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Paringa Estate

29/9/2013

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Sunday lunch on Mornington Peninsula and we decided to try Paringa. It was a beautiful sunny day and we arrived a little early for our table but were made to feel welcome and enjoyed some wine tasting before being shown to our table. The view out of the window was so picturesque.

There were options on the menu that appealed and it was hard whittling it down but we got there.
I chose to open with the Wallaby Tail, Fillet, Consommé, Salt Roasted Celeriac, Wild Onion. Presented so prettily and the consomme was poured at the table, the little flowers reminded me of edelweiss and actually the whole dish was very clean tasting much like the impression pretty little edelweiss flowers give. And it's unusual that a meat as gamey as wallaby can be so clean but this was expertly done. At first I thought the dish was on the sweet side but then the salt roasted celeriac added the needed salty hit and balanced the sweet consomme. Delicious.

Steve chose the Red Gate Quail, Confit Hen’s Yolk, Morcilla Crumble. I got to try a mouthful of this and it was delicious. The description didn't mention the crispy bacon. Oh, salty bacon, egg, black pudding and tasty quail - what a flavour combination that just has to work and it did.
My main course was Roast Duck, Wild Green Strawberries, Fennel, Parsnip, Kale. I'm not a fan of fennel or parsnip but upon discussion with our very perky waitress, she informed me it was a parsnip puree and I don't mind a puree. I just don't like chunks of parsnip and the fennel is thinly sliced and again I don't take offensive if it's a delicate touch.

The dish is pretty with dark, almost black fried kale, green tinged with blush thinly sliced strawberries covering the thick slices of duck breast. The sweetness from the parsnip complement the duck and then the fruity strawberry note cuts through the richness. Definitely a winner.

Steve went with the Flinders Island Milk Fed Lamb, Jerusalem Artichoke and Baby Vegetables. A more classic dish but still a winner. The lamb was well cooked and the different cuts provided textural notes and flavours.
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We had originally opted just for the Brussel sprouts but after seeing another table enjoy some potatoes we couldn't resist ordering a portion.

Caramelised Brussel sprouts, Aioli, Jamon Crumb really made the best out of the humble sprout. Perfectly charred and then seasoned with jamon, these were crunchy and far from soggy and so attractive to look at all green and toasty.

The Kipfler potatoes, Mustard, Sage weren't quite the crispy roast potatoes we thought we saw that prompted us to order because although beautifully golden they're more solid than crispy and crunchy. However they were super fluffy and the potatoes themselves had a great flavour to them that they were delicious too.

We ordered dessert thinking that they would arrive quite quickly especially as we had to be back in Melbourne by mid afternoon but there seemed to be a delay and they took ages. The waitress recognised this and took them off the bill which was a welcome gesture.

Steve had the simply entitle Honey, Pine Nuts and it turned out to be a honey cake with a quennelle of ice cream and pine nuts. The cake was warm, moist and buttery and combined with the cool ice cream and then the crunch of the nuts was a delight.

I went with the Yogurt Panna Cotta, Pistachio, Poached Rhubarb, Apple & Sorrel Granita and it came prettily presented in a glass. And I think there was so much more in that glass than that list. There was certainly something citrussy and toasty, sweet, biscuity chunks and crunchy brandy snap like bits. This is  a dessert right up my street. I love the cool creaminess of the panna cotta and then all the fruity blasts of flavour finished off with a sweet almost toffee like notes from the biscuit crumbs. Oh how I wish I had more than 2 minutes to enjoy this. Instead I pretty much inhaled it all and it tasted so good that inhalation was easy!

I would heartily recommend Paringa in spite of the dessert delay as the issue was absolved with the goodwill gesture and the quality of the food is really special. Hard to choose between here and Ten Minutes By Tractor....

Paringa Estate Winery & Restaurant on Urbanspoon
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Terminus at the Flinders Hotel

28/9/2013

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Anniversary celebrations took place at the Flinders Hotel. We enjoyed spending the day in one of the hotel rooms on site before heading to the dining room. The whole complex is a little like a conference centre and the casual bar has the feel of an upmarket RSL. Having said that it's still all very enjoyable to spend time in.

The dining room is  a regular rectangular shaped room and reminiscent of a hotel dining room at one of the big chain 4 star hotels. Again not unpleasant but somewhat sterile. So will the food provide us with the unique experience we seek?
Our waiter was a young gent who was very eager to please and offer assistance with the wine. I thought perhaps he showed his lack of experience by recommending one of the most expensive local pinots immediately without checking budget etc or perhaps that was just youthful enthusiasm. Nevertheless Steve and he found mutual ground that was  cheaper. 

