Eleni's Kitchen and Bar

Eleni's Kitchen and Bar in Yarraville reminds me of a big warm hug.  Serving up Greek inspired cuisine, with its warm and welcoming staff, Eleni's offers the type of service that many restaurants could only wish for.

Whilst a trio of dips generally doesn't excite me, Eleni's 4 dips (for $18) - which tasted homemade and were full of flavour - were definitely worth getting excited about.  So much so, we asked for another loaf (that's right, loaf!) of the fresh warm bread to mop up every skerrick of dip on the plate. The best part, no judgment from our waitress when we loaded up on the additional (and completely unecessary) carbs.

For main we shared the moussaka ($26) - whilst it was definitely on the dry side, it may have been because the kitchen didn't expect us to take so long on the dips! The flavours were definitely there and I could see it had potential.

If you're in Yarraville and find yourself craving a delicious meal in a warm and welcoming environment, Eleni's is the place to be.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 5/5
Venue: 4/5
Value for money: 4/5
Total: 16.5/20
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon

Cecconi's

With its crisp white table cloths, elegant glassware, exquisite Italian food, and slightly stuffy and overcrowded venue, the formal dining area at Cecconi's stays refreshingly true to the old-worldly concept of the long boozy business lunch.

Situated in the CBD, on the left side of venue is the casual bar area which offers a range of Italian inspired entree's at around the $15 mark, and mains at around $30. On the right side of the venue is the pièce de résistance, where dishes will set you back about $30 for an entree and $50 for a main.  On this occasion we were lucky enough to dine in the formal dining area. 

My entree of calamari fritti was flawless - tender, juicy and cooked to absolute perfection.  So too was the eye fillet steak, which was also served with mashed potato and a roasted mushroom on the side.

The service was also excellent - well that is until one of the waiters was incredibly rude to us at the end - an unnecessary blemish on what could have otherwise been an exceptional experience.

With the suits piled in, the expensive booze flowing and the bellows of laughter coming from all corners of the room at 3.30pm on a Weekday, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd stepped into a scene on Wall Street.  But all of this adds to Cecconi's distinct charm which what makes it one of the best restaurants in Melbourne.

Food: 5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Venue: 4/5
Value for money: 4/5
Total: 16.5/20
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon

Spud Bar - St Kilda

Some fun facts about potatoes: they are 80% water, have 5 and a half times the fiber of a banana and have more vitamin C than three avocados.  They are also ridiculously delicious if you order one piled high with fresh toppings from one of the many Spud Bars spread across Melbourne.

The latest venue to grace the spud scene is their store in St Kilda - similar to the other Spud Bars, you can expect fun and friendly service, plenty of seating, and loads of fresh spud toppings.  Pictured below is their Pulled Pork spud with baby spinach, shredded cabbage, corn, peas, light sour cream and spring onions, as well as their Mexican Chicken spud with chicken, chilli beans, wild rocket, carrots and corn with chipotle mayo.

The cream of the crop for me though had to be their Home Style Bolognese spud with tasty cheese, peas, carrot, corn, light sour cream and spring onion.

Quick, fresh and delicious - if you're in St Kilda and are craving a gourmet spud, Spud Bar is the place to be.

The New Fave dined courtesy of Spud Bar  

 

La Porchetta - North Melbourne

Whilst some may think my blog has hit rock bottom if I'm choosing to write about Italian inspired food chain La Porchetta - my recent experience at the La Porchetta in North Melbourne made it blog-worthy.  

To start with, the food is cheap - and huge.  Offering both entree and main servings of pasta, the main size could easily feed two people.  On this occasion we went with the Gnocchi pesto and the Fettuccine Pollo e Funghi.  With its lack of flavour and overcooked gnocchi - the pesto gnocchi was unfortunately a miss. The Pollo e Funghi however, was surprisingly rich, but not too creamy, and the fettucini was cooked to perfection.

We also opted for the  Super Special with mozzarella, ham, olives, mushrooms, capsicum and hot salami.  Made just how I like dirty pizzas to be, there was loads of toppings piled high on each slice.

Cheap food (and drinks!), quick service, and massive meals - La Porchetta in North Melbourne is definitely an option if you're in the mood for some quick and dirty Italian.

Food: 3/5
Venue 3/5
Value for money: 4.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Total: 14/20
Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point 

La Tortilleria

The secret to La Tortilleria's amazing tacos and Chilaquiles (a more authentic take on nachos) is their home-made tortillas. Made with only 2 ingredients - corn and sea salt - their corn tortillas are made the same way the Aztec and Mayan people have made them for a millenia with locally grown corn.

At only around $5-6 a taco, it's easy to give more than one a try. The Pescado taco with corn battered fish, japapeno may and coleslaw should definitely make the list, so too should the Pollo taco with free range chicken, caramalized onion, black beans and chipotle salsa.

