El Rincon

El Rincon is a new tapas bar located near the Queen Victoria Market.  Offering authentic Spanish cuisine, it's not hard to feel as though you may actually be sipping on Sangria in Spain as soon as you walk through El Rincon's doors.

There are two important things to note about El Rincon.  The first is that they have Sangria on tap, that's right, on tap - and it's absolutely delicious. The second (which is just as important as the first), is that El Rincon would have to have one of the best croquettes I've had in Melbourne. Rich, gooey, and full of flavour, the croquette with jamon serrano and choriza was fried to perfection.

Another incredible dish of the night was the salmorejo. Similar to gazpacho, salmorejo is a cold tomato soup which is often served as a starter in Spain.  Robust in flavour, and beautifully complimented by the dried jamon, it was easily a dish that I would come back for.

The albondigas (spainsh meatball with almond sauce), whilst terribly unattractive, was also delicious and flavoursome.  It could, however, have done with some acidity (such as the tomato salsa which accompanied the croquette).

Unfortunately, with my dislike of both sardines and cod, the fried sardine with cod croquette never really stood a chance.  However, even if I was a fan of the old sardine, I would have hoped for the batter to be a touch crispier.

With such warm and welcoming staff who have such a love for delicious authentic Spanish cuisine, I'm sure El Rincon will do well in Melbourne.

Service: 5/5
Venue: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Total: 12/15
Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point

The New Fave dined courtesy of El Rincon

Santiago

To put it simply, I have a love / hate relationship with Middle Park's Spanish restaurant Santiago at the moment.

It was the first time I had tried this quaint little Tapas Bar and, on ordering the 7 course degustation menu with matching wines ($85), I went in with high hopes and expectations.  However, whilst there were exceptional aspects to our night, there were a number of flaws that I just couldn't get overlook.  In times like these when I can't decide one way or another, I always find it helpful to write a list - so here it goes:

Cons

• We were only served 6 courses, not 7 as promised.
• Overpriced and small portions (note the pictures below - it was one plate per course for all three of us) - even after spending $45 on the food portion of the degustation, I was still hungry and went back home to eat again.
• There was a thick black hair in one of my dishes (but note the exceptional way they handled it below).
• The three of us were crammed onto a pokey little table and, when we asked whether we could move to a bigger table, we were told that they were booked (however, at 10:00pm when we left, the tables were still empty).
• The prawns and the cheesy chicken drumsticks were cold and uninspiring:

 

Pros

• The staff were incredibly welcoming and gave the place a family-owned feel.
• When I complained about the hair on my dish, the restaurant gave me a $50 voucher for my next meal which I thought was extremely generous.
• The matching wines were exceptional.
• The goats cheese ball I had was incredibly delicious and was just bursting with flavour. The spicy chorizo and manchego rolled in jamon with tomato and black olive was also delicious and well cooked: 

So as you can see, I am on the wall with this one, but I may be tempted to give it a second chance at some point in the future.

Service: 4/5
Venue: 2.5/5
Food: 2.5/5
Total: 9/15

Pelican Restaurant 

With its delicious food, excellent service and convenient location, I was surprised that I hadn't been to, or indeed even heard of, Pelican Restaurant before - but what an exceptional surprise to find such a gem for dinner on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda. 

Walking into the venue I didn't have the highest expectations - it was cosy enough with its wooden features and dim mood lighting, but there were only a handful of patrons scattered around the restaurant, which is never a good sign on a Saturday night.  However, the staff were friendly and appeared to have an excellent grasp on their food and wine list - so it didn't take long for the night to start looking up.
 

To eat we shared the chorizo and fennel croquettes with smoked paprika aioli,  pork sliders, jerk chicken with quinoa, burghal, mint and cranberry salad, pulled lamb with tomato salsa and fennel seed flatbread and patatas bravas.  

The croquettes were  some of the best croquettes I have ever had - perfectly crunchy on the outside and deliciously creamy on the inside - these little balls of goodness was just bursting with flavour.  The pork sliders, a Pelican special of the night, were also bursting with flavour.  Whilst there is often a risk with pork sliders (there has been many a time where I have had a sub-standard, dry, one-dimensional slider) these delicious morsels were filled with crunch and flavour.

With its juicy chicken and fragrant quinoa (which had the occasional burst of sweetness from the cranberries) the jerk chicken was another exceptional dish. The lamb was also cooked well and had a delicious zesty undertone, which worked well with the richness of the meat and the accompanying fennel flat bread.

