One Fat Cow

Bouchon

2011-10-18T02:46:00.000-07:00

It's not often that I get to blog about a restaurant out of town... I was in Bendigo not long ago and went to Bouchon (61 High St) for a beautiful birthday dinner. The restaurant itself is cosy and the walls are lined with vintage French posters giving it an authentic feel. The menu isn't extensive although it has all the traditional dishes a French restaurant should have. The prices are reasonable - Entrees at $16 and Mains at $28.

We began with the Escargot and a delicious Carpaccio of dry aged beef with truffle mayonaise which was one of the highlights of the night. As I was trying to be very prim and proper eating the escargot with the tongs, I had a 'Pretty Woman' moment when the slippery little sucker flew across the otherside of the room - thankfully not taking anyone out!

I shared the Chateaubriand which was cooked to perfection, the meat very tender and was served with a watercress salad. The other dish that was ordered was the Confit of duck with caramalised witlof, peas and bacon. The feedback was that it was a little dry and too salty, the bacon was quite overpowering which was a shame.

So after the duck, we were expecting a lot from our desserts and we weren't disappointed with the creme brulee. The custard had a beautiful texture and the flavour was well balanced. It was a sweet ending to a lovely night.

PM24

2011-09-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've blogged and that's not to say I've stopped going to amazing restaurants. In fact I have been going to so many good ones that I need to let you all know about them.

My current favourite restaurant is PM24 (24 Russell St, Melbourne). Located where Murasaki used to be, Phillipe Mouchel (formely of The Brassiere) has transformed the large space into a chic dining rooming that is not overly pretentious. It is also part of George Calombaris' restaurant group.

I first went there for dinner with a good friend and we were lucky to get in as there was a last minute cancellation. I would recommend booking at least 2 weeks in advance. The service was outstanding from the beginning and having been there numerous times I am happy to say it is consistent!

We ordered the Goats Cheese Souffle with Roasted beetroot, so light & fluffy and very delicious. We also had the Chicken Liver Terrine and onion jam which came with a cute little jar filled with little gherkins - a nice touch. The terrine itself was hearty and generous with the fois gras. For the mains, all meats are done on the rottisserie, guaranteeing everything to be extremely succulent. We weren't let down at all, my friend had the Millawa organic chicken and I had the Rack of Lamb. The chicken was served on some roast vegies and it was a huge portion. I have since had the chicken and I do rate it highly. The Rack of lamb would have to be one of the most tender pieces of meat I have had for a long time. We also had the french style peas which were soaked in butter, so again very tasty!

We both were too full to eat dessert.. however they give you home made marshmallow as a complimentary sweet treat which was beautiful! I have since returned to have many lunches there. I like how they have a daily special on the rotisserie, which gives you a reason to eat there on different days. The prices are standard of an upmarket restaurant with entrees ranging between $16.50-$25 and mains between $35-$45. Compared to other gourmet restaurants I can guarantee you will leave with a satisfied full stomach.

Vue de Monde

2010-07-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

There is one restaurant in Melbourne that I have been wanting to try forever and my patience finally paid off and I was invited to lunch at Vue de Monde. It is considered to be one of the best restaurants in Melbourne and after hearing amazing reviews and first hand encounters I had very high expectations. Vue de Monde is at the top end of town, located at 430 Little Collins Street in the CBD. The entrance is impressive and as we stepped inside it was different to what I thought it would be. I expected it to be formal & grand, however it was elegant and had a french industrial chic to it. It was warm and the tables are spread out in little areas giving it a cosy atmosphere. The waiters are mostly international and we had a lovely Japanese waitress who welcomed us with a big smile and talked us through the menu.

Vue de Monde is famous for their degustation menu which changes regularly and being my first time there was no doubt that I wasn't going to have anything else! The degustation had a minimum of 5 dishes and depending on what the chefs are cooking it can go up to 8 or more. The bread flowed freely and was so fresh, however we didn't want to fill up too much on the bread. Our first little taste came out on a small piece of rock on a cold plastic bubble, it was some pumpkin seeds, fig & puffed oats - it was quite a bland start to be honest. The first proper dish was a Smoked Ocean trout which was presented with a plastic covering and as they took it off the smoke was released. After that we had Mushrooms with a Duck egg and Mandjump Truffle, this was delicious. Each dish was getting better & better! A Roasted Marron with Celery came out next and everyone on the table was impressed. Then we had a refresher which was a Cucumber Sorbet, this rejeuvenated our pallates and left us longing for more of the fancy food. The main dish came out which was a Blackmore Wagyu beef from David's farm in Alexandra, he was one of the first Australians to bring out Wagyu beef, the beef that we had, had a marble score of 9. It was served with dried berries and parsnip, I could tell from my first bite that it was something special and I now can appreciate why people pay hundreds of dollars for marbled score Wagyu beef.

It was now dessert time and the first one that came out was a Frozen White Chocolate lollipop dipped in popping candy on a tube of lemonade. It was as magical as it sounds, it was something out of an Enid Blyton book - reminded me of the Magic Faraway Tree and all the fantasy treats they would eat. A Chocolate Souffle came out next and it was fluffiest and lightest dessert I have ever eaten. Just when we thought it was all over we then had a selection of Petits-Fours which ended our experience on a sugar high. My expectations were exceeded and I am still dreaming of the food there and thinking of the next time I'll be back. For the food journey that we had, I don't think the $100 a head price was too extravagant at all. If you want to impress someone then this is the place to go. I think the value for lunch is much better for dinner as it jumps up to $150. There is an option to have matching wines for each dish, however I'll save that for another time. One of the best experiences I have had at a restaurant and every foodie should make sure that that they can cross this one of their wish list.

Cumulus Inc

2010-06-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

There are some restaurants that have a buzz around them, there are reviews of them in every food magazine you pick up - the hot new place to eat. Cumulus (45 Flinders Lane) has had this buzz around it for quite some time now and being a foodie I succumbed to the hype and gave it a go. I went on a Thursday night in a group of 4, we got there around 6. Cumulus is one of those places where you can't book, which kind of annoys me as you have to arrive early. All the people that come after 7 would have to wait for another 2 hours for a table as once you sit down you want to enjoy the food and drinks. They don't seat you until your whole party arrives, which also annoyed me a little as one of the group was running late and lucky she arrived when she did as we got one of the last tables. The space itself is square and minimal, the kitchen is open and you can actually sit up on the table and watch the chefs cooking up a storm. The bar area is small and can't fit a lot of people, it got pretty crowded at one stage and people were almost hanging outside the door. Apart from that, the service was quite good - friendly, without being too overbearing.

The menu at Cumulus is all shared plates apart from the big plates like the Lamb Shoulder. Cumulus is known for their oysters and these didn't let us down, we had a mix of some varieties - Pacific & Rock oysters. Their stand out dish that everyone has been raving on about is the Tuna tartare on crushed green peas, it certainly didn't disappoint and was probably the highlight of the entire meal. We also ordered the Olives, Wagyu bresaola with fresh horseradish, this was very good a great take on the traditional Beef Carpacchio and much more tasty as well. The Foie Gras parfait with toasted brioche was another nice dish, I'm obsessed with Foie Gras so anything that has Foie Gras in it, I'll order it. For the meat dish, we chose the Slow cooked pork strap with leek braised in miso butter, to be honest this wasn't that great, the pork was a bit tough and not tender at all, I regretted ordering that and wish we opted for the Lamb shoulder which I had food envy when I saw other people having it! We had the pork with the cracked wheat & freekah salad which was interesting. We finished of our meals with the cheese platter - Cow's milk from Switzerland, extremely good quality and shared a few desserts, the stand out was the Pear sorbet, burnt butter shortbreak & almond milk.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience, the dishes were on the small side but it is tapas, we were recommended to order 5-6 plates, I think you can easily order another 3 dishes on top of that as we didn't leave feeling stuffed. The prices were on the high side for what you get. I wouldn't rush back there although I'm glad that I got to go there and experience it.

Gingerboy

2010-04-27T03:47:00.000-07:00

People often ask me which is my favourite restaurant in Melbourne, I have a lot of favourites that range from Longrain to my local Japanese cafe. There is one place that I do love and continually go back for more.. that place is Gingerboy. It is positioned as Modern Asian Hawker style food and definitely rings true to its inspired roots. Gingerboy is similar to Hawker food stalls in that it's tucked away in an alleyway (27-29 Crossley Lane, CBD) with a red neon sign that marks the spot.

There is a narrow bar that serves beautiful asian inspired cocktails, I'm yet to have tried them all, although I do like the 'I dream of Lychee'. I've eaten at Gingerboy for lunch and dinner, the menu stays the same. For dinner there are 2 seatings - 6pm & 8pm and it usually is busy for both. The decor is funky, with fairylights dotted on the bamboo walls and a very retro asian styled red lantern. It makes for a cosy ambience and it's great when dining as a couple or a group of 4.

There are 3 parts to the menu, the 'snacks and street food' which are the starters, 'shared dishes' the mains & 'side dishes'. I've tried almost all the dishes on the menu and I'll take you through my favourites. First things first, the Son in Law eggs is one of Gingerboy's signature dishes, these are golden fried eggs that you eat whole with chilli jam. It is a mouthful but worth it when the yolk explodes into your mouth. The salt and pepper chicken spare ribs with green chilli sauce are delicious, think gourmet KFC, but 100 times better! The serving is generous so you don't need to fight over the last pieces. The crispy chilli salt cuttlefish is cooked perfectly and the batter is so light. The steamed prawn and ginger dumplings are also worth a mention. Finally, the duck san choi is another highlight!

If you've got room for the mains then the red duck leg curry is out of this world. The duck falls off the bone and the coconut curry sauce can be soaked up with the the crispy corn cakes - bliss! The roaasted king fish in banana leaf is beautiful as well. The caramalised wagyu ox with hot & sour salad may sound a little daunting, but trust me be brave - you won't be disappointed. On to dessert and if there is a group of you, the tasting plate is the way to go which is a work of art. Their version of a banana fritter is not to be missed.

My stomach is starting to rumble picturing all this wonderful food. It does a bit of damage on the wallet, but it will over satisfy your senses and of course your stomach. Gingerboy is asian tapas at its best.. now to book my next visit!

Satsuki

2010-04-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

This place I'm about to blog about used to be one of my best kept secrets and I would only tell my good friends about it as I didn't want to spread the word too much, but since it has been written up in The Age Cheap Eats Guide and reviewed by the likes of Matt Preston , I can now go public with it! It's a tiny local Japanese cafe and I was one of their first customers over 7 years ago. Back then I stumbled across this cafe and was so delighted with my find, I went there almost every week dreaming about the food.

Now you have to plan in advance and book otherwise you won't get a table. The name is Satsuki (orginally Asatsuki) and is at 458 Waverley Rd, East Malvern on the corner opposite the Cricket ground. It is run by the Desmond & Chiemi Everett and you can see them cooking in the tiny back open kitchen. They have about 5 tables which fits about 15 people, as it is so small they do a roaring trade on take-aways.

My favourite dishes here are the Teriyaki Chicken (the best ever in Melbourne), they must marinate the Chicken overnight as it is so tasty unlike other bland dishes they serve up at other Japanese restaurants. Also the Eye Fillet in Teriyaki sauce is another one of my favourites, these 2 dishes were my standard order. For entree they do nice potato croquettes, the sashimi is always generous and reasonably priced and the gyoza is done the traditional way.

They are constantly changing the menu around and there is always something new to try, the last time I was there we had the Triple cooked pork belly which was delicious but probably not so good for my hips. Then I had the Scallop salad with tobiko and avocado, a very generous serving with lots of scallops, beautiful & light salad. My boyfriend had the Calamari bento box which came with miso soup, rice, salad and dumplings. It's BYO and they do have a good selection of wines on the menu which are very reasonable. Our meal came to $75 for both of us including several glasses of wine. If you're looking for a local cafe that consistently serves good quality and generous serves, definitely come to Satsuki!

France-Soir

2010-04-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

If you want to taste a bit of Paris in Melbourne then France-Soir (11 Toorak Rd, South Yarra) is the place to go. It is a 22 year old institution and it probably hasn't changed much since it first opened. It really does feel like you're in a Parisian brassiere, it's narrow and the tables are all very close together. It's a bustling restaurant and it is always busy! The waiters are all French, middle aged men that are efficient and are straight down to business. I've been quite a few times and have always enjoyed the authentic French food. We went with my boyfriend's parents last week, it was a cold night and it was cosy in the restaurant. There are 2 sittings, a 6:30pm & 9pm, and even for a Monday night the first session was full.

Terry brought his last bottle of Cullens 1997 Cabernet Merlot that we all enjoyed so much that time at Lynches, indeed a very good drop! For our starters we shared the Coquilles St Jacques au basilic which are their famous Sauteed scallops with king brown mushrooms. I love the way the French cook scallops and we weren't disappointed with this dish, the scallops were so plump and juicy, it was definitely the highlight dish of the night. I also had a taste of the Roasted quail verjuice with grapes, the meat was tender and the grapes added the extra flavour. At this stage the restaurant was full and the table next to us at 6 people crammed on to a 4 seater table and they weren't phased at all! Our main meals arrived swiftly and we all had something different, I had the Eye Fillet with Bernaise sauce which was cooked exactly as how I ordered it. The bernaise sauce was creamy and rich and I only could have a little bit of it as I was scared to think what it would do to my thighs! It was full of butter! Other mains were the Whole duck breast & sauteed potatoes which lacked a little bit of a punch in flavour although the meat was good quality, the Half Roasted duckling with orange sauce is one of their signature and traditional French dish. My boyfriend ordered the Veal fillets with mushrooms, cream & Calvados which was rich but not the best he's had. The mains are served with French fries which are cooked perfectly and would have to be some of the best fries I've had.

For dessert you can't go past the Creme brulee, we could smell it as they caramalised the top of it. It truly is the best Creme brulee in Melbourne and is up there with the best one I had in France. If you are looking for authentic French cuisine then you've come to the right place. Be prepared for South Yarra prices and the noise factor which adds to the overall atmosphere. It hasn't changed since the last time I was there and I can guarantee it will be exactly the same the next time I visit!

Dainty Sichuan

2010-04-12T00:40:00.001-07:00

Following on from my experience at Spice Temple, I had to find Melbourne's equilavent and in terms of spice I think I found it - Dainty Sichuan. The name is deceiving as there is nothing really dainty about eating food that sets your whole head on fire - quite the opposite actually! There are 2 Dainty Sichuan restaurants in Melbourne, one in the city at Corrs Lane and the other is at 176 Toorak Rd, South Yarra which is the one that we went to. We went with a couple of our friends, Rach & Nick and as we walked in there was already a queue of people. We had made a reservation although we waited for about 10 minutes for our table upstairs. The first sign of a good Chinese restaurant is if there are other Chinese people eating there and this one definitely ticked that box.

As we made our way to the table we noticed everyone with bottles of milk and soon realised what we were in for. The menu was easy to navigate with photos for every dish and each one had a rating between 1-3 chillis. Most of the dishes we chose were the 2 chilli dishes, for someone that isn't huge on chilli this was quite daunting! We ordered some pickled vegetable to start and I was explaining to everyone that this would help neutralise the chilli as this is the way they serve it at Spice Temple, I was completely wrong. We all reached for the milk after having a mouthful! Then the Sichuan chicken came out which was so tasty but again very hot. The Ma Po tofu was recommended by another foodie, this tofu dish is a traditional Sichuan dish set in a spicy chilli and bean based sauce topped with minced pork. The Sichuan peppers in the dish make your mouth completely numb and tingle. It was the strangest sensation and I couldn't help going back for more.

The Kungpow prawns came out which was definitely everyone's favourite dish, the sweet and spicy flavours really worked well. The steamed pork ribs with rice powder wasn't as tasty as all the other dishes and it lacked flavour. One of our saviours apart from the milk was the Snow pea seedling vegetable dish fried with garlic. This definitely helped ease the heat of the food.

The ambience is not the best, don't expect a cosy romantic atmosphere, it's a big noisy Chinese restaurant with typical Chinese waiters that don't clear the table until you actually leave! It is however really well priced and it's great you can BYO, our bill came to $125. We all bonded over the firey challenge and agreed it was a very entertaining experience. As we left we wiped the sweat off our brows and fear set in with anticipation of our bowel movements the next day..

Movida Aqui

2010-04-12T00:35:00.000-07:00

On Friday I was taken out to a boozy lunch at Movida Aqui, the second one in the city which was opened due to the success of the original Movida in Hosier Lane. Movida Aqui is at the finance end of the CBD, 500 Bourke St and caters for the business suits. The interior is very modern and European. The actual design is great as there is an outdoor bar and then the restaurant which has an open kitchen right in the middle. As we were shuffled to our table, you could see the tapas being plated up sitting on the shelves ready to be served. I was so tempted to start tasting the tapas as I walked past!

The menu was traditionally Spanish and the waiter kindly explained how it all worked. We ordered the Paella with the duck and sausage first as it takes about 30 minutes to cook. While we waited for the grande serve of that, we shared some starters - the Calamari sandwhich was amazing, think little burgers served with delicious strips of calamari with mayonaise. We tried the special oysters which were Coffin Bay served with spanish breadcrumbs and onions, very nice. Continued on the seafood journey with the Grilled tuna with a black olive crust, this was seared and left raw in the middle. Next was the Scallops grilled with jamon on braised vegetables - beautiful, everyone enjoyed this one and we all wanted another one. Some of us had the Anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet, which is one of their classic tapas,good but obviously only for Anchovy fans. The Venison special was tender and quite a heavy taste which I enjoyed after having all the light seafood. We then had to try the Patatas Bravas which were so soft on the inside and crispy on the outside - Movida definitely did these traditional Spanish potatoes justice! Then the Paella came out, one of the nicer paellas I've had in Melbourne although there were too many chickpeas in there for my liking.

I was there with my wine client who chose a lovely Spanish wine, a 2008 Paco & Lola. It complimented the seafood and was so easy to drink, we ended up ordering another bottle. Of course we had to have the Spanish donuts for dessert, they were perfect although I wasn't a huge fan of the chocolate sauce which I felt was quite bland, needed to be a bit sweeter. Then it was on to the Moritz beer while we watched people start turning up for dinner, we were the last ones in the restaurant so we moved to the outside bar. It was a really fun afternoon, great food, wine & company. I'd definitely recommend it for work lunches and the price reflects its location.

Spice Temple

2010-04-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I went up to Sydney for the Easter break, like most Melbournites I love going to Sydney for the weekend, but I don't think I could ever live there. We stayed at the Establishment which was a great boutique hotel tucked away in a lane - one of the nicer hotels I've stayed in. One restaurant that I've been dying to try is Neil Perry's Spice Temple which is underneath his famous Rockpool Bar & Grill. I booked about a month in advance and had read all kinds of reviews on the restaurant. I had very high expectations as even my younger sister kept raving on about it.

The location is in the CBD, 10 Bligh St and the entrance is on a corner with a door that has a digital screen with Chinese dresses - very striking. As we entered we walked down several flights of stairs and reached the bar area which was very cool. We were then seated, the main room is dark with one ceiling light hanging above which lights up the table. The tables are well spaced out and you're not sitting right up next to other people. The waitress was bubbly and friendly and introduced us to the restaurant. We ordered some cocktails to start and I love that each of them are named after the Chinese animals from the Chinese Calendar.

It is a known fact that Neil Perry loves chilli and Spice Temple is a testament to his passion. Almost everything on the menu has spices, some more than others which on the menu are highlighted in red. For the entree we chose the Spiced Chicken Wings with heaven facing chillis and the Steamed eggplant with three flavours (garlic, coriander and sweet pork). We also had a bowl of Pickled Cabbage radish on the side which helped neutralise the spicy flavours. The waitress recommended we have half serves of the entrees otherwise it would've been too much and she was right. The servings are extremely generous, very similar to your typical local Chinese restaurant. The entrees were delicious, the chicken wings were on the salty side however extremely tasty and the eggplant was one of the best I've had.

For our mains I ordered Stir fried Crystal Bay Prawns with salted duck egg and four chillis, Pork special which was braised and cooked for 16 hours in its own juices and for the vegetable dish - Stir fried king abalone mushroom with garlic stems and chives. The prawns were so fresh and worked well with the sauce. Typically in a Cantonese restaurant these prawns are battered with the salted duck egg, although in Spice Temple the sauce is more liquidy. My boyfriend attempted to eat 2 of the chillis served with the prawns and nearly passed out in front of me from the hotness, thank god for the side bowl of pickled cabbage radish! The braised pork was so juicy and tender. The flavours were strong and heavy. I loved the vegetable dish, garlic stems should be used more often in restaurants as they have a wonderful taste and the abalone mushrooms were meaty.

Even though we were so full we finished our dinner with Mango pudding with fresh mango and sago. It was so light and fluffy. The sweetness took the heat out of all the spicy food we had consumed and left a nice taste in our mouths. Prices are on the high side - $15-$30 for entree & $30-40 for a main, although believe me it's worth every cent!

The night met my high expectations and then some. We both left the restaurant with our bellies full and smiles on our faces. It would have to be one of the best experiences I've had at a restaurant from it's romantic and cosy atmosphere to the unique flavours of each dish and having had a lot of Chinese food in my time, I loved Neil Perry's twist on the classic dishes but still keeping to the authenticity of these traditional dishes. If you're going to Sydney, a visit to Spice Temple is a must.

Lynch's

2010-03-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

A lazy Monday night dinner at Lynch's with the view of the Botanical Gardens accompanied by a 13 year old bottle of wine.. Ok, I did feel guilty while I watched the joggers running around the tan, knowing that I should've been one of them to work off all the food I have consumed over the last month! Well we were invited to dinner by my boyfriend's parents and as always Terry brings out a special bottle of wine that has been in his cellar for years, this time around it was a 1997 Cullens Cabernet Merlot. A very smooth and easy wine to drink. You can always tell a good restaurant by the bread they serve and the bread at Lynch's is so fresh and is served with good quality olive oil.

After recently having a lot of rich and heavy food, not to mention the homemade spaghetti I had for lunch I opted to have a light seafood dinner. Barbara and I shared a dozen oysters, these were from Tasmania and we both found them to be very strong and full flavoured, however I think we both preferred less heavy tasting oysters. The others had Calamari entree which I had ordered for my main. I would now rate the Calamari at Lynches as one of the best I've had, the calamari is lightly dusted with spices and flour and is served with a lime & chilli condiment. It is delicious and anyone who loves calamari must come here and try it. The serving is very generous and I was so full after it. Other dishes that we ordered were the Japanese beef salad which I had a taste of, really good, tender wagyu beef with avocado and salad leaves, Spaghetti marinara which had a good variety of seafood and plenty of it and then a Vegetarian Penne.

Of course we had to try the dessert which was the Mini Pavlova with berry compote. The meringue was light and crunchy, not the best pav I've had, but not bad. Lynch's is located at 133 Domain Rd, South Yarra and is one of the older restaurants in Melbourne, over 30 years old and it has always kept a consistent standard of serving high quality food - you definitely won't be disappointed after a meal here.

The Press Club

2010-03-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

The Press Club, no it's not a special club, but yes the name does sound formidable and formal. It's one of Melbourne's busiest restaurants mostly thanks to the phenomenon of Master Chef. This is George Calombaris' flagship restaurant and it has always been good, but he's definitely stepped it up a notch to make sure that he impresses his visitors.

I've eaten lunch here before, pre Master Chef days and did enjoy the banquets and always thought it was up there with the best restaurants in Melbourne, so I had high expectations for this dinner. We went out with some good friends and we were all looking forward to the date. We booked the 8:45pm session and when we arrived it was a full house and we had to wait for about 5 minutes as the table wasn't ready. There were 4 of us and the table was quite spacious and there was a lot of room opposite each other. The tables are close together so you can hear other people's conversations around you, but it is quite a noisy atmosphere.

The service was very good, the waitress that we had was greek and extremely knowledgeable. Complimentary bread was served and there was a choice of all different types - linseed, sourdough. The bread is served with olives in olive oil. We ordered all 4 entrees and shared them all, they were small but each one was presented well and the flavours were all unique. There were stuffed chicken wings, 3 of them so we had to cut 1 of them and share between 2. Raw tuna with watermelon, which was my favourite. Prawns with basil and a crispy cheese - generous serve and then the Beetroot terrine which was quite nice.

For the main, I chose the Lamb 'neck', miso mousaka, the meat had been cooked for 16 hours and it was delicious. The boys shared the Beef - rangers valley scotch, there were parts of the meat where it was a bit fatty. My other friend had the Pig, which looked and tasted amazing. The sides that we shared were the Sweet corn with yoghurt cheese and almonds and the Beans with mint and feta. For dessert we shared some tasters, the best one on there tasted like a sticky date pudding. The rest weren't memorable.

Overall it was an expensive night out, $125 per person including 2 bottles of wine. It definitely put a dint on the credit card and is comparable to Sydney prices. The boys weren't huge fans and didn't rate it. I thought it was great, but not the best food I've ever had and I think the prices could come down a little, but I guess there is demand out there and with Masterchef 2 coming out I suspect these prices will rise even more.

Becco

2010-03-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

I love the city of Melbourne with all the little alleyways that wind around and on each corner there are restaurants and cafes dotted all around. One of my favourite restaurants that lives in one of these alleys is Becco (11-25 Crossley Lane). I ate there last night before a gig with my boyfriend and his parents. The setup is cosy, there's the bar as you enter in which is great for afterwork drinks. It's an open space and you can watch the chefs hard at work cooking up your meals.

We arrived early at 6pm and were the the only ones in the restaurant, if you want a quiet dinner then best to come in early as it does get a little loud although that adds to the ambience. The waiter service is also very attentive and professional.

We had a few starters to share, highly recommend the stuffed olives which I get every time. The chilli flour dusted calamari is beautiful and melts in your mouth, the chilli gives it that extra zing. We also tried the 3 different natural oysters from Tasmania, NSW & SA, all unique in their flavours and most importantly so fresh. We ordered a bottle of the Flametree Cabernet Merlot 2008 which was a very good drop for it's price at $48. The previous times I had been here I always went for a meat dish ie Crumbed Veal Cutlet, or the Roast Duck, although this time I wanted to try the pasta and I wasn't disappointed. I had the Traditional Lasagna with Chicken livers, Pork and Veal with Mushroom cream. It was very rich but extremely tasty! Other mains that were ordered were the Gnocchi with Rabbit & Pancetta and the Crab & Chilli Risotto, both were delicious and servings were generous. We also had a refreshing Beetroot sald with feta and spanish onion which complemented our meals nicely.

As always, we were all so full to have dessert so we shared the mixed gelato which was a nice way to finish off our meal. What I love about Becco is that it's consistent and I never have had a bad meal here. It's not cheap and you're looking at around $60 per person with a few drinks. Although if you want high quality, authentic Italian then you've come to the right place.

Longrain

2010-02-25T01:15:00.001-08:00

Have you ever been to a restaurant and each time you go there the food tastes better and better, well that's Longrain. When I know I'm going there, I get excited just thinking about all the food and anticipating the feast that I will be having. The other week, I took my mum to experience it with me. Longrain is on 40-44 Little Bourke St, just around the corner from my other favourite restaurants, Gingerboy which I will talk about another time. Longrain a modern thai restaurant and only take bookings for more than 6 people, so it's recommended to arrive early to avoid waiting which we did, we got there around 6:30, otherwise you can wait up to 30 minutes. They've got amazing cocktails so if you do find yourself having to wait, enjoy those, my favourite is So Ho La (lychee one).

We sat on the long communal table, so you sit next to other people. It's cosy, but you don't feel like you're on top of each other. We had a table of 3 so we had a bit more room. The menu isn't huge, which is good because it makes it easier to order. We had the oysters with red chilli lime juice & deep friend eschalots. At $4.50 per oyster it is on the expensive side, but they are probably one of the best oysters in town! Then we had one of each of the betal leaves, one is with smoked trout and the other is with prawn - delicious! For the mains, we had the caramalised pork hock which is a favourite, the fried whole snapper in red curry sauce which is amazing and is definitely the best snapper I've ever had and the braised duck served with asian vegetables. The duck was so tender and so meaty. What I love about Longrain is the serving sizes, they are generous portions and there is always more than enough food to go around and we all struggled to finish everything, but it's too good to go to waste.

You must leave room for dessert which on the visit we didn't, however I insisted we at least get 1 scoop of the coconut icecream to share and when they tasted it they didn't complain! The prices are on the dear side, you're looking at around $60-80 per head including a few drinks although it's worth every cent. I prefer going to Longrain with 3 or more people as you can order more dishes and experience the unique flavours of each dish, think sweet, sour & salty, the flavours are so full and explode in your mouth leave you wanting more. Undoubtly one of the best restaurants in Melbourne!

Lamaros

2010-02-24T22:44:00.001-08:00

Last night my lovely boyfriend took me to Lamaros (273-279 Cecil St, South Melbourne) for a surprise dinner. When Kylie Mingoue was on tour she celebrated her b'day in their private dining room. I've only had drinks there at the bar and had been wanting to try it for a long time. I wasn't disappointed.. It's a fine dinning pub, the dining room is a good size and is simplistic in it's design.

We started off with the prawn & salmon gyozas which were on a bed of asian salad. They were very nice, although a little expensive as there were only 4 and the dish cost $22. We shared the duck terrine & liver, it was divine. The liver reminded me of foie gras, so rich and tasty. It was served with 2 pieces of toast and some chutney jam on the side.

For the mains I was torn between the seared fin tuna and the rump steak (300g), the waitress soon helped my decision when she said definitely the rump steak without question. Apparently they don't always get that cut of meat, so when it is on the specials menu it's a must to order. I'm glad I went with her advice, it was served on a wooden board with a few pieces cut up on a boulangerie of onion. There were a few sides, potatoes and watercress salad. The meat was cooked to perfection. It reminded me a lot of Taxi's famous marbled beef, even the way it was presented.

My boyfriend had the crispy fried szechuan duck which was served on the same asian salad as the gyozas, a little disappointed as it would have been nice if it was different. The duck was nice, although a little on the dry side. We had some beans with anchovy sauce on the side.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was here and it's probably one of the better gastro pubs I have been to. I'm already looking forward to my next visit and I'll make sure that I'll save room for dessert!

Bacash

2010-02-22T00:59:00.000-08:00

Seafood by the botanical gardens, look no further than Bacash (175 Domain Rd, South Yarra). My boyfriend's parents invited us for dinner where we celebrated my recent promotion at work. I was doing a Feb detox but how could I not break it when Terry offered me a glass of a 20 year old Penfolds Bin 707 red wine - the most perfect way to start our dinner.

We shared natural rock oysters which had a dressing of shallots, chives and sweet vinegar. Also had half a dozen of the Bacash oysters which were grilled with spinach, garlic and parmasen cheese. These were delicious and reminded me of Cafe Di Stasio's special oysters.

For my main, I chose the baby snapper which was served with leek mash and crushed peas. It was very light and the fish was as fresh as they come. Other mains that were ordered was the filet mignon which I managed to steal a bite of, juicy and you could tell it was premium quality. There was the flounder which was served as a whole, beautiful presentation and then Garfish served with parsley, Spanish onion and tomato salad.

We finished off our dinner with homemade icecream - all different flavours pistachio, coffee & caramel.

Bacash is a top seafood restaurant and probably one of the best in Melbourne with prices reflecting that. It's cosy, without being too noisy, service is excellent and the waiters are extremely knowledgeable and professional.

Snow Pony

2010-02-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

One of weekend's luxuries is going out for brunch, it's the perfect start to the weekend and a also a great way to cure a hangover!

Snow Pony is my favourite breakfast cafe and I dream all week about the 'Smashed avocado with thyme buttered mushrooms, marinated feta + torn basil on wholegrain toast with a poached egg'. My mouth is watering now..

You may have heard of Porgie & Mr Jones which is in Hawthorn and if you don't get there early enough there are queues out the door. Snow Pony was opened by Porgie's owners to capitalise on their success. You'll find Snow Pony on 95 Whitehorse Rd in Balwyn. The design is rustic and beautiful photographs line the walls. The staff are very casual, local high school kids who sometimes have to be reminded to give you the menu!

The produce is top quality - mushrooms from the Yarra Valley, eggs from the Grampians even the olive oil they uses is from the Peninsula. The menu is original with items called 'McPony' described as an English muffin stuffed with ham off the bone, emmental cheese and creamy dreamy scrambles, 'Giddy Up' which is the big breakfast with bacon, eggs, slow roasted tomato, avocado & thyme buttered mushrooms. Yes, I can see your mouth watering now!

If you enjoy a good breakfast then you can't go past Snow Pony, although I'm pretty sure the secret is out, so get there soon before it follows in it's siblings footsteps.

Coda

2010-02-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

One of the newer restaurants that opened up last year and after hearing so many good reviews I was very excited to try it out for myself. The food is Modern Vietnamese/Thai and I would liken it as a cross between Longgrain and Gingerboy.

It's housed in the former 'Mini' restaurant (Basement 141 Flinders Lane Cnr Oliver Lane), great space and a warm atmosphere. When I looked at the menu, I wanted to try every single dish on there! There are two types of sizes, smaller and bigger. The smaller plates are tapas style and are shared as entrees and then the bigger plates are usually for the mains. Although we went for more smaller plates as there was so much to choose from.

Between the 3 of us, we shared about 7 smaller dishes and then had 1 bigger dish. The highlights of the entrees were the spanner crab betal leaf, quail san choi bow & the ha noi style crispy rice paper rolls. So many different taste sensations, each one leaving us wanting more. The roasted yellow duck curry was one of the best curries I've had, the duck was so meaty and tender.

Even though I had no room left for dessert I managed to squeeze in the spiced apple goats cheese fritters with honey ice-cream which was the perfect way to end my experience at Coda.

Hellenic Republic

2010-01-31T18:15:00.000-08:00

I had a string of client lunches before Christmas and we went to some of the best restaurants in Melbourne which I will share those experiences with you over the next few posts.

Let's start off with Hellenic Republic (434 Lygon St, Brunswick East), a greek bustling restaurant owned by George Calombaris from Masterchef. I've been here a few times now and I love the space, very simple with unique touches ie wicker chairs hanging up, Olive oil tanks planted around the restaurant. I love the mosaic sharing table on the left of you as you enter the restaurant.

I prefer this restaurant as a lunch venue, rather than dinner. A nice long lunch over greek wines and Mythos.. They do open for breakfast which I've heard is very good and I'm yet to try it. I've had the banquet twice here and unless you haven't eaten for a week I would recommend ordering off the menu. Also it does work out cheaper and you still leave stuffed!

You can't go past the saganki with figs - undoubtly the best saganaki I've had. The spanikopita is also very good, big serves. The pickled vegetables is a great side dish and the olives are tasty. For mains, I loved 'Ya Ya's Moussaka' which is George's grandmas recipe. It is so good, the bechamel on top and the meat that is infused with egglplant and potatoes is such a hearty meal. The lamb cutlets are typically greek, a little salty. The hand cut chips served in newspaper are moorish and the chicken souvlaki is generous. And for something sweet, you can't go past the greek doughnuts!

This is a loud, boisterous place, a great venue to catch up with friends.