The amuse bouche arrived and it was a Dry Broadbean Soup with Cayenne Pepper with a
Mushroom Filled Borek. The mushroom pastry was delicious - flaky pastry with a creamy mushroom filling was chunky enough to add some texture. The soup left a dry feeling in the mouth so its name was certainly fitting. I'm not sure of the techniques involved in getting a soup to have a dry texture but whatever was done must have worked and it was certainly unusual and memorable. However the flavour of it was quite bland and it lacked the depth and savouriness that I've tasted in other soup amuse bouche.

I think that to have something as simple as soup as a course, it really needs a strong and concentrated stock that has been home made and lovingly brewed up with layers of flavour and this soup lacked that body and depth.
I opted for the Seared Yellow Fin Tuna, Steamed Vermicelli, Crab Bisque. It came with a deep fried quail's egg which was a great touch and the oozy egg worked really well. I was expecting a kind of laksa inspired dish and the colours certainly contributed to this.  The tuna was perfectly cooked and was rare in the middle. Again similar to my comments about the soup though, I felt the bisque lacked gumption and rather than being bold in flavours it failed to live up to its colour and was more a moisture provider than a flavour enhancer. And if I'm going to be pernickety the noodles weren't really vermicelli but more like egg noodles. All in all, it was fairly enjoyable but just lacked guts. Pleasant enough but not a lasting impression.

Steve went with Roasted Pigeon, Crab Bastilla, White Cabbage, Date Sauce. Now that I'm asking him about it almost 3 weeks later, he is struggling to recall it which probably says a lot. Oh and now I've jogged his memory, he says he remembers it being tasty so that's good. We did agree on the night that his choice was better in terms of bigger and bolder flavours.
Next up, Steve followed on the pigeon with Wagyu Brisket, Jerusalem Artichokes, with Prunes, Pea Puree. This was a generous serving of meat that was cooked very well so that it was tender. The prunes were actually a good accompaniment adding a welcome sweetness that was not at all overwhelming.

I had the Roasted Lamb 3 Ways, with Cinnamon and Chermoula. The waiter told me there was leg of lamb, braised lamb shoulder and lamb fillet but that wasn't quite the case. I actually received a lamb cutlet which he didn't mention, some leg of lamb and maybe some shoulder but it wasn't actually braised. Well not my interpretation of braised, roasted maybe but not braised.
 
Anyway semantics aside. As well as the lamb was a lovely triangle "samosa" of spinach and cheese like the Greek spanakopita and that was delicious. Given my previous thoughts of lacking flavour and seasoning, this very simple pastry was beautifully seasoned so that the natural flavours of spinach and creamy mozzarella type cheese were enhanced. The lamb itself was also delicious and the spices gave it a beautiful perfume that was Middle Eastern inspired.
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We went with one side dish of Spiced Brussels Sprouts, Chestnut, Shanklish. The veggies were al dente which I enjoyed. Who likes a mushy sprout anyway? I liked the use of chestnut to sweeten and Shanklish for some saltiness. I think the sprouts had been par boiled before being roasted or pan fried. However I think the par boiling resulted in a bit too much moisture still in them so the caramelisation didn't come out enough.

For dessert, we decided to share the Morrocan Donuts, Apricot and Prune Compote but before they arrived we had some petit fours which consisted of a lollipop each. One was strawberry ice cream covered in white chcolate and the other was a salted caramel. Both were delicious.

The donuts also were plump and fluffy and warm and sugary and pillowy and non greasy and just delightful! I didn't need the accompaniments and in fact.not being a prune fan anyway was happy with just the donuts. I don't really know what made them Morrocan but whatever it is, I like it!

We enjoyed our little visit at the Flinders Hotel. Dinner started off average but blossomed and the time away from the city was exactly what we needed. Welcome respite in a busy life.
Terminus at Flinders Hotel on Urbanspoon
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Pantry

28/9/2013

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Lunch at Pantry during a quick stop in Brighton en route to Flinders. We were lured in by the attractive offerings of the deli next door that had caught our eye.

A reasonably warm welcome, reasonably prompt service which did waver and decline as closing time was brought forward for the AFL Grand Final and the wait staff all began to finish up. However given we were finishing up too it wasn't that big an issue.

