Location: corner Elizabeth and Victoria Streets
Cuisine: various
Company: Janette, Duy
Skip the food court, and take the entrance near McDonald's. Inside you'll find a vast array of freshly made pies, baguettes, sausages and boreks. The Queen Vic Market has so much food at cheap prices, and you know it's all fresh because the food sells like crazy! We jostled our way to the counter of one particular shop and ordered the borek, which looked like a sausage roll, but with a thinner pastry and actual meat inside. I didn't quite catch the name of the place, but you'll find it by the line up, and the menus [the boreks are $2.50 each!]
After you have filled up on savouries, you can stop by one of the ice cream or juice shops, or skip them and try out the American donuts sold from the van near the groceries area. Again, so so cheap - 6 donuts for $5!!
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
The place to go when you're after quick, cheap and freshly made food!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Concorde Creperie
Location: Kiosk 3, Melbourne GPO [corner Little Bourke and Elizabeth Streets]
Cuisine: Crepes
Company: Mandy, Mel
~Food~
The place sells crepe, crepe and more crepe. It has a vast array of fillings, ranging from sweet ones like lemon and sugar, banana and nutella, and stewed apple and cinnamon, to savoury fillings such as cheese, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, smoked salmon and peking duck [the list could go one]. I ordered the lemon and sugar crepe, hoping it would be like the old crepe van days, to be fairly disappointed. The crepe itself was thicker than they used to be, and seemed more suited to a savoury filling. They also made it with too much lemon syrup, and too little sugar.
Not phased though, I plan on trying out the savoury ones over the weekend, and will post a note to this afterwards.
~Atmosphere and Service~
Very simple, it is just a small kiosk hidden in a corner of GPO near the post office. There is some casual seating scattered along the kerb like the other GPO cafes, but the crepe is served in a paper bag, and most people walk and eat.
The ladies who served us were friendly, but somewhat not so experienced. One left the crepe on for too long as she went off to help another look for the ingredients in their flour (a customer had asked if their flour contained yeast) and as a result the crepe was tougher than it should have been.
~Price~
Rather expensive, although the crepe is quite large. The sweet ones start at $4.90, and prices range up to $12.90 for the peking duck one.
~Overall Impression: 7/10~
Not overly impressed, but impressed enough to want to return and try the savoury ones.
Cuisine: Crepes
Company: Mandy, Mel
~Food~
The place sells crepe, crepe and more crepe. It has a vast array of fillings, ranging from sweet ones like lemon and sugar, banana and nutella, and stewed apple and cinnamon, to savoury fillings such as cheese, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, smoked salmon and peking duck [the list could go one]. I ordered the lemon and sugar crepe, hoping it would be like the old crepe van days, to be fairly disappointed. The crepe itself was thicker than they used to be, and seemed more suited to a savoury filling. They also made it with too much lemon syrup, and too little sugar.
Not phased though, I plan on trying out the savoury ones over the weekend, and will post a note to this afterwards.
~Atmosphere and Service~
Very simple, it is just a small kiosk hidden in a corner of GPO near the post office. There is some casual seating scattered along the kerb like the other GPO cafes, but the crepe is served in a paper bag, and most people walk and eat.
The ladies who served us were friendly, but somewhat not so experienced. One left the crepe on for too long as she went off to help another look for the ingredients in their flour (a customer had asked if their flour contained yeast) and as a result the crepe was tougher than it should have been.
~Price~
Rather expensive, although the crepe is quite large. The sweet ones start at $4.90, and prices range up to $12.90 for the peking duck one.
~Overall Impression: 7/10~
Not overly impressed, but impressed enough to want to return and try the savoury ones.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Izakaya Chuji
Location: 165 Lonsdale Street
Link: www.izakayachuji.com
Cuisine: Japanese, Tapas, BBQ
Company: Jie, Jenn, Mel, Emma, Helen
~Food~
The food was rather average. I suspect BBQ would have been nicer, but given it was a very hot day, we went a la carte with a stack of small tapas-like dishes. A few dishes stood out, including the asari butter (clam in butter soup) and the crab croquettes. Amusingly, the description for sukiyaki was 'a very popular dish served in pot with special sauce', although it didn't quite live up to expectations. It merely tasted like sukiyaki from any other Jap restaurant.
~Atmosphere and Service~
When we arrived at about 6pm, it was already starting to look busy. Downstairs was more crowded and had a market-like atmosphere. Upstairs was a little quieter and more restaurant like. Lighting was slightly dimmed and the place had character.
Unfortunately for the place, the service was shocking. The waiters and waitresses could barely understand English, which made communication a bit of a problem. Our first issue arose when we decided it was too hot for BBQ and opted to order from the main menu. We asked one waitress whether it was possible to order a la carte instead of BBQ, and asked for the main menu. Given that she left and returned with the menus, we assumed it would be okay. Not quite so. Another waitress later came up and told us off for not ordering BBQ when we had booked for BBQ. That would have been fair enough if they had told us when we asked. Instead they then complained about us taking up a BBQ table when they had to turn away people who wanted BBQ - despite there still being a few empty BBQ tables around us...
~Price~
The prices seemed quite cheap when we first looked at the menu, but the dishes were all rather small and after paying $20 each, we left rather unsatisfied.
~Overall Impression~
Would perhaps return to try out the Jap BBQ, but other than that, not particularly keen to return.
Link: www.izakayachuji.com
Cuisine: Japanese, Tapas, BBQ
Company: Jie, Jenn, Mel, Emma, Helen
~Food~
The food was rather average. I suspect BBQ would have been nicer, but given it was a very hot day, we went a la carte with a stack of small tapas-like dishes. A few dishes stood out, including the asari butter (clam in butter soup) and the crab croquettes. Amusingly, the description for sukiyaki was 'a very popular dish served in pot with special sauce', although it didn't quite live up to expectations. It merely tasted like sukiyaki from any other Jap restaurant.
~Atmosphere and Service~
When we arrived at about 6pm, it was already starting to look busy. Downstairs was more crowded and had a market-like atmosphere. Upstairs was a little quieter and more restaurant like. Lighting was slightly dimmed and the place had character.
Unfortunately for the place, the service was shocking. The waiters and waitresses could barely understand English, which made communication a bit of a problem. Our first issue arose when we decided it was too hot for BBQ and opted to order from the main menu. We asked one waitress whether it was possible to order a la carte instead of BBQ, and asked for the main menu. Given that she left and returned with the menus, we assumed it would be okay. Not quite so. Another waitress later came up and told us off for not ordering BBQ when we had booked for BBQ. That would have been fair enough if they had told us when we asked. Instead they then complained about us taking up a BBQ table when they had to turn away people who wanted BBQ - despite there still being a few empty BBQ tables around us...
~Price~
The prices seemed quite cheap when we first looked at the menu, but the dishes were all rather small and after paying $20 each, we left rather unsatisfied.
~Overall Impression~
Would perhaps return to try out the Jap BBQ, but other than that, not particularly keen to return.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Casa Del Gelato
Location: 163 Lygon Street, Carlton
Cuisine: Italian, Ice-Cream and Gelati
Company: Janette, Duy
I was especially impressed by the strawberry as it was the first time I had ordered a fruit flavour gelati - I had never thought it would work out, but it did. A must try!
Overall Impression: 9.5/10
Cuisine: Italian, Ice-Cream and Gelati
Company: Janette, Duy
After stuffing ourselves with pasta, we decided to get some gelati for 'dessert'. Case Del was the first gelati spot that we walked past. Enticed by the endless glass windows of gelati, we went in. There were literally tubs and tubs of different flavoured gelati, there were fruity ones, creamy ones and soya ones, with a huge range for each type. I bought a 3-scoop cup of Chocolate Kiss, Choc Mint and Strawberry for $4.50. And it tasted fantastic!! The Chocolate Kiss was creamy and chocolatey, without being too rich or too sweet. The Choc Mint was fresh and cool, with nice chunks of choc chip blended throughout, and the strawberry was just very fruity and tangy. Perfect gelato.
I was especially impressed by the strawberry as it was the first time I had ordered a fruit flavour gelati - I had never thought it would work out, but it did. A must try!
Overall Impression: 9.5/10
Cafe Notturno
Location: 177-179 Lygon Street, Carlton
Cuisine: Italian
Company: Janette, Duy
Every time I walk down Lygon Street, Cafe Notturno always seems to be bustling with people. So today, when we went to Lygon for an early lunch, we decided we would give it a shot.
~Food~
The menu had a good range of pastas, pizzas and typical main meals, including parmas, steaks and salads. We all ordered pastas. My penne bascaioli was essentially penne with chicken and mushrooms, with a cream and napoli sauce. Quite rich, but the flavours were tossed together nicely. Janette had the penne matriciana, which looked tasty, but was apparently quite spicy. Duy's sundried tomatoes and olive gnocchi came with a cream sauce, and looked far too rich and filling for my liking, although he asserted that it did in fact taste quite good.
The menu also had a small range of desserts (including nutella crepe) and a large drinks list.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place was very casual. Seating was available both indoors and out, although we saw ants on the outdoor tables and decided to sit inside.
