Ricardo's Trattoria

It has been a long time since a place has really wowed me - the sort of place that you makes you want to run back and try everything on the menu and relive the experience all over again. Ricardo's is one such place.  Situated on Dundas Place in Albert Park, Ricardo's serves up magnificent Italian cuisine.

Warm and welcoming whilst still giving off a fine-dining feel, the venue itself makes you feel as though you have been whisked away to Rome for the weekend. Open for both lunch and dinner, it has seating out the front which is perfect for a warm summer's day.

The menu is extensive and offers a range of entrees, salads, pastas and mains.  To start with we shared the Bufala Caprese  - Buffalo Mozzarella from Shaw River, roma tomato, basil leaves and extra-virgin olive oil. The tomatoes were sweet and juicy, the buffalo mozzarella was smooth and flavoursome and the salad was dressed with a fragrant bold olive oil - simple but superb.

For the main I had the Tagliatelle Polpettine. Described as "flat ribbon pasta with gorgeous baby meatballs", I would have to agree, those little meatballs were absolutely gorgeous.  On the suggestion of our waiter, I ordered the entrée size (which is the size shown below).  Whilst I regretted my decision while making my through this delicious bowl of goodness (why did it ever have to end!), by the end of the meal I was grateful that I had saved room for desert.

For desert, I ordered the sticky date pudding which just so happens to be my favourite desert so the expectations were extremely high. Luckily for Ricardo's, this dish exceeded my expectations - fresh, warm and fluffy, this pudding was absolutely magnificent.

With its incredibly attentive and friendly staff, superb food and reasonable price tag, I cannot wait to get back to Ricardo's again soon! It is definitely the 'New Fave'.

Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Venue: 4.5/5
Total: 14.5/15
Verdict: The New Fave - put it as number 1 on the To Do list.

99 Dundas Place, Albert Park

Koy

There are not many places out there where you can 7 courses for under $50, however Koy at South Melbourne Market takes this to a whole new level. On the first and last Wednesday of every month, Koy serves up 7 courses of its Turkish cuisine for a very meager $35.  However, even at such incredible value, after the night I had, I'll definitely not be rushing back again.

The menu for the night I went was:

Fava Dip
With sundried tomatoes and caper berries, served with Turkish bread

Potato Salatasi
Prawn and potato salad with biber and peppercorn aoili

Sucuk Croquettes
Cheese and turkish sausage with smoked paprika mayo

Erister Pasta
Turkish style pasta with fresh tomatoes, basil, mushroom and spinach

Chicken Borek

Oven baked chicken and pirasa filo pastry

Kuzu Sis

Turkish styled grilled lamb servied with Kisir

Classic Baclava

The Fava Dip was the least impressive dish of the night.  Offering absolutely no flavour whatsoever, the only redeeming quality was the warm Turkish Bread that was served with it.

Unfortunately, it all started going down hill from here.  We had to wait an hour and 10 minutes for the next dish, which was rather ridiculous when there were 6 dishes to go. Further, when the dish finally came out, the potato was very undercooked, and we had to de-shell our own prawns which, whilst I wouldn't mind doing such a task, it was awfully messy in this case as there was no where to put the shells and no water bowl to wipe the poo veins and bits of shell out of our fingernails - it was all rather gross.

 

Another two dishes came out shortly after - the croquettes and the home made pasta. The croquettes were probably the best dish of the night - deliciously crisp on the outside whilst offering a punch of flavours on the inside when cutting it open. The pasta, however, was another disappointment - it was stone cold and lacked any flavour.

The two mains, the chicken borek and the grilled lamb came out at the same time. Whilst they apologised for their mistake (saying that the lamb was meant for the table behind us), they didn't realise this when placing the 6 giant plates of mains on our table (which barely fit the table), and we had to awkwardly ask them to take one of the mains away. However, they clearly did not give it to the table behind us (guys, we can see the table behind us), they went and popped it in the oven and by the time it came out again the lamb had turned tough and the unpleasant.

The baklava, however, tasted as good as it looks - delightful.  Unfortunately it wasn't enough to safe the night.

My advice - stick to the Nonna's making Gozleme's on the weekends - these are superb!
 

Food: 2/5
Service: 2/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 7/15
Verdict - Don't bother - even at such great value, there are so many other spots in Melbourne you can head to for a cheap eat.

Pho Chu The

 

With the weather already starting to cool down, I seem to have had quite the run of pho. This time it was a deliciously huge bowl of fragrant steamy pho from Pho Chu The on Victoria Street in Richmond.

First of all, no i haven't got the name wrong - for some reason the 'The' is at the end of this Vietnamese eatery's name. Second of all, if you find yourself on Victoria Street craving some Vietnamese eats, then don't go past this joint - it was absolutely delicious .

 Pho Chu The offers a large range of phos - with phos such as the Long Ga with chicken heart, giblet and liver, there's a protein choice for even the most adventurous. Opting for the medium veggie pho, the bowl was filled to the brim with an assortment of carrots, wombok, broccoli, bok choy and tofu. The fragrant broth was only made better with the extensive array of condiments and trimmings on each table including fresh chilli and jars of Pickled onion.

 

Offering their bowls of pho in either small, medium or large portions, they definitely have a bowl of pho to suit anyone's appetite.

Food: 4/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11.5/15
Verdict: love - get around to trying it soon

270 Victoria Street, Richmond

Pho Cycle

Pho was my dish of 2016 - whether it was for a hungover Sunday night take-out, a late night order at work, or a meal out along Victoria Street in Richmond, pho was often my dish of choice. So, whilst coining myself as an expert is probably going too far, I like to think I am qualified to spot a good pho. Pho Cycle is one such place which offers a good pho - indeed, it's probably one of the best phos I've had in awhile.

Situated on Clarendon Street, the venue is casual but quirky, offering both indoor and outdoor seating. Their menu offers all of the Vietnamese suspects - banh mi's, vietnamese salads and a variety of rice paper rolls. For me I couldnt go past trying the spicy mince pho - and I'm glad I did. With its deliciously fragrant broth, perfectly cooked rice noodles and tender bits of spicy meat, it was one of the best phos I've ever had.

We also couldn't go past trying the peking duck rice papers. The duck was tender, and the flavours in the roll tasty, but the accompanying (overly garlicy) sauce was very underwhelming.

There is no doubt I'll be back to Pho Cycle soon for another serve of their spicy pork mince pho - and boy do I look forward to it.

Food: 4/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11.5/15
Verdict: love - get around to trying it soon.

Lee Ho Fook

I'm torn with Lee Ho Fook - the venue was Melbourne hip but still elegantly classy, the staff friendly and incredibly attentive, and the Asian inspired menu looked mouth-wateringly delicious - however, the food was a mixed bag to review.

On one hand there was the crispy eggplant with spiced red vinegar - goldenly crunchy on the outside, soft and flavoursome on the inside - these little morsels are so utterly delicious it's easy to say why it's Lee Ho Fook's signature dish.



The soy glazed Wagyu short ribs were another highlight. Coming out deboned in a nest of onion and spices, they are designed to be eaten San choy bow style.  Not at all fatty and fragrantly seasoned, they were paired beautifully with the crunchy lettuce and mix of tangy and creamy sauce.






Unfortunately it all started to go a bit downhill from here. The wok fried cabbage with purple kale and cured pork was okay - but was definitely mono tone in its dreary flavours and could have done with a lift in flavour



Whilst usually a huge fan of tofu, the tofu with onion and garlic crumb was the biggest disappointment of the night. None of the flavours clung to the morsels of tofu and the deep fried chunks just tasted like oil.



So there were some high lights and there were low lights. Whilst not making the cut for my list of recommendations, for the eggplant alone I wouldn't protest if someone invited me to dine here.

 

Food: 2.5/5

Venue: 4.5/5

Service: 4.5/4

Total: 11.5/15

Verdict: like - get around to trying the fried eggplant at some point
 

11-15 Duckboard Place, CBD

Merchant Osteria Veneta

Merchant Osteria Veneta is one of those Italian classics that never fail - sometimes forgotten, it's one of those places that every time you go you think to yourself "now why don't I come here more often".

Tucked under Rialto, it's a bit tricky to get to with all of the renovations, but don't let that stop you if you're in the mood for an Italian feed. The venue itself has as much character as the food - with graffiti on the walls, an eclectic array of colours, and an open kitchen on display, it's hipster cool, but not so much that you feel like you have to be raised in Fitzroy to feel at home at this place.

Luckily on this occassion I went with a large group of people, which meant the chance to try a variety of items off the menu.  To start with we shared the marinated olives, the Pavaron (roasted capsicum with ricotta), the saffron arancini and a selection of cured meats.  The arancini was delectably light and fluffy, although in my opinion could have done with a sauce.  And the marinated capsicum went beautifully with the fresh basil - but would have been paired better with a stronger cheese (such as goats) as the ricotta was lost in the strength of the capsicum's rich flavour.

For the main I shared the gorgonzola and walnut gnocchi, and the wild boar ragu.  The gnocchi was the dish of the day for me - surprisingly, it wasn't too heavy of a dish with a sauce that was just bursting with flavour. The boar in the wagu, however, was a touch on the tough side, but otherwise a flavoursome dish. 

For desert I had the trio of ice-cream - salted caramel, passionfruit and strawberry. Smooth, fresh and refreshing, it was the perfect way to end a rich meal. 

Whilst missing from the list for awhile, Merchant is back amongst my recommendations for an excellent long lunch spot up in the legal district  of the CBD. 

Food: 3.5/5

Venue: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Total: 11.5/15

Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon. 

 

Bruce Lee Sushi

Sushi shops are nothing new - so to make your mark in Melbourne's market, you better be good. Bruce Lee Sushi offers a twist to your everyday roll, offering the likes of the "Heaven B" roll which has bacon in it, and the "Boston Roll" which contains peanut butter.

As I wasn't feeling daring enough to mix bacon or peanut butter with my seaweed just yet, on this occasion I tried the "Crazy Chicken B" and the more traditional "Salmon roll".

The "Crazy Chicken B" was filled with cream cheese, avocado and cucumber, and was topped with teriyaki chicken, bread crumbs, nigiri sauce, bake sauce and teriyaki chicken. Whilst tasty, we went the pre-made roll rather than going for fresh, which meant the bread crumbs on the top had turned unpleasantly soggy.

The "Salmon Roll" was more on your traditional side, with cucumber, surimi, avocado, salmon, teriyaki sauce and creamy sauce.  The salmon was definitely fresh and the avocado plentiful - all in all, a tasty roll.

There is seating available, but let's not make it something that it's not - it's a quick, cheap and tasty option for lunch if you're craving something other than your standard run of the mill sushi.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 9.5/15
Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point

Arabesque Dining & Bar

With its incredible blend of spices and textures, Middle Eastern food would have to be one of my favourite cuisines. So, with its drool-worthy menu,  I was pretty excited about walking through Arabesque Dining and Bar's doors.

Situated just off Glenn Huntley road in Elsternwick, Arabesque's dishes are made to share - offering both banquet and al a carte options. On this occasion we tried the Helim & Fig (grilled haloumi with fig jam topped with a capsicum and red onion salad and crispy air dried beef), the Manti (Turkish dumplings), the Makloubeh Chicken (chicken on top of grilled eggplant and spice lamb pilaf rice) and the beef kofta (beef meatballs served on a saffron pilaf rice).

The marriage of the flavours in the Helim & Fig were absolutely drool worthy. The Haloumi could have come out a touch warmer - but the flavours definitely made up for it!

Munti is one of my favourite dishes and this one was pretty good. However, to qualify as one of the best Munti's I've had, it needed a handful more of pine nuts for texture, and at least another decent glug of red pepper sauce.

The Makloubeh Chicken was a delicious collection of tastes and textures - however, I did find the lettuce a strange touch as it ended up going soggy with the heat from the rest of the dish.

The beef kofta was my least favourite - whilst it came our looking absolutely magnificent, and it had all the makings of a delicious dish, unfortunately the koftas themselves were unpleasantly salty.

The venue itself is a touch old fashioned, but the staff were attentive and friendly, and the overall place had a welcoming vibe.  Arabesque is the sort of place that is definitely worth a second try.

Service: 4/5
Food: 3.5/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 10.5/15
Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point

Shop 1, 1-3 Carre Street, Elsternwick