Santiago Tapas Bar

2010-01-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

Best way to eat tapas is on a hot summers night which is exactly what I did over the weekend! Santiago is a cosy Spanish tapas bar tucked away in Middle Park (14 Armstrong St). It probably is one of the best Spanish places in Melbourne which is overseen by Head Chef Jeramiah Schoemaker.

It feels like you have been transported to a laneway in Barcelona, the ambience is casual yet romantic. We started off with the sashimi tuna skewers with asparagus, these were meaty and the sashimi was A-grade. Next was the chilli herbed mussels, which were beautiful, they had a kick to it the flavours worked well together. Then we had the chunky pork meatballs in tomato sauce which were delicious. We tried the crispy fried rabbit which was served on salad leaves, interesting texture, a little salty. We finished our meal off with battered honey goats cheese - amazing!!

Dishes are between $5 - $15, so not over priced. Service is friendly and very helpful. They also have paella nights which I will definitely try on my next visit.

Metung

2010-01-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

Over my summer break, I spent 5 days in Metung which is a quaint fishing village 15 minutes from Lakes Entrance. It's a very small town but due to it's clientale (wealthy folk with luxury boats) there are a several restaurants that cater for them.

We had dinner one night at Metung Galley which over the years has had write ups in the Age Good Food Guide. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner so it's more like a cafe although with restaurant prices. We shared the duck spring rolls, lightly fried with a star anise and orange dipping. It was a tad dry and not a huge amount of filling.

For my main I chose the Seafood Linguine which had a good amount of fresh seafood. It was very tasty, although a little too oily for my liking. My boyfriend went for the Gippsland eye fillet which he ordered medium and it came out well done which was a shame as it was a prime serve of meat which would've been better served rare.

The next night we went to a Bancroft Bites which is a couple of doors down and we were pleasantly surprised. We had some olives and oysters to start with, then I went for the Calamari salad and my boyfriend had the Duck on hokien noodles. We both enjoyed our meals and compared to Metung Galley I would recommend going to this place as the prices are a little cheaper and the overall quality, service was better.

Metung is such a beautiful place and if you're wanting a relaxing break, head here and stay at 5 Knots which are sea/lake facing apartments that feature all the mod cons.

Hutong Dumpling Bar

2010-01-27T22:34:00.000-08:00

Small morsels of heaven filled with exquisite juice that explode in your mouth when you bite into it! Hutong Dumpling Bar is where you get served these famous Shanghai dumplings 'xiao long bao'. It is now one of my favourite restaurants and I frequent it quite regularly.

I started going to the one in the city, 14-16 Market Lane right opposite Flower Drum, however now there is one in Prahran, 161 Commercial Rd. The menus are relatively the same, although the city location is definitely cheaper ($2-$3 cheaper on the same dishes).

The restaurant looks like a typical Shanghai teahouse and you can watch the cooks make the dumplings. Some of my favourite dishes are the claypot eggplant with scallops in chilli oil and the pork spare ribs in sweet vinegar sauce - both generous portions.

On my last visit, I did try the Peking duck at the Prahran restaurant as they have invested in these high powered ovens that cook the ducks in 2 hours! It was on the expensive side - $33 for half a duck. The duck was good, a little on the dry side. I would probably opt for another serve of Shanghai dumplings next time!

The service can be quite comical as some of the waiters are inexperienced but they get there in the end!

Having been to Shanghai, I can definitely vouch for the authenticity of the food and can't go on enough about these dumplings, they are the same quality as the ones I had in Shanghai.

Landed... at the Queen Vic Night Market

2010-01-27T16:32:00.000-08:00

One fat cow has officially landed in cyberspace and is ready to eat her way around the world, starting off in Melbourne.

Ok enough of me referring to myself in the third person! Welcome to my blog whoever is reading this, I will attempt to share my food experiences with you all as food is my passion. You know the sayings 'Eat to Live' & 'Live to Eat' - the latter is my mantra!

I work in a great industry where I am taken to a lot of the top restaurants in Melbourne which fuels my passion. On the weekends I love to get out and try as many different places as I can.

Last night, I ventured out to the Queen Vic Night Markets which run every Wednesday and finishes up on the 24th Feb. It was my first time there and I recommend that you get there early as once the crowds arrive you can't really see the food stalls and tables are hard to get. We got there at 6:30 and we could actually see what the food stalls had to offer, there were: Seafood, Spanish, Mexican, Australian (emu, croc, roo burgers), Cajun, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Malaysian, Italian, Greek, Nepalese, Indian - a huge variety.

Prices were around the $10-$15 mark for medium sized plates. I had a taste for Spanish and went to the 'Simply Spanish' (who also operate at the South Melbourne market) and had saffron rice with chicken, carrot and olives. Quite tasty, although a lot of carrot! My boyfriend went for Indian and had a trio of curries with rice which he described as mild.

Then we had a slushee lemonade from the traditional lemonade stand to quench our thirst - $6 (bit overpriced). You always have to finish a meal with a sweet, so we tried the honey dumplings which were spongy and crisp on the outside - lovely and not too oily.

It was a great atmosphere, live music, night stores, bustling crowd. However when the crowds started coming and were hanging around the tables like seagulls waiting for a seat, cars queueing for the carpark we were glad we got there when we did.

We left with our bellies full and enjoyed our experience at Queen Vic!