Mr Lawrence at The London

With such a drool-worthy looking menu (and may I add, an exceptional location) Mr Lawrence has been near the top of my To Do list for quite some time. Situated on Beach Street looking over the water, Mr Lawrence draws in the Summer crowds with its outdoor seating, and the Winter crowds with its reputation for delicious Middle Eastern cuisine.

Situated in the iconic Port Melbourne venue "The London", with its bright blue bar, retro light fittings and indoor plants, Mr Lawrence has a casual, almost Moroccan inspired vibe.

Its Turkish Pizza's are about as iconic as its venue - offering $10 pizza specials on Monday nights. The spiced minced lamb, mint, yoghurt and almond pizza was exceptional - the lamb was juicy and well seasoned, the dough light and flaky and the presentation was rustic but still appealing - definitely a dish worth ordering.

The twice cooked pork belly with mashed potato, pickle salad and pomegranate molasses was nice, but not as impressive as the pizza - the salad was exceptional (light, zesty and full of flavour), however the pork was on the dry side and the mashed potato an odd accompaniment.

Unfortunately, the service was on the disappointing side. Repeatedly we had to wave down a waiter to ask for a drink, place our order and ask for the bill - all in a half filled restaurant.  That being said, it may have just been a bad night (perhaps someone called in sick?) and I'd be willing to give Mr Lawrence another try - especially if it means taking another shot at that delicious lamb Turkish Pizza.

Food: 3.5/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Service: 1/5
Total: 8/5
Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point

92 Beach Street Port Melbourne

Corte

The first thing you notice about Corte (and its biggest drawcard) is the venue.  Situated within an old courthouse built in the 1800's, with its distressed stone walls, high ceilings and wooden features, the building just oozes with character.  Also adding to Corte's old world charm is its courtyard which is filled with palm trees and greenery, and spotted with outdoor seating for visitors to enjoy a drink in the sun - a little Oasis in the midst of the bustling Bay Street of Port Melbourne.

Serving Latin cuisine, Corte's menu is designed to share.  On this occasion we ordered (and over-ordered I must add) the Ahi Poke Nachos with raw yellowfin tuna, fresh tortilla chips, kewpie, chilli jam and sesame, the baked Charlston brie with onion jam and rolls stuffed with pulled pork and coleslaw.

The Ahi Poke Nachos was the dish of the day.  Whilst it could have done with more sauce (it looks saucy in the picture below but the chips underneath the top layer were bone dry) the yellow fin tuna was fresh, the sauces were flavoursome and the overall flavours dish surprisingly worked (who would have thought to put raw fish in nachos??).  The baked brie was also executed well -  the brie was warm and gooey and the accompanying sourdough was fresh and spongy.

 

The rolls, however, were disappointing.  The pork was flavoursome and cooked well and the corn chips added a nice textual crunch, but the overall dish was dry, and lacked any zest/spice/tang in its one dimensional flavours.

With live music in the courtyard Fridays from 6pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm, it's definitely a venue I would suggest for an afternoon drink on a sunny afternoon (and maybe order a bowl of the Ahi Poke nachos while you're there!).

Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3/5
Venue: 5/5
Total: 10.5/15
Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point.

Balderdash

Brunch is quickly becoming one of my favourite meals of the day and with places like Balderdash offering delicious brunch-time cuisine at such great value, it's easy to see why.

Located on Bay Street in Port Melbourne, Balderdash is a quaint little cafe offering both indoor and outdoor seating. Bustling to the brim, we were lucky enough to snatch up a couple of seats at the end of one of the outdoor tables and it only took seconds for the incredibly friendly staff to pop over to ask if we'd like a coffee. 

With such a drool worthy looking menu, the toughest part of the dining experience was deciding what to order - so we ended up sharing both the corn fritters with goats cheese and relish, and the pulled pork eggs bennedict with prosciutto crumb. 

Whilst corn cakes can often be a risky choice, these cakes were packed full of corn and just bursting with flavour. The pulled pork eggs benedict however, was the dish of the day for me and my number one recommendation - the eggs were poached perfectly, the pork was rich and tender and the prosciutto crunch added an incredible texture to the overall dish. 

Balderdash is definitely on my top 5 brunch spots list for Melbourne and I'll definitely be back soon. 

Food: 4.5/5
Decor: 4/5

Service: 4.5/5

Total: 12/15

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

 

Third Wave Cafe

Third Wave Café serves as a timely reminder not to judge a book (or indeed a restaurant) by its cover.  When I heard that Third Wave Café was THE place for ribs, I was a little taken aback by the name which sounded more appropriate for a cheap touristy café serving up stale sandwiches.  With its maroon walls, sprawling chairs and dirty table tops, this impression unfortunately was not altered when I walked through the Port Melbourne venue's doors.

But when I tasted the food, oh the food, it was everything that was promised and more! The pork ribs ($29) were absolutely incredible - sticky, juicy, mouth-watering ribs which were covered in a finger lickin'  BBQ sauce.  Whilst the serving size below looks small, it is deceptively filling - none of us were able to finish our plates. $29 also includes a side of your choice so we decided to share the coleslaw and the spicy chicken wings.  Yes, I did just admit to ordering double meat, but we were so glad that we did as the wings were just bursting with flavour and impeccably cooked.

Whilst we were all full as a boot, we couldn't go past the pecan pie with vanilla ice-cream and coffee cream ($13).  Tasting as good as it looks, it had the most perfect ball of ice-cream on the top which I had ever seen.

Third Wave Café's menu also showcases Russian fare, offering the likes of Cabbage Rolls, Pelemeni and Blintzes.  Whilst I can't see how anything could taste as good as their sticky pork ribs, I would definitely be willing to give some of there Russian cuisine a try.

Venue: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Food: 4.5/5
Total: 10.5/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon.