Olives

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/

Alimentari

Toasted muesli, baked granny smith, lemon thyme yoghurt

The steaming hot apple was nicely unexpected however the muesli to yoghurt ratio could have been improved (more yoghurt, less muesli).

★★★☆☆

Fried eggs, harissa baked beans, braised greens, whipped feta, flat bread, olives, hash browns

Fantastic combination of flavours with the whipped feta being the highlight.

★★★★☆

Hash brown, baby spinach, poached eggs, bacon, hollandaise

A reasonable dish that could have been bigger in terms of portion size.

★★★☆☆

Spanikopita, ricotta, mixed greens, dill, feta, poached egg, with hash browns on the side

With flakey delicate pastry and a tasty ricotta filling, there was a lovely homemade quality about the spanikopita.

★★★★☆

Pan fried ricotta gnocchi, broccolini, garden peas, lemon, fresh ricotta, chilli

Fresh and zesty with delicious light clouds of gnocchi.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Pleasant staff, warm atmosphere and quality food with a beautiful deli at the front. Whatever you decide to order, make sure you get a side of their fantastic hash browns!

Alimentari

251 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9416 2001

http://www.alimentari.com.au

Cumulus Up

Oysters

= ★★★

Fried chickpeas with spiced salt

= ★★★★★

Olives and pickles

= ★★★

Smoked ocean trout, Jerusalem artichoke and lemon

= ★★★★

Kitchen charcuterie selection (smoked brisket, prosciutto, salami)

= ★★★

Cracked wheat & freekeh salad with barberries

= ★★★

Lentil Salad

= ★★★

Duck waffle, foie gras, prune

= ★★★★

Roast potatoes and confit garlic

= ★★★

Lettuce and candied walnut salad

= ★★

Confit duck leg, parsnip and sauce Bourguingnon

= ★★★★

Chocolate ice cream sandwich, salted caramel

= ★★★

Overall:

I got really excited as soon as I saw ‘Fried chickpeas’ on the menu as I’ve had them before at Cumulus Inc and found them to be totally amazing. Looking through the menu there were so many things that we wanted to try so we decided to go with the Chef’s Selection. Now this turned out to be the best decision ever as the food was sensational and there was just so much of it! The staff were helpful and professional, and the decor was rustic yet very sleek. If you like Cumulus Inc then you would no doubt like its smaller upstairs sibling. This is certainly a place I would happily return to.

Cumulus Up

45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

8658 3110

http://cumulusinc.com.au/up

Moroccan Soup Bar

Hummus, yoghurt, olives, potatoes, eggplant and pickled carrots served with flatbread

Roasted eggplant, yogurt, rice, almonds

Tomato rice, yogurt, eggplant, salad, almonds

Rice and vegetables (cannot remember what this was exactly)

Chickpea bake (sumac, almonds, yoghurt, chickpeas, crunchy pita crisps)

Stewed pumpkin

Rice and salad (cannot remember what this was exactly)

Turmeric rice, lentils

7 Vegetables with couscous

Fried doughnuts, coconut date balls, pistachio baklava

Mint tea

Black coffee

Overall:

Whenever I used to think about Moroccan Soup Bar, I always thought about their chickpea bake. I had it for the first time a few years ago and I remember being blown away by how deliciously crunchy and creamy it was. I was seriously looking forward to sampling it again. The first thing I noticed about the chickpea bake this time around was was how oily it was. A lot of oil pooled on top of the yogurt and the pita crisps were also quite oily. I could only eat so much before I had to stop. Don’t get me wrong it’s still a nice dish, but I definitely did not enjoy it as much as I did previously.

A verbal menu is used here and this usually results in people choosing the easiest option which is a banquet. A $23 banquet includes dips, mains, dessert and coffee while a $28 banquet includes starters, dips, mains, dessert and coffee. We chose the $28 banquet which offered a good variety of dishes that were average to good, as well as extremely sweet desserts. The mint tea served reminded me of toothpaste while the coffee was nice and strong.

Service was average and the atmosphere was pleasant and homely. A few things to note: this place is closed on Mondays, bookings can only be made for 6 or more, and you need to bring your own containers if you order takeaway.

Moroccan Soup Bar

183 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North, VIC

(03) 9482 4240

http://www.moroccansoupbar.com.au/

+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

http://www.plus39.com.au/

The Jolimont

73 Jolimont Rd, Forest Hill 0438 333 595

Iced Chai

Sweet with a distinctive chai flavour

= ★★

Banana Milkshake

This brought to mind childhood memories of banana Nesquik

= ★★

Smashed avocado

(avocado, dill, lemon and feta cheese on seven grain sourdough, served with a fried egg)

= ★★

The Jolimont Platter

(antipasto platter with Chef’s selection of marinated vegetables, deli meats, cheese and bread)

= ★★

Overall:

This cosy suburban cafe serves up the usual breakfast/brunch items. Although nothing particularly stood out in terms of the food, service was great as the staff here were attentive, friendly and up for a chat.