Clarendon Melbourne

Located in South Melbourne in a heritage building that could be described as nothing less than magnificent, it would be easy to assume from the look of Clarendon Melbourne that it would specialise in pub meals, red wine, and comfortable seating in front of an open fire - and that's kind of place it was for the last 150 years - well up until recently that is. Clarendon Melbourne has recently been bought by the current owners who have given the main restaurant a Malaysian inspired menu.

Offering a variety of your usual Malaysian suspects (think Laksa and Malaysian Chicken Curry), as well less traditional options (think fries), the menu is varied and extensive.  The fried kuay teow, however, was the star of our dishes - not too oily and full of flavour.

Unfortunately our gyozas came out raw - a fact my fellow diner only noticed after I had swallowed a full mouthful (thank goodness it wasn't chicken - but still, it's enough to make you feel ill!). And even though the sauce of the beef rendang was rich and delicious, the meat was about 70% fat and we couldn't cut through it with our forks and spoons.

Whilst the staff were friendly, raw food and fatty meat is never great - we will not be back.

Food: 2/5
Venue: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Total: 8/15
Verdict: Don't bother

SUD Food and Wine

"That was the best meatball I have ever had" was the resounding sound across the table on trying SUD's pork and duck meatballs - but the praise for SUD Food and Wine doesn't stop there.  Situated on King Street in Melbourne CBD, SUD is a little slice of Italy.  Whilst some would call the venue outdated, I'd prefer to say it has charm - oozing with the elegance of old school Italy.

The starters are served up from a share plate by the waiter - which certainly gives the experience a warming sense of popping over to a friend's house for dinner - however, doesn't necessarily give the greatest photos.  The duck and pork meatballs are non-negotiable for a starter if they make their way on the specials board again, and the Caprese salad is also an excellent option.

For main, it's hard to go past one of SUDs exceptional pasta dishes - with myself opting for the pasta with spicy pork, spicy n'duja, tomato and red wine ragu.

With it's exceptional food, and even more exceptional service, there's no wonder this little slice of Italy has earned itself the title of "The New Fave".

Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Venue: 4/5
Verdict: The new fave - put it at the top of your To Do list.

Cupunda

Being situated at the bottom of student accommodation at the outer edges of town, let's be honest,  newly opened dumpling house Cupunda could have gone either way.  But to my pleasant surprise, the food at Cupunda was absolutely delicious. 

The xiao long bao were the perfect size - one of my pet hates is when they come out so big that you can't fit them in your mouth in one bite, meaning that you lose half the soup - but Cupunda's xiao long bao fit right in the mouth without feeling like a complete fatty. And being served in two stacks meant the soupy goodness in the bottom stack of xiao long bao stayed nice and warm. 

The Shanghai Vegetarian Fried noodles were fresh and flavoursome - tasting more than just soy sauce which is often the risk at dumpling houses.  The chicken and prawn pan fried dumplings were also full of flavour - having real chunks of prawn in each little morsel. 

And it wasn't just the food that impressed me - the venue itself was light, spacious and most importantly clean, the service was friendly, the fresh ingredients were out on display and the glasses of wine were so big each glass was basically a bottle. 

Definitely worth the trek to the outer edges of town. 

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Venue: 3.5/5

Total: 11.5/15

Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon 

 

Carousel Cafe

You would be forgiven for thinking that at a place like Carousel Cafe, the food wouldn't be all that great.  I mean, as a cafe why would you even need to try when you are situated in such an incredible location overlooking Albert Park Lake. But Carousel Cafe's food and service came as a complete surprise - quick, delicious and all at a very reasonable price.

After seeing it being served up at the table beside me, I couldn't go past ordering the slow cooked lamb souvlaki with pita, lettuce, tomatoes, olives and chips with chili salt. The lamb was tender and juicy, and the chips were crunchy and well seasoned - overall an excellent choice.

My friend went for the tumeric roasted cauliflower with baked pumpkin, tahini and herb freekah salad and barberries, which she also said was an excellent choice.

It's the little touches at places like these that win me over - and for Carousel Cafe it was their water jugs filled with fresh lemon and cucumber - a delicious way to hydrate a lap of the lake.

Great food, great service and great view - I can't wait to go back to Carousel Cafe.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Venue: 4/5
Total: 12/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon

Cheek

From the team that bought you 'Dexter' in Preston (that became famous for it's pig's head buns and hot meat doughnuts) comes the newly opened CBD restaurant 'Cheek'.  Serving up an American, Chinese and Korean BBQ inspired menu, Cheek coins itself a "non traditional meatery" - and it's quickly easy to see why, with an abundance of delicious options for vegetarian diners, including the sweet'n'sour cauliflower, battered and served with miso ranch.

Luckily for me, I was not restricted to a veggie based diet on the night - otherwise I would have missed out on trying their mapo tofu empanadas with 'cheek' bulldog sauce. With possibly the flakiest, butteriest pastry I've ever eaten, it was the perfect marriage between Spanish and Chinese cuisine.

Cheek also excels in its crackling making skills, showcasing it's talents with the well seasoned pork dish that was a special of the day. However, as a tip for future patrons, if you're looking to impress your fellow diners, perhaps the 5 day half duck with smoked hoisin is not the way to go - with the meat around the bones stuck on so tough that the only way to get it off is to gnaw at it with your hands straight off the bone.

One dish I didn't quite get was the dirty cream corn - I found it lacked in flavour and was rather watery. Luckily however, with its' crispy coating and tangy sauce, the sweet'n'sour cauliflower with miso ranch was a resounding success.

Cheek's service is also one of its highlights - friendly, attentive and helpful, they are a prime example of what good service should be.

With its great service and tasty food suitable for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike, I'd recommend trying newly opened 'Cheek' at some point.

Service: 4.5/5
Food: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 10.5/15
Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point

Saxe

The thing about service is that it can make or break a dining experience - unfortunately for Saxe it broke the experience. Not only was it slow, it was rude - with our waitress making a number of snide comments and rolling her eyes at our table on a number of occasions for no good reason - inappropriate, and rather embarrassing for our client lunch.

This was rather a shame, as the proteins in the dishes were cooked to absolute perfection.  However, both the lamb with sweet peas, freekah, yogurt and lemon myrtle, and the Lakes Entrance Dory with squid, mussels and leeks could have done with a squeeze of citrus or a dash of seasoning, or something else to give the dishes a lift of flavour. 

The highlight of the lunch however were the duck fat potatoes - golden and crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, they were some of the best potatoes I've ever had. A close second had to be the desert of Kensington mango with Brillat Savarin cheesecake, fig leaf and tapiaco pearls. Rich, creamy and not too sweet, it was the perfect desert.

Whilst the food was tasty, the bad service was a disappointment.

Food: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Service: 2/5
Total: 8/15
Verdict: This is a tough one, but on the chance you get better service, I'd say give it a try at some point

Nobu

Originating in New York, Nobu has created itself a global empire, with restaurants from Dubai to the Bahamas, and from Tokyo to Milan. So it's probably no surprise to you that the Melbourne restaurant is located on the golden strip of restaurants in front of the Crown Casino complex.  

Offering a separate lunch to its dinner menu - for lunch you can choose from their pre-designed bento boxes, or pick from their extensive al a carte menu. If opting for the al a carte menu, the prawns with spicy garlic sauce are a must - fat and juicy on the inside, light and crispy on the outside, and smothered with a tangy and flavorsome sauce, they are seriously moreish. The Nasu Miso eggplant is also non negotiable - sweet, rich and creamy - it’s potentially the best eggplant I’ve ever had.

The hand rolls, however, can be a miss. Whilst there was nothing wrong with them, there wasn’t anything overly special about them either, and for the price tag you’re paying for them at Nobu you’d be better off heading to a good sushi joint in a food court.

As with most fine dining Japanese restaurants, raw fish isn't the most filling cuisine - but definitely comes with a high price tag - so perhaps best to attend here on a work lunch so that someone else can pick up the bill. 

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Venue: 3/5

Total: 11/15

Verdict: love - get around to trying it soon

Frankies Top Shop

Situated in the backstreets of St Kilda, Frankies Top Shop is a favourite amongst the locals - and it's easy to see why. Offering both indoor and outdoor seating, this quaint, lush, and incredibly inviting cafe will immediately make you feel at home.

Using seasonal produce wherever possible, Frankies' menu consists of breakfast, brunch and lunch items such as the potato roesti with smoked salmon, cucumber salad, horseradish creme fraiche and poached egg, and the Reuben sandwich on Elwood sourdough. It also offers a range of take home meals (lasagna, family pies, chicken meatballs), daily specials, and of course (as should any good local cafe should) sweet treats.

On this occasion, I couldn't go past the special of the day being pan fried salmon on a bed of Thai salad. Let's just say that  if I could cook salmon as good as Frankies', there is no doubt that it would be a more regular staple on my home menu.

My fellow diner went for a regular culprit on the menu - the Green Goodness Bowl with green vegetables, avocado, jalapeno kraut, detox salad and poached egg. It's fair to say that she was incredibly happy with her decision.

Frankies is the sort of place that makes you leave feeling wholesome, even though you have ordered a cake, milkshake and a cookie to go.  It's definitely on my recommendation list for cafes in St Kilda.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Venue: 4/5
Total: 12/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon.

Tazio Birraria Pizzaeria & Cucina

I never thought I was the biggest risotto fan - until I tried Tazio's Prosciutto Risotto with tomato, basil and Meredith's goats cheese. Whilst with most risottos I get sick of the same taste and texture after about 5 mouthfuls, Tazio's risotto (whilst a bit of an ugly duckling) packs enough flavour that it still excites the taste buds with each mouthful.

