Modern Australian
February 14, 2011 | 
Author NorthSouth Eatery
760 Chapel St, South Yarra
(03) 9827 6221
PIGGY’s Sad little note on NorthSouth Eatery: NorthSouth has shut shop a few months ago which is really sad and disappointing, but I wanna still leave the food porn here so everyone can drool and reminisce the fabulous times we had in NorthSouth.
There was a helluva talk about NorthSouth Eatery’s fabulous breakfasts, but not much of a huge fanfare about its lunch/dinner menu, which is a pity cos NorthSouth Eatery do awesome stuff for dinner too. Before I go on I just want to thank Smartarsewabbit for kindly introducing me to NorthSouth, urging me to try them for my birthday party. Also to thank ESKY for the pretty photos- finally I got pretty pics on my blog! 
I have enlisted (coerced, forced, whateva) him as my official photographer when he decides to get outta bed to take some photos for me.
Because it’s my bday we went all out and order a heapload of food:-
Watermelon, feta and olives salad $12- what a fantastic combo! It was light and refreshing yet suitably flavoured by olives and feta. It was so good that we had to order a second serving. Highly recommended!
Calamari w/ fennel, witlof salad $19-the calamari was so fresh! Lightly battered and seasoned, the fennel and witlof cuts through any remaining oilness of the dish. I could happily eat this without the salad but it was good to have some greens 
Arancini with saffron & fontina $7-I love cheesy arancini balls anywayz but what makes it better is the flavour of saffron. Absolutely gorgeous! The only gripe I had about it was that it wasn’t hot enough. Not that I am complaining, after I shared one with Hubby and shared another with ESKY.
Veal stuffed in olives- OMG these little morsels are TO DIE FOR. It was pipping hot, moreish and even if you don’t like olives I reckon you will like this little number. I could have eaten a bowl of those if I could.
Duck Confit salad $16-this is probably the least favourite of the dishes… I was expecting some succulent duck but sadly it’s quite dry and salty. It goes alright with the salad, but really I would preferred to have juicy duck. What I am impressed with is the large juicy plum which cuts the fat and saltiness of the duck.
House cured salmon $9- The salmon and dill combo is nice enough, but I am not too sure about the thick piece of bread that was served with it… it just seemed to make the dish blander than it needs to be, and make it feel like a breakfast item more than an entree 
Salad Caprese $17- is beautifully presented with several different types of colourful tomatoes. Slices of buffalo mozzarella nestled between these tomatoes, with plump morsels of capers scattered over it. I was a bit sad that there’s no basil in it for some reason, but it matters not, I still love the simplicity of the dish. Nom nom nom!
Time for mains!! I ordered a spaghetti carbonara, and at last! A spaghetti carbonara that is made the PROPER way: The non creamy way, with a poached egg. This egg is even more legendary- it is THE 65 egg, poached to perfection. With one slice of the egg, the vibrant coloured yolk drizzled out to coat the pasta. Mmmmmm and I drooling just thinking about it.
This is probably one of the best cabonara I have ever had- the pasta was al dente, flavoured by thinly sliced pieces of pancetta and cheese. It was so so good. Especially it has the yummieness and not the sinful, creamy, glugginess- noice noice noice! I hope the carbonara is going to be a stayer in the menu!
We also ordered the sides of beans with feta and almonds $7 and fried potato, garlic and rosemary $8. Both are highly recommended.
Hubby ordered the Hapuka fish special. It looked beautifully presented, but Hubby said it is a bit bland. Sadly I was too busy eating my carbonara to try some, so it’s purely hubby’s non-foodie comments here
Esky ordered a lamb special, I tried some of his and it was tender and succulent. Mmmm… I wouldn’t mind having the whole plate to myself 
Overall, I love NorthSouth. The food is yummie and the presentation gorgeous. I am not too sure about the whole green decor, but I was enjoying myself too much to care. I must come back and have brekkie here!
We also have a cake and macarons from LuxBite, which the guys at NorthSouth has kindly cut for us, after singing happy birthday to me- no cakeage either! 8.5/10
Huxtable
131 Smith St, Fitzroy
03 9419 5101
It was actually Bernard from LuxBite that urged me to go to Huxtable. I mean, of course I’ve heard about Huxtable, but always thinking it is too “far” to interest my non-foodie hubby. But one day, as luck would have it, I suggested Huxtable to his friend and HE wanted to go also, so Hubby has no choice but to drive us. Well, wasn’t he glad that he did!
When I called to book, they were sadly fully booked, but offered to sit us at the counter where you can see the action in the kitchen. Well you know what? The counter is MUCH better. You get to watch the chefs at work, and the chefs hand the freshly cooked food over the counter straight away to you. Awesome.
