Quail

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

http://www.morrisjones.com.au/

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

Bomba Downstairs

Natural Oysters

★★☆☆☆

Sourdough and Olive Oil

★★★☆☆

Charcuterie

★★☆☆☆

Smoked Eel Croqueta

★★★★☆

Pumpkin Soup with Candied Pistachio

★★★★☆

Moorish Spiced Lamb Cutlet

★★☆☆☆

Charcoal Grilled Corn with Dried Maize

★★★★☆

Quail with Pistachio and Buckwheat

★★★☆☆

Pedro Ximenez Braised Pork Jowl with Celeriac

★★★☆☆

Freekah Salad with Cauliflower, Almonds, Barberries, Sumac and Mint

★★☆☆☆

Chargrilled Bay Bug with Lime Pil Pil

★★★★☆

Overall:

The 9 course set menu was amazing! The courses came out at a perfect pace, the food was delicious and it was also great value for money. Service was friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere lively. I look forward to returning to this place.

Bomba Downstairs

103 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9077 0451

http://bombabar.com.au/

The Grand Hotel – Richmond

The Grand Hotel in Richmond recently celebrated their 130th birthday and I was lucky enough to be invited along to take part in the festivities. The party started with drinks at the main bar and a quick glimpse at the Grand Dining Room. It is impressive to note that The Grand has been a winner of The Age Good Food Guide’s Chef Hat award nine times over the last decade, and is the only pub in Australia to consistently hold such a prestigious accolade. The Grand Dining Room is well known for their simple authentic Italian food which is served up by Michelin trained head chefs Federico Frigato and Mattia Aloisio.

Grand Hotel Richmond

After a while we were guided upstairs and encountered a smaller bar and three rooms. As we chatted, some enticing canapes came around. The first canape we sampled was cured ocean trout with citrus and berries, the second was poached veal tongue crostini with salsa verde and the third was tomato and basil bruschetta. All were very delicious!

We were soon led into the Nesso room and was informed that the kitchen was down a chef and that we had to make our own dinner!

So we each put on a T.Serafina apron, grabbed a rolling pin and began to roll out some clay.

We then each received a beautiful piece of fresh Cone Bay barramundi and were told to be as creative as we liked in terms of flavouring this fish dish. I decided to go with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olives, braised leeks, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Head chef Mattia Aloisio then instructed us on how to wrap up our barramundi so that it could be baked for our dinner. This whole process was so much fun and I couldn’t wait to taste my creation! We were then led into the Como room which had been stunningly transformed by event stylist The Three Piece Suit with stationary styled by Lauren Skorsis. And it was here where the incredible feasting began!

Pepper Crusted Venison Carpaccio with Goat Cheese Mousse and Beetroot

Agro Dolce Quail with Porcini Mushroom Puree, Brussel Sprouts, Quail Egg and Black Truffles

Broad Bean, Pecorino and Mint Risotto

Mortadella Cappelletti in Brodo

Fish Cooked

This was the moment we had all been waiting for! We made good use of our rolling pins and had a blast smashing these little terracotta parcels open!

The result? Perfectly cooked barramundi that was delicate and moist, with a beautifully intense flavour. And as it turned out, the ingredients I added tasted fantastic in combination with the fish so I had a little bit of a ‘phew!’ moment after having my first bite.

Caprese Palate Cleanser – basil, tomato, buffalo mozzarella

Lemon Delizia – lemon parfait, almond crumble, limoncello gelee, candied lemons

Candy Buffet

A big thank you to Zomato and owners Barnie, Tiur, David and Katie for organising such an amazing night filled with spectacular food!

And finally if you sign up to become a Grand VIP member (which is free), you will receive a complimentary six course degustation dinner for your birthday! How amazing is that?

The Grand Hotel – Richmond

333 Burnley St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 8658 3459

http://www.grandrichmond.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of The Grand Hotel.

Saigon Sally

Spicy Mi Goreng

(thin egg noodles, chilli jam, fried shallots and 63° egg)

★★★☆☆

Eggplant XO

(mushroom XO, tempura eggplant, chilli and mint)

★★☆☆☆

Grilled Quail

(stuffed with sticky rice, spring onion, shiitake and lup cheung)

★★★☆☆

Vietnamese Chicken Colesaw

(coconut poached chicken, crisp vermicelli and peanuts)

★★☆☆☆

Bia Can Chicken

(whole roasted chicken, bia Hanoi, Hainanese style)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Funky ambience, great service (our waiter helped with dish recommendations and even advised us that we had initially ordered too much), a fresh vibrant take on modern Vietnamese cuisine.

Saigon Sally

2 Duke St, Prahran

9939 5181

Home

Punch Lane

House smoked tuna, goats curd, pickled fennel, mustard seeds

This entree was originally served on a different plate and our waiter divided up the contents, hence the careless presentation. The creamy goats curd, sharp fennel and spicy mustard seeds were perfect accompaniments for the wonderfully smoky tuna.

★★★☆☆

Roasted quail, almond cream, grape bath, vine leaf, red grapes

Crispy tender quail with extremely sweet grapes.

★★☆☆☆

Roast baby snapper, cauliflower, capers

★★☆☆☆

John Dee Black Angus scotch fillet, roasted shallots, harissa and watercress

The harissa was quite mild and did not overpower the tender scotch fillet

★★☆☆☆

Peanut butter parfait, dulce de leche, peanut brittle

The parfait itself was delicious but remarkably rich. Sharing this dessert would be a good idea.

★★☆☆☆

‘A bit of a mess’: strawberry sorbet, frangipane, custard, meringue, Antico Rosso jelly

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I first ventured here almost a year ago and I remember being truly impressed with the food. Thus I decided to once again order the five course menu however this time I left feeling disappointed. The food was good but not outstanding (like my previous visit) and the portions served were TINY. (The tuna and quail each took all but three small bites to finish). In fact we ended up having a second dinner someplace else that night. I understand that fancy places tend to have smaller portions and I wouldn’t be grumbling so much had the dishes been more superlative. Perhaps things will be different with the next menu change. On a positive note the service was wonderful and the atmosphere was lively. I really do hope that Punch Lane was just having an off night with their food.

Punch Lane

43 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9639 4944

http://punchlane.com.au/

Miss Fitzy’s

I was invited to a menu tasting at Miss Fitzy’s a little while ago and had the pleasant opportunity to sample a range of their mouthwatering dishes.

Monica’s Melting Majik

(Van Gogh coconut vodka, strega liqueur, housemade chai syrup, coconut water, candied cherry)

Smoked quail, parsley and mustard fruits on rye

Spicy fried school prawns served with garlic aioli

Organic tomato, buffalo mozzarella, herbs

Roasted squid, chorizo, parsley, pickled onion

Smoked chicken wings, pork belly, mustard fruits

Grilled Robbins Island wagyu bavette steak, poached quail eggs, truffle

Scallops, bacon, truffle, watercress, black caviar

Grilled goats’ cheese, beetroot, quinoa, hazelnut

Whole 1kg crispy fried snapper, asparagus, sauce grenobloise

(deboned and reconstructed!)

Asparagus, snow peas, parmesan & egg

Smoked saskia beer corn fed chicken, roasted celeriac, brussel sprouts

Cape Grim black Angus 2+ Tri Tip, charred onions, roasted carrots, duck fat potato

(from left to right)

Bitter chocolate, olive oil & peanut brittle, brown butter sherbet

Cinnamon doughnut custard, chocolate, coffee, shortbread

Rhubarb & pear jelly, liquid puff pastry, prune and Armagnac ice cream

Overall:

Located at the beach end of Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, Miss Fitzy’s is a great place to head to if you are after a tasty sharing menu or a decent late night feed. The menu has French and Spanish influences and has been created by head chef Lachy Cashman (Circa, Sloaney Pony, Salsa Bar and Grill Port Douglas) who has a background in butchery and meat curing. So it came as no surprise to discover that Miss Fitzy’s has their own custom-built smoker and curing room. Every dish I sampled was terrific but I particularly enjoyed the prawns, smoked chicken wings, scallops and the duck fat chips (oh so amazing!). The decor here is simple and chic, with impressive 1920s inspired murals along the back walls. Note that this place is closed on Mondays.

Miss Fitzy’s

23 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, VIC

(03) 9537 1653

http://missfitzys.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Miss Fitzy’s.

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.