The patatas bravas were the most disappointing meal of the night.  Whilst they were not horrible, the potatoes lacked crunch and the overall dish was lacking flavour. 
 

Whether we were just lucky with what we had ordered, or whether the food is indeed exceptional, Pelican Restaurant in St Kilda is one of the latest restaurants to make it onto my list of recommendations.

Food: 4/5
Décor: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11.5/15
  Verdict: Love  - rush out and try it soon

Movida Aqui

The Movida group is a Melbourne institution. Serving up Spanish tapas (or tacos if you're hitting up Pacos), it's been a delight to Melbourne patrons for years. 

To the shock of many, throughout my years of dining out at Melbourne I had never been to Movida. It was time to set the record straight as I made my way to Movida Aqui for dinner. I had heard that Movida was overpriced and overrated, so I didn't go in with the highest of expectations.  But, in a word (well four), it's definitely the new fave.

The staff were incredible - warm and welcoming, attentive and helpful, and knew both the food and wine menu like the back of their hand. 

To start with I had the potato bomba filled with chorizo and the corn cakes with spanner crab and paprika pate (on of Movida Aqui's latest additions to the menu).  The bomba was absolutely outstanding. Crisp on the outside but delectably creamy and salty (from the chorizo) on the inside. And the corn cakes,  by far one of the best tapas I've had in Melbourne. Amazingly balanced and just bursting with flavour, I would highly recommend this dish. 

For main we shared the duck and mushroom paella, and the pork belly with black pudding and cannellini beans.  The paella was incredible - bursting with flavour and the juicy duck just fell off the bone.  The pork belly was also delicious - a well balanced dish with a variety of textures. 

Desert was plum sorbet and honey saffron icecream.  As the last dish of the night it didn't dissapoint. The plum sorbet was tangy and refreshing and the honey saffron icecream was creamy and fragrant.  Topped off with some homemade fruit bread, the dish was complete!

Movida Aqui was more than a delicious meal - it was an outstanding experience.

Service: 5/5

Food: 4.5/5

Decor: 4.5/5

Total:14/15

Verdict: the new fave

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Portello Rosso Tapas and Jamon Bar

Portello Rosso is no stranger to the Melbourne dining scene. Nestled away in Warburton Lane, this Spanish tapas and wine bar has been serving its patrons for years. 

Arriving at the venue we were greeted at the door by a very cold woman who, within 10 minutes of us being there, managed to not only be rude to a fellow staff member, but also rude to another patron who asked for directions to the toilet. Although, my friend did inform me that this very lady was polite to her later on, so perhaps we just caught her in a bad moment.  Our actual waitress, however, was absolutely wonderful - friendly, attentive and informative. 

To eat we ordered the mushroom and blue cheese croquettes, slow roasted crispy skinned pork belly, sweetcorn and zucchini fritters, patatas bravas, roast beetroot baby salad, bbq sticky lamb ribs , pork and veal meatballs and churros to finish. 

The pork belly was amazing - the crispy skin was perfectly cooked and the meat beneath was just melt in the mouth - all resting on a delicious almond and garlic purée. The croquette and fritter were nice but lacked seasoning and unfortunately didn't really excite me.
 

 

The pork and veal meatballs were also rather ordinary and the patata bravas were very disappointing compared to the usual dish we are served by the same chefs at its wine bar next door Murmur - the potatoes were soggy and were lacking in the delicious sauces that are usually served with these normally golden delicious morsels. 

The lamb ribs and the roasted beetroot salad were by far the dishes of the day. The roasted beetroot salad with its sweet potato crisps, goats cheese and bursts of flavoursome beetroot was absolutely delicious and one of the best salads I've had in a long time. The lamb was incredibly flavoursome and was so tender it just fell off the bone. 

 

Last but not least we had the churros with white and dark chocolate dipping sauces for desert. I would highly recommend saving room for these - crisp and surgery on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. Dipped into the warm chocolate sauce this dish is just heaven.
 

 

Overall, whilst it had some incredibly delicious dishes, Portello Rosso is not my favourite Spanish tapas bar in Melbourne.  Nonetheless, being a Melbourne institution, if you haven't yet been I would recommend checking it out at some time. 

 

Service: 3/5

Decor: 3/5

Food: 3/5

Total: 9/15

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

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761528/restaurant/CBD/Portello-Rosso-Melbourne">