Restaurant Review: Margo's (Revisited)

Location: Crown casino, Southbank
Link: http://www.crowncasino.com.au/margos
Cuisine: Modern Australian

Was craving veal shanks so I suggested we all head to Margo's. This is my fourth visit and even though having dinner inside a casino is not exactly ideal, I have always found it an enjoyable casual dining experience.

It happened to be Ben's birthday and after telling one of the staff members, we were served with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine each and a nice coffee and cherry cake to end the meal. The cherries on the cake were delightfully alcoholic.

 Veal shank slow-cooked veal served with mashed potatoes and vegetables

Again, the veal shanks were very good.

J ordered the 'surf & turf' - moreton bay bug and 200g porterhouse steak with chips and salad.

He said is was 'ok'. The bug was good and the steak was cooked 'medium', like he had requested.

I guess the food isn't all that fantastic but I find Margo's really honest. It’s a weird way to describe a restaurant but its just fair. The food is consistently what you expect it to be. It might not be a magical meal but its always enjoyable and suitably casual.

And the complimentary sparkling wine and birthday cake was a nice touch. Well played, sir. Well played.

Cafe Review: Eclipse

Location: Rear of the Intercontinental Hotel – enter off Flinders Lane, 495 Collins Street, Melbourne

Phone: 03 9629 7703

Cuisine: Cafe-style food

Link: http://www.eclipsecoffee.com.au/temp/

Overall impression: 7/10 

J and I decided to try the coffee at Eclipse.  Apparently coffee places are ranked with "beans" and only a few have a three bean status (Eclipse being a café that does).

And the coffee certainly did not disappoint! The lunch menu looked really good as well so we'll definitely need to go back and try it out. 

Caffè macchiato

Restaurant Review: Nam Loong Chinese Restaurant

Location: 223 Russell St, Melbourne

Phone: (03) 9663 4089

Cuisine: Chinese

Overall impression: 1/10 - in relation to noodles, 8/10 - in relation to Pork Buns (Char siew bao)

They have the best steamed pork buns in Melbourne but the noodles we had were unbelievably tasteless. I guess the lesson of the story is, do yourself a favour and stick to the yummy steamed buns!

Restaurant Review: Michel's Restaurant & Bar, Novotel

Location: 270 Collins Street, Melbourne

Phone: +61 3 9667 5800

Link: http://www.novotelmelbourne.com.au/melbourne-cbd-restaurant.html

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Overall impression: 6/10

There is a stigma related to restaurants within hotels. There is always a presumption that the food will be well presented but for some reason have that sort of this-food-was-prepared-in-a-hotel taste. I'm not sure how to describe that sensation but hopefully you know what I mean.

As such, I was pleasantly surprised at my experience at Michel's. I had the opportunity of indulging in their buffet lunch. I generally dislike buffets because I have self-control issues, but I'll leave that for another day. Now, back to the restaurant.

The food was actually very enjoyable. I particularly liked their chickpea salad, roasted chicken and cashew nut and peach salad. Desserts wise, the highlight was definitely the delectable pecan tart.

Even though the experience didn't blow my mind or anything, it was nontheless worth blogging about. Oh and great service. Very attentive staff who were just the right amount of 'friendly'.

Restaurant Review: Old Kingdom

Location: 683 Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills, 3127
Phone: (03) 9898 3343
Cuisine: Chinese, Malaysian
Overall Impression: 6/10

The service was appalling but with Peking duck that good, I must admit, I will definitely be back.

 The duck was simply perfect. The skin was deliciously crisp, with a thin and perfect layer of fat (its always disastrous when the fat is too thick or chewy - personally, that produces a gag effect). The crepes were moist and delicately thin. The plum sauce concoction was good. The only thing I could fault them on was the lack of condiments to go with the duck. Give me more cucumber and spring onion!

The other dishes that come with ordering the duck (i.e. leftover pieces of duck stirfried in bean sprouts and the soup) are not really worth commenting on.

But yes, very good Peking duck.

YUM!

Leftover pieces of duck stirfried in bean sprouts

Duck soup

Complimentary fruit to finish the meal

Lantern Ghost Tours (Point Cook)

http://www.lanternghosttours.com/

The ghost tour was a bit of fun. I really enjoyed myself even though I found myself leaving the lights on in my room when I went to bed that night.

The ghost tour was led by a lady who looked the part. She claimed she was a clairvoyant. The whole experience was very interesting. It was nice listening about the various events that had taken place at Homestead Point Cook.

Restaurant Review: Lentil As Anything

Location: 41 Blessington Street, St Kilda
Phone: 03  9534 5833

Link: http://www.lentilasanything.com/restaurants.html

Cuisine: Vegetarian and Vegan

There is such a buzz about the place. Located in trendy St Kilda, Lentil As Anything has managed to maintain a humble presence. The concept is interesting.

"The pay as you feel philosophy is simple – we invite you to pay what you think the food and the experience is worth."

The food is hearty, the service is warm.

The kitchen area

Dhal and rice

Chai Latte

The Best Macarons in Melbourne: Emerald Deli

Macaron vs Macaroon?

It's easy to make that mistake.

A "macaron" is characterised by a dome-shaped biscuit made of egg whites and almond meal, hard to the touch with a chewy interior.

A "macaroon", on the other hand, is a small meringue cake, typically made of coconut and often dipped in chocolate.

Macarons have hit Melbourne like a storm. But the question is, where can you find the best Macarons in Melbourne?

Emerald deli, in South Melbourne market will not dissapoint. They seriously the best macarons. Lemon, strawberry, pistachio and double chocolate

They taste even better than they look! Beautifully luscious, both the top and bottom pieces that sandwich the centre, have a beautiful crust that cracks with every bite, revealing a gooey sweet "cookie dough" like interior. Unlike your usual macaron, these are sizeable enough that you can truly enjoy the gooey-ness of the sweet interior.
Perfectly sweet and smack filled with flavour, they certainly have 'bite'.

Restaurant Review: Jai Ho

Location: 205, Swan Street, Richmond
Phone: 03 90787798
Link: http://www.jaiho-indian-restaurant.com/index.html

Cuisine: Indian
Overall Impression: 5/10

Highly recommend their Fish Curry (Fish fillets cooked in rich coconut and onion gravywith mustard seeds and fresh curry leaves)/ This sets you back a fair $ 17.00.
Simply delicious!

Friendly and prompt service. Very nice ambience. Good food. The portion sizes are very small even for mains so be prepared to order a few dishes. I'd advise you go with a few people so you can order a lot more - to share. And corkage is a mere $2 a head!

Restaurant Review: Co Do

Location: 196 Victoria Street, Richmond

Cuisine: Vietnamese

I have been to Co Do a few times and don't remember ever being disappointed. It does a great Pho when I am feeling less adventurous and when I feel like trying something different, its menu serves up an array of delights that include a variety of noodle dishes [dropped rice noodles, rice vermicelli, egg nooodle etc etc etc), rice dishes and stir-fried dishes.

There is such a delightful buzz about this place.

I  decided to order one of my very favourite dishes! Steamed mini pancakes with minced prawn and green bean paste. The steamed mini pancakes were soft and delicate. A very flavoursome dish that will set you back a mere $8.00.

Overall Impression: 7/10

Casual dining. Very good Vietnamese food. Entrees $5.50-$9; mains $9-$20.

Restaurant Review: The Metropolitan Hotel

Location: 263 William Street (cnr Lt Lonsdale), Melbourne

Phone: 03 9670 1385
Link: http://www.themetropolitanhotel.com.au/
Cuisine: Pub Fare
Overall Impression: 5/10

 Char-grilled 300gm Porterhouse, Mash Potato, Broccoli and Pepper Sauce

 Our “Famous” Parma: Lightly Crumbed Chicken Breast, topped with Virginian Ham, Tomato Napoli and Melted Cheese served with Chips and Salad

 Char-grilled 300gm Porterhouse, Mash Potato, Wilted spinach and shiraz jus

Decent pub food. Simple and good wood-fired pizzas. Nice and casual ambience. Friendly and prompt waitstaff. Great for a quick lunch or a casual dinner.

Event Review: The Interminable suicide of Gregory Church [16 April 2011]

The Interminable Suicide Of Gregory Church

Written and Performed by Daniel Kitson

http://www.theartscentre.com.au/whats-on/event.aspx?id=2528

It was absolutely entertaining. Daniel Kitson has this incredible power of captivating his audience members. Definitely worth seeing!

Restaurant Review: Metropolis Eating House

Location: 314 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Link: http://www.metropolis-eating-house.com.au/
Phone: (03) 9388 8730

Cuisine: French
Overall Impressions: 1/10

Would I return? No. Did I have an unforgettable dining experience? Absolutely.

Let me explain.

From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by a large velvet staircase in a rundown "lobby" area. There was no one in sight. We were not even sure whether the restaurant was open. We walked up the stairs, towards the light and beheld an amazing sight. The dining area feels like it belongs in a mansion, not a restaurant in Brunswick. A haunted, mysterious mansion.

The maitre'd, with her very strong French accent, welcomed us warmly and we were promptly seated. I could not wait for the food we were about to indulge in.

Bread with parsnip dip

I found the parsnip dip interesting.

Chilled skate with artichoke paste, slow cooked red pepper, squid salad, parsley jus

J is not a fan of cold entrees but I am. Unfortunately, this was not to my taste at all. I would liken the taste to a can of tuna mixed with a generous serve of mayonnaise. The slow cooked red pepper tasted like ordinary antipasto from a jar. It was definitely not something we expected at all.

Air-dried wagyu, duck liver parfait, fig and beetroot chutney

This was one of the better dishes from the night. It is noteworthy that nothing on this plate involved any real cooking or preparation on the part of the kitchen staff (apart from plating up, which they did a very good job on). The wagyu needed no further preparation apart from slicing, the duck liver parfait and chutney both tasted like they came out of a jar.

Confit pork belly, green curry, bok choy

grilled scallop

It looked delicious on the plate and we were both hopeful that the night was looking up (food-wise that is, apart from that, we were having a fabulous time!). The pork lacked any flavour. It was extremely stale. The fat was rubbery. It was obvious that the meat had been prepared well in advance and had been quickly defrosted and pan-fried before serving. I have never tasted pork belly like this before.
The scallop was tasteless and insipid.


At this point in the night, we realised we were in a bizarre alternate reality, much like a scene from Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. That could be the only explanation. We waited for the moment Gordon Ramsay would storm into the restaurant, shouting abuse. Amusing as that would have been, that never came to pass.

Garfish stuffed with prawn, nori, coriander cumin

Every bite was filled with mini, utterly annoying fish bones. It was sad that after ploughing through and removing those deadly spikes, we were left with an extremely under-seasoned, zestless fish devoid of flavour. The concept of the dish was good. The execution, on the other hand, was horrendous.

Berry Gazpacho, yoghurt sorbet

The dinner ended on a somewhat pleasant note. This was an enjoyable dessert. Simple and to the point.

Chocolate tapioca, chocolate espuma

housemade honeycomb

This was an average dessert, at best. But given the other courses served throughout the night, we were thankful at how ‘non-disastrous’ this was. I guess everything in life is relative.

And it was over. What an interesting experience. I have never been so shocked by food in my life. And please do not be fooled by how well these dishes present. Taste is an entirely different matter. I would recommend this restaurant for a hilarious night out, but please stay clear of it if you wish to taste delectable food. As the menu prices are equivalent to 1 hat restaurants in Melbourne, it surprises me that this restaurant has remained open for a substantial period of time (the wait staff we asked told us it has been open for about seven months) given the quality of the offerings.

 J and I have read the reviews of this restaurant on Urbanspoon and are both puzzled by the extent of praise lavished upon this eatery by other reviewers. Nevertheless, we can only speak from our personal experience and there is only one word for the food: Monstrous.1 

1. For the purposes of this post the word 'Monstrous' is given its ordinary meaning and not the one given by Matt Preston (Masterchef).

Restaurant Review: Straits Cafe

Location: 694 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster
Phone: (03) 9848 1605
Cuisine: Malaysian Hawker food

Entree: Jyu hu eng chai
Cuttle fish and spinach "salad"

Assam Laksa $9.90
Thick rice noodles in a tamarind based fish soup with onions, pineapple, cucumber and mint leaves.

You can always tell how authentic the rest of the menu will be after tasting an Assam Laksa dish at any Malaysian hawker style restaurant. If this isn't on the menu, it is because it is difficult to replicate overseas Additionally, I have been told it is an acquired taste, so that may also play a big part. My advise is, if you like Thai style food - sweet, sour, spicy and savoury flavours, this is the noodle dish for you.
I was pleasantly surprised at how authentic this tasted. Every mouthful was delicious and packed a punch.

Curry Laksa $9.90
Rice vermicelli and egg noodles served in a fragrant curry and coconut soup with chicken, fish cake and beancurd.

Great place for a casual and quick bite.

Overall Impression: 7/10

Restaurant Review: The Colonial Hotel

Location: Corner of King and Lonsdale st, Melbourne,
Link: http://www.colonialhotel.info/index.php
Phone: (03) 9670 8599

Cuisine: Pub food

$5 Pizzas at The Colonial Hotel...

Caponata
Tomato, char grilled eggplant, roasted capsicum, mozzarella, basil

Angelina

Haloumi, olives, oregano, tomato, lemon

Calabria

Calabrese salami, tomato, mozzarella 

Great service and very cheap pizzas!

Restaurant Review: Scusami

Location: Southgate Shopping Complex, Mid Level /Southgate Avenue, Southbank
Link: http://www.scusami.com.au/
Phone: (03) 9699 4111
Cuisine: Italian

Bread to start

Seared calamari, herb marinated, white anchovy warm panzella salad

The calamari was perfectly cooked. The salad was quite good. Simple and well seasoned.

 Beef carpaccio, served raw, truffled duck egg, wild mushrooms and herbs infused olive oil
This was a delicious dish. Each mouthful was delectable. There was a great balance of flavours.

 Pan roasted Tasmanian Salmon, with rocket and salsa verde dressing
Very plain. The Salmon was cooked well.

 Orrechiette pasta served with Smoked pancetta tomato and peas

The pasta was cooked al dente. The sauce lacked depth as the dominant tomato base over-powered the entire dish.

Red wine braised chicken with olives and roasted potato

The chicken was overdone and was disappointingly dry. As such, the lack of sauce on the plate made this one of the least enjoyable courses of the night.

House churned gelato

Overall Impression: 6/10

Very pleasant and waitstaff that provided efficient levels of service. The food was well presented and all things considered, was a positive dining experience.

Restaurant Review: La Camera

Location: Shop MR2 Mid Level East End, Southgate, Southbank
Link: http://www.lacamerasouthgate.com/
Phone: 03 9699 3600
Cuisine: Italian

La Camera Risotto

Bacon, mushrooms, pesto, spinach, tomato and a touch of cream

Risotto? Win
Includes Free glass of wine? Win

"Bi-winning" (reference: Charlie Sheen)

Great for a quick lunch. Prompt service, and risotto was not bad! For $10, there is enough win to go around.

Overall Impression: 6/10

Restaurant Review: Grossi Florentino: The Grill

Location: 80 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Link: http://www.grossiflorentino.com/

Phone: (03) 9662 1811

Cuisine: Italian

Before Eddie's Perfect show, we decided to have a pre-theatre dinner somewhere to start the night off. One of the great things about pre-theatre dinners is that you know you won't be waiting too long for your dinner. The menu is designed in a manner that ensures that you will not be late for the 'theatre', or in our case, the show. We couldn't go pass the pre-theatre menu at The Grill. I had emailed the restaurant for more information and found  a  very polite and lovely voice message on my phone explaining that she would prefer to speak to me about the menu because it is not fixed and changes very often. I was told what sort of dishes to expect. It sounded great so I quickly made a booking for the coming Saturday night.

Grissini

We were greeted by the longest breadsticks I have ever seen. As far as breadsticks went, they were pretty good. We immediately noticed how European the décor was. We really appreciated how the restaurant was set up. It reminded us both of our eating adventures in Italy.

Freshly baked bread, extra virgin olive oil and dukkah

very very good extra virgin olive oil!

 Yering Station Shiraz Cabernet

Rigatoni Norma

tomato, eggplant, salted ricotta

The pasta was perfectly al dente- not that I would have expected anything less. The eggplant was delicious and quite literally melted in our mouths. Perfectly seasoned, this simple dish was a good started.

Lombata di manzo

Minute steak, chargrilled, roasted potato

The steak was disappointing. Although cooked perfectly (medium rare) and texturely pleasant, it lacked basic seasoning. The potatos were however, lovely and crisp on the outside and had a good rosemary flavour.

Pollo Agrodolce

Chicken, pine nuts, sultanas on a bed of polenta

The chicken was tender and delicious. Hearty and simple, it really struck a chord in us. It was the sort of delectable comfort food we both enjoyed.

Orange biscotti

Lattés for a caffeine hit

Torta di sciroppo di fichi

Fig syrup cake,
almond milk sorbet

The cake was less than ordinary and lacked any fig-tasting components. The almond milk sorbet, however, was splendid. Smooth and delectable.

Overall impression: 7/10

It was good, simple, Italian fare. Lovely ambience and attentive waitstaff. Minor hiccups along the way but it was an overall pleasant dining experience.

Event Review: Eddie Perfect in Misanthropology [2 April 2011]

J is Eddie Perfect's biggest fan. No.. really, he is. I'm talking listened to his albums on repeat for a year.. continuously... fan. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But he is definitely in love with Eddie Perfect. So, we got tickets months and months in advance for his Misanthropology show, which is part of the Melbourne comedy festival. It was being held in the famous Spiegeltent which I found very exciting, given I have never seen any of Eddie's shows.

 the famous Spiegeltent

 I found it incredibly entertaining and enjoyed every bit of the show. J on the other hand was slightly dissapointed. He said that it was very entertaining but lacked the substance and depth that had earned his respect for Eddie.

As someone seeing Eddie for the first time, I thought it was a bit of fun and a good gig to attend.

Waiting in line to buy Eddie's new cd and for his autograph

Restaurant Review: Healesville Hotel

Location: 256 Maroondah Highway, Healesville
Link: http://www.healesvillehotel.com.au/
Cuisine: Pub, Restaurant

We decided to try Healesville Hotel as it was once hatted.

Shepherd's Pie

slow cooked lamb with vegetables, minted peas and rocket

Parmesan crumbed Chicken Schnitzel

roasted tomato, crispy bacon, cos and thick chips

Overall Impression: 5/10

Decent pub food. Nice and relaxed ambience.