Basilico - Albert Park

Where do the local families of Albert Park flock to on a Friday night? It would have to be Basilico. Filled to the brim with children of all ages, the place screams family friendly the minute you walk through the door.  Serving up inexpensive Italian cuisine, from its extensive array of wood fired pizzas, to its generous choice of pastas and meat dishes, the menu covers most of your Aussie-Italian culprits. 

The penne matriciana (with bacon, caramelised onion, chili and white wine) was surprisingly incredibly delicious. The pasta itself was cooked al dente and the sauce was well spiced and rich with flavour. 

 

The Zia Diana pizza (with Napoli, cheese, zucchini, eggplant, gourmet peppers, artichokes, garlic, oregano, olives, goat's cheese and pesto) however, was not so successful.  Whilst the base was thin and crispy, the toppings were bland, with the pesto and goat's cheese adding little flavour.

The staff were also a mixed bag. One was friendly and attentive, the other, well, was quite the opposite.  However, with its one brilliant staff member who saved the show, its family friendly vibe and delicious flavoursome pasta, Basilico still managed to make my recommendation list for young families wanting a tasty feed in Albert Park. 

Service: 3.5/5

Food: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 9.5/15
Verdict: like - if you're a local young family, get around to trying it at some point

 

Dribbles Burgers

With a name like 'Dribbles' I would by lying if I said I wasn't mildly pensive about trying this burger bar out in Essendon. But luckily, it was worth the drive.

Offering all the usual burger suspects (i.e. a single or double pattie, a spicy option, a chicken option and one for the vegetarians - does anyone actually ever go for the crumbed mushroom option??), the venue itself is reminiscent of a school hall. And no, I'm not trying to mean by saying that - I'm guessing with its minimalistic cold and grey setting, except for a couple of basketball hoops adorning the walls, the school basketball court feel is the intention.
On this occasion we tried the Birdman (crispy fried chicken breast, cheese, coleslaw, kewpie mayo and chipotle sauce), the Jordan Royal (beef pattie, tomato, lettuce, pickles, mustard, cheese and dribbles sauce) and chilli cheese fries. 

Whilst chicken burgers can usually be dry - Dribbles' Bird Man was moist and juicy, and offered up a very generous plump of freshly fried chicken.

With its fresh bun, juicy pattie and crisp salad - the Jordan Royal was also delicious. It could, however, have done with more sauce, and there were no sauce bottles on the tables in sight.

The chips in the chilli fries were still crisp (which is always a good sign of freshness) and the chili was full of flavour.  I wasn't overly keen on the America style "cheese sauce" which was drenching the chips - that being said, at least there was warning on the menu description that it was "cheese sauce" and not "cheese".

All in all a tasty meal, and definitely worth a try if you find yourself in the area craving a burger.

Service: 3.5/5
Food: 3.5/5
Venue: 2.5/5
Total: 9.5/15
Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point

The New Fave dined courtesy of Dribbles

Shop 2, 1142 Mount Alexander Road Melbourne Essendon

Hercules Morse

Hercules Morse on Clarendon Street in South Melbourne is definitely one of the highlights on the strip. Offering a variety of small tapas dishes to share, this quaint (or really just small) venue, which has the odd 'interesting' choice in decorative pieces, still manages to ooze family-owned charm.

On this occasion we couldn't go past the cheesy puds, 'bacorn', cauliflower and cheese balls, crispy spiced chicken ribs, pressed lamb shoulder, black angus tartare, prawn tortellini and salted peanut butter parfait (which I promise, wasn't quite the entire menu). The highlight of the menu had to be the black angus tartare with horseradish crème fraiche and seasoned yolk - it was well balanced in flavour and the meat just melted in the mouth. The crisps were also a nice twist on the packet crackers that are usually served with this dish by many other restaurants.

The cauliflower and cheese balls with lemon rosemary salt and Dijon mayo, the prawn tortellini with crushed peas and shellfish bisque sauce, and the pressed lamb shoulder with soured red cabbage, parmesan custard and date puree were also all delicious items which were hard to flaw.

The lowlight of the night, however, had to be the cheesy puds piped with prosciutto goats cheese and black olive goats cheese. There were definitely some nice flavours there, but they came out luke warm and slightly stodgy. The 'bacorn', which was stripes of fried sweet corn dusted in smokey bacon salt, also carried nice flavours, but was on the dry side and needed to be served with a dash of lime or squeeze of sauce.

No matter how good some of the savoury items are, make sure you save room for the salted peanut butter parfait with brulee banana and butterscotch sauce - absolutely magnificent.

For what appears to be a one man show running the floor, I was surprised that our wine glasses were always full and our plates never empty - that being said, there were only 3 tables full in the whole restaurant, so it would be interesting to see how they go with a bigger crowd.  But at least on the night I went, it was an enjoyable experience with some incredibly delicious food.

Service: 4/5
Food: 3.5/5
Venue: 3/4
Total: 10.5/15
Verdict: love - get around to trying it soon

Mao Please

Opening a dumpling house in Melbourne is a tough gig.  First, there is ridiculous competition in Melbourne, so you better have what it takes to make your dumpling house stand out. Second, intoxicated customers will be a frequent guest at your restaurant, which is only made worse by the byo policy which is expected from cheap dumpling houses. Third, customers expect prices so cheap that even a Mc Donalds happy meal is starting to look expensive by comparison. Luckily for dumpling house Mao Please, it looks like they have what it takes to stick around for awhile.

