Upcoming Good Food Month Event: NOSE TO TAIL, PORK & ALE

As part of The Age’s 'Good Food Month', Belleville is taking a special moment to celebrate the fine things in this world we all love: pork and craft beer. 

In partnership with the good folk at Mornington Peninsula Breweries, Belleville will be offering a five course menu with matching craft beers. The head chefs will leave no swine unturned - crafting all dishes from the one pig. 

What: Five course menu + matching beers. 

Where: Belleville, Globe Alley, Melbourne

Cost: $90pp

Bookings: Call (03) 9663 4041 to secure your spot. 

Miyako Japanese Cuisine + Teppanyaki

Located in Southgate, Miyako is a restaurant dedicated first and foremost to the art of Japanese eating and drinking, offering a laid back environment for catching up with friends and family with a focus on quality food designed to share in stylish but comfortable surroundings.

The restaurant is divided into a teppanyaki section, a restaurant section and a private room with a Tatami and Table set-up. Magically lit, the space glows in soft light.

The menu showcases traditional Japanese cooking such as tempura, sushi and sashimi with a wide selection of sakes alongside beer, wine, spirits and cocktails compliment the sophisticated menu.

Japanese trained master chef Yosuke Furukawa brings over 20 years of Japanese and Australian experience to Miyako. Yosuke comes to Miyako after five years as head chef at Melbourne’s award winning restaurant Izakaya Den, where he produced critically acclaimed izakaya style menus. He has recently designed an innovative Japanese menu at Miyako, with dishes for all palates.

Crispy Prawn 

The eye catching Crispy Prawn’s combination of the crispy kataifi pastry and the fresh prawn and seafood mousse was a textural delight.

Tabara Crab Leg Tempura

The Tabara Crab Leg Tempura was sensational. The deep fried crustacean pieces were coated in a semi-thick crisp batter that encapsulated firm, sweet flesh.

Tofu Dengaku topped with Red and White Miso

A simple yet well-conceived dish that took full advantage of the tofu’s most notable characteristic – its supple flesh. The thick pieces of creamy tofu were adorned with caramelized miso.

Assorted Sushi and Sashimi 

The sushi platter of assorted sashimi boasted a tenderness exhibited by high quality produce. The nigiri was expertly crafted and the plump, pieces of fish were incredibly fresh.

Wafu Steak 

The dish of Char Grilled Miso Glazed Eye Fillet with Garlic Crust, served with Teriyaki Sauce was simple, delicious and very well executed. The beef was cooked to a tender and juicy pink and was exceedingly flavoursome and "melt in the mouth".

Grilled Black Cod with Zucchini, Capsicum, Cauliflower, and Pickled Radish in a Bamboo Leaf Pouch

We were presented with a beautifully fresh, vividly white piece of Cod Fillet which had been cooked to perfection. We adored the silky texture and the golden-brown charred bits of caramelised miso on the fish. 

Dessert of the Day 

Miyako’s take on the traditional banana fritter concluded our evening on a sweet note. The banana had an ethereally light and crispy batter and was soft and sweet inside and was served with a trio of ice creams.

Well executed Japanese food with stunning views as its backdrop, a desirable beverage selection and overall dining experience, Miyako has certainly earned our stamp of approval.

Location: Southgate, 3 Southgate Avenue, Southbank
Phone: 03 9699 9201
Link: http://www.miyakocuisine.com.au/
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi






Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Miyako.

A Porky Christmas: Murray Valley Pork Rolled Loin

With Christmas only a month and a bit away, we thought we would share one of our Christmas dinner plans with you.

We have a tradition in our household of celebrating Christmas with decadent comfort food, all washed down with plenty of wine.

This year, we have a “crackling” pork recipe that is sure to impress. 

Roasted Pork Loin with perfect crackling

Serves 6

Ingredients

3.06 kg Murray Valley Pork Rolled Loin, rind on

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sea salt

boiling water

Method

1. Pour boiling hot water all over the pork.
2. Dry the pork with paper towels.
3. Rub and massage liberal amounts of olive oil into the skin.
4. Sprinkle salt all over the surface of the skin.
5. Place the pork on a roasting trivet.
6. Roast the pork at a temperature of 220 degrees celcius for the first hour.
7. After an hour, reduce the temperature to 185 degrees celcius and continue cooking until the pork is ready (e.g. for a further 30 minutes).
8. Transfer the meat to a warm plate. 
9. Remove the strings from the pork.
10. Serve!

The pork came out of the oven looking absolutely perfect. Fragrant, sweet and succulent, this roast pork was winter comfort food at its best. Golden brown, blistered and crunchy, the pork crackling had us fighting for the last piece.

Get your hands on some Murray Valley Pork -> Find your nearest stockist here!

Or if you would like to find other porky recipe ideas, check out our posts about Murray Valley Pork's Rindless Scotch here or Murray Valley Pork's Cranberry & Almond Loin Roast here.

Gastrology bloggers tried the Rolled Pork Loin courtesy of MVP.

Blog Giveaway: Muffin Break prize packs

Muffin Break launched the 2015 Great Bake Sale on Monday 19 October 2015, encouraging schools across the nation to take part in its annual fundraising campaign. 

The four-week digital campaign will be open to all primary schools and high schools; with up to $5,000 in prizes up for grabs for the winning school of each Australian state.

Find out more here.

To celebrate the great bake sale, Gastrology are giving away 6 Muffin Break prize packs. Each pack includes:

1 x Muffin Break keep cups

1 x Muffin Break nail polish

1 x Muffin Break kids chef hats

1 x Muffin Break kids aprons

1 x Muffin Break 2016 kitchen calendars

How to enter 

All you have to do, is: 

Send us an email with the subject "Muffin Break prize packs giveaway" and answer the following question:

“What is your muffin flavour?” 

The best 6 entries, as judged by the Gastrology team, will each win a Muffin Break prize pack.

The competition will run from Thursday 12 November 2015 to 5:00pm Monday 16 November 2015 (winners to be announced on this post). 

The fine print: 

Only entries made using a valid email address are eligible. Your email address will not be published. This competition is a game is of skill not chance. This giveaway is open to readers in Australia only. Prize is not transferable or exchangeable or redeemable for cash. The Promoter is not responsible for prizes once they have been dispatched to the winner. The image of the prize is purely representative and the actual prize is subject to change. 

******


[17/11/2015] Announcement: Winners of the Blog Giveaway: Muffin Break prize packs

Thank you to everyone who entered!

The 6 winners are…


Abbey H
Vanessa K
Leanne W
Daphne K
Cathy C
Jessica T

… Congratulations, the winners will be contacted via email.



Competition Now Closed. 

Taxi Kitchen

Boasting some of the best views, food, wine and service that Melbourne has to offer, Taxi Kitchen has established itself as one of Melbourne’s prime dining destinations.

The menu encourages sharing and showcases fresh and local produce as hero ingredients to create communal and fun dishes. 

The Sake washed tuna, soybean pesto and daikon salad were one of the highlights from our visit. The soybean pesto dressing was refreshing and flavoursome without being overpowering, thereby preserving the integrity of the beautifully fresh, delicate slices of tuna. 

Another memorable from the menu is the dish of Candied pork, coconut salad and red nam jim. This dish was a triumph, both in terms of texture and flavour. The tender slices of beef were dressed beautifully with an expertly judged blend of textures and herbs.

Desserts at Taxi are wonderful examples of restrained elegance - the Dark chocolate parfait was decadent and exquisitely textured while the Passionfruit Souffle was picture perfect, beautifully light and fluffy. Each made for an indulgent end to a wonderful meal. 

Taxi Kitchen impresses with smart, contemporary dining that boasts a fun, approachable and communal flair.

Location: Swanston Street & Flinders Street, Melbourne 

Phone: 03 9654 8808

Link: http://www.taxikitchen.com.au/

Cuisine: Modern Australian, Contemporary

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Taxi Kitchen.

Mr Ramen San

Mr Ramen San is a Japanese noodle house centrally located in the Mid City Arcade on Bourke Street. As the name suggests, the focal point of this café is ramen – Japanese wheat noodles. 

The quality of the ramen offered by Mr Ramen San is some of the best Melbourne has to offer with the noodles made in-house daily. The broth is cooked for 10 hours in pork bones (chefs stir continuously for 4-5 hours a day to achieve a beautiful consistency) for full flavour. 

Charsu Ramen

The menu features reasonably priced and amply sized bowls of delicious soup noodles (with extra noodles free of charge), making this ramen-centric establishment a suitable haunt for economical lunch seekers. 

Mr Ramen San allows you to customise your own ramen. You begin by selecting a broth - soy, miso or tonkotsu (pork bone) – before proceeding to select your topping - eg. chashu (roast pork), beef and minced chicken. 

Vegetarian Charsu Ramen

On our visit, we were particularly impressed by the vegetarian Charsu Ramen. The slender noodle strands were firmly cooked, and were pleasantly garnished with nori, boiled egg, bamboo shoots and spring onion. The accompanying Vegetarian “Charsu” possessed a delicious bite and went superbly with the vegetarian “tonkotsu” broth. The broth is the most vital component of any bowl of ramen as it provides flavour to the noodles. Mr Ramen San’s broth was delicious. A thick, cloudy and somewhat creamy concoction of decadently rich flavours. It was hard to believe that this was a vegetarian dish.

Teriyaki Charsu Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen

Another highlight was the Teriyaki Charsu Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen. Boasting unadulterated pork flavours (the end product of intensely boiled pork bones and more notably, pork fat), the thick, gleaming layer of liquid pork fat that forms on the surface of the broth was the key to an authentic and robust tonkotsu broth. As the strands of noodles were pulled through the surface, they were coated with the unctuous perfectly spicy liquid which provided the noodles with indulgent flavours. 

Mr Ramen San is definitely worth checking out if you have not already.

Location: Midcity Arcade, 200 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Phone: (03) 9042 1588

Link: http://www.mrramensan.com.au/
Cuisine: Japanese, Ramen

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Mr Ramen San.

Day Of The Dead Warehouse Project Melbourne [31 October 2015]

Written by Simon Ly.

Day of the Dead, also known as Día de los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday celebrating the lives of family and friends who have died. This was celebrated in Melbourne and Sydney on Halloween with a warehouse party across 2 levels in the city centre, aptly called Warehouse Project 3.1. 

It was a creative spectacle that not only included DJs playing Mexican (downstairs) and dance (upstairs) music, but also live art installations, light projections and our favourite, amazing face painters who made sure attendees were in theme for the night.

Warehouse Project 3.1 was stocked well with food from Sydney restaurant Playa Takeria, Mexican cerveza and cocktails, with our favourite concoction being a Chambord-based cranberry cocktail. 

Overall, it was an extremely well organised event. We loved the cool vibes earlier on in the night before we danced and enjoyed the music til the early morning (though we must admit we didn’t last all the way until 5am!). For more information on this annual event, keep up to date at the Facebook page here.

Recipe: Mysore Dahl

Malaysia Kitchen has recently launched its cooking series on Seven Two on Saturdays at 3pm (Read more here). To whet your appetities, here is a recipe for the Mysore Dahl from Episode 3...

By: Carol Selva Rajah

Ingredients:
1 cup Mysore (red) dahl
2 cups water
2 green chilli, sliced in half
2 clove garlic, diced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion sliced thinly
1 Tbsp dried prawns, soaked in water and pounded
150g pumpkin, chopped into pieces
1 ripe tomato, chopped with skin on
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp freshly dry roasted cumin, then ground in a mortar and pestle for wonderful aroma
1 Tbsp Malaysian curry powder
Pepper, salt to taste.

To garnish
1 Tbsp ghee
2 dried chilli
1 tsp black mustard seeds
10 - 12 curry leaves

Method:
Wash dahl, then boil uncovered with green chillies and turmeric. Cook for about 20 mins with sufficient water to cover the dahl - it will take on a golden yellow colour. To test, press some with your finger, it should be soft.

To a large pan add some vegetable oil and fry the garlic and onions until brown. Add the cooked dahl
dried prawns, tomato, pumpkin and a little water and cook on stove. Add cumin, curry powder, season and stir. Leave the pumpkin textured and with some form and simmer until cooked. Season to taste.

In another frypan melt the ghee for a few seconds, add broken chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves,
tossing until they pop. Place this as garnish on the dahl serve with other vegetables for a protein rich
meal with brown rice or chapatti.

Curry Delights

Curry Delights is a monthly kit which includes easy recipes and all dry ingredients for a delicious Indian feast at home. All you have to do is follow the steps to cook a memorable three course meal for four.

Gastrology recently trialled Curry Delights’ October kit (featuring Awadhi cuisine) which came with a menu, a gorgeous recipe book and all the dry Indian ingredients pre-portioned to serve four. 

When we were ready to cook, we followed the shopping list and picked up all the required fresh items.

We loved the step by step instructions which were simple and perfectly timed and designed to fit together like Lego. It was great fun to see each course take shape.

Around an hour later, our 3 course meal was ready! 

Everything tasted incredibly authentic and delicious. It was the perfect curry night in with friends. 

What: Curry Delights is a monthly kit with a menu that changes every month. You will discover new foods from different parts of India with every kit. 

How: Follow the foolproof steps to cook a fantastic 3 course meal at home.

Link: https://www.currydelights.com.au/

Beer DeLuxe Hawthorn

Beer DeLuxe is famous for their ability to combine a meal with the perfect beer within a cosmopolitan environment which retains a laidback ambience.

The beer list is magical - guests escape on a journey through the world’s luscious hop fields, expressed by a selection of surprising and delicious taste combinations.

The menu showcases an array of juicy steaks, pizzas, burgers and tapas style beer food. 

Chicken strips, sweet chili mayo

The fried chicken was tender, juicy and distinctly flavoursome. We loved how this crispy bar staple was done impeccably well without compromise. 

Oven baked salmon fillet 

The baked salmon was beautifully cooked.  Served with juicy prawns and enlivening salad of avocado, semi-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, Spanish onion and lettuce with lemon and dill aioli adding a lovely finishing touch. This was a generous dish and fresh dish which was perfect for the warm weather. 

Grain fed porterhouse served with fries

We particularly enjoyed our steak with the Trappist Rochefort 8. A dark coloured, full bodied beer, it expressed strong plum, raisin, and black currant notes. It was a wonderfully complex beer.

Holgate temptress float

For dessert, we concluded on a sweet note quite appropriately with a beer float. The Holgate Temptress Chocolate Porter was a tempting twist on the classic porter - Brewed with loads of malt and infused with a dash of rich Dutch cocoa and whole vanilla beans. Luscious chocolate, coffee, and caramel flavours blended with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to produce an adult’s only playful and complex ice cream float.

Look for the red star on Burwood Road for an enjoyable meal with an interesting range of local and international brews and wines.

Location: Beer DeLuxe Hawthorn, 329 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Melbourne

Phone: 03 9818 3944

Link: http://www.beerdeluxe.com.au/

Cuisine: Bar Food, Burgers, Pizza, Steaks

Beer DeLuxe Giveaway

It's giveaway time at Beer DeLuxe Hawthorn! 

Take a photo of their burger whilst dining at their restaurant, (extra points if the beer is in the shot) and go into the draw to win a free beer and burger when you tag @beerdeluxe! Winners will be drawn weekly on a Wednesday via the Beer DeLuxe Facebook. The winner will get to reserve their free burger and beer dining experience any time on a Tuesday. 

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Beer DeLuxe.

The Age Good Food Month Events: St Sunday Thai BBQ Sessions | A Lebanese Banquet to Impress

Find out more about Bang Bang BBQ here and the Lebanese Banquet here.

Recipe: Chicken and Prawn Wontons with dry-style noodles

Malaysia Kitchen has recently launched its cooking series on Seven Two on Saturdays at 3pm (Read more here). To whet your appetities, here is a recipe for the Chicken and Prawn Wontons with dry-style noodles from Episode 1...

By: Jackie M

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

500g fresh, thin wonton noodles

2 bunches Chinese broccoli

Chicken and Prawn Wontons

200g chicken, minced

200g banana prawns, peeled and minced

8 water chestnuts, minced

1 stalk spring onion, sliced

2 Tbsp packaged fried shallots

½ *chicken stock granules, crumbled

1 ½ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp. pepper

1 pack of 50 wonton skins

1 Tbsp. sesame oil, extra

Wonton Mee Sauce

2 Tbsp minced garlic 2

50ml vegetable oil

50ml soya sauce

50ml sesame oil

50ml thick soya sauce (kicap pekat)

200ml oyster sauce

200ml abalone sauce (or fish sauce)

1 ½ tsp white pepper

50ml water

Method:

For the wontons, combine all filling ingredients, in a bowl and mix well. Place 1 heaped tsp filling in the middle of a wonton skin, gather the edges and scrunch up to make money bags or fold into triangles. Pinch well to seal filling inside.

Place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper, keeping wontons separate or they will stick together. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Poach wontons in batches until they float to the top, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drizzle with sesame oil and serve with Wonton Mee noodles.

Tip: Wonton skins are square, not round, and available in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores.

For the noodles, fry garlic in oil until just brown. Strain and discard garlic, reserving oil. In a heavy-based saucepan combine garlic oil with remaining sauce ingredients and simmer until chicken stock granules are dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Blanch Chinese broccoli for about 10 seconds and set aside. In

batches, blanch noodles for about a minute, remove with strainer and run under cold water for 3 seconds.

Quickly dip noodles back into the boiling water for 3 seconds then drain.

Toss noodles with a couple of tablespoons of sauce and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining noodles. Serve with the blanched Choy Sum, Chicken & Prawn Wontons and Chicken Char Siew.

George Calombaris 'Greek' Book Launch

Written by Simon Ly.

Out of all the restaurants in the Masterchef-driven empire of eateries, Hellenic Republic in Brunswick East was the chosen location to launch George Calombaris’s new book, Greek. In his latest book, Calombaris provides family recipes with a twist focusing exclusively on Greek food. The cookbook is beautifully presented, well-photographed and extensive in its list of recipes. If you don’t see yourself as much of a cook, it will at the very least be a wonderful addition to your coffee table.

It was a star-studded affair of a who’s who of the restaurant industry, with presenters and attendees including Heston Blumenthal (who delivered a wonderful introductory speech), Gary Mehigan and Archie Thompson (leading striker for Melbourne Victory given Calombaris is the number one ticket holder), to name a few.

 

As you would expect, it was a well catered affair, with many dishes drawing or exclusively coming from the kitchen of Hellenic Republic. Our favourite could have come out of a Survivor challenge, being a perfectly-crumbled lamb’s brain garnished and sauced delightfully.

 

From the spit came a fatty and tasty pork belly in a fluffy pita bread. They came in appropriately finger food sized portions. So we ate two each.

 

As the night drew to a close the waiters brought around two desserts, one being a Hellenic Republic favourite - the Risogalo, a rice pudding topped with almond shortbread crumble, pistachio and drizzled in salted caramel. 

 

The second was less sweet and more alcoholic being compressed watermelon soaked in ouzo, with almond slivers and mint.

All in all, it was a wonderful night that celebrated a chef continuing his ascension both in food and business. We can only anticipate this success continuing. You can get Calombaris’s Greek at the stores listed here.
 

 

The return of the much-loved Din Tai Fung lamb buns for spring

It’s Spring, the lambs are born and to celebrate the warmer weather, Din Tai Fung, arguably the world’s most famous dumpling specialist, has brought back its popular Sweet Lamb Buns.

Din Tai Fung's limited edition Spring Sweet Lamb Buns are now on offer at Din Tai Fung Melbourne until 30 November. These Spring Sweet Lamb Buns or 'Bao' come steamed-to-order with a delicious filling of molten dark chocolate and taro. 

Absolutely adorable, the buns are almost too cute to eat. The fluffy, moist and slightly sweet buns were the perfect canvas for the gooey and dacadent dark chocolate and taro fillings. YUM.

Pork Dumpling / Xiao Long Bao

While we were there, we also indulged in other Din Tai Fung menu highlights which included the world renowned Xiao Long Bao.

While many Chinese restaurants serve Xiao Long Bao, Din Tai Fung’s variety are a cut above. The allure of Din Tai Fung’s legendary Xiao Long Bao lies in their gracefully delicate pastry skin enveloping rich pork-seasoned broth.  

Usefully, Din Tai Fung’s staff are on hand to provide instructions on the recommended steps for consuming the Xiao Long Bao - steps which involve piercing the pastry skin to suck out the broth within and then subsequently flavouring the remaining pastry and minced pork dumpling with black vinegar and shredded ginger.

These soupy morsels may demand more effort than your run-of-the-mill pork dumpling, but we assure you - you will be rewarded.

Drunken Chicken

Din Tai Fung's drunken chicken was exquisite. The chicken was wonderfully tender and infused with a beautiful rice wine flavour - perfectly seasoned and well balanced.

Shrimp and Pork Wonton with Tangy Sauce

With the extensive publicity received by Din Tai Fung’s Xiao Long Bao, the Shrimp and Pork Wontons with Tangy Sauce, which prevail in both taste and texture, can easily be overlooked. These pork and prawn filled wontons are wrapped with a blissfully silken wonton pastry and bathe in a mind-blowing concoction of chilli oil and sesame oil. Cooked with the perfect amount of heat, these wontons certainly tantalised the taste buds.

Don't miss out on Din Tai Fung's Spring Sweet Lamb Buns along with other menu highlights!

What:  Din Tai Fung lamb buns for spring

When: Until 30 November 2015

Price: $3.80 each 

Location: Level 4, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

Phone: (03) 9654 1876

Link: https://www.dintaifung.com.au/

Cuisine: Taiwanese, Dumplings

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Din Tai Fung.

Minor Figures Cold Brew Coffee comes home to Melbourne

Cold brew coffee brand, Minor Figures is coming home to Melbourne after a successful launch in London late last year and winning the ‘Most Innovative Product’ at the London Coffee Festival. 

The brand is heading up by two Melbournians & one Londoner with one third of the trio, Jonathan Chiu, moving back to Melbourne, the mecca of good coffee, to bring his cold brew home. 

This September, Minor Figures launched its two cold brews to the Australian market – ‘Cold  Brew Coffee: Straight Black’ and ‘Cold Brew Coffee with Organic Milk’ in time for the warmer  months. 

Carving a niche between big ready-to-drink long-life iced coffee brands (that are typically made from coffee powder), and the exclusive, expensive, hipster, artisanal, short-shelf-life cold brews. Minor Figures Cold Brew is shaking up the ready-to-drink iced coffee category, by introducing the quality, values, ethics, and passion of specialty coffee. 

We loved the Straight Black. A complex, smooth, full-bodied brew with a bright juiciness, low acidity and a long chocolate caramel finish - it is the perfect drink as the weather heats up. 

The Cold Brew with organic milk is equally as refreshing with an added mellowness which smooths out the acidity - perfect for those wanting a cold brew with a little less intensity.

Find out more about Minor Figures Cold Brew Coffee here.

The Chef Series Progressive Dinner @ Collins Square

Nestled within the heart of Melbourne's thriving Collins Street business district is Collins Square Hospitality Group's hub of award winning restaurant brands Chiara, Bar Nacional and Long Shot Café.  To complement the group's iconic restaurants comes Collins Square Catering and the Collins Square Cellar, outstanding hospitality services for discerning inner Melbourne foodies. From your morning coffee fix, to Spanish tapas and VIP sommelier experiences, Collins Square Hospitality Group offers a little something for every foodie.

Gastrology recently enjoyed an intimate 'Progressive Dinner' where we sampled the finest food and beverage from Collins Square Hospitality Group in an intimate dinner hosted by each of the executive and head chefs in their respective venues.

First stop: Canapés @ Collins Square Catering

Compressed watermelon, Yarra Valley feta, aged balsamic, oregano 

Our evening began with canapés in the catering kitchen. Collins Square Catering is Melbourne's most convenient events and catering offering, with a seamless process from ordering through to delivery.

Slow cooked duck 'empanada', blood orange mayonnaise

Our favourite canapé was the Duck empanada. The wonderfully flaky empanadas were filled with melt in your mouth slow cooked duck and served alongside blood orange mayonnaise. Topped with sesame seeds for some added texture, the empanadas were just beautiful.

Second stop: Entree @ Bar Nacional

Bar Nacional pays homage to the most celebrated aspects of Spanish food culture: a lively atmosphere, community, quality ingredients, careful preparation, and the fast-paced variety of flavours and creative combinations achievable with dishes designed especially to share. 

The Bar Nacional menu re-interprets a range of Spanish classics in new and exciting ways, with Head Chef Scott Spence dishing up traditional Carrasco guijuelo Iberian bellota and a creative play on crema catalana.

Smoked ham hock and fennel bomba

The bomba had a wonderfully crisp exterior which combined beautifully with the smoked ham hock which provided salinity to the dish while the creamy fennel ensured that the dish had requisite balance.

Perrito caliente - guindillas, pork crackling

We loved this Spanish take on the hot dog. Sandwiched between buttery brioche buns are juicy chorizo sausages, complete with indulgent sauces and decadent pork crackling. These rolls wantonly disregard the current trend towards healthy eating and, as a result, are abundantly flavoursome.

Third stop: Main @ Chiara

Chiara's menu pays homage to the authentic Italian culinary culture, with a modern Melbourne twist. The restaurant's impressive wine list boasts a decadent selection of Italian wines, champagne, local favourites and rare, aged options alongside aperitivo style cocktails. 

For those looking for an exclusive experience, Chiara's semi-private cellar room offers bespoke dining with personal menus and matched beverages for up to 18 guests.

Braised rabbit saddle, carrot, cardamom, guanciale & rock oysters

A myriad of well-balanced flavours enveloped the rabbit meat which was well cooked, juicy and tender. It was a rich and complex dish that worked superbly.

Fourth stop: Dessert @ Long Shot

Rumoured to be the best cafe West-of-Spencer, the team behind Long Shot understands that Melburnians take their coffee seriously, with expert baristas pouring a morning brew of coffee roasted by St Ali. 

Coconut ice pops, passion fruit curd, baby basil

All sweet treats are made in-house daily by pastry guru Maria Lantelme. 

From left: Brown butter panacotta, Canadian Maple croissant croutons; Caramelised chocolate puff pastry, cherry ice cream, vanilla powder

A local lunch haunt for fresh sandwiches, healthy salads, baked goods and treats to cap off your afternoon cravings, Long Shot has spoils for every palate.

Madeleines & caneles

We loved each of the sweet treats we indulged in. Each were a decadent interpretation of classic French and Italian creations that had been carefully handcrafted.

Find out more about Collins Square here.

Contact CSHG

Collins Square Hospitality Group: http://www.cshg.com.au/

Chiara: http://www.chiara.com.au

Bar Nacional: http://www.barnacional.com.au/

Long Shot: http://www.long-shot.com.au/

Collins Square Cellar: http://www.collinssquare.com.au/cellar/

Collins Square Catering: http://www.collinssquarecatering.com.au/

The Post Hotel

A friendly pub in St Kilda, The Post Hotel delights locals with a menu that draws influence from waterholes the world over.

The beverage list boasts a selection of great craft beer, a range of local and international red and white as well as a curated list of cocktails. 

Grilled Hervey Bay scallops with corn puree, crispy prosciutto and truffle oil

The scallops were beautifully seared and boasted natural sweetness while the crispy prosciutto added a lovely salinity to the dish.

Salt and pepper calamari

Tender ribbons of battered calamari were served with flavoursome sweet soy dressing.  The calamari was perfectly seasoned and went beautifully with the sauce.

Cape Grim beef rib with twice cooked Jerusalem artichoke, chorizo and thyme

Pan seared ocean trout with charred fennel, thyme and lemon jus

Our favourite dish of the evening, the trout, was perfectly cooked - beautifully seared and pink in the middle. The charred fennel, thyme and lemon jus was a delicious accompaniment. 

Housemade doughnuts with spiced sugar and chilli chocolate dipping sauce

These golden puffs were delicious. Ethereal in texture, the doughnuts were cinnamon-sugar coated and tasted delicious with the decadent chocolate sauce.

Chocolate brownie with espresso ice cream

The chocolate brownie was a playful and sweet end to our evening. 

The folks at The Post Hotel have stayed true to the 140 years of its rich history in St Kilda and deliver a modern twist on old fashioned hospitality. 

Location: 306 St Kilda Road, St Kilda

Phone: 03 9534 7678

Link: http://www.stkildapost.com.au/

Cuisine: Pub Food

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of The Post Hotel.

Altro Pizza & Cafe

Williamstown's favourite pizzeria, Altro prides itself on being true to the artisan style of Italian pizza making.

The restaurant boasts traditional Neapolitan style pizzas that are baked in a wood fired brick oven at 400-420°C for about 90 seconds.

Caprese Salad - fresh tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil

The Caprese was a stunning start to our meal. The Bufala di Parma mozzarella was feather-light and delicate but yet rich and full of flavour and was further enhanced by the flavours of the fresh basil and tomato. 

Diavola - san marzano tomato, fior di latte, hot salami, olives & scarmorze

The Diavola pizza was delicious. Sat atop a thin layer of tomato sugo were generous layers of delicious Fior di latte, lashings of hot salami, olives and scarmorze. These ingredients did justice to the pizza base which was thin, light and flavoursome.

Nutella Pizza with ice-cream and strawberries 

Our evening concluded on a sweet note with a Nutella Pizza. Simple but also simply beautiful, this dessert pizza was a great end to the meal.

Altro have firmly established themselves as maestros of the Williamstown pizza scene. Customers of Altro are rewarded with high quality, traditionally crafted Neapolitan wood fired pizzas packed with garden fresh ingredients. If you are in search of some of Melbourne's best pizzas, this eatery should be at the top of your list.

Location: 68 Stevedore Street, Williamstown

Phone: 03 9397 6601

Link: http://altropizza.com.au/

Cuisine: Pizza, Italian

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Altro Pizza & Cafe.