Tazio also offers a range of your usual Italian culprits - from pastas and pizzas, to croquettes and antipasto platters.  The Vendure pizza with tomato, mozzarella, roast pumpkin, artichoke, peppers, pine nuts and ricotta is a bit of a miss - with my fellow diners and I coming to the consensus that it lacked any punch of flavour - however, if you're a truffle fan, than the Ramano with mozzarella, fior di latte, pecorino, fresh rocket, mushrooms and truffle oil is the way to go.

If you're in the CBD, in the mood for pasta, and all the usual Italian favourites are booked out (i.e. Lupino, Tipo 00, Il Solito Posto, Waiters Club), then Tazio is a tasty choice.

Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 9/5
Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point

Anchovy

The first thing that you’ll notice about Anchovy in Richmond is that there’s actually not a whole lot of anchovies on their menu - in fact, I didn't notice one.  Instead it offers a menu of modern Australian/Asian cuisine with offerings such as Vietnamese blood pudding with ginger and herbs, and twice cooked Eugowra quail. 

Being our first time to Anchovy, the three of us couldn't go past the tasting menu. Unfortunately it took an hour for our first dish to arrive, and it was safe to say that having the 8.15pm sitting, we were pretty hungry.  Luckily the beer nuts and the snails were delicious - however the melon was quite tough and lacked any flavour. 

The best dishes of the night were without a doubt the house made roti (one of the best rotis I've had in Melbourne) and the spanner crab. 

The squid and the lamb were also quite tasty - although I would have preferred if the ends of the spring onions were chopped in the squid dish. 

The desert, however, was rather flavourless - tasting somewhat like a snow cone. 

It also wasn’t a good night for service - they were down one staff member so everything was incredibly slow. And I get that sometimes these things can’t be helped, but I feel as though that it’s only fair that if my service goes down 25%, so too should my food bill.

With its slow service, and serving sizes that made us three walk out the door a little hungry, I certainly didn’t love Anchovy. But given that most of the dishes were actually quite tasty - it gets a ‘like’ in my eyes.

Food: 3/5

Venue: 3/5

Service: 2.5/5

Total: 8.5/15

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

 

Entrecôte

French inspired restaurant Entrecôte in South Yarra has always been famous for its steak frites - but what about its breakfast menu? I mean it makes sense for it to serve breakfast with its gorgeous European-esque courtyard out the front which is ideal for some morning sunshine. And as soon as I heard that there was a breakfast burger (with frites!) on the menu I knew I had to give it a try.

Although on the occasion I went, I wasn’t quite hungover enough to fully appreciate the breakfast burger, so instead I went for the omelette with herbs and Gruyere, with a side of smoked salmon. Whilst it was quite dry around the edges, and the herbs were clumped in the one spot, it was still soft and gooey on the inside, and the salad on the side was nice touch.

My fellow diner had the croissant with ham, bechamel and Gruyere. Whilst it was overcooked, after flicking off the burnt bits, it was actually quite tasty. 

The service was slow (but friendly) so perhaps it's not the best place to go if you’re in a rush. And you’ll be seated quite close to your fellow diners, so its also probably not the most appropriate place to discuss your Saturday antics. But what it does offer is a little slice of Europe at your back door.

Food: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Venue: 3/5

Total: 9/15

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

Izakaya Kuuraku

Izakaya Kuuraku on Bourke Street in the CBD is a spacious, modern eatery that offers up an extensive and drool-worth Japanese inspired menu. On this occasion, my friend and I were lucky enough to be invited to sample their omakase (chef's choice) dinner which they plan to introduce in  November - and from our experience, it's definitely worth a visit when they do.

With the omakase consisting of 15 courses served up in a special room out the back (with front row seats to your chefs at work) it's nothing less than an adventure of sights, sounds and flavours. Starting strong, the mixed plate of the chicken liver (some of the best I've had), oyster with fish roe (I could easily have a plate of these) and beef tataki was an absolute stand out.

And whilst all of the dishes were presented elegantly, the prettiest dish of the night had to be the assortment of sashimi - fresh, elegant and simple - everything you want your sashimi to be.

The best dish of the night however (and I'm talking so good you sit back in your chair and just think "wow") was the salmon nigiri with truffle oil. 

But what Izakaya Kuuraku is really famous for (or at least it should be) is its yakitori - serving up multiple varieties including chicken and leek, chicken and truffle and terriyaki beef -  Izakaya Kuuraku even offers up a sake (exclusive to Kuuraku) which is made to be paired with yakitori.  If you're lucky enough to get a seat out the back, you'll even get to see the master at his work.

Whilst all the yakitori was incredible, my the asparagus yakitori wrapped in pork fat  had to be my favourite - fresh and creamy on the inside, crisp but still juicy on the inside, this dish was absolutely incredible.

And of course, what dinner is complete without a desert.  Whilst I am not the biggest fan of matcha or tiramasu, the fact that I actually enjoyed this matcha tiramasu speaks wonders for this desert.

An absolutely outstanding meal - I look forward to heading back to Izakaya Kuuraku when they introduce their chef's choice menu in November.

Service: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Venue: 4/5
Total: 13/05
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon