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The Station Hotel

30/3/2012

I had been informed that the Station Hotel did the best steaks in Melbourne and although I had read the menu a few time, never found the opportunity to head West. With my parents in town and knowing they appreciate good produce, we decided to make the trip.

We arrived a little late for our 19:30 booking (by about 5 minutes or so) thanks to a taxi driver that had no idea and the place was pretty busy. Very pub like, fairly laid back and informal we felt at home immediately. As a family we enjoyed the casual vibe and my dad felt at home in his shorts!

Our waitress was warm and friendly and knew her stuff from her cows to the specials and the fish! We ordered 15 oysters to begin with followed by the charcuterie plate and then explained my mum was going to refrain from a main dish and effectively try a bit of everyone else's. She was very embracing of this, had a little joke with my mum and called her the "child with the spare plate" and we were still made to feel welcome. We appreciated this hospitality.

It was hard to decide what to eat. The fish specials sounded tasty but really we were here for steak. In the end, Dad, Steve and I all opted for different steaks, sauces on the side, all cooked medium rare and we agreed to try each others!

Steve went for a NY strip steak - 400g O'Connor (VIC) 100% pasture fed select British breeds NY strip steak to be precise described to us as a popular man choice!
I went for the 250g Security Foods (QLD) 300 day grain fed Wagyu rump and Dad opted for 250g Sher Wagyu (VIC) 450 day grain fed Wagyu X Holstein rostbiff. All steaks came with chips and salad.

Everything on the plate was delicious. The steaks were so tender and amazing that three steaks could taste so different and also differ in texture. My personal favourite was Dad's Holstein rostbiff as it had this sweetness to it. Mum's favourite was mine which I did like but preferred the texture of Dad's. Mine had a slightly flabby texture in the mouth. Having said that, if I was served any of the three, there would be no complaints.

All three steaks were cooked perfectly, red and rare inside the chargrilled crust but obviously rested perfectly as there was no blood seepage. The chips were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The salad was fresh and zingy with a sweet and vinegary dressing. The peppercorn and bearnaise sauces were flavoursome without being over powering.

We were very satisfied with our meals and felt that it was very good value too. Definitely a hit and one to rival the ever so pricey Rockpool. I know for sure we'll be back for steak.

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Ten Minutes by Tractor

25/3/2012

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I really wanted Ten Minutes by Tractor to impress. Steve and I were bringing my parent and sister here during their trip to visit us and I was really keen to find a special place for Sunday lunch that we would all enjoy. I wanted it to showcase some wonderful produce, challenge their tastebuds a little beyond the more traditional and conservative tasts and yet still be comfortingly familiar.

The menu appealed to us all and entree dishes varied between the 5 of us with my dad, sister and I all going for the risotto.

Pan roasted quail, Mock Orchard pears, pea puree, pata negra
Asparagus, Red Hill goat's cheese, pickled pumpkin, macadamias, freekah
Risotto with scallops, squid, whiting with grilled watermelon

Mum's quail dish was probably the best although the other dishes were good too. The quail was just so soft and flavoursome the tastes going deeper with the pata negra and then the sweet pea and pear combo lightening up the salty sensations.

Steve's asparagus dish was extremely generous with almost a dozen stems of asparagus, a huge mound of freekah and massive dollops of goat's cheese. Great complimenting flavours.

Risotto was tasty and beautifully presented, The seafood was fresh and fragrant and the chef had also considered texture as we experienced a variety of sensations from the chewy to the flaky to the crispy to the juicy.

Main courses continued to be a hit. Again beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. Steve's lamb course came with a variety of home grown veggies adding a Summery touch to the heavier meat. Fish dishes were vibrant and fresh.

Snapper with peach and tomato fondue, prawns, crushed potato, asparagus, verjus beurre blanc
Roasted Cape Grim eye fillet, wild watercress, onion and olive compote, heirloom carrots and red wine jus
Fine herb roasted rack of lamb, 1333 vegetables, rosemary and mint jube, green olive jus

We enjoyed side dishes of roasted kiplfler potatoes and an organic beetroot, Mock Orchard apples, Red Hill goat's cheese. The beetroot was pale pink in colour and so sweet and the green beans added a grassy flavour to the sweet beet.

Michel Cluizel chocolate ganache, poached cherries, honey espuma, coconut ice cream
Raspberry panna cotta, rhubarb compote, almond cake, white chocolate parfait, sabayon
Rice pudding, apricot compote, caramelised rice puffs, sable, cashmere sorbet

The desserts were decadent and the winner was probably the raspberry dish which I-Lin and I shared. Just so many dimensions to it and all very scrumptious. Steve enjoyed the rice pudding and the chocolate and cherry combo was also polished off with aplomb.

We were also served petit fours but by this stage I was full. The others enjoyed them and declared them good.

We were looked after well by our waiter. He did a really good job. We had a lovely corner table with a picturesque view of the vines.

This is a place that is a little bit special. It's not so formal that it's off putting but it does feel like it's not an every day restaurant and deserves an occasion. It's expensive but I do believe it's worth it as it does offer that little bit extra.

Ten Minutes by Tractor fulfilled everything I wanted it to. My family appreciated the beautifully presented plates of food and the visual pleasure was backed up firmly by tasty fresh produce and impressive culinary skill.

I'd love to return and enjoy the degustation menu. There were some exciting contraptions and plates of food coming out the kitchen.

Ten Minutes by Tractor Wine Co. Cellar Door & Restaurant on Urbanspoon

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Famous Hotpot

19/3/2012

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Four of us came here one evening and we opted for the all you can eat with split soup. The hot and spicy soup is super spicy and both broths are a little bland to begin with but they get tastier as more things get cooked in it.

The place gets a little warm what with all these pots of broth simmering away. Quality of the ingredients are acceptable fotr $25 per head they charge. We did find the meat a little fatty especially the lamb and light on meat flavour. However we did enjoy the noodles, vegetables and beancurd items.

Everything was satisfactory - food, service etc but nothing so brilliant that I am in a hurry to return.

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Spice Temple

11/3/2012

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I love a spicy Sunday or a spicy Saturday for that matter or a spicy any day and Spice Temple really is the emperor of spiciness. When I heard its Sunday menu had changed to yum cha I was keen to test it out.

It's usually pretty quiet when we go for lunch especially if it's a hot day as people prefer the terraces of Number 8 and Bistro Guillaume or the open windows of Nobu. However it was a big surprise to see how busy it was. The private dining area was hosting a large group and pretty much every table had diners. I guess the smaller bites menu suits more people and budgets and has been successful in drawing in the crowds.

Our waitress did tell us that there was a backlog of orders and dishes may take a while but we never felt that the food coming out was slow. We ordered a few dishes at a time and food arrived at a steady pace.

We started with the cold cut combo comprising of tea smoked duck, crispy roast pork, drunken chicken and Nanjing salt water duck with soy braised peanuts. Most of the slices of meat were good and my fave was the tea smoked duck and the drunken chicken as they were tender, juicy and flavoursome. The crispy roast pork was good to with a good snap to the crackling but one of the slice was pretty much all fat so that was off putting.

The chicken with glutinous rice in lotus leaf was so good we had it twice! The rice was sticky enough to be yummy but wasn't too heavy on the tummy which it can be sometimes. The chicken was minced so maybe chunks would be nicer and more like the traditional yum cha version.

Egg custard with crab and XO sauce was also tasty. I think I prefer the version with minced quail though as the slightly denser texture of the quail is a good contrast to the egg custard and I also think there are nuts in that version which also adds more textural dimensions. The flavours here were good but the crab can be mushy which just blends into the soft egg.

The crispy Guangxi pork slider is a fave but sadly my bread tasted a touch too dry and not the usual soft brioche type I like. However the filling was still great with a touch of crispness, soft juicy pork and flavoursome coriander.

The white cut chicken steamed bun with salted chilli and pickles was a new one for us and I am a fan of chilli steamed chicken. The sight of the chilli was a touch daunting for Steve - the bright red splodge against the pure white bread. It's a good bun but the pork one done well is still the winner. On this occasion I preferred the chicken as the bread seemed fresher but I'd got the pork one on an off day. I guess the lesson is to order both to avoid disappointment!

Now for some quail - sizzling spicy fried quail. For some reason I thought it would be crispy but it wasn't. Not sure if I was disappointed or not because I still enjoyed getting stuck into the little bird. Great soy, chilli, ginger and garlic flavours - what can go wrong with this combination and a tasty little bird?

Now for the yum cha test - BBQ pork buns. Expensive BBQ pork buns. They looked, well a bit flat and not the big fluffy round things that we're used to so we were doubtful. However our doubt turned into joy because the bun itself although flat in appearance was actually a lot lighter than the traditional version. The bun to meat ratio was good and the actual filling was tasty and more ish and most importantly was far from the sweet red gunk that is more the norm. Thumbs up for these buns.

Other items sampled was a good radish cake - crispy on the outside with a tasty chilli sauce. The chive dumplings needed more seasoning but textures were good and the Hunan style egg noodles with smoked bacon and chilli could have done with chunkier bacon bits as they got lost in the noodles. I liked the noodles but not enough that I'd forego trying something else.

There was disappointment at the end of the meal in that we'd missed out on egg tarts as they'd sold the last just seconds before our order was put in. So dang and dash...somewhere in the restaurant was an egg tart thief!

All in all Spice Temple yum cha was a success. Yes pricier but it's a longer more leisurely meal with service that is more attentive than traditional yum cha. I love the smaller bites tapas style menu. We spent the same as what we would have done had we ordered from the old menu and got to taste more things so that works for us. In the same way, it's possible to spend a lot less and still get to eat what feels like a decent amount of food so good to attract the more budget conscious too.

Yep I'd come again for yum cha although at Spice Temple it's less yum cha and more yum wine, yum cocktail, yum yum! Oh and I'd reserve an egg tart right at the start before the egg tart thief strikes.

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Mr. Hive Kitchen and Bar

10/3/2012

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So Mr Hive has replaced the ill fated Maze. We decided to try him out to see how he compares. This restaurant site in Crown is in one of the most awkward positions and it really needs to be a destination restaurant to draw in the people as it's never going to attract the passer by being on the way to the car park and beyond all the shops.

First impressions were that apart from a new display thing that looks like honeycomb tessellation at the bar and the octagonal shaped bar tables that fit together again reminiscent of honeycomb, none of the decor has actually changed from Maze days. The spiky lights are the same as is the metalwork on the back wall. I think it would have been nice for it to have cut all ties from Maze and for Mr Hive to gain its own identity but I guess financials may have curtailed that prospect.

Anyway more importantly how was the food and service? Service was friendly and I did fear we'd be the only ones there but it was nice to see one large table of diners and the odd couple spread out.

Our waiter was friendly and personable and he explained the menu well. We sat next to a window so natural light was good and better than our dim and dark experience at Maze.

We decided to stray away from the set meny and ordered what we liked. We started off with:

Crispy little pig
Black and blue tuna with aged soy

The crispy little pig was a winner. Crumbed cubes of porky goodness and the odd bit of crispy tail contrasted with gently pickled turnip and celery chopped into tiny pieces that I didn't mind it and I don't like celery and then all washed with a sweet cube of watermelon. A memorable dish and one we would return for.

Black and blue tuna was also good with very caramelised tuna on one side and rare on the other with a dark soy sauce. The salty soy and the lean almost metallic flavour of the tuna married well.

Good start Mr Hive. We're beginning to like you.

Main courses:

Roasted snapper, smoked egg and summer greens
Saltbush lamb belly, peas and mint
Crispy chips

Main dishes don't really come with an accompaniment so price wise not cheap. The roasted snapper is an attractive looking plate of food. The smoked egg consists of yolk topping and the white is separate. The yolk adds a creamy saltiness to the fish and the white adds a different texture to the crispy skinned fish. The fish was cooked extremely well and this was a special dish with great flavour combinations remaining light and pleasant to eat.

The lamb was a heavier plate of food and tasted good but probably less special than the fish. It was effectively braised lamb done well. The lamb was cooked so it was tender but not so much that it becomes dry or mushy. The peas kept it light and the chips helped mop up the tasty jus.

Mr Hive you're flying the flag well.

Onto dessert. Now apparently there is a dessert bar area you can sit at and watch the dessert come together but I guess for a quiet lunch service this option does not exist.

Steve thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Hive’s chocolate bar, peanuts and caramel. It reminded me of a similar dessert I had at one of Alain Ducasse's restaurants in Las Vegas but lighter and the salted caramel ice cream was pretty unforgettable and lifted this chocolate dish from being a crowd pleaser to being pretty extraordinary.

The summer berry Eton mess I ordered was a light way (aside from double cream and lots of sugar) to end the meal. It felt light although no doubt decadent calorie wise. I enjoyed the fruit cream and the sweet meringue and the berries. I probably would have enjoyed it more if the meringue had a bit of chew to it.

Mr HIve for us beats Maze hands down. And we enjoyed his company so much we booked it again to take my family there who will be visiting so I hope Mr Hive does it again!

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Papa Goose

9/3/2012

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Melbourne Food and Wine Festival so a great time to enjoy the Restaurant Express options throughout Melbourne.

My friend Lucy did the research and came p with Papa Goose, PM24 or Seamstress and the general concensus meant that Papa Goose was the winner mainly due to location and the fact it was new for all of us.

We were greeted warmly and although it took a short while to obtain menus and place orders the whole meal took place in less than 90 minutes or so not too bad.

We opted for the main and dessert option. I enjoyed the skate with red onion marmalade and broccolini. It was probably quite healthy but didn't taste like I was missing out on anything. The fish was cooked well and retained its juiciness and the sweetness of the marmalade was a good contrast along with the salty caper. The iron taste of the broccolini kept the flavours light and fresh.

Dessert was a smooth Earl Grey creme brulee with some beautiful strawberries and a scoop of strawberry sorbet. I couldn't really taste the balsamic in the shortbread but enjoyed the crumbly but not dry textures and the accompanying cup of tea rounded things off beautifully.

A lovely light and refreshing lunch and the food was cooked well that Papa Goose has certainly captured my interest in a return visit.

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Izakaya Hachibeh

8/3/2012

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Pre theatre meal and Izakaya Hachibeh was the chosen destination. I met up with Steve at 6pm and it was nice to see there were already a few tables there and more people turned up. A busy restaurant always has a nicer atmosphere about it.

We started off with some fried items:

German potato described as potato sticks with bacon fried in garlic butter
Gyoza
Deep fried chicken wings in garlic sauce

The potato wasn't what we expected - essentially French fries with bacon. They weren't unwelcome though as they were pretty good but ultimately how exciting do French fries get even with the addition of bacon?

The gyoza were crispy and enjoyable. I can't really remember them though so that probably says a lot.

I remember enjoying the chicken wings. They were golden and smelt good but no hint of garlic sauce. They looked and smelt so appealing the table next to us ordered some!

We then shared a sashimu plate consisting of salmon, tuna, mackarel and some other white fish. All fresh and tasty and good thick slices which I like.

By now we were pretty full but we had ordered a katsu don and a nebeyaki udon.

The crumbed pork in the katsu don was very dense and heavy and the omelette casing added to the overally richness of this dish not to mention the mountain of rice beneath. Only get this if you're really hungry!

The udon was lighter and I enjoyed the tempura prawn although I prefer it when the tempura is served on the side so it remains crispy. The broth was a little sweet for my liking but in terms of portion size was much easier to deal with than the katsu don.

Izakaya Hachibeh is a nifty little place for nibbles and there is enough choice that main courses can be optional. If only we knew that beforehand! Service is friendly and the food comes quickly so it's definitely a great option for pre theatre or a quick feed.

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Café Tien Tien

6/3/2012

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Always out for a bargain, we ended up at Café Tien Tien with a deals.com voucher. Having tried a couple of these our expectations are generally low and we use them to try out as a cheap mid week dinners as an excuse not to cook.

I tend to do a quick reviews check and make sure location is convenient before committing to buy and Café Tien Tien seemed to come out ok.

I booked a table via email as per instructions and this was simple enough. We were the first to arrive at the restaurant and during our quick meal there were other diners, mainly couples but it tended to remain very quiet. The fact it was early on a week night was probably the main reason for this.

Our voucher entitled us to to a set menu and we had a couple of choices for a main dish from pad thai, pho and a curry and we opted for a curry.

We were first served a flavoursome tom yam soup with a few prawns in it. Flavours were well balanced but it wasn't the best tom yam we've had. Tasted a little synthetic but it was acceptable.

Next was had san choi bow which again was strong in flavour but not a stand out as were the fried chicken wings.

Chicken and cashew nuts and Malaysian beef curry came out next with one small bowl of rice so we ordered another. Both dishes were also acceptable but not stand out.

Dessert took a bit longer and it was deep fried icecream. I expected the coating to be warm and crispy but it was cold and soggy so probably deep fried in a factory a long time ago and kept frozen in a box!

All in all the meal was worth the money we paid in quantity alone and it was a good deal. It didn't make me want to return however as the food just wasn't special enough.

The restaurant decor is quite attractive - dark wood and Eastern and I can imagine when it's busy and buzzing and there is candlelight it would be quite a nice place to dine. Sadly the day we were there it lacked ambience and the place just felt a touch too empty.

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Sapore

2/3/2012

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Late Satuday afternoon and we had no reservation for anywhere that evening. We wanted to go out but the rain meant we wanted somewhere we had a table booked as queuing was not an option!

We managed to book online for a table at Sapore though for later on and so Steve and I enjoyed a date in an intimate and romantic Italian bistro.

Sapore is quite small and as soon as you enter you're in the middle of the dining room. The tables a pretty close together so having to wait for a table does mean you're stood over someone eating. There is a bar area ahead but when we arrived there were already people milling around there.

Luckily we did not have to wait long for our table and we settled down quickly. We did not have to wait long for drinks or to order and food came promptly.

I enjoyed the house made potato gnocchi with braised rabbit in a tomato sauce with Parmesan. The gnocchi was light, pillowy and soft and the rabbit and tomato sauce were just such great flavours - sweet tomato, savoury rabbit. This was the highlight!

Steve started with porcini mushroom risotto with truffled mascarpone & Parmesan. I appreciated the presentation of this dish as it's so hard to make grey rice appealing. It was rich and deep and creamy and a very good risotto. Not as good as the gnocchi but still very good.

This was a great start!

Main courses we went for were:

“12 hour Greenvale Farm rare breed pork belly” with cabbage, fennel, granny smith apple sauce & a crisp crochette
Duck ‘tre modi’ with baby spinach, butternut pumpkin and Masala-sultana sauce

The pork belly was cooked so well with minimal fattiness and maximum unctuosness (that's a word I've just made up but I'm sure you get what I mean!) Steve commented that the cabbage and fennel salad was too overpowering for the delicate sweetness of the pork and apple and the crochette wasn't too great either. The star of the plate was definitely the pork and apple and the other stuff was merely windown dressing.

The duck was done very well. The confit was slightly crispy and salty and the breast was much more gamey, meaty and tender. The butternut squash puree was sweet and cinammon-y and just gorgeous with the duck. My guess was the tre modi was duck confit, duck breast and also the blob of duck liver parfait thing which wasn't a great duck liver creation. But everything else worked.

Interesting that each plate had one flaw according to our tastes but certainly the other aspects outweighed and made up for the shortcomings.

We also enjoyed some sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon which were deliciously charred round the edges although a little greasy.

We shared dessert - Limoncello semifreddo with Manuka honey sabayon, honeycomb & fresh berries. The slab of semifreddo was sweet and creamy with a hint of alcohol as an aftertaste making it feel grown up and decadent. The raspberries added a much needed tartness. I think I'd have liked the semi freddo to be just a touch sharper or citrussy. This tasted it was lemon scented rather than lemon flavoured. Having said that it was still delicious and very enjoyable.

Sapore is a great little restaurant and I would return for the gnocchi in a heartbeat. The only thing that I hesitate is that our table was not one of the best situated. It was just off centre in the dining room and because the tables are all so close together the walkways between them are quite tight and I kept feeling like I had to dodge the waitstaff and other customers that walked past. I think that sitting at the edge of the dining room in the banquette area or in any of the corners would eliminate this problem so I'd probably ask for one of those tables next time.

Other than that quibble, it's a lovely, romantic, upmarket Italian that retains the charm of a local trattoria and perfect place for a wet and cold Saturday night.

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The Station Hotel

Ten Minutes by Tractor

Famous Hotpot

Spice Temple

Mr. Hive Kitchen and Bar

Papa Goose

Izakaya Hachibeh

Café Tien Tien

Sapore

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