Huxtable makes me think of Cummulus Inc. It’s modern Australian (but with a nod to Asian flavours) and share plates. We got some jalapeno and chedder croquettes ($3.5) which was highly recommended amoungst bloggers. It was very tasty and we were glad that we got one each, cos I ain’t sharing mine.
Hubby’s friend got an anchovy mozzarella ball thing $4.5, which is deep fried with some tomato sauce underneath it. I tried a small bite but wasn’t impressed. We couldn’t taste any anchovy and to be honest, doesn’t taste like much at all. I think that was our least favourite dish.
Our Coffin Bay oysters $3.5 are marvellous- you know what, I am beginning to love oysters (someone told me that I finally got taste). These oysters are so fresh, we wanted more. But alas, we have another few more dishes we needed to work our way through so it has not be next time.
Tom yum school prawns $12 are great, although we can’t taste the tom yum in the spices, which is a bit disappointing. This tastes like Cummulus’ school prawns and whilst it was good I was hoping for a bit more spicy tangyness to the prawns.
Next was the steam corn and crab rice noodles with xo chilli $5.5. I think this is one of my favourite dish. It has really clean and fresh flavours and the touch of XO chilli enhances the taste. It is a very simple dish but that’s the beauty of it.
Now to the share plates- we ordered the kingfish sashimi, which is quite fresh (not quite Shoya fresh though). I wasn’t too sure whether Kingfish sashimi matches with the pear kimchi but actually it works quite well. The kimchi packs a punch which is surprisingly good cos the last thing I want is a watered-down version of kimchi. YUMO!
I think I was preddy full by this time but who can resist some crispy Korean BBQ pork ribs? It has crunchy skin and very tender pork ribs. Just a tiny too fatty for me but the boys absolutely love it.
Accompanying the spicy slaw and chilli gherkin, to help cut the fattiness. Love the slaw but the gherkin is not chilli enough. BRING ON THE CHILLI HUX!
Some people might be freaked out by tartare but honestly tartare is totally awesome. Trust me and try it, especially the one from Huxtable.
This is a veal tartare, which is quite different from the beef version and what makes it really cool is that instead of putting the raw egg on top they wrap a beautifully soft boiled egg with the veal tartare. I’d love it if there’s more of those soldiers (finger size toasts). Mmm I am hungry just looking at this dish.
We can’t really go past the porterhouse steak w caramelised onions puree and pepper sauce. Beautifully cooked, the medium rare steak has this yummy chargrilled flavours and we scrambled to get the last piece and the very last bit of the sauce. Another impressive dish.
It is simply amazing how many dishes we can fit in the 3 of us really, but Hubby is a potato head and the slow roasted crushed potato and garlic is screaming for attention. Let’s just say we didn’t regret ordering this- absolutely yum and a very happy hubby!
For those who haven’t caught on to the theory that people secretly have another stomach just for dessert, keep that in mind. So whilst we were totally full (of savoury stuff), we are up for dessert.
I felt like something a bit lighter, so I ordered a very summery trifle $14. It was so nice and refreshing, such a great end to an awesome dinner like this. There are layers jelly, raspberries and peaches, all my favourite fruits in a glass.
Hubby ordered a chocolate mousse with cherries $14 and I think it was a pistachio icecream which was nice enough but…I must shamefully admit that I got so caught up with another yumgasmic dessert…
OMG. THIS IS DA SHIT. You’ve GOT to get this if you are in Huxtable. I don’t know what it is, but the combination of those banana fritters $12 and that REALLY awesome crisp on the top with those sesame seeds in it is just beautiful. I couldn’t get it out of my head. This is Hubby’s friend’s dessert and I was being very polite here and ONLY took two bites. But if I had my way…I would have eaten it all- and then lick the plate. Absolutely yumgasmic.
Overall, I would say that there are one or two misses or near misses but otherwise it was a delight to dine there. Would definitely go there again and try all their other yummie food! 7.5/10
Attica
74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea
03 9530 0111
Beneath the pub- looking veneer is a 2- chef’s hat restaurant and the only Melbourne restaurant voted the Top 100 restaurants in the world- Attica. I can’t believe it took me so long to get there, but boy I am glad that we got there in the end.
Attica only offers a 5-course or 8-course degustation menus, and on Friday and Saturdays, only 8 courses degustation are on offer for $140. So 8 course degustation it is! Yum Yum Yum.
We were offered some awesome warm bread with whipped cultured butter and smoked olive emulsion. We were famished so this is a welcome treat.
Also a welcome treat is our complementary amuse bouche- White asparagus with walnut cream. It has a fresh crisp flavours although my dining companion thought this asparagus looks a bit lonely by itself.
Our first course was the snow crab, and I must say this is one of the tastiest dish (but then again, there are a hell lot of tasty dishes coming up!). Live crabs are shipped over each day and steamed to ensure optimal freshness. And freshness it is! But wait there is more! This crab is covered with horseradish powder, and hidden inside are gems of salmon roe, granita, shredded coconut. Other than accidentally snorting some of the horseradish powder cos I thought it’s grantia, it was fantastic.
There’s an outstanding mix of texture, the powdery softness horseradish, the salty pop of roe, the beautiful sweet warm crab with the icy granita. YUM.
Next course is the marron, which is a WA Crayfish. This is simply cooked and decorated with an intensely flavoured leek with egg and black garlic. The marron is so fresh that it really needs nothing to bring out the wonderful flavours.
Apparently this next dish is THE signature dish. It is nicely presented in a bed of saltbush and goat’s curd. The potato has a nice creamy texture but we all didn’t rate it at all. So apparently it was slow cooked in the earth it was grown but really we didn’t notice a huge difference in taste and texture. Mmmmm. I was a bit disappointed because this is really one of the dish I looked forward to tasting and it wasn’t hugely exciting. Maybe my palette is not refined enough huh?
The snapper, well now that’s different. This dish has an Asian tilt to it, with nice gingery flavours and an intense broth. We are supposed to mash the snapper a bit so we can mix the fish with the broth. To add crunchiness to the dish, there’re some roasted quinoa and raw broccoli buds. Another one of my favourite dish.
The meat series of our degustation commenced and we are presented with pig’s tail. I was imagining like a little piglet tail lying on a plate. LOL thank god this is not the case. It looks like a piece of pork belly but a bit more fatty. It sat on top of a very rich pool of blood sausage.
The flavours were awesome but it was just wayyyyyy too rich. Thank god there’s the beetroot flavoured watermelon which cuts the fattiness. To be honest, if you eat all the bits seperately, the pork belly is just way too rich and the watermelon beetroot is just too weird, but together, this elements just comes together quite beautifully.
Slow roasted beef is next. It smelt very Asian-y, with soy and charcoal flavours. When tasted though, the beef doesn’t have a very strong flavour. I supposed you just have to have it with the little bits of accompaniments on the side, which includes mashed black sesame paste, black potatoes and cabbage with dried prawns.
For some reason I am not a 100% happy with this dish, yes the beef is tender enough but it just wasn’t flavoursome as I liked it to be, and eating it with the potato is OK but the potatoes are actually WAYYYY to salty so you can only eat it little bit at a time.
The dessert series is next and both are my favourites. We started off with a terroir. Normally terroir describes the land that a special coffee, wine or tea is grown on, but in this case it decribes our dish made with bits and pieces of “soils”. The first impression I got was that it smells really fresh- like nature after a spring shower. This is all because of the sorrel granita, which sits prettily on a pile of beetroot and berry “soil”. Hidden under all that are some avocado and lime sorbet and bits of jelly. It was a refreshing palette cleanser and once again the texture and flavours made it an unforgettable yumgasmic experience. Am beginning to think that I am becoming a big fan of “soil” and “icy bits”.
The last dish of the day on the menu was an intense apple dish with 4 different types of shredded apples, star anise and celery, atopped with an cinnamon apple crumble-like dust. The apple crumble dust was added in the last minute which was a fantastic idea because it became quite soggy very quickly and look like brown glop. That being said this dessert was awesome- the balance of sweetness and tartness is just right for me.
It was a bit sad that this is all coming to an end. I wouldn’t mind them serving me 5 or 6 more savoury or sweet dishes to be honest. Thank god they gave us a little surprise in the end by 
presenting us a nest of eggs which is a replica of some sort ofNew Zealand birds. This chocolate is made of white chocolate and caramel. To be honest white chocolate is not our favourite, so I didn’t eat mine, but Hubby immediately took a bite and although he said that it is VERY rich, he would be more than happy to eat mine without hesitation. For a guy that doesn’t like white chocolate it said a lot about this egg!
Not only the food was fabulous but the service was personable and attentive. I would definitely recommend Attica who wanted to have a fabulous evening with their friends or family- what a great night! 9/10
Punch Lane
43 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
03 9639 4944
Punch Lane is a little gem that has been recommended by the Good Food Guide, just a stones’ throw away from my place. One day, I finally dragged hubby out of the house to this cosy little place for a relaxing dinner.
Apparently, this place is pretty much booked out on a Thursday night so we were seated in a dark cosy shared table in the corner. Thankfully, the restuarant wasn’t as full as they initially predicted so we pretty much had a table to ourselves.
3 cheeses kataifi balls w/ mint yoghurt & pomergrante molasses ($14.50) is fantastic. A dish of little crispy balls with a gooey centre, it is a delightful surprise with a tangy sour flavour from the pomergrante and a slight minty flavour from the yoghurt. Highly recommended 
this dish with the contrasts in textures and flavours.
Normally I am a bit wary of chorizo- it’s normally too rich and salty for me. Fortunately, Punch Lane’s Chorizo ($15.50) is cooked with onions and capsicum. The natural sweetness of the cooked onions complements greatly with the chorizo making it a fantastic comfort food.
Hubby chose the Grilled Rib eye w/ oxtail sauce $39 and I was not happy- I made rib eye for him the night before! Why was he eating rib eye AGAIN? A bite of his rib eye soon proved why-very tender, this rib eye had a wonderful char grilled flavour with a beautiful thick sauce- yum.
I ordered a seared scallop w/ confit cherry tomato, crispy pancetta and pea puree $36.5. It was a delight to the eye as well as the tastebuds, with beautifully presented gems of fresh scallops, dotted with pearls of nice, firm peas. The two thin, crispy pancetta adds a tinge of saltiness to the scallop without overpowering the flavours. Perfect.
Feeling decidedly adventurous as the night goes by, I decided to share a Pashka ($13.50) with hubby. Pashka is a Russian dessert of sweeten ricotta, almond, chocolate and candied lemon with poached pear in a cherry sauce. Whilst these ingredients seemed to be common when used seperately, it proved to be a bit out of comfort zone for hubby. It is certainly a bit of an aquired taste as the two blobs tasted more like cream than ricotta and the cherry sauce is a bit weird with the poached pear. I found that it actually comes together beautifully, if you just combine all the individual flavours in one mouthful. The chocolate/ almound flavours satisfy the sweet tooth in me, while the cherry, pear and lemon made this otherwise heavy dessert refreshing.
If you like good quality, simple food with great flavours, this is the place for you. 8/10
Quay Restaurant
Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney 2000
(02) 9251 5600
![IMG_2754 [640x480]](https://www.bellygood.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_2754-640x4801-300x225.jpg "IMG_2754 [640x480]")
Named Restuarant of the Year by the Age and GT two years in a row makes QUAY my to eat list when I go to Sydney. I went there with high expectations and I feared the Quay would disappoint me, especially with the weird decor they had- tacky plastic shower curtains-like decorations, mirror on the ceiling..etc… yikes. But you know what, the decor is the only “disappointment” for the night. The evening’s dinner is sublime, the service is friendly, knowledgeable but unintruding.
In the evening you can choose either a dinner menu ($155 for 4 courses) or their signature menu ($210 for 8 courses). Both menu features modern Australia style food with an Asian influence. For those who know me, I am extremely cautious about “Asian influence” as normally it means asian food being screwed up beyond recognition- but this meal is beyond my imagination and took Asian cuisine to the next level.![IMG_2757 [640x480]](https://www.bellygood.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_2757-640x4803-300x225.jpg "IMG_2757 [640x480]")
We chose the 4 course dinner. The amuse bouche is tuna with tapioca “pearls”. It was beautifully presented with a delicate little flower on top. The tuna is so fresh which just a hint of saltiness, with the chewy texture of the pearls and the creme fraiche it makes a yummy play on textures. This certainly sets the scene of what is to come next.
Our entree is Sea Pearls ($20 supplement)- 5 colourful round balls, the treasures of the sea. Clockwise from the top there’s salty tuna & caviar; the smokey octopus, egg white and smoked eel; subtle mud crab with tapioca pearls; abalone suspended in dashi consumme; sea scallops w/wasabi flowers. This looks so beautiful that I stared at it for ages before I ate it!
![IMG_2771 [640x480]](https://www.bellygood.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_2771-640x480-300x225.jpg "IMG_2771 [640x480]")
Second course, Hubby had crisp confit of pig belly, braise of abalone and cuttlefish, handmade silken tofu, Japanese mushrooms, chive flowers. This is so delicious also, but Hubby teased me by just giving me a little tiny bit at a time, so I couldn’t really taste the true mixture of flavours and textures 
Yet what I had was fantastic, the crispy suckling pig is not too fatty.
![IMG_2773 [640x480]](https://www.bellygood.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_2773-640x480-300x225.jpg "IMG_2773 [640x480]")
My second course was the Five textures of Southern rock lobster.
Clear lobster bisque with silken tofu at the bottom which absorbs all the flavours of the lobster bisque.
Sitting next to this bisque is a trio of lobster texture: lobster foam at the top with some snow pea sprouts, a disc of lobster meat and lastly lobster dumpling in the bottom.
I love the intensity of the lobster bisque and the tofu that absorbed all the essence, but after having that the trio of lobster texture tasted a bit bland. I wonder if I should have eaten the trio first…
![IMG_2774 [640x480]](https://www.bellygood.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_2774-640x480-300x225.jpg "IMG_2774 [640x480]")
For the third course hubby had Free range chicken breast cooked sous vide style, truffle butter, baby radish, spring onions, garden peas, garlic cream, pea shoots. The chicken is so tender, and although poached, so flavoursome. Once again this dish is dotted with pretty miniature flowers and micro vegies that features in so many Peter Gilmore’s dish.
![IMG_2775 [640x480]](https://www.bellygood.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_2775-640x480-300x225.jpg "IMG_2775 [640x480]")
My third course is a Bass Groper, parsley crust, slow braise of baby abalone, periwinkles, sea scallop, winter melon, hasuimo, green tea and seaweed consomme.
This dish is very gingery which is normally a flavour I dislike, but this dish is so fresh and simple that I love it.
To choose a favourite dish would be hard, but the desserts are the grand finale of this decadent four course dinner.
![IMG_2786 [640x480]](https://www.bellygood.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_2786-640x480-300x225.jpg "IMG_2786 [640x480]")
A pile of raspberries, violet, almond, vanilla cream sitting prettily on a plate is hubby’s choice of dessert. There is a fresh burst of flavours in every bite. It is especially good with the Moscato di Asti. Yum!
![IMG_2787 [640x480]](https://www.bellygood.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_2787-640x480-300x225.jpg "IMG_2787 [640x480]")
Eight texture chocolate cake featuring Amedei ‘Chuao’ Chocolate- yum yum! I love chocolates and I’ve heard other diners raving about it. It started out perfect- a smooth disc of dark chocolate covered what lies underneath. Then the waiters pour molten chocolate into the centre and the middle just melts…divine…
The Crosstown Eating House
Cuisine: Sharing plates, Australian
23 Logan Road
Woolloongabba, Brisbane
Ph: (07) 3162 3839
The Crosstown Eating House opened up less than a month ago on a little stretch of Logan Road in Woolloongabba I am now considering calling the greatest place on earth. Well maybe if Chouquette and Salon move there too.
One one side of the dusty, roadworks laden street is Pearl with the great cakes and breakfast and directly opposite is the Crosstown.
Several weeks ago staff at Pearl told some my friends that a friend of theirs was setting up shop across the road. This sort of thing excites me and fuels my curiosity. Hubby, my sister and I were early and were still waiting for four more of our party. We went in to wait and were led to the courtyard. A cosy little “outside” area turned into an inside space. You’re on the verandah and through the window is the bar where a friendly face is offering you drinks and nibblies. I immediately fell in love with Crosstown. It feels like your neighbour or a good friend has invited you over for a drink and a nice meal and now you want to move in with them.
They don’t take bookings, but invite you to just rock up. It’s that whole friendly neighbour thing again really. And bring friends of course, that’s highly recommended.
After we were all seated our table were made ourselves busy trying to decide what to eat. After trying to stop ourselves from ordering one of everything per person, it was explained to us that the idea behind the menu was to share. I noticed that they had to explain this to other diners as well after they experienced similar dilemas to us. It might save them some hassle in the future if they print the explanation of sharing plates on the menu or tell guests when they are seated. After all that though I think we did almost order everything on the menu. Only a few of us wanted lamb cutlets or oysters but everything else we shared in our feast. We had managed to order just the right amount of food with room for dessert.
Before I show you all the food, just to save me some typing, EVERYTHING was good.
Meat Balls and Sauce ($14) – I suggest you order some bread to dip in the sauce left over at the end.
Prawns and white anchovy mayonnaise ($15) – the prawns had a sweet flesh and the mayonnaise was a great complement with a light anchovy flavour.
Steak and horseradish ($15) – tender steak in a lovely horseradish sauce, another one to save for dipping bread into.
Lamb Cutlets ($4 each) with a lovely tomato relish. There is enough to load heaps of relish onto your cutlet.
House shucked oyster ($3 each), very fresh oysters, why did I only have one?
Lamb Shoulder and Pasta ($25), was what I am certain was handmade pasta as it was so soft and the sauce with tender pieces of lamb shoulder was delicious. This was one of my favourite dishes and one of the more substantial sharing plates.
Spatchcock and outside stuffing ($28), was again one of the more substantial sharing dishes and also one of my favourites. The meat was moist and full of flavour. The “outside stuffing” was pieces of bread with herbs and not all soggy as “inside stuffings” can be sometimes.
Whiting fillets and tomato ($16) nice pieces of seasoned whiting.
Mushrooms and toast ($12), an absolutely wonderful mushroom dish. A nice mix of mushroom types in herbs, garlic and olive oil with crusty slices of toasted bread. Another favourite.. how many can I have?
And then we had room for dessert. My sister and I were a little overzealous when it came to dessert and ordered 3 of the 4 available, but it was totally worth it.
Mini Ice-cream Cones ($8), 3 mini waffle cones with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice-cream sitting in a pot of granola for dipping. This has to be one of the cutest desserts ever. You would think that because there are three that you should share, but you really don’t have to and you probably won’t.
Jam drop and chocolate chip walnut cookies ($4), 2 very big cookies, perfect for your coffee.
Chocolate Pear Pot ($9) a little chocolate pudding/souffle with pear down the bottom and a side of pouring cream or custard. Very rich and good for chocoholics.
Favourite dessert time and the winner is the Strawberry Sanga (sandwich) ($9). Two slices of sponge cake for bread, with marscapone cream and strawberries, cut and arranged club sandwich style drizzled with strawberry sauce. How can you say no? Don’t say no.
I think I have worked out what I would order if I ate there on my own but I know it’s probably food for two. I had a really wonderful meal here and of course it had a lot to do with the company too. I will definitely be going back to my new home away from home. Maybe I’ll see you there some time.
Posted in Brisbane, Dessert, Italian, Modern Australian, Sharing Plates | 
Tags: Brisbane, Dessert, Modern Australian, Sharing Plates | 
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Verge
1 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
(03) 9639 9500
I am always a bit wary of Asian fusion restaurants, so this European/Japanese contemporary restaurant was not my choice- perhaps it’s the plethora of Asian fusion restaurants I’ve tried in Brisbane that scared me, for it certainly made me hesitant for ever. This being said, Verge is different. Verge is happy to use fresh ingredients; Verge is happy to try new things. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but hey, at least they tried, and most turned out very, very tasty indeed.
This is my entree- Japanese eel tortellini, cauliflower, rice senbei (crispy rice), melon & spring onion $19. Beautifully presented, simple and appetising. The cauliflower puree works beautifully with the tortellini, and the eel is surprisingly good in the pasta casing. I felt that the pasta was slightly undercooked though.
Hubby had freshly shucked oyster ($3 each) with Buff Boy and it was so fresh that at one point we thought one of the oysters was moving. I’ve tasted a little bit and for those who know me, I absolutely loathe the fishiness of crappy oysters, but this one is so fresh that there’s barely a hint of the fishy aftertaste.
The mains came, and Hubby had a Grade 5 Chargrilled Wagyu Scotch, Miso braised brisket, smoked potato, beer onion skins $45. Hubby let me try a tiny little bit and the beef was so tender and full of flavour. The miso paste goes really well with the beef also- wonder if I can try this in my cooking- probably not. The potato is way too smoky for me, it just tasted weird.
My main is a Hapuka on a bed of eel risotto dusted with wasabi powder with a Japanese berry $38.00. Hapuka is a fish from NZ- it’s really fresh and it was cooked to perfection. All the flavours are delicately balanced, but I can’t really taste the wasabi… maybe it’s for decoration purposes only?
I decided to share a dessert with hubby and the staff has thoughtfully halved the dessert for us for our convenience. Obviously that means no cheating- I can’t have a bigger portion of this dessert! Doh! Anyway, evil musings aside, this is the chocolate ganache with chestnuts, chestnut puree and chestnut icecream, mini donut, popcorn bits and popcorn flavoured icecream $15. The chocolate ganache is smooth and it’s not too sweet. I love the whole concept of having bits and pieces of dessert to try, but the flavours are a bit weird, perhaps it’s because of the chestnuts- it’s in season and everything but it doesn’t seem to gel with anything else. The problem is that a bit of chestnut puree is on everything- the popcorn, the donuts…
Overall the food is great-but- what’s with the size of the dish? They are so tiny that everyone ended up still being hungry afterwards. I know there’s this whole miniature movement going on, but honestly, I think I’d like it better if mains are actually a main. 7.5/10
The Point
Aquatic Drive, Albert Park Lake
03 9682 5566
Hubby loves loves loves his steak, so on his birthday I took him to The Point after several close friend’s recommendation (only the best for my hubby!) . The main worry in this case is to degustate or not to degustate? Their seven course degustation menu is undoubtedly tempting, but we have our eyes set on steak, so steak it is!
Have I told you that I love free food? This appetiser of salted cod is with compliments of the chef and it’s very savoury and moorish. And of course this and the lovely warm breadroll stop our growling bellies while we wait for our dishes to arrive.
Hubby ordered the 24 hour braised black lip abalone, St Helens oyster,peking duck consomme and aromatic herb salad $24. The duck consomme is poured in the last min so the oyster is lightly poached. The consomme is rich and hearty, and compliments well with the herb salad. At first we thought the abalone is mixed with the herb salad, but no, we found silves of abalone fanned out underneath the oysters. The abalone is very tender, but unfortunately it has absorbed all the flavours of the oyster, instead of the duck and I find the fishiness of the oyster flavour too strong for my liking.
My entree delighted and intrigued me. Mud crab filled zucchini flower, warm smoked eel, honey lime espumas and Joselito Jamon crumbs $27 is presented in a plate with a dramatic dash of black
. For one moment I thought it was charcoal- then I realised- it’s actually squid ink. Dishes like these makes me feel invigorated, it keeps you guessing and make things just that little bit interesting.
Everything on this dish is as fresh as you can get. The scallop seared middle-rare, so I can just taste the hint of freshness. Crab is full of flavour and I just wish there’s more of these. The eel is smokey but the sweetness of honey lime foam balances the flavours out.
The steaks came- 250g Wagyu Porterhouse MS 8+ and The Point garnish $55 for Hubby, while I selected the Special of the Day, Aged eye fillet with mushrooms on the side $55. The steaks were cooked to perfection. The Porterhouse started off with a chewy texture then gradually melts in your mouth, matches beautifully with the red wine sauce.
My medium-rare rib eye steak is extremely tender, just the way I like it. The pureed mushroom compliments
the beefiness perfectly. As the beef was in slices, it felt less daunting than eating a whole piece of steak. The mushroom is beautifully cooked and there’s a few bits of treasure such as baby brussel sprouts (trust me! It’s yummy!) and chestnuts underneath.
We also ordered a few sides: King Edward Potato champ $8 and Warm salad of figs, pancetta and Yarra Valley fetta $8. When we were unsure of which potato
to order (there’s also hand cut Russet potato w. thyme), the waiter recommended us the champ, and it was fantastic. The potato is steamed then slightly mashed with butter and spring onion.
I must admit I haven’t had fresh figs before and didn’t know what to expect. But this dish just surpassed all my expectations- the contrast of the soft, sweet figs with crispy pancetta and the slightly pungent taste of fetta made with goat’s milk is a refreshing side after eating so much meat. I think I have fallen in love with figs. It really helps that The Point uses only seasonal produce so the dishes are all at their freshest.
I love desserts, but what I love more is The Point’s PRE-dessert!
Once again, with compliments from the chef, the waiter brought out two delicate looking shot glasses, each filled with mango and apple jelly and atop with lemon sorbet. It certainly cleansed our palette in preparation for dessert!
We couldn’t decide what to have for dessert, so we chose a dessert plate $35 with everything. Well, they said it’s with everything but sadly, they didn’t give us the Black Forest Souffle, which is actually what Hubby wanted. Clockwise from the left:-
- Confit apple terrine- was sour and more to Hubby’s taste
- Chocolate fondant- extremely rich and slightly on the too sweet side
- Mascarpone and vanilla bean panna cotta w/ poached rhubarb and almond crumble- the pannacotta texture and taste is a bit like rice pudding for some reason, and the rhubarb tasted a bit like apricots! Nonetheless it’s the yummiest out of the 4 desserts, not too sweet.
- Brillat Savarin and passionfruit cheese, lime creme fraiche sorbet- This dessert has a very strong, pungent cheesey flavour, probably best for cheese lovers. Brillat Savarin is made from cow’s milk and has 75% fat- I am slightly disturbed by this and thought about how many kms I would need to run to work this off. The lime creme fraiche sorbet is too creamy for Hubby.
Overall we think that our mains are the best, they need to work on their desserts but their pre-dessert is certainly perfect. Environment-wise, don’t expect a tranquil lake view on autumn/winter nights- you won’t be able to see a thing. The other thing that confuses us is that in this high class restaurant we can hear a chef shouting from the kitchen, I don’t think he’s yelling at anyone in particular, but I can hear bursts of “WAGYU PORTERHOUSE MEDIUM RARE!” We weren’t even seated anywhere closed to the kitchen! -7.5/10
Yering Station
38 Melba Hwy, Yarra Glen
03 9730 0100
Hubby and I have been yearning to come here for quite some time now, and since we were free last weekend, we jumped into the car straightaway and headed off to Yarra Valley.
