Cecconi's

Cecconi's on Flinders Lane is the New Fave...well, at least the New Fave in Italian cuisine.

Cecconi's is separated into two sections - a restaurant (think white table cloths and dark mood lighting) and a cellar bar (more reminiscent of an Italian kitchen with its wooden tabletops and black and white pictures adorning the walls). On choosing to dine at the cellar bar, we quickly realised that neither the service, nor the quality of food, was compromised by choosing the more casual option.

To start with we shared the mushroom arancini with garlic aioli and the san deniele prosciutto with grissini.  The arancini were sensational - perfectly crisp on the outside, and deliciously gooey on the inside, these little balls were just bursting with flavour.

For the main I had the Gnocchi Bolognese - a dish so good that I cut each piece of gnocchi into about 6 slices so that I could savour the dish for longer.  The gnocchi was light and fluffy, and the Bolognese was rich and well seasoned. Topped off with some fresh parmesan cheese it was absolute perfection. 

For desert we shared the apple pie with hot salted caramel sauce.  It was honestly one of the best deserts I have ever had.  With its soft and well spiced chunks of apple, buttery morsels of homemade crumble, creamy cold ice cream and salty hot caramel sauce tying all of the flavours and textures together, this dish was devishly delicious!

Even if I just go back for the desert, I look forward to dining at Cecconi's again soon.

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Décor: 4/4
Total: 13/15
Verdict: The New Fave - put it as number one on the To Do list.

Cutler and Co

Often coined one of Melbourne's best restaurants, Cutler and Co is one of Andrew McConnell's creations nestled in on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy.  With spectacularly designed lights (reminiscent of Tonka's) hanging in a spacious but trendy modern industrial setting, the décor of this venue seamlessly reflects its location. 

Being my first visit to this restaurant, ordering the 6 course degustation ($130pp) with matching wines ($85pp) wasn't an option - it was a necessity. 

Menu Selection

 

Bonito escabeche, fromage blanc and bottarga

 

Nettle soup, handpicked spanner crab and rye

 

Turbot, brown butter and pickled onion

 

Manjimup truffle and parmesan tart, dandelion

 

Braised short rub, smoked oyster and pepper sauce

 

Whipped ricotta cake, soft chocolate, sour cream and clementine

  

Before the degustation commenced, we were served a smoked cod soup.  Overpowered by the taste of fish, one sip of this soup was enough for many of the diners on my table.

Luckily the bonito escabeche, fromage blanc and bottarga was exceptional.  The fish was soft and silky and just melted in the mouth.  Paired beautifully with the crispiness of the wafers and the creaminess of the fromage blanc, its fresh flavours and vibrant colours made it a delightful start to the menu.  However, the nettle soup was not so much to my liking.  Whilst the crab was juicy and clearly cooked well,  the flavours of the nettle soup did not resonate with my taste buds (haunted by memories of stinging nettle perhaps?) - which is likely more reflective of my personal tastes than of the quality of the dish. 



Bonito, escabeche, fromage blanc and bottarga

Nettle soup, handpicked spanner crab and rye



 

Moist and flaky with a crispy skin, the turbot that came with brown butter and pickled onion was also cooked well. 

 



 

Turbot, brown butter and pickled onion

 

The Manijimup truffle and Parmesan tart was my favourite dish of the night. Deliciously rich and just oozing with flavour, it matched perfectly with the accompanying wine which cut through the richness of the dish.  However, had I not ordered the matching wines, this dish could have easily fallen into the "too rich" list.  The braised short rib was also very rich and, whilst the rib was perfectly cooked, with its earthy tones and astringent flavours (it felt a bit like I was eating crispy shrubbery), it was a unique experience for my taste buds.

 

Manjimup truffle and parmesan tart, dandelion

Braised short rib, smoked oyster and pepper sauce

As I am allergic to chocolate (outrageous but true!) Cutler and Co kindly replaced the whipped ricotta cake with an apple confit with burnt butter icecream and salted caramel.  The ice cream was smooth and creamy, however the overall dish  was surprisingly bitter.  My dinner companions, however, raved about the whipped ricotta cake - one person even said that it was the best desert they have ever had. 

Whilst the staff were knowledgeable and friendly, they weren't overly attentive - taking longer than I would have expected for them to take our order and to offer us a glass of wine.  The Sommelier's selection of matching wines were, however, exceptional.  Whilst there is an option of a premium selection ($125), the classic selection ($85) was more than satisfactory and went well beyond my expectations, offering a delectable (and very generous) range of local and international wines. 

As a Melbourne institute, it is a given that Cutler and Co should be on most peoples' To Do Lists.  Whilst it is not the New Fave, I do look forward to returning to this restaurant at some point to try a different degustation menu.

Service: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Décor: 4/5
Total: 12/15
Verdict: Love - rush out and try it soon

Pelican Restaurant 

With its delicious food, excellent service and convenient location, I was surprised that I hadn't been to, or indeed even heard of, Pelican Restaurant before - but what an exceptional surprise to find such a gem for dinner on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda. 

Walking into the venue I didn't have the highest expectations - it was cosy enough with its wooden features and dim mood lighting, but there were only a handful of patrons scattered around the restaurant, which is never a good sign on a Saturday night.  However, the staff were friendly and appeared to have an excellent grasp on their food and wine list - so it didn't take long for the night to start looking up.
 

To eat we shared the chorizo and fennel croquettes with smoked paprika aioli,  pork sliders, jerk chicken with quinoa, burghal, mint and cranberry salad, pulled lamb with tomato salsa and fennel seed flatbread and patatas bravas.  

The croquettes were  some of the best croquettes I have ever had - perfectly crunchy on the outside and deliciously creamy on the inside - these little balls of goodness was just bursting with flavour.  The pork sliders, a Pelican special of the night, were also bursting with flavour.  Whilst there is often a risk with pork sliders (there has been many a time where I have had a sub-standard, dry, one-dimensional slider) these delicious morsels were filled with crunch and flavour.

With its juicy chicken and fragrant quinoa (which had the occasional burst of sweetness from the cranberries) the jerk chicken was another exceptional dish. The lamb was also cooked well and had a delicious zesty undertone, which worked well with the richness of the meat and the accompanying fennel flat bread.

The patatas bravas were the most disappointing meal of the night.  Whilst they were not horrible, the potatoes lacked crunch and the overall dish was lacking flavour. 
 

Whether we were just lucky with what we had ordered, or whether the food is indeed exceptional, Pelican Restaurant in St Kilda is one of the latest restaurants to make it onto my list of recommendations.

Food: 4/5
Décor: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11.5/15
  Verdict: Love  - rush out and try it soon