Mushroom

Cheesey Bites

Cheesy Bites

(baby spinach, mushroom, capsicum, pineapple, chicken, chilli flakes, sweet chilli sauce, mozzarella cheese with creme fraiche base)

Super Supreme

(beef, salami, mushroom, capsicum, onion, pineapple, mozzarella cheese, oregano)

Garlic Prawn

(baby spinach, tomatoes, garlic sauce, prawns, mozzarella cheese with creme fraiche base)

Chicken Kebab

(chicken wrapped in pita bread with salad and garlic sauce)

Lasagna

(pasta layers with bolognese sauce)

Overall:

One of the simple joys in life is having food delivered to your doorstep. It’s fast, it’s easy, and you get to stay in your pyjamas! So I was delighted when I was approached by EatNow to try out their services. In case you have never heard of EatNow, it is one of Australia’s leading online food delivery services and operates in over 4,400 restaurants Australia-wide. Here’s how it works:

Head to the EatNow website
Enter your suburb or postcode
Choose from a list of restaurants who are a part of your local EatNow 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 instant SMS confirmation as to when your order will be ready

Easy as that!

Now let’s talk about Cheesey Bites. Firstly the staff here were very considerate as they called me early on to let me know that my delivery was going to be about 10 minutes late. The delivery guy was friendly and the food arrived hot. The pizzas were a little bit soggy but had adequate amounts of topping on each and tasted fine. The chicken kebab on the other hand was extremely soggy, while the lasagna came with a lot of mysterious liquid floating on top of it. Although the food here is great value, I think I’d rather try someplace else the next time.

Cheesey Bites

135 Springvale Rd, Springvale

9558 4144

http://www.cheeseybites.com.au

Sun Moth Canteen & Bar

Fried bread, green olives, lemon, chilli, garlic and percorino

These crunchy little morsels were very addictive.

★★★☆☆

Duck liver parfait, salted figs and candied walnuts

Solid parfait that initially refused to come out of the jar but ended up being quite tasty.

★★☆☆☆

Sweet corn and chicken soup with buttermilk dumplings, spring onions and greens

A light Asian style soup with gnocchi-like dumplings.

★★☆☆☆

Mushroom, olive and barley risotto

This hearty risotto was perfectly cooked and had a delightfully rich mushroom flavour.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Enjoyable food, chillaxed atmosphere, clean and simple decor. A great place to unwind.

Sun Moth Canteen & Bar

28 Niagara Lane, Melbourne

9602 4554

Sun Moth

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Sun Moth Canteen & Bar and the team at Zomato.

+39 Pizzeria

Toscana

(Italian tomato salsa, fior di latte, Italian Berkshire sausage, rocket, parmesan)

★★★☆☆

Capricciosa Italiana

(Italian tomato salsa, fior di latte, leg ham, olives, artichoke hearts, mushroom)

★★☆☆☆

Tartufata

(Cream of mushrooms, fior di latte, mushrooms, rocket, truffle oil, parmesan)

It’s been a long time since a pizza has made me go ‘wow’ but the flavours of this tartufata were incredible! If only the centre had been less soggy, this definitely would have been a 5 star pizza.

★★★★☆

Linguine All’Amalfitana

(Amalfi style pasta with prawns, cherry tomatoes, chilli, garlic and crayfish bisque)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Deliciously light pizzas that have a fantastic thin base but tend to get soggy rather quickly in the centre. Even so, they still tasted amazing! Service was efficient and the ambience was bustling. I certainly recommend the pizzas here and will doubtlessly return for the Tartufata.

+39 Pizzeria

362 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9642 0440

Home

Mama’s Buoi

Mama’s Buoi is all about authentic home-style Vietnamese cuisine. Unlike other Vietnamese restaurants, this place offers more than just pho noodle soup and rice paper rolls. Co-owner Tin Ly explained to us that he could never get his favourite Vietnamese dish “caramelised pork belly hot pot” from anywhere but home. I had never even heard of this dish before and couldn’t wait to try it out.

Chicken and pork liver pate with sesame crackers

Pulled duck pancakes with hoi sin sauce

Rice noodles stuffed with pork, mushroom and fried shallot

Shell on school prawns with salt, pepper and citrus

Steak roll Vietnamese salad wrap with citrus and green chilli dressing

Roast pork belly and crackling with pickled veg

Reconstructed Can Chua (sour soup) with fried noodles, mussels, calamari and prawn

Ginger chicken stir fry with bok choi

Steamed barramundi wrapped in bamboo with lemongrass, chilli and citrus dressing

Mushroom and snow pea stir fry

Caramelised pork belly hot pot with boiled egg

Reconstructed three colour drink with black jelly, pandan jelly, rum and mung bean puree, basil seeds, jack fruit and coconut milk

Lychee & Watermelon Martini

(vodka and lychee liqueur muddled with lychees and watermelon)

Overall:

Talk about being well fed. Not only did the food look amazing, it also tasted fresh and delicious. The standout dishes for me were the chicken and pork liver pate, the shell on school prawns, the reconstructed three colour drink and of course the caramelised pork belly hot pot! The cocktail list here was also quite interesting. I wasn’t daring enough to try their ‘pho’ cocktail, however I was pretty happy with my lychee & watermelon martini.

Mama’s Buoi has opened me up to a whole new range of Vietnamese food. With its cheery homely atmosphere (bright colours, raw timber tables, festoon lighting, photo album-like menu), this is a place I would gladly return to.

Mamas Buoi

Mama’s Buoi

G25 Postal Lane, GPO, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9671 3426

Home

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Mama’s Buoi.

Tipo 00

House made focaccia with ricotta and basil oil

★★★☆☆

Gnocchi di patate

(braised duck, porcini mushroom and pecorino pepato)

Perfectly textured gnocchi that was light, smooth and springy, while the duck and mushroom sauce was simply delicious .

★★★★☆

Verdura

(green beans, snow peas, witlof, goats cheese and almonds)

★★★☆☆

Riso carnaroli

(moreton bay bug risotto)

Well cooked risotto, strong distinguishable taste of moreton bay bug.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Named after the finely ground flour used to make pizza and pasta, Tipo 00 is a place that offers simple yet quality Italian fare. No wonder it was one of Melbourne’s best new restaurants of 2014 according to the Good Food guide. I highly recommend getting the chef’s menu which allows you to sample a delicious range of starters, pasta and dessert.

Tipo 00

361 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9942 3946

http://www.tipo00.com.au/

Garagistes

103 Murray St, Hobart 6231 0558

Smoked new season pink eye potatoes, sauce of whey, garlic scapes, herbs, flowers

Tartare of veal leg, uni and pine nut cream, nasturtium buds, speck and aged buffalo cheese

Green feast peas, lovage, samphire, lardo

Venerupis clams cooked in kombu butter, chicken and anise hyssop dashi

Garagistes smoked eel, poached rhubarb, laver and pickled hawthorn blossom

Lightly steamed Tasmanian blue eye trevalla and oyster mushrooms cooked over charcoal

West Hobart lime posset, iced fig leaf kefir, caraway and dill shortbread

Kunzea blossom ice cream, elderflower milk crisp, green almond cream

Overall:

Garagistes offer an ever-changing five course set menu with optional artisanal sake to match. The food here is beautifully presented and has interesting flavours, however portions are quite small (I left still feeling a bit hungry). Service was friendly but slow, and the decor was simple (eg. plain wooden communal tables) and dark (eg. black walls, dark floors). Not a place I am likely to return to.

Note that this place opens Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm, and that reservations open two weeks in advance.

Donnini’s

320 Lygon St, Carlton 9347 3128

Capricciosa pizza

(Fior di latte, tomato, leg ham, mushroom, marinated Ligurian olives)

I liked the thin and crispy base however I didn’t like how the olives came with pits.

= ★★

Ravioli Con Salmone E Burrata

(salmon, burrata and smoked ricotta ravioli, butter, dill, asparagus)

A light ravioli served in a delicious sauce.

= ★★★

Tris Di Pasta Donnini

(Tagliatelle Al Ragu Nostro, Tortelli Di Ricotta, Gnocchi Al Pomodoro)

Hand made pasta cooked in fresh sauces.

= ★★★

Overall:

Although somewhat pricier than your typical Lygon St restaurant, what you get here at Donnini’s is quality Italian fare, good service and a great atmosphere.

Twenty & Six

594 Queensberry St, North Melbourne 9329 0298

Bounty Bar Hot Chocolate with Mörk, coconut and almond milk (left)

The almond milk ruined this potentially terrific drink, making it extremely thin and watery

★★

Mörk Hot Chocolate (right)

Balanced and full of flavour, not exceedingly sweet

★★★

Brioche roll with beef brisket, kaiserfleisch, chilli, cabbage slaw, Swiss cheese and seeded mustard aioli, served with hand cut chips and rosemary salt

★★

Wild mushrooms with soft polenta, roasted shallots, endive, two poached eggs, parmesan and pomegranate molasses

★★

Overall:

The only thing impressive about this place was the outhouse they had at the back. Food was average and portions were small, while the service was so-so. The staff here were very strict about their menu and refused to serve us chips on their own as it wasn’t on the menu. To be honest I’d much rather head around the corner to Auction Rooms for a bite to eat.

Prospect Espresso

2a Prospect Hill Rd, Camberwell 9882 7359

Truffled Brioche, sautéed mushrooms, asparagus, poached eggs and truffled hollandaise

Dry unpleasant brioche, not enough hollandaise sauce

= Not bad

Warm coconut rice with kiwifruit, lychee, lime air and puffed rice

I read the words ‘lime air’ and was very intrigued as to what it actually was. Turns out that it was like a lime flavoured meringue, and it tasted fantastic alongside the sweet kiwifruit, lychee and the creamy (but not too heavy) coconut rice. A very satisfying and filling dish that is perfect on a cold Melbourne day.

= Excellent

Overall:

A cosy little place where the menu is small, the staff are friendly and the warm coconut rice is delectable.

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.