblog2010 yesterday you probably felt like you were there as we furiously tweeted everything that was said, as well as updates on the temperature of the room and our current hunger/wanting booze status. </span></p><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52yofwbORsiqBhbXrzL3ideP14X2qO2QeOBqC2HCGeBa8dCUNLpYxY7ddgJbjTcied1O27v9oVT4Qtu22Ap8I2KnmV8h2_U0KXxYj4gZJ2B8J-THfqrl7kPtZN3nAkJrjkZJH4nqfVDI/s1600-h/stalilunch.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451386923008774546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52yofwbORsiqBhbXrzL3ideP14X2qO2QeOBqC2HCGeBa8dCUNLpYxY7ddgJbjTcied1O27v9oVT4Qtu22Ap8I2KnmV8h2_U0KXxYj4gZJ2B8J-THfqrl7kPtZN3nAkJrjkZJH4nqfVDI/s400/stalilunch.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"></p><br /><p align="center"><em><span style="color:#333333;">Lunch was provided by </span><a href="http://www.stali.com.au/"><span style="color:#333333;">St Ali</span></a><span style="color:#333333;"> - a selection of sandwiches from which I chose the smoked salmon and chicken package. </span></em><br /></p><em><p><span style="color:#333333;"></span></em></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">We returned from lunch for the "how to be social" panel which I found particularly interesting as a fairly new blogger. Armed with a fat notebook I took down notes from the experienced bloggers and particularly took home this message: Be involved in the community - be active online as well as in the 'real world'. Interact with your fellow bloggers. If you are using your blog to simply upload and update information, <em>your blog will only go so far.</em></span><br /></p><p><span style="color:#333333;"></span></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Next stop: the food photography exhibition, sponsored by </span><a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/"><span style="color:#333333;">SBS</span></a><span style="color:#333333;">, which featured some stunning pieces I'd love to have hanging on my walls - including the ice cream photo by the lovely Linda from </span><a href="http://buttersugarflour.com/"><span style="color:#333333;">buttersugarflour.com</span></a><span style="color:#333333;">. We were served cocktails in brown paper bags and old poison bottles courtesy of </span><a href="http://www.derraum.com.au/"><span style="color:#333333;">Der Raum</span></a><span style="color:#333333;"> - I wasn't such a fan of a chamomile cocktail, but we all agreed that the beetroot juice mixture served in a wine glass was delicious.<br /><br /></span></p><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WcJVaQyMVSz9Eo1ecT28I6oMYNT9aB33Rm0jjRR5t7BQhaybQi6DcdIUbJJEVWL2Rx_bcGX2aC67S4ddwHsRqOFVbD0sN2Bxp3ufUUxx6kXnzA7GZ2VIuxqfk2wvxFZijvq3AkBjjJI/s1600-h/photosbs.jpg"><span style="color:#000000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451381703695933490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WcJVaQyMVSz9Eo1ecT28I6oMYNT9aB33Rm0jjRR5t7BQhaybQi6DcdIUbJJEVWL2Rx_bcGX2aC67S4ddwHsRqOFVbD0sN2Bxp3ufUUxx6kXnzA7GZ2VIuxqfk2wvxFZijvq3AkBjjJI/s400/photosbs.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span></div><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color:#333333;">Note the SBS goodie bags on the table - a bag full of DVD's and cookbooks for the bloggers!</span></em></div><br /><p><em><span style="color:#333333;"></span></em></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#333333;">After two hours of drinking and mingling we all had rumbling tummies and I know I was very excited when </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/tomatom.com"><span style="color:#333333;">Ed</span></a><span style="color:#333333;"> yelled "FOOD!" - time to enter the very cool ST. ALi for a six course "Bloggers Banquet".</span> </span><br /><br /></p><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD2MxeH9-uJ0gGyUmMGRp4nb-5LkvEpYl03cdY9qvdm0VUXrxenM5xaCLAnFJshCjZZF6iYeQVt9GD4WES6I-npyV2gxANKDBMQG6t5uaRYtKC6pWlEzhs3j8kRFJmeg1FBv1vDZm-Vc/s1600-h/stali.jpg"><span style="color:#000000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451381699787380738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD2MxeH9-uJ0gGyUmMGRp4nb-5LkvEpYl03cdY9qvdm0VUXrxenM5xaCLAnFJshCjZZF6iYeQVt9GD4WES6I-npyV2gxANKDBMQG6t5uaRYtKC6pWlEzhs3j8kRFJmeg1FBv1vDZm-Vc/s400/stali.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span></div><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">I ate scallops, oysters, wontons, Chinese broth, mushrooms, kingfish head, lamb rump and fresh fruit with chili sugar. Michael from </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/myachinghead.net"><span style="color:#333333;">myachinghead.net</span></a><span style="color:#333333;"> told me that he basically lives at this restaurant; I can see why. Each dish was stunningly presented, perfectly portioned and the flavours very balanced. It was an incredible meal, accompanied by a very passionate and knowledgeable waitress and beautiful fellow bloggers to chat to. I would consider a large majority of my friends and family to be very into food, but these people are absolute food geeks, and it was such a pleasure to be surrounded by people who also wanted to keep talking and talking about food and wine and coffee.</span><span style="color:#000000;"> </span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwy275B5iDyP3u-PlFR9b4rqfYfYo44gwcyzGB8Fmfj2kMbrcj06yd_ttMnvioIHucb1zpddHS4snIWq-d3q5S70iuhZkyDdZg2StfRBZ9J_n1o8yGvltZV8MOIb1HzSSLPOVhKXpi2Mc/s1600-h/caperberries.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451386933472050306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwy275B5iDyP3u-PlFR9b4rqfYfYo44gwcyzGB8Fmfj2kMbrcj06yd_ttMnvioIHucb1zpddHS4snIWq-d3q5S70iuhZkyDdZg2StfRBZ9J_n1o8yGvltZV8MOIb1HzSSLPOVhKXpi2Mc/s400/caperberries.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">One of the biggest highlights, however, was the "Pick your favourite Essential Ingredient" competition that we were told about at the start of the day - and it was such a highlight because <em>I won! </em>The task was to roam the aisles of The Essential Ingredient, pick your favourite food item, snap it and tell everyone why you chose the item. "My favourite Essential Ingredient is caperberries", I tweeted, "for their versatility". I </span><span style="color:#333333;">was <strong><em>so </em></strong>excited when Ed announced over dessert that I had won - my prize was the book </span><a href="http://www.phaidon.com/store/food-cook/coco-9780714849546/"><em><span style="color:#333333;">Coco - 10 world-leading masters choose 100 contemporary chefs</span></em></a><span style="color:#333333;">!<br /></span><br /></span></div><span style="color:#000000;"><p align="center"><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">To top it all off, us bloggers woke this morning to discover our event had made it into the "Melbourne Life" section of The Age:<br /></span><br /></span><br /><br /><br /></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMCwNLfSVslQsBefRDR2XR1vLTihVmNLHasy0bpq-oMIMG8aRG5-srf0v1frpG4rfvmHUj0_RJPi47IPZWyH3F1-IJ4U0LVDGu6BYEUV3axmT6cKdGxsJMPbkYFCeodyjSTvP0XyCPIc/s1600-h/Food+Bloggers+article+from+the+back+page+of+The+Age,+20100322+50+percent+reduced.jpg"><span style="color:#000000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 233px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451381683986645666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMCwNLfSVslQsBefRDR2XR1vLTihVmNLHasy0bpq-oMIMG8aRG5-srf0v1frpG4rfvmHUj0_RJPi47IPZWyH3F1-IJ4U0LVDGu6BYEUV3axmT6cKdGxsJMPbkYFCeodyjSTvP0XyCPIc/s400/Food+Bloggers+article+from+the+back+page+of+The+Age,+20100322+50+percent+reduced.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span><span style="color:#333333;"><em>The Age, Monday 22nd March</em><br /><br /><br /><br />The event was fantastic and it was so exciting to be a part of the first one. From it, I gained invaluable knowledge from long-time bloggers, met wonderful people who share my passion and got to eat some incredible food. I thank all those responsible for bringing the idea to life and look forward to next year's event.<br /></span><br /><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-88744837931592380042010-03-16T11:31:00.000+11:002010-03-16T11:36:18.201+11:00Inconsistent Demitri<div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="right"></div><div align="right"></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Demitri's Feast</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">141 Swan Street</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Richmond 3121</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Ph: 03 9428 8659</span> </div><p align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443550869357038962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aIb4WbtBishlBc6OKvoUfRJU6yxibVnbxr82gAKibKOtlwzx_PLz9WNLWPd08LeFqOdUAym8RbcHznesa6WQ-84vl66I3ezWU4WnmQ6EViptJOUbVdp9j7-Kj_vE7rQoOnK0f1G9tpk/s400/photo.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><p align="center"></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">"We found out that we won Best Breakfast and we ran, and ran, and ran". </span></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">When mum and I visited Demitri's Feast on a Thursday morning, we found our waitress's description of her reaction to the award a little strange, but we liked her nonetheless. It had been two days since Epicure had announced that the Cheap Eats 2010 award for Best Breakfast had been given to this graffitied Greek cafe in Swan Street, and we were indeed enjoying our breakfasts.</span> </p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">The clientele was really interesting. There was a table of two business people who, it seems, the waitress suspected them of visiting in order to steal ideas; there was a young man having a working breakfast by himself; and a grandmother and her three year old granddaughter who, after sitting at the table for a few minutes exclaimed, "Where's my coffee!?!" The courtyard is tiny, as is the whole cafe, and it's a really interesting place to (subtly) people-watch.</span></p><p align="center"><br /><br /><br /></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0E0SezEQz7X1BnF2w5ld8jH8NY0NAK6LTjMn6A46fKYWd_MkZ4fI2i-dLbaqu6NgUdSxm8V4gtxQSBPxjfFvHnLzloU1p0SPhipclP67ypV__qotHsAi_gDquWU9boIz_dRPA4eEnyM/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443549424286972626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0E0SezEQz7X1BnF2w5ld8jH8NY0NAK6LTjMn6A46fKYWd_MkZ4fI2i-dLbaqu6NgUdSxm8V4gtxQSBPxjfFvHnLzloU1p0SPhipclP67ypV__qotHsAi_gDquWU9boIz_dRPA4eEnyM/s400/photo.jpg" /></a> </div><div align="center"><br /><span style="color:#333333;"><em>Poached eggs with ouzo and dill cured salmon and spinach ($15.50)</em> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">One of the most amazing serves of salmon I have ever had at a restaurant or cafe; up there with the finest sashimi-grade salmon. It was so fresh, so melt-in-your-mouth, and the dill was the perfect accompaniment. A satisfying, perfectly portioned dish that, unlike many breakfasts, left me feeling full yet light.</span></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxNY51HgP3Ou3yd_qvAwQEq5Y3UPPsH4-NuqNXkgCexS7AXM4ZRmO2KI16b7ad2nsUgYYCROalftlXRUS8QVOyVq2fsNL00k6mm1GQlsgnxl_0cjt8kkkKv52JYdfjNBq9qkoH4e3VOs/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443549418523845890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxNY51HgP3Ou3yd_qvAwQEq5Y3UPPsH4-NuqNXkgCexS7AXM4ZRmO2KI16b7ad2nsUgYYCROalftlXRUS8QVOyVq2fsNL00k6mm1GQlsgnxl_0cjt8kkkKv52JYdfjNBq9qkoH4e3VOs/s400/photo.jpg" /> </a><p align="center"><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;"><em>Scrambled eggs with goats cheese feta and oregano roasted tomatoes on toast ($13.50)</em><br /><br /><em></em><br />Normally, I hate scrambled eggs that look like this: folds of egg rather than soft "clouds", however these eggs were creamy and rich and paired so well with the goat's feta - a cheese so much more authentically Greek and creamy than anything I've ever bought from a supermarket or even a deli.</span><br /></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Our waitress, in clearing our plates, knocked over the vibrant blue glass water bottle that sat on our table, smashing it on the ground and our feet. She managed to recover from that quite well. She was apologetic but confident enough to remain positive and make a joke out of the situation, and as the whole courtyard turned to see what had happened in the corner, the young man packed in tight next to us quipped: "It's still the Best Breakfast". </span></p><p align="center"><br /><br /></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzL_xt1EHmlIJP3qYEezaC4cMSGWtJ8KG2avAAaFSy2RGisY9kktgEM9Tl4wUII5EeWeJCnbheaLnqiQ5Ob-L_QNXbkf94PGh-rx4ruIXhRcDk2nYEEAa1RV4NnrPFTmB9uXHfFpaVCy8/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443549430276605330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzL_xt1EHmlIJP3qYEezaC4cMSGWtJ8KG2avAAaFSy2RGisY9kktgEM9Tl4wUII5EeWeJCnbheaLnqiQ5Ob-L_QNXbkf94PGh-rx4ruIXhRcDk2nYEEAa1RV4NnrPFTmB9uXHfFpaVCy8/s400/photo.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">What a difference a weekend can make. I brought Bf to Demitri's on a Saturday morning. Again, we sat outside in the courtyard (note the little chairs made from old feta tins, above), but this time we waited inside by the coffee machine as staff ignored us and failed to even acknowledge that we were there. When we finally made eye contact with one, we were told "I think there's a table out the back, go out there".</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">To start off with, I was craving a Bloody Mary. When I asked the waitress - the same one who gave such great service to my mum and I on Thursday - if they made them, she barked at me: "No!!"</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Alright, I said, fair enough, and she walked off.<br /></span><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">A few minutes later, when I decided I wanted an iced coffee, the waitress asked a confusing set of questions about how I wanted my drink prepared. When it came out and I tasted the bitter, almost burnt-tasting coffee I understood why she asked: their iced coffees are prepared in a different way to most cafes and she was concerned that I might not like it. If only she had of actually been clear about her concerns, rather than walking off and saying "Don't worry about it" when I didn't understand.