Modern Australian

Rochford Wines Yarra Valley

Cured Kingfish, Avocado, Threaded Chilli, Nettles

★★★★☆

Heirloom Carrots, Quinoa, Seeds, Dates, Smoked Almonds, Orange Blossom Labne

★★★★☆

Roasted Quail, Sweet Corn, Pickled Grapes, Lardo, Scotched Quail Egg

★★★☆☆

Confit Octopus, Cauliflower Skordalia, Crispy Onion, Spiced Hazelnut

★★★★☆

Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb, Carrot Hummus, Spring Slaw

★★★☆☆

Leg of Corn Fed Chicken, Jerusalem Artichoke, Farro, Guanciale

★★★☆☆

Baked Apple, Freeze Dried Custard, Oat Crumble, Milk Sorbet

★★★★☆

Salted Caramel Tart, Pear, Ginger Praline, Mascarpone

★★★★☆

Overall:

A fresh and exciting transformation has taken place at Rochford Restaurant with the recent appointment of Head Chef Raki Andriana. With over a decade of experience in the food and wine industry, Raki brings forth French style techniques and Middle Eastern influences to the iconic Yarra Valley winery. The menu’s new direction aims to create delicious flavours that match their award winning wines. Add to that breathtaking views of the Yarra Valley and the nearby Dandenong Ranges, Rochford Restaurant is undoubtedly a wonderful place to visit.

Rochford Wines Yarra Valley

878-880 Maroondah Highway, Yarra Glen, VIC

(03) 5957 3333

http://www.rochfordwines.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Rochford Wines Yarra Valley.

Dip In Cafe

Dip In The Atlantic

(scrambled eggs with dill and chilli, served with smoked salmon and a cherry tomato, pine nut and basil salad)

★★★☆☆

Mushroom Madness

(spinach and cream cheese dip with poached eggs, halloumi cheese and a medley of marinated mushrooms)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Bread bowls are such a simple and delightful concept. It’s a shame that very few places offer bread bowls these days. Perhaps it’s to do with wastage seeing as the soft fluffy interior is taken out and not used. But that is definitely not the case at Dip It Cafe where we discovered that the bread interiors were all donated to charity. We also discovered the bread bowls to be surprisingly very filling. Service was friendly and the décor charming with lots of quirky ornaments and a superb wall mural.

Dip In Cafe

20-22 McKillop St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9670 5379

http://dipin.com.au/

Oscar Cooper

Spiced napoli baked eggs, grilled zucchini, spanish onion, corn, chorizo and manchego cheese served with ciabatta

A bit on the watery side but very flavoursome with a brilliantly spicy kick.

★★★☆☆

Crispy truffle polenta slice, confit field mushrooms, poached eggs, shaved manchego and jamon

The polenta slice was delicious with a distinctive truffle aroma while the eggs were perfectly poached.

★★★★☆

Oscar’s benedict on potato roesti, smashed avo, poached eggs and tangy hollandaise with house cured salmon

The potato roesti had been overly fried so was incredibly crispy. Eggs were perfectly poached and the hollandaise quite tasty.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This popular corner cafe draws in the crowds with their enjoyable food, easy-going service and the all day booze they have on offer. So remember this place for the next time you have an early morning hankering for some wine or a cocktail.

Oscar Cooper

160 Greville St, Prahran, VIC

(03) 9529 5670

http://www.oscarcooper.com.au/

Fifty Acres

Chorizo scotch eggs with avocado, manchego, spinach and seeded mustard mayo

Perfect scotch eggs. Deliciously crispy on the outside with golden runny yolk. The only downside to this dish was that it wasn’t very substantial.

★★★★☆

Citrus cured NZ King Salmon, green olive tapenade, poached eggs on dark rye

Well poached eggs with tasty salmon and tapenade.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Delectable food, stylish minimalist decor, calm and relaxed environment, efficient service. There are still so many things on the menu that I want to try (ie. pumpkin pancakes, brioche french toast with nutella) so I must return to Fifty Acres soon.

Fifty Acres

65 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9421 0296

http://www.fiftyacres.net.au/

Zinc Restaurant and Lounge Bar

Prosciutto and Sage Wrapped Chicken Supreme

(semi dried tomato scented baked polenta, sauteed medley of cherry tomato, kalamata olives, capsicum, roasted garlic, balsamic and thyme jus)

★★★☆☆

Honey and Seeded Mustard Coated Pork Tenderloin

(braised fruity red cabbage, charred peach chutney, truffle scented cream braised potato, pink peppercorn and lemon espagnole)

★★★☆☆

Beer battered Fresh Market Fish

(potato chips, summer salad with rock melon, lemon and remoulade sauce)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Lovely food, service and atmosphere.

Zinc Restaurant and Lounge Bar

53-61 Macrossan St, Port Douglas, QLD

(07) 4099 6260

Zinc Restaurant – Bar – Port Douglas

Ora Cafe

Spiced Tiffin Egg with Bombay hash, kasundi and cashew crumb

This distinctive dish comprised of fresh ingredients and delicate Indian flavours.

★★★★☆

Prawn Toast with sesame, avocado whip, lime, and egg

The toast was a bit too thick for my liking, while the vegetables reminded me of those you find in bánh mì (Vietnamese pork rolls).

★★★☆☆

Mork Hot Chocolate

Hard to go wrong with Mork.

★★★★☆

Chai Latte

Very milky, lacked flavour.

★☆☆☆☆

Overall:

Cosy atmosphere, friendly staff, small unique menu.

Ora Cafe

156 Pakington St, Kew, VIC

(03) 9855 2002

Whet Restaurant

Whet house chicken curry served with basmati rice, tomato and apple chutney and pappadums

Fiery curry that was packed full of flavour.

★★★★☆

Tempura battered local wild caught barramundi served with chips and house made tartare

Average fish with really good chips.

★★★☆☆

Chicken, avocado, rocket, tomato and bocconcini served on a freshly baked baguette with basil aioli and chips

Once again it was the chips that made this dish.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Set amongst tropical Daintree rainforest, Whet has an earthy and natural vibe. Whet is in fact fully self-sustained with generated diesel power, a tertiary level sewerage and grey water treatment plant, plus they have their own private water supply and rubbish removal. Pretty impressive! Service was average but the food was enjoyable so I’m glad we stopped by.

Whet Restaurant

1 Cape Tribulation Rd, Cape Tribulation, QLD

(07) 4098 0007

http://www.whet.net.au/

Salt House

Korean Style Beef Carpaccio with soy gel, pickled ginger and kimchi

★★★★☆

Beetroot and Belvedere cured Salmon with kohlrabi and horseradish slaw and watermelon radish

★★★☆☆

Vegan Cottage Pie with beetroot salsa and mint salad

★★☆☆☆

Peruvian Style Quinoa and Borlotti Bean Salad

(quinoa, borlotti beans, coriander, mint, roasted red peppers, blistered tomato, chilli and lime dressing)

★★☆☆☆

Sticky Sesame Soy Beef with cold soba noodles and pickled ginger salad

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located at Marina Point, Salt House offers stunning views of the ocean, marina and surrounding mountains. Add to that professional service, elegant atmosphere and a $28 lunch set menu, this place makes for a pleasant dining experience.

Salt House

6/2 Pier Point Rd, Cairns, QLD

(07) 4041 7733

Home

Bazaar

I rarely go to buffet restaurants these days due to my somewhat defective satiety centre, however this place certainly impressed me and I am glad that I went. The dining area was sleek and modern, while service was surprisingly outstanding for a buffet restaurant. Our cheery waiter was efficient and very observant which meant that we had fantastic table service.

There was a considerable variety of food and everything was fresh, colourful, and of great quality.

Unlike many other buffet restaurants, the dishes here are not labelled which encourages you to interact with the friendly chefs and ask questions about their creations.

There are daily tapas and steaks available that are made to order. These are brought to your table once they are ready.

The tapas were delicious but my steak was a bit overdone unfortunately.

I lost count how many scallops I ate while I was there…

…but I’m pretty sure I had 3 slices of pizza…

…and I sampled almost every single dessert.

I quite liked the macarons…

…and the dulce de leche I had with my donut was pretty good.

Check out their colourful Sundae Station!

Overall:

A buffet restaurant that I would gladly return to.

Bazaar

7 Staghorn Ave, Surfers Paradise, QLD

5584 1200

https://www.qtgoldcoast.com.au/food-drink/bazaar/

Rae’s Restaurant, Balgownie Estate

If you are thinking about taking a break this winter to visit Victoria’s pre-eminent wine region (only an hour’s drive from the Melbourne CBD), I strongly recommend dropping by Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort and Spa. This outstanding resort received the prestigious hotel industry award for “Best Regional Accommodation of the Year” at last month’s 2015 Tourism Accommodation Australia (VIC) Accommodation Awards for Excellence, and the on-site restaurant offers a marvellous dining experience. Executive Chef Graham Taute and his team at Rae’s Restaurant (the on-site dining venue) have a real passion for using fresh local ingredients, and incorporate the best of local produce into their menu. I recently had the wonderful opportunity of sampling their new winter menu for 2015.

Seafood Chowder

(prawn, scallop, salmon, white fish, herb oil)

Creamy hearty comfort food with a substantial amount of seafood in it. Utterly delicious and perfect for winter.

= ★★★★

Hand Rolled Potato Gnocchi

(smoked ocean trout, fennel, minted pea puree, Balgownie Estate chardonnay cream)

The gnocchi was soft and fluffy, while the sauce was smooth and flavourful.

= ★★★★

Vine Smoked Chargrilled Boneless Rib-eye

(with chips, green beans, Bordelaise sauce)

A solid steak with very tasty Bordelaise sauce.

= ★★★

Beer Battered Fish of the day

(with smoked paprika dusted chips, baby leaves, celeriac remoulade)

Light and crispy batter, moist steaming fish, crunchy golden chips. Simple and satisfying.

= ★★★★

Overall:

With a delicious new menu, roaring open fire and spectacular views of the surrounding Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley, Rae’s Restaurant is certainly worth a visit this winter.

Rae’s Restaurant

1309 Melba Highway, Yarra Glen

9730 0774

http://www.balgownieestate.com.au/restaurant/rae-s-restaurant.htm

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Balgownie Estate and Tyrrell PR.