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Conservatory

25/1/2011

Australia Day fell on a Wednesday so the night before we decided to try Conservatory which is the upmarket buffet at the Crown Casino. We'd been given an offer from Crown for free birthday cake and glasses of champagne during January pour moi so thought we'd take advantage. We're not huge buffet goers but have been spoilt by the Fountains Brunch at Jasmine at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and also the Ritz Carlton champagne brunch in Singapore where the vintage Moet flowed like the River Yarra.

On paper Conservatory sounded great - seafood bar, Asian stations, chocolate fountain. In reality the food area wasn't as large as I thought it would be. That's ok as a good buffet is about quality and not quantity. So we jumped straight in.

The cold meats were pretty good with Serrano ham that wasn't too salty. The sushi was mediocre at best as the fish was sliced too thinly. The Asian dumplings were a bit heavy and soggy. Oysters were good as were the king prawns. I tried to eat the spanner crabs but found them too fiddly although the little meat I could get out was sweet and tasty.

The roast meats were a little overdone for my liking - there was pork and lamb. Lots of other hot dishes but I'm not a huge fan of them when they're sat in bain maries or with overhead lights on them for too long.

Lots of desserts that looked pretty but didn't taste as good as they looked. Tasted a bit manufactured. The chocolate fountain looked good but the chocolate was a bit oily although the fruit was fresh and sweet.

Conservatory offers a buffet better than most but it's still not as good as the high end ones in Asia and Vegas. It's also quite pricey. We were charged the weekend price as it was the night before a public holiday. It's not one we will be returning too.

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Shoya

22/1/2011

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Birthday dinner was at MoVida and birthday lunch followed the next day at Shoya. (This now leaves birthday breakfast but more on that at later date maybe). I'd read various articles about Shoya and it was on the list to try. A conversation with a collague a fortnight or so ago and affirmation that it was great and did a good value set lunch made me think it could be a good place for a birthday get together and so I made a reservation and brought together my favourite Aussie friends (not one of them is Australian but we're calling Australia home for now!)

We started off with some cocktails / mocktails and Noah and Steve had wine. Shoya offer set lunches starting at $28 - $38. They also do an omakase (chef's tasting menu) for $65. For a one hat restaurant I thought this was good budget way of trying what it has to offer. Charlotte, Emma and I opted for the Matsu set, Steve and Ling and Ume and I can't remember the name of what Noah had.

The set lunches all start off the same and we were all given chawan mushi which is a savoury egg custard and it had mushrooms and a little bit of prawn. It tasted like miso soup and was topped with a single soya bean. It was smooth and silky and I enjoyed it but then I like custard and egg and mushrooms and prawn. I guess for some people the turn off would be the gelatinous texture. We also all had a small portion of spinach and sesame salad. Noah's lunch included some chilled tofu which isn't my kinda thing but he and Ling seemed to enjoy it.

Next up was some sashimi - tuna and two types of white fish with a little bit of scallop on a frozen orange. The fish was really fresh and the cuts nice and thick. Emma had her first taste of real sashimi and she seemed to manage so maybe she'll develop a taste for it eventually.

The courses then started differentiating themselves. Charlotte, Emma and I enjoyed a shitake and quails egg tempura and a scallop and crab fritter thing both being light and crispy and tasty with little greasiness as can happen. Steve, Ling and Noah had tempura prawns and vegetables and the verdict was that it was good tempura.

Charlotte, Emma and I then had 4 pieces of sushi each which was delicious and the wasabi wasn't overpowering. Ling and Steve had some grilled eel which Steve says was tasty. Noah had some grilled white fish and a bowl of udon soup noodles.

And still the food kept coming. For the three Matsu girls we were treated to some Wagyu cubes of beef in a truffle sauce with enoki mushrooms on some creamy potatoes and some fried rice. Ling and Steve had some beef teriyaki.

We finished with green tea ice cream and Steve had vanilla. The ice cream was flavoursome as some green tea ice cream can taste of very little and this had good tea like flavour to it but it wasn't as smooth as it could have been.

All in all for the quality and quantity of food, can't fault Shoya. I'd love to return for lunch!

Shoya Nouvelle Wafu Cuisine on Urbanspoon

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MoVida Bar de Tapas y Vino

21/1/2011

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My birthday dinner took place at Movida. The Good Food Guide gives it two hats (like Michelin stars but maybe slightly lower standard. I think it's between an AA rosette and a star) and calls it Modern Spanish and Euro-cool. It's situated in one of Melbourne's many alleyways which is decorated with graffiti. The entrance is modest and the restaurant itself fairly low key in decor. It probably seats about 30 people and the largest party there was a group of 6 and only one table was big enough for that. There were a group of ladies who split into two small groups of 4 and sat apart from each other. There is a small bar area for walk ins but the queues for that amass pretty quickly.

Our waitress was friendly and explained how to order. We had pre dinner drinks; sangria for me and a beer for Steve. The sangria was very good and far too easy to drink! I hadn't had breakfast or lunch bar a big slice of chocolate birthday cake so was super hungry and we ordered over and above what she recommended. The downside was we would pay the price by feeling far too full and it would have been nice if she'd have told us we'd over ordered.

Anyway back to the food...

We ordered 4 tapas each as we were informed each was bite sized. We both had the Anchoa (pictured) which had been recommended to me by Karly from work. Her words were "Order the bruschetta anchovy thing with tomato sorbet. I though I was going to hate it but I loved it so much." The "bruschetta anchovy thing" is actually hand filleted Cantabrian artisan anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet. The anchovy was very good, meaty and didn't turn into mush / powder when being chewed. The whole thing was a savoury, salty sensation and the smoked tomato sorbet very unusual. The sorbet made my sensitive teeth tingle slightly but was really good to wash the saltiness of the anchovy away leaving a smoky tomato taste funnily enough!

Other tapas we had were spiced chicken escabeche tapa on crisp crouton was a chicken, mayonnaise, coleslaw delight with a real sharp tang to it and was very tasty. The croqueta; fried silky croquette flavoured with jamon and egg were a delight. Light crispy crumb and a very nice cheesy ham filling. Like an exceptionally good Findus crispy pancake!

We also had the roast lamb cutlet encased in a Catalan pork and paprika paté. I enjoyed this and found the meat juicy. The pork and paprika paté was tasty and it was topped with a vivid green dollop of salsa verde which cut through the fatty smokiness of the pork and lamb.

After the tapas we moved onto the sharing dishes called raciones. And this was our downfall in that we ordered far too much. The cecina (see pic) came first which is air dried Wagyu with poached egg and truffle foam. One of the partners at Steve's workplace said it was a must have and I'd read about it in various magazines and blogs The waitress explained that basically you pop the egg, smush it with the foam and eat it with a bit of the Wagyu. I don't really know how to describe it, except the Wagyu was salty and beefy like Parma ham only not ham and the egg and truffle were light and creamy. Together it was a very rich and decadent dish and definitely meant for sharing. It is far too rich to have all to oneself.

We also had some portabello mushrooms done in oloroso sherry, a braised rabbit leg in white wine and onions and lamb breast slow roasted in a Pyrenees tomato sauce. There was a long wait between the mushrooms and the rabbit and then an even longer wait between rabbit and lamb. By the time we'd had the rabbit we were actually really full and if we could have skipped the lamb we would.

Although the portions aren't huge, each dish is a massive flavour hit. Everything is delicious and the strength and intensity of the flavous really whack you around the mouth and all over your face! Therefore too many courses are just too much and cause the whole meal to feel imbalanced. A salad or something more subtle would have lightened the load. Each dish on its own cannot be faulted but I think we over ordered and chose items that were very intense so when you have them course after course it becomes hard work.

We'd definitely return because everything was undoubtedly super tasty but we're wiser as to how to order so next time it will be perfect!

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Maze

8/1/2011

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Steve surprised me with a reservation here on Saturday night. It's one of the many in the Crown Casino complex that we have been wanting to try but we have struggled to look beyond Nobu as it's so good there! We arrived and there was a small queue of people waiting to "check in" and I felt that could have been handled a bit better rather than have folk hanging around. When we were greeted it was all very friendly and we were directed to the bar or the lounge to get a drink as our table wasn't quite ready.

