There was a period of time about 6 months ago that several people recommended Sezar one after the other and it was on the "must do" list. But it fell by the wayside, eclipsed by the move to Fitzroy and the excitement of going local.

But CBD dining is always relevant and we decided to go one Friday night and luckily were able to secure a reservation booking only the day before.

We were surprised that it was the "new St Peter's" and that St Peter's was no more. We'd said we'd return to St. Peters but it never happened and I guess that sort of feeling must have been common for it not to have survived. So from we head East of Italy and enjoy a taste of Armenia.

We were shown to a table for two and granted we arrived amongst others but our welcome was a little lack lustre and the table next to us who arrived after us, were given menus and told the specials before we were. Our drinks took a while and when they were taken, the waitress assumed we were ready to order but we hadn't been given our intro into the menu as yet so it was all a bit uncomfortable.

But I think the wait staff realised we had been overlooked as things improved after we ordered and warm Armenian hospitality was the order of the day.

We commenced our Armenian journey with a selection of deliciously described small plates:

BASTOURMA & EGG - Armenian air dried beef, quail egg, toasted brioche & garlic jam
SEARED HERVEY BAY SCALLOPS - Cauliflower puree, cumin caramel & zaatar
CRISPY POTATO & SOUJAK KOFTE - Red pepper aioli
SPANNER CRAB MANTI - Armenian dumplings, sumac yoghurt & chilli oil

The bastourma and egg was reminiscent of the Movida Cecina dish with the truffle foam and bresaola but this was in canape form and the brioche just gave a yummy toasty sweetness note that lingered after the saltiness of the bastourma and the richness of the egg. Definitely a success.

The scallops were as they should be and the spicing of it was delicious and the same goes with the kofte / croquette. The little dumplings were noteworthy. East meets West in that the filling was very Chinesey as was the paper thin wrapper but the yoghurt dressing firmly takes us back to Eastern Europe.

Defintely a good start to the meal and these little small plates were perfect appetisers in that they set us up to be ready, open and willing for more...

I also wanted to try something more traditional and the waiter suggested he reduce the usual serve size of three to two for us and we appreciated the flexibility.

SPINACH & FETA BOREG - Aleppo mayo

Flaky pastry, no oily residue, spinach filling seasoned by the mayo, this little spring roll was pretty good. Not quake in your boots, this has reshaped the World good, but good enough.

We moved from the small plates to the medium plates and worked our way through:

PULLED LAMB NECK - Tabouleh, tahini & steamed pita
BBQ SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS - Grilled haloumi, shallot & spinach cream
TWICE COOKED CHICKEN WINGS - Pomegranate glaze & crushed pistachios
BBQ WAGYU TENDERLOIN - Garlic yoghurt & lavash

The steamed pita in the pulled lamb neck was interestingly the Asian type bao which was a surprise. The meat itself was a touch overcooked so overconcentrated almostso the flavours were strong, intense but not clear or vibrant. The tabouleh and tahini could have helped but there wasn't enough of it. So the summary is decent but not repeatworthy.

We didn't actually order the mushrooms but an oversight in the kitchen meant we were gifted this plate. We thought it would work but something extra was needed to bring it all together. The mushrooms were a little bland and the haloumi wasn't salty enough to season them. The spinach cream was grassy but quite rough in texture so each element had its own flavour and nothing quite brought it together. A little bit strange that one.

The chicken wings brought us back to food Heaven and we could have eaten more. Golden and crispy, juicy and tasty meat covered in a sticky sweet glaze with a sharp hit of citrus and pomegranate every odd bite to pierce through the stickiness.

At this point of our Armenian journey we were pretty satisfied but were umming and aahing about squeezing in another dish. Good job there are dishes of different sizes at Sezar and our waiter helped us select the skewers of tenderloin. One mini kebab each later seasoned with a zesty garic yoghurt and we were fully replete!

Fully replete over savoury dishes that is! No way could Steve resist baklava even if it's non traditional and the suggestion of salted caramel just tips him over the edge! And I go with something that sounds lighter and fruitier.

NEW STYLE BAKLAVA / Crispy filo, walnut toffee ice cream & salted caramel
VANILLA PARFAIT / Strawberries, pistachio & rose water syrup

I enjoyed my very prettily presented sweet dish and the hint of roses takes me to the Ottoman times. Unfortunately Steve was very disappointed in his baklava because it wasn't baklava. Nothing essentially wrong with the flavours and nothing not to like about that but fundamentally apparently it's an ice cream sundae and shouldn't be called baklava! So that ended Sezar's good run in Steve's opinion which is probably a bit harsh but I guess he's a baklava traditionalist!

Sezar offers some lipsmackingly good dishes - the bastourma on brioche, the dumplings, the chicken wings. No dish was a bad dish - weird maybe but not bad. It's definitely a contender for Middle Eastern / Eastern European cuisine.

Gregg at Third invited us to try out the offerings at the Prahran location and having looked at the menu and salivated at offerings and descriptions such as:


"Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is “just another chicken”. Most people who tried it, said - it was one of, if not the best, chicken  they have EVER had. The chicken is marinated overnight and smoked using Maple wood for up to 5 hours."


