Sausage

Zagar’s Charcoal Grill

9 Royton St, Burwood East 9884 4067

Homemade beef sausages

Continental potato salad and coleslaw

Scotch fillet steak

Eye fillet steak

Thoughts:

Beef sausages – a blend of eye fillet, scotch fillet and porterhouse trimmings. Succulent mouthwatering sausages that will put any other beef sausage that you’ve ever had in your life to shame = Excellent

Potato salad and coleslaw – creamy potato salad, crunchy tangy coleslaw, both are satisfying accompaniments to the main courses on offer = Good

Scotch fillet – tender, well-marbled, full of flavour. I just couldn’t get enough! = Excellent

Eye fillet – top quality piece of steak that was tender and had a well balanced flavour = Good

Overall:

What a fantastic surprise this place turned out to be! The meat they have on offer is simply delicious! An authentic Mallee Root charcoal grill is used here to give all of their meat a wonderful wood smoked flavour. The menu is small and simple, but the food that they serve up is marvellous. The atmosphere is cosy and the service is great (our waitress was prompt, really friendly and gave us helpful recommendations as to what to order). The only downside to this restaurant are the limited opening hours: Wednesday to Friday 7pm until late.

Phat Brats

320 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 9419 5526

Chilli fries with cheese sauce

Raw slaw

Wagyu beef and black pepper

Superfood dog

Cheesy smoked kransky

Chilli dog

Thoughts:

Fries – fantastically fiery! Will leave your mouth burning afterwards but is totally worth it! The way that the fries are seasoned, they taste almost like wedges. They come with sour cream, house chilli sauce, jalapeños and either spicy ground beef or beans (we decided to get the beef and it was very tasty) = Excellent

Raw slaw – cool crunchy coleslaw that went well with the fries (cool vs hot) = Not bad

Wagyu beef and black pepper – wagyu beef and black pepper sausage with house gravy, raw slaw, shallots and horseradish cream. Good quality sausage, strong horseradish taste = Good

Superfood dog – sweet potato, quinoa and tamarind ‘sausage’ with chilli lime mayo, minted peas, alfalfa, coriander and sour cream. They are generous with the alfalfa and the minted peas, but not so much with the vegetarian sausage = Not bad

Cheesy smoked kransky – cheesy smoked kransky sausage with german potato salad, dill pickles and mild mustard. Delicious cheesy sausage, great mix of flavours = Good

Chilli dog – wagyu beef sausage with spicy ground beef, house chilli sauce, cheese sauce and spring onion. This hot dog tasted like the chilli fries, minus the fries = Good

Overall:

I was absolutely devastated when I found out that their dessert hotdog was no longer on the menu. I had heard that this amazing creation was a donut bun with double chocolate ice cream ‘sausage’, berry coulis, toasted coconut, crushed pistachio nuts and whipped cream. Devastated.

Nevertheless the hot dogs that they do have on their are pretty fantastic, as are their fries (I must go back and try all their other fries). There are 3 choices of hot dog buns on offer: gluten free, wholemeal and seeded. Unfortunately the size of the hotdogs are a bit small, so eating one hot dog alone may not fill you up. That being said, this is absolutely one of the best hot dog places in Melbourne.

Kluska

161 Foster St, Dandenong 9793 2154

Nalesniki z miesem (Polish pancakes with mince beef)

Pyzy z grzybami (Silesian dumplings with mushrooms)

Bigos (Traditional meat stew)

Kopytka (Polish gnocchi with beef goulash)

Thoughts:

Polish pancakes – delicious crepe-like pancakes filled with minced beef, served with a side of sauerkraut = Excellent

Silesian dumplings – loved the silky texture and flavour of these glutinous dumplings. Also came with a side of sauerkraut = Excellent

Traditional meat stew – sour! The sauerkraut in this was very overpowering! Hardly any traces of the stew’s other ingredients could be detected (ie. diced beef, pork sausage, dried prunes) = Not bad

Polish gnocchi – quite similar to Italian gnocchi, very filling. Beef goulash was richly flavoured with tomatoes = Not bad

Overall:

The experience was like dining at someone’s house, except that you’re being served by waitresses wearing wianeks (flower wreaths) on their heads. The atmosphere at this restaurant was intimate and cozy, and the decor was folksy and nanna-like (think fruit printed table cloths). Although the menu is quite small, what they do have to offer is delightful genuine Polish fare.

Agnolotti with beef sausage and spinach in a spicy tomato sauce

Recipe:

Pasta of your choice
800g can diced tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 fried sausages (sliced)
200g of spinach
Basil leaves (shredded) or dried basil
Chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese to serve

Place tomatoes, garlic, sausages, basil and chilli flakes in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the spinach and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to packet instructions. Drain well, and serve with the sauce. Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese.

Overall:

Quick and easy. The more chilli you add, the better!