Cheese

Morris Jones

Oysters with Champagne Granita

House-made Beer and Caraway Seed Bread with Honey Butter

Salt and Vinegar Saltbush Chips

Morris Jones Salmon

Champagne Poached Salmon, Yuzu Seeds, Candied Chilli, Honey Pumpkin

A close up of the salmon

Southern Fried Quail, Turnips, Szechuan-pepper, Quince

Wild Barramundi, Broccoli Couscous, Chicken Skin, Champagne Veloute

Otway Crispy Pork, Wilted Kale, Cloudy Bar Clams, Masterstock

Le Delice Triple Cream Cheese, Honey, Quince, Truffle Oil

Nitro Violet Crumble

(honeycomb, violet ice cream, popping candy, chocolate)

Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial Champagne

Overall:

I recently had the pleasure of attending the launch of Morris Jones’ Moet & Chandon Champagne Lunch. Head Chef Matthew Butcher has previously worked under a number of world renowned chefs (ie. Gordon Ramsay, Shannon Bennett of Vue De Monde and Ryan Clift of Tippling Club in Singapore), so I was really looking forward to the his lunch menu creations. And I was not disappointed! Each dish was original, beautifully presented, and tasted incredible. I don’t think I could pick a favourite dish as I relished everything we sampled and would order it all again. However a special mention is needed for the salt and vinegar saltbush chips. Who would have thought that leaves could taste this awesome?!?! These unique chips are a must try!

Champagne lunches are now available at Morris Jones on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (2 courses for $35 and 3 courses for $45 which includes a glass of wine).

Morris Jones

163 Chapel St, Windsor, VIC

(03) 9533 2055

Inca Morris Jones

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of HRPR and Morris Jones.

5 Lire

Ricotta Hotcakes

(buttermilk hotcakes topped with Nutella inspired semifreddo, Pariya Persian chocolate fairy floss and scattered with chocolate cacao and orange crumble)

The fairy floss reminded me of a bad toupee but I really liked it as it wasn’t overly sweet. The hotcakes themselves were average but the Nutella, the crumble and the fairy floss brought this dish up to the next level, making it overall enjoyable.

★★★☆☆

Riso con Latte

(warm creamy arborio rice topped with amaretto baked peaches and an amaretto biscuit crumble)

Warm and hearty.

★★★☆☆

Italian Style Croque Monsieur

(brioche loaf toastie spread with ‘Nduja, stracchino cheese, peppered fig jam, Lyonnaise onions and a fried egg)

Perhaps it was the combination of the ingredients or perhaps it was the ‘nduja (spreadable salami) itself, but there was a peculiar alcohol-like taste to this croque monsieur that no one was fond of.

★☆☆☆☆

Deconstructed Tiramisu Waffles

(waffle jolie topped with a whipped vanilla mascarpone, coffee jelly, crushed cookies, chocolate balls and coffee gel)

Every part of this was delicious!

★★★★☆

Overall:

Tasty food (mostly), friendly staff, and a long wait for our food to arrive (likely due to the small kitchen that they have).

5 Lire

116 Errol St, North Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9329 2249

http://www.5lire.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/

K-Tarng

How many places do you know have HAND WRITTEN menus? Respect.

Green Tea Rice Punch

A sweet punch with whole rice grains and a strong green tea flavour.

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Pancake

Everything a great kimchi pancake should be: crispy, smoky, spicy, flavoursome. Extra points for it being shaped into a star.

★★★★☆

Corn Cheese

The added sugar made this too sweet for my liking.

★★☆☆☆

Pork Ramen

Instant ramen noodles with a generous amount of tender pork and crispy vegetables. The broth was deliciously smoky and the aroma reminded me of a Chinese stir fry.

★★★☆☆

Original Fried Chicken and Oriental Chicken (honey, garlic and soy)

The original fried chicken lacked a bit of flavour but was so incredibly CRISPY. You could probably hear someone taking a bite of this chicken from the other side of the room! Whereas the Oriental Chicken was less crispy due to the sauce but was nicely flavoured.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Warm cosy interior, friendly service, satisfying Korean fare. Note that this place is closed on Mondays and that they are cash only.

K-Tarng

45 Koornang Rd, Carnegie

9972 9197

CJ Lunch Bar

Japchae (stir fried sweet potato noodles, vegetables and beef in soy sauce)

★★★☆☆

Bibimbab (steamed rice topped with sautéed vegetables, beef and special chilli sauce)

★★☆☆☆

Fried chicken served with cabbage salad

★★☆☆☆

Cheese chicken bulgogi (chicken bulgogi topped with cheese and spicy sauce)

★★★★☆

Kimchijeon (pan fried kimchi with vegetables and special flour batter)

★★☆☆☆

Dongaseu Don (deep fried marinated pork loin with rice)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Slightly cramped seating, efficient service, good portions, fantastic value. (eg. the Dongaseu Don was only $6!)

CJ Lunch Bar

Shop 2/391 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne

(03) 9602 1155

The Beer and Burger Bar

Beef Burger (beef patty, smoked bacon, beetroot relish, cheese, tomato, lettuce, American mustard, tomato sauce, aioli)

Wonderful smoky bacon, marginally dry brioche bun, bland patty, excessive relish that overpowered the entire burger.

★★☆☆☆

Onion Rings with relish and aioli

★★★★☆

El Mucho Burger (free range spicy chicken, chipotle aioli, jalapeños, lettuce, corn salsa, smashed avo and corn chips)

★★☆☆☆

C.C.G (chips, cheese, gravy)

★★☆☆☆

Spicy Chicken Wings

★★☆☆☆

Salted caramel milkshake

Inconsistent. One was lumpy and clearly tasted like salted caramel, while another was smooth and tasted like mild caramel.

★★☆☆☆

Hills Apple cider

$2.50 pots all day Tuesday? Yes please!

Overall:

Ordinary burgers, average service, casual atmosphere. Come for the $2.50 pots on Tuesdays.

The Beer and Burger Bar

112 Swan St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9429 5934

http://www.tbbb.com.au/

Assaggi Italiani

Lasagna D’Oro

Homemade lasagna that was remarkably cheesy and had a very thin sauce.

★★☆☆☆

Capricciosa Pizza
A scatter of bocconcini, ham, mushrooms and olives on a tasty thin crispy crust.

★★☆☆☆

Straccetti “Signora Antonella”

The pasta was al dente, the Italian sausage had a strong fennel and anise taste, while the spinach and cream sauce was rather insipid.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

A warm and inviting atmosphere, wonderful service, an impressive pizza oven, uninspiring pizza and pasta. Note that this place is closed on Mondays.

Assaggi Italiani

99 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern, VIC

(03) 9500 1624

http://assaggiitaliani.com.au/

Base Camp Northcote

Onion Bhaji

Crispy fried onion rings served with sweet tamarind chutney

★★☆☆☆

Butter Chicken

Tandoori roasted chicken tikka cooked in a rich tomato butter cream sauce

★★★☆☆

Cheese and Garlic Naan

We couldn’t decide whether to get the cheese naan or the garlic naan, so our waitress suggested that we get both. It was a great choice as this naan was simply soft and delicious!

★★★☆☆

Baigan Aur Mirchi Ka Salaan

Eggplant and capsicum in a slightly piquant sesame, tomato and coconut sauce

★★★☆☆

Pilau Rice

Fragrant and delectable

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The food here was certainly impressive and the portions were good, while the service was prompt and the atmosphere casual. This place is one of the better Indian restaurants that I have been to in a while, and undoubtedly worth a visit.

Base Camp Northcote

102 High St, Northcote, VIC

(03) 9482 1168

http://www.basecamprestaurant.com.au/

Miss Marple’s Tearoom

Devonshire Scones (plain and fruit) served with home-made raspberry jam and freshly whipped cream

The scones were moist and fluffy, and had a texture that was comparable to a light cake. The jam was sweet and fruity, while the cream was deliciously light (our waitress informed us that the jam and cream were refillable).

★★★☆☆

Miss Marple’s Famous Fingers – chicken, cheese and asparagus

These open toasted sandwiches were quite cheese heavy and needed a bit more chicken in them.

★★☆☆☆

Miss Marple’s “Sundae Best” (layers of ice cream and berry sauce topped with chocolate fudge, whipped cream, almond biscotti, roasted flaked almonds and strawberries)

This thing was HUGE and we only managed to get through half before throwing in the towel.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

After reading so many negative reviews, I was initially wary about coming here. But my experience turned out to be a really enjoyable one. We arrived on a foggy Saturday morning at around 11am and were seated immediately. The atmosphere was very intimate and homely (teapots and kettles everywhere, floral tablecloths and curtains, traditional English lamps, fireplace), the service was prompt and polite, and the food was delightful.

Miss Marple’s Tearoom

382 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras, VIC

(03) 9755 1610

Home

Woodland House

Purple congo potato crisps

House-cured Atlantic salmon, avocado, radish

Goats cheese bavarois, watercress, spring greens

Rockling, black barley, fenugreek

Poached and roasted spatchcock, nicola potato, asparagus

Tête de Moine cheese

So this particular cheese was prepared at the table using a girolle (cheese curler) which produced thin shavings that resembled rosettes. By creating a larger surface area, more oxygen was able to come into contact with the cheese and enhance its odour and flavour. Out of all the cheeses we sampled, this one was undoubtedly my favourite.

Farmhouse cheeses

Vanilla parfait, Yarra Valley berries, wild fennel

Cocoa covered mixed nuts, yuzu jelly

Herb and vegetable garden

Overall:

Established in an old Victorian mansion that was previously Jacques Reymond, Woodland House is a place of class and elegance. The decor is refined and the staff are extremely polite and attentive. The food is of a high standard as the kitchen is run by two of Jacques Reymond’s former chefs Thomas Woods and Hayden McFarland. We sampled the House Lunch menu and found every single dish to be fresh and enjoyable. The rockling and the spatchcock in particular were cooked to perfection, and the flavours of the vanilla parfait dessert were amazing. Note that this place is closed on Mondays.

Woodland House

78 Williams Rd, Prahran, VIC

(03) 9525 2178

http://www.woodlandhouse.com.au/