The Stokehouse

The revamped Stokehouse in a word? Exceptional. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the best food I've ever had - but when you pair quite delicious food with a warm and welcoming ambiance, elegant architecture, reasonable prices, and service fit for a queen, you are bound to have an exceptional experience.

To start with, too many restaurants in Melbourne make you feel as though they are doing you the favour by allowing you to dine at their restaurant. Not the Stokehouse - after rudely arriving half an hour late, instead of being shunned like you'd usually expect from a fine dining restaurant, we were welcomed with a warm smile and informed that we were more than welcome to sit at the bar for a drink before being taken to our table if we needed to wind down. The exceptional service didn't stop there - our drinks were never empty, our food was out in a flash, and all with the familiar friendly banter that you'd expect from the favourite bartender at your local.

The menu is Modern Australian with a large showcase of seafood - including an extensive Raw Bar to start. Whilst everything (well nearly everything) was delicious - each of us had our specific favourites from the menu. Packed full of flavour, the beef short rib wrapped in filo pastry definitely appeared in mine. So too did the sashimi tuna tacos which were fresh, crisp and incredible more-ish.

The Australian beef of the day was cooked to perfection, and the sides of roasted broccoli and the grain salad were the perfect accompaniments.

 

 

The only dissapointing dish of the night was the prawn and bug cannelloni with pumpkin and saffron, and fermented chilli. How can such an incredible sounding dish go so wrong I hear you ask. Unfortunately it did - it was bland, dry and tasted very fishy.



In my view, ice cream is a completely underrated desert - thank you Stokehouse for recognising this and putting an ice cream of the day on your menu. That being said, The Bombe (White chocolate parfait, strawberry sorbet and toasted meringue) and the White Chocolate Rose (Yoghurt mousse, white chocolate shaving, yuzu gelato and rose petals) also looked delicious and will definitely making a feature on my next dining experience.

It's exceptional dining experiences like these that made me want to be a food blogger - which is why the Stokehouse has earned the title of the new fave.

Food: 3/5
Service: 5/5
Venue: 5/5
Total: 13/15
Verdict: The New Fave - put it as number one on the To Do list

Donovans

Donovan's in St Kilda goes hand in hand with a champagne filled sunny Sunday afternoon. It's draw card is by far its location - situated right on St Kilda beach it not only offers incredible views while dining, it also offers a beach front deck scattered with lounges for diners to lap up the St Kilda vibe with a drink either post or pre dining.

Offering up Modern Australian cuisine, the menu isn't exactly on the cheap side - serving up beer battered Fish and Chips for $45.00. But the price tag soon becomes worth it as your settled in by incredibly attentive and friendly staff, and treated like your dining at nothing less than a fine dining restaurant.

On this occasion I couldn't go past the linguine with chilli, garlic, seafood and Moreton Bay bug. The dish however, was a bit flat on the flavours and could definitely have done with some more herbs, chilli and garlic - and a couple of my mussels unfortunately tasted a touch less than fresh.

My friend ordered the crispy skin Cone Bay barramundi which looked absolutely sensational - with its sautéed spinach, cherry tomato and caper 'acqua pazza', it looked just like Christmas on a plate.

But a word of warning, don't order the chips in expectation of being served French fries - whilst still tasty, the 'House chips with whole garlic and rosemary sea salt" are actually little baked potatoes and are somewhat a disappointment if looking forward to the 'French' version of the fry.

With its incredible location and its relaxing Summer's vibe, Donavon's is definitely still a contender though if you're looking for a long Sunday lunch in the warmer months.

Food: 3/5
Décor: 5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Total: 12.5/15
Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point.

Brae

Brae in a word? Underwhelming. It didn't help that it had just been awarded Regional Restaurant of the Year by The Good Food Guide - I was obviously going in with too high of expectations.  It's not that the dishes weren't technically perfect - because they were - some of them just didn't have much of a wow factor (the hapuku and roasted beetroot dishes were borderline bland) and I was hoping that I wouldn't leave the venue feeling like I could go order myself a pizza.

Situated in the quaint but very charming town of Birregurra,  from the man who once bought you The Royal Mail in Dunkeld, Dan Hunter's venue is modern but homely - you definitely feel like you're miles away from the city as soon as you step through their doors. Priding itself on using fresh and local produce - the menu changes to suit what's in the garden (and indeed, it's quite the vegie patch they have!) The menu on this occasion consisted of:

Brook trout and nut butter crisp

Crimson pearl potato and smoked eel sandwhich

Prawn, nasturtium, finger lime

Iced Oyster with beef tendon and mountain pepper

Beetroot with bone marrow and juniper

Calamari and black lip abalone, broccoli and blue mackerel

Eggplant and salt grass lamb washed with sweet onion juice, fragrant and acidic plants

Hapuku, turnip and mustard greens, fish roe whipped with onion

Crayfish and shitake with Brae farm egg yolk, meat broth and seaweed

Aged pekin duck wood roasted on the bone, pumpkin cream and walnut

Quince simmered with vanilla, sheep's milk and Brae farm honey

Parsnip and apple

The dishes of the day for me were actually the starters.  The brook trout and nut butter crisp, the crimson pearl potato and smoked eel sandwich and the prawn, nasturtium (there was a lot of nasturtium going on) and finger lime parcel were all bursting with flavour. The iced oyster was also a highlight - pushing the boundaries Heston style, the texture was akin to "oyster ice-cream", but it surprisingly actually worked.  

Brook Trout and Nut Butter Crisp, Prawn, Nasturtium and Finger Lime

Crimson pearl potato and smoked eel sandwich

Iced Oyster, Beef Tendon and Mountain Pepper

The Crayfish and shitake with Brae farm egg yolk was my fellow diners' favourite dish, where as I quite liked the calamari and black lip abalone - with the calamari sliced as thinly as rice noodles (and deliciously just as soft and tender).

Crayfish and Shitake with Brae Farm Egg Yolk, Meat Broth and Seaweed

Calamari and Black Lip Abalone, Broccoli and Blue Mackerel

The duck was cooked perfectly - but in terms of flavours and texutres, it wasn't quite in the same league as the duck dish I had recently at Montalto.

Aged Pekin Duck Wood Roasted on the Bone, Pumpkin, Walnut

Unfortunately, the fish and mustard greens were indeed just that - fish and mustard greens which could have done with a touch more seasoning.  The roasted beetroot with marrow, and the quince simmered with vanilla were nice, but were borderline bland and were along the lines of "take it or leave it".

Hapuku, turnip, mustard greens, fish roe whipped with onion 

Beetroot with bone marrow and juniper

Quince simmered with vanilla, sheep's milk and Braw farm honey

The parsnip and apple desert was the much more inspiring desert of the two.

Parsnip and Apple

Unfortunately, $190 later, I was still hungry. On the table asking for another slice of bread each (to try and feel the empty holes in our bellies) you would have thought we asked for another slice of duck! And even after asking two different staff members whether we could some butter with our bread, the butter never arrived.

There were definitely some exceptional highlights to the menu - however it was by no means the new fave. 

Food: 4/5

Venue: 4.5/5

Service: 3/5

Total: 11.5/15

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

4285 Cape Otway Road, Birregurra, VIC

Lord Cardigan

You know those meals that taste so darn good that life stops around you just for a moment - the type of meal that you can't eat slow enough as you'll be devastated when its over...

Well Lord Cardigan served me up one of those meals - a meal so good that it's earned the title as the new fave. 

Lord Cardigan is local gem tucked away in Albert Park. Oozing elegance whilst remaining unpretentious, the restaurant serves up Modern Australian cuisine with European and Asian influences. The service is as impressive as the menu, making any dining experience feel as though it were a special occasion. 

The dish that stole my heart was none other than the mushroom tortellini with sautéed mushrooms and crispy sage ($38). It was the perfect balance of flavours, an incredible array of textures and each element of the dish was cooked to perfection. Probably one of the best pasta dishes which has ever been past my mouth!

Whilst the price tag on many of the menu item isn't exactly budget friendly, Lord Cardigan also offers special deals at very affordable prices. For lunch on Thursdays through to Saturdays, Lord Cardigan offers a main meal with a glass of wine for only $29. And on Sundays, $25 will get you a seasonal roast at lunchtime. 

Whatever the day or special may be, I'm sure I'll find some excuse to go back and dine at Lord Cardigan again soon.

Service: 5/5

Food: 5/5

Decor: 4.5/5

Total: 14.5/5
Verdict: The New Fave - put it as number one on the To Do list

 

Magic Mountain Saloon

It's been a while since I've made this call - but Magic Mountain Saloon is definitely the new fave.  Offering a fusion of Thai and Australian cuisine, Magic Mountain Saloon is the most recent member of the Cookie / Boney / Revolver upstairs crew.

At two stories tall, the Magic Mountain Saloon has a funky oriental vibe - if the decor of Chin Chin and Lucy Lui's had a baby, it would look like this venue.

To eat I shared the garlic give and water spinach dumplings with black vinegar and chilli soy sauce, and the lamb shoulder, potato and pea red curry. 

The dumplings were incredibly - crisp on the outside, deliciously gooey on the inside - my friend and I could have easily demolished 20 or so. The black vinegar and chilli soy sauce alone had me scraping the plate with my finger.

The red lamb curry was out of this world - the lamb was so tender that it melted in the mouth and the curry sauce was perfectly spiced and deliciously fragrant. 

With incredibly helpful, attentive and friendly staff, an extensive cocktail and wine list, and a menu that is absolutely drool worthy, I will definitely be back to Magic Mountain Saloon again soon.

Decor: 5/5

Service: 4.5/5

Food: 4.5/5

Total: 14/15

Verdict: the new fave - put it as number one on your list to do

Saint Crispin - a cause for celebration

It was a big happy birthday to the gorgeous Kathleen as we headed to Saint Crispin to celebrate.

We arrived at the venue for the grandma sitting  (St Crispin has two sittings - a 6:00pm sitting and an 8:30 pm sitting which, while understandable from a commercial standing, seems either ghastly early or incredibly late on a school night to be eating a 3 to 5 course extravaganza!). Nonetheless, we were led to our table by incredibly friendly staff in a surprisingly small (intimate?) venue which oozed French provincial hipster sheek (that’s a style right?).
 

After being recommended a sensational white wine from Portugal (2011 Quinta de Mondego ‘Munda’ – Encruzado DOC at $70) we ordered the three course option at the set price (and incredible value) of $65.

To start with I had the crispy buttermilk chicken, 63 degree pullet egg, cos and popcorn. While the flavours were excellent and the techniques impressive (there is no way I could pull of a 63 degree pullet egg!), for me it lacked a certain dimension and needed a touch of sourness or zest – a squeeze of lime juice perhaps.

For main I had Brad’s courgette flower, parmesan gnocchi, celery and ricotta.  This was hands down the meal of the day.  Sensational flavours, perfectly balanced and a meal that tasted as good as it looked.  As my friend Hamish from my old work Sportsbet used to say...LIFE...CHANGING.

Then came desert, which was strawberry, lychee, sumac, goats curd and caramelised white chocolate.  For someone who claims to not be a fan of deserts I seem to be having a good run lately as this desert was delicious – not too sweet and a refreshing (but elegantly creamy) way to finish off a three course meal.

Incredible techniques, fantastic value and friendly staff made Saint Crispin a restaurant I look forward to going back to.

Food: 3.75/5
Decore: 3.5/5
Service: 4.5/5

Ezard - a taste sensation

It seems fitting that my first blog post should be on my new fave - Ezard.  While Teage Ezard’s restaurant is by no means new to the Melbourne eating scene (serving modern Australian cuisine for 15 years), this two hat restaurant was definitely worth the wait as we (being myself and two girlfriends) finally made our way through this renowned chef’s restaurant doors.

The occassion was a Sunday lunch, and commenced with us ladies being led to what can only be described as a hotel lobby setting to wait for our table.  Luckily for us, the cold (and eerily impersonal) décor of the waiting area (which seemed to creep into the rest of the restaurant) was the only negative aspect of our otherwise spectacular lunch.  

After being led to our table by friendly and personable staff, there was ham and pea soup to start – creamy, rich and perfectly offset with the texture of puffed grains (which although looked like rather like maggots, added a spectacular element to the dish).  

Next course, prawn salad - aka the dish of the day!  The tanginess of the mayonnaise was perfectly balanced with the juiciness of the prawns and the crunch of the salad.   

The deconstructed kangaroo burger was the least inspiring dish of the day.  While the kangaroo was cooked to perfection, the dish needed a sauce / jam / relish or something of the like to excite an otherwise rather dry dish.

Main was a modern take on a ‘Sunday Lamb Roast’.  Clever, simple and equisite.

For someone who is not usually a desert person (shock! horror! And possibly blasphemous from someone deciding to write a food  blog!) the desert was quite to my liking – meringue, berries and sorbet.  Light on the palate, and not at all too sweet - this berry delight was an absolute, well, delight.

All in all a sensational meal  - one of those meals which leaves you utterly satisfied, but was so good you are still left craving for more  While I am looking forward to returning to Ezard, Ezard's sister restaurant 'Black' in Sydney may just have to be next on the list.


Verdict: The New Fave