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Cumulus

28/10/2012

Steve had a Sunday craving for Cumulus as he hasn't been for a while and who am I to argue? I've been twice or thrice more recently with Kirsten and enjoyed mucho lovely food so was feeling very committed to having a good time with my Barley boy.

We arrived probably just after 12 and lucky for us secured two seats at the bar. We said our hello's to the very talented Blake who happens to be my lovely Kirsten's beloved...confused yet? I haven't been very simple in my explanations but then who needs to be? All you need to know is that Blake was head chef during our visit and the boy did oh so good.

Proceedings began with the ever amazing tuna tartare with crushed green pea salad. There is no tuna tartare like it. I love the sweet peas, creamy and tangy curd and meaty and well seasoned raw tuna. I love the chunky cubes of the pink meat. I could eat this forever.

We also shared the kitchen charcuterie selection. All elements were super good but deserving a special mention is the Syrahmi salami which was meaty and deeply spiced without being overpowering. The bresaola with Parmesan cream and crispy onions was delicious and the foie gras parfait was also incredibly good. I almost thought the quennelle of it would be our undoing as it was so rich and creamy but combined with the sweet little raisins the whole thing soon disappeared.

Asparagus is coming into season and we enjoyed grilled organic asparagus, toasted almond, mojama and soft boiled egg. Not sure what mojama is but it was delicious. Al dente asparagus, toasty crumbs and rich egg. So simple, yet so difficult to execute perfectly.

This is the corned Wagyu brisket with cabbage salad, green sauce and pickled shallot. Dense meat with an attractive crust and char to it, fresh grassy green sauce to add zing, a tang of sweet pickle and a crunch of cabbage. Great combination of textures and flavours.

Has to be said though that the couple next to us ordered the lamb shoulder and we suffered major food envy. Although they did only eat meat pretty much but still...and they didn't get to enjoy dessert....

Steve and I were super naughty and went to dessert heaven and back. We indulged in three desserts. Yes three!!!

The strawberry jelly, coconut sorbet and ranita was like sophisticated jelly and ice cream. The jelly was a good texture with bounce and full of berry and vanilla notes. The coconut sorbet was creamy and had a definite coconut whallop to it and the granita took us back to the delightful berries. Loved it. And if I couldn't love anything more...well I did.

Simply entitled meringue, citrus and vanilla custard - yes that's what it was but it was also so much more than that. Soft and sweet cloud like meringue, sweet fruit and creamy custard.

And finally madeleines with lemon curd. I'd have been happy with one each but Steve was throwing caution to the wind and we ended up with two each which were consumed with no guilt and no pausing! I love these madeleines enhanced with a tang of excellent lemon curd and all washed down with a pot of tea.

I have not enjoyed dessert like this in such a long time. I'm a huge fan of a fruit based dessert done well and these were just perfection.

We didn't realise just how much we missed you Cumulus.

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Mamak

24/10/2012

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Mamak has opened in typical Melbourne heralded style with a Broadsheet introduction and queues out the door. Naturally I wanted to go and see what it was all about and preferably on a weekday night to avoid the weekend crush and foodie friend Kirsten was happy to be my date.

Firstly BYO - great! So armed with a bottle of Margaret River's finest we arrived around 5:15pm and waited for the doors to open. It's a shame there's nothing else around by way of a bar or somewhere to sit and wait except for a manky metal bench. We weren't the only ones waiting though and as soon as the doors opened at least two or three other dining groups went in ahead of us.

It's a decent sized dining hall. The tables are quite close together. There's nothing wrong with it but there's also nothing all that impressive. Wait staff are friendly enough and we were given glass tumblers for our wine quite quickly.

We ordered two types of roti - roti planta described as rich and buttery and roti bawang with lashings of sweet red onions both served with two curry sauces and spicy sambal sauce.

Loved the roti planta and the curry sauces consisted of a lentil one with a rough texture and a smooth gravy type. Both pretty good. The roti planta was on the right side of doughy whilst remaining light and I loved the buttery flavour. The roti bawang was alright - the onion wasn't as caramelised or sweet as I thought it would be. Still had that spicy onion tang which whilst not offensive wasn't what we expected. Still ate it all though but next time would be happy to drop it and try a different one but I'd re order the planta.

As our main courses we had the kari ayam described as classic chicken curry cooked with freshly ground spices and chunky potatoes. There were about 3 potatoes in our serve. The chicken was tasty and there was a good amount of it. I felt the spices hadn't quite cooked out enough as texture was a little grainy but it was good enough,

We also had the ayam goreng - Malaysian-style fried chicken marinated with herbs and spices and full of flavour. It was decent enough fried chicken and again good size pieces.

The beef satay grilled over flaming charcoal for that authentic Malaysian flavour was served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce. They were small skinny little skewers and pleasant enough but like the roti bawang not a must order for next time.

