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Thanh Nga Nine

29/11/2011

We have our usual Victoria Street faithfuls but thought we would try and expand the repertoire and try somewhere new. Reviews seemed to suggest that Thanh Nga Nine would be worth a visit so off we trot.

We started off with the house speciality of mini pancakes. Cripsy flour bases topped with a fresh prawn, a yellow soft paste thing (later learnt it was sweet mung bean paste) not unlike custard, a fish sauce based dipping sauce and coconut cream. Weird combination it sounds but in the mouth we get salty, sweet, crispy, creamy and soft altogether which in its own way works. I don't think I could eat a whole plate of these myself and even sharing one serve between two was probably a bit too much but I did enjoy starting off my meal with this little taste sensation.

Spring rolls were up to scratch and enjoyable. We also enjoyed the sugar cane prawns which was mammoth sized.

Our main courses were honey chicken and a beef hotpot. The beef hotpot was very well flavoured and the gravy was tasty with the steamed rice. The honey chicken took ages to arrive and was a bad choice but then again I'm married to a gwai lo who likes that sort of thing. It was a bad choice because the batter was too thick and the sauce too bland; it just tasted of sugar.

The restaurant was busy and bustling but we felt looked after enough. It was a nice enough meal and I wouldn't have a problem returning. Having said that it doesn't beat Pacific BBQ House for a dishes plus rice meal and for pho I'd still go to I Love Pho.

Thanh Nga Nine on Urbanspoon

Movida

26/11/2011

Rain rain rain...what to do to cheer up oneself? Steve didn't know whether to go for Cumulus or Movida and we ummed and aahed for a while before walking into Movida where we were welcomed warmly. This was our second visit but we felt familiar with the menu having been to Movida Next Door more recently.

We took up seats at the bar and received friendly hospitality throughout our lunch. We were encouraged to take our time and enjoy and that we did!

Steve had his favourite anchoa which is the white anchovy on a crouton with the smoked tomato sorbet. I find it a bit too salty so opted out of that one.

After the anchoa came:

Pollo Escabache al Miguel - spiced chicken escabache tapa on a crisp crouton
Deep fried zucchini flowers stuffed with goat's cheese
Cordero al Chilindron - Pyrenees wet roast lamb breast with fino and paprika sauce

Each dish was perfect in its own way. I love the vinegary, mayo-ey, creamy spiced chicken. So simple but so yummy.

The zucchini flowers so simple but the melted goats cheese so fresh and light.

The lamb so fatty but succulent and melt in mouth.

Agridulce con Pato - slow cooked duck shank with hazelnuts, raisins and onions
New Zealand white fish in a tomato confit type sauce with bacon, carrots, turnips potatoes and peas

The salty and creamy puree with the crunchy hazelnuts along with some tender meaty duck and a tang of onion and a sliver of sweet raisin was a joy to eat. The white fish was a specials dish and I'm not fan of carrots but I loved the turnips - tender and clean in flavour to balance the rich bacon and sweet peas. The fish was delicate and deliciously soft.

Moving from the light and refreshing fish we hit the dense meat once more and had another specials dish of rabbit, pancetta, pork, asparagus, lentils. Meaty and heavy with a vinegar tang to lighten things up. It's a hefty dish though so I'm glad I was sharing!

As if we hadn't had enough, Steve felt piggy enough to order one more whilst we finished our wine. He finished his wine before the dish came out so decided to celebrate Saturday afternoon with an additional red recommended by our friendly waiter. Our friendly waiter was so hospitable that when he saw my empty wine glass he topped me up because apparently he "hates to see a lady with an empty glass"!

After such deep philosphy, Steve and I came up with some words of wisdom ourselves: "we just don't come to Movida enough"!

MoVida Bar de Tapas on Urbanspoon

Heirloom

25/11/2011

Express lunch at Heirloom - $30 for three courses and two drinks (one can be wine). It's a winner! A cross between French and Japanese, I wasn't sure how this would work but I really enjoyed my lunch.