As it was an early lunch, the place itself wasn't that busy yet, however the service was somewhat disappointing. Our main waitress seemed to be very snappy and appeared quite rude. There was no indication of any customer service as she expressionlessly took our orders, and seemed somewhat lazy when setting the table - all it involved was putting down serviettes with a knife and fork, yet she was too lazy to do a bit of walking, and left my cutlery in front of Janette.
The plus side was that the food came out relatively quickly, however I was again disappointed that cracked black pepper and fresh parmasan were not offered, even though upon leaving I saw that it was available. Instead, we were given a shaker of parmasan, which was stuck together and didn't taste all too spectacular.
~Price~
The prices were reasonable. The pastas were around $11-$15 and the main meals didn't look too pricey either.
~Overall Impression: 6.5/10~
Suitable for a quick, cheap lunch, but not a place I would recommend for any meal where you're after decent service.
Cuisine: Italian
Company: Janette, Duy
Every time I walk down Lygon Street, Cafe Notturno always seems to be bustling with people. So today, when we went to Lygon for an early lunch, we decided we would give it a shot.
~Food~
The menu had a good range of pastas, pizzas and typical main meals, including parmas, steaks and salads. We all ordered pastas. My penne bascaioli was essentially penne with chicken and mushrooms, with a cream and napoli sauce. Quite rich, but the flavours were tossed together nicely. Janette had the penne matriciana, which looked tasty, but was apparently quite spicy. Duy's sundried tomatoes and olive gnocchi came with a cream sauce, and looked far too rich and filling for my liking, although he asserted that it did in fact taste quite good.
The menu also had a small range of desserts (including nutella crepe) and a large drinks list.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place was very casual. Seating was available both indoors and out, although we saw ants on the outdoor tables and decided to sit inside.
As it was an early lunch, the place itself wasn't that busy yet, however the service was somewhat disappointing. Our main waitress seemed to be very snappy and appeared quite rude. There was no indication of any customer service as she expressionlessly took our orders, and seemed somewhat lazy when setting the table - all it involved was putting down serviettes with a knife and fork, yet she was too lazy to do a bit of walking, and left my cutlery in front of Janette.
The plus side was that the food came out relatively quickly, however I was again disappointed that cracked black pepper and fresh parmasan were not offered, even though upon leaving I saw that it was available. Instead, we were given a shaker of parmasan, which was stuck together and didn't taste all too spectacular.
~Price~
The prices were reasonable. The pastas were around $11-$15 and the main meals didn't look too pricey either.
~Overall Impression: 6.5/10~
Suitable for a quick, cheap lunch, but not a place I would recommend for any meal where you're after decent service.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Little Lamb
Location: Whitehorse Road, Box Hill
Cuisine: Chinese
Company: family
~Food~
Little Lamb operates like any other typical hotpot (or as some like to call, steamboat) restaurant. You select a soup base (normal, spicy, herbal) and then select a range of raw meats, vegies and other typical hotpot additions such as glass noodles, tofu and fish balls. Then you get to cook it all yourself, to your own liking, whenever you want. We opted for the normal soup base as the spicy is generally extremely spicy and I'm not a fan of herbal soups. Even still, the normal soup base was a very nicely flavoured stock base with some goji berries and other spices and herbs floating around (although not as much as in the herbal one).
In addition, Llittle Lamb had a Mongolian roast lamb rack on the menu, so we thought we would give that a try.... and I absolutely loved it!!! It was very nicely roasted (although somewhat oily), and instead of being heavily coated in spices, was only lightly marinated, then served with small dishes of spices.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place is quite a small restaurant, and it was crowded and busy. From the outside, you can see the steamed up windows and as soon as you step in, you can smell the aromas of the roast lamb (they do skewers as well) and the hotpot. The service was decent too, especially for a small Asian restaurant such as this was. The waiters were really attentive and efficient, and responsed quite promptly to any requests we had.
~Price~
$23 per person all-you-can eat, or you can order dishes separately to control spending.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
Great place and food for a cold winter's night. Probably will return again the next time the weather goes cold again.
Cuisine: Chinese
Company: family
~Food~
Little Lamb operates like any other typical hotpot (or as some like to call, steamboat) restaurant. You select a soup base (normal, spicy, herbal) and then select a range of raw meats, vegies and other typical hotpot additions such as glass noodles, tofu and fish balls. Then you get to cook it all yourself, to your own liking, whenever you want. We opted for the normal soup base as the spicy is generally extremely spicy and I'm not a fan of herbal soups. Even still, the normal soup base was a very nicely flavoured stock base with some goji berries and other spices and herbs floating around (although not as much as in the herbal one).
In addition, Llittle Lamb had a Mongolian roast lamb rack on the menu, so we thought we would give that a try.... and I absolutely loved it!!! It was very nicely roasted (although somewhat oily), and instead of being heavily coated in spices, was only lightly marinated, then served with small dishes of spices.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place is quite a small restaurant, and it was crowded and busy. From the outside, you can see the steamed up windows and as soon as you step in, you can smell the aromas of the roast lamb (they do skewers as well) and the hotpot. The service was decent too, especially for a small Asian restaurant such as this was. The waiters were really attentive and efficient, and responsed quite promptly to any requests we had.
~Price~
$23 per person all-you-can eat, or you can order dishes separately to control spending.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
Great place and food for a cold winter's night. Probably will return again the next time the weather goes cold again.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Vialetto's Ristorante
Location: 75 Hardware Lane
Link: www.vialetto.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Company: Jie, Jenn, Law Crew
~Food~
The menu lists a rather large variety of mains, pastas, salads and desserts. I ordered the roast duck, which was tasty but a little on the dry side. The orange sauce wasn't as sweet as I feared it might be, and tasted awesome on top of the vegies. This time I managed to get photos of what everyone else ordered.
The mains...
[semi-boned half duck, twice cooked to a crispy skin, served with an orange citrus sauce and seasonal vegetables]
[grilled fish of the day with a herb butter and white wine sauce,served with seasonal vegetables]
This may look pretty, but came with plenty of fish bones intact and they took it off the bill.
[seared fresh Atlantic salmon nicoise served on baby beans, desiree potato, red onion, tomato and olives, all dressed with Tuscan olive oil]
[aged scotch fillet char-grilled and served with a green peppercorn sauce, Tuscan style mashed potato and seasonal vegetables]
[char-grilled veal served on a bed of rocket salad with olive tapenade]
[linguini tossed with chicken, avocado, roasted capsicum, cream and fresh herbs]
[salad of pan-seared warm calamari, served on an artichoke,rocket and semi-dried tomato salad]
[grilled calamari tubes filled with fresh spinach, prawn meat, sundried tomatoes, chilli and mushrooms, drizzled with basil oil and served with a salad]
And then for dessert...
[warm strawberry crepe: splashed with Grand Marnier & served with homemade vanilla bean ice cream]
~Atmosphere and Service~
The main dining area was tucked away in the basement floor of the restaurant. The tables were neatly set [complete with white tablecloths] and the service was minimal but very accommodating despite them being quite busy (we went on a Friday night). Bookings are nearly essential and there is the option to pre-order to save time.
~Price~
Mains are less than $20, desserts are about $8. And the serving sizes are rather generous too.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
Decent prices, pleasant, unintrusive service and a good variety of dishes. A perfect mix, not to mention the awesomeness of the desserts.
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Company: Jie, Jenn, Law Crew
~Food~
The menu lists a rather large variety of mains, pastas, salads and desserts. I ordered the roast duck, which was tasty but a little on the dry side. The orange sauce wasn't as sweet as I feared it might be, and tasted awesome on top of the vegies. This time I managed to get photos of what everyone else ordered.
The mains...
[semi-boned half duck, twice cooked to a crispy skin, served with an orange citrus sauce and seasonal vegetables]
[grilled fish of the day with a herb butter and white wine sauce,served with seasonal vegetables]This may look pretty, but came with plenty of fish bones intact and they took it off the bill.
[seared fresh Atlantic salmon nicoise served on baby beans, desiree potato, red onion, tomato and olives, all dressed with Tuscan olive oil]
[aged scotch fillet char-grilled and served with a green peppercorn sauce, Tuscan style mashed potato and seasonal vegetables]
[char-grilled veal served on a bed of rocket salad with olive tapenade]
[linguini tossed with chicken, avocado, roasted capsicum, cream and fresh herbs]
[salad of pan-seared warm calamari, served on an artichoke,rocket and semi-dried tomato salad]
[grilled calamari tubes filled with fresh spinach, prawn meat, sundried tomatoes, chilli and mushrooms, drizzled with basil oil and served with a salad]And then for dessert...
[warm strawberry crepe: splashed with Grand Marnier & served with homemade vanilla bean ice cream]
[bigné con cioccolata: profitteroles filled with crema pasticcera and served with warm chocolate sauce & vanilla bean ice cream]
[trio of summer sorbets: a delightful selection of mango, green apple & rasberry sorbets]
[Bailey’s & white chocolate ice cream: homemade ice cream served with a chocolate wafer & a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur]
[trio of summer sorbets: a delightful selection of mango, green apple & rasberry sorbets]
[Bailey’s & white chocolate ice cream: homemade ice cream served with a chocolate wafer & a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur]~Atmosphere and Service~
The main dining area was tucked away in the basement floor of the restaurant. The tables were neatly set [complete with white tablecloths] and the service was minimal but very accommodating despite them being quite busy (we went on a Friday night). Bookings are nearly essential and there is the option to pre-order to save time.
~Price~
Mains are less than $20, desserts are about $8. And the serving sizes are rather generous too.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
Decent prices, pleasant, unintrusive service and a good variety of dishes. A perfect mix, not to mention the awesomeness of the desserts.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Romanza
Location: corner of Springvale Road and Burwood Highway, Burwood
Link: www.romanza.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Company: family
Romanza is a classic family restaurant. The place itself is half-bar, half-restaurant with comfortable couches for a quiet drink, or tables and chairs in the restaurant part.
~Food~
The menu is very expansive, and has dishes ranging from grills, to pastas, old favourites like parmagiana, scaloppini and so forth. We opted to order four dishes and shared them between us:
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place had a more classy casual atmosphere. The lighting was slightly dimmed and the tables were nicely spaced out so that noise wasn't an issue. The service was limited but very sufficient. The waitresses were polite and very accommodating, but were able to leave us to eat in peace, only dropping by once or twice to see if we needed anything else.
~Price~
The mains were all around the $20-$25 mark.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
Very satisfied with the variety of food available, decent service, and a nice place for a nice family dinner.
Link: www.romanza.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Company: family
Romanza is a classic family restaurant. The place itself is half-bar, half-restaurant with comfortable couches for a quiet drink, or tables and chairs in the restaurant part.
~Food~
The menu is very expansive, and has dishes ranging from grills, to pastas, old favourites like parmagiana, scaloppini and so forth. We opted to order four dishes and shared them between us:
- Linguini with king prawns: the pasta and prawns were tossed through olive oil, herbs and served with a lemon wedge. Although the pasta and sauce were a little bland, the prawns had plenty of flavour and tasted extremely fresh
- Spring lamb cutlets: the lamb was done really well, slightly crispy and charred on the edges, nice and tender on the inside. There was plenty of accompanying tzatziki, as well as a fresh Mediterranean salad and roasted potatoes
- Veal scaloppini: thin slices of veal came smothered in a creamy white wine and mushroom sauce, a mound of steamed vegies and roasted potatoes. The veal was nicely done, although the sauce itself could have done with more seasoning.
- Parmesan crusted chicken: tender chicken fillets came with a slightly crispy Parmesan coating, a very large serving of creamy mash and also a mound of steamed vegies. The chicken was full of flavour and the sauce was rather nice.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place had a more classy casual atmosphere. The lighting was slightly dimmed and the tables were nicely spaced out so that noise wasn't an issue. The service was limited but very sufficient. The waitresses were polite and very accommodating, but were able to leave us to eat in peace, only dropping by once or twice to see if we needed anything else.
~Price~
The mains were all around the $20-$25 mark.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
Very satisfied with the variety of food available, decent service, and a nice place for a nice family dinner.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Lazy Moe's
Location: corner of Springvale and Canterbury Roads, Forest Hill
Link: www.lazymoes.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Company: Jean and Mark
~Food~
A rather extensive menu offers plenty of mains, seafoods, pastas and risottos. In addition, they also have nachos, baked spuds and burgers. The steak comes on a massive plate, with a generous serving of either chips and salad or mash and vegies. I found the mash a little too on the sour side, but other than that, the meal couldn't be faulted.
~Atmosphere and Service~
Very very casual. This is a typical family restaurant, and when busy, can get rather loud. It's a good place to relax and enjoy good food.
~Price~
Very decent, for the serving sizes, the food was totally worth the price.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
A good local place to grab a quick bite.
Link: www.lazymoes.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Company: Jean and Mark
~Food~
A rather extensive menu offers plenty of mains, seafoods, pastas and risottos. In addition, they also have nachos, baked spuds and burgers. The steak comes on a massive plate, with a generous serving of either chips and salad or mash and vegies. I found the mash a little too on the sour side, but other than that, the meal couldn't be faulted.
~Atmosphere and Service~
Very very casual. This is a typical family restaurant, and when busy, can get rather loud. It's a good place to relax and enjoy good food.
~Price~
Very decent, for the serving sizes, the food was totally worth the price.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
A good local place to grab a quick bite.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Don Tojo
Location: Cardigan Street, Carlton
Cuisine: Japanese
Company: Terry
Lowei suggested this place when Terry and I were looking for a quick bite before our negotiations competition. Turns out I'll have to trust Lowei's judgment of food from now on!
~Food~
The menu was small and totaled about 10 choices, ranging from don (rice) to udon (noodle soups). My sukiyaki (beef) udon soup came loaded with beef, bamboo shoots and udon noodles. Although a little on the dry side (it could have had more soup), it was full of flavour and almost reminded me of the beef I had at Yoshinoya in Hong Kong. Terry's sukiyaki don came also heaped with lots and lots of beef and vegies.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place was rather small, and very casual. It appeared like a place for people after a quick but filling meal, and the service was quite fast - quite possibly due to the limited menu.
~Price~
Very cheap. All dishes were under $10.
~Overall Impression: 8.5/10~Adding this place to my list of quick and cheap eateries!
Cuisine: Japanese
Company: Terry
Lowei suggested this place when Terry and I were looking for a quick bite before our negotiations competition. Turns out I'll have to trust Lowei's judgment of food from now on!
~Food~
The menu was small and totaled about 10 choices, ranging from don (rice) to udon (noodle soups). My sukiyaki (beef) udon soup came loaded with beef, bamboo shoots and udon noodles. Although a little on the dry side (it could have had more soup), it was full of flavour and almost reminded me of the beef I had at Yoshinoya in Hong Kong. Terry's sukiyaki don came also heaped with lots and lots of beef and vegies.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place was rather small, and very casual. It appeared like a place for people after a quick but filling meal, and the service was quite fast - quite possibly due to the limited menu.
~Price~
Very cheap. All dishes were under $10.
~Overall Impression: 8.5/10~Adding this place to my list of quick and cheap eateries!
D.O.C. Pizza and Mozzarella Bar
Location: 295 Drummond Street, Carlton South
Cuisine: Italian
Company: Terry, Lowei, John, Rihan
~Food~
This Italian restaurant and 'Mozzarella Bar' specialises in pizzas with various creative toppings, all done in the traditional Italian way. They also have various 'antipizzas' and 'insalatas'. We ordered 4 pizzas to share amongst the 5 of us, the Italian names are a little too hard to recall but they can be roughly referred to as:
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place was bustling when we arrived, and well and truly packed. We were told to put down our names and then stand around and wait. We were finally seated about half an hour later. Service was quite good, although somewhat slow. The waiters and waitresses weren't too rude but took forever to take our orders, bring out the food and then to even get us the bill.
~Price~
Pizzas cost about $15-$20 each, depending on which one you went for. Desserts were about $8. Drinks ranged from $3.50 for soft-drinks to $7 for a glass of wine.
~Overall Impression: 8/10~The food was great, and we spotted a few dishes we'd like to try the next time we go. Although slow, the food was worth the wait. And a bonus is that they shave their meats fresh - with a giant meat shaver out the front.
Cuisine: Italian
Company: Terry, Lowei, John, Rihan
~Food~
This Italian restaurant and 'Mozzarella Bar' specialises in pizzas with various creative toppings, all done in the traditional Italian way. They also have various 'antipizzas' and 'insalatas'. We ordered 4 pizzas to share amongst the 5 of us, the Italian names are a little too hard to recall but they can be roughly referred to as:
- Pancetta and [loads of] mozzarella and tomato sauce
- Chicory, cheese and lemon - the lemon was a tad weird, but creative
- Lamb sausages with creme broccoli and cheese
- Porchetta with salad on top
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place was bustling when we arrived, and well and truly packed. We were told to put down our names and then stand around and wait. We were finally seated about half an hour later. Service was quite good, although somewhat slow. The waiters and waitresses weren't too rude but took forever to take our orders, bring out the food and then to even get us the bill.
~Price~
Pizzas cost about $15-$20 each, depending on which one you went for. Desserts were about $8. Drinks ranged from $3.50 for soft-drinks to $7 for a glass of wine.
~Overall Impression: 8/10~The food was great, and we spotted a few dishes we'd like to try the next time we go. Although slow, the food was worth the wait. And a bonus is that they shave their meats fresh - with a giant meat shaver out the front.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Oakdene Vineyards
Location: 255 Grubb Road Wallington, Ocean Grove
Link: www.oakdene.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Company: MSJ Winter Clerks
We were taken down to Ocean Grove for lunch as a farewell for our winter clerkship. It's approximately a 1.5 hour drive to the winery but the food awaiting us was well worth the drive! The meal was accompanied by wine tasting - a series of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot and shiraz.
