Wide Open Road

Thick cut bacon with gruyere cheese potato cake, poached eggs, beetroot relish, rocket, chipotle mayo

The thick cut bacon was delicious and had a lovely hint of sweetness. If only there had been more of it!

★★★★☆

Corn, black bean and smoked mozzarella tortilla with chipotle lime creme fraiche, fried eggs and pork belly

I would have preferred less beans however the pork belly was quite enjoyable.

★★★☆☆

Caramelised tiramisu french toast with espresso mascarpone, poached plums and a cocoa nib, cinnamon and nut dukkah

The sugar crust on the french toast was a nice touch, while the espresso mascarpone and poached plums made for an interestingly delightful combination of flavours.

★★★★☆

Chai latte

★★★★☆

Overall:

Great food, average service, definite hipster vibe.

Wide Open Road

274 Barkly St, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9387 6079

http://wideopenroad.com.au/

Le Miel Et La Lune

House made grilled cured salmon – served with yuzu cucumber, salad, red onion, strawberries, blueberries, poached egg and toasted mulitgrain bread

Apart from the overly sweet salad, I really enjoyed this dish. The salmon was well cooked and the egg perfectly poached.

★★★☆☆

Pork belly potato hash – potato hash, sliced pork belly, enoki, shimeji mushrooms, capsicum, poached egg, creamy sesame sauce

Drowning in creamy sauce, this ordinary dish was extremely heavy and difficult to finish.

★★☆☆☆

Lamb burger – tzatziki, beetroot relish and cheddar cheese served with chips

Average burger, bland chips.

★★☆☆☆

Iced Hummingbird chai latte

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Korean fusion at a place with a French name. Although the service was good, the food was sadly nothing out of the ordinary.

Le Miel Et La Lune

330 Cardigan St, Carlton, VIC

(03) 9043 9767

http://www.lemiel.com.au/

The Burger Lounge

Classic With Cheese

(free range beef, lettuce, tomato, red onion, tomato relish, herb aioli, King Island brie)

Fresh quality burger, classic combination of ingredients, perfectly cooked beef patty. Other choices of cheese included Swiss, blue or tasty cheese.

★★★★☆

Fish Burger

(fresh fillet of rockling seasoned with lemon pepper, herb aioli, lettuce, tomato, red onion, green olive salad, lime mayo)

Deliciously well cooked fish (it wasn’t dry!), fantastic flavours, loved the green olive salad.

★★★★☆

Lounge Signature Burger

(free range beef patty stuffed with havarti cheese and basted with a balsamic glaze, pickled cucumber, red onion, lettuce, tomato, herb aioli)

The cheese in the patty wasn’t melted and didn’t really have much of a taste, which was a shame. Otherwise the rest of the burger was quite good.

★★★☆☆

Onion Rings with Garlic Aioli

The onion rings were crispy but mainly batter and rather flavourless without the garlic aioli.

★★☆☆☆

Thick Herb Chips

Schnitz chips with the herbs of Grill’d chips.

★★★★☆

Oreo Milkshake

Lots of oreo chunks, needed a bit more ice cream added as it was very milky.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

The ultimate burger joint. Quality burgers, a huge menu selection, speedy service, sleek decor.

The Burger Lounge

902 Main Rd, Eltham, VIC

(03) 9431 4500

http://www.theburgerlounge.com.au/

Pacinos Italian Family Restaurant

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

http://pacinos.net.au/

Victorian Cider and Pork Festival 2016

Over the 2016 Australia Day Long Weekend, the Yarra Valley hosted the inaugural Cider and Pork Festival – the first ever to be held in Victoria. Set amongst the scenic vines at Rochford Wines, the two day event celebrated the humble pig and the crushed apple.

The festival showcased more than 60 mouthwatering pork dishes from locally sourced produce from leading Melbourne restaurants and food trucks that included Fancy Hanks, Blue Bonnet BBQ, The Rib Joint, Pulled Kitchen and Pig On The Spit. The festival also showcased some of the best cider from around Australia that included St Ronan’s Cider, Napoleone Cider & Brewery, Willie Smiths Organic Cider, Batlow Cider Co, Hills Cider, Custard & Co, Daylesford Cider Co, Flying Brick, Sidekick Cider, Granite Belt Cider and many more.

We arrived late in the afternoon and by this stage the lines for the food trucks/stalls were INSANELY long. Not only that, quite a few places had run out of food which was very frustrating, particularly if you had been waiting in line for a long time. Here is the result of my hour long wait:

BBQ and Rice Noodle Salad

Spanish Meatballs, Chorizo and Pickled Octopus

Both of these were delicious and complimented the cider that I sampled nicely. Now the mood at this festival was very laid back with everyone relaxing and having a good time eating and drinking. This was indeed a fun event, and hopefully the food shortage and long waiting time issues are resolved by the next Cider and Pork Festival.

*Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Tyrell Publicity & Promotions.

Bibelot

Black Forest Eclair

(chocolate choux, cherry compote, vanilla bavaroise, crumble, chocolate crème, cherry chantilly)

Raspberry-Chocolate Tart

(chocolate sablé, raspberry compote, ‘inaya’ chocolate ganache, raspberry mousse)

Salted Butter Caramel Eclair

(caramel crème pâtissière, roasted walnuts, caramel chantilly, salted caramel)

Gourmandise Board

(cinnamon-sesame praline bonbon, rose-raspberry macaron, mango dome, chocolate fondant & chocolate chantilly, strawberry & vanilla & thyme, green tea sablé, green tea dome, blueberry cheesecake, hazelnut-praline crunch)

Overall:

Bibelot (pronounced bib-loh) is a glorious place that embodies a patisserie, a gelateria, a coffee bar, a chocolate shop, a high tea salon and a library of coffee table books. Expect to be spoiled for choice when it comes to the desserts but no matter what you choose, chances are it will be amazing! Everything we sampled tasted fabulous, however the black forest eclair and the green tea dome were my favourites. Service was quick and the atmosphere bright and inviting. I highly recommend Bibelot for all you dessert lovers out there!

Bibelot

285-287 Coventry St, South Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9690 2688

http://www.bibelot.com.au/

GJ’s Grill

Lechon

Crispy roast pork served with delicious garlic rice, atchara (pickled papaya) and lechon sauce (a sweet and sour sauce made from liver).

★★★★☆

Crispy Pata

This famous Filipino dish was cooked twice (simmered and then deep fried) which meant that the pork was wonderfully tender while the skin was INCREDIBLY crispy. I wasn’t a fan of the soy-vinegar sauce so I was happy eating the pork by itself.

★★★★☆

Pork Skewer

Firm pork covered in a tasty marinade with a smoky chargrilled flavour.

★★★★☆

Halo-Halo

This colourful dessert comprised of shaved ice, evaporated milk, jelly, corn, coconut and purple yam. Refreshing and not overly sweet.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This was my first taste of Filipino food so I had no idea what to expect and had nothing to compare it to. What I found out about GJ’s Grill is that not only are the staff Filipino, but so were most of their customers during our visit. If that doesn’t say authentic, then I don’t what does! There isn’t a lot of seating here and when we got there at 7pm on a Monday night, we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table to become available. The staff were very warm and welcoming, and service was relatively quick. The menu is predominantly meat based so don’t expect to find any salads or vegetables here. Instead, expect to find generous servings of well cooked meat that will lead to you rolling happily out the door.

GJ’s Grill

Shop 2, 243 Franklin St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9328 8242

Elephant Corridor

Sri Lankan Devilled Prawns

(marinated tiger prawns, onion, capsicum, tomato tossed with spicy sauce served on banana leaf)

Reminiscent of a Chinese sweet and sour dish.

★★★☆☆

Steamed Basmati Rice

★★☆☆☆

Goan Fish Curry

(fish cooked with coconut milk, spices, mustard seed and lemon juice)

Average curry with inconsistently cooked fish. Some pieces were nicely cooked while others were dry and chewy.

