Champions Bistro

37 Springs Rd, Clayton South 9544 9929

Smoked oyster, apple, horseradish

Beef tendon, salted macadamia praline

Duck liver, rye crisp, mountain pepper

Charcoal chicken wing, celeriac, scallop, lemon pith, miso foam

House baked sourdough with butter

Hapuka, nettle broth, broccoli leaf, pork fat

Kangaroo, native plum, sorrel, dried berry

Pynegana cheddar, mustard sheet, muntries

Tangelo, black garlic, brioche, fromage blanc sorbet

Jerusalem artichoke ice cream, dehydrated chocolate mousse, fragrant tea jelly

Overall:

Things I knew before dining here:

1. former Vue de Monde chef Clinton McIver heads the kitchen

2. reviews have been very complimentary and at one point this place was booked out for months in advance

With this in mind, I walked in with fingers crossed hoping that this place would live up to its expectations. Unfortunately for me it did not. Although I enjoyed everything that was offered on their tasting menu, nothing in particular sent my tastebuds into a frenzy. However the menu here is constantly changing depending on seasonality and other aspects so perhaps it was just the current menu that failed to impress me. I also found each course to be quite small and left still feeling hungry.

On a more positive note the service was terrific and I loved the simple unpretentious atmosphere (this place is unexpectedly located at the Clayton Bowls Club and the dining area offers a nice view of the bowling green).

I am still undecided as to whether or not I want to venture here again. Perhaps so once the menu has completely changed.

The Panama Dining Room and Bar

Level 3/231 Smith St, Fitzroy 9417 7663

Salmon rillettes served with herb salad and toast

= Not bad

Spiced wagyu beef and prosciutto meatballs

Full of flavour, great balance of meat and breadcrumb, lovely rich sauce

= Good

Fried cauliflower with ras el hanout (spice mix from North Africa), golden raisins, fromage frais and argan oil

Deep frying pretty much anything will make it taste better

= Good

Slow cooked Western Plains pork scotch fillet with Jerusalem artichokes, grilled pine mushrooms, parsley puree and buttermilk

Tantalisingly tender pork with a wonderful combination of ingredients

= Good

Steamed broccoli with Mt Zero black lentils and pecorino (left), Green salad with buttermilk, tarragon and shallot dressing (right)

= Not bad

Yellowtail kingfish fillet with confit fennel, grilled saffron calamari, fennel puree and saltfish croquette

The Yellowtail kingfish fillet was extremely salty, while the calamari and croquette were unmemorable

= Not bad

Chestnut gnocchi, pumpkin and parmesan puree, morel mushrooms, spinach and salted ricotta

Delicately light gnocchi that had a mild chestnut flavour, complementing the other ingredients of this dish fantastically. If only the portion size was bigger!

= Good

Overall:

If you manage to survive the arduous journey up two very steep flights of stairs, you will encounter an unobtrusive grey fire exit door with a small blue ‘Panama Dining Room and Bar’ sign above it. Enter these doors and you will find a funky bar, a pool table, lots of casual seating and a formal dining area. We went on a busy Saturday night and the bustling atmosphere made it very difficult to talk (I found myself yelling throughout the whole night and left with a sore throat). Service was friendly however the food took a little while to come out. I think I would prefer coming here for drinks as opposed to dining here in the future.

Fat Bob’s Bar & Grill

80 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin 95550909

Hummer burger (180g grass-fed beef pattie, tomato, jalapeño, spanish onion, cucumber, tasty cheese and Fat Bob’s “Hummer” spicy mayo) with fries and tomato relish

Jackie O burger (180g grass-fed beef pattie, tomato, spanish onion, fontina cheese, cos lettuce, mustard, tomato sauce and Fat Bob’s special sauce)

Popcorn chicken with sweet chilli mayo

Overall:

Fat Bob’s had been on my places to eat list for awhile and I was very excited to finally get my hands on one of their burgers. The verdict? Solid burgers that will satisfy any burger craving. Although the beef patties were bland, it didn’t matter as the other ingredients (especially the tasty sauces) made up for this lack of flavour. I fancied the Jackie O burger more so than the Hummer burger as the ingredients in the Hummer burger reminded me of the ingredients you get in a Subway sandwich. Similar to the beef patties I found the popcorn chicken and the chips to also be bland, requiring the sauces to provide flavour. Service was friendly (note that you place your order at the counter) and the decor was perfect for a burger joint (plenty of signs, posters and glowing neon lights). Definitely give this place a go if you are in the area and have a hankering for a good burger.

