Cauliflower

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/

Rumi

Crispy fried whiting, tahini sauce, dukka

★★★☆☆

Sigara boregi with haloumi, feta and kasseri

★★★★☆

King prawns, olive oil, lemon myrtle salt

★★★★☆

Fried cauliflower, sweet onions, currants, pine nuts

★★★★★

Fish of the day

★★★★☆

Macadamia baklava ice cream sandwich

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Modern Middle Eastern fare at its best. The food was fantastic as was the quick friendly service. We had no idea what to order and our waitress was extremely helpful with her recommendations. I am certainly returning and am also looking forward to visiting the owners’ other restaurant The Moor’s Head.

Rumi

116 Lygon Street, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9388 8255

http://rumirestaurant.com.au/

Morries Anytime

Fried Cauliflower

(chili, garlic, bean sprouts, coriander, peanuts, soy dressing)

A bit heavy on the soy dressing otherwise this was really delicious.

★★★★☆

Beetroot Gnocchi

(house-made gnocchi, pine nuts, citrus ricotta, kale, confit, tomatoes, almond garlic puree)

Wonderful flavours and textures, however the gnocchi was a little dense and chewy.

★★★★☆

Tempura Whiting

(apple, pine nut remoulade, lemon)

Crispy deep fried batter, fresh crunchy salad.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We visited this popular place during lunch to take advantage of their $25 lunch special which included any lunch main with a glass of wine or beer. The service here was efficient, while the decor was modern and sleek. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Margaret River area.

Morries Anytime

Shop 2/ 149 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River, WA

(08) 9758 8280

http://www.morries.com.au/

Aunt Billies Cafe

Backyard Brekkie

(eggs anyway, garlic and thyme mushrooms, pumpkin, haloumi, kale, bean ragout)

Hearty and satisfying.

★★★★☆

Billie’s Bowl

(cauliflower, freekah, kale, avocado, seeds, almonds, grains, currants, poached egg)

A substantial salad that could have been improved with a wider variety of textures.

★★☆☆☆

Roasted Mushrooms

(mushrooms, kale, toasted hazelnuts, goats fetta, lemon, and a poached egg on grain toast)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Solid dishes, down to earth staff, welcoming and cheery atmosphere. No wonder this little suburban cafe was packed when we went. Note that this place takes bookings.

Aunt Billies Cafe

184 Surrey Rd, Blackburn, VIC

(03) 9894 7774

Lake House (revisited)

Veal tartare, mojama, bonito, nori

House baked sourdough

Confit trout, roe, cauliflower

Bug agnolotti, house kimchi

Skipton smoked eel in pancetta, new season beets

Limestone farms pullet egg, wild mushrooms, white polenta, porcini chestnut pangrattato

Seared duck breast, parfait, fig, muscatels, hazelnuts, salsify

Ginger and lemon shot

White chocolate mousse, poached pears, pear granita

Lollypop

Lemon curd meringue lollipops

‘An autumn ramble’

Almond biscuits, pistachio friands

Overall:

A perfect experience as always. We chose to get the autumn/early winter tasting menu and relished every single bite. My thoughts remain unchanged from my previous visit and I still believe that this place is worth a visit the next time you are in Daylesford!

Lake House

4 King St, Daylesford

5348 3329

Restaurant

Lake House

O.My

23 Woods St, Beaconsfield 9769 9000

House-made bread with cultured butter

Fabulously soft bread, and the cultured butter was absolutely delicious as it had a noticeably fresh, tangy and of course buttery flavour

= Good

Pastrami cured salmon in pork broth with radish and watercress

Fresh salmon, fantastic pork broth

= Good

2.5 hour roasted cauliflower, leek, red wine gel, fresh grapes

Cauliflower is one of my least favourite vegetables but this dish was seriously amazing.

= Excellent

Homegrown leaves, King Prawns, King Prawn powder

The King Prawn powder was rather salty and overpowering so only a tiny bit was needed and the rest just got pushed to the side

= Good

Dehydrated and powdered mushrooms, dehydrated jerusalem artichoke

= Excellent

Pork, dehydrated carrot, parsnip puree, oats, jam

= Not bad

Honeycomb, caramel, Italian merigue, crème fraîche, sticky date

= Not bad

Buttermilk gel, buttermilk foam, coffee gel, honeycomb, chocolate mousse tart, chocolate sorbet, sweet potato gel, dehydrated sweet potato, fresh grape

An odd assortment of items that tasted fine on their own but not so fine once they were combined together

= Not bad

Overall:

Three brothers (Tyson, Blayne and Chayse Bertoncello) own and run this family business, and it is a business that they should definitely be proud of. The food here was innovating (we noticed that the chef had a fondness for food that was dehydrated, in powder form and in gel form) and was genuinely fresh. The menu here constantly changes according to produce that is in season and the produce that they use is locally grown. They even use herbs and vegetables that they grow organically themselves! After our meal one of the Bertoncello brothers (not sure which) enthusiastically showed us the beautiful garden that they have out the back. He informed us that this was one of many gardens that they owned and that the plan is to get a beehive and possibly some chickens (for fresh eggs) some time in the future. He also mentioned that during the warmer seasons they have a few tables available in the garden so that diners are able to enjoy their meal amongst the greenery.

Throughout the night service was fantastic however the ambience was somewhat dark and moody. The intimate dining area (which seats no more than 30 people) was predominately black, and the artwork here can best be described as eccentric (particularly this one painting of a pig that had bright red blood seeping from its gouged eye). Note that O.My also have a private dining room at the back that can seat 10 or so people, and that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

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.