The Olive Tree Bistro

Whether it was just because I thought it had some sort of association with America's famous 'Olive Garden' - there was something about The Olive Tree Bistro on Park Street in South Melboyrne which drew me in.

On arriving at this surprisingly bustling bistro on a Tuesday night, I had one word for the place - 'interesting'. The decor was interesting with its random array of logs secured to the walls, the crowd was interesting, comprising of a mismatch of ages and backgrounds, and the food, well, was interesting....

For example, the caprese salad was a bowl of cherry tomato and little balls of mozzarella - not a basil leaf in sight. 

The small boiled potato and the half roasted tomato was also an interesting touch to the veal parmigiana.  The veal schnitzel, however, whilst tender, could have done with a touch more cheese and sauce and came out luke warm.

 

The gnochhi was the stand out of the night - the little parcels of gnochhi were soft and fluffy and the sauce was deliciously rich. Unfortunately though, this dish too came out luke warm.

 

Also, I'm pretty sure the waiter thought we could do with going on a diet as he forgot our entree of garlic prawns, initially forgot our caprese salad and changed our main gnochhi's into entree sizes. 

But look, the wine is cheap (and good!) and the food is pretty decent, so if you are staying at The Quest on Park Street, there are definitely worst places you could go. 

Food: 3/5

Service: 2.5/5

Decor: 2.5/5

Total: 8/15

Verdict: like - worth a try if in the area

 

Chez Dre

Chez Dre was actually one of the first venues I visited on moving to Melbourne. I was absolutely enchanted by the hidden café nestled down the South Melbourne alleyway which had the most delicious looking array of cakes on display - the types of cakes that belong in an art show or, at the very least, a Zumbo episode of Masterchef.

On this occasion, we were visiting Chez Dre for a spot of lunch - somehow managing to resist the temptation of gorging ourselves on their sweets. To eat I ordered the Pulled Pork Toastie with slow braised pork shoulder, provolone cheese, caramelised onions and white miso BBQ sauce. Whilst delicious (and the lamb shoulder was cooked to perfection), thank goodness I was hangover as it was a very sweet, buttery and greasy dish. The side salad was a nice touch though, and definitely helped cut through the rich flavours of the toastie.





The service was an absolute stand out. The gentleman that served us had just started, and was the perfect balance of enthusiasm, playfulness and charm - attentive but not overbearing, he was definitely a refreshing encounter in my hungover state that morning.

Whilst perhaps not on the top of my list of lunch recommendations, I will definitely return to Chez Dre to satisfy my sweet cravings.

Venue: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11/15
Verdict: Like - get around to trying at some point.

 

Rear Of 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne

 

 

Supper Inn

It's 12am in the CBD and you decide that it's about time to have some dinner (or even a second dinner depending on how the night's gone) - so where can you go? Supper Inn in China Town of course.  Known as a bit of a Melbourne institution, Supper Inn is open until late - we're talking 2.30am late.

Serving up Chinese cuisine, the menu is extensive and the venue is licenced. The highlight of the night was hands down the salt and pepper fried chicken ribs.  The ribs were deliciously crunchy on the outside while still managing to keep  nice and juicy and the inside. The Singapore noodles were also a highlight - well spiced and full of flavour.

The low lights of the night were the fried pork dumplings and the San Choy Bow.  I must admit, on ordering the fried pork dumplings, I was mistakenly expecting more of Shanghai style pan fried dumpling. Instead we were served dumplings which were completely fried and which were oily on the outside and dried out on the inside (although, the dipping sauce was delicious!).  The San Choy Bow almost had the opposite problem - the little morsel was watery and lacked in any punchy flavours.

Unfortunately the fried ice-cream was also disappointing and lacked the warm and crispy coating that usually makes this desert an absolute gem.

Whilst there isn't a plethora of options available at 12am in the CBD and the food at Supper Inn wasn't terrible, next time I'd much rather head to the likes of Stalactites or the Melbourne Supper Club for a late night bite.

Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 8.5/15
Verdict: Don't bother

Shanghai Master Dumpling

Dumpling houses are famous for being 3 things - quick, cheap and delicious. Whilst Shanghai Master Dumpling on King Street in the CBD definitely ticks the "cheap" box, it has some way to go before being considered quick or indeed delicious.

Packed to the rafters on a Friday lunch, one would expect this to be a sure sign of the venue serving quality food. But alas, after waiting 40 minutes for our dumplings (which equates to about 4 hours in dumpling house time), we were incredibly disappointed. 

The wontons in chilli oil with peanut and sesame butter sauce were about as appealing as they look - they came out cold and lacked in any peanut, or indeed chilli flavour. 

