Mediterranean

Nomad

Wood fired sourdough with black olive butter

★★★★☆

Olives with cumin, preserved lemon, chilli

★★☆☆☆

Nomad charcuterie with pickles

★★★☆☆

Grilled scallops with salt baked celeriac and celery heart

★★★★★

Rangers Valley waygu tartare, spiced chickpea, roast eschallot and potato crisps

★★★☆☆

Nomad Jersey milk haloumi, wood roasted tomato, oregano

★★★★☆

Spiced cauliflower, cashew, wild rocket

★★☆☆☆

BBQ spatchcock, harissa, toum, guindilla

★★★☆☆

Valrhona Chocolate Trifle with raspberry, rosewater, and pomegranate

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We opted for the chef’s menu so that we could sample a wide range of dishes without having to think too much about what to order. Our food came out at a good pace and we left Nomad feeling truly satiated. What I like about this place is that you have the option of choosing where you would like to be seated (ie. the main floor, the window counter or the kitchen counter). Clearly I booked kitchen counter seats as I love watching the whole food preparation and plating up process.

Nomad

16 Foster St, Surry Hills, NSW

(02) 9280 3395

http://nomadwine.com.au/

Mesa Greek Cuisine

Fresh Bread with Home-made Dips (tsatziki, melizanosalata, tarama)

The bread was surprisingly outstanding! Crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. Perfect with the tasty dips.

★★★★☆

Smyrneika Soutzoukakia

(baked beef rissoles in a fresh tomato saltsa)

★★★☆☆

Gigandes

(lima beans baked with tomatoes, onion herbs)

Hearty and full of flavour.

★★★☆☆

Chicken Wings with Olives and Tomatoes

Delicious fall-off-the-bone chicken.

★★★☆☆

Saganaki

(grilled Dodoni kefalograviera cheese)

★★★★☆

Fried Calamari

★★☆☆☆

Chargrilled Prawns

These were fabulously smoky.

★★★★☆

Fish Of The Day

Soggy and extremely salty.

★☆☆☆☆

Horiatiki Salad

(tomato, cucumber, peppers, feta, olives, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic)

★★☆☆☆

Lamb Cutlets, Gyros, Chicken Skewers

Although the presentation could have been better, the meats were tender and quite tasty.

★★★☆☆

Galaktobouriko (custard in filo pastry), Baklava (filo pastry layered with nuts syrup) and Seasonal Fruit

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Talk about being well fed! As delicious as everything was, we struggled getting through this seven-course banquet and ended up having to take some of it home. We dined with a Groupon voucher so the total was only $55 for 2 people, making this a bargain. The service was prompt and friendly, and the atmosphere warm and inviting.

Mesa Greek Cuisine

265 Johnston St, Abbotsford, VIC

(03) 9419 3388

http://www.mesagreekcuisine.com.au/

Bomba Downstairs

Natural Oysters

★★☆☆☆

Sourdough and Olive Oil

★★★☆☆

Charcuterie

★★☆☆☆

Smoked Eel Croqueta

★★★★☆

Pumpkin Soup with Candied Pistachio

★★★★☆

Moorish Spiced Lamb Cutlet

★★☆☆☆

Charcoal Grilled Corn with Dried Maize

★★★★☆

Quail with Pistachio and Buckwheat

★★★☆☆

Pedro Ximenez Braised Pork Jowl with Celeriac

★★★☆☆

Freekah Salad with Cauliflower, Almonds, Barberries, Sumac and Mint

★★☆☆☆

Chargrilled Bay Bug with Lime Pil Pil

★★★★☆

Overall:

The 9 course set menu was amazing! The courses came out at a perfect pace, the food was delicious and it was also great value for money. Service was friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere lively. I look forward to returning to this place.

Bomba Downstairs

103 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9077 0451

http://bombabar.com.au/

+39 Pizzeria

Toscana

(Italian tomato salsa, fior di latte, Italian Berkshire sausage, rocket, parmesan)

★★★☆☆

Capricciosa Italiana

(Italian tomato salsa, fior di latte, leg ham, olives, artichoke hearts, mushroom)

★★☆☆☆

Tartufata

(Cream of mushrooms, fior di latte, mushrooms, rocket, truffle oil, parmesan)

It’s been a long time since a pizza has made me go ‘wow’ but the flavours of this tartufata were incredible! If only the centre had been less soggy, this definitely would have been a 5 star pizza.

★★★★☆

Linguine All’Amalfitana

(Amalfi style pasta with prawns, cherry tomatoes, chilli, garlic and crayfish bisque)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Deliciously light pizzas that have a fantastic thin base but tend to get soggy rather quickly in the centre. Even so, they still tasted amazing! Service was efficient and the ambience was bustling. I certainly recommend the pizzas here and will doubtlessly return for the Tartufata.

+39 Pizzeria

362 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9642 0440

Home

Punch Lane

House smoked tuna, goats curd, pickled fennel, mustard seeds

This entree was originally served on a different plate and our waiter divided up the contents, hence the careless presentation. The creamy goats curd, sharp fennel and spicy mustard seeds were perfect accompaniments for the wonderfully smoky tuna.

★★★☆☆

Roasted quail, almond cream, grape bath, vine leaf, red grapes

Crispy tender quail with extremely sweet grapes.

★★☆☆☆

Roast baby snapper, cauliflower, capers

★★☆☆☆

John Dee Black Angus scotch fillet, roasted shallots, harissa and watercress

The harissa was quite mild and did not overpower the tender scotch fillet

★★☆☆☆

Peanut butter parfait, dulce de leche, peanut brittle

The parfait itself was delicious but remarkably rich. Sharing this dessert would be a good idea.

★★☆☆☆

‘A bit of a mess’: strawberry sorbet, frangipane, custard, meringue, Antico Rosso jelly

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I first ventured here almost a year ago and I remember being truly impressed with the food. Thus I decided to once again order the five course menu however this time I left feeling disappointed. The food was good but not outstanding (like my previous visit) and the portions served were TINY. (The tuna and quail each took all but three small bites to finish). In fact we ended up having a second dinner someplace else that night. I understand that fancy places tend to have smaller portions and I wouldn’t be grumbling so much had the dishes been more superlative. Perhaps things will be different with the next menu change. On a positive note the service was wonderful and the atmosphere was lively. I really do hope that Punch Lane was just having an off night with their food.

Punch Lane

43 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9639 4944

http://punchlane.com.au/

Cafe On Eaton

12 Eaton St, Oakleigh 9568 4668

Open Pork Yiros Plate with Greek salad, Pita bread, Tzatziki and Chips

Generous portions however the pork was slightly dry and salt needed to be added to the chips.

★★

Chicken Yiros Souvlaki (wrapped in lightly grilled pita)

The chicken was deliciously moist, the yogurt sauce was terrific and the fresh salad gave the souvlaki delightful crunch.

★★★

Overall:

Quick service, simple decor, tasty souvlakis. Note that orders here are taken at the counter.

Crabapple Kitchen

659 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn 9078 5492

Sweet corn, coriander and chilli fritters with Cyprian Haloumi, avocado, tomato, cucumber, red onion, mint salad and a poached egg

= Not bad

Myrtleford buttermilk pancakes with pears in spiced sugar, pecan and pine nut praline, white chocolate mascarpone with pure Canadian maple syrup and a side of bacon

Enormous serving size! (I only managed to finish one pancake) These soft fluffy pancakes were sweet yet salty, and I probably didn’t need the side the bacon.

= Not bad

Overall:

I was a little disappointed in the food, but I liked the high energy atmosphere, the super friendly and efficient service, and the ‘Friday Night Flights’ menu (which changes fortnightly and inspired by food from around the world). Note that this place does take bookings.

