Hellenic Republic

Location: 434 Lygon Street, Brunswick East 3057
Phone: (03) 9381 1222
Link: www.hellenicrepublic.com.au

Cuisine: Greek

Another place that's been on my wishlist for a while has been George Calombaris' Hellenic Republic. Not exactly in the CBD, the place has often been brushed aside for a restaurant within the CBD. But not this time, we ventured out beyond the CBD to satisfy a craving for pita bread, dips and traditional Greek spit roasted meats.

Tram numbers 1 or 8 will get you to the Brunswick end of Lygon Street, and stop 126 is located directly outside the restaurant, about 25 minutes tram ride from Flinders Street Station.

Immediately upon entering, the amazing aromas of spit roasted meat hit us. A waitress shows us to our seats, and offer us a plate of mixed olives whilst we wait for our third member to arrive.

warm mixed olives

Again, we knock back the set menu (or what they call 'trapezi') in favour of designing our own menu.

We can't go past the pita bread with dips, and the waitress helpfully suggests we order a half serve of each dip (there are three) so that we can try them all.

warm pita bread with dips (clockwise from top-left): melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant, miso, tahini),
taramosalata (white cod roe dip) and tzatziki (cucumber, dill, garlic, olive oil and yoghurt)

The bread is warm, soft and fluffy inside, and tastes great even without the dips. But that's not why we've ordered it. The dips are divine. The roasted eggplant dip is unlike any other eggplant dip I have ever had before. At first taste, the first thing that hits you is the sweetness and there doesn't seem to be much eggplant flavour at all, Eventually, the subtle roasted eggplant flavour comes through, before the smokiness from the miso and tahini. It's a beautifully smooth texture, with a brilliant combination of flavours that just dance on the tongue.

The tamosalata is the saltier of the dips. It's a bit of a cross between a smoked salmon dip and an anchovy paste, but with the acidic flavour of lemons to cut through the saltiness. 

Tzatziki - the classic hero of Greek dips. Amazingly fresh, the yoghurt was light, smooth and creamy, the cucumber was fresh and crunchy and the garlic and olive oil were perfectly balanced. 

Having run out of bread, we save the dips to eat with the meats.

Having had an amazing corn-on-the-cob experience at Mamasita (yes yes, I still haven't done the review), this Greek version caught my eye and my curiosity would not let me skip it.

kalamboki - sweet corn, spiced butter, smoked almonds, kefalograviera

And it was amazing. Completely different to Mamasita's, but in a good way. The corn was smoky from the chargrill and served warm topped with a beautiful spiced butter and shaved kefalograviera cheese that was just starting to melt. The corn was sweet and juicy and the cheese was subtle. Slivers of smoked almonds were then scattered on top and around to provide yet another contrasting texture. Overall, a top dish. I could eat a whole meal of just this.

tyri saganaki - kefalograviera with peppered figs

Saganaki, another Greek classic that we just couldn't go past. Although, Hellenic Republic put its own spin on this classic by pairing the fried kefalograviera with sweetened peppered figs. Whilst not the biggest fan of the figs (I found them a little too sweet for my liking), I must admit the combination of flavours worked. The sweet peppery flavours of the fig cut through some of the heaviness of the fried cheese, and also provided a contrasting texture to the dish. 

meat platter: arni sto fourno (slow roasted shoulder of lamb, garlic, oregano)
and kotopoulo psistaria (Hazeldene’s free range chicken from the spit)

When I hear of Greek meat, my expectations skyrocket. We ordered the slow roasted lamb shoulder and the spit roasted chicken. Possibly because we had already eaten so much, but also possibly because I had set such high expectations for the quality of the meat, I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the meats were beautifully soft and tender. The lamb fell apart very easily, and the chicken was moist. But I found that both meats lacked seasoning compared to other Greek meats I've had in the past. I was expecting much stronger flavours - without which, the meat was more or less ordinary (but very well roasted) meat.

This was where the leftover dips from earlier came into play. The tzatziki went amazingly well with the lamb (classic combination of lamb and tzatziki), and the lemon flavours from the taramosalata paired very well with the chicken.

sides: tiganites patates (potatoes fried in olive oil, oregano, salt)
and patzari salata (beetroot salad, cumin yoghurt, coriander)

Sides, sides, sides. We probably could have done without these - or should have picked something a little different. The potatoes were relatively ordinary - reminding me a little of the duck fat potatoes from the Aylesbury, but without the duck fat. The beetroot salad was tasty, but the cumin gave the yoghurt a slightly odd taste. Given the selection of dishes we had ordered, we might have been better off with a lighter salad.

After standing in line for half an hour to buy some loukoumathes at the Canberra Multicultural Festival a few weeks earlier, there was no way I was going to pass by these Hellenic donuts.

loukoumathes - Hellenic donuts, local honey, walnuts, cinnamon

The donuts were crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, although at the end of a big meal, leaned a little to the heavy side. They were then coated with a thick honey syrup then sprinkled with walnuts and cinnamon. The honey was extremely sweet, and I made the first mistake of cutting open a donut, and dousing the inside with more honey. Big mistake. The walnuts provided a nutty relief to the honey overdose. 

Bakalava Yianniotiko

I've never been the biggest fan of baklava, but no Greek feast would be complete without it. The pastry on the top and bottom of each piece was built from several layers of filo pastry almost glued together from the honey (or was it sugar syrup?). The nuts inside were chopped finely and tightly packed together. Whilst I found the baklava too sweet, it was one of the better ones I've had before.

Greek coffee

H chose to finish her meal off with a Greek coffee. I personally could not understand why, the coffee was strong, bitter and grainy. But regardless of my opinion (and given I admittedly do not know much about coffee), H enjoyed hers.

Service was friendly and pleasant, and despite having told us on booking that we could only have the table for two hours, we were allowed to stay for longer. There was definitely a friendly warm atmosphere within the restaurant, and it was relatively loud, so it was nice that the tables were fairly well spaced out.

Overall Impression: 9/10

BlueFire Churrascaria Grill: Super Tuesday!

Location: 477 Docklands Drive, Waterfront City, Docklands

Phone: (03) 9670 8008
Link: www.bluefiregrill.com.au
Cuisine: Grill, Modern Australian, Brazilian

Wandering around Docklands in search of a good Tuesday deal, we stumbled across BlueFire (which I had been wanting to try for quite a while but had almost forgotten about) and had a quick skim of the Super Tuesday deal. We were very impressed with the half-price Churrascaria and dessert (bringing the price down from $65 to $32.50) and decided to give it a go.

Tasting platter: marinated olives, dips (corn, eggplant, spinach & fetta), roasted peppers and warm flat bread

The Churrascaria started off with a tasting platter to share consisting of three dips (spinach and fetta, eggplant, and corn), warm flat bread, marinated olives and roasted peppers. The dips were very good - particularly the corn dip which was sweet, juicy and fresh tasting. The flat bread was warm and slightly fluffy inside, cut into perfect sized portions to go with the dips. The olives were very salty (as olives should be but I guess I'm not a huge fan) and the roasted peppers were sweet and had a nice smokey roast aroma.

Grilled seasonal vegetables

Sauces: tomato, honey mustard, caramelised onions

After we were done with the tasting platter, the waitress brought out the grilled seasonal vegetables and condiments. The vegies were extremely well done. The corn was notably the best part - much like the dip, it was sweet and juicy. The batons of carrots were soft and sweet on the inside, with a slight crispiness on the edge from the grilling. The wedges of potatoes were also very soft on the inside,crisp on the outside and seasoned with a variety of herbs. The sauces a bit on the average side. The caramelised onions were very good - nice caramelising and sweet jus. The honey mustard was pretty good too but I found it didn't work as well with the way the meats were marinated. Tomato sauce was, well, tomato sauce.

Plasma screens in the dining area

A 'passador' slicing meat at our table

Finally, we were ready for the meat and seafood. The 'passadors' brought around huge skewers of meat/seafood and sliced it at the table. As it was all-you-can-eat, I took a little too much of everything at the start. By the second round, we knew what tasted good and what we didn't like, so stuck with just getting the meats we had liked. You can even watch the meat as it cooks on the plasma screens in the dining area.

Each type of meat and seafood was marinated differently, although most were quite subtle flavours.

Pork (smoked tomato and chilli marinade)

One of the best cuts of meat we had. The pork was tender and moist, and had a nice form with a good balance of the fatty bits and the leaner bits. The flavour was a little bland, but the meat was cooked perfectly and the meat juices and caramelised onions worked well.

Chicken (five spice marinade)

My favourite meat of the day - the chicken was moist and cooked very well (it looked like it would be a lot drier than it turned out to be - and it was very well flavoured. No need for sauce for this piece!

Fish (lemon, garlic and herb)

The fish looked good, but tastewise was a bit of a disappointment. The fish was rather tough and dry (not in terms of chewing, but I judge fish by how soft and tender the inside it). It also lacked flavour which could have made up for the dryness (it was grilled after all).

Calamari (garlic, herb and paprika)

Looking quite dry, the calamari was actually very nicely cooked and soft to chew. However, there was a slightly fishy aftertaste indicating the possibility of not being fresh, and not enough of the marinade to cover it up. Would have been nicer had it been fresh or salted.

South-American spiced sausage

This one was also a winner. The sausage was bursting with flavour and had a nice spicy kick to it. However, the spiciness meant we didn't consume as much as we would have liked to of it.

We finally gave up and turned over our coasters to the red 'no more' sign. The waitress cleared our table and brought out our desserts (normally $15 each, at half price).

Black and white Baileys and Valrhona chocolate mousse

Beautiful soft and airy chocolate mousse, with a hint of Bailey's flavour. Nothing to complain about. I liked the added touch of the little wafer roll. Cute.

Chilled chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream & warm chocolate sauce

I was almost hesitant in ordering this dessert after the chocolate tart at Mecca Bah, but the description was so simple and tempting, so I thought I'd give it a go. I was very glad I did try it. The chocolate inside the tart was smooth but was soft like ganache and went amazingly with the ice-cream. The tart was a little too solid - would have been nicer had it had more of a crunch. The little crisp on top added a nice crunchy texture to an otherwise very smooth dessert.

~Service~

The service was generally top notch, as one would expect at a restaurant of its class. The waitresses were polite, the passadors were friendly and the food came out quite quickly (or in the case of the meats, sometimes a little too fast!). The one thing we were annoyed at was having to pay for water (we were given the option of 'still or sparkling' and no 'tap'). Other than that one issue, we had a very pleasant time and came out extremely full!

Overall Impression: 9/10

Lazy Moe's - Breakfast

Location: 320 Canterbury Road, Forest Hill, VIC
Link: www.lazymoes.com.au
Cuisine: Breakfast, Steaks, Modern Australian

After a big meal any time of the day (well, within reason anyway)? Head to Lazy Moe's. There are restaurants in five locations around Victoria so there's bound to be one near you! We headed there for brunch one late Friday morning. In fact, it would have been about lunchtime, but they serve breakfast until 4.30pm for lazy starters like us!

Moe's Big Breakfast - Two eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Tomatoes, Hash Brown, Mushrooms, Sauteed Onion and Baked Beans

Duckie ordered the big breakfast. Big is almost an understatement. This meal was massive. Everything was much better than the last breakfast we had at Issus. The bacon was decently cooked - not too burnt or dry but smokey all the same. The hash brown was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. There was an endless mound of scrambled eggs. The mushrooms were actually sliced instead of whole. The sausage was tasty, not too tough, although the skin was quite plastic looking and came off fairly easily. The onions were somewhat lacking (in amount) and the baked beans seemed to come straight from a can of Heinz, not that it was such a huge issue. The dish was quite greasy, as you would expect from the types of food on the plate, but it was altogether "very yummy".

Queen's Breakfast - Smoked Salmon, poached Eggs, Spinach and Hollandaise sauce served on english muffin

I decided to go for something different and ordered the Queen's breakfast. No bacon or sausages, but there was plenty of smoked salmon and the egg was poached nicely so that it sat well on top of the muffin but was nice and oozy on the inside. There was perhaps a little too much of the Hollandaise sauce (or they should have put it on the side) as it was a little too strong and took away the taste of the salmon. The spinach was a good balance.

Service was nice, atmosphere a little hot and stuffy. Outdoor seating doesn't have a lot of ventilation and under the sun it can get quite uncomfortable. Indoor seating is nice. One other random thing to note is that their water tasted strange. Not quite filtered / spring / mineral water, but not tap water either.

Great value for money, and perfect if you are hungry!

Overall Impression: 9/10

Margo's: Hot Seafood Platter

Location: Gaming Area, Crown Entertainment Complex
Link: www.crowncasino.com.au/.../Margos_alacarte_Menu_30Aug09.pdf
Cuisine: Grill, Seafood

Having talked about this for ages, I've finally tried the seafood platter at Margo's!

Hot seafood platter for two

The platter came in two-tiers, and included:

• Half a grilled crayfish
• An entire fish
• 6 oysters Kilpatrick
• 4 pieces of grilled calamari
• 6 x prawns
• 4 x scallops
• 6 x mussels
• 4 pieces of crab legs
• Thousand island sauce
• Garlic aioli/tartare sauce
• Plenty of lemons

In addition to all the above, we were also given a bowl of shoestring fries and a bowl of garden salad. We didn't touch many of the fries as they were a little on the dry side and not quite flavoured enough.

The bottom tier

The platter was extremely good value for money, especially since it includes an entire fish and half a crayfish. The oysters Kilpatrick were amazing. There was plenty of flavour in the sauce which was able to cover up most of the fishy taste from the oysters (ie: not exactly the freshest oysters I've had, but certainly very close). The fish was also very nice and fresh. A lot of the seafood was a slightly overcooked - the meat from the crayfish and prawns were quite tough and chewy, The crab was slighltly crumbly which was not really expected. The scallops and mussels were very nice, a tad overcooked, but tasted beautifully with a squeeze of lemon.

And yes, we did finish off the entire platter!

The place was bustling, and considerable noisy. If you're looking for a quiet night, this is not the place to be - the waiters rush around all over the place but they at least keep the place in order. However, the service was pretty prompt despite the platter coming out later than expected.

I will be back again, but not for a long while and probably just to get the crayfish mornay again! I think for lobster and crab, I'm going to just go back to KunMing in Chinatown, or go somewhere more local.

Overall Impression: 8.5/10

The Meat & Wine Co

Restaurant: The Meat & Wine Co.
Location: 3 Freshwater Place, Queensbridge Square, Queensbridge Street, Southbank
Link: http://www.themeatandwineco.com/

Jenster has made a post on The Meat & Wine Co already, but I thought I'd publish my own take on the restaurant.

First impressions of the place was pretty classy, we arrived just when it was opening so basically no one was there yet. Our reservation was under the name "Pin", and was seated at our table almost imediately.

Memorable moments was when Helen asked for the lights to be brighter, but was rejected.

As for the food ...

Pork Tasting Platter - Tender pieces of pork belly, served with a burnt apple puree and flame-grilled pork chops on a bed of crushed kipfler potatoes, topped with a peach & apple chutney.

This was the our favourite dish for the night I think. (Although Emma Z who visited a few weeks later would disagree) Just the tenderness of the pork belly and the sweetness in the sauce, on a bed on potatoes. However, I would not dare attempt to eat this all by myself, between the four of us, it was just enough to leave us hanging for more next time.


Pork Tasting Platter

Pasta of the day - Linguine with mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, cherry tomatoes.
This was our least favourite dish of the night. Not enough flavour, and a bit too oily in texture. I guess it was our fault though for choosing a pasta dish at a steak place.


Pasta of the day - Linguine with mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, cherry tomatoes

Steak didn't taste particularly special, which was a huge disappointment.
and the chips? well just look at the pictures. Although, my workmate seems to really enjoy the rib-eye steaks from here.

New Yorker (Sirloin) 300g Medium

Rib-eye 350g


Overall, lets just say my quest to find the best steak is continuing.

Any recommendations? I have yet to try Squires Loft recommended by Linda

Untill next time eat well, live well,

♥ j

The Meat & Wine Co

Location: 3 Freshwater Place, Queensbridge Square, Queensbridge Street, Southbank
Link: www.themeatandwineco.com
Cuisine: Grill, Modern Australia

I've been meaning to try out this place for over a year now, and we finally decided to give it a go!

The table settings

Pasta of the day - linguine with asparagus, spinach, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes

This dish actually tasted really good. Fresh, light and simple. At times the linguine lacked a little flavour, but the lightness of the vegies helped balance this dish out with the rest of the dishes to follow.

Pork tasting platter - tender pieces of pork belly, served with a burnt apple puree and flame-grilled pork chops on a bed of crushed kipfler potatoes, topped with a peach and apple chutney

By far the best dish of the night. The pork belly was extremely tender and juicy, the pork chops equally well-marinated and grilled. Some of it was slightly charred, but added a very nice smokey effect to the smell and taste. The accompanying chutney and apple puree worked harmoniously with the meats and the bed (or tower) of potatoes was soft and crumbly, mixing well with the chutney and puree. We could have gone for seconds of this dish had we not had two other steaks awaiting us.

New Yorker Sirloin - (Angus 120 day grain-fed) 300g with mushroom sauce

Rib-eye - (Angus 120 day grain-fed) 350g with mushroom sauce

The steaks were both quite good, I couldn't tell a whole heap of difference between them, but then again I do not claim to be a steak expert. We ordered both to be cooked medium, and they came out slightly pink in the middle, but soft and juicy on the outside. The mushroom sauce was incredible - creamy, and loaded with chopped mushrooms!

Garden salad

We actually ordered one steak with a garden salad and the other with chips - however, as you can see in the pictures above, they brought out both with chips. So they brought us a separate garden salad...leaving us with twice the chips for the same price!

The service was pleasant and classy, which matched the table settings and the general decor of the place. It was hard at time to get service though, as the night was quite busy - and we went on a Monday night too. Tip is to book if you don't want to be left waiting for a table.

Overall Impression: 9/10

Steakout

Location: Level 1, West End, Crown Entertainment Complex
Link: www.steakoutatcrown.com.au
Cuisine: Grill, Modern Australian

Prawn cocktail - king prawns with cocktail sauce

Fresh prawns with a tangy mayo/yoghurt style sauce and a squeeze of lemon...mmmm..... The only downside with this appetiser was the size!

Cold seafood platter - combination of prawns, oysters, calamari, smoked salmon

The platter really was amazing... there was so much food!! Everything was really really fresh, the prawns were sweet and juicy, the calamari tender and the smoked salmon full of flavour. The tartare sauce was zingy and a perfect match for the seafood.

Oysters Kilpatrick - bacon and Worcestershire sauce

My first time eating oysters Kilpatrick and I've fallen in love. The bacon was smokey and the sauce was full of flavour, complimenting freshly steamed oysters. I found a couple of granules of rock salt inside the oyster and still cannot work out whether it was deliberate or not (they were served on a bed of rock salt).

Mixed grill - beef tenderloin, chicken breast, special Steakout sausage, farmhouse bacon and grilled tomato

I only tried the bacon on this, but it was very nicely down - slightly crispy and smokey, but not quite burnt or charred. I didn't hear any complaints about this meal.