Service was a little patchy. It took us a while to place our food order and the waitress kept signalling with her finger she'd be a minute and had to ask another waiter who was busy doing something else about something before coming to us so we had to wait for the two of them to finish whatever needed doing before placing our order. But after this little blip we were back on track.

We started with a Hokkaido Crab Croquette which came on a carrot salad. The croquette was a nice balance of crab and potato with a crispy crumb. The carrot salad was bland - strings of carrot with some creamy mayo so I left most of that.

Next was a small sushi and sashimi tasting plate. I'd been warned by my lovely dining companion Stefanie, that sometimes the fish is questionable so didn't raise my hopes. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the kingfish sashimi and the three pieces of sushi that consisted of salmon, tuna and a whitefish. Very delicate I enjoyed the soft rice and the generous cut of fish.

Main course - we both opted for the eye fillet. There was also a Yellowfin tuna option. The eye fillet came with pommes puree and a mushroom, red wine and bacon reduction. The French influence certainly came through this dish and I loved it. The eye fillet was tender and flavoursome. The pommes puree and the mushrooms and bacon chunks were delightful. So delicious to have such a flavoursome, strong and rich jus to support the steak and the pommes puree.

We were offered tea or coffee which we opted to take out. All in all a great deal for the money paid. Good food, nice ambience, comfortable place to sit and linger or to chomp, chat and leave. Given a main dish costs around $38 on an evening, this express lunch is a great bargain.

See you soon Heirloom!

Heirloom on Urbanspoon

Vlado's

24/11/2011

Unchanged from its birth, Vlado's is a Melbourne meat institution and for every carnivore here, it appears it is a rite of passage.

More butcher, less chef we approached our Vlado's experience with an open mind and an appetite for red meat.

Thursday evenings are not usually so special for us but given it was Chris's birthday and this boy likes his red meat, why not gather some friends and feast together.

Vlado's blends in with the shops on Bridge Road. We enter through the heavy door and it feels like we're invading a stranger's home. There's a smell of BBQ and we're brusquely told to go upstairs.

Feeling like children visiting grandma's friends we tiptoe upstairs and seat ourselves round the small table in what must be a former bedroom. There are gilt framed oil paintings on the wall, the crockery is very 70s esque and it is untouched by the passage of time. Apparently this was a great first date place - probably if you're Chachi from Happy Days and trying to impress a girl...

Two of our party are running slightly late but they arrive and within minutes we are served a sausage each and two small plates of mixed meats follow suit. There's some eye fillet, pork, calves liver and a small hamburger pattie.

There is also a bread roll each and the great British salad - iceberg lettuce, topped with quartered tomato.

We can't fault the quality of the meat and begin to tuck in. We find the service efficient if not warm. It's like a well oiled machine - the waiter knows what to do, when to serve and anticipates all things all with the stealth of a Transylvanian vampire. It is all a bit gothic really or maybe more Addams Family...

After the first round of meat, the salad is cleared away and a fresh bowl brought forth. A tray of steak is brought round for us to choose a cut.

Vlado's describes the experience it offers as "not only the life time experience with the best meat materials that let you know you'll be relishing an excellent meal, it's the ingredients - 'no salt, no pepper, no sauces just meat!'

The quality of the meat is undoubtedly amazing. The fillet I had was melt in mouth and just oozing quality and flavour and my dining friends comment likewise. The bread roll is a damn fine role and Karly knows her bread and loves her bread and she gives it the kudos it deserves.

I'm just left wanting more...not more meat but more something...maybe vegetables but not the salad, potatoes of some sort and dare I say it a sauce. I think I would have enjoyed the experience a whole lot more with just a few chips and some gravy! I know the meat speaks for itself but the sides add to the occasion.

Dessert consists of strawberry pancakes, some vanilla ice cream, some whipped cream and that synthetic strawberry sauce of my childhood that evoke memories of Mr Whippy and the ice cream van. Lots of strawberries and enjoyable but not something I couldn't make myself.

The whole experience at Vlado's is memorable. I cannot fault the meat; I just want a little bit more for my $88. .

As we left, another party was also leaving and this guest, obviously a repeat customer, looked the waiter in the eye and rasped out, "Next time better sausage". I half expected Igor the henchman to appear and give the waiter a threatening shove! I guess they come for the meat experience and the quality of the sausage. I prefer a place where the clientele leave the henchman at home and we sit and enjoy few more side dishes, a little bit of ambience and music, less of the barked out messages on the intercom which was a little disturbing and less of the feeling I need to be on my best behaviour as I'm visiting granny's friends!

Vlado's on Urbanspoon

Fu Long

20/11/2011

Sunday afternoon yum cha with the Worthingtons complete with door to door chauffeur action!

Martyn and Claire came to pick us up and we headed to Box Hill to their preferred joint for dim sum. Steve and I have never done yum cha in Box Hill so we were up for seeing whether it was any good.

Fu Long was busy and a little bit manic as one sitting was just finishing and the new one beginning. Lots of Chinese folk sat round tables and trolleys of goodness were being pushed around by unsmiling waitresses. All very familiar!

We ate a whole heap of dumplings. The majority were very good. Three per basket and very plump fillings and wrappers were of a decent quality. Some of the prawn meat was a bit pink in colour so probably some food colouring used.

We particularly enjoyed the egg tarts with the flaky pastry, the rugby ball shaped ones that are crispy and chewy and Steve had three mini pineapple buns! The char siu bau were great too - two fluffy buns with a decent amount of filling (meat and sauce) and not lurid in colour either.

Reviews for this place are very mixed. I'm not sure what the usual menu is like but the dim sum was more than acceptable. We didn't try anything non yum cha except for a portion of Chinese broccoli and really, there's not a lot that can go wrong with that. One or two of the stems were a bit tougher but the majority was good.

We were very lucky and the Worthingtons footed the bill. Prices seemed cheaper than the CBD and we'd be happy to return again.

Fu Long on Urbanspoon

Il Primo Posto

20/11/2011

There's one or two restaurants on the Southbank strip that we've not tried and Sunday evening seemed a good time to use the good ole Entertainment Book voucher and try Il Primo Posto.

It was a bit too windy to sit outside so we were taken to a table for two inside that was up against the wall. We were then left to browse the menu and they brought the specials board for us to look at too.

We decided to share a portion of bruschetta to begin with. Food came out relatively quickly. Two pieces of bread topped with fresh tomato. It was a tasty combination and tomato tasted fresh and tangy. So far so acceptable.

Main courses we both went for specials. I went for twice roasted duck with a raspberry glaze on mushroom risotto and Steve went for the chicken, feta and mushroom risotto.

The duck was a decent sized portion and enjoyable. It wasn't stand out and I know I can make to an even better standard but there was nothing remarkably wrong with it.

The chicken risotto hit similar standards. Not exceptional cuisine and we can make similar if not better at home but not a bad effort. Same goes for the rocket and parmesan salad.

All in all, the food was better than mediocre and better than the reviews suggest. Service was acceptable - a bit offhand and slapdash at times and not exactly personal or particularly friendly but there was nothing particularly wrong that happened to us. Although the waitress who delivered bruschetta said "here's your garlic bread" so ten out of ten for attention to detail!

There was a large table that seemed to struggle with their dessert orders. I think Il Primo Posto definitely relies on passing trade rather than repeat business. Certainly the wait staff don't build enough of a relationship with customers to make us want to return. The food is ok but in Melbourne where there are so many other restaurants, ok isn't good enough to warrant a second visit.

Il Primo Posto on Urbanspoon

Bluecorn

19/11/2011

After a day session on the beer, what better to fill bellies than Mexican cuisine.

Our group of 5 headed to Bluecorn in the hope that margaritas and chilli would warm us out of the Melbourne rain.

At 4:30pm the place was pretty much empty but that suited us. I settled down to a strawberry and coconut margarita. There was a wide choice and between us there was punch, espresso margarita and beers ordered.

Service was efficient if not the warmest but certainly acceptable.

Nachos with melted cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream came out quickly for us to share and this was a great start to our meal. Not too greasy and not too overladen with topping that the nachos go soggy but enough so that the nachos have a decent covering. We also shared some fat chips with chilli salt. Not quite fat chips but roasted baby potatoes they came with sour cream and a sprinkling of spring onions and were also delicious

Between us we ordered a variety of burritos (twice baked and too large to wrap) and I had the rump steak fajitas. There were murmurs of appreciation as we dug into our dishes. The steak fajitas came with rice and about 5 tortillas. The steak was tender almost as if it had been stewed and the flavours strong and powerful. The guacamole tasted fresh and I really enjoyed it.

The restaurant is small so I can imagine it can get hot, sweaty and frantic on a busy night but for us on a wet Saturday afternoon it was perfect!

Bluecorn on Urbanspoon

Attica

18/11/2011

Long awaited three months and our Attica reservation finally becomes a reality! We had no choice in the time and just had to see when the next available table was on a Friday or Saturday evening.

Attica is the Restaurant of the Year in the 2012 Age Good Food Guide. It has been awarded three hats and chef Ben Shewry has been lauded as producing food that is quirky, original and labour intensive.

Even before Attica had won such acclaim and was just one of many much praised restaurants in Melbourne, Steve had singled it out and has been wanting to go since we arrived here. I'd put it off because to me the food doesn't sound delicious and mouthwatering but is in that avant garde, test the boundaries category which I always seem to shelve and I succumb to the familiar more taste familiar dining venues.

Based in Ripponlea amongst very little, it's a short walk from the station. We were greeted warmly and showed to a table. The dining room is intimate but the tables aren't too close together. There's a minimalist feel to the place but it doesn't feel spartan or cold. Slate grey and dark coal colours along with low lighting create an understated moody ambience.

We start with gin and tonics and opt fot Melbourne's finest tap water which is all done easily without any pressure to go for bottled water. The menu is explained to us - degustation and we opt to go with matched wines.

The dishes are not described in details so there is an element of surprise. Waiters explain the dishes as they bring it out with passion and are informative. Although they must repeat themselves so many times over in one shift, it doesn't sound repetitive.

We start with an amuse bouche of a Crystal Bay prawn with fresh mustard seeds and a Jerusalem artichoke broth. Very delicate in appearance with some strong yet fresh flavours. The prawn is sweet, the broth is intense and the mustard seeds impart a zinginess that just lingers in the mouth for a brief second.

Then we launch properly into the degustation menu with a dish simply entitled "Snow Crab" which was accompanied by a sake. The snow crab is actually hidden beneath a mound of horseradish powder which looks like snow. There is also some salmon roe and barberries hidden beneath like treasure. Very witty and the crab is sweet, the salmon roe adds more sea flavours and the barberries just cut through to add some citrus which the rich crab needs. The horseradish snow is a little too strong for my palette so I leave a lot of it but the whole dish is creative

Marron, Leek, Native Pepper - delicious, fresh marron which is like a crayfresh accompanied by steamed baby leeks and with a prosciutto and mussel broth. This is like complete yumminess. The sweet and slightly crunchy marron is seasoned by the salty intense broth and the leeks add a different kind of sweetness. And as you can see it's a very pretty dish. The leaves are the results of some foraging the chefs did that morning!

A Simple Dish of Potato Cooked in the Earth it was Grown - one potato buried in the soil and cooked Maori style known as hangi. Who would think that a potato could be such a delight. It was soft and earthy and the accompanying goats curd and fried sage leaves just set it off adding sharpness and creaminess. Jacket potato with sour cream and chives is such great comfort food so take that and just up the ante a million fold and you get this wonderful plate.

Meat from the Pearl Oyster - this was a new one for us but obviously some kind of mollusc / mussel. It was accompanied by roast pig tail, shitake broth, dehydrated onion skin and some sea lettuce. Quite fishy in flavour the pearl oyster had the texture of squid but not quite as chewy. The pig tail was wonderfully deep fried with oozy porky fattiness much like good pork belly. This dish was a spin on the more common scallop and belly pork combo. Not my favourite dish as I felt the fishiness of the pearl oyster combined with the earthiness of the shitake broth was a bit too overpowering for me but again, what a pretty looking plate of food.

Artichoke, Salt Baked Celeriac, Pyengana - the dish came out without sauce and the waiter poured the creamy goodness around the egg yolk making it look like a giant poached egg. The egg had been slow cooked and we smashed into it mixing it with the cheddary sauce and toasted garlic and nuts spooning a mash up of flavours into our mouths. Not a fan of celeriac but this proved me wrong. The crunchy nut and garlic had an Asian feel to it, like what you get on the top of a laksa and reminiscent of the peanuts on a pad thai! The slow cooked egg and cheddar sauce represented comfort food at its best - creamy, rich and so yummy. The celeriac and artichoke for me didn't add to or detract from the dish. The star of this plate was the unmentioned egg combined with silky smooth cheese sauce.

Beef Tongue, Vanilla, Parsnip, Lettuce Stems - we were offered an alternative to the tongue of Wagyu rump in case we were squeamish but we decided to go with the chef's recommendation. The vanilla scented parsnip was silky smooth and just so yummy. There was a little tinge of sweetness that off set the grains of pepper on the ox tongue. The tongue itself at first reminded me of corned beef. Steve likened it to Spam and I can see the similarities! Of course this was much better than Spam. I liked the slightly salty flavour. By my last piece though, I felt the texture had become a bit spongier and a bit more tongue like so was glad that I didn't have to eat any more. I was definitely glad I'd had this over the rump though. Even if the rump was more delicious, I really enjoyed the fact that I was trying new things and getting pleasure out of that.

First dessert was Franz Josef. Named after the glacier it was Italian meringue, fromage frais ice cream, griddled mango, kiwifruit, some berry granita and toasted coconut. There was also a ribbon of green puree running through it which tastes so familiar but we couldn't place it. It was avocado and mint puree. The whole putting something where it shouldn't be baffled us so we couldn't think of what it was.!

Second dessert was Native Fruits of Australia. We were informed that if we picked these berries ourselves we would be committing an illegal act but the restaurant is allowed to buy them from a co operative that have a licence to pick this fruit and sell it on. Six different types of berries that were unlike anything I'd ever had before, bound together by a eucalyptus custard and some granita made from another berry I'd not heard of. The whole not sure what it was going to taste like made this whole dessert feel like a bush tucker trial! I'm not sure I can say I particularly like any one of the fruits but I loved the challenge of trying each one to find out!

Last surprise came out on a nest of grass. Two little eggs. We cracked the open and chocolate and caramel flooded the mouth. Like a very very good Rolo!

Service was flawless through the meal. It was a joy to watch other people eat and experience what we had - that journey of admiring the plate of food, uncertainty of what it was going to be like, to tasting, to surprise. That journey is what Attica does so well. It forces us to be adventurous and whether we decide if we like it or not is by the by as it's all about trying and being surprised.

Some places like Jaques Reymond, our tastebuds rejoice in the familiar done to a superior standard. At Attica our tastebuds and our minds rejoiced in the unfamiliar. Credit and kudos to Ben Shewry for working with the unfamiliar to come up with flavours that complement and contrast.

Attica on Urbanspoon

Miss. Chu

17/11/2011

Lunchtime expedition to try out the much talked about Miss Chu for some Vietnamese flavour with some fun colleagues.

We set off early with a view to getting there before the lunchtime crush. We arrived before 12 and secured a small table for the four of us. We tried to take a bigger table for more room but weren't allowed!

The small table and cramped seating pretty much means that there is no room to put handbags and coats.

Charlie pointed out that it was strange that the kitchen was bigger than the dining area. I guess the small dining area doesn't matter as much as Miss. Chu deliver on electric bikes and do take away.

Ordering is done on a pre printed pad and then you have to take it to the tuck shop window. We all made our choices and I went to order and pay.

The chap at the order desk called tuck shop was friendly and helpful although he did forget to put one of drinks on the order so when we asked for it and it hadn't been paid for it was a bit of a palaver trying to fish out the hand bag in the cramped space etcetera etcetera...

Anyway between us all we managed to try some of the warm vermicelli salads, steamed dumplings, spring rolls, and banh cuon which is like thick sheets of rice noodles filled with prawn and topped with soy sauce, beansprouts and fried garlic.

The salads were a good size and on the tasty side although some extra zing wouldn't go amiss. I ended up pouring some of the dipping sauce for the spring rolls into my dish. I opted for the Lemongrass Beef and loved the vermicelli. The beef was a bit mincey for my liking and I'd have preferred chunks or slices.

I enjoyed the banh cuon which was a hefty portion and with lots of flavour. The one little spring roll I tried was pretty good too.

It's a case of Miss Chu...I kind of like you...enough to try you again after work but not over lunchtime.

I think if Miss Chu was closer to the office for us or to home, I'd be a frequent visitor as there just isn't something like this close by. However, I'm not sure I would make the trip often as it's just not that yummy that I have would do the 15 minute walk., rush my food and then walk back.

Having said that they do deliver so maybe that's the plan. That or go after work for post work dinner.

True to my word, I revisit Miss Chu's for a post work dinner with Stefanie.

We arrive about 6pm ish and take two seats at the long bar. As per the previous visit, it's a little cramped with nowhere to put coats and handbags.

We place our order and the food starts coming out thick and fast. So fast Stef gets heartburn from trying to keep up with the pace. Before long the bench is filled with dishes that belong to us.

We try two types of rice paper rolls (tiger prawn and green mango as well as duck and banana flower) that come pre packaged but they are fresh and moist. I really like the meaty duck one.

The crispy spring rolls we order (traditional pork Hanoi and crab and prawn net) are also yummy. The crab ones have a flaky, melt in mouth coating and the pork ones are like plump chipolatas that are dense and meaty.

We also share an Atlantic salmon warm vermicelli salad which I loved. The rich oily fish and dressing with the bland noodles is really yummy. The Wagyu pho was less of a winner for me. I think there is better for cheaper but it wasn't bad bad.

Drinks wise we had the frozen coconut which was refreshing and not too sweet. Great food, medium prices and I st

MissChu on Urbanspoon

Chez Olivier

15/11/2011

A lovely little bistro reminiscent of Paris in Prahran. Friendly welcome. Visited midweek with my lovely colleague Tanya and the place was pretty quiet but it's such an intimate environment it didn't feel empty.

Ordered a glass of pinot gris each which tasted a little sweet for a pinot gris but it was a hot evening so we drank it anyway!

Some slices of warm baguette and butter were out on our table and were quickly demolished by us two hungry girls!

We both went for the "Pave a la Bearnaise" which was described as deliciously melting grain fed thick eye fillet with pommes salardaise and bearnaise sauce.

The steak was definitely meltingly delicious. Soft and tender and cooked well. The bearnaise sauce was creamy and fresh - not too heavy.

The pommes salardaise were tender slices of roasted potato along with mushrooms and flavoured with herbs and garlic. It was a great plate of food and very enjoyable.

A bowl of salad greens also came with the meal and it was fresh with a zingy dressing.

Everything was well seasoned and very enjoyable. Although I loved this dish, there is a little part of me that just wanted it all to come with a bowl of shoe string fries for the steak frites feel. Had that have happened, I would have thought that I was in Paris with the Eiffel Tower outside.

Dessert was shared and we couldn't resist the self indulgent, self saucing chocolate fondant which came with a ball of ice cream, two tuile biscuits and some raspberry coulis.

Indeed it was self indulgent but a dessert shared means only half the guilt. The fondant was moist and oozy. The baked part was soft and spongey. The chocolate flavour was dark and deep but not sugary sweet.

Chez Olivier is a great little French bistro in a fun neighbourhood. It's great for a date or with a girlfriend for some girly chit chat. It's fairly quiet and low key. Understated dishes done well and not showy or over the top.

Chez Olivier - Le Bistro on Urbanspoon