American

Meatmaiden

20-hour Rangers Valley Wagyu brisket with Tasmanian pepper berry rub (200g)

Quality house-smoked brisket that was meltingly tender.

★★★★☆

Lobster Mac Cheese

This classic macaroni and cheese dish was creamy but heavy, and had a surprisingly reasonable amount of lobster in it.

★★★★☆

Southern Fried Chicken with tequila mayo

Ordinary chicken served with bland mayo.

★★☆☆☆

Pulled Pork Shoulder

Sweet tender pork that was full of flavour.

★★★☆☆

House sausage, parsley, pickled red onion

Very dense and smoky.

★★☆☆☆

Crispy skin baby snapper, charred cauliflower, green bean salad

Well cooked, light and satisfying.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Meatmaiden is the sister restaurant to barbecue shack Meatmother in Richmond, and I must say that comparatively the meat served here is just as good or if not better. For 30 days the meat is dry-aged in order to achieve its greatest flavour and tenderness, and brisket is smoked for up to 20 hours in their custom built smokers. The 20-hour Rangers Valley Wagyu brisket was certainly a highlight and is something that I would easily return for. Service was good and the atmosphere casual. Note that this place is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Meatmaiden

195 Little Collins St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9078 7747

Home

Meatmother

Wagyu Brisket and Charred Corn

The wagyu was tender and smoky, while the corn was fantastically buttery and perfectly charred.

★★★☆☆

Spare Ribs and Mac Cheese

Fairly average ribs that were a bit dry and required extra sauce. The Mac Cheese was also quite average (although I am comparing it to the delicious Lobster Mac Cheese I had at Meatmaiden).

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

This cosy little barbecue shack is a great place to head to for all you carnivores out there. Each day meat is smoked over oak for up to 12 hours which allows for the flavours to really sink in. Meat trays are offered at dinner which include the choice of one meat, one side and a serve of Texas toast (thick buttery golden brown toast). Bun trays are also available at dinner which come with the choice of a bun and a side. Service here was easy-going and the atmosphere very relaxed. Note that they only take reservations for groups of 8 people and over, and that this place is closed on Mondays.

Meatmother

167 Swan St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9041 5393

http://meatmother.com.au/

Parlour Diner

Lobster and Shrimp ‘Po Boy’ with Slaw and Chimichurri Salsa

★★★☆☆

Blue Ribbon Crispy Fried Chicken served with curly fries, sauce and salad

★★★☆☆

Dynamite Burger (beef patty, tomato, lettuce, cheese, pickles, chipotle, Asian slaw)

★★☆☆☆

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Spicy Lime Butter

★★★☆☆

Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Milkshake

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We came here for a late dinner on a weeknight and found the atmosphere, service and food to be fabulous. A special mention goes to the huge pieces of fried chicken (fantastically crispy on the outside, juicy and boneless on the inside) and the chocolate peanut butter milkshake (sweet with a hint of saltiness and contained tiny little pieces of peanut and a giant scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream). This place is quite small and the kitchen is minuscule so I can understand that waiting times for food can be quite long when it gets busy. Nevertheless if you are in the mood for decent American food, head to Parlour Diner.

Parlour Diner

64 Chapel St, Windsor, VIC

(03) 9533 2006

Pistol Pete’s Food N Blues

93a Little Malop St, Geelong 5221 0287

Southern Style Fried Chicken

Crispy fried chicken covered in tasty spices. Be sure to try this with hot sauce for a deliciously spicy kick.

= ★★★

N’awlins Taster Plate

A surprisingly filling tasting plate that consisted of grilled andouille sausage, cajun fries, okra, fried shrimp and gumbo. Each dish was terrific but the stand out item for me was the gumbo. The rich stew was a thick blend of aromatic spices and flavours, and contained shrimp, chicken and sausage.

= ★★★

Overall:

Who would have thought that such a great place existed in Geelong? Pistol Pete’s serves up delicious Southern American food in a casual setting where fantastic Blues music is played non-stop, and live Blues acts perform regularly.

Note that orders are taken at the counter and that this place is closed on Mondays.

East of Everything

Level 3, 72 Auburn Parade, Camberwell 9882 4216

Cajun sweetcorn fritters with avocado salsa

Crispy fritters packed with juicy corn kernels and lightly drizzled with a spicy Cajun sauce. My only complaint with this dish was that there should have been more of the terrific avocado salsa!

= Good

Pulled pork quesadilla

Sweet smoky pork. Delicious!

= Good

The “Dom” – beef debris served on a bed of crispy chips with Cajun remoulade and pickles

If only this dish came with slightly more beef and slightly less chips it would have been perfect.

= Good

Southern fried chicken Po’Boy

Crispy tender chicken + fresh crunchy coleslaw = a winning combination

= Good

Peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake

Solid and difficult to cut through, this sweet homemade cheesecake was reminiscent of a Snickers bar.

= Not bad

Overall:

Quietly hidden away up a small flight of stairs, East of Everything know how to serve up some great Southern food. The menu is small and simple, the atmosphere relaxed and the staff friendly.

Trunk Diner

275 Exhibition St, Melbourne 9663 7994

Golden Gaytime Milkshake

I liked this creamy toffee/honeycomb/vanilla milkshake. But then again I find the Golden Gaytime Krushers available at KFC to be equally as likeable.

= Good

The Wagyu Burger
175 gram freshly ground Wagyu beef served medium-rare, grilled brioche, baby cos lettuce, purple onion, tomato and house-made pickles

A tiny ordinary tasting burger that needed self assembling? No thanks.

= Not bad

“Huevos Rancheros”

Two fried eggs, chorizo, Mexican mixed beans, goats fetta, salsa, avocado, jalapenos and toasted tortilla

= Not bad

Overall:

Average food, good variety of milkshakes (eg. Tim Tam, Lamington, Golden Gaytime), quick service, buzzing atmosphere.

Miss Katie’s Crab Shack

238 Victoria Street, North Melbourne 9329 9888

Crispy Fried Clarence River Organic School Prawns

Katie’s Crunchy Corn

Katie’s Fried Chicken & House Baked Cornbread

Seasonal Jambalaya

Thoughts:

Crispy Fried Clarence River Organic School Prawns – crunchy prawns dusted in corn masa flour and smoked paprika, served with lemon and hot sauce. A very addictive dish = Excellent

Katie’s Crunchy Corn – baby corn ‘chips’, salted ricotta, chilli and coriander. A bit pricey considering how little food you get = Good

Katie’s Fried Chicken – covered in an array of marvellous spices, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, served with ranch sauce and terrific fries that were crunchy and well seasoned. Don’t forget to try the chicken with their BBQ sauce = Excellent

House Baked Cornbread – deliciously light and fluffy with a hint of sweetness = Excellent

Seasonal Jambalaya – a pleasant combination of new season okra, local mussels, prawns, and spicy kranski = Good

Overall:

Delightfully quirky and nautical themed (which includes a giant plastic shark head that sits in the middle of one of the tables), this laid-back place serves up pretty darn good food. The tables were covered with newspaper which makes sense as eating here can become quite messy. Service was friendly and orders were taken at the kitchen counter. My only gripe with this place is that they use styrofoam boxes to serve up some of their food. But apart from that, I really enjoyed my visit to Miss Katie’s Crab Shack.

Note that this place is cash only.

Nieuw Amsterdam

106-112 Hardware Street, Melbourne 9602 2111

House baked sourdough

Black kingfish ceviche

Chicken waffles

Smokey beef brisket

Rabbit meatballs

Grits fritters

Baked eggplant

Peanut butter sandwich

Pumpkin donuts

Thoughts:

House baked sourdough – tasted more like regular bread than sourdough as it did not have that mild sour taste. However this bread did have a crispy yet oily crust reminiscent to that of pan fried pizza base = Good

Black kingfish ceviche – served with daikon, dashi dressing, crunchy quinoa and finger limes. A fresh and cool combination of flavours and textures = Good

Chicken waffles – strong flavoured pate, terrine, crispy chicken skin and orange caramel = Not bad

Smokey beef brisket – juicy pieces of beef served with carrot remoulade = Good

Rabbit meatballs – dry gamey meatballs, undercooked tagliatelle, sofrito, and roast tomato sauce. Note that this dish is no longer on the menu = Bad

Grits fritters – marvelously fluffy fritters served with a variety of sweetcorn and heirloom beetroots = Good

Baked eggplant – served with grilled tofu, mushrooms and spiced yogurt = Good

Peanut butter sandwich – served with cherry ripe ice cream, peanuts, salted caramel and chocolate sauce. It’s such a shame that this dessert is no longer on the menu as it was delicious! = Good

Pumpkin donuts – crispy deep fried donuts served with Kentucky bourbon whipped cream. The donuts by themselves are quite dry so need to be eaten together with the cream = Not bad

Overall:

Great food, good service, dark and sleek atmosphere. This place is absolutely worth visiting.

Mr Burger

364 Chapel Street, South Yarra

Mr Burger

(beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mustard, mayonnaise and tomato sauce)

Overall:

Big juicy mouthwatering burgers that really hit the spot. The beef patty was cooked to perfection, the tangy pickle balanced out the sweetness of the brioche bun, and with every bite delicious melted cheese would escape from the burger. The menu here is simple with only 3 burgers on offer (Mr Burger, Mr Meat and Mr Veg), as well as chips (seasoned with chicken salt, soft and fluffy on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside) and drinks.

Bowery to Williamsburg

16 Oliver Lane, Melbourne 9077 0162

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Pastrami Hash

Thoughts:

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate – a terrific blend of peanut butter and chocolate. It even comes with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! = Good

Pastrami Hash – 2 poached eggs with sweet potato, pastrami, corn and red pepper hash and wholemeal bread = Not Bad

Overall:

Tucked away in a small cobblestone lane, this place serves up American inspired food that ranges from bagels to mac and cheese. This place is quite small so seating can be an issue during busy periods. The breakfast menu comes on a postcard so you can imagine that the options here are quite limited. Service was average as was the food. If I ever decide to come here again, I think it’ll just be for drinks. Note that this place is cash only.