Steve had the burger which looked more impressive than it tasted. The folded lettuce gave it elevation and lift so it looked bigger than it was. Apparently it was ok which I think says enough and it looked a little dry. The fries were good though - crispy, salty and golden.

I had the toasted lamb pita, roast shaved lamb, garlic yoghurt, chilli, tomato, herb salad, hummus. Again it looked very appetising but strangely enough in spite of all those ingredients lacked flavour. There was no seasoning that I could taste and the chilli didn't provide the kick that my tastebuds wanted. Having said that the topping was generous and the pita bread itself lovely and soft and doughy.

The Pantry strikes me as a place for wealthy and well to do Brightonians  or should that be Brightonites to "be seen." Steve summed it up when he said that it was the deli that convinced us to have lunch there. I think if we found ourselves in Brighton again, we would probably try somewhere else not because The Pantry was bad but more because it wasn't good enough to make us want to return for more.
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Pabu Grill and Sake

25/9/2013

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Anniversary day! And if you follow my blog you will know we've been celebrating the 9 years somewhat excessively already so what to do on the actual day which fell on Wednesday?

Well what with extravagances the weekend prior and more to come I decided I wanted to try Pabu on Smith Street.

I liked the bar feel of Pabu and the giant abacus on the ceiling. I'd seen this before but couldn't remember where. We were shown to a table for two towards the back of the restaurant with a view of the long bar.

There's lots of choice and at first it seemed easier to perhaps go with the Chef's Banquet so we did but we ordered an extra dish or two that we fancied trying and I'm glad we did as one of them was the dish of the night!

Gyu Tataki - Thinly sliced seared beef with wasabi mayo, garlic, ginger & citrus soy
Hamachi Sashimi - Thinly sliced fresh king fish with jalapeños & yuzu (citrus) soy sauce

Opening up we started with two options we love at Nobu. First impressions are good. The dishes are appetising and attractive. I'm not entirely convinced by the fluorescent strips of pickled ginger not being a fan. The slices of the meat and the fish are thicker and generally larger than that of Nobu and yes, the dishes lack that visual elegance. However the gyu tataki is half the price at Pabu and the kingfish a good $9 cheaper so expectations need to take this into account.

We enjoyed the "steakiness" of the gyu tataki. The kingfish is also a winner and enjoyable. Both don't surpass Nobu but they're not meant to. These are like the homely versions. I think the citrus soy used lacks that zing of citrus though and that spike could elevate the dishes. Also my personal preference is for coriander to go with the kingfish and not the pickled ginger but that's because I love coriander but don't like pickled ginger.

But so far so good...
The next two dishes were are extra choices that we added to the Omakase set menu.

Sake Aburi Sashimi - Slices of salmon lightly seared with hot sesame oil, ponzu soy, ginger, spring onion & roasted sesame

Maguro and Salmon Salad - Fresh tuna & salmon topped with rocket salad tossed in sesame soy served with our chef's secret spicy sauce & mayo

Again loved the thick slices of fish and the fact that the servings are so generous. And again, didn't like the use of the pickled ginger.

The salad, which was the extra dish we ordered, didn't have the ginger and was enjoyed even more so to the extent that Steve proclaimed it the dish of the night and so original it was unlike anything he'd had ever. And I have to agree that this one dish demonstrated creativity whereas the other sashimi dishes were either a replica of a traditional dish such as the gyu tataki or following the styles of trailblazer dishes now made classic by the likes of Nobu.

The sesame tones and the fruity sweetness of the secret sauce lifted the richness of the chunks of tuna and salmon.
I forgot to take a picture of the Ebi Kara Age - Crispy spicy prawns that came with a spicy mayo dip and they were flavoursome enough served in a paper cone.

Mix Nigiri Sushi - Assorted nigiri sushi (fish on rice)
Buta Gyoza - Juicy pan-fried pork dumplings with spicy ponzu sauce

The mixed sushi was as expected and pretty run of the mill. The gyoza looked like other gyozas but we had to admit they were particularly good.

The last savoury course was Kushi Mono - A variety of charcoal grilled skewers consisting of beef, pork & chicken. Oh and we sneakily added the scallop wrapped in bacon one. Special occasion and all that!

The skewers were good enough. Well seasoned, tender and no gristle.

We ended the meal with the dessert plate which consisted of ice cream - green tea. black sesame and yuzu sorbet as well some mochi which is ice cream wrapped in this sweet, chewy, doughy sweetened outer layer like a thick dim sum wrapper.