Grilled lamb chops with oven-roasted rosemary chat potatoes and butter glazed mixed vegetables

Butter glazed...what more can you say apart from how amazing the vegetables tasted?! I never eat cauliflower (except in cheese) and devoured a piece of this like any other vegie. The lamb chops were slightly charred, perhaps a little overdone. The potatoes were aromatic and tender. The main was perhaps the most balanced main of the table!

Porterhouse steak with fries

This was the special of the day - 200g Porterhouse steak + pot/soft-drink for $15!! However, you do get what you pay for, and the steak was a little too on the stringy side and chewy at times. The mushroom sauce was very nice but could have done with a slight bit more flavour. The fries however, were some of the best I have ever had - crunchy to the end, even when they had gone cold, and perfectly salted.

Pancakes with deep fried banana and ice cream

The bananas were crunchy and sticky on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside, just like they should have been. The pancakes were somewhat average - I've had better at Pancake Parlour - and the serving of ice-cream could have been better. The berry sauce was sweet and refreshing, adding some freshness to a fairly heavy dessert.

Crown’s smallest sundae - scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with hot chocolate sauce

Simple yet delicious. Seriously, you can't go wrong with ice cream with hot chocolate sauce!

Prices weren't too bad, steaks ranged from $15 (special) to $37 (tenderloin), seafood priced from $25 (grilled snapper) through to $66 (whole crayfish). Then there was a range of pastas and other mains at the standard $20 - $30 price range. In addition, Steakout has daily specials from Monday to Thursday and special drinks prices on Friday and Sunday nights.

Overall Impression: 9/10

Steak Out

Location: Crown
Link: Steakout
Cuisine: Steak

~Food~

Delicious.

Entree was the char-grilled calamari. The calamari was cooked perfectly- very tender and succulent but i do wish they had removed the sinew thing in the middle of the calamari. It came with a delicious ailoli. YUM!

Now the mains...

Mark had the porterhouse and I had the marinated ribs. Those ribs were soooo delicious. Slow roasted. Apparently they weighed 800g with the bone. The porterhouse was delicious too. Very well cooked with a yummy smokey taste. The portions were over generous and I couldn't finish my main. Both dishes came with a generous serve of fries.

~Atmosphere and Service~
Atmosphere was a bit blah. It had a sports bar and live band area attached which is great if you're into that sort of thing. Its a very bloke-y kinda place with a lot of, well blokes. The service was good, they were understanding about Fructose and offered to have the salad that came with the entree separate which was very nice.

~Price~
Not too bad. For the amount of food we got (especially the ribs) it was very reasonably priced.

~Overall Impression~
Lovely place. All the food tasted especially good coz we hadn't been out for dinner in a long long long time (thank you final year) and also coz it was one of the only meals we've had together that didn't involve any background stress. Seriously, go to steak out. It's pretty awesome.
9/10

Margo's: Crayfish Mornay

Location: Gaming Area, Crown Entertainment Complex
Link: www.crowncasino.com.au/.../Margos_alacarte_Menu_30Aug09.pdf
Cuisine: Grill, Seafood

As part of a work social function, we headed to Margo's for a 'quick' dinner before a movie. Probably not the ideal place to go when you have a big group and don't plan to arrive very early, as the place will not take any bookings and there is generally a waiting line unless you arrive around 6pm. Friday nights and weekends are the busiest nights of the week, and you will be seated much faster if you arrive early.

Half crayfish mornay

I ordered the half crayfish mornay and it was absolutely amazing! The meat inside the shell was soft, sweet and fresh. The mornay sauce was also not too heavy, just enough to add a very nice flavour to the crayfish. The accompanying fries and salad weren't too bad either. One of the best meals I have ever eaten!

Surf'n'turf platter

Two of my colleagues ordered the surf'n'turf platter - one tier of meat, one tier of seafood. I didn't hear any complaints.

The service was pretty decent. Our food arrived at around the same time and was of a very high quality. The waiters were friendly, and we appreciated the way they were able to arrange a large table for us despite us arriving close to 7pm on a Saturday night.

Overall Impression: 9.5/10