Vanilla and Ricotta Cannoli
★★★☆☆
Mini Ricotta Cake
★★★☆☆
Coconut Nutella Bigné
★★★★☆
Iced Chocolate
Half the glass was simply cream.
★★☆☆☆
Overall:
I had really been looking forward to the cannoli and the ricotta cake after reading all the rave reviews. Although they were tasty, I didn’t find them spectacular. In fact nothing we had was spectacular which was a bit disappointing. Perhaps we just came on an off day.
Pasticceria Papa
145 Ramsay St, Haberfield, NSW
(02) 9799 9531
Spaghetti alle vongole
Light and full of flavour.
★★★★☆
Curly pasta, slow cooked duck ragu, porcini, shaved pecorino
Rich and comforting, this dish was incredible from the first bite to the very last.
★★★★★
Overall:
We originally had set our sights on Thirty Eight Chairs, but after discovering that they weren’t open for lunch that day, we decided to try Mr Bond which is their sister restaurant and right next door. We were seated in the courtyard which was fine except some fans would have been nice as it was such a hot day that I became stuck to my chair in no time. Service was friendly and the food authentically Italian. A great experience but I’m still keen on trying Thirty Eight Chairs one day.
Mr Bond
2 Bond St, South Yarra, VIC
(03) 9827 5553
Bacalhau ravioli with broad beans, capers and dill
A pretty yet unmemorable dish.
★★★☆☆
Fried calamari, dried oregano, rocket, garlic aioli
Light crispy batter, fantastic use of oregano.
★★★★☆
Truffled potato dauphine, truffle pecorino
Golden balls of fluffy potato that practically melt in your mouth! I couldn’t eat very many though as they were quite rich.
★★★★☆
Pan fried potato gnocchi, roasted pumpkin, walnuts, dolce blue, spinach
★★★☆☆
Rockling fillet, peas, goats curd, roasted fennel
★★★☆☆
Overall:
The food was good but I was expecting amazing after reading all the positive reviews about this place. The decor was sleek however all the tables were positioned quite close to one another due to the venue being so small. Service was fine except there was one particular waiter who kept on wanting to clear our plates even though we hadn’t finished.
Ciao Cielo
171 Bay St, Port Melbourne, VIC
(03) 9645 1568
Soda fountain with house-made sodas
Yuzu Soda
Zesty and aromatic, this soda was undeniably refreshing.
★★★★☆
Chai Latte
Creamy, subtly sweet and spicy.
★★★★☆
Refried Pasta In Red Sauce
Hearty with a delicious sweetness from the caramelised onions.
★★★☆☆
Pressed Pork Jowl In A Bun
Fantastic combination of flavours, crunchy tender pork.
★★★★☆
Eggplant Parma In A Bun
A very palatable burger except the eggplant was extremely soft and just went everywhere with every bite.
★★★★☆
Overall:
Located in the former train master’s house at Ripponlea Station, Lot 3 is a unique eatery that offers uncomplicated quality food. The owners previously worked at Attica and take pride in hand making almost everything on their menu here at Lot 3. Although there are only a handful of items on the menu, the menu does change weekly. The staff were lovely and the space is small and simple with only 16 seats available. I envy the commuters of Ripponlea Station and their easy access to this gem of a place.
Lot 3
3 Glen Eira Ave, Ripponlea, VIC
(03) 9972 9523
Porco Carne Pizza – tomato, mozzarella, pork and veal meatballs, goat’s cheese
Thin crispy base with delectable toppings.
★★★☆☆
Pasta – linguine with prawns, garlic, chilli, white wine, extra virgin olive oil, rocket
Bland. Needed more garlic, chilli, and a squeeze of lemon.
★★☆☆☆
Overall:
It was a busy Saturday night at Tazio and I was absolutely ravenous. You know how food tends to taste better than usual when you are really hungry? Well this wasn’t the case on this particular night. Although the food was tasty, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. The ambience on the balcony was nice and the service was average.
Tazio Birraria Pizzeria Cucina
66 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC
(03) 9654 9119
Ricotta Hotcakes
(buttermilk hotcakes topped with Nutella inspired semifreddo, Pariya Persian chocolate fairy floss and scattered with chocolate cacao and orange crumble)
The fairy floss reminded me of a bad toupee but I really liked it as it wasn’t overly sweet. The hotcakes themselves were average but the Nutella, the crumble and the fairy floss brought this dish up to the next level, making it overall enjoyable.
★★★☆☆
Riso con Latte
(warm creamy arborio rice topped with amaretto baked peaches and an amaretto biscuit crumble)
Warm and hearty.
★★★☆☆
Italian Style Croque Monsieur
(brioche loaf toastie spread with ‘Nduja, stracchino cheese, peppered fig jam, Lyonnaise onions and a fried egg)
Perhaps it was the combination of the ingredients or perhaps it was the ‘nduja (spreadable salami) itself, but there was a peculiar alcohol-like taste to this croque monsieur that no one was fond of.
★☆☆☆☆
Deconstructed Tiramisu Waffles
(waffle jolie topped with a whipped vanilla mascarpone, coffee jelly, crushed cookies, chocolate balls and coffee gel)
Every part of this was delicious!
★★★★☆
Overall:
Tasty food (mostly), friendly staff, and a long wait for our food to arrive (likely due to the small kitchen that they have).