~Food~
The food was absolutely amazing. We were given a choice from a set menu for each course. The menu looked like this:
For entree, I ordered the 'King scallops with pancetta, celeriac, Lake Connewarre samphire and black truffle butter'. The scallops were tender and wrapped in crisp pancetta. The flavours complemented each other perfectly and the butter sauce finished it off beautifully.
For the main course, I had the 'Tasmanian salmon fillet with eshallot creamed potato, broccolini and lemon beurre blanc'. The salmon was crispy skinned on the top, and tender and juicy underneath. The salmon was perched on top of broccolini and a bed of creamy mashed potato. The mash was perfect - smooth and creamy, with just enough butter and salt to flavour it. It was finished off with the highlight of the dish - the lemon butter sauce!
I lament that I didn't get a photo of the dessert, for it was so beautifully presented. I chose the 'Chocolate fondant with Belgium chocolate sauce and vanilla ice-cream'. The dish came with a thin chocolate biscuit standing upright in the fondant, which was smothered in chocolate sauce. The ice-cream was a necessity to balance out the richness of the chocolate.
~Atmosphere and Service~
Very relaxed. We booked out one of the back rooms that overlooked the garden. Albeit cold without the heaters and overly warm with them, the area was a good area for group functions. The service was quite nice considering they had to deal with almost 30 of us.
~Price~
I have no idea about the price - the firm paid for us.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
With the food so amazingly fresh and full of flavour, I recommend the drive to anyone up for a bit of a day trip.
Link: www.oakdene.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Company: MSJ Winter Clerks
We were taken down to Ocean Grove for lunch as a farewell for our winter clerkship. It's approximately a 1.5 hour drive to the winery but the food awaiting us was well worth the drive! The meal was accompanied by wine tasting - a series of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot and shiraz.
~Food~
The food was absolutely amazing. We were given a choice from a set menu for each course. The menu looked like this:
For entree, I ordered the 'King scallops with pancetta, celeriac, Lake Connewarre samphire and black truffle butter'. The scallops were tender and wrapped in crisp pancetta. The flavours complemented each other perfectly and the butter sauce finished it off beautifully.
For the main course, I had the 'Tasmanian salmon fillet with eshallot creamed potato, broccolini and lemon beurre blanc'. The salmon was crispy skinned on the top, and tender and juicy underneath. The salmon was perched on top of broccolini and a bed of creamy mashed potato. The mash was perfect - smooth and creamy, with just enough butter and salt to flavour it. It was finished off with the highlight of the dish - the lemon butter sauce!
I lament that I didn't get a photo of the dessert, for it was so beautifully presented. I chose the 'Chocolate fondant with Belgium chocolate sauce and vanilla ice-cream'. The dish came with a thin chocolate biscuit standing upright in the fondant, which was smothered in chocolate sauce. The ice-cream was a necessity to balance out the richness of the chocolate.
~Atmosphere and Service~
Very relaxed. We booked out one of the back rooms that overlooked the garden. Albeit cold without the heaters and overly warm with them, the area was a good area for group functions. The service was quite nice considering they had to deal with almost 30 of us.
~Price~
I have no idea about the price - the firm paid for us.
~Overall Impression: 9/10~
With the food so amazingly fresh and full of flavour, I recommend the drive to anyone up for a bit of a day trip.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
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
Surf'n'turf platter
Overall Impression: 9.5/10
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.
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
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Firehouse
Location: Maroondah Highway, Ringwood
Cuisine: Western
Company: Mark
~Food~
For a relatively new place, the food was absolutely divine. The menu is interesting. You can either have a meal of small tapas dishes (small entree size dishes) or pick one as an entree and have the usual entree-main-dessert combo. I love the tapas idea. Esp with a group of friends, you get to try a little of everything and not end up over ordering like usual!
We got the marinated octopus- it was fresh and delicious.
Mains where salty, crispy skin duck and angus beef 400g rib eye. The duck itself was beautiful. Very fresh and the skin was delicious. It made a nice change to the usual peking duck! It came with a strange mandarin/apple/potato salad... i didn't like the flavour but it was also very fresh. The beef was also incredibly fresh and juicy. It came with mash (cant go wrong with mash) and beef jus.
The only problem was everything was slightly undersalted for my liking but you can easily add more salt.
I loved the obvious quality of the ingredients used and the fact that they were very mindful of the fructose issue, allowing us to have the jus on the side and taking time to check with the chefs.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The restaurant is very well decorated. It is set inside the old firestation and has retained the charm. There are several small rooms (perfect for functions) and everything is a pretty red colour.
Our waitress was possibly the nicest server I've ever come across. Very helpful but not overly intrusive. Took a lot of care with the fructose as mentioned above. Big ticks there!
~Price~
Slightly pricey, about $7 for starters (they are small though) and $27-30 for mains. Well worth it for the quality but at the moment only for special occasions! (this one being my birthday keke) Once we have nice, full time employment I think the prices are actually quite reasonable.
~Overall Impression~
10/10- Good food, great service, felt the meal was worth the money we spent.
Cuisine: Western
Company: Mark
~Food~
For a relatively new place, the food was absolutely divine. The menu is interesting. You can either have a meal of small tapas dishes (small entree size dishes) or pick one as an entree and have the usual entree-main-dessert combo. I love the tapas idea. Esp with a group of friends, you get to try a little of everything and not end up over ordering like usual!
We got the marinated octopus- it was fresh and delicious.
Mains where salty, crispy skin duck and angus beef 400g rib eye. The duck itself was beautiful. Very fresh and the skin was delicious. It made a nice change to the usual peking duck! It came with a strange mandarin/apple/potato salad... i didn't like the flavour but it was also very fresh. The beef was also incredibly fresh and juicy. It came with mash (cant go wrong with mash) and beef jus.
The only problem was everything was slightly undersalted for my liking but you can easily add more salt.
I loved the obvious quality of the ingredients used and the fact that they were very mindful of the fructose issue, allowing us to have the jus on the side and taking time to check with the chefs.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The restaurant is very well decorated. It is set inside the old firestation and has retained the charm. There are several small rooms (perfect for functions) and everything is a pretty red colour.
Our waitress was possibly the nicest server I've ever come across. Very helpful but not overly intrusive. Took a lot of care with the fructose as mentioned above. Big ticks there!
~Price~
Slightly pricey, about $7 for starters (they are small though) and $27-30 for mains. Well worth it for the quality but at the moment only for special occasions! (this one being my birthday keke) Once we have nice, full time employment I think the prices are actually quite reasonable.
~Overall Impression~
10/10- Good food, great service, felt the meal was worth the money we spent.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Tsindos
Location: 197 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne[near Russell Street]
Link: www.tsindosrestaurant.com.au
Cuisine: Greek
Company: Dan
~Food~
The food was decent. We ordered saganaki with red capsicum and fetta for entree. The dish came out in a small pan and the flavours were nice and strong, but well balanced. For mains, I ordered a mixed grill [chicken souvlaki, lamb gyro, lamb rissole, lamb cutlet, sausage, salad etc] and Dan ordered a seafood platter [prawns, fish, Greek pasta, saganaki sauce etc]. Serving sizes were generous and the lamb gyro was amazing. The salad could have done with a little more dressing and fetta though.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place itself is cosy and casual, but the service was lacking - or rather selective. We were greeted at the door and shown to a table in a very pleasant manner. But once the waitress took our orders, the service pretty much ended there. Our food came out after quite a long wait, and they brought our mains out before we had even finished the entree. The worst part was that they didn't clear away any used plates even though we had piled a nice little collection on the side of the table. And when we waved for service, one waiter nodded curtly and then palmed us off to another waitress.
~Price~
The prices were suitable given the serving sizes. Usual $20-$30 for mains. They also had set menus and share platters that were a little more expensive.
~Overall Impression: 7/10~
I wouldn't be rushing back to this place, only because the food was nice but not quite enough to make up for the bad service.
Link: www.tsindosrestaurant.com.au
Cuisine: Greek
Company: Dan
~Food~
The food was decent. We ordered saganaki with red capsicum and fetta for entree. The dish came out in a small pan and the flavours were nice and strong, but well balanced. For mains, I ordered a mixed grill [chicken souvlaki, lamb gyro, lamb rissole, lamb cutlet, sausage, salad etc] and Dan ordered a seafood platter [prawns, fish, Greek pasta, saganaki sauce etc]. Serving sizes were generous and the lamb gyro was amazing. The salad could have done with a little more dressing and fetta though.
~Atmosphere and Service~
The place itself is cosy and casual, but the service was lacking - or rather selective. We were greeted at the door and shown to a table in a very pleasant manner. But once the waitress took our orders, the service pretty much ended there. Our food came out after quite a long wait, and they brought our mains out before we had even finished the entree. The worst part was that they didn't clear away any used plates even though we had piled a nice little collection on the side of the table. And when we waved for service, one waiter nodded curtly and then palmed us off to another waitress.
~Price~
The prices were suitable given the serving sizes. Usual $20-$30 for mains. They also had set menus and share platters that were a little more expensive.
~Overall Impression: 7/10~
I wouldn't be rushing back to this place, only because the food was nice but not quite enough to make up for the bad service.
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