We decided to sit on the high chairs at the bar. Easier said than done as they were very high and I had to clamber to get onto it! There was another short wait to get served but when we were served it was again all very friendly. About ten minutes later a smiley hostess took us to our table. The main dining room is done very tastefully with high ceilings, white walls and then dark brown and grey furnishings including a huge wickerlike light fitting. The candlelight softened the harsh colours and I can imagine in the daytime it will look very airy and have a different atmosphere altogether so quite clever really!

We were seated next to the waiters station which isn't usually the best place as it's where you can see the wait staff looked stressed and whisper to one another about their customers and this did happen which I don't enjoy. At the end of the evening when the wait staff must have been winding down we saw then laugh and joke with one another, throwing srunched up napkins at each other and whilst I'm all for people having fun, I don't think a restaurant that calls itself fine dining should allow this. In my opinion, it's unprofessional.

We had a bit of a wait after the hostess saw us to the table and before our menus came. I think our server must have been somewhere else because the maitre d' saw that we had been waiting a while and he came over with the menus instead.

Initial impressions then before the food were that the dining room looked great, the staff were friendly when they served you but getting their attention in the first place wasn't easy. They're fine when they respond to the diner but they aren't very pro active with their service. This was probably the one criticism about the place.

The menu sounded delicious and we decided to go with the Chef's Dinner Menu which is effectively the Tasting Menu so we could cover all angles! 7 courses for $110 which I thought was a reasonable price for what was on offer. We had a bottle of Riesling from the local Macedon Ranges to accompany the food.

Course number 1 was marinated beetroot with goats curd, Cabernet Sauvignon vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts. Two little swirls of cheese with beautiful fuschia pink drizzlings. Looked like miniature icecreams with raspberry sauce. The combination of flavours is pleasing and a classic. The goats curd was soft and cool and creamy and the beetroot just fruity and sweet enough to complement the sharp tang. The pine nuts added texture and a good nutty aftertaste. We both really enjoyed the flavours and simplicity of the dish and could have eaten more!

We had to make a choice for our second choice so we opted for one of each - seared Yellow Fin tuna, white radish, yuzu, enoki mushrooms and black garlic and the second dish was Marlborough King salmon. hearts of palm, grapefruit and soy salt.

The fish were both cooked well to bring out the best of the produce. The tuna did lack the depth of flavour mushrooms can bring to a dish and the flavours did seem to dissipate quite quickly with no lingering aftertaste of mushroom or tuna. The salmon fared better and the soy salt provided that lingering savoury flavour hit we were seeking.

Pan seared scallop, caramelised kelp, sugar snap pea, parsley purée, mussels and champagne came next. The little sugar snap pea was so cute, slice open and the little peas all placed in a row. The caramelised kelp and the scallop together were too sweet a combination for my palette but I enjoyed the freshness of the sugar snap pea, parsley purée and scallop together. The mussel and Champagne was fine but nothing exception or outstanding. We've had the privilege of sampling various scallop dishes and although this was pleasing enough, didn't have us completely convinced. At this stage the goats cheese and beetroot was the front runner and although everything was good, nothing had really blown us away as yet. Interesting that what was likely to be the cheapest and most simple dish was our current fave!

Another choice - pan roasted snapper, carrots and ginger and spanner crab tempura and the second option was crispy roast pork belly, cavalo nero, soybeans and dashi. We ate half and swapped dishes again so that we could try both. This course was a great improvement to the previous. The snapper with the carrot purée was delicious and the beetroot provided a fruity tang. The crab tempura was a meaty ball of battered crab and was very tasty. Steve loved the belly pork. The meat was tender, the crackling crispy and the broth savoury. I agreed but found that the dollops of cream it was resting on just made it a little too rich.

Next options were Cape Grim short rib, potato, shimeji mushrooms, togarashi spice and Gisborne duck breast, sweetcorn, cracked wheat, cherries. The short rib was this densely packed, almost gelatinous piece of deep, flavoursome meat and the mushrooms and rich mashed potato were a rich accompaniment. The spice powder added a good chilli aftertaste and kick. We're not sure how someone could eat a full course of this especially a larger portion from the a la carte menu. It was delicious but our half and half plate swapping was just the right size.

The duck was a highlight for me. The pink flesh and the sweet puree (I'm not sure it was the described sweetcorn though but more a pumpkin or butternut squash) and the grainy wheat and the tang of cherries was a winner. Duck and cherries always works much like the beetroot and goats cheese combo.

So onto dessert. I forgot to take a picture of the exotic fruit vacherin with passionfruit and banana sorbet. It was basically a pretty coloured fruit salad with some meringue discs and a yellow scoop of sorbet. The sorbet was light and the meringue and fruit combo was deliciously refreshing. Another simple dish that worked wonders. Although I have to say the banana sorbet reminded me of that Amoxicillin (banana flavoured antibiotic) the doctor used to prescribe when we were young and ill. Having said that most banana flavoured stuff reminds me of that except for real banana.

The next dessert was a Maze "Lamington". A Lamington is an Australian sponge covered in chocolate and coconut so this was a deconstructed version with rasperry jam. There was chocolate and coconut and coconut icecream with sponge and a tuile and some raspberry jam. Really a combination that goes great together although the jam was a bit too sweet for me. Steve enjoyed just smushing it altogether and eating it.

Our final little sweet morsel were white chocolate balls coating some strawberry ice cream. A nice finish to the meal.

In conclusion we had a lovely evening in spite of the slightly off service. I think we would return if we have friends who want to try it or if someone wanted to take us there! If we could choose I think we'd choose other places to return. I'm really glad we tried it and I'm open to trying Maze Grill too as this made us decide that we like Nobu all the more. Next one we want to try is Rockpool and the great thing about trying such restaurants as it really helps me re affirm what I like or what I don't like.

I get the impression that although the food can be good, it's just not an us kind of place. The offness of the wait staff, too many courses that weren't quite to our liking and the fact that the other diners around us are the type to spend all the time on their mobile phones means we are probably more comfortable elsewhere.

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Sho

5/1/2011

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We had a dinner at Sho after a full day's wine tasting so the odds weren't great that we'd remember or enjoy it! However I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. There were three of us and we shared some spring rolls to start and they were pretty good. Crispy and golden with a nice pork filling and the lettuce was provided to wrap them up in as well as some sweet chilli sauce. Having said that, I'm one of those people that think most things taste good with sweet chilli sauce!

Main course wise, Steve had fried ho fun with beef and beanspouts, Suzi created her own noodle soup with vermicelli and tom yum soup, chicken slices, soya egg and pork and prawn dumplings. I did the same but had udon noodles in a Vietnamese chicken soup with the pork and prawn dumplings, soya egg and soya chicken.

Portion size was pretty decent. I expected one egg cut into half but actually we got two eggs each; almose egg overload! I was also surprised at the price. The three of us ate for less than what we paid at Noodle House and we had a bottle of wine here and just two alcoholic drinks at Noodle House. I also used my Entertainment Book voucher reducing the price even further but even without the discount it provides better value compared to Noodle House.

It doesn't have the terrace and the bustling atmosphere Noodle House has. Sho was pretty empty when we were there and it's a big place with counter seating around the kitchen area as well as lots of tables so it will have to get pretty busy (which I'm not convinced it does given there are so many choices at the casino) to get some of the bustling vibe Noodle House has. The decor is nice so I don't mind that it costs more there for a bowl of noodles compared to the more divey places we frequent in China Town or on Victoria Street. The big thing I was disappointed by though as the service. It took a long time after we were seated to place a drinks order and there was no water offered. Servers were disinterested as was the maitre d' and it wasn't like they were rushed off their feet.

Given the price, location and quality of food I'd probably give them another chance though and would return here over Noodle House. Also worth bearing in mind is that they're open till 02:00 on a weekend and they do takeaway.

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Conservatory

Shoya

MoVida Bar de Tapas y Vino

Maze

Sho

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