5 Lire
116 Errol St, North Melbourne, VIC
(03) 9329 2249
Linguine Del Mare
(tiger prawns, calamari, cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilli)
★★★★☆
Zucca Pizza
(bianco-fiore di latte, roasted pumpkin, pinenuts, rocket, goats cheese)
★★★☆☆
Overall:
As soon as we walked in, we were inundated with delicious smells coming from their open kitchen. Now the fit-out at Anoia is dark and sleek and although the place appears to be small, there is actually more seating available at the back of the restaurant. The food we sampled was delectable while the service was ordinary. Note that this place also does takeaway.
ANOIA Artisan Pizza & Pasta Bar
779 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, VIC
(03) 9819 2900
Linguini Marinara
(a selection of fresh seafood, butter, white wine, garlic, parsley)
Generous amount of tasty seafood, al dente pasta, a little bit salt heavy for me.
★★★☆☆
Rosemary Potato Pizza
(mozzarella, bocconcini, potato, rosemary, garlic, caramelised onion)
I was pleasantly surprised with how good this pizza was. Yes the toppings were good, but the stand out was in fact the pizza base: not too thick, not too thin, not too oily, not too dry, perfectly crispy and very tasty.
★★★★☆
Overall:
A terrific family restaurant that offers great service and enjoyable food. Note that parmas are $10 here on Monday nights. Bargain!
Pacinos Italian Family Restaurant
300 Epsom Rd, Flemington, VIC
(03) 9376 4888
The Grand Hotel in Richmond recently celebrated their 130th birthday and I was lucky enough to be invited along to take part in the festivities. The party started with drinks at the main bar and a quick glimpse at the Grand Dining Room. It is impressive to note that The Grand has been a winner of The Age Good Food Guide’s Chef Hat award nine times over the last decade, and is the only pub in Australia to consistently hold such a prestigious accolade. The Grand Dining Room is well known for their simple authentic Italian food which is served up by Michelin trained head chefs Federico Frigato and Mattia Aloisio.
After a while we were guided upstairs and encountered a smaller bar and three rooms. As we chatted, some enticing canapes came around. The first canape we sampled was cured ocean trout with citrus and berries, the second was poached veal tongue crostini with salsa verde and the third was tomato and basil bruschetta. All were very delicious!
We were soon led into the Nesso room and was informed that the kitchen was down a chef and that we had to make our own dinner!
So we each put on a T.Serafina apron, grabbed a rolling pin and began to roll out some clay.
We then each received a beautiful piece of fresh Cone Bay barramundi and were told to be as creative as we liked in terms of flavouring this fish dish. I decided to go with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olives, braised leeks, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Head chef Mattia Aloisio then instructed us on how to wrap up our barramundi so that it could be baked for our dinner. This whole process was so much fun and I couldn’t wait to taste my creation! We were then led into the Como room which had been stunningly transformed by event stylist The Three Piece Suit with stationary styled by Lauren Skorsis. And it was here where the incredible feasting began!
Pepper Crusted Venison Carpaccio with Goat Cheese Mousse and Beetroot
Agro Dolce Quail with Porcini Mushroom Puree, Brussel Sprouts, Quail Egg and Black Truffles
Broad Bean, Pecorino and Mint Risotto
Mortadella Cappelletti in Brodo
This was the moment we had all been waiting for! We made good use of our rolling pins and had a blast smashing these little terracotta parcels open!
The result? Perfectly cooked barramundi that was delicate and moist, with a beautifully intense flavour. And as it turned out, the ingredients I added tasted fantastic in combination with the fish so I had a little bit of a ‘phew!’ moment after having my first bite.
Caprese Palate Cleanser – basil, tomato, buffalo mozzarella
Lemon Delizia – lemon parfait, almond crumble, limoncello gelee, candied lemons
Candy Buffet
A big thank you to Zomato and owners Barnie, Tiur, David and Katie for organising such an amazing night filled with spectacular food!
And finally if you sign up to become a Grand VIP member (which is free), you will receive a complimentary six course degustation dinner for your birthday! How amazing is that?
The Grand Hotel – Richmond
333 Burnley St, Richmond, VIC
(03) 8658 3459
http://www.grandrichmond.com.au/
*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of The Grand Hotel.
Pan fried gnocchi with ricotta, napoli and mozzarella
The gnocchi itself was on the dense side however the sauce was light and full of flavour.
★★★☆☆
Risotto with roast duck, porcini mushrooms and red wine
Delicious flavours, well cooked rice, super crispy duck, fabulous comfort food.
★★★★☆
Layered eggplant lasagne with 24 month Grana Padano
I am a fan of eggplant and no doubt found this dish to be very tasty. If only there was a bit more eggplant and a bit less sauce.
★★★☆☆
Cheese Board – Mauri Gorgonzola, Tallegio and Grana Padano served with house made fig and walnut toast
★★☆☆☆
Buttermilk Panna Cotta with strawberry, basil and housemade biscotti
Light and creamy, slightly tart and yogurt-like from the buttermilk.
★★☆☆☆
Overall:
Fantastic service, warm intimate atmosphere, enjoyable Italian fare. Note that the pasta and risotto dishes here constantly change which means something new and exciting to try at every visit.
Mazzitelli
144 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC
(03) 9427 1887
DAMMIT JANET I LOVE FOOD 