Maha Restaurant

21 Bond St, Melbourne 9629 5900

Cherry, Pomegranate & Bitters Mocktail

(uludag sour cherry soda, pomegranate juice, rhubarb bitters)

Smoked hummus, lamb, cashew, cumin seeds, almonds

Local olives, maltese fel fel

‘Aegean coast’ – Wild greens, beach bananas, oyster cream and pork crackling

Zucchini falafel, almond, handmade haloumi and radish

Braised lamb neck, brik pastry, smoked eggplant and harissa pickled cabbage

Silverbeet borek

Market fish, parsnip, sesame, wild autumn mushrooms and hazelnut

Cracked wheat pilaf, barberry, date and almond

Fattoush, caramelised garlic, tomato and cucumber

12 hour roasted lamb shoulder, sumac, garlic, green olive tabouleh

Crispy skinned chicken leg, Iranian smoked rice, BBQ corn and egg

Vanilla rice pudding, toasted marshmallow ice cream, pekmez ganache and almond biscuit

Peanut butter and chocolate opera cake, brioche ice cream, salted caramel and lemon meringue

Turkish delight filled doughnuts, honey and walnuts

Overall:

Each serving comprised of a spectacular array of flavours and textures, and I truly enjoyed each dish down to the last bite. However I do want to give special mention to:

1. The hummus – fantastic! The underlying smoky flavour took hummus as I knew it to a whole new level

2. ‘Aegean coast’ salad – the smooth oyster cream was simply divine and provided a lovely contrast to the crispy pork crackling

3. Turkish delight filled doughnuts – crispy light dough with a tasty dollop of sweet Turkish delight inside

This place transcends you to somewhere else with its exotic rhythmic music and its dark elegant decor. In addition it is located in a sub-basement venue so that it perpetually feels like night. The service is efficient and the portion sizes are quite generous. (I originally had my eye on the 6 course menu but as it turned out the 4 course menu was already a struggle to finish) Note that the menu here changes regularly so that there is always something new and exciting to tantalise your tastebuds. If you haven’t been here before, put this on your places to try list!

Gazi

2 Exhibition St, Melbourne 9207 7444

Tzatziki dip and Sweet Potato Skordalia dip with pita bread

Ouzo cured salmon with Karpouzi salad, goats curd and grain crumb

Saganaki with honey, lemon and sesame

Prawn and Duck Souvlakakia

Chips with feta, garlic oil and oregano

Red cabbage salad

Wood fire spit chicken with white beans and Tyrokafteri

Barramundi with walnut dressing

Acropolis Now

(strawberry mousse, coffee and mastic)

Loukoumades

(Greek donuts with honey and nutella)

Overall:

If you decide to have their 10 dish sharing banquet (like we did), be sure to come in HUNGRY and ready to eat. Everything we tried was enjoyable, but it would be the delicious dips and the extraordinary souvlakakias (small souvlakis) that I would be returning for. The staff were friendly and efficient, the atmosphere loud and buzzing, and the decor fascinating with a sculptural canopy of bright orange terracotta pots hanging from the ceiling.

Dee’s Kitchen

19 Pier Street, Dromana 5981 4666

Warming Shakshouka

Delicately smashed rosemary potato and pumpkin

Zucchini and fetta fritters

Spiced carrot and chickpea pastili

Thoughts:

Warming Shakshouka – a rich Middle Eastern inspired tomato salsa baked with spinach, chorizo and chèvre (goats cheese), topped with two poached eggs and served with warm house baked pita bread = Not bad

Delicately smashed rosemary potato and pumpkin – the roasted potato and pumpkin were tantalising and full of flavour. These were served with beautifully poached eggs, crispy pancetta and pepperonata (stew of onion and sweet peppers) = Excellent

Zucchini and fetta fritters – deliciously crispy fritters that had a hint of creaminess due to the fetta, served with a sweet beetroot and sesame dip, and a tasty labneh (yogurt cheese) dip = Excellent

Spiced carrot and chickpea pastili – rolled carrot and chickpeas in crunchy Tunisian pastry, served with a cauliflower and quinoa salad, a pumpkin dip and a yogurt dip. These imitation spring rolls were bland while the salad and dips were plain and unexciting = Not bad

Overall:

The menu is Middle Eastern/Mediterranean inspired, while the ingredients that they use are sourced locally wherever possible and change with the seasons. Note that this place also sells wine, cheeses and cured meats for you to take home. The staff are friendly and helpful, and although the decor here is quite dark (dark floors, dark metal chairs, grey metallic ceiling), the open space of the dining area allows for plenty of natural light to enter in through the windows, making the place feel warm and comfortable.