Cumulus Up

Location: 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9650 1445
Link: cumulusinc.com.au/up/
Cuisine: Wine Bar, European

Cumulus Up is a wine bar upstairs at Cumulus Inc. Like its downstairs counterpart, the place is cosy and classy, and packed. But unlike Cumulus Inc, it's much easier to get a table at Cumulus Up.

The menu is smaller, but the food is just as good. We were served by a very polite and friendly waiter who was more than happy to run us though the menu and outline the specials for the evening. 

First up, complimentary sourdough and butter.

black ham, gherkin, pickled watermelon rind

Charcuterie has always been a big favourite of mine, so I was a little disappointed to find an obvious lack of it on the Cumulus Up menu (particularly given the downstair's menu has a good selection of it). The one that caught my eye was the shaved black ham. Whilst the ham was pretty ordinary - nicely cured but lacking the complexity of flavour found in, say, prosciutto - the ham with the gherkin and pickled watermelon rind made for a delightful combination.

braised lamb ribs

One of the specials for the night. The lamb ribs were fall-off-the-bone-tender, smothered in a creamy, slightly tangy sauce. The ribs were well seasoned with spices and had a warm smokey aroma.  

confit duck waffle with foie gras and prune paste

Hands down our dish of the night. A fluffy waffle with a slightly crispy base with pieces of confit duck suspended in the batter, creamy rich fois gras and a sweet prune paste. A perfect combination of flavours and textures.

quail with walnut cream

Tender juicy quail with crispy skin sitting on a bed of walnut cream and a slightly bitter leaves. The quail was nicely cooked, and the walnut cream was smooth, creamy, and as expected, had a nice nutty flavour.

profiteroles, ice cream, dark chocolate sauce

For dessert, we opted for the profiteroles. The choux pastry was a little crispier than expected, but it worked really well with the giant scoop of ice-cream sandwiched inside. Topped off with the dark chocolate sauce that was poured over them at the table, and in which we coated every last piece of profiterole and ice-cream, the dessert was a nice sweet finish to the meal.

Overall Impression: 8.5/10

Digress Restaurant & Lounge

Location: 11 Akuna Street, Canberra
Phone: (02) 6248 6952
Link: www.digress.com.au
Cuisine: Italian and Indian fusion

Indian and Italian fusion? Sounds kind of weird, and not exactly something one comes across very often. In fact, Digress claims to be the first restaurant to combine both cuisines not only on the same menu, but in the same dish.

Located next to Transit Bar, Digress is both a bar and a restaurant. The stairs from the entrance take you straight into the lounge.

There's a special on most nights, and Friday's happy hour is 5-7pm, with $5 basic spirits, beer and house wine as well as a live band. There is also a swing social on later in the evening that a couple of friends want to attend, so we're there for drinks and dinner.

The restaurant is located on the same floor, separated by a wall and some curtains. Decor is simple and elegant.

We order a naan basket various pizzas and a pasta.

naan basket - sundried tomato, fetta, garlic

The naan basket is a brilliant starter. Soft fluffy naan bread is stuffed with a variety of ingredients. I end up with a slice of fetta and one of garlic. The garlic one is simple and subtle, the fetta much more vibrant and exciting, the saltiness of the fetta contrasts well with the buttery fluffiness of the bread without being too overpowering.

volcano pizza - salami, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes,
red capsicum & jalapeños seasoned with garlic and oregano

red devil vindaloo pizza - hot salami, red capsicum,
olives & onions garnished with a lemon twist

pizza bolognese - Bolognese sauce with mushrooms, Spanish
onion & capsicum seasoned with Italian herbs and
Indian spices then topped with cheese

The pizza bolognese was the only non-fusion dish of the night, and tasted simply like a spag bol served on pizza (as expected). The slivers of mushroom scattered over the top provided a nice contrast and added flavour.

tandoori chicken penne - charcoaled tandoori chicken stripped and
cooked with red capsicum & shallots finished in a creamy sauce

Unlike the others, I opted for a pasta - I was curious about how the combination of tandoori chicken and Italian penne would taste. Sure enough I was not disappointed. Smoky pieces of tandoori chicken was tossed through penne and a tomato cream sauce. It was almost like a basic Italian tomato cream sauce, but with added smokiness and aromatic Indian spices. 

The service was pleasant, and with an entertainment card, the meal was extremely good value for money.

Overall Impression: 7.5/10

Trunk Bar & Restaurant

Location: 275 Exhibition Street, Melbourne 3000
Phone: (03) 9663 7994
Link: www.trunktown.com.au

Cuisine: Italian

Off the plane and first stop is Trunk Bar & Restaurant for lunch. We hadn't made a booking and the place was fully booked, but the staff were accommodating and found us a nice table next to the window anyway. 

warm bread and olive oil

You know you're at a good restaurant when they offer complimentary bread that is actually warm. Slices of toasted focaccia bread arrived at our table with some olive within minutes of ordering. The bread smelt amazing and was soft and fluffy inside, crispy on the outside.

soft shell chilli crab

Hands down one of the best soft shell crabs I've ever had. A light tempura batter coated large pieces of soft shell crab, so crispy that a small press of the knife snaps the pieces into manageable pieces. The crab is sweet and juicy, perfectly cooked. And then there was the seasoning - a good kick of chilli (but not overpowering), ample salt, and refreshing herbs to break it all up. It was a generous serve, but not so huge as to fill you up before the main. 

house-made saffron linguine with prawns, calamari,
scallops, garlic, chilli, lemon & torn rocket

As if I hadn't had enough seafood already, I ordered the seafood linguine. The linguine was rustic-looking and thicker than usual, but had a nice springy texture. There was plenty of seafood, and all were cooked to perfection. The sauce was rich and infused with seafood flavours and coated the linguine well. A nice hearty dish to fight off some of the cold outside!

I was very impressed by the quality of service - even though we hadn't made a booking, they had seated us, and surprisingly there was no rush to get us out. Food arrived in a timely manner and the waiters were friendly and polite. Definitely a place that can be done during a lunch break, but also good for a cruisey long lunch if you can afford to take the extra time.

A good way to start a weekend of feasting in Melbourne!

Overall Impression: 8.5/10

Public Bar + Dining

Location: Cnr Flinders Way and Franklin Street, Manuka, ACT 2603
Phone: (02) 6161 8808
Link: www.publicbar.com.au
Cuisine: Bar

A friend has been talking about Public Bar for a while, so today we stopped by to grab a quick bite before heading out to the movies.

Public is located on the corner of its block, which means that, unlike most bars, it gets a fair bit of natural sunlight flowing in through the large glass windows.  

There's a fairly extensive menu (especially for a bar) which ranges from freshly shucked oysters to burgers, pizzas and tapas style sharing plates. We order food and cider and sit ourselves next to one of the windows.

steak sandwich with roquette, free range egg, romas,
caramelised onion, tomato chilli relish & aioli

My friend's steak sandwich is huge and comes served on a large wooden board with a side of fries. Plenty of accolades for this pub favourite.

sand whiting, tempura battered with apple aioli and chilli oil 

I was after something a little lighter, and the apple aioli on the menu caught my eye. The barman must have been a little confused, because I asked whether how the fish was served and he said it came as one piece. How wrong he was, although I did have a suspicion that the sand whiting sounded a little like white bait.

The whiting fillets were small and there was more batter than there was fish. But the batter was crisp and not laced with oil as some fried fish can be. The highlight was definitely the apple aioli and chilli oil dipping sauce. The aioli was smooth and garlicky, with a fresh hit of apple that cut through the creaminess. This was contrasted with the chilli oil surrounding the aioli, designed to give the dip a bit of a kick. It was a beautiful combination of flavours that I wouldn't mind served with wedges or chips.

Best part of all, they had Monteith's cider on tap!

Overall Impression: 8/10

Cumulus Inc

Location: 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9650 1445
Link: www.cumulusinc.com.au
Cuisine: Bar, Coffee, Shared

As part of my July trip back to Melbourne, V suggested we head to Cumulus for lunch and I couldn't say no. Not only had I wanted to try out one of Andrew McConnell's restaurants for a while (Cutler & Co is still on my list), the place itself had some significant meaning for me. 

Cumulus Inc

Whilst this was my first dining experience at Cumulus, I had been taken there for coffee by my supervisor during a clerkship experience a few years back. Ironically, or perhaps suitably, the building in the background of the photo above, is where my career really began.

Enough reminiscing and onto the review.

Cumulus Inc is a hidden gem. Tucked away in a laneway off Flinders Lane, it's pretty hard to find unless you either know what you're looking for, or look up in time to see the sign and turn the corner.

Once inside, the atmosphere is relaxed and casual. By 12pm, the coffee drinking crowd have had their caffeine hit, and the place transforms from coffee shop to a foodie's heaven.

We were seated at the bar overlooking the kitchen, which gave us a clear view of the open kitchen and the chefs at work.

open kitchen

Our waitress was pleasant, polite and very helpful. She guided us through the menu choices and gave us an indication of the number and sizes of dishes that would suit us.

complimentary bread and butter

As with all good restaurants, we were served complimentary bread and butter as we waited for our dishes to arrive. The bread was pretty standard for me (but then again, I'm no bread expert) - V, on the other hand, really enjoyed the bread.

Slow cooked octopus with aioli, dehydrated olive

First up, the octopus. The octopus was tender and juicy, slow cooking had definitely allowed it to soak up the flavours and break down. The aioli was creamy and flavourful. Perhaps I misunderstood the dish, but I found the pool of olive oil a little overbearing.

Wagyu bresaola with pickled onions and horseradish cream

Hands down one of the best bresaola I have ever tasted. The meat was nicely cured, and the pickled onions provided a nice sweet, caramelised contrast to the salted meat. Whilst not the biggest fan of horseradish cream, the small dollops of cream worked brilliantly when combined with the bresaola and the onions.

Prosciutto di Parma

Another serve of nicely cured meat. Very thinly sliced and full of flavour, this was a hit, although it would have been nice to have had it served with something to cut the saltiness.