For entree, Hubby ordered Fig, blue cheese and sage filled quail with buffalo kabana, spinach and enoki mushrooms, cherry coulis 19.00. It was so flavoursome, sweet and juicy. I normally love quail, but I was a bit apprehensive of the blue cheese. I need not to worry, cos the blue cheese was quite subtle
My entree came, smoked eel and salmon cigars with pickled apple and cucumber, dill buttermilk dressing 19.00. Don’t ask me why, but I was drawn towards the salad- it looks so fresh and green. It was so refreshing for a deep fried dish. The cigars are slightly oily, very crispy. The smoked eel inside has a subtle smokey flavour, and I love the Dill dressing. I don’t really like the pickled apple though- it’s wayyyyy too sour.
Hubby ordered beef eye fillet with ham hock and potato mille-feuille, mushroom, asparagus and shallot salad, red wine jus 35.00. Hubby asked for Medium Rare, but was given Medium Well… he reckons they’ve heard him wrong, but I reckon even if they did they should have clarified! I would have send it straight back but Hubby was fine with it. The side salad was beautiful, and Hubby ate all of it, even though he doesn’t like mushrooms! The potato was good too but nothing memorable.
cocktail potatoes with rosemary and garlic 9.00 tasted good but had lots of deep fried bits of nothing. Not that it matters, this dish is too big for both of us anyway.
pan-fried snapper with scallop and ginger wontons, confit celery and snow pea salad, herb oil 34.00 was my main. I love the pan-fried snapper, it was so fresh and it was cooked perfectly. I was a bit disappointed with the scallop and ginger wontons though, I was hoping that it will be steamed/boiled/ pan fried but it’s deep fried. Deep frying it to crisp just dries out what’s inside and makes it look like those dodgey westernised chinese takeaway “dim sims”. I love the snow pea salad though- if all snow peas are that fresh, no kids would feed this to their dogs!
Craving for cheesecake after Monkylicious blog on Pearl, I insisted in ordering the tiramisu cheesecake with coffee dusted strawberries, cherry coulis 14.00. Hubby just adored this dish- he lovessss cheesecake as much as I do!
The service is good but not great, the food is also very good but not great nor consistent- I would rate this Yering Station a 6.5/10
Anouk
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Mains: $14 to $26
Entrees: $7 to $14
Breakfast: From $7.50
212 Given Tce
Paddington
Tel: 07 3367 8663
They accept bookings except for weekend breakfasts.
I decided to take a fellow longtime fan of The Gun Shop Cafe to try out a new venture by the same lady of culinary delight.
My friend and I, although we aren’t regulars (mainly because we’re too sleepy to go all the way to West End for weekend breakfasts), absolutely love The Gun Shop Cafe. So we made a staggering effort to wake up one Saturday and head over to Paddington for shopping and food.
It didn’t take us long to find Anouk amongst the boutiquey stretch of road. The shop front was not unlike The Gun Shop with outdoor seating, a line out the front and big windows so that the people in line can spend their wait choosing their meal from what’s on other people’s plates. Up on the walls were enlarged photocopies of lino prints. The atmosphere was buzzing and the restaurant was packed. But service was pleasant and quite speedy which is a plus.
I don’t know what we were expecting entirely. Not quite more of the same as “the other cafe”, maybe something better, different? But the ONE thing we both wanted more than anything was there to be a repeat of the famous (to us) Gun Shop hashbrowns. A good breakfast to us, must involve some kind of potato, preferably in hashbrown form. Sadly we were let down in this respect. No potatoes to be had.
We’re quite simple in our breakfast desires. Usually eggs, bacon, mushrooms and of course a hashbrown or more is enough to satiate. In the end we managed to find a couple things on the specials board that interested us.
Poached eggs on sour dough with hollandaise sauce and asparagus wrapped in proscuitto. With a side of mushrooms.
And I had the herbed scrambled eggs on sour dough with a side of bacon.
Along with our meals we also ordered a mocha (mmm morning coffee yay) and a really surprisingly yummy and refreshing drink made up of muddled fresh lemon and lime with sparkling apple juice. This sort of became the highlight of the meal.
In the end, worth a stop over if you’re in Paddington at breakfast time. It was nice food, however, I think if I had to decide between getting up early to go to The Gun Shop or Anouk, I couldn’t go past the original, hashbrowns included.
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