The ice creams are smooth and flavoursome. I like the toastiness of the black sesame one. The yuzu sorbet is a bit lemon cheesy with that yoghurty tang. Not unpleasant at all but unusual. I usually love mochi but I don't like melon and sadly these were melon flavoured so fell into the don't like camp.

We enjoyed Pabu's offering and it represents good value for money. It's not earth shatteringly good or original but it's a good neighbourhood restaurant and if you're in the area and fancy Japanese, it's not a bad option for you at all.
Pabu Grill & Sake on Urbanspoon
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Bomba

24/9/2013

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I took up a very kind invitation to attend the launch of Bomba and I was very excited to see what it would be like as I was a huge fan The Aylesbury. So on a warm Tuesday evening, my friend and colleague, Natalie and I saw the working day end with a nice glass of vino at the rooftop bar. Wonderful way to unwind.
After a fortifying glass or two we headed downstairs for some food and were given the option of a romantic table for two or to make some friends and being the friendly girls we are we thought it would be fun to share the larger table...only the friends didn't show up....not for a while anyway!
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Our waitress was so friendly; she made up for the lack of other people wanting to sit with us! And she helped guide us through the menu choices whilst keeping our wine glasses topped up.

  • Mojama (air dried tuna) 20gm 
  • Fisk’s wessex saddleback pickled pork belly 30gm  
  • Hervey Bay scallop with Serrano, lemon & bread
  • Charcoal grilled lamb t-bone
  • Quail with pistachio & buckwheat
  • Tomato, burrata & aged sherry vinegar toast with hand filleted Nassari anchovy
  • Tuna tartare and seaweed crackers
  • Shark Bay king prawn pil pil
  • Queso
  • Goat’s curd sorbet with rhubarb & pistachio
Our feast was tapastastic! And I was impressed by the reasonable prices. So the things that stood out for us...

The little montadidos with the anchovy is memorable, Basically a teeny bruschetta thing that we shared so it ended up being a bite each and it was salty and tomatoey and then creamy with the mozzarella with some toasty tones throughout from the bread. Definitely a reason to return and to try the others in this section.

The scallop was delicious - sweet scallop, salty bacon, toasty buttery crumbs and then a little lemon. How can you go wrong? Tuna tartare is worth a mention - chunky cubed tuna on a salty cracker - yum. Lamb was tender.

We went on and shared a generous platter of cheese. We finally got some friends and they shared our communal table and actually helped us with our leftover cheese! We finished up with the goat's curd sorbet which Natalie wanted to try and I think it's more a palatte cleanser than a dessert. There's got to be more satisfying desserts but all the more reason to return!

Bomba deserves to be da bomb! It's exciting, vibrant and on trend with it's feasting and sharing vibe and with one eye on the wallet too. There is nothing to not love about Bomba. Every one needs Bomba in their lives!

Bomba Downstairs on Urbanspoon
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The Potsticker

22/9/2013

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We were due to be in Elsternwick on Saturday afternoon for our anniversary activity of pottery painting so decided to also find lunch in the area. The Potsticker was on the list of places to try so today was an excellent day to go.

We arrived at 11:45 am and were pretty much the first to be there. During our time it never got hugely busy with about half a dozen dining groups at most so it was a lot calmer than other yum cha experiences. No Chinese people either though so perhaps it loses points on authenticity?! Anyway, we found the service pleasant enough. Our teapot was filled regularly and the food came round enough.

I asked for steamed sticky rice and Peking duck when we sat down unsure if these items would come round and the waitress did bring us sticky rice later on although no one else got it.

Dumplings are all fairly mainstream and there's enough to keep us interested. Some favourites didn't appear though like cheung fun, egg tarts and custard buns but I guess being quiet and catering to Western crowds probably has a factor to play.

Stand outs were probably the spring onion pancake which was tasty for a veggie dish and the chive dumpling was pretty good too. The sesame prawn toast was plump of prawn which is a good thing and I liked that the sweet and sour sauce was already on the table.

Steve still prefers Shark Fin House; I'm probably the same mainly because of the lack of choice but I did like the calmer environment and I didn't notice any MSG overuse. Sometimes I feel a bit full and heavy and thirsty after yum cha because of the quality of the meat in the dumplings and MSG but I have to say there was none of this after today's experience.

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Casa Ciuccio

21/9/2013

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Our anniversary is on 25th September which falls between weekends and this means that we need to celebrate both sides of the occasion!

We'd had a drink at Cantina della Casa next door a couple of weeks ago and decided that we liked the look of Casa Ciuccio hence booked in. We were seated right next to the pass in the kitchen and enjoyed the theatre and the activity.

The kitchen is obviously a professional one but then there's this dresser on the wall full of knick knacks like painted plates and other crockery giving it a homely feel.

We found the welcome warm and friendly and felt really well looked after over the course of the night both by kitchen crew and wait staff. Louise, head chef and on her last day (sad face) ran a fun but effective service and she also spent some time discussing the menu with us too. We enjoyed her interaction with us and her way of team leading.

We start off ordering some of the small bites which are actually kept in a glass counter in the front bar except for the anchovy montadito which is made fresh in the kitchen.

Anchovy montadito - a finger sandwich of toasted bread soaked in olive oil with an anchovy filling. It was a salty, tasty opener and I can imagine great with a sherry or dry white wine. It's not the best anchovy morsel I've had but it was still pretty tasty.

Hervey Bay scallop with chorizo was a delicious plump scallop served cold with a warm chorizo relish that was sweet and with a hint of smoke. Yum!
Chorizo croquettes continued the chorizo rush and these little torpedos of crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside croquettes were a delight along with the pungent garlicky mayo they rested on. I thought they gave the Jalapeno and Cheese Croquettes from Huxtable a good run for their money but didn't quite take the crown. I think it's because the Huxtable ones leave this lingering heat so it's etched in the memory for longer.

We then share a bigger plate which was a special of Albacore tuna cured on a bed of Himalayan salt with apple, hazelnuts, chillies. Oh this was an explosion of all good things. Thick, meaty fish seasoned well with some chilli heat and a tang of apple and then a toastiness of nuts. Oh this was sensational. Bring me more please.
Pickled cauliflower with broccolini and chilli and garlic cut through the salty flavours of the previous dishes and lightened the tones of richness.

We also enjoyed the grilled snapper agro dolce. Beautifully cooked fillets of fish with a hint of char and then sweetened with the agro dolce which is this blend of currants and pine nuts and sweet spices that enhance the sweetness of the fresh fish. Light, bright and heartwarmingly good.
Our meat choice was the peppered Wagyu brisket and we did umm and aah between this and the peri peri baby chicken or the quail with pomegranate. The beef came with a generous serve of roasted chat potatoes.

The brisket was so tender it just flaked yet was still juicy and the peppery crust provided some texture contrast, It came with mustard but Louise also gave us a couple of bottle of housemade hot sauce which I loved with the beef. Steve loved the beef but then braised meat is really his thing. I liked it but I think I would have preferred the chicken or quail more. I did love the roasted chats too.
We took a break, carried on being entertained by the kitchen crew and watched them compile their order lists and job lists for the next people. Steve enjoyed another glass of wine as our shared bottle of 2008 Curly Flat pinot noir was empty. I went with a special digestif cocktail based on an Amaro Montenegro but with a raspberry twist. It was sharp and fruity with a creamy egg white top and was delicious.

Our choice of desserts were the dulce de leche cream pot and peanut praline and the
baked sour cherries, vanilla mascarpone and almonds. I had the dulce de leche which was basically a creamy, caramelly panna cotta topped with crunchy nutty praline and shards of amber like rock sugar. Surprisingly it wasn't cloyingly sweet which was great and whilst I thought I wouldn't get through it all, a break half way meant that it did eventually all disappear! Steve loved the cherry dessert with the cream - lots of sour cherries, almondy soft sponge and then creaminess from the mascarpone.

Casa Ciuccio was a hit for us. We loved being seated at table 29. Service was attentive and passionate and the food delicious and nourishing for the soul. I am looking forward to returning already.
Casa Ciuccio on Urbanspoon
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Rockwell and Sons

21/9/2013

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Saturday lunch time and we decided to go dude food and try Rockwell and Sons. It wasn't too busy and we could choose to sit at a little table for two near the kitchen or back table. Service was prompt and efficient although we did have a misunderstanding with the waiter resulting in no fries arriving with our burgers but this was corrected so quickly and apologised for profusely so all good! Problem fixed so not a problem!

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I love eggs. Any shape, any form. And I really wanted to try a devilled egg. My expectations was like an egg mayo but spiked with Tabasco and / or chilli.

It came out looking like I thought it would, Perhaps even better than I thought. Taste wise it was more mustardy and vinegary than chilli and devilled. Not bad but not my thing either but more because I don't like mustard than because it's bad.

After the egg came the lamb ribs in a tangy BBQ sauce which were tasty and juicy and meaty as tender as ribs should be. The mac and cheese came next which was incredibly creamy and cheesy and this small dish was more than enough for two.
We shared the Double Patty Smash Burger, Kraft, Special Sauce on a Seeded Bun and the Fried Chicken Sandwich, Buttermilk Dressing, Iceberg Lettuce, Kaitaia Fire.

Both were the right size - not overly big to be unwieldy and difficult to manage and they stayed together down to the last bite. I enjoyed the chicken sandwich as it was still juicy and it was spicy and crunchy and delicious. The burger was even better! Meat to bread ratio was good in spite of the fact it as double patty. The sauce and the gherkins and the cheese all blended in well and it looked heavier than it actually was. To eat, it wasn't too greasy and it was a delight!
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Fries were crunchy hot and tasty. Steve loved the malt vinegar aioli reminding him a little of chips back home. I could give or take the aioli which is weird as I am pro condiment whereas Steve isn't but I could eat the fries easily!

Great burgers, great lunch. I can see this being a great place to find a hangover cure!

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Maha

20/9/2013

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It's been a while since I'd been to Maha for dinner and I've always thought what with its cocktail list and I was right.

We started and finished with cocktails that were heady and delicious. We started at 6:30pm and the food came out pretty quickly that it occurred to me that perhaps we were being rushed out but I was assured not later and we were able to sit until 11pm.

The Scottish sommelier was delightful as were other wait staff. The poor waitress sounded like she said the same thing over and over again which she does and had got into that sounding like a parrot situation especially with the hand cologne and giving us the low down on the menu. Not sure what can get you out of that.

When Steve and I have been we've done the 8 course sultan but always been incredibly full so Kim and I decided to go with the 6 course latifah. Usually I have a fear of missing out so always go for the biggest menu option but I couldn't see that we'd be missing out too much; maybe a dessert and a meat dish but I could live with it!
What with chit chat and laughing I forgot to take a lot of pictures. The ones I remembered to take are:

chicken kibbeh - jamon butter, corn and coconut, flowers, cresses
walnut crusted beef cheek - freekah, leek, preserved lemon, sweet onion

I really liked the opening course of the chicken ball and corn soup which was fragrant with herbs. Inside the ball of chicken was the melted butter like a chicken kiev which was delicious.

The beef cheek was probably my least favourite but I know if Steve had been here he'd have loved it. I'm not a huge fan of beef cheek as I find it too rich and heavy. Here the meat was packed into a croquette with a crust. I really enjoyed the freekah salad though and the lemon notes kept it lighter than it could have been.

The other stand out for me was dessert. Frozen baklava  - cashew parfait, tahini soaked sponge, burnt butter icecream, baklava crumbs, orange blossom foam . Oh my, one of the most memorable desserts I've had in a long time and I'm not even a baklava fan! I loved the buttery sponge and the hint of salty sesame and then the creamy burnt butter ice cream and crunchy crumbs. Oh I didn't intend to eat the whole thing yet somehow I did...

Yep, Maha is still proving to be consistently good. Must not forget about it as a restaurant option. Must remember to give it love!
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Po'Boy Quarter

15/9/2013

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A sunny Sunday afternoon and Steve and I headed to Fitzroy for a walk and some lunch. So hard to choose between the delights on Smith St but we decided to go with Po'Boy Quarter and placed an order and took a seat out on the street.

It didn't take very long for our order to arrive at all!

We did a 50 / 50 split of the catfish po'boy and the pulled pork. Both were pretty good with Steve preferring the catfish and I think I marginally preferred the pulled pork. The catfish was done in batter and was crispy without being greasy. The pulled pork was soft and juicy and sweet with a BBQ spiciness.

Now I'm not getting involved with what bread a po'boy should be made of and / or whether this version is authentic or not. The main thing to me is whether it tastes good and these sandwiches do!

The fries are nice enough too - possible a little beigey anaemic looking and maybe could do with being crispier but then we had enough crispiness going what with the mac and cheese croquette and the crispy bread.

Onto the croquette, reminiscent of a patty from back home it was super crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside but a little bland really. It could have been gooeyer and cheesier and just a bit more...well somethingier.

Po'Boy Quarter - enjoyable enough.
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    For those that know us, this section will probably come with no surprise! Steve and I love eating out so this is our record of our time in Australia.

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