rice pudding

Pavlov’s Duck

Lankan Frenchy

(organic croissant, soft boiled egg, chilli fried potatoes, Asian tabouli, fish and potato fritter)

★★★☆☆

Sweet and Savoury

(bircher muesli mixed berries, coconut chia pudding and clustered granola, boiled egg, sourdough toast)

★★★☆☆

Red Velvet Pancakes

(with lemon curd, grapes, banana, almond flakes, raspberry jelly, agave syrup and crispy bacon)

★★★☆☆

Milk Rice

(rice pudding with chilli chicken curry, spicy onion relish and an Asian pretzel)

★★☆☆☆

Kottu

(chopped roti, vegetables, spices, fried egg)

★★★☆☆

Hoppers

(three plain hoppers with dhal, coconut sambol and chilli onion)

★★★☆☆

Monsieur Truffe 70% Hot Chocolate

Rich and velvety, one of my favourite hot chocolates at the moment.

★★★★★

Overall:

If you are looking for a unique brunch menu, look no further than Pavlov’s Duck! The Sri Lankan inspired dishes here are bold, full of flavour and wonderfully plated. Service was down to earth, and the warehouse-like space is typical of a hipster brunch place. A hoppers making station can also be found at the front so you can watch your hoppers being freshly made. In any case, I’m coming back for the hot chocolate.

Pavlov’s Duck

401 Smith St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9416 4336

http://pavlovsduck.com.au/

Popol Nah

171 Lygon St, Carlton 9347 3293

Empanada vegetariana

Chickpea, sweet potato and silver beet in baked pastry with crema fresca

= Good

Patatas bravas

Crispy baked potatoes with tomato sauce and aioli

= Excellent

Anafre de chorizo

Cheese fondue, chorizo and corn chips

= Excellent

Albondigas

Lamb and beef meatballs in a tomato sofrito

= Good

Ensalada de vegetables

Shredded zucchini, kale, cucumber and extremely sour pickled vegetables

= Not bad

Pollo con adobo

Fresh baked chicken breast in adobo with grilled corn and pumpkin

= Not bad

Arroz en leche

Rice pudding, caramel and banana

= Not bad

Prana chai with agave syrup

= Good

Overall:

Popol Nah (The People’s House) offers a tasty selection of fresh Latin American food as well as Latin American drinks. I sampled their Chicha Morada (a drink made from purple corn, pineapple, cinnamon and cloves) which tasted strange at first but turned out to be delightfully refreshing. Service was lovely and the decor was funky and artistic. All in all I was very happy with this Groupon voucher purchase so I will definitely be coming back to sample the rest of their menu and devour more of their terrific cheese fondue.

Maha Restaurant

21 Bond St, Melbourne 9629 5900

Cherry, Pomegranate & Bitters Mocktail

(uludag sour cherry soda, pomegranate juice, rhubarb bitters)

Smoked hummus, lamb, cashew, cumin seeds, almonds

Local olives, maltese fel fel

‘Aegean coast’ – Wild greens, beach bananas, oyster cream and pork crackling

Zucchini falafel, almond, handmade haloumi and radish

Braised lamb neck, brik pastry, smoked eggplant and harissa pickled cabbage

Silverbeet borek

Market fish, parsnip, sesame, wild autumn mushrooms and hazelnut

Cracked wheat pilaf, barberry, date and almond

Fattoush, caramelised garlic, tomato and cucumber

12 hour roasted lamb shoulder, sumac, garlic, green olive tabouleh

Crispy skinned chicken leg, Iranian smoked rice, BBQ corn and egg

Vanilla rice pudding, toasted marshmallow ice cream, pekmez ganache and almond biscuit

Peanut butter and chocolate opera cake, brioche ice cream, salted caramel and lemon meringue

Turkish delight filled doughnuts, honey and walnuts

Overall:

Each serving comprised of a spectacular array of flavours and textures, and I truly enjoyed each dish down to the last bite. However I do want to give special mention to:

1. The hummus – fantastic! The underlying smoky flavour took hummus as I knew it to a whole new level

2. ‘Aegean coast’ salad – the smooth oyster cream was simply divine and provided a lovely contrast to the crispy pork crackling

3. Turkish delight filled doughnuts – crispy light dough with a tasty dollop of sweet Turkish delight inside

This place transcends you to somewhere else with its exotic rhythmic music and its dark elegant decor. In addition it is located in a sub-basement venue so that it perpetually feels like night. The service is efficient and the portion sizes are quite generous. (I originally had my eye on the 6 course menu but as it turned out the 4 course menu was already a struggle to finish) Note that the menu here changes regularly so that there is always something new and exciting to tantalise your tastebuds. If you haven’t been here before, put this on your places to try list!