The Union Hotel was the chosen location for a casual girls, post work dinner where the chatter comes first closely followed by decent and simple food. It's a popular place and there became increasingly busy over the course of the evening so it's clearly well liked.

The menu has all the pub classics as well as a handful of more creative offerings on the specials board. We pretty much went classic bar the 12 hour braised lamb ribs which were paired with the slightly more unusual broccolini and sweetcorn puree. Flavours were good, the lamb was tender and the fat rendered out so not greasy. I liked the crunchy freshness of the broccolini and the sweetness of the corn with a tang of mint sauce although the puree was a bit coarse and grainy. Didn't hold me back from eating it all though!

Between us there were many parmas and I went steak with Paris butter. Admittedly the accompaniments we ordered with our meals weren't quite as straightforward with a mix of mash, salad, chips and veggies in various combinations and a request for no carrots in my vegetables. But it wasn't unreasonable I thought and we didn't order anything not on the menu. But I did hear the guy behind the bar criticise our order and say that the kitchen wasn't going to like us! I'm not sure I like being told that I'm a pain when I don't think I was that painful...

The food came out pretty quickly considering it was busy and the plates looked appetising. Golden melting cheese, chunky chips and melting butter on my steak. Our research informed us that Parmas of Melbourne had slated the Union for its offering but my Parma consuming company begged to differ and said it was pretty good. The steak was a decent pub steak and I liked the capers and shallots in the butter. Not sure it is authentically Paris butter but it was good flavoured butter that went well with the meaty hunk of steak.

At the end of the meal we decided to order a dessert and a round of drinks. The pub was busy at the is point in the evening and a large group of revellers had arrived. I placed my order of dessert, one glass of wine, two mineral waters and a latte with the server and again was made to feel like I was a pain. The wine was sloshed into a glass, the mineral waters came out of the fridge tops removed but no glasses and I had to find my own straws and I was told that I'd have to wait for the latte and it would be ages. I acknowledged I could wait because we'd have to wait for the dessert anyway and got no response. So as I received my change I sought clarification and asked if it was a no for the latte and the guy said yeah. 

So I don't have an issue that there was no coffee available because it was busy. My issue is that instead of the passive aggressive line of "oh it'll be ages for the latte" just come right out and apologise and explain no coffee. Instead I'm left wondering am I going to get a coffee or not...

Dessert came and it was a fudgey and decadent flourless chocolate cake with a strawberry sauce and orange cream. The fruit elements cut through some of the sweetness and as a shared finisher to proceedings it did its job satisfactorily.

In summary, decent pub food and if you are local it's a reliable option for feed. Service at the bar is lacksadaisical and bordering on unprofessional although some points regained because the waitress who actually delivered the food was very smiley and knew what she was doing.

A rare Friday off work saw us venturing to Two Little Pigs. I really wanted to try the jam hotcakes with bacon ice cream that I'd read about.

Two Little Pigs is a charcuterie and cafe in Brunswick and apparently on a weekend it's been packed out. Lucky for us Friday lunchtime was busy but had room for us.

I went with the Peas and Ham which is a green pea veloute, crispy pork belly and two poached eggs. Brightly green I enjoyed the sweet peas and the plain roasted pork belly that was relatively fuss free and the meat was left to speak for itself. Loved the crispy textures and that it wasn't gelatinously fatty.

Steve had the Two Little Pigs breakfast which was a plateful of bacon, chorizo, mushrooms, poached eggs, chutney and potatoes all of which went down well,

And yes I got to try the hot jam doughcakes with caramelised bacon ice cream.

Warm pillowy cake with cinammon and a smear of jam with a creamy sweet ice cream - just delicious. I've got to say though I think it's more novelty than substance as the caramelised bacon ice cream was more caramel than bacon and I didn't get that salted flavour. Nevertheless it was still delicious and I would definitely have it again.

We were in West Brunswick to see my friend Nat and to borrow her car. We needed sustenance to see us through a day of Ikea shopping and furniture building and Nat needed bacon to chase off cobwebs from too much partying the night before!

She, being the local took us the the charming Miss Marmalade where we sat at a wooden table on mismatching but fun chairs and quickly placed orders for juices, teas, coffee and food.

The vibe is friendly and informal. The dining room was a little dark but possibly more to do with the grey day outside. Food arrived quickly and we enjoyed chowing down. This is  a great little neighbourhood coffee and breakfast stop. I'm not convinced I would travel all the way for bacon and eggs but if in the area I would definitely return,

Sundays come round too quick and they come to an end too quick! We enjoyed Sunday lunch today at the busy Albert St Food and Wine. We've been meaning to come by for a while now and today having had no breakfast and ready for a feed seemed as good a time as any.

I called at midday to see if I could book a table for later on and was told they had one bar table left which would mean one of us would be on a stool. Sounded okay to me!

Upon arrival we were shown to said table and I took the stool. I was concerned that the table was a bit small for all the food we were going to order but the wait staff seemed well trained at juggling things round. I took the stool and I wasn't at my most comfiest I have to say but it was good enough.

The menu is similar to that of Cumulus and The Commoner. Before I even ate the food though I felt that I preferred the feel and the cosy intimacy of The Commoner more whereas Albert St seemed a bit less personal but more open. Each to their own I guess.

Our drinks orders were taken quickly and some bread with basil infused whipped butter was served. Good bread, good butter and a good gin fizz!

We started off with the foie gras parfait served with toasted brioche and a peach and ginger chutney, This was delicious - silky smooth and soft with no bitterness and not overly creamy either.  Really well balanced and the perfect amount without pushing us over the richness edge. The Kilner jar was scraped clean!

The steak tartare came next and the yolk was cleverly pressed into a hole in the bread and it slowly oozed itself into the meaty mix.

Heavy on the capers the tartare had a good chunky texture with a mustardy whiff about it. Pretty tasty but could have done with more bread to eat with it.

We decided to share main courses; eat  half and swap plates! It was hard to choose. I went with the roast lamb shoulder with melted tomatoes, olives and white polenta. A homely and flavoursome dish it was reminiscent of the Mediterranean in Winter.

Steve had the bavette with white onion, beets and horseradish cream. The skirt steak was tasty and the sweet onion, beets and then the horseradish cream altogether provided a yummy sweetness and an interesting and unusual flavour combination.

Both were tasty and enjoyable dishes. The lamb evoked the familiar and the steak was much more unexpectedly unusual.

We also had the ancient grain salad with crispy onion rings, pomegranate and pistachio. Piquant and sharp in flavour it was yummy and a contrast to our meat dishes.

Onto dessert...and here Albert St Food and Wine excelled. We were told Phillipa Sibley herself was around this service and standards were high. We couldn't resist the lemon tart which took 11 years to perfect and the Poire Iggy Pop which was all about pear, salted caramel, popcorn, vanilla icecream and chocolate.

The lemon tart comes with no adornment, no accompaniment and it really needs nothing. Crumbly pastry, zesty lemon, silky smooth and barely set such a delight. It was like a big juicy kiss on the lips by a fairy godmother all in lemon.

The chocolate and pear concoction was also yummy. Where the lemon tart was simple and ungilded this dish had gold leaf and everything. It wasn't overtly chocolatey though more milk chocolate than intense cocoa dark chocolate. The pear flavours from the sorbet and the poached pear were refreshing and the popcorn added a pleasant toastiness.

We had a lovely Sunday lunch here and enjoyed the food very much. Seating wise I'd rather  have a corner table in the bar area or a proper table and be able to laze there for longer. The less comfy stool arrangement we had this time meant after we'd eaten we were inclined to rush off.

In the last fortnight I have been lucky enough to eat at 5 of the 7 MADE establishment restaurants probably better known as eateries that Calombaris has ownership of. It wasn't intentional to participate in such a pleasurable endurance test but things just turned out that way.

It all started as my in laws (mother, father and brother aka known as mo, fo, bro) paid us a visit from UK and were keen to try a little of the George magic so we decided to take them for a family feast at Hellenic Republic and then some fine dining at Press Club over lunch which we thought would give them a taster of both ends of the scale.

Our visit to Hellenic Republic was on a Wednesday evening and the place was as busy as a Greek taverna in the Summer. We had a very enthusiastic waiter look after us. Only minor gripe was air con was turned up a notch too much for us so it didn't quite feel like a Mediterranean Summer but seriously it was a minor gripe and once the food came we soon warmed up.

