Pacific Rim Thai

It was no surprise to me when I heard our neighbouring table comment "no need to see the menu" as we sat down to eat at this Albert Park institution.  Situated on the corner of Ferrars and Vic Ave for as long as I can remember, there is a reason why the locals keep coming back to Pacific Rim Thai - and no, it's not just because the food is fresh and full of flavour - Pacific Rim Thai is proof that you don't have to go to a fine dining restaurant to get top quality service.  Not only were the staff incredibly friendly and attentive, they made sure our water carafe was never empty and asked questions such as "are you ready for your mains, or would you like to wait a while?".

Offering all the usual Thai culprits, on this occasion we couldn't go past the vegetable curry puffs, the roti with peanut sauce, the Pad Se Ewe and the Penang Beef Curry.  The thing that really sets Pacific Rim Thai apart from the rest is the freshness of their food and the inclusion of vegetables.  For instance, the vegetable curry puffs were filled with actual chunks of real vegetables (not a blended paste like you get at some places), and the Penang Beef Curry, which is usually served up with a token potato or carrot, was stuffed full of grilled vegetables including capsicum and zucchini - delicious!

Pacific Rim Thai's roti bread is also some of the best going around - crisp and buttery, it is served with a very generous portion of peanut sauce.

Offering a byo policy, Pacific Rim Thai is definitely my recommendation for Thai restaurants if you're in the Albert Park/Middle Park area.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 11/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon

Rosetta Ristorante

Rosetta in a word? Devine. Brought to you by Neil Perry, this exquisite Italian fine dining venue not only has an incredible authentic vibe, the service is nothing short of impeccable. Even the complimentary bread makes Rosetta stand out from the crowd - offering three freshly baked sorts, including an olive and sundried tomato focaccia option.

To start with we shared the Charcoal grilled prawn, calamari, octopus, mussels and Rock Flathead with lemon, capers and chili. Not only a pretty face, the well presented seafood dish was fresh, flavoursome and cooked to perfection.

Whilst some say pasta is not generally a summer dish, with Rosetta's extensive range of mouth watering pastas, it is certainly not a dish that can be missed. On this occasion I couldn't go past the classic tagliatelle ragu bolognese.  Whilst not quite claiming the title of the best ragu bolognese I've ever had, it was still rich and delicious, and the pasta was cooked well.  It also looked far more elegant when it came out than what the picture below shows, which is the aftermath of being drowned in fresh parmesan.

With an outdoor terrace perfect for a long boozy lunch or a hot summer's night - Rosetta's is definitely not a restaurant to be missed this warmer season.

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Venue: 4.5/5
Total: 14/15
Verdict: The New Fave - put it as number one on the To Do list

La Baia Bar Cucina

There seems to be a terrible unspoken rule in Melbourne that the better the location, the worst the food - La Baia Bar Cucina was no exception. 

To start with, the service was slow, inattentive and unhelpful - incredibly so - especially considering that on a Saturday night the restaurant was only half full.  Even that may have been an exceptional turn out for the restaurant, with our fellow patrons appearing to have only have attended due to a Scoopon voucher we googled afterwards when wondering why so many couples ordered the same seafood platter and bottle of wine. 

The food wasn’t much better...In addition to having the most absurd garnish of alfalfa sprouts scattering the plate, the oysters kilpatrick out looking, well, grey. Piled high with dried cheap bacon, it was impossible to tell the quality of the oyster underneath -  which tends to be a sure sign in itself of its freshness. 

The ragu pappardelle was surprisingly delicious (despite the alfalfa on top - come on guys, what’s with all the alfalfa??) - the sauce was well seasoned and rich with flavour and the pasta was cooked al dente. However, the margarita pizza we ordered to share with it was cold and bordering on bland. 

The evening was topped off by a flickering light above our table, making the experience at La Baia feel more like a cheap night club (thank goodness we didn’t have epilepsy!) rather than a nice evening out for a meal. Unfortunately, a complete fail.

Food: 2/5

Service: 2/5

Venue: 2.5/5

Verdict: 6.5/15

Total: don’t bother - it’s not worth the calories

 

The Atlantic

When you think of restaurants on South Bank in the CBD, you often think overpriced, underserviced, and full of tourists. Setting itself up in the ranks of Rockpool, Nobu and Spice Temple, South Bank's The Atlantic is one of the few that appears to have separated itself from the crowd. Often coined as one of the city's best seafood restaurants, The Atlantic, to no surprise, offers an extensive array of seafood, whilst also catering to the vegetarians and the red meat eating crowd.

The Kilpatrick Oysters and the Garlic Prawns were definitely the highlights of the evening.  The oysters were fresh and well seasoned, and the garlic sauce was so good that there was unquestionably a subtle fight to try and scrape the last drippings of sauce from the serving plate.

 

 

The Moreton Bay Bug Spaghetti however, didn't quite hit the same mark. Whilst the pasta was cooked al dente and the Moreton Bay Bug tasted fresh, the verdict on the table was that the overall dish was missing something - unhelpfully, none of us on the table could work out what it was.  We did, however, order some fresh chilli which definitely lifted the dishes flavour.

Whilst the service was slow, and at times completely uninterested, with its outdoor seating overlooking the river, if you can manage to score yourself a spot out the front, The Atlantic certainly earns itself a spot as one of Melbourne's go-to venues for a summer night's dinner or a leisurely long lunch.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Total: 10/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon

Kisume

 

Japanese inspired Kisume is the latest culinary member of the Lucas Group - but unlike many of its siblings, it just didn’t quite hit the mark. Whilst it certainly wasn’t horrible and many of the dishes were incredibly tasty - what appeared to be a sleek and sexy venue from the pictures turned out to be small and cramped, with its only view being a dreary car park (why even have a window?), and after splashing the cash of around $180 each (which to be fair, also included two rather inexpensive bottles of wine between 4), we all still left the venue feeling hungry.

We opted for the "Feed Me" option on the menu, which is not the greatest choice if you actually want to be fed. Also, on seeing what the tables around us had ordered, I definitely think we got the short straw as to what Kisume had to offer.

The sushi and sashimi was fresh and presented beautifully. The miso soup was also presented beautifully, with a tofu flower brimming to the top, but unfortunately was incredibly bland.







The foie gras and beef tenderloin was by far the highlight of the night - the beef was cooked to absolute perfection and the foie gras added an incredible richness to the dish.

If you're not full after the mains, don't hold your hopes up with desert - we were each served a ball of foam each.  The lactose intolerant's desert of fresh sortbet looked like a much more tempting option.

Whilst Kisume had a few hits, walking away hungry after splashing the cash in a cramped venue with a view of a car park is never okay.

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

Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks

Sparrow's Philly Cheeseteaks is living proof that late night eats don’t have to be inferior from Melbourne’s usual standard of dining.  Situated in the Fitzroy pub Catfish, whilst the venue itself is nothing overly surprising for a Northside pub, Sparrow's authentic Philly cheesesteaks and loaded chilli cheese fries are definitely something worth talking about.

Indeed, Sparrow's loaded chilli cheese fries are potentially some of the best loaded fries I've had in Melbourne - served up with actual cheese rather than cheese sauce (which I know some people will say is authentic, but so is cheese in a can, and that stuff won't be coming anywhere near my fries thank you), and topped with juicy well spiced chili which is just bursting with flavour, these loaded fries definitely cannot be missed.

My friend ordered the Hoagie with grilled beef, cheese, onions, fresh lettuce and tomato which looked, as my friend coined it, underwhelming.  But after letting me take a bite, I was soon to agree with her that the flavours in this Cheeseteak were anything but underwhelming - it was absolutely delicious.

Eating at Sparrow's Philly Cheeseteaks and not ordering one of their famous Cheeseteaks for myself is probably about as bad as going to Rockpool and not opting for the steak- but hey, at least it gives me a great excuse to head back soon.

Food: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Total: 11/15
Verdict: Love - get around to trying it soon.

Mugen Ramen & Bar

With its friendly and attentive service, reasonable price tag, great Zomato rating and quality crockery (and I admit, it does seem strange to comment on the crockery, but this stuff was notably good) I really wanted to love Mugen Ramen - like really - but unfortunately their food just didn’t hit the mark.

Nestled down Bligh Place off Flinders Lane, the venue itself is spread across two levels - offering a more casual bar-esque area at the top of the stairs which is perfect for people watching, and a more formal dining area at the bottom. Offering Japanese inspired cuisine, the menu mainly consists of "Japanese Tapas" and  a variety of Ramens.

Presented beautifully, the house made pork gyoza served with Mugen's Special Sauce came out looking incredibly delicious - however, they were also lukewarm.

 

The Tantan-Men with its spicy sesame broth, house made thin noodles and spicy pork mince was another dish that was presented beautifully.  But just like the gyoza, it was all for show. The ‘spicy’ broth wasn’t at all spicy, and it had the strangest flavour that left a terrible after taste in my mouth for the night.



At the end of the meal when the waiter (with his incredibly warm) smile helped me put my jacket on, I found myself thinking in frustration ‘why couldn’t your food just have been better??’ But alas, unfortunately both me and my fellow diner agreed that Mugen Ramen didn’t hit the mark.

Food:2/5
Service:4.5/5
Venue: 4/5
Total: 10.5/15