Roti pisang served with fresh banana was dessert. Oh and if Mamak do one thing good it's their roti. This was delicious with caramelised banana stuffed inside the roti. You can see the brown discs of banana on the picture and coupled with vanilla ice cream it was a dessert delight.

We paid $35 each for all that food which I thought was a good deal given we were in CBD. It's not groundbreaking cuisine or destination dining but for a quick tasty meal during the week, it's a good call. At least the roti rocks.

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Golden Fields

20/10/2012

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Sunny Saturday in St Kilda and we revisited a favourite of ours and enjoyed sitting outside feasting on Asian flavours. We started with some oysters and followed them up with a specail of Wagyu brisket with kohl rahi and it was delicious. Delicately pickled veg, yumm beef, coriander, crispy garlic and a kick of chilli.

Crispy rice cake, lap cheong, furikake was a new one for us and became a favourite. So much so, Steve ordered another one! It's like our fave yum cha classic of sticky rice but with a crispy crust - marvellous.

We also had the other special of asparagus with duck egg sauce and shave bottarga. I enjoyed the chargrill flavour of the asparagus but sadly after an AMAZING asparagus dish at Attica during the week means that any asparagus has a hard job to impress!

Rolled Berkshire pork belly, white kimchi, yuxiang sauce was fresh and zingy.

Szechuan braised eggplant, minced pork, rice noodle was enjoyable with a tingly buzz left on the lips and tongue.

Shredded chicken, sesame paste, house-made cold rice noodles, chilli oil still remains my favourite though.

Love it here.

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Trocadero at Hamer Hall

19/10/2012

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Friday night date night; pleasant place to be with beautiful views and a pleasant walk up to it from home. Friendly service that is warm and attentive. Good bread to start so all looking positive.

We start with two tartares:

Kingfish, basil, almonds, zucchini - very clean and light with some great toasty brioche type croutons. The almonds were a bit unusual, kind of watery like a grape almost.

Beef tartare with pickled mushrooms and truffle cream - very different to the kingfish tartare in that it's much more indulgent, headier, richer and the pickled mushrooms just add enough of a tang to cut through all that decadence.

We were divided on the triple cooked potatoes with pecorino and a truffle mayo.

Steve liked them and the crunch. I found them too greasy and that the crunch was crumbly and too much like fatty batter.

We share main courses of:

12 hour pot roasted lamb shoulder, grain salad, smoked leek, watercress foam

Duck breast, braised leg, kumquat, Spring vegetables

Again a little bit of a mixed response. I liked the grains on the lamb and the meat was tender and tasty. I found the kumquat overpowering on the duck, the broth that was poured on it was bland and unnecessary.

Steve thought the grains were meh but enjoyed the intense duck and didn't take offence like I did at the duck broth!

We both agreed the duck breast was phenomenal though and couldn't get enough.

We missed out on dessert though and decided to call it a night. It's not a place we're desperate to rush back to but happy to return if other people suggest it or if we're watching a show. Out of the two Hamer Hall restaurants, Sake has my vote more.

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Attica

16/10/2012

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This was our third Attica visit and our second on a Tuesday evening for Chef's Table and this time we were joined by our friends Marty and Kirsty.

As per our previous visits, service was professional and pretty on the ball. It's not the most personal but it is effective and there is attention to detail.

Sorrel with King George Whiting, Squid and Pepperberry - sweet flavours, clean finish, hit of pepper and a slight bitter note from the sorrel. Bring more please!

Black Lip Abalone, Seaweed and Sesame - very dainty and pretty. Toasty sesame notes, salty seaweed and a deeply sweet note from the abalone. Good texture from the crunch of the seaweed and chew of the abalone.

Asparagus, Sirora Pistachios and Parsley Pollen - intensely green and beautifully seasoned. Lots of respect to the asparagus and stays true to it. I'm not sure I'll ever have an asparagus dish as good as this.

Fermented Mushroom, Celeriac and Pyengana - a mass of intense mushrooms and mature cheese. There's some texture from some quinoa and the funghi is meaty and the cheese hit strong. It's a comfort dish that is rich and satisfying.

Burrata, Native Raspberries and Fennel - petals and granita and sweet raspberries and creamy cheese. What a delight! I've only ever had burrata in a savoury dish so wasn't sure what it would be like as dessert but it was amazing and there were hints of chewy bits too just like mozzarella. So very clever and so very delightful.

After dinner eggs. So sweet, chocolatey and with salted caramel. Lovely way to end the meal.

I loved the intelligence behind this meals and the flavour combinations all worked. It's expensive at $95 per head but the 50 hours that goes into making this has to be recompensed. I have to say there's not that much food for the money but what there is is truly amazing and superior. That may explain all the bread they offer!

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Breslin Bar and Grill

13/10/2012

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Newly opened on the Southbank strip, this place with its outdoor seating, straightforward and mainstream menu that appeals to everyone (BBQ, rotisserie meat etc) will probably do very well with the office crowds and passing weekend trade.

We enjoyed sitting in the sunshine and shared a mixed meat board and some sides. One of our side dishes (mushrooms) failed to arrive when everything else did and were another 5 minutes or so and we had to remind them so likely forgotten.

As with most places in the areas; definitely not the cheapest and in fairness not value for money when you look at price to quality ratios. But it's close to home for us and was a decent enough feed.

I like the rotisserie chicken and the steak although well done was tender and tasty. Sausages were sausages and neither hugely impressive or disappointing. Same with the chorizo - not the finest available but nothing wrong with it. I did think for the price, there could have been more.

The rocket and beet salad was generous in size and tasty but the beets were underdone and very very hard so we had to leave them. Loved the crunch of the almonds and the tang of the feta.

We also had gem potatoes and mushrooms. The potatoes were lovely like they'd been slow roasted for ages so soft and fluffy on the inside with a crunchy exterior. The mushrooms were a good sized portion and cooked well enough.

Limited beer on tap and the plastic coated menus make the place seem cheap when in reality it's not. In conclusion some hits but not so great that it will win us over as regulars.

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St Katherine's

12/10/2012

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Friday night feed required and Steve managed to get us a late table at St Katherine's. We did ummm and aah as to whether 21:15 was just too late but after a few post work drinks and a taxi ride the timings worked.

However weary souls that we were, we needed food that was quick and tasty, a place where we wouldn't be judged by our day long attire and working week crushed spirits!

I'd gone past St. Katherine's on the tram and knew it was a big airy restaurant, fairly casual and about sharing food. I think Steve thought it would be a little more formal than it was but actually the informality of the place suited us on this occasion.

Our waiter was a bit here and there but more to do with his personality than anything else. Where he lacked focus and was more about the chat, there was a very sharp and very slick lady who was in total control and had a smile for everyone so where our waiter was slow on the uptake, she'd compensate and appear out of nowhere and take a drinks order or sort us out.

We began with some delicious soft bread served in a paper bag with:

Mahammura roasted sweet pepper dip, walnuts, pomegranate molasses
Hummus smoked almond dressing
Fava split pea dip, caper, shallot, sherry vinaigrette

All three were delicious. My faves were probably the sweet pepper dip and the fava. Two extremes - one sweet, tangy with a piquancy to it and the other soft, mellow, almost creamy without being fatty and very savoury. The hummus was good; classic and traditional and always a goodie but fairly mainstream.

I thoroughly enjoyed the grilled halloumi with apricots, pinenuts, mint. I love grilled cheese and this version with the sweet apricots and raisins and the nutty pine nuts countered by salty cheese was excellent. Only downside is it gets cold quickly and once cold the cheese gets a bit squeaky and polystyrene like so eat as soon as it comes out!

Turkish lamb dumplings garlic yoghurt, sumac, dried mint were are final entree. Fragrant of lamb but not actually meaty these were like light pasta parcels in a sharp yoghurty dressing. Probably a touch too much yoghurt for us and erring just on the too creamy and too tart side but we still ate it all so it can't have been too bad! I loved the lightness of them though - like pillows of lamb scented dough!

We progressed to our mains and shared the sticky pork ribs pomegranate molasses, sesame as well as the puffed & BBQ corn salad smoked almond dressing, herbs, shaved red onion.

Both were good choices. The ribs were smokey, sweet, falling off the bone with a heavy spice element from coriander seeds and peppercorns. Being a coriander fiend, I loved the generous amount of fresh coriander to chomp on along with the succulent meat. Steve found this tasty but perhaps over smoked and over flavoured for his palette.

The corn salad was inspirational. Loved the mix of onion, chargrilled corn, chives and all the different textures. We will try to reconstruct this at home. Great salad accompaniment to grilled meat and BBQ food.

Having shared one main we felt strong enough to tackle dessert and I chose the 'Fully Sticky' date pudding, vanilla ice cream, warm salted caramel custard. Loved the gooey centre and smooth ice cream. The custard probably could have been a little saltier to cut through the sweetness. Overall I enjoyed it enough but it was very sweet.

Peanut butter parfait chocolate sorbet, baklava crumbs, orange blossom foam was Steve's choice.

I didn't like the orange blossom foam - too perfumed for me but he enjoyed the crunch and the flavours.

St. Katherine's is a great local neighbourhood restaurant and I can imagine if we lived closer we'd drop by more often. There's lots on the menu to try, it's not pretentious and we thought it was pretty good value for money.

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Cumulus

Mamak

Golden Fields

Trocadero at Hamer Hall

Attica

Breslin Bar and Grill

St Katherine's

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