Rather than go with a fixed menu we chose what we fancied and with guidance in relation to volume from our friendly waiter, we think we did pretty well.

We enjoyed a few nibbley small plates to begin with including some bread and dips (tzatziki and fava the split pea one with truffle), saganaki with peppered figs and the grilled asparagus, broken egg, anchovy mayo, tsoureki crumbs.

The meat dishes - lamb, chicken and pork were all seasoned well with the true flavours of the meat coming through but enhanced by char grill and some herbaceous notes. Our sides of Cypriot salad of grains, pulses, nuts, yoghurt and the potatoes fried in olive oil, oregano, salt were also moreish and flavoursome. I particularly like the grain salad and the sweet tang of the pomegranate elevate it above the much loved freekah salad at Cumulus in my humble opinion. Both are great though, don't get me wrong!

We shared various desserts including the Hellenic Mess, Greek doughnuts, vanilla custard pastry and baklava. I enjoyed the doughnuts with some ice cream - too sweet without it. Custard pastry was like a spring roll / vanilla slice. My father in law seemed to love the Hellenic Mess but the rest of us prefer the more traditional style and I don't need Ouzo in my strawberry sauce. Sad to say baklava was a little disappointing and Steve prefers the one from Steve's Deli at South Melbourne market.

Overall it was a great family feast where we could chatter and share food and catch up and share food and enjoy each other's company and share food. It's all very care free and like a Greek holiday. Great as a first reunion dinner for us.

Our Press Club visit was highly anticipated and it really did have a lot to live up to. It was quiet when we arrived but soon filled up with a mix of business people and others obviously enjoying a leisurely Friday lunch like us.
There are various lunch options to choose from  that suits a range of budgets and time available for lunch from a simple 2 courses at $38 per person (3 courses at $45) to a family style sharing a la Maha or Embrasse on a Sunday when it was open at $50 and then the most expensive mini symposium or degustation at $85.

After much umming and ahhing we decided to go with the degustation and also opted for an additional Wagyu beef course that was described in such delectable detail that we couldn't refuse.

We'd have loved to have sat at the Chef's Table but with 5 of us that wasn't possible. However we were able to look over and watch all the activity over this busy lunch service.

We loved our food and were lucky enough to be able to taste some additional courses too. As luck would have it, and it was unexpected the table next to us assigned to two former colleagues and now friends of mine (Kim and Greg) so we enjoyed some banter over the food.

What did we enjoy? All of it but if I were to summarise some highlights they would be:

• Freshness of the first green asparagus dish which was crunchy and herbaceous with a cold tang of horseradish contrasted by the natural warming heat of it
• Beautiful tuna tartare with a lovely contrasting cube of seared tuna 
• Sweet, creamy and unctuous crab with fresh almonds and a salty sea note running through. This was a surprise course for us.
  
• Surf and turf - fleshy barramundi with a heavy braised beef cheek accompaniment. Surprisingly the dish held up the heavy and hearty meaty goodness.
• Another surprise course served in a paper bag -  a chiko roll like one from a fish and chip place but made with wallaby. It was like a yummy Greggs pasty for those UK readers. The wallaby theme continued to another surprise course.
  
• Beautiful rare wallaby with a strong gamey flavour sweetened by beets and bitter chocolate
• Lamb with a lovely ratatouille of eggplant but I felt the middle eastern spicing was a not my thing. The goats milk bubbles were very unusual and exciting though.
  
• The Wagyu was really special. Melted on the tongue, incredibly rich and succulent. Almost spongey in texture unlike anything I've had before
• Sweet saganaki dessert was a talking point especially as it was sweetened by beetroot and the sweetness cut through with a yoghurt ice cream. Like the Wagyu, it was something so different to anything we'd had before but this time it was because it was created that way whereas the Wagyu is a natural product that is just so different

We also enjoyed the Zeus chocolate dessert that Steve and I have had previously and our waitress was kind enough to bring some extra vinegar chocolate sticks that we love so much.

George popped into the restaurant and he found some time to come over and say hello which was very good of him making us feel welcome and valued.

I love the combination of cleverness and creativity that the Press Club brings out but also that it sticks to familiar flavours and its roots are traditional so whilst there are unusual and things that raise questions and causes dinner table discussions, there is no denying it's still delicious.

Following the Press Club, I was invited to a business lunch by a supplier at PM 24. It wasn't my choice so don't go thinking I'm a mad GC fan and every meal I have has to support him! Having said that I was pleased with the decision.

There were 5 of us at the lunch and we had main courses and desserts. My companions all decided to go with the signature rotisserie chicken and in my bid to be different I went steak frites with bearnaise sauce.

It was classical French cooking and we appreciated the superior produce and traditional execution done well. My frites were more the traditional Aussie hot chip and not the crispy shoestring fries of France so perhaps there's something there to think about but they were good chips so not really a point of criticism more a point of consideration.

Service was efficient and unobtrusive. Clever that they bring the tray of desserts to the table as saying no and declining becomes far too difficult. I went for the pretty fruit tart and the others opted for a coffee cream and the rum baba. Comments were that the rum baba packed a powerful punch of rum. The coffee cream was coffee flavoured and creamy so pleasant enough. My fruit tart was a little dry but because it was small the dryness wasn't too much of an issue.

Lunch at PM24 was followed by a last family dinner with mo fo bro at St Katherine's. My father in law chose to go there so Georgie C seems to be a Barley fave. During their trip here we had some epic meals and went to some great places and we let my father in law have free reign as to where he wanted to go for our last supper before they left and St Katherine's was his choice so off we went on Wednesday evening.

It was unexpectedly busy. I think because it's based in Kew and it's a school night it wouldn't be but tables were full when we arrived and we had quite a late sitting. Admittedly it quietened down a lot by the time or main courses arrived but by then it was almost 9pm so not surprising.

We deliberated over their feast menus or to come up with our own and we decided to go with our own instincts and choose what we wanted.

The dips were as per the previous time we had them, delicious. The fava one wasn't on the menu and was replaced by a carrot and pumpkin one which seemed the least popular on our table. I'm not a carrot fan so didn't expect to like it anyway. The bread went down a storm and I think in the space of three minutes we chowed down 4 bagfuls!

Grilled halloumi was good but apparently not as good as the saganaki with peppered figs at Hellenic. Lamb sausage was a bit too dense and meaty for me but the men liked it. I loved the KFC which was pure meat with a moreish BBQ sauce and Kewpie mayo. Also have to mention that the packaging at St Kat's is always fun with bright stripey tubs and paper bags of bread.

The grilled John Dory was one of my favourites with a zesty and herby flavouring to it. We also shared the ribs and the mixed dish of chicken and lamb. Chips and tarama was passed around and my wariness of the tarama turned into delight. It wasn't overly fishy and was more creamy and salty so a good alternative to aioli. I also enjoyed the rice pilaf and corn salad as per the last visit.

Dessert time consisted of a couple of the Mrs Whippi's and some panna cotta. Mrs Whippi was a success. The panna cotta I felt was a little mediocre. The raspberry flavours didn't really come through and there wasn't a lot of panna cotta - just a few blobs scattered around. The lemon although delicious by itself overwhelmed the rest of the components of the dish so all I could taste was lemon.

Discussions over dinner was that St Kat's is quite similar to Hellenic Republic in its family sharing style.  I personally prefer the taverna vibe at Hellenic as St Kat's is a little bright and refectory like for me but the food at St Kat's floats my boat more. The overall verdict was that food preferences laid with St Kat's but the saganaki at Hellenic Republic is the best dish between the two overall.

Following this dinner, a few work colleagues and I had lunch at Maha the next day! Not my idea ok!? We went for the two course soufra for $35 and it was great. We started off with some bread and mezze consisting of some whole almonds with cumin salt, olives, a walnut dip and some radishes in honey, black pepper and coriander. Who knew almonds had a furry coating like a peach? The bread was warm and soft and after one roll each, a second one came out soon after.

Our main course was a piece of Spanish mackerel done sous vide on top of some wilted spinach and the signature 12 our lamb with some mushroom rice and a fresh salad. The quality of these dishes is very good and the price tag makes it such value for money. No one could not enjoy mackerel cooked well and soft tender lamb.

We were well looked after and food was served within the time frame we requested and we all left with full bellies and smiley faces. Winner!

So that was my Calombaris endurance test and what a one it was. Friends have said that I wimped out and really should have fitted the other two in. I guess without sponsorship I wasn't able to finish the course!