Little Chloe

1810 Malvern Rd, Malvern East 9885 2194

Pork, fennel & three-cheese meatballs cooked in a tomato broth, tossed with spaghetti, spinach, and roasted capsicum

The meatballs were somewhat bland however the spaghetti was cooked to perfection and the sauce was tasty and light.

= Not bad

Little Chloe’s corn fritters with red chilli scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, spring onion and goat cheese on sourdough toast

A splendid dish that was unfortunately ruined by one thing: the burnt corn fritters. Nevertheless the red chilli scrambled eggs were great, the bacon was super crispy and delicious, and the goat cheese gave this dish bonus marks (I love goat cheese!)

= Good

Overall:

A nice breakfast/brunch/lunch place that offers a good variety of menu options, quick service and a casual ambience.

Mr Ringo’s Pizza (plus your chance to win Menulog vouchers!)

Shop 1/127 Jacksons Rd, Noble Park North 9790 0122

Ringo’s Super Special

(ham, salami, capsicum, mushroom, olives, prawns, pineapple, garlic, oregano)

Aussie Pizza

(ham, bacon, egg)

Satay Chicken

(satay sauce, chicken, onion, pineapple, cheese)

Overall:

There was no food in the house and the weather was wet and horrible outside, making it the perfect night for getting takeaway food delivered to our doorstep. I had recently been invited by Menulog to try out their service, which turned out to be super easy to use. In case you have never heard of Menulog, it is Australia’s Number 1 online takeaway service that hosts over 3500 restaurants. The way it works is simple:

Head to the Menulog website
Enter your suburb or postcode
Choose from a list of restaurants who are a part of your local Menulog community
Order your meal from the online menu
Decide when you would like your meal delivered, including the time you would like it to arrive. (You can also choose to pickup your meal in person)
Checkout and pay.
You will then receive an SMS confirmation as to when your order will be ready

What I also liked about Menulog were the promotions on offer (eg. 10% off your first online order at certain places) and the accessible reviews that have been written about each place.

And thanks to the generosity of Menulog, I have two $10 vouchers to be given away! Simply click on the link below for your chance to win! (entries close 4th July)

WIN 1 of 2 $10 Menulog Vouchers

Now back to the food. We decided to have a pizza night and chose Mr Ringo’s Pizza because of all the positive reviews on the site. This was definitely a good choice because the pizzas we ordered were pretty good! Not only were they delivered on time, they arrived hot, had a nice crispy base (which wasn’t too oily), and had an ample amount of topping on each pizza. I will certainly be ordering pizza from this place again in the future.

Charlie & Co Burgers

Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 8609 8136

Southern Belle Chicken Burger (Southern spiced chicken breast, tomato, cheese and chilli coleslaw)

Classic Charlie Burger (Wagyu patty, tomato, gherkins, garden leaves, aioli, Charlie’s tomato sauce, brie)

Parmesan & Truffle fries

Overall:

After reading such complimentary reviews I found the burgers to be disappointingly average. The bread was rather dry and the burger fillings unexceptional. There are definitely many other places out there that serve better burgers. On a positive note, the fries were quite good and I liked the buzzer system (akin to Chemist Warehouse) that they have in place here.

De Clieu

187 Gertrude St, Fitzroy 9417 6498

Berkshire Pork Neck

Meltingly soft 24 hour slow cooked free range pork, crispy spring onion roti, house made BBQ sauce, yolky fried egg, roquette

= Good

Middle Eastern Eggs

Fried free range eggs, crispy roti bread, roquette, organic sausage which I found to be slightly dry, hummus, dukkah

Notice anything particular about the eggs? Do you see the massive piece of egg shell?!? I suppose having a big piece of egg shell is better than having lots of little pieces as you can at least pick the big piece out.

= Not bad

BLAT

Double smoked bacon, avocado, roast garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, quinoa & soy sourdough, roquette

What made this sandwich enjoyable was the amazing quinoa & soy sourdough that added a little crunch and the terrific roast garlic aioli.

= Good

Overall:

Small menu, small portions, average service, relaxed atmosphere.

Almazett

208 Balaclava Rd, Caulfield North 9509 8959

Pickled turnips (stained pink with beetroot), Pickled carrots, Hommus, Baba Ghanouj and Tabouleh, served with warm pita bread

= Good

Fatayer Bi Jibneh (filo pastry with feta cheese and herbs) and Fatayer (filo pastry with spinach and pine nuts)

Crisp golden pastry filled with tasty fillings.

= Good

Falafel

Deep fried mixture of chickpeas, broad beans, crushed wheat and spices, served with Tahina.

Slightly dry, so be generous with the Tahina.

= Not bad

Chicken wings

Char grilled chicken wings with garlic and lemon. Simple yet AMAZING.

= Excellent

Roast potatoes with herbs

= Not bad

Whole grilled fish with Tahina, walnuts, coriander, garlic, pine nuts and chilli

= Not bad

Shish Tawook (barbecued skewers of chicken fillets with a garlic sauce)

= Good

Lubia Bi Zeit (green beans, tomato and olive oil) and Riz Moufalfal (rice with pine nuts)

= Good

Rahet El Halkoum (traditional Turkish Delight) and Baklava (layers of filo pastry filled with crushed nuts in blossom syrup)

= Good

Mahalabiya (milk pudding served with pistachio nuts and blossom syrup)

= Good

Overall:

I love the Almazett Mezza Menu that they have here. You are served a set menu but can go back and order more items from the regular menu at any point in time, essentially making this an ‘all you can eat’ menu option (which always leads to me devouring plate after plate of delicious chicken wings). The atmosphere is comfortable and the service is fantastic (accommodating, efficient and very friendly). Note that this place only opens for dinner and that a belly dancer performs on Friday and Saturday nights (so be prepared for some up-close staccato hip movements, belly rolls and plenty of shimmying!)

Ten Minutes By Tractor

1333 Mornington-Flinders Rd, Main Ridge 5989 6455

Olive and multigrain bread served with caramelised Myrtleford butter, pink salt and olive oil

Yellow beetroot, quinoa, goats curd

Grilled pear, quince, brioche

Red Hill Somers Soft goats cheese, roast pumpkin, chickpea, green beans, hazelnut vinaigrette

Roasted Whiting fillet, fried mussel, confit tomatoes, fennel, olive oil pomme purée

Mustard glazed quail, onion & pearl barley risotto, peppered pancetta and mulled wine apples,

served with freshly baked brioche

Roasted wallaby loin, beetroot, parsnip, chestnut cream, quinoa, fig jus

Tamarillo sorbet

Michel Cluizel chocolate & hazelnut pavé, honey ice cream, poached pears

Brie and crackers

Overall:

We opted for the five course degustation menu which turned out to be the right choice as we were already quite sated by the fourth course. The food was beautifully presented and each dish comprised of fresh, well complemented ingredients. However the standout item for me was without a doubt the EXTRAORDINARY caramelised Myrtleford butter! Served warm, it was exquisitely creamy yet light and had a delicious hint of sweetness to it. The cheese served here was also divine and is well worth trying. The decor was polished, and the service was professional yet slightly stand-offish. The dining room offers splendid views of the winery but only seats around 50 people so reservations are recommended as this place does get busy. It was a lovely experience but the only reason why I would come back would be for the butter.

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.