At least the pan fried pork dumplings came out hot, but they tasted like burnt oil and also lacked in any flavour.

The chicken and prawn Xiao long bao was the best dish of dumplings, but even then, the filling was borderline mystery mush and the dumplings themselves was incredibly salty.

So perhaps Shanghai Master Dumpling was just full because there no other dumpling houses in the legal district of the CBD - but trust me when I say its definitely worth the trek to satisfy your dumpling craving somewhere else.

Service: 1/5

Food: 2/5

Venue: 2/5

Total: 5/15

Verdict: don't bother, it's not worth the calories

 

The Burger Project

Neil Perry's burgers at Rockpool became so popular they warranted their own national chain - The Burger Project.

On discovering that Melbourne's Burger Project was situated on the second level of a shopping mall, I was picturing a food court come casual take out joint. But there was something surprisingly magical about taking the escalator up to the second floor - with the roof slowly being exposed to show off a shimmering green cylinder-esque artwork worthy of a roof in Crown Casino.

But that aside, The Burger Project venue itself was as expected - a no frills, quick and easy fast food joint. Not that there is anything wrong with that - there is a definitely a place in the world for a venue that is filled with plastic tables and chairs, that has food orders you jump up to grab yourself on the buzz of an alarm, and which serves its meals in plastic and paper containers - especially when that place serves wine (and alcoholic shakes I should add).

But onto the main event, the burgers. The Burger Project prides itself on using the finest Cape Grim beef in Australia and to be honest, it shows in the taste. The American Cheese burger was delicious - the meat was pink and juicy, the bun light and fluffy and the whole burger was smothered with flavoursome rose mayonnaise. The chips also hit the mark - with The Burger Project offering the choice of chipotle chilli salt, Sichuan pepper salt or plain old salt for seasoning.

Make sure to save room for desert - The Burger Project churns their ice cream daily. The blueberry pie is a must - consisting of a delicious mixt of creamy vanilla bean ice cream, tart blueberry crumble and crunchy crumble to give it a textual lift.

The 'special sauce' of bacon, chives and sour cream, however, is definitely a dip to be missed - stick instead with the free pouring tomato sauce and mustard which customers are able to help themselves to.

Was it a great burger? Yes. Was it the best burger? No. Still, I look forward to going back to try other options from the menu. 

Venue: 2.5/5

Service: 2.5/5

Food: 4/5

Total: 9/15

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

Level 2, 260 Collins Street, Melbourne

 

The Napier Hotel

Tucked away amongst the neighbourhood streets of Fitzroy, The Napier Hotel is a local institution. First opening its doors in 1866, this historical venue, filled with character and hipster-charm, has been serving up pub grub to its customers for years.

The menu has all of the usual pub suspects, but on this occasion I couldn't go past the traditional chips and Parma. The Parma itself was delicious - the chicken breast was fat and juicy, the cheese generous and the Napoli sauce was rich with flavour. The chips, however, were soggy (and not just the ones underneath the parma) and could have done with a touch of seasoning.

The staff were a bit short and on the unhelpful side, but with a room full of Friday night drunks, their lack of enthusiasm was somewhat understandable.

Otherwise, with its great food, outstanding atmosphere, and the sort of character you would think you could only find in a pub depicted in an American made movie on "outback Australia", it is easy to see why the The Napier Hotel is a favourite watering hole among the locals.

Venue: 3/5

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 2.5/5

Total: 9/15

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

210 Napier Street, Fitzroy

 

Pho N Roll

It's no secret that Melbourne is home to many incredible dumpling houses - from Hutong to Shandong Mama, Melbournites are spoilt for choice. What I didn't expect however, was to find such incredible dumplings in a Vietnamese eatery in the legal district of the CBD.

Pho N Roll is a no frills, almost blink and you'll miss it, small eatery on Little Collins Street. Offering a few long shared tables for seating, with its quick and easy service, it's perfect for a lunch spot.

Both the prawn and chive dumplings ($6.00) and the mushroom and spinach dumplings ($6.00) are a must with any order. The prawn dumplings were brimming with real chunks of prawn, and the mushroom and spinach dumplings were surprisingly full of flavour. 

Prawn and chive dumplings

Mushroom and spinach dumplings

The traditional beef pho ($11), whilst deceptively coming out looking on the barren side, was still incredibly filling and hit the mark with its fragrant well spiced broth. 

Beef Pho

Cheap and cheerful, Pho N Roll is definitely on my recommendation list for a lunch spot in the legal district of the CBD. 

Food: 4.5/5

Venue: 2.5/5

Service: 3.5/5

Total: 10.5/15

Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon 

585 Little Collins Street, Melbourne