La Baia Bar Cucina

There seems to be a terrible unspoken rule in Melbourne that the better the location, the worst the food - La Baia Bar Cucina was no exception. 

To start with, the service was slow, inattentive and unhelpful - incredibly so - especially considering that on a Saturday night the restaurant was only half full.  Even that may have been an exceptional turn out for the restaurant, with our fellow patrons appearing to have only have attended due to a Scoopon voucher we googled afterwards when wondering why so many couples ordered the same seafood platter and bottle of wine. 

The food wasn’t much better...In addition to having the most absurd garnish of alfalfa sprouts scattering the plate, the oysters kilpatrick out looking, well, grey. Piled high with dried cheap bacon, it was impossible to tell the quality of the oyster underneath -  which tends to be a sure sign in itself of its freshness. 

The ragu pappardelle was surprisingly delicious (despite the alfalfa on top - come on guys, what’s with all the alfalfa??) - the sauce was well seasoned and rich with flavour and the pasta was cooked al dente. However, the margarita pizza we ordered to share with it was cold and bordering on bland. 

The evening was topped off by a flickering light above our table, making the experience at La Baia feel more like a cheap night club (thank goodness we didn’t have epilepsy!) rather than a nice evening out for a meal. Unfortunately, a complete fail.

Food: 2/5

Service: 2/5

Venue: 2.5/5

Verdict: 6.5/15

Total: don’t bother - it’s not worth the calories

 

The Atlantic

When you think of restaurants on South Bank in the CBD, you often think overpriced, underserviced, and full of tourists. Setting itself up in the ranks of Rockpool, Nobu and Spice Temple, South Bank's The Atlantic is one of the few that appears to have separated itself from the crowd. Often coined as one of the city's best seafood restaurants, The Atlantic, to no surprise, offers an extensive array of seafood, whilst also catering to the vegetarians and the red meat eating crowd.

The Kilpatrick Oysters and the Garlic Prawns were definitely the highlights of the evening.  The oysters were fresh and well seasoned, and the garlic sauce was so good that there was unquestionably a subtle fight to try and scrape the last drippings of sauce from the serving plate.

 

 

The Moreton Bay Bug Spaghetti however, didn't quite hit the same mark. Whilst the pasta was cooked al dente and the Moreton Bay Bug tasted fresh, the verdict on the table was that the overall dish was missing something - unhelpfully, none of us on the table could work out what it was.  We did, however, order some fresh chilli which definitely lifted the dishes flavour.

Whilst the service was slow, and at times completely uninterested, with its outdoor seating overlooking the river, if you can manage to score yourself a spot out the front, The Atlantic certainly earns itself a spot as one of Melbourne's go-to venues for a summer night's dinner or a leisurely long lunch.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Total: 10/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon

Kisume

 

Japanese inspired Kisume is the latest culinary member of the Lucas Group - but unlike many of its siblings, it just didn’t quite hit the mark. Whilst it certainly wasn’t horrible and many of the dishes were incredibly tasty - what appeared to be a sleek and sexy venue from the pictures turned out to be small and cramped, with its only view being a dreary car park (why even have a window?), and after splashing the cash of around $180 each (which to be fair, also included two rather inexpensive bottles of wine between 4), we all still left the venue feeling hungry.

We opted for the "Feed Me" option on the menu, which is not the greatest choice if you actually want to be fed. Also, on seeing what the tables around us had ordered, I definitely think we got the short straw as to what Kisume had to offer.

The sushi and sashimi was fresh and presented beautifully. The miso soup was also presented beautifully, with a tofu flower brimming to the top, but unfortunately was incredibly bland.







The foie gras and beef tenderloin was by far the highlight of the night - the beef was cooked to absolute perfection and the foie gras added an incredible richness to the dish.

If you're not full after the mains, don't hold your hopes up with desert - we were each served a ball of foam each.  The lactose intolerant's desert of fresh sortbet looked like a much more tempting option.

Whilst Kisume had a few hits, walking away hungry after splashing the cash in a cramped venue with a view of a car park is never okay.

Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Venue: 2.5/5
Total: 8.5/15
Verdict: Don't Bother

Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks

Sparrow's Philly Cheeseteaks is living proof that late night eats don’t have to be inferior from Melbourne’s usual standard of dining.  Situated in the Fitzroy pub Catfish, whilst the venue itself is nothing overly surprising for a Northside pub, Sparrow's authentic Philly cheesesteaks and loaded chilli cheese fries are definitely something worth talking about.

Indeed, Sparrow's loaded chilli cheese fries are potentially some of the best loaded fries I've had in Melbourne - served up with actual cheese rather than cheese sauce (which I know some people will say is authentic, but so is cheese in a can, and that stuff won't be coming anywhere near my fries thank you), and topped with juicy well spiced chili which is just bursting with flavour, these loaded fries definitely cannot be missed.

My friend ordered the Hoagie with grilled beef, cheese, onions, fresh lettuce and tomato which looked, as my friend coined it, underwhelming.  But after letting me take a bite, I was soon to agree with her that the flavours in this Cheeseteak were anything but underwhelming - it was absolutely delicious.

Eating at Sparrow's Philly Cheeseteaks and not ordering one of their famous Cheeseteaks for myself is probably about as bad as going to Rockpool and not opting for the steak- but hey, at least it gives me a great excuse to head back soon.

Food: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Total: 11/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon.

Mugen Ramen & Bar

With its friendly and attentive service, reasonable price tag, great Zomato rating and quality crockery (and I admit, it does seem strange to comment on the crockery, but this stuff was notably good) I really wanted to love Mugen Ramen - like really - but unfortunately their food just didn’t hit the mark.

Nestled down Bligh Place off Flinders Lane, the venue itself is spread across two levels - offering a more casual bar-esque area at the top of the stairs which is perfect for people watching, and a more formal dining area at the bottom. Offering Japanese inspired cuisine, the menu mainly consists of "Japanese Tapas" and  a variety of Ramens.

Presented beautifully, the house made pork gyoza served with Mugen's Special Sauce came out looking incredibly delicious - however, they were also lukewarm.

 

The Tantan-Men with its spicy sesame broth, house made thin noodles and spicy pork mince was another dish that was presented beautifully.  But just like the gyoza, it was all for show. The ‘spicy’ broth wasn’t at all spicy, and it had the strangest flavour that left a terrible after taste in my mouth for the night.



At the end of the meal when the waiter (with his incredibly warm) smile helped me put my jacket on, I found myself thinking in frustration ‘why couldn’t your food just have been better??’ But alas, unfortunately both me and my fellow diner agreed that Mugen Ramen didn’t hit the mark.

Food:2/5
Service:4.5/5
Venue: 4/5
Total: 10.5/15

Peko Peko

There is a reason why Peko Peko in South Melbourne is always filled to the brim and has such an incredible rating on Zomato - and no, it’s not just because it has a catchy name - Peko Peko’s Japanese inspired cuisine is cheap, creative and most importantly, absolutely delicious.

Whilst it is definitely a no frills kind of venue, the tables and glasses are clean and the service is quick.  If you’re a fan of Japanese curry then Peko’s Crispy Calamari Curry is definitely a must - the calamari manages to stay crisp on the outside while tender and juicy on the inside, and the curry sauce is rich with flavour. The Chicken Dumplings with seared prawn and coriander mayo is also a must - with sauce so good you'll want to lick the sauce off the plate with your finger.

 

But to be honest, you really can’t go wrong with whatever you order at Peko Peko, with the Spinach Beef Dumplings with seared scallops and chili oil, and the Spicy Basil 3 Cup Noodle  also being excellent options (although, the Spicy Basil 3 Cup Noodle dish may have been a bit too overzealous with the silken tofu).

 



Incredible food at a budget price - I’ll definitely be back again soon.

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 11/15
Verdict: love - get around to trying it soon

China Bar - Swanston Street

 

 

China Bar is a chain of, well, as the name would suggest, Chinese restaurants. Open until the early hours of the morning, China Bar serves up a variety of dim sum, rice dishes and other Chinese eats.

But is the food any good? Does this even matter when you’re being served at 2am in the morning? I say it does - and China Bar was definitely dissapointing on the food front. The prawn and garlic chive dumplings had no flavour, the shanghai dumplings were soggy and the pan fried pork dumplings were cold. They weren't even cheap on dumpling standards - the dim sum worked out to be over $2 a piece - even Hutong's dumplings are much cheaper than that, and that is saying something!



 

 

The highlight of the night was by far the beef in black bean sauce with rice noodle - the beef was tender, the noodles cooked well and the whole dish was surprisingly full of flavour.

 

With such top quality Melbourne eateries open into the wee hours of the morning, there really is no excuse for a soggy, on the expensive side, dumpling!

Food: 2/5
Service: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 8/15
Verdict: don’t bother - stick with Shark Fin House

BKK

BKK in a word? Underwhelming. Although, in fairness to BKK, their less than rave review stemmed mainly from their family name -  as a member of the Hanoi Hannah/Tokyo Tina group, it was always going to be tricky for them to meet the incredibly high expectations I had for this place when walking through its doors.

Situated in Saigon Sally’s old hood, the downstairs of the venue itself is, well, quite sterile - consisting of vast white walls with not a plant, painting or other decorative feature in sight.

Offering Thai inspired cuisine, the menu offers up many of the usual Thai culprits, but also offers a few surprises, including the Fried Green Papaya Nest with sweet pork, cherry tomatoes, peanuts and som tum, and the Broken Mussel Pancake with bean shoots and home made siracha.  As a lover of green papaya salad (and if I'm going to be honest, of most things fried!), I certainly couldn't go past the Fired Green Papaya Nest. Whilst mildly apprehensive about my papaya being fried, it actually added a delightful texture to the dish, which overall was bright, fresh and well balanced in flavour. The shredded chicken salad with green mango, prawns, peanuts, herbs and chilli was also a highlight of the night.

The Thai Green Curry and the Rice Noodles with Prawns, Chilli, Basil and Snake Bean were "good", however they were no better than a $10 dish you could grab from your local take away joint such as Thailander.

The service was by far the highlight of the evening - friendly, attentive and completely across the menu, they were an absolute delight. However, whilst the service was impressive, with its hit and miss menu, I definitely won't be running back through BKK's doors.

Food: 3/5
Service: 4.5/5
Venue: 2.5:5
Total: 10/15
Verdict: Verging on don't bother - there's so many other amazing Thai places in Melbourne.