Mama Baba is George Calombaris' latest place which reflect his mixed Italian and Greek parentage.

It's a buzzy place filled with the Melbourne hipster gang and our arrival at 9:30pm on a Saturday evening in time for our 9:30pm table mean that we had to wait. Those hipsters obviously arrive fashionably late and stay beyond their welcome!

The place was particularly busy that night as George himself was in town. Oh the prestige! There was a sectioned off area in the bar so obviously George had his VIPs in the house. He was no Jacques Reymond or Abla Amad from Abla's as he avoided most of the tables and only put his arm round those he knew and had conversations with the beautiful young girls who went up to him didn't give him room to make a getaway.

I appreciate it must be hard being famous and everyone wanting a piece of you but I also felt that he could have said hi to each table and wished everyone a good night instead of just picking and choosing especially as he spent most of his time in the dining area. A different story had he been in the kitchen. I completely would not have expected him to come out then but given he was already circulating...who am I kidding? I felt left out!

Our 9:30pm table was not ready for ages. We weren't seated until 10:15pm and whilst we were gracious enough in the beginning not to mind by 10:15pm we were disgruntled especially as no one had made an effort to apologise. There is a sort of "laissez fiare" laid back kind of attitude amongst the front of house staff; I guess they don't need to value customers as much when they're queuing out the door.

Anyway, onto the food. It's got to be said, food arrived quite promptly although we did have to wait a little while between our salad and polenta chips and which we were sharing and our individual pasta dishes.

All three of us opted for an individual main dish and chose the polenta chips with sour cream, chilli soffritto and the pea, mint and ricotta salad to share.

The salad was delicious - fresh and sweet with a creaminess form the cheese and a saltiness from the pecorino scattered on top. The polenta chips were appetisingly golden with a crunchy crust. The chilli sofrito wasn't as flavoursome or as spicy as I'd have liked.

My main dish was the classic spaghetti marinara with mussels, vongole, prawns, calamari, chilli, garlic. I enjoyed the al dente pasta and the tasty clean seafood flavours. There was a clear respect for the ingredients and rightly so as they were fresh and flavoursome with no need for any additional fancy elements.

My dining companions also enjoyed their main dishes. I liked the fact that the tables weren't too close together like Chin Chin but it still had that busy and buzzy vibe. I would have liked better and stronger wait staff and an apology / gesture for the 45 minute wait rather than made to feel I was lucky to dine there and I would have loved a smile and a hello from George given he was already there! I think that would have made up for everything else.

I'd heard a lot about this Fitzroy eatery so dragged Steve with me one Saturday morning for brunch. I loved the sound of different types of baked eggs being a fan of the humble egg.

Finally after what felt like eternity, we managed to find parking and very quickly soon after were seated at a table.

Unusual name...didn't quite get it or the feathered wooden men suspended from the ceilings and hovering over the tables. I'm also not that into birds so possible not the best destination for me.

We decided to share one of the baked eggs specials - chicken and sweetcorn and also had the chilli cheese kransky with bubble and squeak and poached eggs.

I enjoyed the kransky with poached eggs. The bubble and squeak we effectively a pile of potato with other leftover veg and I think I'd have liked it more if it had been bound together a but more into more of a fritter or potato cake.

The baked eggs, whilst initially tasty, was a very heavy dish and by about halfway through ceased to be as appealing as it once was.

All in all, Birdman Eating, sadly didn't live up to the hype for me. I think I prefer cleaner and lighter dishes for my brunch. I didn't get the name, didn't get the decor and sadly didn't get the dishes...

A Friday night trip to Box Hill to catch up with Ling and Noah meant a visit to Wong's to sample their set banquet including lobster chow mein. We met up there and Ling and Noah were already seated and ready to dig in! This is one of their regular haunts but they'd never had the lobster so we were all in for something new.

We started off with shark fin soup but I doubt it was shark fin. The usual thick gloopy Chinese soup. This was followed by main dishses of salt and pepper chicken ribs which were crunchy and tasty and appetisingly golden in colour. The sweet and sour pork was also up there in appearance stakes and although we pretty much knew MSG was present in everything, we still tucked in and enjoyed.

The lobster chow mein was done in spring onion and ginger and the noodles that soaked up all the dishes was yummy. The lobster itself was somewhat tough and chewy though and lacked a seafood flavour. The Hainanese chicken was delicious - soft and silky with a light soy and chilli sauce. Finally the sea cucumber and braised mushrooms dish was also pretty good. Steve and I felt that the dishes were not as good as Pacific BBQ and Seafood Restaurant but we also concede that if we had ordered the same amount of food there it would have been a lot pricier.

There was definitely enough food for us all and the banquet was well priced at around $50 per head. Steve avoided the sea cucumber dish and Noah avoided the lobster and portion sizes were still large enough so that everyone enjoyed a decent amount of what they liked and wanted.

Sadly after this meal, we all fell sick the next day. This dinner was consumed Friday evening and by Saturday afternoon, Ling, Noah and Steve all fell ill to gastro and I joined them on the Sunday. Whilst we cannot be 100% sure it was down to this meal, it does seem pretty flukey that we all experienced the same symptoms. The ever witty Ling has renamed this place Wong's Yucky Bar!

We'd always wanted to do the Moet et Chandon champagne lunch at Number 8 on a Sunday afternoon and when our friends Kirsty and Marty said they'd join in the fun, well then we had to get a date in the diary!

It was a pretty cold afternoon so we sat indoors; would have been lovely to sit at a table in the outdoor terrace in the sunshine but sadly this was not to be.

This is a great lunch deal. The champagne is free flowing and glasses are never empty. Service was attentive throughout.

The lunch deal is basically three courses from the a la carte menu with the exception of the dishes with truffle, the seafood dishes for two and some of the pricier steaks. Even with these exceptions, there is still plenty of choice.

Given there was Moet on offer I chose to go with the oysters which came with a yummy shallot and Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar dressing. Nothing not to like here!

Steve went with the roasted heirloom beetroot salad, Yarra Valley olives, house made ricotta,toasted hazelnuts and basil emulsion. Again nothing to go wrong with a beetroot salad really.

Main courses we all ordered different things. Kirsty went with the grilled Tasmanian wallaby smoked with red gum, beetroot glaze and sautéed salsify, black garlic and thyme which she seemed to enjoy.

Steve ordered the pan fried Cone Bay barramundi with roasted shallot consommé, barley risotto, wood sorrel, and parsley which was a lighter dish but of a high quality.

My choice was the muscovy duckling with spiced quince, crispy duck skin crumble and organic Yarra Valley black berries. I think I expected a bit more duck than the 4 slices of breast on the plate. The duck skin wasn't particularly crispy and the muscovy sweet flavour didn't really come through. The dish wasn't a fail though as the duck was tender and rich and left pink which I like. The sweet touch came from the black berries.

We shared sides of potatoes and vegetables all of which were well presented and of a good standard.

Dessert time came and our choices included the mandarin and poppy seed mille-feuille, marmalade ice cream and vanilla marshmallow, served with warm Cognac anglaise and also a crème brûlée, Victorian walnut praline, blackberry ice cream,honey wafer and lemon balm. If I remember correctly I went with a selection of ice creams which was pleasant enough.

In all honesty, all the food we had was decent but none of it was particularly memorable or stand out. Without my photographs I think I'd completely forget what I ate there.The fact I can barely remember what dessert I had is probably significant. I don't think I'd return to Number 8 for food but along with the free flowing champagne, it makes for a fun and memorable afternoon. The food played second fiddle to the bubbles in the glass.

Post karaoke and late night recovery was required so Steve and I headed to the new South Wharf development and decided to have lunch at the Sharing House.

It's a pleasant place to sit with widely spread out tables and a bar area made from Duplo (giant Lego) bricks and that blocks theme resonates through to the large square tiles on the walls and the Excel spreadsheet like menu.

Food is described in a way that sounds delicious and there's a hint to the kitsch dishes of yesteryear but far from the yucky boil in a bag type, it's the yummy duck a l'orange, corned beef has, spag bol type. The concept is to share everything as portion sizes are small and about having a little taste here and there and that we did!

We start with the crispy and crunchy - corned beef hash croquettes and popcorn rabbit and cauliflower. The "popcorm" comes in a paper bag with a dish of aioli and it's lucky dip as to whether you get rabbit or cauliflower. The crumb is crispy and it doesn't feel greasy. A little extra seasoning woudn't have gone amiss though.

The croquettes again are beautifully crunchy with no hint of grease and the little jar of sauce with its Sharing House label makes for great retro presentation. I loved the blend of potato and corned beef filling. There was a strong mustard kick though and I'm not a huge mustard fan. Had the menu mentioned the mustard I would have avoided these and again although done very well, I'm not sure I'd re order given the mustard but I would recommend them to mustard loving friends.

Next up:

• Mushrooms and mozzarella on toast - yummy pine mushrooms and globs of creamy melty mozzarella - what can go wrong?
  
• Beetroot and goat's cheese salad - goat's cheese was a bit rubbery but again classic flavours
  
• Tuna nicoise salad - great little salad with beautifully seared tuna, tangy tomatoes, creamy quail's egg and crunchy beans
  

We followed this with:

• Spaghetti Bolognese - beautiful al dente pasta with just the amound of meaty sauce
• Prosciutto pizza - just the right size with a crispy non greasy base
• Duck a l'orange - tangy sauce, tender duck cut with crispy potatoes cut through with a few bitter sprout leaves. Well balanced dish.
  

We finished all this off with the chocolate and salted caramel dessert with popping candy. It was layered with a biscuit base and covered with a rich choccy ganache. A decent dessert with creamy ice cream but pretty heavy and we agreed the salted caramel dessert at Mr. Hive is better.

The bill came in a cute Duplex box. Who spends their time building these I wonder? The Sharing House is a fun place to come with a group to try different things and the classic flavour combinations, some may call retro, mean that every taste is catered for. It's a comfortable place to spend an evening. Service is friendly and the food decent. Whilst it's not a Movida in innovation or as flavoursome as a Cumulus, it's a well balanced option that would suit those who are more conservative in their food tastes as well as appeal to the foodies as a new place to try.

A mid week impromptu decision was made and Stefanie and I headed to Chin Chin for a feed.

It was about 6:30pm when we arrived and there were a few people ahead of us as to be expected and when it came to our turn we were told it would be a 45 minute wait. Not the end of the World given it was still early so we headed downstairs to Go Go bar for a vino and waited for them to text us when our table was ready. Go Go is one of those dark, moody, atmospheric bars and we were welcomed warmly and the waitress found us a place to sit at the end of a communal table. Lucky for us one of the comfier sofa area places soon became free so we moved over. We opted for a glass of Gewurtztraminer each which was fragrant and floral and truly a Thursday delight.

Our table was ready well within the 45 minute timeframe they gave us so we headed back ready to sample some yummy food.

We decided to leave ourselves in the hands of the waitress for the feed me option but we informed her that we definitely wanted the pork roll ups and wanted to avoid the Massaman curry as we found it too heavy last time.

The meal started off well with the kingfish sashimi and the requested pork roll ups. We also had a tom yum dumpling soup which was super salty...so salty it was almost bitter so that wasn't a particularly pleasant memory. The chicken wings with chilli and coriander were just that - I love a chicken wing and this was neither out of this World or terrible.

Our main courses included the beef short ribs which was tender and meltingly soft. The sweet glaze on the meat was off set by a sharp and tangy dressing. There were also some other meat dishes which I can't remember but I recall feeling very full and everything was very heavy. Stef and I agreed that the waitress who selected our dishes didn't quite get the balance right and it was too meat heavy. We found her quite a defensive character though so we didn't want to incur her wrath by making a big deal out of it. I had mentioned when she asked us if we were enjoying the food that the soup was overly salty and she didn't know how to react. I think if you're going to ask a question, be prepared for an honest and sometimes unexpected answer. Stef mentioned when she asked us again how we found the food that there was a lot of meat and she just sucked in her breath and cleared the tables. When she returned she expressed that we hadn't had just meat because we'd started with fish and other things. So we felt like we'd been told and how we felt didn't really matter.

Real shame we had this experience and upon our next return, I think we'll choose ourselves. I think there will be a return visit because Chin Chin is just one of those Melbourne places that warrants return visits.

We'd tried to go to Abla's once before but had to cancel the reservation as Steve got too drunk so this time we made sure nothing stood in our way.

The idea of a rustic, homely, Middle Eastern feast appealed to us and the fact that Abla's has been around for as long as I have means it is the Melbourne place to go to for just that!

Abla's is the 33 year old baby of Abla Amad and was always intended to be a simple but homely place for traditional family style Lebanese cuisine.

So this rainy Friday evening Steve and I headed to Carlton for a second sitting dinner. The place was very busy and no table was left empty. There was a buzz in the air as people came together to eat, drink and enjoy each other's company. There were large tables and families and couples - a real mix. We were shown up the rickety narrow staircase to the second floor where we sat at a table in the middle of the dining room.

We'd always intended to feast so it didn't take us long to decide on the banquet and we'd brought a couple of bottles of wine with us to wash it all down.

Glistening black olives and some pink pickled turnip was already on the table along with some crispbread. Neither olives or the pink turnip were my cup of tea although they did look very pretty.

We started with some delicious flatbread which was warm and doughy and three dips:
Labnee - homemade naturally thickened yoghurt
Hummous bi Tahini - chickpeas blended with tahini, garlic and lemon juice
Baba Ghannooj - smoky eggplant blended with tahini, garlic and lemon juice

My favourite was the eggplant which was smoky and rich with a sweet aftertaste and Steve enjoyed the hummous. The labnee was creamy with a sharp tang and although cleansing didn't have the flavour of the other dips.

Dish upon dish of appetizer sized tasty delight soon filled our table:

Makaneek - grilled homemade spiced lamb and beef sausages. These were flavoursome and meaty.
Ladies' Fingers - filo pastry cigars filled with minced lamb, pine nuts and spices. Pretty yummy with a sweet flavour which contrasted with the other dishes.
Silverbeet Rolls - silverbeet leaves stuffed with rice, chickpeas, tomato, herbs and spices. Sharper in flavour and again tasty.
Loubyeh - green beans cooked in a tangy tomato sauce. These were the best! So simple but the beans must have been braised in stock as they had a real deep savoury flavour and the tomato sauce was sweet and yummy.
Kibbee - casing of minced lamb and cracked wheat stuffed with spiced meat and pine nuts and served with labna. These were quite dry and were made better with a dollop of the leftover yoghurt dip we had. The minced lamb casing didn't really taste of much and the filling similar to the stuff in the ladies' fingers. The whole thing just didn't come together as well as some of the other dishes.
Falafel - patties of chick pea, broad bean, parsley, coriander and spices served with tahini tarator. Good falafel, soft and moreish with a great balance of spices.
Chicken Wings - tender chicken wings baked with garlic and lemon juice. These were very tender and the meat fell off the bone. I'm a great chicken wing fan but I think they're better roasted or fried rather than baked and braised like this. Although tender the meat was a bit dry.
Tabbouleh - Lebanese salad of parsley, tomato, mint, spring onion and cracked wheat. I'm not a huge fan of parsley or mint so have never been a great tabbouleh eater. I prefer a cracked wheat or bulger / couscous salad.

Main courses weren't huge in size but given what preceded it, we didn't need too much.
Lahem Mishwee - pieces of lamb fillet, marinated and grilled. Admittedly the lamb wasn't premium tender backstrap but it was pleasant enough. There was not gristle nor was it too tough. Nicely flavoured and we enjoyed it.
Chicken and Rice - exquisitely flavoured rice pilaff with minced lamb, chicken and almonds. This was a lovely dish with chicken breast meat and a slightly sweet rice mixture. The rice was moist and almost sticky.

Finally we were served Lebanese coffee and home made baklawa. The coffee is thick, dark and grainy with a strong bitter flavour. It reminded me of Chinese herbal medicine!

Steve enjoyed the baklawa and Turkish Delight. I'm not a fan of either and was too full to enjoy anyway.

Overall we enjoyed our meal. As I've mentioned previously we're not huge Middle Eastern cuisine fans so some of the dishes don't suit our palettes. I've never liked tabbouleh or Turkish Delight and I don't think it makes a difference whether it's made by a home cook like Abla or a Middle Easter expert and executive chef like Greg Malouf; it's just not my thing. Having said that there was a lot about this meal I did enjoy and I also really liked trying new things.

Service was efficent and prompt if not the friendliest and we enjoyed the busy ambience. This restaurant is full of character and we appreciated Abla's little visit to our table!

A pre theatre meal on a Wednesday and we decided to take advantage of the all you can eat tapas at the Long Room for $25 per head.

I like the Long Room as a bar. On a Friday night it's good value with $5 wine and $10 cocktails. It's dark and romantic and comfortable. This Wednesday evening it was busy enough to have some atmosphere but certainly far from overcrowded. Mainly groups of girlfriends and even a family birthday.

Our waitress was friendly and we pretty much worked our way through the whole tapas menu. $25 per head - we got our money's worth. The saganaki was good and came on bread so kind of like cheese on toast. Also enjoyed the pork belly although parts of it was very fatty. Chorizo was delicious too. There was a roti and red beef curry. The roti was good, the curry less impressive.

All in all, some things were good. Others were less successful but the food came quickly and it was decent value for money. I can imagine it would be an acceptable place to gather a few friends for a post work bite.

After dinner and later on in the evening, we found ourselves very thirsty so there must have been lots of salt and / or MSG in the food.

One of our favourite South Melbourne lunch spots. It's had a little change in that the blackboard has gone and there's a printed menu now with a wider choice of dishes.

Today we enjoyed a cassoulet with mussels and Trevally fillet. Sweet and filling beans, plump mussels and sweet fleshy fish. The spaghettini with anchovy was a bargain at $8 for a large bowl. Salty, vinegary and flavoursome. As Steve said would be a great lunch for someone working in the area.

The crispy John Dory was certainly crispy but the flesh remained moist. The gingery salsa it came with was delicious.

The chilli king prawns were as usual as brilliant as ever as were the oysters.

Menu change but no change to our levels of enjoyment.

Rainy and cold Saturday and what better than to hole up in a pub and fill the belly with food and wine. I'd heard about this new place of Andrew McConnell and given our love of Cumulus and Golden Fields though it prudent to try this place out.

Booking a table for 2 for a late lunch was easy in that there was space for us and we didn't have to go for a date far off in the future. It was made more difficult as I was put on hold during the first call and then cut off. Second call straight after getting cut off, I was told that I should leave my name and number and someone would confirm by later that afternoon. It got to about 16:30 and no one had called so I called for the third time and was told my booking had been taken and they knew about it. Unfortunately I didn't but all sorted.

Our friends Claire and Martyn decided to join us and I called again on the day and asked to increase the number for our booking and this was arranged very easily.

Four people means more coverage over the menu. Excellent! We started off with some pig ear scratchings and the olive toast with Ortiz anchovy and pepper.

The scratchings were crispy and seasoned with salt and a hint of chilli. Great beer snack. The good thing was they did not feel greasy or oily and there was no fatty reside left in the bowl or on the fingers once they'd been eaten.

The olive toast didn't appeal to me on the menu but the others wanted to try and Steve shared his piece. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought it would as the olive tapenade wasn't too strong and had a nutty flavour and texture to it. The anchovy was salty and meaty and the pepper added a freshness.

We also enjoyed:

• Sea Bounty mussels with saffron and aioli
• Buffalo milk halloumi with chickpeas, salted lemon
• Whole rotisserie quail - best eaten with fingers
  

The mussels were plump and just cooked so they were juicy and tender. The saffron and aioli gave an almost Thai like flavour but with no chilli heat. We asked for more bread to enjoy the juices.

The halloumi and chickpeas was another good combination and the green blob of avocado mousse type stuff added a richness to the flavours.

Steve and I really enjoyed the quail which was simply seasoned and roasted and yes we dug in with our hands as prompted by the menu. The meat was tender and juicy and there was a smokey charred flavour coming through from the rotisserie.

Our main courses were the two rotisserie dishes; a half free range chicken and rack of pork with crackling and lemon.

The chicken came on a creamy sauce with some greens, carrots and chicken jus. The pork came as two cutlets with a strip of belly pork with crackling, crispy sage and creamy barley risotto.

Both meats were soft and tender retaining moisture and succulence. They were very simply cooked with clean seasoning and no fancy frills or twists. They fitted in with the simple white surroundings of the dining area.

Our side dishes were crispy chips which were indeed crispy, steamed baby potatoes and a chopped broccoli and freekah salad. I particularly enjoyed the freshness of the freekah salad which had a tart zing running through it cutting through the richness of the meat and heaviness of the two potato side dishes.

After much deliberation and discussion, we girls convinced the boys to join in on dessert.

I chose the steamed suet pudding, lemon, brown sugar and runny cream. The pudding was crumbly and moist, sweet with sugar and tart with lemon. Absolutely delicious and the boys needed no convincing to join in.

Claire went with the chocolate prune pudding, vanilla ice cream and whisky sauce. Light on the whisky but heady on the cocoa and prune, this was also demolished very quickly.

We enjoyed the simplicity and freshness of the food. This lunch triggered our curiousity as to what the restaurant will be like when it opens. Will it take this simplistic and pub traditions to another level or go in a completely different direction?

In spite of the ease we had in securing a table at relatively short notice (maybe 3 or 4 days in advance) the place was pretty busy with no spare tables. And I can imagine it will get busier.

It's a shame that initial reviews are shaky. We found service to be friendly enough, warm welcome by front of house. Subsequent service by waitstaff was a little frazzled but I can imagine over time this will cease. Surroundings were still very clean and untouched - fresh paint smell still lingering. It's bright and white yet the food is far from sterile.