Situated in China Town, Mao Please offers the standard dumpling house offering - although its no frills venue is a little more brighter, the staff a little more friendlier, and the food a little more fresher than many of the other dumpling houses on the strip.

Mao Please's fried Singapore Noodles were some of the best I've had in Melbourne - the vegetables were crisp, the meat was tender and everything was covered in the perfect amount of sauce.  The dish also wasn't too salty, which can often be the case with a dish of this kind.

The pork wontons in chilli oil was another winning dish. The meat was again was tender, the wonton wrappers were firm but not chewy, and the overall dish was drenched in the perfect amount of chilli sauce.

Unfortunately the xia long bao didn't quite make the cut.  Whilst they were tasty (lets be honest, I still managed to finish the whole plate), the dumplings themselves were far too fragile and kept breaking apart, meaning that the soup spilt everywhere.



Whilst I wouldn't call Mao Please my favourite dumpling house in Melbourne, it definitely makes the top five and, being open until 10.30pm (compared to the 9.30pm close on a weeknight for many of my favourite dumping houses) it is the perfect venue if you are after some late(r) night dumpling treats.

Service: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 10/15
Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point

Bambu Asian Eating House

 Situated at South Melbourne Market, with its great location, incredibly friendly staff and an Asian inspired menu that looks absolutely drool worthy, I really wanted to love Bambu Asian Eating House, like really love it. Unfortunately, with some of the dishes not quite hitting the mark , it only scrapes through with a 'like'.

It was not a good start to the night with our chilli prawn dumplings and steamed chicken dumplings coming out cold, tough and rubbery.

 

 

The green curry of bbq chicken with eggplant and bamboo shoots also didn't quite hit the mark - the curry sauce itself was rich and fragrant, but the two pieces of chicken I had were mainly gristle.

 

Luckily the night started to look up from there. The egg net Pad Thai was a unique and clever way to present this old favourite - with flavours that didn't fail to impress. The crispy fish salad with curried rice balls, peanuts, shallots and red nahm was also a creative spin on the usual salad you'd find in Asian restaurants around Melbourne. Whilst probably about as healthy as a Caesar, it was definitely a textual and flavoursome delight.






However, the beef matabak roti with picked cucumber was the stand out dish of the night. Flaky and crisp roti encasing flavoursome and well seasoned beef, the dish was paired perfectly with it light and fragrant Asian salad. It was definitely a dish I would go back for.

 

Whilst there were a couple of disappointments, there were also a few highlights - enough to make me want to return again to give them another whirl.

Food: 2.5/5
Service: 4/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 9.5/15
Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point.

Friend's of Mine

Mimosas for breakfast? Yes please! Friend's of Mine in Richmond has you sorted - offering up boozy brunches that would fix anyone's hangover, their menu offers up everything from a Bloody Mary to a Berocca.

Whilst you'd be forgiven for thinking that that Friend's of Mine is a little bit fancy (I'm talking white table cloths and feature pieces of furniture that look like they belong on the set of Beauty & The Beast) it's warm and friendly atmosphere, chatty staff, and cluster of casual locals will make you quickly realise that yes, active wear for brunch is completely appropriate here.

Their Shakshuka (gently poached eggs on a base of tomatoes, onion, eggplant, red capsicum and spices) is nice, but nothing to write home about. Although serving it up with Turkish bread as opposed to your run of the mill white bread is definitely a nice touch.  But let's be honest, what we're really here for are the delicious mimosas.

If you ask me, not enough places make Bloody Mary's acceptable for breakfast - so thank you to Friend's of Mine for leading the trend!

Food: 2.5/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15
Verdict: like - if looking for a boozy brunch, definitely one for the list

The Mess Hall

 

 

The Mess Hall in the CBD is the perfect spot for a mid week lunch - quick and friendly service for those who need to stick to a one hour time frame, a delicious Italian inspired menu with a large array of options, and an inexpensive price tag for the quality of food you get.

The venue is small, but not cramped, with a no frills modern cafe type feel.  It does, however, have a few little touches that makes it feel more special then your average run-of-the-mill cafe, including free bread with balsamic and oil on arrival and a delicious wine list to break up the work day.

On this occasion I ordered the potato gnocchi with pomodoro, basil and pecorino, with a side of broccoli with chili and garlic. The gnocchi dish was simple but classic -  the light and fluffy balls of gnocchi were cooked to perfection and the accompanying sauce was  rich and full of flavour.  The broccoli was also cooked well, and was a match made in heaven with the chili and the garlic.

 



I also stole a bite of my friends saffron tortellini filled with blue swimmer crab and Spring vegetables, which came out looking almost too good to eat. Unfortunately I'm not the biggest crab fan, so it's definitely not my place to review this dish. My friend seemed to like it though.



 The best part about the mess hall - it takes bookings.  Perfectly convenient for a mid week lunch!

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 10/15
Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point