Mustard crumbled pig's tail, celeriac remoulade & caperberries

The menu description of this item caught our interest, and I love eating with V because she's willing to be adventurous too. I can think of many people who would turn their noses up at the sound of pig's tail.

The tail was well cooked, the fat inside had been rendered, and the crumble around the meat was delicate in texture but full of flavour. I wasn't completely certain about the combination of elements on the dish, but the tail definitely needed something to cut the richness, and the remoulade and caperberries did the job.

Roast new potatoes & celeriac, confit garlic and rosemary

As a side, we ordered the roast potatoes. An example of simple ingredients given a 'wow factor'. The confit garlic was delicious paired with the rosemary potatoes.

Finally, dessert time. V insisted that we could not leave Cumulus without trying their infamous madeleines.

Madeleine, filled with lemon curd

And was she correct? It was well worth the wait.  The madeleines were served warm, straight from the oven, and had a similar crumbly texture to shortbread, but softer. The filling inside was sweet and sticky, with the tart acidity of the lemon, that cut through the pastry and the icing sugar sprinkled on top.

The service was great, and they even asked what time we needed to leave so that they could time the dishes to suit our schedule (good for business lunches). A very enjoyable lunch, and I'll be back one day to try the rest of the dishes on the menu!

Overall Impression: 9.5/10 

The London

Location: 121 London Circuit, Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: (02) 6257 1986\
Link: www.thelondonburgersbeers.com.au
Cuisine: Burgers and beers

Located in the Sydney Building in Civic, the London is a relatively new eatery and one to add to my list of Canberran eateries that have decent food at reasonable prices.

The London specialises in burgers and beers. And by that I mean, the menu is about 90% burgers and beers. Just as well we were after burgers then!

The menu sports four burgers under each meat category (beef, lamb, chicken or scotch fillet) as well as vegetarian burgers, salads and oddly enough, a crumbed fish dish. We ordered a scotch fillet steak burger with bocconcini, and a Mexican chilli beef burger. Both came with beer battered chips and sweet chilli with sour cream dipping sauce.

Scotch fillet steak burger with bocconcini, tomato and basil salsa, garlic aioli, lettuce and onion

The burger was one of the best I've tasted. The flavours were well-balanced between the smokiness of the scotch fillet, the creaminess of the bocconcini, the acidity of the salsa and the freshness of the salad ingredients. The scotch fillet was cooked just right - well cooked enough for my liking, but still retaining the meat juices and being tender enough to bite through in a burger. There was a very small part that was a little on the stringy side, but for the price paid ($14), it was a negligible problem.

The chips significantly exceeded my expectations. Far too many places fail to reach the compromise between having a chunky chip that remains crispy. These ones achieved just that - chunky chips that had a solid amount of fluffy potato encased within a crispy batter coating that actually made a 'crunch' sound when bitten into. Perfection? I'd have to say it was pretty much there.

Mexican chilli beef burger with melted Swiss cheese, spicy tomato salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and onion

Reports indicate that the Mexican beef burger was similarly pleasing.

Now, I would probably get in trouble if I did not spruik the drink deals. The menu lists eight beers available on tap, and you can get a jug for $10, and $8 on Sundays. And yes, the deal also applies to cider.

$8 jug of cider

Prices were good, the burgers range from $12 to $14 and drinks are reasonably cheap. Service time was average but it was well worth the wait.

My dining companions were also very impressed with the decor, and the large televisions showing the rugby.

I think we've found a new 'local'.

Overall Impression: 9/10

Match Bar & Grill

Location: 249 Little Lonsdale Street
Link: http://www.matchbar.com/
Cuisine: Bar

Its weird but everytime we can't figure out where to go for drinks, we end up here...
Decent cocktails..

Pretty lights...

Beautiful view of the State Library...

Overall Impression: 5.5/10

Its pretty average, for Melbourne standards but its just so conveniently located. Just off Swanston St in QV, I guess its not a bad choice.

Atrium Bar

Location: Queensbridge Street entrance, Crown Casino, Southbank.
Link: http://www.crowncasino.com.au/atrium-bar
Cuisine: Bar

Was here during one of Atrium Bar's 'Unwind Fridays'.

From left: 'Mai Tai' and 'Basil Me Jack'

Both DELICIOUS. The 'Basil Me Jack' tasted like a very good mojito! YUM

Complimentary canapes...

This photo was taken after we had engulfed the steamed pork buns...

$8 Feature Cocktails

Cosmopolitan

Melon Sour

Summer Punch

Japanese Slipper

Pear and Hazelnut Martini

Grasshopper

Strawberry Sorbet

Brandy Alexander

Mai Tai

Fluffy Duck

Manhattan

Strawberry, Mango or melon Daiquiris

Mark Twain

Basil Me Jack

Overall Impression: 6.5/10

Location wise? Probably not the best. Its at one of the entrances to the casino...the one closest to the Atrium, to be exact. But this detail quickly fades into the background once you've sampled one of their $8 cocktails. Deliciously amazing! And they are VERY generous with the alcohol bit of the cocktail too. The complimentary canapes will surprise you (in a good way... Having said that, I did have low expectations). Live music on the baby grand piano wasn't too bad either ;)