</span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tc6a21mp4S06-d8MgidnwNVS3tL1UPziXaFGp5GrJpsDb_BMugKnoNyWn1MebQRE7Qi0kLFmSr_zoDhaAPfn0M55ETvuELGToPNI0NWnaEo9ashqpGEOjeWtN_6_y6MHMqr3qBse7fw/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443549414056516914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tc6a21mp4S06-d8MgidnwNVS3tL1UPziXaFGp5GrJpsDb_BMugKnoNyWn1MebQRE7Qi0kLFmSr_zoDhaAPfn0M55ETvuELGToPNI0NWnaEo9ashqpGEOjeWtN_6_y6MHMqr3qBse7fw/s400/photo.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;"><em>Fried eggs with free range bacon, lokaniko sausage and oven roasted tomatoes ($16)</em><br /><br />This was Bf's dish, and when I told him halfway through his meal that the cafe had won Best Breakfast I think he thought I was joking. His food was just really average, and the presentation was pretty poor. </span></p><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhG5qD96-Wt0UCG-jqm9DpEJxoFRWZL0l9QtVi7p2hn_bcPbjKOP-2SPU-txJylu7NCVqigee_e2TwM9TFo6bxbTmMWiQtHapAa1ivI278FR53-biivcfeDwbry0JyJiI_t-ad4SXtRcM/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443549407826085746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhG5qD96-Wt0UCG-jqm9DpEJxoFRWZL0l9QtVi7p2hn_bcPbjKOP-2SPU-txJylu7NCVqigee_e2TwM9TFo6bxbTmMWiQtHapAa1ivI278FR53-biivcfeDwbry0JyJiI_t-ad4SXtRcM/s400/photo.jpg" /> </a><p align="center"><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;"><em>Omeletta - Greek omelette with lokaniko sausage, potatoes and kefalograviera ($14.50)</em><br /><br /><br />My omelette was pretty good - nothing to rave about though. The sausage was quite thick and I think it would have had a more enjoyable texture if it was cut finely.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">While we were eating, a young male waiter asked a table to leave the cafe as he had another group waiting to be seated. I understand the importance of table turnover in a busy restaurant - you want to get as many people through as you can. At my work, however, we pre-warn customers of this during busy times - for example, letting customers know that on a packed Friday night, they can only have the table for an hour and a half. If customers know this at the start, they're usually fine with it. If they find out at the end of the meal, when they're relaxing for a moment, letting their food settle, and you're trying to hustle them out the door, it can be an unpleasant end to what might have been an otherwise enjoyable experience.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">Bf was absolutely appalled by this place. I left feeling less negative because I had already had a great experience and know what Demitri's are capable of; it's just a shame that the floor really can't cope once it starts to get busy.<br /><br /></span><br /></p>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-44075842519859955262010-03-02T15:49:00.002+11:002010-03-02T16:24:56.157+11:00It's not really a food review, but...<div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Deveny Does Matt Preston and Marieke Hardy</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">C.U.B. Malthouse</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">113 Sturt Street</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Southbank</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span> </div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span> </div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span> </div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span> </div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"><br /></span><span style="color:#333333;"></div><div align="center"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvRiyqOg1g4quLJRZn6iySFb0G_UAl7WcjYM3Ag1I_G4UOlDcxMRbX4Z7UBpfX3PDtZNbJoGA9aVPoXV4ORHpjH1pypUtCUACkd2Dv7-_vMhbI79wYUQzhe6_myISU28xU-ktFEYmoA8/s1600-h/dev.jpg"><span style="color:#333333;"><em><strong><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443894468429047314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvRiyqOg1g4quLJRZn6iySFb0G_UAl7WcjYM3Ag1I_G4UOlDcxMRbX4Z7UBpfX3PDtZNbJoGA9aVPoXV4ORHpjH1pypUtCUACkd2Dv7-_vMhbI79wYUQzhe6_myISU28xU-ktFEYmoA8/s400/dev.jpg" /> </strong></em></span></div><p align="center"></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.readings.com.au/"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">www.readings.com.au</span></em></a></p><p align="center"><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;">Last night I went to see a night of conversation, hosted by Catherine Deveny, in which she tackled "some of the hard topics" (food, literature, sex) with guests Marieke Hardy and Matt Preston. When </span><a href="http://synonymfordisaster.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#333333;">S</span></a><span style="color:#333333;"><span style="color:#333333;"> told me about the event I was incredibly excited; three fabulous writers whom we both admire, in the one room, speaking intelligently and about interesting topics. When I thought about what other 19-year-olds might be doing with their night I felt like a bit of a geek, and I enjoyed that feeling; it was so nice to do something so different. The demographic was mixed, with people of all ages in attendance.</span> </span></p><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"><em><strong></strong></em></span></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><span style="color:#333333;"><span style="color:#333333;">The writers sat on white wicker chairs around a table piled with books, water and white wine. It was relaxed, as though they were in a restaurant having a typical conversation and we were flies on the wall listening in. The conversation in general was fascinating</span> and funny, but from a foodies point of view, it was the way not only Matt, but Marieke and Catherine too, spoke about food that was thrilling. They spoke of the importance of food in everything that we do; that it is much more than fuel. As Matt described, it is what brings people together, and what is there no matter what we are doing: attending a funeral, coming together at Christmas time, at every rite of passage we go through. It was absolutely wonderful to attend an event where interesting people spoke passionately and intelligently about food, among other things, and if such an event comes up again I would highly recommend it to everyone. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"><em><strong></strong></em></span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"><em><strong></strong></em></span></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-163426841541063432010-02-24T22:00:00.017+11:002010-03-01T14:57:17.771+11:00I ♥ P+MJ<div align="right"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Porgie</span> + Mr Jones</div><div align="right">291 Auburn Road<br />Hawthorn 3122</div><div align="right"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ph</span>: 03 9882 2955<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://synonymfordisaster.blogspot.com/">Synonymous</a> recently moved out Hawthorn way and it had been a while since we'd caught up. Perfect, I thought; I could see my beautiful friend and visit a little cafe I'd been meaning to try for ages - since Matt Preston wrote it up for Epicure in 2008 - at the same time.</div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br />Tucked away between dry cleaners and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">newsagents</span> on Auburn Road, P+<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MJ</span> consists of three distinct "layers": as you first walk in, the vibe is casual, fast, takeaway. Walk through to the next room and it becomes instantly more grown up, perfect for a cosy dinner (the private dining room upstairs has just been opened and provides an intimate space for 12-18 patrons). S and I kept walking out to the cute little courtyard, a quiet, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pebble stone</span> haven. </div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">First impressions of the (quite good looking) staff were good. All young but professional, we were quickly shown to a table, their nature casual but very welcoming. When I faced my usual dilemma (two things on the menu sound particularly fabulous; I will now take half an hour to decide), and after a game of heads or tails failed to help, the waitress provided some very helpful advice.</div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br />"What are you choosing between?"</div><br /><div align="center">"The salmon or the risotto."</div><br /><div align="center">"Are you quite hungry?"</div><br /><div align="center">"Yes. Ravenous. Which do you like best?"</div><br /><div align="center">"They're both delicious, but the salmon is quite light, whereas the risotto is a large serve."</div><br /><div align="center">"Alright", I concluded, "the risotto it is then". </div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><br />S was having breakfast - I was tempted, especially when I saw some of the P+<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">MJ</span> 'classics' like smashed avocado with thyme buttered mushrooms, marinated feta and torn basil on wholegrain toast, poached '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">googie</span>' optional - and I had a feeling this was a place that would do breakfasts well. But this blog could so easily become about nothing but breakfast with how often I crave a meal out in the morning, and that's not the aim, so with ravenous in mind I stuck with the "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Lunchy</span> Things" menu. </div><br /><br /><p><br /><br /><br /></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMeYQTxJYlkaMkPOD-XfB3h1ZJ8YVv654ZEyeABOKZ7YapHinU7Vq7nrtM8CjoEZ2lXijpBQAtyXe-lq9PehkQTgv00HO5-TmW36_kG-vanlonP9gK1VPrlKBvhM2T4Rn4rG2EqaI-pQ/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442321538706011970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMeYQTxJYlkaMkPOD-XfB3h1ZJ8YVv654ZEyeABOKZ7YapHinU7Vq7nrtM8CjoEZ2lXijpBQAtyXe-lq9PehkQTgv00HO5-TmW36_kG-vanlonP9gK1VPrlKBvhM2T4Rn4rG2EqaI-pQ/s400/photo.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><br /><p></p><br /><p align="center"><em>Risotto of pea and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">pancetta</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">herbed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">marscapone</span> ($19.90)</em></p><br /><p align="center"><br />A bowl of creamy, quite runny rice. The flavour was nice, but it was nothing stunning. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">herbed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">marscapone</span> added a nice kick and would have been better spread throughout the whole dish rather than lumped in the middle. The flavour of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">pancetta</span> was good but the little pieces of pork were hard, rather than the thin, melt in your mouth slices I was expecting.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3u60BOY7KGUG28XIcAcSRi6bR7PHl3GKS-cNd5mfGi-9FalY25usu7bZKoOMFQwkTP9LuUXIiTCPDOdsMztxQNOxpPbWTbiW-uZXYzQ2ONOBq1lQv_qTKpmMtV2qIeNa_Reb8u1phVcI/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442321347579844034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3u60BOY7KGUG28XIcAcSRi6bR7PHl3GKS-cNd5mfGi-9FalY25usu7bZKoOMFQwkTP9LuUXIiTCPDOdsMztxQNOxpPbWTbiW-uZXYzQ2ONOBq1lQv_qTKpmMtV2qIeNa_Reb8u1phVcI/s400/photo.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p align="center"><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Carman's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">bircher</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">muesli</span> with pear and cinnamon compote, honeyed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">yoghurt</span> ($10.90)</em></p><br /><p align="center">S really enjoyed her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Bircher</span>; I'm not much of a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">muesli</span> eater but I had a spoonful and it was creamy with a strong taste of fresh pear. </p><br /><p align="center"></p><br /><p align="center">From a PR point of view, P+<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">MJ</span> are on fire. Their website and business cards are fabulous and continue with the cute theme that's found throughout the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">restaurant</span> - blackboards on the walls with little messages of optimism, cute quotes on the menu ("...My <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">tongue</span> is smiling", claimed Mr Jones' 5 year old brother). Presentation of the restaurant itself is fabulous and service could not be faulted - the only flaw in the entire experience was my risotto and even that wasn't a 'flaw' as such, just a dish whose flavours were simply 'nice' and whose texture could have been improved. </p><br /><p align="center"></p><br /><p align="center">Given how nice S's breakfast was, maybe breakfast and brunch is more their thing - I will be back to investigate this further. </p>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-42255939781835534742010-02-23T18:57:00.000+11:002010-02-23T19:26:24.645+11:00Coda: 7 months later<p align="right"></p><br /><p align="right"></p><br /><p align="right"><br />Coda Bar and Restaurant<br />Basement, 141 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Flinders</span> Lane<br />Melbourne 3003<br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ph</span>: 9650 3155<br /><br /><br /><br /></p><br /><p align="right"></p><br /><p align="center">It's been seven months since I visited Coda with my ex-flatmate and her family, and still no review. The pictures remained in a draft post, along with so many other restaurant experiences I am yet to write up. All this time later, I remember I had a fabulous night and the food, beer and wine was fantastic, but it's been too long to remember specifics. Here, instead - inspired by <a href="http://eatingwithjack.blogspot.com/2009/04/clean-slate-is-in-order-amnesty-week.html">Eating with Jack's Amnesty post</a> - are pictures of the beautiful dishes we ate for your viewing pleasure.</p><br /><p align="center"><br /></p><br /><p align="right"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcfQPvoASos7vjaSFAnKHkG2Lff6zVnlB5b9JfHR4QtR3zMSZcA6mqt-0KXWdxHIvOjdczBhf7OIJM3rGiw17z2I42v_oiqMbKlPaqGZ8WmCKqq15JiARjt3eeXrJLzqV0lk1ZrO8X-8/s1600-h/P1000459+(Small).JPG"></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393430823387457746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcfQPvoASos7vjaSFAnKHkG2Lff6zVnlB5b9JfHR4QtR3zMSZcA6mqt-0KXWdxHIvOjdczBhf7OIJM3rGiw17z2I42v_oiqMbKlPaqGZ8WmCKqq15JiARjt3eeXrJLzqV0lk1ZrO8X-8/s400/P1000459+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-lsxTLi2qrB1y6C13aJgyOSGy6-dtkPt10iAdprAgIrTXty4a8O2HprilnDq0zx5PfXMVbeHV1edaZqNKCfqqNZcrrdIPb9PhixJ5nd3BT3gv557sI2MrtwSobxEKm3LXA3vq58uXM0/s1600-h/P1000464+(Small).JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393430820442187490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-lsxTLi2qrB1y6C13aJgyOSGy6-dtkPt10iAdprAgIrTXty4a8O2HprilnDq0zx5PfXMVbeHV1edaZqNKCfqqNZcrrdIPb9PhixJ5nd3BT3gv557sI2MrtwSobxEKm3LXA3vq58uXM0/s400/P1000464+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIOel6wYi_2j_6DaJbMMUZfZntSI4YwkJlPC3ArU3Ejazo0Kfw-QIEFquiL9X2rhKETY1Y3KxOlYAYNVQY1DfxfJlIG-U3GLXBOCO6ceBSn5H3OGL0U7R7_c9lgtG-N5DixVQy2Yo25c/s1600-h/P1000452+(Small).JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393429558102995250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIOel6wYi_2j_6DaJbMMUZfZntSI4YwkJlPC3ArU3Ejazo0Kfw-QIEFquiL9X2rhKETY1Y3KxOlYAYNVQY1DfxfJlIG-U3GLXBOCO6ceBSn5H3OGL0U7R7_c9lgtG-N5DixVQy2Yo25c/s400/P1000452+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1p8cfqKOFF9RGw_YrSNeJvT_-V6-pJOyMgd_m4SU0uG-tnqyWMuCG3DTH6RtlYD9v9YF7SD0xQAtwzT8T2Bt3HvPXuVWovn6ltbS5rdVV-MqH8BHLQZxBR4O90cRAjqhhVHglw9UGbk/s1600-h/dessert.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 370px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393429550350731314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1p8cfqKOFF9RGw_YrSNeJvT_-V6-pJOyMgd_m4SU0uG-tnqyWMuCG3DTH6RtlYD9v9YF7SD0xQAtwzT8T2Bt3HvPXuVWovn6ltbS5rdVV-MqH8BHLQZxBR4O90cRAjqhhVHglw9UGbk/s400/dessert.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KWx9SPGM3cwNrvWxftw2FiEY7-7xvEHye19-Nf3msaSnTO5ykUZD_K7Vdhe6pTN6wyfSR71HwJQ6csPc4qmBbNea3D8DQcmxspz7BjvOFQGb1KPvNqmq115oXy4bcgavxpKb3IuNV3U/s1600-h/P1000451+(Small).JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393429546884368274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KWx9SPGM3cwNrvWxftw2FiEY7-7xvEHye19-Nf3msaSnTO5ykUZD_K7Vdhe6pTN6wyfSR71HwJQ6csPc4qmBbNea3D8DQcmxspz7BjvOFQGb1KPvNqmq115oXy4bcgavxpKb3IuNV3U/s400/P1000451+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWHeEcoVIhNFJ2ZCmu6zWrUnWc_R6559ZCNkJ4h0eycR2dY6pZAzguXImHtIM8pf76IPxCjElFKJEtFrZRtvFbalgk9RI2d-x5DEcr8EpfaMT5RaoS4jKqkptd_9BWsx30TzHTOZQWW0/s1600-h/P1000466+(Small).JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393429527025378290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWHeEcoVIhNFJ2ZCmu6zWrUnWc_R6559ZCNkJ4h0eycR2dY6pZAzguXImHtIM8pf76IPxCjElFKJEtFrZRtvFbalgk9RI2d-x5DEcr8EpfaMT5RaoS4jKqkptd_9BWsx30TzHTOZQWW0/s400/P1000466+(Small).JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsWTbuEjbZW3HA5QNMC1-EVplWTwZnNpPsduJEnWC5NGenkQBYSohDMoBZOUAgNQ9k_-I2i9tskgIj8W4xFFBbWDpEc_SmuI8MpIvKA9P0FRIEmtgi5-YAY-10xL3LwsYkDqAyHcqBBM/s1600-h/P1000453.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389274837432309570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsWTbuEjbZW3HA5QNMC1-EVplWTwZnNpPsduJEnWC5NGenkQBYSohDMoBZOUAgNQ9k_-I2i9tskgIj8W4xFFBbWDpEc_SmuI8MpIvKA9P0FRIEmtgi5-YAY-10xL3LwsYkDqAyHcqBBM/s400/P1000453.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNzNNWnV3hLsZVAEC2ph3AOhsANXkIvn6IEs2YCDT8mqi5iRY-r2fv2XZG-Xsq6AYXf1xcdJAtqVAxMcV7UfU4nPOdmcOi9OF1UAtsH7yO7D7b-H0DZEmtRVkRSFWSDmPftpnXXhQNAQ/s1600-h/P1000450.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389260440026418866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNzNNWnV3hLsZVAEC2ph3AOhsANXkIvn6IEs2YCDT8mqi5iRY-r2fv2XZG-Xsq6AYXf1xcdJAtqVAxMcV7UfU4nPOdmcOi9OF1UAtsH7yO7D7b-H0DZEmtRVkRSFWSDmPftpnXXhQNAQ/s400/P1000450.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJvkIzVyp2P2kZ4Lk1-QxTIHoOFrTFqfReu_UGw2-1q8d3OPXQ8AnpX41b5SBOhyphenhyphen-O2nCbws38FPEZ82b1tLikNDd637otASqDfqPo1cIKTS6aiGHiPNFAzb5pIXNjoYNofpceRNDOAo/s1600-h/P1000447.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389259835245044690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJvkIzVyp2P2kZ4Lk1-QxTIHoOFrTFqfReu_UGw2-1q8d3OPXQ8AnpX41b5SBOhyphenhyphen-O2nCbws38FPEZ82b1tLikNDd637otASqDfqPo1cIKTS6aiGHiPNFAzb5pIXNjoYNofpceRNDOAo/s400/P1000447.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="right"></div></div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-60298110566648904682010-01-28T11:16:00.007+11:002010-02-11T12:43:18.124+11:00All talk?<div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="right">Rowena Parade Corner Store<br />44 Rowena Parade<br />Richmond 3121<br />Ph: 03 9421 3262</div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br />When I think of those tiny little cafes and restaurants one sometimes discovers in Melbourne's many laneways, those hidden gems treasured by locals, I think of places with happy staff, fabulous food, consistently good coffee. I knew that to some Melbourne foodies, Rowena Parade was one such gem, so when I stumbled across it by accident I was expecting a unique, memorable breakfast experience.</div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsy5CLnyX3sFah93Ycdly-3DukVEhQPWFm5tUFaEN_uN8xcynPJYcAkuj_8LFuMiWsY1lay1CuTlA9xhSCkgFCoidNrqdNs4OkwmjWw9fj1aA9p_9D-nUlrxrlG1AkiT7JnCw92IAAfM/s1600-h/breakfastout.com.au"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431586223422746082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsy5CLnyX3sFah93Ycdly-3DukVEhQPWFm5tUFaEN_uN8xcynPJYcAkuj_8LFuMiWsY1lay1CuTlA9xhSCkgFCoidNrqdNs4OkwmjWw9fj1aA9p_9D-nUlrxrlG1AkiT7JnCw92IAAfM/s400/breakfastout.com.au" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a><em>Photo: breakfastout.com.au</em></p><br /><p><em></em></p><br /><p align="center">First impressions were good. On a warm morning, the windows were wide open, and tables of what seemed like regular customers almost filled the room. The "cafe/milkbar/continental deli" has a Greek theme, with a huge picture of Santorini on one wall; above the counter, a big sign reads "Mamma's takeaway", and cute little messages are found all over the room (above the counter, a blackboard reminding patrons that "For every minute you're angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness"; beneath a bell, a stern warning to "Under no circumstances ring this bell").</p><br /><p align="center"></p><br /><p align="center">We found a good selection of basic breakfast and lunch dishes on the menu and specials board, with a few traditional Greek dishes featured. </p><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdrCXtkgyobmLra6UkOIOPymuGD7WU8Ogrzpv585EL7XdCUHs7ao237zKpU0yN3TgcSPrmYFwuLwKbefCaZ4N0iBD5mzbySuK75-csG9au_RHzTMmLttxDuQTKJ6M2EQbQz2WV7sLBLA/s1600-h/roww.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431579671265276706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdrCXtkgyobmLra6UkOIOPymuGD7WU8Ogrzpv585EL7XdCUHs7ao237zKpU0yN3TgcSPrmYFwuLwKbefCaZ4N0iBD5mzbySuK75-csG9au_RHzTMmLttxDuQTKJ6M2EQbQz2WV7sLBLA/s400/roww.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><br /><br /><p align="center"><em>Kaski, from Neveska in Northern Greece: Roasted red peppers, cooked in tomato reduction, with fresh ricotta, fetta cheese and a hint of chili, served with organic Turkish toast ($8.50)</em></p><br /><br /><p align="center">I considered a BELTAC (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese - Rowena Parade's super take on the BLT) but decided I was having an "It's-too-early-for-eggs" morning so instead, my little ramekin of tomato and chili was an excellent start to the day. Yes, the presentation could have been better - the dish was a bit of a mess. But it was creamy and rich with a subtle kick of chili and went well with the Turkish bread.<br /></p><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZIzgXuFVyD45SfQbftWjvaYUmghHMLbFTEyygcX88lX-4F8EQnJRmNYq8c1S5dvQg28QGADgsP-p8L6xeEMfhyphenhyphenWyPKkNg9izUzBS9Z_41YDKD6QWoQLZF1SUXxdsOfuR2POettn_zdE/s1600-h/rowena.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431579663440049762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZIzgXuFVyD45SfQbftWjvaYUmghHMLbFTEyygcX88lX-4F8EQnJRmNYq8c1S5dvQg28QGADgsP-p8L6xeEMfhyphenhyphenWyPKkNg9izUzBS9Z_41YDKD6QWoQLZF1SUXxdsOfuR2POettn_zdE/s400/rowena.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><em>Two free range eggs on Turkish toast ($7.00) with mushrooms, tomato, avocado ($2.50 each) and bacon ($3.00)</em><br /><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><br />A simple big breakfast, and what a disappointment. Bf, a man who has no chef training and cooks beautiful creamy scrambled eggs at home, is constantly amazed at how often kitchens ruin breakfast. The eggs he was served were a dry, bland, solid lump. The sides consisted of a flavourless half tomato, extremely crisp (in fact, black) bacon (which was cooked to bf's liking - we both like our bacon very crispy - but we both agreed the kitchen was taking a risk here), the tiniest portion of an average tasting avocado, and some mushrooms which were the only decent thing about the meal. He was also served a warm strawberry milkshake.</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">Bf was very unsatisfied, and I must say that my expectations of the place were a lot higher. Rowena Parade has so much charm, you would think the service - wait staff had zero personality - and food would match. "Good Things", reads a heading at the bottom of the menu, above a paragraph explaining that their eggs are free range, their bread is organic, they source local produce wherever possible. But is it all talk? It's one - very important - thing to source the freshest, best produce you can find. What you do with it is another matter. Rowena Parade is good on paper, but in practice things are very different.<br /></div><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-68104737018003151642009-12-31T12:54:00.005+11:002010-02-14T00:08:52.959+11:00Breakfast on Bridge: Grace Food and Wine<div align="right">Grace Food and Wine</div><div align="right">306 Bridge Road</div><div align="right">Richmond 3121</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9429 8929<br /></div><div align="right"></div><br /><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><br /><div align="center">As Bf and I sat in the very pleasant outdoor veranda one morning at Grace, looking through the extensive breakfast menu, I thought it might be time to ditch the usual Big Breakfast or Eggs Benedict in favour of a breakfast dish a little less mainstream. Unfortunately, by the time I'd finished my meal I was feeling unsatisfied and seriously craving that big breaky.</div><br /><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><br /><div align="right"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQYPy72Xumzr5lHbyUcgSS6458_gDGYb3SLgGIo7fmr7IZEcARCSuxlbsdutlJJFm44xGfIMmub3MrEZsXN3E4UPQA95FalNJgT9QnSH5D2Rew4Rmgxz2gmU-rIH3vIPxX-o08sOMqt4/s1600-h/GetAttachment4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421213908666870530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQYPy72Xumzr5lHbyUcgSS6458_gDGYb3SLgGIo7fmr7IZEcARCSuxlbsdutlJJFm44xGfIMmub3MrEZsXN3E4UPQA95FalNJgT9QnSH5D2Rew4Rmgxz2gmU-rIH3vIPxX-o08sOMqt4/s400/GetAttachment4.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p align="center"><em>Grace cassoulet of chorizo, spicy beans and poached eggs with a parmesan crust, avocado salsa and sour cream ($16)</em><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="center">This was my first breakfast cassoulet. I'm not in any hurry to try a second. It was a fairly flavourless bowl of mush with a dry, bland "parmesan crust" which really just tasted like breadcrumbs. I enjoyed mixing the beans, sour cream and avocado salsa towards the end of the dish, but I was after breakfast, not Mexican burrito filling. </p><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2Bb5rlasK_GXzGawhrC7dp0fLzgn33w1nuGEvBz3gNbRoaDf9KdlkvcNZJJK6uHdmvj2W3skcGoOdk2F54Mox8-ZD1prmk2i8SI3ETXKu4ie38fxdRc1_5-ntHh33AsvDVQ7_w-b7Eo/s1600-h/GetAttachment2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421213901815088610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2Bb5rlasK_GXzGawhrC7dp0fLzgn33w1nuGEvBz3gNbRoaDf9KdlkvcNZJJK6uHdmvj2W3skcGoOdk2F54Mox8-ZD1prmk2i8SI3ETXKu4ie38fxdRc1_5-ntHh33AsvDVQ7_w-b7Eo/s400/GetAttachment2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Grace big breakfast of poached eggs, bacon, sausages, tomato, mushrooms, beans, spinach and a hash brown on toasted Turkish bread ($17.50)</em></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Bf, on the other hand, had "one of the best big breakfasts" he's had, trading the poached eggs for creamy, light scrambled ones instead. The tomatoes, a breakfast side that can sometimes be a bit dull, were strong in flavour from the fresh herbs sprinkled on top, and were given a smokey flavour from, I suspect, being cooked in the same pan as the bacon fat.<br /></div><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center">Drinks here are good; I had a beautiful creamy chai latte and Bf enjoyed his strawberry thickshake. I felt like I hardly saw the wait staff, as though service was just fine but not outstanding, but this could just be because we were outside, away from the action. Despite my cassoulet disappointment, Bf's breakfast has given me confidence in the rest of the menu, and I'm very interested in going back to sample one of the $9.00 lunch specials.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <centre><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760796/restaurant/Melbourne/Grace-Food-Wine-Richmond"><img alt="Grace Food & Wine on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/760796/biglogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px" /></a>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-18943510772319616902009-12-25T21:41:00.001+11:002009-12-31T12:52:28.365+11:00Merry Christmas!<div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Merry Christmas everyone! Here's what I'm eating today...</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DQQOW6NdFoCps4JhWLeJgGS9ZbE1BDPD9BuOdxoZa1cxons1olR3muuhIfruEO3dP61qjJwzr_ZLr95TdGS_sD6oY3bH1xsRp4jDh2ZnEu2u6r2iMgOhJ1JjfUpFDbfW2EZwQNq44Ms/s1600-h/GetAttachment6.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419106399727492066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DQQOW6NdFoCps4JhWLeJgGS9ZbE1BDPD9BuOdxoZa1cxons1olR3muuhIfruEO3dP61qjJwzr_ZLr95TdGS_sD6oY3bH1xsRp4jDh2ZnEu2u6r2iMgOhJ1JjfUpFDbfW2EZwQNq44Ms/s400/GetAttachment6.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><em>Basil, goat's feta and fresh tomato toasts</em><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIpP4OTozuwG46olHWtrKX7GK57M2_SyCCMaJduggFDyjGTSl9HNGmkZo5zbu2pyyMeQ45VCDoA1IHYnEi4abqborZEuVPBSeL3wOLB1mknruxWpG61v2_GQReMvnFU0o2j3FzYmLGnU/s1600-h/GetAttachment2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419043446263720098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIpP4OTozuwG46olHWtrKX7GK57M2_SyCCMaJduggFDyjGTSl9HNGmkZo5zbu2pyyMeQ45VCDoA1IHYnEi4abqborZEuVPBSeL3wOLB1mknruxWpG61v2_GQReMvnFU0o2j3FzYmLGnU/s400/GetAttachment2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Salt and pepper calamari, served with a lemon aioli</em></div><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419043440596795826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWcHMPOHeTYigdF0hdFnM2xhOK-GKwZLo8xix1oCen7BXmRlPKT-fOQZToGdlKoAE05IRsFgGAHBlrXdgAmCi3wzEaEJR3SRWVS4jtYiz9Go7UsxGq1Wcb7rFGOdvBvxdwV6G_5tgLWk/s400/GetAttachment3.jpg" /><br /><em><br /><br />Spinach, green bean and almond salad (Instant Entertaining, Donna Hay)</em><em></em><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /> </div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtC-CODyEFMR9zBXkDwuB5eAt64oWXgMvWLiieTYzt0ZxjfOEYJa-CLyIL7-JART9y7teKdMRRSIrNZdioN2SP1tOpLLDjoYQP2aiVxpxoF8DSLAfBb-Hre6h9px4p6NJEOueCtlxkC8/s1600-h/GetAttachment4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419043431666292418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtC-CODyEFMR9zBXkDwuB5eAt64oWXgMvWLiieTYzt0ZxjfOEYJa-CLyIL7-JART9y7teKdMRRSIrNZdioN2SP1tOpLLDjoYQP2aiVxpxoF8DSLAfBb-Hre6h9px4p6NJEOueCtlxkC8/s400/GetAttachment4.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em><br />Above and below: Coquille St Jacques (Doyles Fish Cookbook, Alice Doyle)</em><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OBEaYE3MHWFi25ONVBLl9pDU73NtS7ImMT25C7URjuvExP2kUNLOSiLi0tpwvO1JHLEGgF6k6rz3bb_AAnEOceJvzL-C6E93SBzhMY5XxHzTx2f7NPKtXx_XED__NvyLoV9ruHNUWoo/s1600-h/GetAttachment5.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419043423668339058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OBEaYE3MHWFi25ONVBLl9pDU73NtS7ImMT25C7URjuvExP2kUNLOSiLi0tpwvO1JHLEGgF6k6rz3bb_AAnEOceJvzL-C6E93SBzhMY5XxHzTx2f7NPKtXx_XED__NvyLoV9ruHNUWoo/s400/GetAttachment5.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPnzfYsYRv1TxCoIjuV5AMP0WVCJsrkH3ONfUK9Tv6osHFq7nNdy7mEv2eGgov5VxRHtW_ATtRcli77IDqaRfu8XloxA2lw-QdiXOLx5oABvcGZRmoxiVV6PIO_YXsJi2RqyGpiWdxlU/s1600-h/GetAttachment9.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419118881196955874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPnzfYsYRv1TxCoIjuV5AMP0WVCJsrkH3ONfUK9Tv6osHFq7nNdy7mEv2eGgov5VxRHtW_ATtRcli77IDqaRfu8XloxA2lw-QdiXOLx5oABvcGZRmoxiVV6PIO_YXsJi2RqyGpiWdxlU/s400/GetAttachment9.jpg" /></a><em><br /><br />Oven roasted garlic and vegetables; wilted bok choy with balsamic </em></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7loISnYVd2pFK7m93WiSPw-2VfIrtCSxINY0ki9RIAZKq0L0HW62bFXBf2hTsuVdLSuyyYvdSv60sjIaKoiuMWRetY06YNruM4oP1k8weHPOFSqnD0Ba2FiU_XgL6m1JjUk9Crlf767g/s1600-h/GetAttachment.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421211007491627394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7loISnYVd2pFK7m93WiSPw-2VfIrtCSxINY0ki9RIAZKq0L0HW62bFXBf2hTsuVdLSuyyYvdSv60sjIaKoiuMWRetY06YNruM4oP1k8weHPOFSqnD0Ba2FiU_XgL6m1JjUk9Crlf767g/s400/GetAttachment.jpg" /></a> </div><div align="center"><em></em> </div><div align="center"><em><br /><br>Mum's famous potato salad<br /><br><br /></em></div><div align="center"><em></em> </div><div align="center"><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKciN0ifaO-L5cUDyYygHcBqKOXyuMmF1ZoshAeiIFQZH_EW1QQ2dpXmzftTmgVFoq7tUQnXZHURiQPc4r-659kngyoCkokLTKtdq4MJr2T_BhqaCZUHz3euyfqh4J2v_-rDQhLsaVKrs/s1600-h/GetAttachment1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421210999392603986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKciN0ifaO-L5cUDyYygHcBqKOXyuMmF1ZoshAeiIFQZH_EW1QQ2dpXmzftTmgVFoq7tUQnXZHURiQPc4r-659kngyoCkokLTKtdq4MJr2T_BhqaCZUHz3euyfqh4J2v_-rDQhLsaVKrs/s400/GetAttachment1.jpg" /></a> </div><div> </div><div><em><br>Asian noodle salad<br></em><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRJxviHrq0mTx-DwamPWt4WRc-1CToOqSWbqw-GiIWA05DANw3n2o-QHpAqQyn62RbFhiqgjFxQ2YALFtQZi6GEfI_E07onngbNsFK_O5ZrhVns3VUe6Ce1CSGGY2OpqonqwQ0t8Wtzg/s1600-h/GetAttachment8.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419117983852246802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRJxviHrq0mTx-DwamPWt4WRc-1CToOqSWbqw-GiIWA05DANw3n2o-QHpAqQyn62RbFhiqgjFxQ2YALFtQZi6GEfI_E07onngbNsFK_O5ZrhVns3VUe6Ce1CSGGY2OpqonqwQ0t8Wtzg/s400/GetAttachment8.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><em>Barbequed Char Sui marinated french lamb cutlets</em><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-21324513414071983892009-12-19T10:13:00.000+11:002009-12-25T17:50:31.506+11:00In search of a hangover cure<div align="right">Thy Thy House<br />118 Victoria Street</div><div align="right">Richmond 3121</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9429 8668 </div><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="right"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7q6N6YhZUmMzMzttA8Y4NUXilIkIf3BFMwV-cAk8UeZ_Ph7d91sFHWZm_Bm6QW5C61gf2eSEei2hL3tkQWBW3kYghjNg2LIXir1tCwFI4qMiXm_2e3SaFYNugTpVy2ugZsNudJ4fAI8/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416347654690754402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7q6N6YhZUmMzMzttA8Y4NUXilIkIf3BFMwV-cAk8UeZ_Ph7d91sFHWZm_Bm6QW5C61gf2eSEei2hL3tkQWBW3kYghjNg2LIXir1tCwFI4qMiXm_2e3SaFYNugTpVy2ugZsNudJ4fAI8/s400/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center">I've often heard people talk of spending lazy Sundays eating cheap, tasty little dumplings to cure a hangover. I used to swear by a can of tuna and a cup of tea to soothe me through the morning after but this odd combination doesn't seem to work anymore, so figured the day after my work Christmas party was a good time to test out the theory.</div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLyBak_UiZXBFv2uWAgVQGRXPvKvT69R1ch9mG3Yb5njefxSAPHS0sAsJv1whJxVjRxms-wukzlO7IcUH7Uy8cJx2NKRmVA-5eGYBJOkUfKpTLc-50e5jVKddDIHm6LaWfvng9sgLu4Q/s1600-h/wonton.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416347658501209378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLyBak_UiZXBFv2uWAgVQGRXPvKvT69R1ch9mG3Yb5njefxSAPHS0sAsJv1whJxVjRxms-wukzlO7IcUH7Uy8cJx2NKRmVA-5eGYBJOkUfKpTLc-50e5jVKddDIHm6LaWfvng9sgLu4Q/s400/wonton.bmp" border="0" /></a><em><br /></em></div><div align="center"><em>Steamed prawn wontons, $8.00</em><br /></div><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">Despite being steamed, these wontons were covered in a greasy dumpling wrapper rather than the smooth, oil-free skin I was expecting. Still, the prawns inside were unprocessed, thick and juicy, with that little bit of crunch that fresh prawns have. Don't bother with the accompanying sauce though: its a thick, gluggy brown mixture that tastes like the flavouring sachet from a pack of two-minute noodles. </div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFch27YtTNJexYgmgXGlL1AzAhwame3_wUEqk98KnqUCsC9t5gsqAXEJQIMzwRWlh5szysNQvVW9-Ut-FiyHtC_2blAc1ObLSHEsatzgxRbBzYA2RZhnryngGmX1B6KP0FNqZ1PdhOdbc/s1600-h/555.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416347666778553410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFch27YtTNJexYgmgXGlL1AzAhwame3_wUEqk98KnqUCsC9t5gsqAXEJQIMzwRWlh5szysNQvVW9-Ut-FiyHtC_2blAc1ObLSHEsatzgxRbBzYA2RZhnryngGmX1B6KP0FNqZ1PdhOdbc/s400/555.bmp" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a><br /><br /><em>Scallops in chili and lemongrass sauce with rice, $8.00</em></p><br /><p align="center">This dish was part of a selection of $8.00 lunch specials; it had a bit of a kick from the chili but overall was quite bland. The vegetables were fresh and crunchy but the scallops were thin, old, and served without the delicious orange roe.</p><br /><p align="center"></p><br /><p align="center">Service was provided by two young Asian boys with Aussie accents. I arrived and found them eating and watching <em>The Nanny, </em>but whenever<em> </em>I required service it was quick, attentive and warm. With a delicious Vietnamese beer (333, $6.00) lunch cost me $22 - good value for the quantity served, but the food itself was not remarkable. It's one of the more flashy looking restaurants along Victoria Street; perhaps next time I'll stick to one of the more authentic, grungy looking places. Still, those little prawn parcels, and all that rice, did indeed leave me cured of my hangover.</p><p align="center"><br /></p>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-56022488973826999952009-12-18T13:49:00.000+11:002009-12-18T09:52:57.047+11:00For a quick all rounder<div align="right">Blue Train Cafe</div><div align="right">Southgate Complex<br />Southbank</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9696 0440</div><br /><br /><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">It was a beautiful warm day, and we needed a sunny balcony to sit on. Mum and I headed over to Southbank, walking past the endless rows of snooty-looking restaurants and headed up to an old favourite in the Southgate Complex, Blue Train. </div><br /><br /><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="right"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWNAkN-o8mTJsfjJu0_EYnKklN0oGlD9tG5RhCr60e-u7JawXIiqWNui6eqReWW41g04GcII-uLfgKq8Z6BZakKovGoovHJDGRmiyIdoF5ZQ8P8Mqzarq1DXVCUrxXvy1PzDPGpiU3Bo/s1600-h/P1000554.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400819039612919250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWNAkN-o8mTJsfjJu0_EYnKklN0oGlD9tG5RhCr60e-u7JawXIiqWNui6eqReWW41g04GcII-uLfgKq8Z6BZakKovGoovHJDGRmiyIdoF5ZQ8P8Mqzarq1DXVCUrxXvy1PzDPGpiU3Bo/s400/P1000554.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><em>Seared salmon fillet: soba noodle salad, soy dressing ($19.90)</em></div><br /><div align="center"><em></em></div><br /><br /><div align="center">You know a dish is truly fantastic when you cant stop thinking about it for days; that's how I felt about this salmon fillet. The crunchy noodle salad was a great accompaniment to the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the salmon, and the soy dressing was strong and flavoursome without being too salty or overpowering. </div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxSl5KF4WghIi50jEI1C4UsZ9KKH-SGj3xxuPAskxny3LC61nbUFCXDBEBqZsNHYveSobZc5eMEsAN_sCBmkvTCsSQC4kP0qBVrVOvYXMG_Zu05ZdIK5sQGx8Q-WywBH9znkYJ0sebt0/s1600-h/P1000551.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400819036769876450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxSl5KF4WghIi50jEI1C4UsZ9KKH-SGj3xxuPAskxny3LC61nbUFCXDBEBqZsNHYveSobZc5eMEsAN_sCBmkvTCsSQC4kP0qBVrVOvYXMG_Zu05ZdIK5sQGx8Q-WywBH9znkYJ0sebt0/s400/P1000551.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Tandoori chicken salad: tomato, cucumber, Spanish onion, steamed rice, papadums, yoghurt raita ($19.90)</em></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">The papadums that came with Mum's meal were wholegrain, adding some interesting flavour and texture. Mum's meal was fresh and light but the tandoori chicken was quite dry with an almost stringy texture. Pairing it with the cool, creamy raita helped.<br /><br /><br />One tiny little critisism: the menu is divided into sections entitled "small plates" and "big plates", and goes on to list quite an extensive selection of "plates". This made the menu hard to read, as I was overwhelmed by the choice and it took me a while to gather what I had to select from. Service is not bad but not fabulous - when we had clearly not even touched our meals yet the same waiter who brought them out came and asked "How is everything?" - but overall Blue Train is a great spot for contemporary meals served fast and at reasonable prices; and a seat on the sunny balcony is the perfect spot to relax after a hard day's shopping.<br /><br /></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-46296578192532437392009-11-16T11:58:00.000+11:002009-12-03T19:14:56.696+11:00Breakfast on Bridge: Ilios<div align="right">Ilios</div><div align="right">144 Bridge Road</div><div align="right">Richmond</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9428 6144<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center">Bf and I needed a quick breakfast on Bridge Road before work and I was in such a hurry that I wasn't going to worry about taking pictures or reviewing the place. After the service and food we received at Ilios, however, I couldn't not share the experience. </div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center">We both ordered big breakfasts and, after about five minutes of sitting outside, realised we hadn't been asked how we'd like our eggs done. I went inside to tell our waitress and was greeted by a bunch of surly looking floor staff, standing around behind the bar, none seeming too keen to find out what I needed. I found our waitress, who was by far the best out of the bunch, and asked if it was too late to ask for scrambled eggs. She spoke to the kitchen, who said it was fine.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br />This is is what the kitchen sent out, and a waiter delivered without question...<br /><br /><br /></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUOFfk0BBYh1RFDfpHsr1Wh54-6htXcTzJk8YaAa2UmSVBcMs_XB7BJx3fDzTYFw4juM_FbhTKrTBCVyuNCt3IBDMKk1EokcHbOfhudtXhqle1qcUqWoZT0ylb1AogP9MNgVEyUd1zwI/s1600-h/EGGSSSSSSSSS.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410911285908762274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 299px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUOFfk0BBYh1RFDfpHsr1Wh54-6htXcTzJk8YaAa2UmSVBcMs_XB7BJx3fDzTYFw4juM_FbhTKrTBCVyuNCt3IBDMKk1EokcHbOfhudtXhqle1qcUqWoZT0ylb1AogP9MNgVEyUd1zwI/s400/EGGSSSSSSSSS.bmp" border="0" /></a> </p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"><br /><br />Cut up fried eggs; a terrible attempt at disguising the mistake of the staff. I understand that the kitchen would not be happy throwing out perfectly good fried eggs, but the menu specifies that the eggs are served however we like and good wait staff should remember to ask.</p><p align="center">I found it quite offensive that the kitchen thought I was stupid enough not to notice, or that my standards were so low that I wouldn't care. I can just imagine the conversation between the chefs before our meals were sent out, them assuming that I wouldn't mind and deciding that the food was "good enough". I also was amazed that the wait staff let this go out without question; as a waitress myself, if I saw that coming out of my kitchen I would ask why the eggs looked so strange.<br /></p><p align="center"><br />The rest of the big breakfast was quite good; the beverages we had - a latte and a mango smoothie - were great, but the poor service and lack of respect to customers means I won't be coming back.<br /></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"><em>N.B: Ilios has recently been put on the market for sale.</em><br /></p><div align="center"></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-72074156321282616572009-11-14T09:18:00.000+11:002009-11-14T09:20:53.289+11:00Apologies<div align="center">My apologies for the lack of posts; a second job plus sudden increases in living expenses mean that I haven't had a lot of money to go out, or time to put up a new post. I'll be back soon!</div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-61332120007203799692009-10-30T01:38:00.000+11:002009-10-30T08:45:41.639+11:00Terra Rossa: Faultless<div align="right">Terra Rossa</div><div align="right">87 Flinders Lane</div><div align="right">City</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9650 0900<br /></div><div align="right"><br /></div><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="center">Today, Kate's tram was running late as she made her way to our 1.30 lunch date. Sitting alone at in a restaurant, something I normally dislike doing, was no problem here at Terra Rossa; the staff made me feel incredibly comfortable. The male waiters were cheeky and charming but not sleazy, and the females made jokes and made sure I was comfortable at the small table. One waiter, who introduced himself as Damo, asked if I'd like something to drink, took one look at me and said "Cosmopolitan?". He picked my type instantly and told me it'd be the best Cosmo I've ever had. </div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJu-xylo434aiiKlLyIcmsumP28lRnOl1CvHfX77NXMJSaRvVErHn0U8bSRBpHthA0kIkz97gbvkRbboLqLph0BC2-2WVq7wnSBIRdbshUj_xTaJNrgI76-ClmEo84mqjg91ibvOnd_1w/s1600-h/P1000539.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397910904524693410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJu-xylo434aiiKlLyIcmsumP28lRnOl1CvHfX77NXMJSaRvVErHn0U8bSRBpHthA0kIkz97gbvkRbboLqLph0BC2-2WVq7wnSBIRdbshUj_xTaJNrgI76-ClmEo84mqjg91ibvOnd_1w/s400/P1000539.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><em></em></div><br /><div align="center"><em>Cosmopolitan ($17)</em></div><br /><div align="center"><em></em></div><br /><div align="center">It's hard to narrow down the best Cosmo I've had as I've gotten through quite a few very good ones, but this was definitely up there, and their extensive cocktail list (containing both Terra Rossa specialties and classic cocktails) was perfect on this 28 degree day. </div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4RZOFOuIqyaZb4jgElKVCV_ITo-nSgnuGWJsJ1eWl_9wKYpVJHGGF7AQuZNUgUWWHivsGzfcJbT1G2r0kILGFn3YLn8bkx7Wja0COLiiKz9sdt22Z_FKvTRcHocZa6wfPKR7XCaL-F0/s1600-h/P1000542.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397910894104230898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4RZOFOuIqyaZb4jgElKVCV_ITo-nSgnuGWJsJ1eWl_9wKYpVJHGGF7AQuZNUgUWWHivsGzfcJbT1G2r0kILGFn3YLn8bkx7Wja0COLiiKz9sdt22Z_FKvTRcHocZa6wfPKR7XCaL-F0/s400/P1000542.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Pan-seared gremolata barramundi with sweet potato, charred asparagus and yellow pepper salad ($33)</em></div><br /><div align="center"><em></em></div><br /><div align="center">The barramundi just melted in my mouth; the flesh was so soft and broke away from the fillet so easily, and the skin was left on to turn crispy and salty. The sweet potato was cold which was a surprise and I probably would have preferred it served warm. Nonetheless this was a beautiful, fresh salad, served on a bed of peppery rocket, that left me feeling full and satisfied, but not stuffed or heavy.</div><br /><p align="center"><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3v_3multWr148r_dzIwlVYHJZfdT5omHUOuzykGGtT0V4WLjiBsPwsukMm0r93w7IPUCEJylMZS1pdFEJr8RAufGGLqfw0-Ps1YtygfJmRlJfK1K27mg33XPPRVp2_99pDXv2lQNz3g/s1600-h/P1000541.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397910888610675618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3v_3multWr148r_dzIwlVYHJZfdT5omHUOuzykGGtT0V4WLjiBsPwsukMm0r93w7IPUCEJylMZS1pdFEJr8RAufGGLqfw0-Ps1YtygfJmRlJfK1K27mg33XPPRVp2_99pDXv2lQNz3g/s400/P1000541.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a></p><p align="center"><br /><br /><em>Linguini Marinara - fresh selected seafood tossed in garlic, chili, lemon and fresh herbs with olive oil and white wine <strong>or</strong> napoli sauce; shown here with olive oil and white wine ($23.50)</em><br /></p><br /><p align="center">As beautiful as my dish was, I was so jealous of Kate's. It was so simple but the garlic and herbs smelt incredible as it was brought to the table. Kate said that the calamari was cooked perfectly, tender rather than chewy, and that while it was an oil-based sauce it was not overpowering as you could taste the quality of the olive oil.</p><br /><p align="center"><br /></p><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwckezw-3ipY6y8mVNdCzSxgq30-YD7S-BrOMebeHFocUWg76Wi1ZffnoW65O3FvjQdcqBQnfGsr3pVWsCVRWDRPqbvkQjYuVXjSxi45uVvhmN6sSOTpbeAB5nGJhK-S-TZwSWjJ7rwS8/s1600-h/P1000545.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397910880809301490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwckezw-3ipY6y8mVNdCzSxgq30-YD7S-BrOMebeHFocUWg76Wi1ZffnoW65O3FvjQdcqBQnfGsr3pVWsCVRWDRPqbvkQjYuVXjSxi45uVvhmN6sSOTpbeAB5nGJhK-S-TZwSWjJ7rwS8/s400/P1000545.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Baked white chocolate and caramelised strawberry cheesecake ($13)</em> </div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">I don't often order desert, but we were having such a good time at the restaurant that it just seemed right to finish it off with something sweet. Kate and I shared this and it was the perfect end to the meal; light and crumbly and with perfect little shavings of white chocolate. I couldn't have eaten it all myself, so in my opinion it was perfect sharing size... but then again, I'm not much of a sweet tooth and Kate said she could easily put it away by herself.</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">Terra Rossa is a gem tucked away in Flinders Lane whose food, service and atmosphere I could not fault. The decor is beautiful and luxurious inside, all red walls and fireplaces and mirrors, and the manager informed me there are plans to extend further into the laneway to open up an outdoor eating area. The staff are young and energetic, and there was not one surly waiter, not one member of staff who looked like they'd rather be elsewhere. They also seem to genuinely enjoy working with each other, and this adds to the professional, yet casual, vibe of the place. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br />Terra Rossa is the kind of restaurant that does everything - tapas, breakfast, pizza - and does it well. They also have a cheese room, do functions, have most of the menu available for takeaway, and offer an $12 early bird lunch special from 11.30am-1.00pm. I was blown away by the service and the food, and will be back soon for breakfast. </div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-63069433117235867212009-10-29T22:09:00.000+11:002009-10-30T08:45:06.960+11:00Food court dining<em></em><br /><br /><br /><div align="right">Cafe Krifi</div><div align="right">Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre</div><div align="right">620 Victoria Street </div><div align="right">Richmond</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9421 6006 </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Dining in a food court is not something that I find very appealing, but if you work at Vic Gardens or want a bite before you see a movie at Hoyts, Cafe Krifi is probably your best option. It's one of a few sit down eateries in the shopping centre but is the most "restaurant-like", with a large open dining room and a spacious outdoor area. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br />The menu is long, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and everything in between, with gluten free and vegetarian options. There's pizza, cakes, burgers, salads, and today we came to try out the breakfast menu.<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ad_7wmJ9fynqA1jzfZ7RLOuHtWowuCLG0C_Dm6zwqV8PHyaaavwxW25N02IhDh6Z9BzUB2y5htc6tJRCHtGH2vWJEismQTXHhPRRXyyeuIVkWwghV_6wK0EZ1q3iHRZNz0V4ayiP1Fs/s1600-h/P1000438+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393432504708879426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ad_7wmJ9fynqA1jzfZ7RLOuHtWowuCLG0C_Dm6zwqV8PHyaaavwxW25N02IhDh6Z9BzUB2y5htc6tJRCHtGH2vWJEismQTXHhPRRXyyeuIVkWwghV_6wK0EZ1q3iHRZNz0V4ayiP1Fs/s400/P1000438+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><em>Krifi Big Breakfast ($14.20)<br /><br /></em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Good crispy hash browns and bacon, and smokey sauteed mushrooms; the bland scrambled eggs, however, were a let down; quite flavourless and boring in texture.</div><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfqF9ihRcxAzdq8r0q2UJABNBu8yDGLXaEhOj2RdD5eQzIDlceSkKGKE0NXc-VHvuIhmdeCPdb9EbqvG3vYVRsAOAQ8fmxBRjq2MJ8tkN4PX8QiF6gPvi19M1eIPi412QHgVGwwpkNXo/s1600-h/P1000441+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393432497959289810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfqF9ihRcxAzdq8r0q2UJABNBu8yDGLXaEhOj2RdD5eQzIDlceSkKGKE0NXc-VHvuIhmdeCPdb9EbqvG3vYVRsAOAQ8fmxBRjq2MJ8tkN4PX8QiF6gPvi19M1eIPi412QHgVGwwpkNXo/s400/P1000441+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><em> </em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"><em><br /><br />Eggs Florentine with salmon ($16.50)</em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"><br /><br />Krifi's version of this dish was generous in size and much more filling and satisfying than I thought it would be, and came with a thick stack of fresh salmon and good, rich hollandaise.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Krifi does a great cup of coffee too and Bf enjoyed his huge milkshake. Keep walking past the bain maries and long queues for greasy burgers and chips; the big windows, moody red lights and young, friendly (and good looking) service provides a brief escape from the hordes of Ikea shoppers and gym junkies that dominate the centre. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><em>Cafe Krifi features in the Melbourne Entertainment Book.</em><br /></div><div align="center"></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-74708483762930422792009-10-25T09:29:00.000+11:002009-10-24T09:01:21.492+11:00For the curry-loving recessionista<div align="right">Funky Curry</div><div align="right">164 Bourke Street</div><div align="right">City</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9662 2299<br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p align="center">I picked up the director of the Curry King Group, Ramit Thadani's business card when I visited the Bourke Street outlet of Funky Curry for takeaway lunch. "Where quality and service ends", reads the slogan on the bottom of the card. The language barrier is a factor at Funky Curry; when I was asking the names of some of the dishes there was much confusion as the staff thought I was asking to buy them. Despite any flaws in service or communication, the quality of the food is not lacking. The dishes are ladled out from a bain marie but you wont find hours-old, crusty or congealing curries here.<br /></p><p align="center">I heard about Funky Curry quite a while ago when their Recession special was advertised in a weekend paper and, a few days before pay day, I thought it was time to check it out.<br /></p><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393425215736586994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6jsSimE18LQo-oQQEJsDo2_LgI3ZWdPZMPj7Ab7KZO7jSlz7KwQbq5WP74O7IRR_GPiQ8lvHtXYbEMbMvK7u7yFsz0j0fRx5HcDtpX9iTX1cMV0XWkBMYe4aeB2xsvodIX9y8W6w4lI/s400/P1000491+(Small).JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XDuj0-2Ytax1hJid3bGd455-tGBvCRudGaYQg844qBkSxTv5dgxnBVMZBuQr9CyTLSVDiIb8HCaW0LJ8j6WtxnV9MvIWssmeDMPHfhwbpNRxMEeIoMPrZHWDTb2rc_4fSpGBND1loWk/s1600-h/P1000493+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393425205912130930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XDuj0-2Ytax1hJid3bGd455-tGBvCRudGaYQg844qBkSxTv5dgxnBVMZBuQr9CyTLSVDiIb8HCaW0LJ8j6WtxnV9MvIWssmeDMPHfhwbpNRxMEeIoMPrZHWDTb2rc_4fSpGBND1loWk/s400/P1000493+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Clockwise from left: naan bread, baingan dapyaza, paneer makhani ($6.50)</em> </div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">The bread was warm, fresh, thick and chewy; the soft paneer was coated in a sweet, buttery tomato sauce, but it was the baingan dapyaza that was the highlight - big chunks of eggplant and onion in a sauce that was oily and rich but not greasy or overpowering.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6SCWOoSLlv1LoAz7IgwJJ6hLxzfw4wHgX3skLgHL-YRbF5dZ-bwdyvxTRYiZ-V99DfWAfpEVULleLFO_H7XIbz8r2Xtsna9W9e346Bz8bhqd1e6ahQcT9KVtHPHI2eeNkl8oVNeyr-0/s1600-h/P1000489+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393425202001090338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6SCWOoSLlv1LoAz7IgwJJ6hLxzfw4wHgX3skLgHL-YRbF5dZ-bwdyvxTRYiZ-V99DfWAfpEVULleLFO_H7XIbz8r2Xtsna9W9e346Bz8bhqd1e6ahQcT9KVtHPHI2eeNkl8oVNeyr-0/s400/P1000489+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was looking for a place that served up low cost, high quality Indian food, and simply observing the patrons of Funky Curry suggested that the food would be both those things, as the majority of the customers were students, Indians, or Indian students.<br />The small, crowded dining room and walls decorated with fluro signs means the Bourke Street outlet is not somewhere I'd probably sit down for a meal; the vibe is more suited to quick takeaway pick up. I am interested, however, in dining in at the Curry King Group's latest venture, Curry King on Bridge Road - stay tuned for that review.<br /><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="center"><em></em></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Curry King Group has seven locations across Melbourne city, Richmond, South Melbourne, Docklands, Malvern and Hawthorn. </em></div></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-59872924167793583802009-10-17T21:46:00.000+11:002009-10-18T20:54:32.605+11:00Looking for a new way to eat sushi?<br><br /><br /><div align="right">Japanese Cafe Restaurant J</div><div align="right">167 Exhibition St</div><div align="right">City</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9650 9877</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Walking down Exhibition Street with my mum recently, we were struck by the window display in a certain Japanese restaurant. Struck, perhaps, is not the right word - "grossed out" would more accurately describe how we felt, and dry retching would describe how we acted.</div><br /><div align="right"><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTw6iyWO-pIyJnixlhb_R51DltZUZluio8hq_ethRtuJaJO76qnM_9h9lH0VwAl_9xEPzOZvDVaMjg0npJOzYCsTifn7RW9AYZNjeMqDR-XUGDCcauFhB-TVBAnuQ20My30m2-TlQdEOI/s1600-h/P1000528+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393519499209656978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTw6iyWO-pIyJnixlhb_R51DltZUZluio8hq_ethRtuJaJO76qnM_9h9lH0VwAl_9xEPzOZvDVaMjg0npJOzYCsTifn7RW9AYZNjeMqDR-XUGDCcauFhB-TVBAnuQ20My30m2-TlQdEOI/s400/P1000528+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center">I'm sorry to all the people out there, flatmate J included, who think there is nothing wrong with sushi presented in burger form, who even think it's a great little idea, but there is something extremely off putting about the unnecessary fusion of fatty Western culture and delicate Japanese flavours. Besides, they just plain look cheap and tacky.<br /><br /></p><br /><p align="center">So you can imagine my amusement/horror when I received a call from my friend Kate inviting me to this novel little Japanese place. Kate, who spent much of her childhood in Taiwan, told me that she used to eat delicious cakes of rice topped with various ingredients like beef teriyaki or wilted greens that sounded similar to the sushi burger. </p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"><br /><br />She chose to try her sushi burger in the "Sushi Burger Box" meal: a burger of your choice with a bowl of miso soup and a choice of one of five entrees - perhaps tatsuta age, tonkatsu or in Kate's case, gyoza - for $16.50. </p><br /><p align="center"><br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vUAuhuxYHrgDciSkQuh8Io80C_VjcrSNwBhN8PuHO4cGjjZRlGAJlYmp50-Vs3P_LVQ6XRxmTJ44dPlss3Opd7TVEswov7yhIuZQgwStWQF8Y0UCIMn2SvUwt28vz9KTYJTAs9bxEwo/s1600-h/P1000519+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393519120188805410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vUAuhuxYHrgDciSkQuh8Io80C_VjcrSNwBhN8PuHO4cGjjZRlGAJlYmp50-Vs3P_LVQ6XRxmTJ44dPlss3Opd7TVEswov7yhIuZQgwStWQF8Y0UCIMn2SvUwt28vz9KTYJTAs9bxEwo/s400/P1000519+(Small).JPG" border="0" /><br /></a><p align="center"><br /></p><p align="center"><br /><em>Gyoza - </em>Kate said these were great despite coming with strange side dishes like mashed potatoes and orange wedges - unusual, but she really enjoyed the combination!<br /><br /></p><p align="center"><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClUTJk78GLoANpBNc7PT8QN2BClZdHx_oKcnZabQQIwWRWaVntyrCzSH2caQUbG4vmV3uEyUbnOOEvad7hAx-PdlIa-JKT21sfTMn1qLkyRPTuLjSsGBx4y7aG__n1baqpxTq4dualQE/s1600-h/P1000517+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393519114744145618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClUTJk78GLoANpBNc7PT8QN2BClZdHx_oKcnZabQQIwWRWaVntyrCzSH2caQUbG4vmV3uEyUbnOOEvad7hAx-PdlIa-JKT21sfTMn1qLkyRPTuLjSsGBx4y7aG__n1baqpxTq4dualQE/s400/P1000517+(Small).JPG" border="0" /> </a></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"><br /><br /><br /><em>Yakiniku Burger</em> - Kate described this as "the Japanese version of a souvlaki".<br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPijfylVQqwTJtHnYmPGapAmnC26CMFioQOCf7IeO9B-e-BslHWMLuqjARscYNNcRIxK3z21lZTa2g5jNa9nbvj0OQjEOUfgrQG1tsUsJzI97dMLtfiYwh_VcvxVgW75PTCUCoWAky9Wc/s1600-h/P1000523+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393519130082824722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPijfylVQqwTJtHnYmPGapAmnC26CMFioQOCf7IeO9B-e-BslHWMLuqjARscYNNcRIxK3z21lZTa2g5jNa9nbvj0OQjEOUfgrQG1tsUsJzI97dMLtfiYwh_VcvxVgW75PTCUCoWAky9Wc/s400/P1000523+(Small).JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a><br /><br /><em>Tempura Sashimi Bento ($21)</em><br /><br /><br />For those who aren't quite ready to try a sushi burger, there's plenty of noodle dishes, bento boxes and other entrees to choose from. I chose the most expensive bento box on the menu, the Tempura Sashimi Bento, and there were highlights as well as lowlights in the box I received.<br /><br /><br /></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">The miso soup that accompanied came in a little cup to drink out of, rather than in a soup bowl, and the soup was excellent, with a strong flavour, fresh crunchy spring onions and plenty of tofu and seaweed. The tempura was light and crispy and coated a good selection of vegetables and two big prawns; the sashimi, however, was served in thick thick slices rather than delicate, melt-in-your-mouth pieces, and had browning edges. When I bit into one of the salmon pieces it tasted strange and bitter, although the others were fine. The little seaweed and celery salad that came with it was nothing special but the salmon nori roll had beautiful fresh fish, creamy avocado and crunchy cucumber.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNtUPR-TiegvYZN4veB29sQyJOzXkyr_aGkg923Uwma_m0fAJ7nQrtc0eqqpz329vcZzlS9gFVO6T1vGXKVyPi3OvyD-xR0D2_vl5Ru2qfXc_hxuHUEhgcvojvBOHBAJesEw-LkPqmA0/s1600-h/P1000525+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393519106911099794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNtUPR-TiegvYZN4veB29sQyJOzXkyr_aGkg923Uwma_m0fAJ7nQrtc0eqqpz329vcZzlS9gFVO6T1vGXKVyPi3OvyD-xR0D2_vl5Ru2qfXc_hxuHUEhgcvojvBOHBAJesEw-LkPqmA0/s400/P1000525+(Small).JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><em>Ichigo Daifuku - rice cake with fresh strawberry and sweet white beans ($3)</em></div><br /><br /><p><em></em></p><p></p><br /><p align="center">I'm not much of a sweet tooth but I was quite excited about desert after Kate's sister <a href="http://www.violonjello.com/">Miss Violonjello</a> told her how amazing this rice cake was. The sweet little ball of glutinous rice had a really interesting, light texture, and the strawberry inside was juicy and fresh. Kate and I both agreed that, despite its small size, the strong flavour meant one was enough. The rice cakes can also be purchased to take away, like the sushi burgers.</p><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393519135117941010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWgW7gVqcTyToMxbFk3Ap1KNWNYAO-wNNpNpldEUevQ-CHehywbMvL6KNk7IuTbt9FRQ1W9F-oBC2GN8q41Ug7-VFURWZVp02pBymrN3NppiM2YOBzU-g_HDbWNKc-8538GdBvm6GZFY/s400/P1000526+(Small).JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstl9hAGLCSxPhmW2GWrQufdQvudt_fNbHNcHE310jKS88_qiWVntV1cZEcgeISxa4ZQRPcEJH8_M6p3dzhmOkaOOVeUqN2AQ-LPxkL8dJE8bsnQLLHwhOb941kUVd6GjTPr5fUIL-W-Y/s1600-h/P1000529+(Small).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393519509126017986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstl9hAGLCSxPhmW2GWrQufdQvudt_fNbHNcHE310jKS88_qiWVntV1cZEcgeISxa4ZQRPcEJH8_M6p3dzhmOkaOOVeUqN2AQ-LPxkL8dJE8bsnQLLHwhOb941kUVd6GjTPr5fUIL-W-Y/s400/P1000529+(Small).JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />"Looking for a new way to eat sushi?", the cafe's website asks me. To be honest, no. Maybe one day I'll bring myself to try a sushi burger, but for now I'm pretty happy with the way I consume my sushi. Service is quite good here and all in all J cafe is an eye-opening experience, and certainly not conventional - but then again, as Kate pointed out, maybe we don't know as much about Japanese food as we'd like to think we do.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1464974/restaurant/CBD/Japanese-Cafe-Restaurant-J-Melbourne"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 104px; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; HEIGHT: 34px" alt="Japanese Café Restaurant J on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1464974/biglogo.gif" /></a> </p>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-4107955649648074302009-10-17T11:49:00.000+11:002009-10-29T09:28:07.797+11:00Fabulous Fresco service<div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Fresco Bar and Grill at Amora Hotel Riverwalk</span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">649 Bridge Rd<br />Richmond 3121<br /></span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;">Ph: 03 9246 1200</span></div><br /><br /><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">There's always a risk with hotel restaurants. Sometimes the food is fabulous and the service flawless; other times it seems as though the restaurant was an after thought once the hotel was completed, an extra place within the hotel to make a bit of money rather than providing an excellent hospitality experience. The bf and I decided to check out Fresco, a tiny dining room on the edge of the Yarra whose ambiance loses points with cheap bistro-style chairs and candle holders from the local $2 shop, but whose staff make up for it with almost faultless service.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389299305809179570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 383px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bUpnLklsm4SKAYUROQdyfiX1g6HJsel_JgVbHXjtsVfZQZe0nYv9i9_L1x3pLacYX4nqCx54E-N1Nh9Zqn2J2EZ0NS3X9YKnz0mDePmUm1YbrvEb_ua-VQRYPErqeDuAzmIqOHD41-w/s400/bruschetta.jpg" border="0" /> </span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"><em>Grilled bruschetta, pesto, Roma tomato, red onion and cheese ($12)</em><br /></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">A fairly small serving size for $12, but nonetheless strong, fresh flavours and great with the accompanying rocket and balsamic.<br /><br /></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGTYDnM0aaKuZJjZWzA4q6w48LvrlmQBffUNgkPtM9iXJFwYqKWq7RbYtzKBBqrzxI_emunlV-aPkBW_0eEaFyI558rBRrzWztT2PjDqr4tpNhE_kUQRDpdS9N6f_5qtY_qOEQaVdqXs/s1600-h/P1000432.JPG"><span style="color:#333333;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389295764077035778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGTYDnM0aaKuZJjZWzA4q6w48LvrlmQBffUNgkPtM9iXJFwYqKWq7RbYtzKBBqrzxI_emunlV-aPkBW_0eEaFyI558rBRrzWztT2PjDqr4tpNhE_kUQRDpdS9N6f_5qtY_qOEQaVdqXs/s400/P1000432.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#333333;"><br /><br /><br /><em>Turkish bread with a trio of dips - shown clockwise from top is carrot and curry; avocado; and hummus ($12).</em></span></div><br /><br /><br /><p><em><span style="color:#333333;"></span></em></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">In Matt Preston's new book, <em>Cravat-A-Licious</em> (Random House), Preston warns against ordering "a trio of" anything, in particular the trio of dips, suggesting that "their presence can be a sign that the role of the chef in that establishment has been reduced to peeling the foil off tubs and waiting for the microwave to go 'ping'." Indeed, the dips were nice enough but the carrot and curry tasted and looked more like eggplant, and the avocado reminded me of those pale, bland processed dips from the supermarket.</span></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></p><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFb68la3J3BIaJKfH506KuUELo8qq6X2BPIrHl443t0UC4xv3ZU9k_12KztRw9nCelMKLQa89o1A39He3uJezyGR5evhj9las8HXD_cOwNIVuzcJnUHFGNQFN-3sYk1EDbd1DH4qOB4A/s1600-h/P1000428.JPG"><span style="color:#333333;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389283626910669554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFb68la3J3BIaJKfH506KuUELo8qq6X2BPIrHl443t0UC4xv3ZU9k_12KztRw9nCelMKLQa89o1A39He3uJezyGR5evhj9las8HXD_cOwNIVuzcJnUHFGNQFN-3sYk1EDbd1DH4qOB4A/s400/P1000428.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#333333;"><br /><br /><br /><em>Katsu king prawns with sesame salad and sweet chili ($15.50).</em><br /></span></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">Bf asked if this entree dish could be ordered in a main size; the waitress told us it could. When it arrived we thought it was a rather small main - "Imagine how small the entree must be", quipped Bf. When the bill came and we saw we'd only been charged for the entree size we were informed that the other waitress was new, and didn't yet know that the size of the dishes could not be changed. To apologise for the mistake, we were given the more expensive meal for free when we presented our entertainment card.<br /></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8M6MOKlrYIk3w91DoHuB7uaGFuh8dOTl_kePAEW3KBth2DmBUhqCsFLL1iMf4KNavUNCrfAR_GPQUI5_Mq28XHApbEq9rve9LjCPdsBAFatcLcS-I2QyVSOtRsFt8DERZ7bavMNsXNCc/s1600-h/P1000437.JPG"><span style="color:#333333;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389294528434942306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8M6MOKlrYIk3w91DoHuB7uaGFuh8dOTl_kePAEW3KBth2DmBUhqCsFLL1iMf4KNavUNCrfAR_GPQUI5_Mq28XHApbEq9rve9LjCPdsBAFatcLcS-I2QyVSOtRsFt8DERZ7bavMNsXNCc/s400/P1000437.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#333333;"><br /><em>"Fresco char-grill" - choose from sirloin or eye fillet beef, chicken breast or salmon fillet. All char-grills are served with crushed chat potato, spring onion and parmesan cake, and a choice of wild mushroom ragu and porchini powder, or peppercorn cream sauce with rock salted roasted Roma tomato. </em><br /></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"><em>Shown here is the black Angus sirloin of beef with peppercorn cream sauce ($31.95)</em> </span></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">The sirloin was nice, but a little more medium than medium rare - it seems to be the case that at a lot of restaurants you have to ask for your meat to be more rare than you actually want it. The tomatoes were fine but hardly rock salted, and reminded me of the kind of tomatoes you'd quickly whip up in the fry pan for breakfast. Probably the highlight was the potato, spring onion and parmesan cake: light and fluffy with a slightly crispy outer, great for soaking up the rich jus from the sirloin.</span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">The value here is good, but not great - what makes it worth visiting is the service. On the night, there were about four waitresses on the floor, but it was one young girl in particular who was exceptional and was clearly holding the whole team up. She was attentive but never annoying, and when she saw my camera she asked if she could take a photo of Bf and I with it. We left the restaurant feeling happy and relaxed and a lot of that came down to this waitress who was bubbly and always smiling, and for her, nothing was too much trouble. </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#333333;">You won't be blown away by your meal, but if you're looking for a contemporary restaurant that's reasonably priced - especially if you have an Entertainment card - expect to enjoy good food and near flawless service.</span></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-41076346355921443622009-10-07T09:45:00.000+11:002009-10-08T11:00:34.251+11:00Holy Shuck!<div align="right">Royal Oak Hotel</div><div align="right">527 Bridge Road</div><div align="right">Richmond</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9428 4200</div><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389813107092661042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkmWtSq4Zns0MOEP3hwhfWHDqNxa_ao5w2HVbslETJxEv5X3ZMr6oIxnkMwuGHZPrw4E_4nUADrtINhLIFgGHSHRMmNzUpnSISLTr8ykzoKmYolRJcgZCT1UeO4O7DDVGp9OOd5li8uM/s400/P1000484.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />Walking along to work the other day, my jaw literally dropped when I saw this sign. $1 oysters for the whole month! I was so excited; one of my favourite foods for only a dollar at the local. Then I remembered that I was standing outside the Royal Oak, a TAB pub whose largest space is taken up by pokies and a sports area; a place I had never eaten at before and probably wouldn't have tried if it weren't for the oyster special.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJGacYPlIPGgQo_tD94DGthyy47igy-L9jSg3T6QrCF7KamAHaKEIKx8nf6PA7IkEkZ1fM166xQoDln7JMYD7wZYSbA29lAScdwStazfdTdirMmyAJW5hEJULdECFXDS9-BdaY907ldc/s1600-h/P1000482.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389813112207543682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJGacYPlIPGgQo_tD94DGthyy47igy-L9jSg3T6QrCF7KamAHaKEIKx8nf6PA7IkEkZ1fM166xQoDln7JMYD7wZYSbA29lAScdwStazfdTdirMmyAJW5hEJULdECFXDS9-BdaY907ldc/s400/P1000482.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></p><p align="center"><em>Natural oysters, $1 each. Kilpatrick, $1.50 each.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p align="center">A fresh, salty natural oyster normally overwhelms my palate with its refreshing brine and soft, smooth texture. A perfect oyster leaves me delaying eating anything else for as long as possible to savour that amazing taste. Last night, I left with a pleasant taste in my mouth, but that's all it was; the oysters were just "nice". The taste was more fishy than fresh and salty, and presentation could have been better; rather than the usual rock salt or ice, the oysters came out on a bed of browning iceberg lettuce. </p><p align="center"> </p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">I've often walked past this pub and looked in at the rows of elderly people sitting at the slot machines, and it seemed like little else was going on in there. Indeed, when J and I went, the only people in the bistro were ourselves and a family of four. "We have our nights", said the waitress, especially when the footy's on. For anyone who has spent an afternoon or evening at the MCG I can understand the appeal of this pub; cheap beer and the constantly changing specials, including steak nights and parma nights, make the Royal Oak seem like a good option for a quick, cheap feed. Service is surprisingly young and friendly, too. </p><p align="center"> </p><p align="center">These oysters are a bargain but they're not worth crossing town for. If you're a local, stick to the kilpatrick variety; the rich, tangy sauce and crispy bacon helps to distract from the mediocre quality of the oyster.<br /></p><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-31756101318230490182009-09-26T10:58:00.003+10:002009-09-26T18:13:47.408+10:00The inaugural Newtown Farmers Market<div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="right">Newtown Farmer's Market<br />Cnr Shannon Ave & West Fyans St<br />(Mel 451 F7)<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0JjqAEVndVbM1ozBBfFkqL_UvSNryf0gtcoYLHip4nNk5yneDoo-MVAUaKFN8wLYxeMRX7_FcESQSGzu3RFmT1r0B8wQjeBYwANVtNZnvLmVmoViUVVmWupmBlqD2ny43DbASByD844/s1600-h/IMG_0917.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385582544803839090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0JjqAEVndVbM1ozBBfFkqL_UvSNryf0gtcoYLHip4nNk5yneDoo-MVAUaKFN8wLYxeMRX7_FcESQSGzu3RFmT1r0B8wQjeBYwANVtNZnvLmVmoViUVVmWupmBlqD2ny43DbASByD844/s400/IMG_0917.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><p align="center"></a><br />Today was the first ever Newtown Farmer's Market and at 8.30 this morning, my family and I went to check it out. Sitting at the bottom of a grassy valley, the market had a good number of stallholders and patrons, despite the freezing morning wind.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iRcNbKbNFozxXkkjZ-cUP_w92IoTqjKgl8tMY856Kv6AmUXODvdRAEyrjXGekVzyDFVnxYYQYBwxWN7rWNw3n9ZAwzXWJqTS1Oa7L3mDvhzuTuXUZgIW19K50kc27fAdqFMx6VtrdX8/s1600-h/IMG_0900.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385582518016564882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iRcNbKbNFozxXkkjZ-cUP_w92IoTqjKgl8tMY856Kv6AmUXODvdRAEyrjXGekVzyDFVnxYYQYBwxWN7rWNw3n9ZAwzXWJqTS1Oa7L3mDvhzuTuXUZgIW19K50kc27fAdqFMx6VtrdX8/s400/IMG_0900.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br />The stallholders were selling products ranging from fresh fruit and vegetables to olive oil, cheese, smallgoods, fresh pasta and condiments, as well as ready to go food at the sausage sizzle and dumplings stall. Many of the products were award winners, such as this marinated goat's cheese from Meredith Dairy, winner of the Consistently Excellent Product award in the Vogue produce awards.<br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><p align="center"></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtq9XLyDeOyAhbkIZLPDsUXhyphenhyphenouGZSnsQ9vAukTUIf4Oh8G9KQZh3U_trbLeMPZl6a_eZcJTIdGmdFSm0utORR47TgwiRt9uFuBn34AN9p_uvsVucN-qPDo0T65IRtWaxQh8jeQjczsU/s1600-h/IMG_0920.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385597260787315554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtq9XLyDeOyAhbkIZLPDsUXhyphenhyphenouGZSnsQ9vAukTUIf4Oh8G9KQZh3U_trbLeMPZl6a_eZcJTIdGmdFSm0utORR47TgwiRt9uFuBn34AN9p_uvsVucN-qPDo0T65IRtWaxQh8jeQjczsU/s400/IMG_0920.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br />Screaming Seeds Spice Company, a regular at markets and a family favourite for their Dukkah.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXpHleCNceaPK20c-SOrJOEm-Vz-HNgtHkC5GlpdI8CqBbb92dc4AIIqCwWyj8FPs9LvrWVQOUfd7NHRlAib6CA5kJ3v3Y3uwYGjXr7mN3sU6A3NRu9uAjFjj_3mambEHZHual-ge-5w/s1600-h/IMG_0902.jpg"></a><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ExD4XH9DVTikiF82rUdcdWzaUGBOJdX5P_oS-MT__iKYK7gH7a1vuSd4VEeqAYi9e5F3m_QvRSaRwzeOgN2b1JSiQdG2NTibIjEHJ8Jg3Kgly2wrZHuV3ofvslOEjxAH9_xb2McfEI4/s1600-h/IMG_0901.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385597241302138338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ExD4XH9DVTikiF82rUdcdWzaUGBOJdX5P_oS-MT__iKYK7gH7a1vuSd4VEeqAYi9e5F3m_QvRSaRwzeOgN2b1JSiQdG2NTibIjEHJ8Jg3Kgly2wrZHuV3ofvslOEjxAH9_xb2McfEI4/s400/IMG_0901.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCn_3B5OHEzkECpbPYFcIgq5nuq38k8tevtvpWH9ReQ4jNfUd5B6SfnU8m2DGCrHZOTFJ_3_48dUmZNErwqUw-eKltcOMfZcEwljmePE32ThX4jyEX_8QSOL0bzAuopYmGPXbh8N4DS8/s1600-h/IMG_0908.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385582531133310674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCn_3B5OHEzkECpbPYFcIgq5nuq38k8tevtvpWH9ReQ4jNfUd5B6SfnU8m2DGCrHZOTFJ_3_48dUmZNErwqUw-eKltcOMfZcEwljmePE32ThX4jyEX_8QSOL0bzAuopYmGPXbh8N4DS8/s400/IMG_0908.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a><br /><br />One of the best things about farmers markets is the people. Its fantastic to be able to talk to the people who produce your food and see the genuine passion they have for their products. One stallholder, from Jean's Famous Relish, claimed his wife's tomato relish was the best pizza base you'd ever try. The pride these people have for what they've created makes for a great atmosphere, as your purchases support someone's passion. </p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">There's also the people who don't actually make the products, but genuinely enjoy selling them because they know they're selling quality. If you're ever at a market and you see the banner for Wun Hung Lo, be sure to stop by and say hello to the friendly sales guys with great senses of humour. We sampled their dim sims and chicken dumplings and bought two frozen Chinese containers full of dumplings at $5 a box - they were beautifully fresh with not a trace of gristly meat as you sometimes find.</p><p align="center"><br /> </p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxzuXdtdi-f0Cq9BbaRjlSZHW4icS223d02pkYE7fP-iEdWfkHzpeRr0FFhmLlalRDUFSeYB1sUleKvnNzQu_D9_475Vdlrl5NWlOWmdGY3DvZpnqAnt_qo3qYw3xZnGHRvABojQpbGA/s1600-h/IMG_0905.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385582510133122754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxzuXdtdi-f0Cq9BbaRjlSZHW4icS223d02pkYE7fP-iEdWfkHzpeRr0FFhmLlalRDUFSeYB1sUleKvnNzQu_D9_475Vdlrl5NWlOWmdGY3DvZpnqAnt_qo3qYw3xZnGHRvABojQpbGA/s400/IMG_0905.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Trampy Tomato Relish, from Olive Branch Preserves - so called because "It goes with everything".<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGBTu8cbMj764yvbF5E76z6pt16aFgwxbf-AorC49jT1J36xQhZeL8KxOM89QOHAHL_FrliRwfY7pGHM-m7yr9nHn459jj40ixqDZpconahVrQb25_tTiwyQ-sQZ-Sc8Iwc_kf7NoG2c/s1600-h/IMG_0937.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385588626442202322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGBTu8cbMj764yvbF5E76z6pt16aFgwxbf-AorC49jT1J36xQhZeL8KxOM89QOHAHL_FrliRwfY7pGHM-m7yr9nHn459jj40ixqDZpconahVrQb25_tTiwyQ-sQZ-Sc8Iwc_kf7NoG2c/s400/IMG_0937.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Our purchases, Clockwise from left: La Madre seeded sourdough, $5.50; Wildings Pantry Essentials spiced Indian relish, $9; Bagdad Foods Kashmir chutney, $8; Lemon curd (from the Meredith dairy stall), $4; Jean's Famous Relish in chilli, $7; Boosey Creek camembert, $7; Meredith Dairy Chevre Dill, $7.<br /></em><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqB7hkrgvApg8-qscqPNTP75t4VuIY2mP68eZuD9I5hc5sEBKEJjcVGSa5jgFHzZGr1fNQw887bax1BTs986rsoBPXpsxCeWElkuq1_vK7xVolHnCKAESh9JVAc3poV0kwENKpL4a8rQ/s1600-h/IMG_0913.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385582504214034306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqB7hkrgvApg8-qscqPNTP75t4VuIY2mP68eZuD9I5hc5sEBKEJjcVGSa5jgFHzZGr1fNQw887bax1BTs986rsoBPXpsxCeWElkuq1_vK7xVolHnCKAESh9JVAc3poV0kwENKpL4a8rQ/s400/IMG_0913.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="center">The market had a great first day, with a family atmosphere and friendly stallholders and, with the large amount of space it has to expand, it can only get better. </div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"><br /><em><br />The Newtown Farmer's Market will be held on the 4th Saturday of the month, from 8am to 1pm. The next market will be held on the 24th of October.</em></div></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-73023020340478893052009-09-23T17:55:00.000+10:002009-09-25T00:49:05.473+10:00Set your own table at this family friendly pub<div align="right">Inlet Hotel</div><div align="right">45 Great Ocean Rd</div><div align="right">Aireys Inlet</div><div align="right">Ph: 5289 6270<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="right"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384578495066849106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBRK9IczcCpsOx0HFk1e1rCsIIkBVEwSYNHp233AJkKNAQfagaUGdvoSpWXjHXE-PMXtDeSW5hWfOetJle-6f-np1TBxerXF3_qKVAszvnQG4Ro92rWUP1PXMul-ZaHj3vfmxQQcJoUM/s400/P1000387.JPG" border="0" /> </div><br /><div align="right"></div><div align="center"> </div><br /><div align="center">In 2004, Melinda Houston wrote in The Age that the Inlet Hotel provided value that "is hard to go past". Perhaps there has been a price rise because, when my family and I visited on the third night of our holiday in Aireys Inlet, we agreed this local pub was not the kind of place you'd describe as value for money.</div><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /> </div><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUe4poK5SHWVTb11GN7wOlyOZRRVNF0MFcUyoTebxSjPYgPIyuXjVaMxIndVPsWO1koxSfT4wBBEBIl9Y5YZHle7gjcIGUYgkD8KXTAIP0BhGoS2_HvkIHW7wtE8wUU6PuE0uEH6EYmRY/s1600-h/P1000370.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384582794977193618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUe4poK5SHWVTb11GN7wOlyOZRRVNF0MFcUyoTebxSjPYgPIyuXjVaMxIndVPsWO1koxSfT4wBBEBIl9Y5YZHle7gjcIGUYgkD8KXTAIP0BhGoS2_HvkIHW7wtE8wUU6PuE0uEH6EYmRY/s400/P1000370.JPG" border="0" /></a> </p><br /><p align="center"><em>Yearling rump steak with chips and salad - choice of mushroom, pepper, garlic or gravy sauces - shown here with garlic sauce ($25.90)</em></p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8hYbzaF2bSZDdGJNQviNaXk7IsECWSEL2AVFrLhfGurzQJn2kdpJ1r54Cla4wqXCMjKN5-osegAejfKILkc8jE5VF1F0OtIWSWiIwSSsZv6ZYpN6uPOeqK2tHoSY79tqVPlR27CM4PI/s1600-h/P1000372.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384582785086391090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8hYbzaF2bSZDdGJNQviNaXk7IsECWSEL2AVFrLhfGurzQJn2kdpJ1r54Cla4wqXCMjKN5-osegAejfKILkc8jE5VF1F0OtIWSWiIwSSsZv6ZYpN6uPOeqK2tHoSY79tqVPlR27CM4PI/s400/P1000372.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></p><br /><p align="center"><em>As above, with pepper sauce.</em></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"><br /><br />I love when there is a seafood platter on offer and used to jump at the chance to order one, but it was my dad who taught me that buying a "fisherman's basket" at your local pub is probably not a good idea if you want to avoid grease and chewy calamari. We discussed The Inlet Seafood Platter, however, and agreed that if you're going to get a platter from a pub, one right on the coastline such as this would probably be a safe bet.</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGbmX-1Cz9GyoEhtI4sI64H3Krmx7PsavWw-rgh4DzTjVHi2Uf3t2twjhXsYtqt3LXcKjOvXq-VShOe7-1tk6h-rjFW7d0UXwSPb-216LynvAwwgga6RdTG2-ZJi5VkfoFE1_HSdKMvU/s1600-h/P1000378.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384582769651131618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGbmX-1Cz9GyoEhtI4sI64H3Krmx7PsavWw-rgh4DzTjVHi2Uf3t2twjhXsYtqt3LXcKjOvXq-VShOe7-1tk6h-rjFW7d0UXwSPb-216LynvAwwgga6RdTG2-ZJi5VkfoFE1_HSdKMvU/s400/P1000378.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div align="center"><em>The Inlet Seafood Platter - a selection of prawns, oysters, smoked salmon, fried fish and calamari ($36.90)</em></div><br /><div align="center"><br />The salmon was fresh and delicious, sitting on salad of lettuce, tomato, carrot and red onion, and the combination of the onion and salmon was great. The oysters were very nice, but definitely not the freshest I've had. Those two items were the highlights of the platter, and the rest of the seafood was quite average.<br /><br />The first piece of calamari that I took a bite out of was tender and easy to chew, but I must have just been lucky because the majority of the pieces after that were so stringy that I couldn't bite them in half. The menu proudly states that the calamari is "house crumbed" - we discussed that perhaps this simply means the seafood arrives processed and frozen, and dunked in some bread crumbs before serving.</div><div align="center"><br />The prawns were a good size, but instead of tasting fresh and having a firm texture, they were bland and almost mushy. The fish itself was fine but the batter wasn't cooked all the way through, leaving a doughy covering around the fish.</div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBDdcBxdlECJ1KGwaUrUl3BMqJ0BrQI4GdP33Kyim-EBTriO5xUTnTz8CkUYcKfhRhXvCoe1FspZDSnu_2HaFAcHLpQWMqChCLBLOTj4aRdYMA_iwy7zneJfBhJJU0aGIRpdPX5MlnRQ/s1600-h/P1000374.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384578516114905474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBDdcBxdlECJ1KGwaUrUl3BMqJ0BrQI4GdP33Kyim-EBTriO5xUTnTz8CkUYcKfhRhXvCoe1FspZDSnu_2HaFAcHLpQWMqChCLBLOTj4aRdYMA_iwy7zneJfBhJJU0aGIRpdPX5MlnRQ/s400/P1000374.JPG" border="0" /><br /></a><p align="center"><br /><br /><em>Chicken Parmigiana, breast of chicken with ham, napoli sauce and mozzarella cheese with chips and salad ($23.90).</em></p><br /><p align="center">The parma was good: a thick piece of juicy chicken breast, and a fresh salad that was very welcome to cut through the grease of the average tasting chips.</p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX16_Wbn0onhd7ClDjXXJKecmcEzvS5rpxdHI4aUv7MDhF-9LTMzEjBPL9vj5r55RKOroLvFWCFsKqVQ-aAsfwjtWt2uHeG0t4gaXWQlrBxfx0_Al4J3SLyY6sMhoNfwsRJR3VqdXXrCM/s1600-h/P1000381.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384578503984246994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX16_Wbn0onhd7ClDjXXJKecmcEzvS5rpxdHI4aUv7MDhF-9LTMzEjBPL9vj5r55RKOroLvFWCFsKqVQ-aAsfwjtWt2uHeG0t4gaXWQlrBxfx0_Al4J3SLyY6sMhoNfwsRJR3VqdXXrCM/s400/P1000381.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><em>Premium rib eye steak, with horseradish mash, roast vegetables and red wine jus ($34.90)</em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br />This was a very nice dish; the creamy mash and rich sauce were great accompaniments for the tender steak. </div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqP923uI8-8CY-0yqdvlIP2pY0-a078JDdy-YXxgB_93fTl46FUIAiWhePVU5EphjI6oDa7yfbmoQCe4rp2fwAP-JZaxkzjcYLbw57sUAWhQXFSwTyWrkwIChJp0rQnfq9pBJmW0GISI/s1600-h/P1000385.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384578479102095330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqP923uI8-8CY-0yqdvlIP2pY0-a078JDdy-YXxgB_93fTl46FUIAiWhePVU5EphjI6oDa7yfbmoQCe4rp2fwAP-JZaxkzjcYLbw57sUAWhQXFSwTyWrkwIChJp0rQnfq9pBJmW0GISI/s400/P1000385.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="right"></div><br /><div align="center"><em>Roasted chicken Maryland with a chickpea, preserved lemon and apricot tagine ($21.50).</em></div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center">There is definitely a place for the Inlet Hotel. It's very much a family friendly establishment; most tables had children, and two little boys ran noisily around the restaurant uninterrupted. The pub is attempting to keep up with its city counterparts, offering plenty of gluten free options, but expect to set your own table and get your own condiments. With an average-tasting seafood platter sitting close to $40, and the cheapest main - risotto of roasted tomatoes, basil, pine nuts and goats cheese - at $19.90, the Inlet Hotel has the kind of prices you'd expect in major cities, without the freshness and quality.</div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-7704634216992130062009-09-23T10:21:00.000+10:002009-09-24T23:43:10.760+10:00Famous, authentic and "palate tingling" food<div align="right">Gurkha's Cafe</div><div align="right">Bridge Road</div><div align="right">Richmond 3121</div><div align="right">Ph: 03 9425 9007</div><br /><br /><p align="center"><br /><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5ac-uaLFOnLuGmJjhyphenhyphenJugvA8pXnld4Y0FourBvNtzWXtFYibRdpThJqS0EZO0MvgJtpnp8-0BkxtUitvZvlahRRkLpwn2zDVSd2IP40YlJMOu1tvmnlpmUHM1rpY4vNDomO5jPxdoh0/s1600-h/P1000361.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384459658785699842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5ac-uaLFOnLuGmJjhyphenhyphenJugvA8pXnld4Y0FourBvNtzWXtFYibRdpThJqS0EZO0MvgJtpnp8-0BkxtUitvZvlahRRkLpwn2zDVSd2IP40YlJMOu1tvmnlpmUHM1rpY4vNDomO5jPxdoh0/s400/P1000361.JPG" border="0" /></a> </p><br /><br /><p align="center">At 8pm on a Monday night, J and I walked into the Bridge Road outlet of the Gurkha's chain to find it buzzing with conversation and laughter from tables full of young diners. On a cold, rainy evening when many of the other restaurants along Bridge Road were packing up for the night, the food and atmosphere at Gurkha's was the perfect refuge. </p><br /><p align="center">We were greeted with a smile and a bowl of crunchy pappadums and relish. A bottle of water sat on our table, but glasses weren't delivered until after our meals had been brought out. Service here is friendly and helpful, but staff are young and their focus is getting the food out to the tables, rather than taking note of what else is happening on the floor - you might have to literally grab them to get their attention.<br /><br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9Otsu96gWGRRMkpZt7NDwGEV3C83RliNTVOgPxfWUkkMgrvY3xvudVMUp7OxhALbuVMkpY6PiHJHIaIXdhQLAdTnbB1nYk6tVDBsdbn3FTWxDoTmJbgxSQQqiwvd2ECtn4QnUS9Nmb0/s1600-h/P1000349.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384459669011584562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9Otsu96gWGRRMkpZt7NDwGEV3C83RliNTVOgPxfWUkkMgrvY3xvudVMUp7OxhALbuVMkpY6PiHJHIaIXdhQLAdTnbB1nYk6tVDBsdbn3FTWxDoTmJbgxSQQqiwvd2ECtn4QnUS9Nmb0/s400/P1000349.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /></a><p align="center"><br /><br /><em>Dal Bhat Masu - Nepali style platter, rice or bread with your choice of meat curry ($16.90).</em><br /></p><br /><br /><p align="center">I chose to have bread with my meal, and as I was struggling to choose which meat I wanted the waitress informed me I was also allowed to have fish. She couldn't tell me the name of the sauce my fish was coming in, but described it as a spicy, creamy, almost sweet sauce. This was pretty spot on, the sauce was deliciously rich and tomatoey. The taste of the fish was good but the skin was left on, and I didn't really enjoy chewing the bumpy, flaky scales.<br /><br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWkbj0g8fTIEJPTX2aQyAGeBLFQF4u_Yd9KceTGRxur8Prw4NgQgrMwQO2JWPAFlgvb2ZBmDne-IvQRnCoSPtkErwvAeNRWy7vy95UfcM_hSFhFBtC_TvLAiiDi92dk6oj14fx58vmR0/s1600-h/P1000354.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384462156882467666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWkbj0g8fTIEJPTX2aQyAGeBLFQF4u_Yd9KceTGRxur8Prw4NgQgrMwQO2JWPAFlgvb2ZBmDne-IvQRnCoSPtkErwvAeNRWy7vy95UfcM_hSFhFBtC_TvLAiiDi92dk6oj14fx58vmR0/s400/P1000354.JPG" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><p align="center"><br /><em>Dal Bhat - Nepali style platter, rice or bread with lentil and vegetable curry ($15.90).</em> </p><br /><br /><p align="center">J had the vegetarian version - the same dish as the one I had with a variation on the curry. The other dishes accompanying the curries were dhal and a stir fry of Asian greens in a salty clear sauce. We both felt that the platter was a good way to sample Nepalese cuisine, allowing us to try a little of everything. Each dish was delicious, the serving of bread was generous, and the meal was great value for money. In fact everything on the menu is reasonably priced, with most mains around $13.</p><br /><p align="center"><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKUeupnmHWx7pT_vLFd-5AWe8n63zORTiPKx3qUXswCZzCGIV0ESdygOYfvC8nGSAX_pv_Y3vYekDcyJx_XpkFTVNf5sUlp5ga8OQpL6WCAfIo77rLtM6-BPrspbCYUEVgSrXL9vSCC8/s1600-h/P1000358.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384459692541252882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKUeupnmHWx7pT_vLFd-5AWe8n63zORTiPKx3qUXswCZzCGIV0ESdygOYfvC8nGSAX_pv_Y3vYekDcyJx_XpkFTVNf5sUlp5ga8OQpL6WCAfIo77rLtM6-BPrspbCYUEVgSrXL9vSCC8/s400/P1000358.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>Prince Champagne: Vodka, strawberry liqueur and chilled champagne ($6.90)</em></div><br /><br /><div align="center">The champagne cocktail was nice enough but I could barely taste the liqueur or vodka; it really just tasted like champagne. Still, I look forward to visiting again to sample their good list of cocktails, a bargain at $7.90 each. </div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><em><br />Gurkha's Bridge Road is open for dinner from 5pm-11pm, 7 nights a week. The Gurkha's chain can also be found in Prahran, Carlton, Brunswick, North Fitzroy and Melbourne city.</em></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562217822844908896.post-6868971580682013702009-09-20T20:34:00.000+10:002009-09-21T00:58:03.553+10:00Come for the eggs, don't stay for the service<div align="right"><br>New York Tomato</div><div align="right">2-6 York St (Corner New & York)</div><div align="right">Richmond</div><div align="right">3121</div><div align="right">Ph: 9429 0505</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKhnRVsyB3IMq0_TGSbdV7u2b3Q9k1gUBH1JfC4UTVA6p9v-yaW2Fm_L9p2bmRGKhyphenhyphenj2_BOqUdq1iym-wScV7QgNjokHzTHGlcNrOraYG-rG9ABOtR-PRsklGrnS9GrRV14ZQR8bx6VI/s1600-h/P1000342.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383522758040934114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKhnRVsyB3IMq0_TGSbdV7u2b3Q9k1gUBH1JfC4UTVA6p9v-yaW2Fm_L9p2bmRGKhyphenhyphenj2_BOqUdq1iym-wScV7QgNjokHzTHGlcNrOraYG-rG9ABOtR-PRsklGrnS9GrRV14ZQR8bx6VI/s400/P1000342.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center">It was a beautiful Sunday morning today. 10am and sunny. We were in the inner East of the city but tucked away from noise and traffic at a cafe with a cute name. Perfect brunch conditions, and New York Tomato was packed. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br />Sitting on the corner of New and York streets, the cafe had a few tables free besides the one I had booked for <a href="http://synonymfordisaster.blogspot.com/">Synonym</a> and myself when I arrived this morning, and I asked if we could sit outside rather than at the table we had been allocated opposite the kitchen. About ten minutes later, after asking a number of times and being forgotten, we were told that we'd have to stay inside. That's ok. They were busy, and for one of the waitresses it was her first day. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QkjA4eys2zahvDWbMuf72WVJDMYAVpfF1T-nn_pOu_aE3iU1UaVRrzeaJtpFTUYC25Uym_iMJJTlQZgsHY97DL_JxFCJSUmbzQrScLZf7jHuDmFj4v9VEwiMgB8d82uTxLR0fwfgsH4/s1600-h/P1000344.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383522333066831490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QkjA4eys2zahvDWbMuf72WVJDMYAVpfF1T-nn_pOu_aE3iU1UaVRrzeaJtpFTUYC25Uym_iMJJTlQZgsHY97DL_JxFCJSUmbzQrScLZf7jHuDmFj4v9VEwiMgB8d82uTxLR0fwfgsH4/s400/P1000344.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Waiting for S to arrive, I ordered a coffee and grabbed the paper. About ten minutes later, paper read and S sitting across from me, my lukewarm coffee arrived. We ordered our food and another coffee, and about twenty minutes later both arrived.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383517873248140770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUx4l1Kr5WViBEcgO_Q0ZQlCgB6dYVkb0u9m6pujoKo2cCytPdfs1XPUf7ElBHBOVniXREShb_MLCB0vJV0X3qVZPAfEbnAvOpxkHKfNCKYP3MhVSqGjUMN69CYsPoLV6CWBZYjMCMXU/s400/P1000336.JPG" border="0" /> <div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><em><br />S's meal: Open BLT with poached egg and avocado ($15.00)<br /><br /><br /><br /></em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEcWU4UH-ppOtewsZiPWC6_RBkUUwUt3zy9tEj55ezuXM6NntSMzr5SOraJQqcpy3mndpL5IodjIrjPWss7smzhUhkFgwsXfdJXNqYvEkn3HjNVEURet3BdtHWS8V5hyphenhyphenlVBNtqs4FMLY/s1600-h/P1000338.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383517318382820482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEcWU4UH-ppOtewsZiPWC6_RBkUUwUt3zy9tEj55ezuXM6NntSMzr5SOraJQqcpy3mndpL5IodjIrjPWss7smzhUhkFgwsXfdJXNqYvEkn3HjNVEURet3BdtHWS8V5hyphenhyphenlVBNtqs4FMLY/s400/P1000338.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><em><br />Scrambled eggs on toasted sourdough with panchetta, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, basil, pinenuts and Parmesan cheese ($16.50).<br /><br /></em></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">I have a weird thing about scrambled eggs. I love them, but I never order them. My dad makes delicious breakfasts on the weekends including beautiful, creamy scrambled eggs that he has become famous for amongst friends and family. Too many times I have seen watery, rubbery scrambles being served in restaurants and it's put me off ordering them, when I know I can get better ones at home. Today I decided to take a chance and the eggs were beautiful. The dish was a wonderful combination of flavours and textures: soft tomato, eggs and panchetta; crispy crunchy pinenuts and asparagus. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br />The food helped to make up for some of the earlier shortcomings; it was delicious. Eggs are something that are done very well here, and its great that NYT do them in unconventional ways. Rather than the typical eggs benedict, you'll find baked eggs in napoli sauce with goats cheese, basil and pinenuts; or check the specials board for dishes such as poached eggs on turkish bread with smoked salmon, spanish onion, harissa and grainy mustard hollandaise.</div><em></em></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><em></em><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7ZTCh3yDSuTh4daz5KriOXRN0f8Phl_P9tLtyZOCcWbZPEjyCSdlnF7Z70b-n3pZTBgJtEf55oSD6UuRbqreDpHQPUcf4zobL6jrSUpEqbZ7qy5jvkYaFE8oSL_cT63RuaJnBLlatbg/s1600-h/P1000347.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383511389286003682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7ZTCh3yDSuTh4daz5KriOXRN0f8Phl_P9tLtyZOCcWbZPEjyCSdlnF7Z70b-n3pZTBgJtEf55oSD6UuRbqreDpHQPUcf4zobL6jrSUpEqbZ7qy5jvkYaFE8oSL_cT63RuaJnBLlatbg/s400/P1000347.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />At times, service was a little slow and unsure. At least it was never unpleasant, as I've read in other reviews - none of the staff were actually rude. Still, a little more attentiveness would be great; we spent a while waiting to pay at the register, surrounded by staff, before anyone noticed us. Don't get me wrong, NYT. I'll be back to give you a second chance. Despite it's shortcomings, the location, atmosphere, and food at this tiny cafe are enough to convince me to spend a leisurely day in the outdoor courtyard and give the service another go. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div>Maddy at Ravenous Melbournehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02155206366359442147noreply@blogger.com2