Pescado Tacos

Pollo Taco

However, the pièce de résistance for me had to be the Chilaquiles with frijoles - warm but fresh, gooey but crisp - each bite was punching with flavour.

The venue itself (situated in the backstreets of Kensignton) is everything you would want from a local Mexican joint - bright, colourful and invitingly festive.  Definitely a place worth checking out if you're craving a good taco.

Food: 4/5
Venue: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value for money: 4/5
Total: 16/20
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon 

Hutong Dumpling Bar

As a food blogger, I'm often asked where the best dumplings in Melbourne are.  Lucky for me, the answer is simple - Hutong Dumpling Bar.  Spanning across 3 levels, with its delicious home-made dumplings and byo wine policy, it's no surprise that the venue is always packed to the brim.

Whilst probably the least attractive dish on the menu, Hutong's spring onion pancakes are actually out of this world - crisp on the outside, and incredibly light and fluffy on the inside, they are the epitome of the saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

With their soft and tender wrappers, and fragrant soup filling, Hutong's Xiao-long Bao are also non-negotiable.

Of course, you can't go wrong with any of Hutong's dumplings - with their pan fried pork dumplings (which aren't too greasy!) and their chilli wontons (which have a delicious kick) also being excellent options.

Cheap, cheerful and offering Melbourne's best dumplings - if you haven't yet tried Hutong, be sure to head there soon.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Venue: 4/5
Value for money: 5/5
Total: 17/20
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon.

Siganature Pho Viet

Wintery weather in Melbourne calls for one thing - a big steaming hot bowl of Pho. So where do you go to find the best pho in Docklands? Well the answer is simple - Signature Pho Viet on Bourke Street. 

Offering complimentary flasks of steaming hot tea and three (that's right, THREE) types of chill on the table (as well as all the usual condiment-culprits of course), Signature Pho shows how far the little touches go.

Signature Pho's veggie pho is by far one of the better veggie pho's I've had in Melbourne.  Whilst usually a veggie pho consists of tofu, a couple of pieces of old carrot and a piece of broccoli or two if you're lucky, Signature Pho's veggie pho is stuffed to the brim with mushrooms, cauliflower, snowpeas, tofu and broccoli - all of which are covered by a broth which is just punching in flavour.

Cheap, cheerful and great value for money, Signature Pho Viet is definitely the place to go if you find yourself craving pho in docklands.

Food: 4.5/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Value for money: 5/5
Total: Love - get around to trying their pho soon

Pho Anh

Love your pho but sick of walking away feeling thirsty and bloated from all of the MSG? Well than newly opened Vietnamese eatery Pho Anh in Camberwell is the place for you.  Making its pho out of all natural ingredients, Pho Anh's fragrant, hot and delicious bowl of Vietnamese soup is made just how it's meant to be - without all the crap put into it.

Whilst I've never been the biggest fried rice fan (why waste valuable stomach space with boring old rice?) Pho Anh's fried rice was by far the best I've ever had.  Indeed, I would come back just for a big bowl of this dish.  Full of both flavour and texture, both my fellow dinner and I were disappointed to see it all go.

Pho Anh's menu also consists of a variety of other Vietnamese dishes, including wagyu beef betal leaves and vegetarian spring rolls.  Whilst these dishes were certainly tasty, the pho and the fried rice were by far the highlights.

 If you find yourself in Camberwell and are craving a big bowl of cheap but nourishing Vietnamese soup, than look no further than Pho Anh.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Venue: 4/5
Value for money: 5/5
Total: 17/20
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon

The New Fave dined courtesy of Pho Anh

 

Miznon

Whilst it's fair to say that I'm well and truly late to the Miznon loving band-wagon, it was definitely worth the wait. Being the sixth Miznon to grace the world's foodie scene (with the first one opening in Tel Aviv in 2007), with its loud music, eclectic fit-out and singing and dancing staff, this Israeli street-food inspired eatery has an undeniable street party meet close family gathering vibe.

Being my first time to Miznon, trying their roasted baby cauliflower was non-negotiable.  Whilst it is undoubtedly Miznon's signature dish, I certainly had concerns going in for my first bite - I mean, how good could a baby cauliflower (and I'm talking JUST a cauliflower) be?  The answer is bloody delicious. Rich and creamy, it was definitely worth the hype.

As a Miznon-virgin, I also felt obliged to try one of their pitas - opting for the Cheakypita stuffed with. a falafel burger, tomato steak, sour cream, chili onion and pickles. Whilst it's a big call, it was by far the best falafel I have ever had and will definitely be a repeat order on my certain return.

The eggplant and the lamb shawarma were also excellent options.  And if you can fit it in, why not stuff all of these ingredients into another pita - with a pita station with all you can eat pitas and condiments on offer inside on the side wall.

When you can walk away from a one-hatted restaurant for $30 a head, it's fair to say that it's a no-brainer.  If you haven't tried Miznon yet,it should definitely be on the list.

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Venue: 4/5
Value for money: 5/5
Total: 18/20
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon