Truman Cafe

Trueman's is an Albert Park institution for breakfast and brunch. Decorated with a miss match of plates, old cameras, eclectic furniture and even a pink flamingo, this buzzing little joint reminds me somewhat of a grandma's (albeit a trendy grandma's) lounge room.

Having been up since the crack of dawn, it felt more like a lunch appropriate meal than brekki so to eat I ordered the vanilla milkshake and chicken schnitzel burger.

The milkshake was delicious - thick, creamy and with the perfect amount of vanilla flavour. The burger was nice, but not amazing. The bun was fresh and delicious and the celery in the coleslaw added a nice crunch. But the overall burger was a quite dry and the schnitzel could have done with more seasoning. That being said, it's not the first time I've been to Trueman's and their breakfasts are usually delicious - next time I might just stick to the brekki choices rather than venturing into the lunch menu. 

With its exceptional service (the staff are always friendly and attentive - we never had an empty jug of table water) and its local cosy vibe, Truemans is a brunch spot I'd recommend getting around to trying at some point. 

Service: 4.5/5

Decor: 4/5 

Food: 2.5/5

Total: 10.5/15

Verdict: like - get around to trying at some point

St Hotel

To sum up the St Hotel in one word - 'nice'. The old St Hotel has been resurrected by the duo behind Hanoi Hannah, Saigon Sally and Tokyo Tina. Offering modern Thai cuisine, the venue has been decked out with indoor plants, wall / ceiling art and eclectic furniture, creating an overall funky vibe.  

The staff were incredible - friendly, attentive and helpful - definitely the highlight of the night. Unfortunately the food was, well, just 'nice'. To eat we had the pork ribs, corn on the cob, sweet chilli chicken stir fry, beef stir fry and smashed Papaya salad. 

The ribs had nice flavours but were quite fatty and the corn on the cob was ok, but lacked any sort of flavour punch or wow factor.

The stir fries were the best dishes of the night - fragrant, fresh and well cooked. Unfortunately the flavours were still lacking that wow factor that makes me come running back through a restaurant's doors. 

The papaya salad was the most dissapointing dish of the night. Papaya salad is one of my fave salads - I could easily chow down on a bowel from Chin Chin any old day of the week. But this one, although not terrible, lacked texture and complexity in flavours (which wasn't helped by a lot of the papaya not being shredded properly) and the crackling on the side was described by my friend  as "smoky tasting bubble wrap". 

Whilst the food didn't blow me away, due to its impressive décor and incredible staff, I would be happy to give St Hotel another chance to impress in the future. 

Décor: 4.5/5

Service: 4.75/5

Food: 2.5/5

Total: 11.75/15

Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point

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Shanghai Village 

Shanghai Village is one of my favourite dumpling houses in the CBD.  Whilst the service and décor is on par with most of the other dumpling houses in china town (let's just say, your lucky to get clean cutlery let alone a clean table top - and don't even begin to expect them to get your order right) the food at Shanghai Village is absolutely delicious and the price is bang on. 

On this occasion we ordered the Chinese broccoli with garlic, vegetables with mushrooms in oyster sauce, spring onion pancake, wontons in chilli oil, fried chicken and pork dumplings and steamed pork dumplings. 

Disappointingly, the vegetables with mushrooms in oyster sauce turned out to be just bok choy with mushrooms in oyster sauce.  Nevertheless this dish was absolutely delicious - both the mushrooms and bok choy were stir fried perfectly and offered an abundance of flavour. 

The Chinese broccoli, spring onion pancake and pork and vegetable dumplings were all also delicious - the broccoli was fresh and crisp, the pancake was flaky on the outside but fluffy and flavoursome on the inside and the dumplings were plump and juicy.

 

The dishes of the day however were the wontons in chilli oil (cooked to perfection and delectable flavours - highly recommend this dish) and the fried chicken and prawn dumplings (so tasty we ordered a second serve!)

It's no secret that this dumpling house is one of the best in Melbourne - with a line of people usually snaking out of its doors it's the perfect place to start a boozy Saturday night (especially with its byo policy).

Service: 2/5

Decor: 3/5

Food: 4.5/5

Total: 9.5/15

Verdict: love - rush out and try it soon

Portello Rosso Tapas and Jamon Bar

Portello Rosso is no stranger to the Melbourne dining scene. Nestled away in Warburton Lane, this Spanish tapas and wine bar has been serving its patrons for years. 

Arriving at the venue we were greeted at the door by a very cold woman who, within 10 minutes of us being there, managed to not only be rude to a fellow staff member, but also rude to another patron who asked for directions to the toilet. Although, my friend did inform me that this very lady was polite to her later on, so perhaps we just caught her in a bad moment.  Our actual waitress, however, was absolutely wonderful - friendly, attentive and informative. 

To eat we ordered the mushroom and blue cheese croquettes, slow roasted crispy skinned pork belly, sweetcorn and zucchini fritters, patatas bravas, roast beetroot baby salad, bbq sticky lamb ribs , pork and veal meatballs and churros to finish. 

The pork belly was amazing - the crispy skin was perfectly cooked and the meat beneath was just melt in the mouth - all resting on a delicious almond and garlic purée. The croquette and fritter were nice but lacked seasoning and unfortunately didn't really excite me.
 

 

The pork and veal meatballs were also rather ordinary and the patata bravas were very disappointing compared to the usual dish we are served by the same chefs at its wine bar next door Murmur - the potatoes were soggy and were lacking in the delicious sauces that are usually served with these normally golden delicious morsels. 

The lamb ribs and the roasted beetroot salad were by far the dishes of the day. The roasted beetroot salad with its sweet potato crisps, goats cheese and bursts of flavoursome beetroot was absolutely delicious and one of the best salads I've had in a long time. The lamb was incredibly flavoursome and was so tender it just fell off the bone. 

 

Last but not least we had the churros with white and dark chocolate dipping sauces for desert. I would highly recommend saving room for these - crisp and surgery on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. Dipped into the warm chocolate sauce this dish is just heaven.
 

 

Overall, whilst it had some incredibly delicious dishes, Portello Rosso is not my favourite Spanish tapas bar in Melbourne.  Nonetheless, being a Melbourne institution, if you haven't yet been I would recommend checking it out at some time. 

 

Service: 3/5

Decor: 3/5

Food: 3/5

Total: 9/15

Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point 

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Pok Pok Junior 

Pok Pok Junior is a cafe style Thai eatery, nestled amongst the line of restaurants that popped up a year or so ago on the corner of Bourke and Williams street in the CBD. 

Having been here before (and having thoroughly enjoyed the food previously) I was excited at the opportunity to attend Pok Pok Junior again for a mid week lunch.

Unfortunately my choice of dish absolutely failed me. To eat I ordered the Chiang Mai Pork Belly and Pork Neck Curry - a northern style curry of pork, onion, dried chilli and a hint of ginger.  The flavours in the dish were absolutely incredible - perfectly spiced, deliciously fragrant and a taste sensation with each mouthful. Unfortunately, the fat of the pork belly wasn't rendered, resulting in large chunks of glutinous, inedible fat throughout the dish.

My lunch companion had the Penang Beef Cheek Curry which was absolutely spectacular. The beef cheek melted in the mouth and peanut coconut red curry was so delicious I could easily scoffed down a second bowel. I would highly recommend this dish if going to Pok Pok Junior.
 

Whilst the pork in my dish was basically inedible, given Pok Pok Junior's otherwise good track record and its ability to still get its flavours absolutely spot in, I will be giving this Thai eatery another try.

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 3/5

Decor: 3/5

Total: 8.5/15

Verdict: like - worth a try at some point

 

Fishos Torquay

Fishos Torquay is the kind of fish and chip shop I get excited about.

Whilst technically not a fish and chip shop and more of a buzzing restaurant / bar - this hip little venue opposite the beach in Torquay has a fantastic outdoor area filled with wooden picnic tables, umbrellas and even a sandpit, all sitting atop a patch of fake grass.  With a view that sums up why people head to Torquay for the weekend, and a fresh and modern menu, we couldn't resist stopping here for a mid afternoon snack (well, meal) on our way back to Melbourne.

To eat I had the grilled flathead with a grain salad (and shared a side of hand cut chips).

There was an extremely generous amount of perfectly cooked flathead in my cute (and clever from the restaurant's perspective) brown paper box which sat on top of a flavoursome and filling grain salad (which had delectable pops of jalepeno's and corn throughout).  The three of us also shared a side of the hand cut chips (enough to feed a small army) which were perfectly crisp and deliciously seasoned.

If your in Torquay and looking for a healthier option to the usual fish and chips (although they have tempura fish too if you prefer it that way!), I would definitely recommend heading to Fishos.

Food: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Decor: 4.5/5
Total: 12/15
Verdict: Love - rush out and try it soon.

Bohemia Cafe and Bar

The Bohemia Cafe and Bar is not the new fave.

Whilst the decor itself is quaint, cosy and eclectic, the staff were not very welcoming or helpful when we entered the cafe.  Being a cafe, I did not expect first class or table service, however I did expect at least a smile in exchange for a $30 breakfast. The price of the corn fritters (albeit with a side of hash browns) and a small skinny latte quickly jumped to $30 after the 'public holiday' surcharge was applied, which we were not told about until we got to the register and which was applied even though technically Saturday was not a public holiday.

The breakfast itself was okay but nothing special.  I had the corn fritters with beetroot relish, pancetta and smashed avocado.

The breakfast came out looking as pretty as a picture. Unfortunately, the pancetta tasted like plastic and the corn fritters were pretty dismal -  just three floury pancakes with a couple of bits of corn in them - being the star of the dish they failed to shine.  However, the eggs were perfectly poached and the skinny latte was rather delicious.

Whilst there were definitely positives to the dish (and overall cafe) and I may have just caught them on a bad day (they were rather busy), this is not a place I would recommend to friends travelling to Warnambool.

Food: 2.5/5
Decor: 4/5
Service 2/5
Total: 8.5/15
Verdict: Don't bother

Hotel Warrnambool 

Hotel Warrnambool is everything you'd expect from a good country pub - warm and cosy interior, delicious hearty food and a friendly welcoming vibe. 

Settling ourselves into the bar area, we were surrounded by eclectic lampshades, comfy couches and wooden tables in all sorts of shapes and sizes. To eat I had the chicken schnitzel with chips, salad and gravy. 

The chicken was tender, juicy and deliciously crumbed and the salad turned out to be a Greek salad - a delightful surprise given most side salads often only offer a few lettuce leaves and the odd cherry tomato. The gravy could have done with a touch more seasoning, and the chips could have gone with a bit of extra crunch - but all in all a delightful pub meal and a place I would definitely recommend people should go to if they are in Warrnambool. 

Food: 4/5

Decor: 3.75/5

Service: 3.75/5

Total: 11.5/15

Verdict: Like - worth a try at some point 

Magic Mountain Saloon

It's been a while since I've made this call - but Magic Mountain Saloon is definitely the new fave.  Offering a fusion of Thai and Australian cuisine, Magic Mountain Saloon is the most recent member of the Cookie / Boney / Revolver upstairs crew.

At two stories tall, the Magic Mountain Saloon has a funky oriental vibe - if the decor of Chin Chin and Lucy Lui's had a baby, it would look like this venue.

To eat I shared the garlic give and water spinach dumplings with black vinegar and chilli soy sauce, and the lamb shoulder, potato and pea red curry. 

The dumplings were incredibly - crisp on the outside, deliciously gooey on the inside - my friend and I could have easily demolished 20 or so. The black vinegar and chilli soy sauce alone had me scraping the plate with my finger.

The red lamb curry was out of this world - the lamb was so tender that it melted in the mouth and the curry sauce was perfectly spiced and deliciously fragrant. 

With incredibly helpful, attentive and friendly staff, an extensive cocktail and wine list, and a menu that is absolutely drool worthy, I will definitely be back to Magic Mountain Saloon again soon.

Decor: 5/5

Service: 4.5/5

Food: 4.5/5

Total: 14/15

Verdict: the new fave - put it as number one on your list to do