★★☆☆☆

Complimentary papadums served with mint sauce and tamarind chutney

★★★☆☆

Garlic Naan

More butter and more garlic would have been nice.

★★☆☆☆

Green Jack Fruit (Polos) Curry

This was my first experience tasting green jackfruit and I really enjoyed it! It had an interesting chewy texture that is very similar to the texture of pulled pork. No wonder it gets called ‘vegetable meat’.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Elephant Corridor is a busy place that offers respectable Indian and Sri Lankan food, efficient service and a lively atmosphere.

Elephant Corridor

179 Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley, VIC

(03) 9561 8810

https://elephantcorridor.com.au/

Brae

Asparagus, sea butter, olive plant

Raw pea & lemon aspen tart, Brook trout & nut butter crisp

Prawn, nasturtium, finger lime

Iced Oyster, Beef tendon & mountain pepper

Chilled broth of broad bean, green almond, strawberry, fig leaf & yoghurt whey

Sourdough (made from hand milled wheat and baked on site) & freshly churned butter (made from locally sourced jersey cows)

Calamari, black lip abalone, broccoli & blue mackerel

Artichokes & salt grass lamb washed with mussel juice & citrus

Potato & jerusalem artichoke crisps served with a single poached yolk

Bass groper, cured back fat, walnut & butter braised turnip

Aged Pekin duck wood roasted on the bone, quandong, dried liver

Milk, honey & mandarin

Parsnip & apple

Rhubarb, pistachio, blood & preserved blackberry

Overall:

I visited Brae late last year so this post is a bit overdue.

Impressively ranked at number 87 in the world’s 100 best restaurants list of 2015, Brae is undeniably a place where you will find quality food and innovation. Located 130km southwest of Melbourne in the small town of Birregurra, our visit to Brae was indeed a fun little road trip. As soon as we arrived we noticed some construction happening right next to the parking lot. We later found out that this was to become six on-site accommodation suites which will open from February 2016.

As we stepped into the simple weatherboard farmhouse, we were warmly greeted and guided to our seats. Service throughout our meal was exceptional (as to be expected), with the staff being friendly, courteous and efficient. The origins of each dish was diligently explained and all my random questions about the food and the restaurant were happily answered. The atmosphere in the dining area was bright and comfortable, and we were also able to get a glimpse into the kitchen from our table which was nice.

A great deal of care and attention to detail was seen with the presentation of each dish, and although I throughly enjoyed sampling everything on their degustation menu, I did have my favourites and my not-so-favourites. My not-so-favourite was easily the asparagus. Sure it was fresh and crisp, but a single stalk of asparagus does not get me salivating. Luckily the asparagus was served first because it all went uphill from there. The absolute stand out dishes for me were the prawns and the iced oyster. The prawn heads and the prawn parcels bursted with amazing flavours, while the iced oyster turned out to be sweet and creamy, similar to a deliciously smooth ice cream with a gentle hint of oyster.

Our visit to Brae was a lovely experience and it is a great place to head to for memorable world class food.

Brae

4285 Cape Otway Rd, Birregurra, VIC

(03) 5236 2226

http://braerestaurant.com/

Leonard’s House of Love

Original Fried Chicken Tenders with Pickles and Chipotle Mayo

Fairly average chicken with terrific chipotle mayo.

★★☆☆☆

Cheeseburger

(beef brisket and short rib patty, special sauce, cheese, onion, green oak lettuce)

Tasty patty that was cooked perfectly.

★★★☆☆

Charcoal Chicken Fries

(fries, pepper gravy, onion, stuffing, cheese sauce)

★★★☆☆

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

(1/2 chicken, jacket potato, sour cream, fries, Greek salad, dinner roll and gravy)

What a feast this was! And special mention goes to the awesome gravy.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This unassuming bar is located in a small street right off Chapel St and offer a small and simple menu of American comfort foods. The staff were friendly however there was a considerable amount of wait time before our food arrived. Nevertheless I really liked the vibe of this place and would definitely come back for drinks and a snack or two.

Leonard’s House of Love

3 Wilson St, South Yarra, VIC

0428 066 778