And also:

"Brined for 8 hours in salt, sugar and spices. The salmon comes out different to all your expectations (in a good way). It is smoked using Apple wood, giving it a very mild smoke flavour. The texture is amazing. Served with a house made dill sauce."


With such a personal style of menu writing how could we refuse such wonderful delights? It was a wet and wild Thursday evening that we ventured over after work, The week had been long, our heads were heavy, we were tired, we were cold, we were late because of Melbourne traffic... Boy did Third Wave have its work cut out to cheer up this glum pair.

Upon entering the cafe, it was bright and airy and we were greeted warmly and shown to our table. A quick look round and everyone looked pretty happy and satisfied so we sat back, relaxed and tried to decide what to eat. 
e wood 
for up to 

So much to try...and in the end we opted for brisket and pork ribs accompanied by peas with onions and bacon (Francaise style) and smoked mac and cheese.

The meat dishes were such generous portions and so tender whilst remaining juicy. I felt some of the accompanying condiments were a bit same same but nothing can deter from some great meat.

The peas were somewhat random and not quite in theme but our fault for choosing them, I don't think they're on the menu any more so likely because they don't quite go and we should have gone for coleslaw or salad. Don't get me wrong they were tasty little peas but French and BBQ isn't really going to take off as the newest fusion cuisine. They were beautifully done that French way with butter and probably too rich for the meat. Completely our fault for not thinking that one through before ordering. Zingy coleslaw or fresh green salad would be much better for cutting through the meat.

I had high hopes for the smoked mac and cheese but unfortunately the pasta was a little claggy and there wasn't much sauce so it wasn't successful. The crunchy chips (unpictured) were great though.

I'd love to give Third Wave another visit and take my South of the river paleo friends about it. The funny thing is in spite of eating BBQ, I can't help but think of it has a brunch cafe. The decor has definitely more a day time breakfast feel and whilst it does the BBQ food well I can't help but think dimmed down lights, perhaps red checked tablecloths, paper bibs, chunky cutlery, some fiddle music, a bit of sawdust on the floor and an odd yee ha might make the BBQ experience just that little bit more authentic and enjoyable.

It had been too long that we'd caught up with Marty and Kirsty so we arranged dinner at Ruyi.

It's a Chinese influenced place and is really nicely fitted out with light wood accents and beautiful stoneware.

The cocktails were bright, fresh and in different hues of pink and red so right up my berry street.

To make things easier for us, we strapped ourselves in and ordered the 8 course tasting so that we could spend time chatting rather than figuring out what to eat!

Our first course was seafood and egg white soup which had that slightly gummy consistency of Chinese Westernised soup but the flavours were clear and bright and it had a very tummy warming kick of white pepper which was pleasant on a cold and rainy evening and warmed things up.

I can;t recall the exact order other courses came in and I probably didn't take photos of each course *bad food blogger*. Having said that whilst service was always smiley it wasn't always the most efficient or helpful as plenty of courses were placed with no explanation so it was a bit of a guessing game as to what it was. We requested a copy of the menu to help but it kept being taken away as the table filled up with more plates of food so we gave up!

We had the chicken,watercress,bamboo shoots lettuce cup which was fine. The detail in using pinking shears to obtain the zig zag effect on the edge of the lettuce was noted and appreciated although it added nothing to the eating. And that comment actually covers a lot of the meal. Dishes are well presented and attention paid to the detail but the eating struggles to keep up with how it looks.

We were each presented with a huge plate of eggplant chips, deep fried and covered in a spicy sweet sauce. Not unpleasant and I like eggplant but a lot of it. I think half the amount would have been sufficient.

Dumplings wise we had the pork and crab shao long bao  and the handmade wontons in chilli sauce. Both were well flavoured and the fillings made of good produce with think silky wrappers. I wouldn't say they surpassed the famed dumplings out there but they are a good version and if I were to return it would be for these little delights.

Our main courses were the Kong Bao Chicken (chicken fillet, peanuts, chilli) and the Wagyu beef, mixed mushrooms,truffle paste, asparagus. Again both dishes looked appetising, The sauce on the chicken was very similar to the eggplant dish - sweet, sticky, slightly spicy. The Wagyu beef was also sweet and there was a floury covering to it and I think it's probably the attempted "velveting" technique often used in Chinese cooking but unfortunately not executed too successfully as the meat had a slimy / cornfloury coating that wasn't pleasant.


RuYi is where you would take a novice Chinese food eater as the setting is inviting and pretty cool. There's no scary plastic seating, melamine tables, laminate menus that are peeling or scowling wait staff. The food is non offensive except for the velveting disaster so those that have not eaten true Chinese food will not be too taken aback. The drinks are strong and flow quickly - we were often asked if we wanted top ups and drink can make a bad meal memory to a fun meal memory. I'd return only for dumplings I think because everything else seemed too sweet, sugary and sticky.

Oh we also had dessert - well I didn't so the waitress gave my hubby his beer for free instead! I didn't have dessert as I felt I'd had enough sweetness already. The others had there's and it was all fine too. Nothing too memorable.

We were very kindly invited to Hooked in Hawthorn to try their fishy goodness so we decided to swing by after work during the week. Entering the shop front, first impressions are that it's light and bright and appealing.

Steve had the fisherman's box for one and I had the special fillet marinaded in soy and ginger that was grilled. Loved the selection of sauces and we also had some potato cakes to share.

I enjoyed my grilled fish. It was light and cooked nicely. Steve isn't a huge calamari fan but found he enjoyed this one as it was tender. Chips were good too. Potato cakes a little greasy.

Condiments wise, the salsa verde (unpictured) was delicious with my fish. Fresh, grassy and herbaceous I didn't think I'd like it but I loved it. And I didn't even ask for it, it just turned up.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner so thank you so much for the invite.

Every time we go past Smith and Daughters, no matter what time of day it is always pumping so unsurprisingly during a Saturday Fitzroy wandering, I wasn't surprised Steve wanted to try. I'm always skeptical about vegetarian restaurants but felt I had nothing to lose.

We take a seat and I have a mixed fruit juice which is sweet and delicious. Steve has some sort of smoothie made with berries, almond milk and I think coconut. It's all a bit weird for me with hints of cocoa in it but then he finds my juice too intense so each to their own. We also had tea which was nice and strong, just like we like it. Melbourne cafes may offer the best coffee but they often fail with tea. This was a winning brew.

We decide to go with their two omelette options and share them. They arrive quickly, cutely presented in a cast iron pan,

Baked Spanish omelette - Potato, mushroom, chorizo and sweet peppers topped with saffron sofrito and served with toasted bread

Baked Mexican omelette - Potato, chargrilled peppers, grilled sweetcorn and mushroom topped with tomatillo salsa and avocado served with warm corn tortillas

We don't realise until after that Smith and Daughters is completely dairy free and veggie so the chorizo has to be non meat but it doesn't stop us from enjoying this. The omelettes are fluffy with an almost scrambled egg texture. The flavourse are good although I don't stumble on much potato in either omelette. Maybe Steve ate it all...

Anyway, all pleasant enough. I think I'm game enough to go back for dinner. I'm not sure about returning for breakfast though because as much as I didn't realise the chorizo was veggie, I definitely know there was no bacon on the menu!

Friday night date and we decided to try Northern Light with unknowing expectations. We stepped in and I loved the low hanging lights and the long central bar. It was hip, it was casual, it was low key.

The welcome was warm and stayed that way throughout the meal. Seated at the end We were waited on by attentive staff every step of the day and enjoyed chatting to co owner Glen Bagnara learning about the development of this wonderful place.

Under Glen's guidance we made various course choices and started off with golden egg, caramel, fried shallot, furikake. One egg each. Beautiful yolk , just set white with a deep fried exterior, sweet caramelised onions and hit a of spice. This was a most memorable egg and better than a chocolate one!

We had a duck spring roll each  wrapped in cos lettuce and with a spicy sauce. Cripsy, hot and meaty, again delicious.

Chicken skewers, honey, katsuo soy came next and these were sweet and salty made with juicy chicken thigh.

So far all the dishes we'd had were yummy and they continued in this vein:

• Air dried Blackmore beef, wasabi, yolk, fried potato
• Xinjiang style lamb ribs, bbq pepper
• Braised wombok over duck - but we can't remember!
• Fried rice, shrimp, pork, egg, smoked soy

This modern style Asian fusion dishes were about clean flavours and we certainly enjoyed them and were really quite full by the end. But we had room for dessert!

We decided to share the broken ice cream sandwich which was vanilla icecream, chocolate biscuit and salted caramel. In spite of rich flavours, actual execution was very light. The ice cream wasn't too creamy or custardy being on the lean side rather than rich and the broken biscuit followed suit. Steve felt there could have been more salt in the caramel but I enjoyed the pared back flavours and overall lightness of dessert especially when full from the previous courses.

Dinner at Northern Light was exciting and to hear that the menu changes regularly keeping things fresh means it will be a favourite for us.

Who can turn down the offer of a free burger for lunch? I couldn't so when the invite came, I took Bianca with me and we took a break from work to see what Charlie & Co could offer us.

Based in the Cafe Court at Emporium, it competes against many other offerings but I can imagine a good burger winning over the other options.

It's an eye catching concession and well located too so for those wandering around hoping for something to jump out and shout "eat me" it certainly does that.  Queuing for the order is a little tight and if I recall correctly, there is only one cashier and till so I can imagine during busy times that might be a bit chaotic.

Between Bianca and I we go for the Charlie classic burger which B opts for with blue cheese. My selection is the Charlie Mighty Burger which has bacon, egg, cheese, gherkins, onions, salad leaves in it and usual relish and tomato sauce. We also share truffle & parmesan fries and the crispy onion rings.

The texture of the beef patty is good - not too dense and it holds together without crumbling. The bun looks golden flecked with sesame seeds; mine isn't as soft as I'd like is a little dry but the aioli and juiciness of the filling overcomes that.

Fries are golden and crispy and irresistable as are the onion rings. Charlie and his gang definitely deserve a visit if you're in the area.