Friday night, chef's menu, birthday dinner at Ramblr. That's easy enough to describe. What is harder is defining the cuisine at this South side joint. It's truly modern but with influences of Asia, Italy, England. Ramblr by name and a ramble through this World we live in and eat from.

Starting off with the ubiquitous snack like share feast and we were presented with:

• Baked artichokes
• Sour cream and roe dip
• Capocollo
• Crispy pig's head fritters
• Short rib 'tacos'
• Salt and pepper bug sandwich, iceberg, tartare sauce (unpictured)

This finger feast was a contrast of flavours and textures. Loved the crispy fritters and earthy baked artichokes. The capocollo added some saltiness and the taco was actually wrapped in a pickled root veg maybe like daikon or something similar. More taco in appearance but not so much in Mexican flavour.

The sour cream and roe dip didn't have the punchy flavours the rest of the snacks had but as a sour cream dip with the artichoke it was like a seasonal Autumnal homage to the old classic potato skins and sour cream.

Loved the squishy, brioche bun of the bug sandwich and the crunchy fried bug. Think Supernormal lobster roll but with crunch. Yum.

After snacks we headed to:
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• Calamari noodles, smoked bone marrow, kim chi
• Trout and swordfish crudo, silken tofu, pickled plum, citrus dressing

Two little dishes that go so well with one another with the Asian notes running through and the tang from fermentation and pickling. Those curly, spring calamari noodles are fun and bouncy in the mouth with the tasty meatiness of smoked bone marrow that comes through as a dressing rather than in its more gelatinous form which I find off putting so this provides me with the flavour delight but with none of the gloopiness. The spike of chilli and punch of funky fermentation is really delicious.

The crudo is looks like a little circular mosaic with diced cubes of fish and more cubes of silken tofu. The flavours are fresh and zingy. Shame the mood lighting isn't so complimentary for photographs.

We also share a big dish of charcoal roasted vegetables dressed in lemon and they are zippy and crunchy and fresh.

Ramblr is modern Australian in the truest sense of the term. It's fun, exciting and tasty. I look forward to the next ramble in the eatery.

Intrigued by the concept of a 22 year old at the helm and a quarterly rotating menu inspired by global travel, I visited Atlas with 3 girlfriends. The fit out and decor is impressive with lots of white and light wood. Our individual leather roll wrap of cutlery is a novelty...evoking nuances of airplane travel and camping weirdly.

The welcome is warm as is the temperature. We're seated in front of the kitchen pass and the heat comes through whereas the front dining area manages to stay slightly cooler.

We toast our arrival and the imminent coming of Christmas with smoked straweberry bellinis and a mojito. They are delicious and go down a treat. Before long, we're on the 6 course journey with matching wines and that's all the decision making we need to do. The rest is all chatter and giggles.

Refreshing and clean flavours come through and the different types of tomato provide varying flavours that layer upon themselves giving the simply named dish some complexity. There's a sweet almost dried tomato at the bottom that is also slightly chewy and then there are fresh, tangy tomato flavours from the cut tomatoes and the Vietnamese herbs take us to Asia.

Service was proficient and capable but not personal. The wine matches were read out to us like a script as was the description of the food; we couldn't grasp any personality, passion or energy.

Determined to dine there we sought refuge in the pub on the corner which must be the Hawker Hall holding pen and waited for the text to come through. And an hour and fifteen later it did!

We were shown to a table towards the back of the dining area and we had to wait a while before water and a drinks order taken. So I caught the eye of waiter who seemed a but confused when I said I wanted to order drinks. Maybe we weren't in his section or something. Not the most reassuring start. But not long after our actual waiter came along in braces and high waisted check trousers and a cheery smile and it was pretty plain sailing after that as we left it in his hands in terms of food. The menu is vast so it seemed easier for someone else to make the decisions but there was plenty we didn't get to try and should come back for.
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SprOur smiley cheerful waiter advised that the food comes out pretty quickly and after an hour and fifteen wait, that is a good thing and very very welcome.

• PRAWN‭ & ‬GINGER DUMPLING W‭. ‬SOY‭ & ‬BLACK VINEGAR CARAMEL‭ (unpictured)

Dumplings came first; 4 snowy white plump parcels. Pretty traditional and classic and a happy start. I didn't get the caramel aspect and the dipping sauce was like what I usually make when I pour soy and black vinegar together to get the salty, tangy balance. Good balance but not as innovative as caramel would suggest. The dumplings were quickly followed up with the two pictured dishes:

• MALAY VEGETABLE SPRING ROLLS W‭. ‬GREEN CHILLI SOY‭    
• TOASTED COCONUT MEATBALLS W. LIME & SWEET SOY

​Spring rolls were spring rolls. I prefer Vietnamese style and the best are my grandma's so spring rolls have a hard job to impress me!

The little toasted meatballs did impress though and we were pleasantly surprised as we probably wouldn't have ordered these. The toasty coconut flavour really came through as did the fresh flavour of lemongrass. Delicious bite sized meaty morsels.

• MALAY SHREDDED CHICKEN SALAD W. TOASTED COCONUT SAMBAL
• STEAMED BARRAMUNDI W. RICE NOODLE (unpictured)
• GRILLED BEEF SHORT RIB, OYSTER SAUCE, RED CHILLI & CORIANDER

Between started and main came a few in between dishes and again they came out at a good pace. The chicken salad was zingy and fresh but with a depth of richness from the addition of coconut and coconut cream.

The steamed barramundi comes with about 3 little rolls of rice noodles so it's not quite the noodle dish I though but the fish is steamed perfectly - clean, fresh and light with soy sauce, spring onions, coriander. Again a very traditional and classic Chinese dish.

From the muted clean flavours of salad and steamed fish, in came the spice factor and a dish with more oomph and richness. The short rib came on rice and was rich and tender with a little stickiness. I thought the rice was a touch underdone and a little hard and brittle not helped by a lack of sauce. A touch more juiciness would have elevated this dish.

​We so could have stopped there with the food but where's the fun in that right? And our mains arrived sharing style.

• PENANG DUCK CURRY W. PEANUTS & EGGPLANT
• CAULIFLOWER ROASTED W. TUMERIC, COCONUT & RASINS
• GREEN BEANS, SWEET SOY & TOASTED COCONUT CASHEW

The duck curry was good enough. Super saucy unlike the short rib. Although it was meaty, it could have been any meat really as I think the duck had been mullered and smothered that the duckiness didn't really come through. Green beans were nicely charred and cut through the richness of the food. The dish that wasn't so great was the cauliflower. It was all mushy and tasted over boiled and smothered in cream rather than roasted and spiced which is the impression the description gives. It's creaminess didn't go well with everything else I felt and was a bit overwhelming. But one miss doesn't necessarily make a bad meal.

​We were given free reign over dessert and could choose one to share. There were quite a few that appealed but we went for the most popular:

• MILO DINOSAUR SUNDAE W. CHOCOLATE BISCUIT

Effectively a chocolate ice cream sundae with lots of crunchy biscuit crumb. It offers universal appeal and the cold creaminess of the ice cream went down a treat. It wasn't overly sweet which was good as it was a hefty serving size and it was very enjoyable.

I found the flavours and cooking style of Hawker Hall, although similar to big sister Chin Chin, were less complex and perhaps more authentic to the hawker hall style of Asian food. I loved the speed at which the food arrived and the vast choice of the menu. Understandably not every dish on there will float everyone's boat but feasting on some of them will certainly result in some treasures and I'd go treasure hunting there again for sure.

We're big fans of Jase Jones and the little cantina on Brunswick Street since it's inception at the end of last year so when we had a party to attend in South Yarra close by to big brother outpost B'Stilla we decided to pop in for a quick dinner before heading to partytown.

There's a spacious terrace, seats at the bar and the usual 2 - 6 people type table arrangements. Having not booked and it being 7pm on a Saturday we did think we would struggle but the friendly host showed us to a bar height ledge with folding windows splitting it down the middle with seats on one side on the terrace and seats on the other inside. The folding windows, I can imagine, can be opened up so that the separation is eliminated but on a wintry evening probably best to keep them there.

Given that we wanted to keep things light and speedy, we were advised to avoid the banquet and ideally the large dishes as they could take some time and there was already a rush on in the kitchen apparently as everyone had arrived at the same time.

We stuck with the small plates and sides and went with:

Merguez - duck sausage served with spiced lentils, pomegranate molasses and fresh pomegranate
Lamb ribs, red dukkah, lime and date
B'stilla - duck and chicken pie, almond, cinnamon and saffron (unpictured)
Cauliflower, pine nut sauce, ras el hanout and herbs
Beetroot, chilli labneh and walnuts

Our food arrived pretty quickly in spite of the rush of orders and although we'd been told about the pressure the kitchen was under, it certainly didn't feel stressful in the dining area. The light, bright and spacious dining area was comfortable and friendly with a mix of diners from families to couples on dates and groups of friends.

The duck sausage was well flavoured and the sweetness and sharpness of the molasses cut through some of the dense richness of the meat.

The lamb ribs were sticky and spicy in terms of fragrant aromatics as opposed to chilli with a sweet finish.

The salads arrived next and both were slightly warm which was nice. The beetroot and chilli labneh was a great flavour combination. The larger chunks of beetroot were slightly undercooked so a little harder in texture but this didn't compromise flavour.

The b'stilla was a cute little octagon covered in icing sugar and densely packed meat and nuts formed the filling. I thought it might be dry but it was just on the right side of dry and the almonds added a really good crunch.

We were in and out in less than an hour so this visit really provided us with what we wanted on this occasion. That being said, I'd love to be able to spend a bit longer and enjoy some of the slow cooked meat dishes but the fact we could have a lighter, grazing type dinner shows the versatility of the restaurant.

B'Stilla is like the grown up, more refined version of the B'Stilla Cantina which is definitely more wayward teenage child. There's no mashed potato sandwich for a start but then the South Yarra clientele is probably not that way inclined unlike the Fitzroy massiv! So just like siblings, there's room for both children in a mother's heart!

Boxing Day is my sister's birthday and for the first time in about 5 years we had the chance to celebrate together. I had planned a special day for her which included a late lunch at LuxBite before we went to the theatre. LuxBite is small with one big communal table to sit at and some outdoor seating and no reservations so I was a little concerned that we might not get in but lucky for us, when we arrived there was enough room for us to sit comfortably round the large marble table.

The men didn't want anything savoury so my mum, sister and I shared three dishes:

• Steamed Sticky Rice on Flaky Pastry - With ginger marinated chicken, Shiitake mushroom, lettuce & cucumber salad, Malaysian chilli sauce 
  
• Slow Braised Beef - With caramelised bacon & spring onion mash, fried egg
• Lamb, Mint & Rosemary Sausage - With 60/60 eggs, avocado, feta, tomato relish, toast

We actually wanted the pulled pork and lap cheong on corn fritters but it wasn't available hence we had the sausage instead. The hit was definitely the sticky rice which we all loved and the other two dishes were pleasant.

And then there were cakes too and a macaron lollipop for little Miss Amelia as well as the Endless Love which is inspired by Pierre Herme's Ispahan and is lychee ganache, rose cream, lychee and fresh raspberries - pictured below. And although the cake is called Endless Love, I think the photo also depicts endless love between Amelia and her por por (grandma).

The meringue cake pictured above is the Meringue Monster which is green tea sponge, pistachio, watermelon yoghurt, sour strawberry mousse and meringue. Graeme had the seasonal Rudolph which if I recall was all about chocolate and hazelnut.

Rainy mid week get together with my girlfriend Tanya took place at Le Grand Cirque. Entering is all a bit dramatic with a heavy, velvet curtain shrouding the dining room. You're taken behind the curtain and there it is...I guess it's meant to be the "ta dah" moment.

It's nice enough but I'm not sure if the black curtain helps as it raises the expectations and the dining room whilst pleasant enough is another dining room and I can't say it's super special. The plant pots at Gazi are probably more special than this space.

We were shown to our table for two - I felt like I was seated at a bar really as the table felt small but it was comfortable enough.

It took a while before we were given menus and for our order to be taken. We were meant to return the table after two hours and really this delay didn't help. I also have to concede that I was also 10 minutes late but anyway, we were never pressured to release the table and were in fact encouraged to linger over dessert.

We started off with one of the dips and we chose the beetroot one which had some cumin flavours in it and was enjoyable with the crispy croutony toasts. We also enjoyed the ham and cheese croquettes that came on some cauliflower puree. The croquettes were piping hot, crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside and yes, I would order these again. I think my favourite Melbourne croquettes is the cheese and jalopeno one at Huxtable but these were good too.

We shared the braised beef cheeks and also ordered side dishes of mashed potato and the peas and bacon. Very French bistro. The pot of beef cheek was certainly big enough for two especially with the two generous side dishes.The beef was tender and in the pot were mushrooms and carrots. Flavour wise, I felt it was still a little but sharp from the red wine and could do with a touch more seasoning. The liquid was still a little runny.

The side dishes were delicious though. Buttery, creamy mash and buttery peas with salty chunky bacon bits and sweet onion. I could have just eaten the side dishes!

I really liked the fact that we could share one main course and there's no judging by the wait staff that we're ordering too little. This makes it good value for money. I always envisaged this restaurant to be simple French bistro fayre and Manu was more the face of it and just helps with the promo side of things. And that's what it is. It's not cutting edge cuisine or twists on classics. It's pretty conservative but what I had was enjoyable enough.

Service throughout was attentive and friendly enough except for the initial long wait for menus.

For dessert, there's a trayful of petit fours that you can do a pick and mix with. We shared one just for a mouthful of sweetness as that mash had really filled us up. Great to leave on a sweet note though.

I was kindly invited to the LuxBite Christmas (Luxmas?) Party and having never had the pleasure I jumped at the chance and the lovely Stefanie was my date.

The place was busy when we arrived but we were still warmly welcomed into the sugary bosom of confectioners delight.

Such beautiful items to look and taste. The beautiful mouthful of milk chocolate mousse, raspberry cream, dark chocolate crunch, chocolate glaze, freeze dried raspberry was probably our favourite. The assymemtrical trapezium chocolates were also amazing - crispy crackly outer shell with a filling. I tried the salted caramel one and then the green tea one; intense flavour but not overly sweet and cloying.

See you again LuxBite!

We were very kindly invited as non paying guests to the relaunch of Teppankai in South Yarra for a sit down meal to sample what new things they have to offer.

The place was very busy and we were shown to the two seats allocated to us in front of one of the grilling stations.

We were served drinks and were invited to look at the menu for the evening.

Our little entree came quite quickly - Horenso ohistahi - chilled blanched spinach and shitake mushrooms in light soy sauce, Exactly how it was described it wasn't pleasant enough and felt light and healthy.

Salmon carpaccio - salmon sashimi with tosazu and micro shiso came next and we really enjoyed the citrus notes along with the richness of the raw salmon. Very enjoyable.

The spicy fish tempura roll - lightly tempura battered spicy salmon sushi roll with special sauce and shredded dried chilli was also delicious. The rolls had a delicate crunch and were tasty. The tempura zucchini flower was a touch greasy but still enjoyable.

After a prompt start with the courses, things slowed down as orders got lost and things became more confused. The chefs on the grills and the waitresses seemed to lose some of the control and whilst there was no shouting, the stress levels had definitely increased

Kai kani maki - teppan seared crab salad wrapped in nori sheets and barramundi, smothered with secret aioli, flamed with tobiko and drizzled with a sweet soy reduction finally came and we ate it very quickly! Not my favourite as I found the aioli too creamy and a bit too heavy but Steve enjoyed it which I didn't expect as he usually doesn't like things heavy on the mayo.

There was also a delay before the arrivak of the braised Japanese hamburger - braised beef ball in Japanese teriyaki glazed with poached egg and lotus root chips with matcha salt.

I thought the egg would be warm but it wasn't and I'm not a fun of cold runny egg so this spoilt it for me. The burger itself was quite salty so have to say not my preferred dish of the night.

And there was another delay before our kaisen teppanyaki was ready. This was the Chef's selection of assorted seasonal seafood cooked at the hotplate with soy ponzu dipping sauce. We had watched the chef skilfully cook up a number of these as other diners received their food. We enjoyed it all and it was all fresh. Nothing not to like about grilled seafood.

Kobe style eye fillet - grain fed local eye fillet seared on the hotplate with a splash of sake, assorted mushroom and a miso dipping sauce was our final course and I was so keen to get it I forgot to take the pictures. Cubes of beef and some mixed mushrooms. Like the seafood it was a pleasant main course.

Dessert was black sesame tiramisu - ladyfinger with black sesame syrup and rum infused mascarpone and expectations were low as we're not fans of Asian style dessert.

But we were surprised, this was good. Light sponge, creaminess, sweetness and then toastiness from the black sesame.

Teppankai has a lovely decor and is a fun place to eat whether seated at the grill watching the chefs, tucked away in a corner or at an outside table in the sunshine. It's hard to be creative and a trail blazer with Japanese teppanyaki as there is only so much you can do with a hotplate, soy, sake and butter and a lot of it is down to good produce. So if in the mood for teppanyaki then I would recommend Teppankai as one of the good places to go.

I have had to talk about the delays we experienced in receiving our food but this was a banquet occasion and the whole place became busy at the same time so I'm sure it will be better when the tables are booked at more spaced out times.

Thank you for including us at your relaunch party and we hope to return soon for some teppenyaki action. As has been made obvious, we were non paying guests at this event.

We love a good weekend breakfast and have tried to be up and out on a Saturday morning and we were able to this weekend. We ventured to the much praised Two Birds One Stone and Steve dropped me off to secure a table whilst he parked the car.

Unusually there was no queue and we were able to take up two spaces at the communal table. I loved the light and bright dining area, the booth seating down one wall and the general buzz of the place.

Steve went with the full breakfast option with bacon, sausage patties, eggs, spinach, tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms and halloumi. It was a giant plateful and it was really good.

I had the corn fritters, smoked salmon, snow pea tendrils, avocado and a poached egg. It was pleasant enough but I think to elevate it to the sublime it needed more smoked salmon and the corn fritters needed to be a little crispier ad more packed with corn.

We enjoyed the ambience of the place. I would thoroughly recommend Steve's dish so if it's a  full traditional breakfast you want this is the place. If you're wanting alternate breakfast options then I think Top Paddock does those alternatives better.

WePinocchio's was the destination for a double date with Rachel and Tim. It's one of their neighbourhood faves and upon entering offered respite from the dark drizzly evening outside.

White walls with pencil sketches from the tale of Pinocchio, spotlight lighting and candlelight made it a twinkly environment to be. Waitress service was fairly attentive and it wasn't too long a wait for drinks.

We all shared different types of bruschetta. Large slices of toasted bread topped with generous amounts of mixed mushrooms, or tomatoes or rocket.

Each one was delicious in its own way staying true to Italian flavours and good produce - simple flavour combinations that are classic yet work on crispy bread. The topping to bread ratio worked and kept the crispy bruschetta moist.

Between us we had a pizza and three pasta dishes including a lasagne (vincigrassi), seafood spaghetti (frutti di mare) and the lamb papperdelle.

The pasta is home made and I found that with the seafood spaghetti (frutti di mare), the strands stuck together and the whole thing was quite heavy and dense. The flavours of seafood, chilli, garlic and olive oil was good. There were hints of tomato and I'd have liked a little bit more. I think the delicate nature of seafood needs a lighter pasta.

The lamb papperdelle combined with the heavier pasta was much more of a winning combination. Tasty chunks of lamb that was flavoursome with almost dumpling like al dente pasta. The robustness of the lamb could take the doughier pasta better than the seafood could.

The lasagne was apparently nice enough - rich and satisfying but could do with some more gratin ie crispy cheesy edges.

The slice of pizza I had was good - thin and crispy, sweet tomato and creamy cheese.

We were more than replete by the end of our meal and the quiet ambience of the place was great for a double date. The food was satisfying enough but was more of a backdrop for us four to catch up.