Sourdough

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/

Lemon, Middle and Orange

Corned beef hash, mustard piccalilli puree, kohlrabi sauerkraut, swiss cheese, bagel wafer & fried egg

Delicious except for the bagel wafer. Not sure whether or not it was meant to taste stale, but it did.

★★★☆☆

Slow cooked beef brisket, cabbage slaw, grilled onion, dijon mustard & gherkin on toasted sourdough

I was really hoping for melt in your mouth beef brisket but it was just regular beef brisket in a regular tasting sandwich.

★★☆☆☆

Orange Infused Hot Chocolate

I was really glad I took on our waiter’s recommendation to order this. This was absolutely delectable as the zesty orange flavour cut through and nicely complimented the rich hot chocolate.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Surrounded by industrial warehouses and factories, Lemon Middle and Orange is a bright hidden space that serves up classic breakfast and lunch foods with an Irish twist.

Lemon, Middle and Orange

25 Rokeby St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9415 1593

http://www.lemonmiddleandorange.com/

Fandango

French toast with bacon, cinnamon baked apple, maple butter and maple syrup

= ★★

Curried Eggs (fried eggs, Indian spiced chickpeas, brinjal vegetable pickle, minted yogurt cheese and roti)

Each bite needed a bit of yogurt with it otherwise it would have been a tad dry.

= ★★★

Beetroot Eggs (poached eggs, beetroot and feta relish, spinach, sourdough)

Simple and delicious!

= ★★★★

Overall:

Great portions, friendly service, and a homely retro vibe. There are only 12 seats in this small cafe but there are also seats available in their courtyard (which is only accessible through the alleyway behind the cafe). So if you ever feel that the wait is too long at Auction Rooms, travel a few metres down the street and give this charming place a go.

Fandango

97 Errol St, North Melbourne

9329 0693

http://www.fandangocafe.com.au

Sault

House made sourdough

= ★★

Sher wagyu beef sourdough parcels, enoki mushrooms, soy, chives

= ★★★★

Hopkins River eye fillet, onion, red capsicum, eggplant, thyme volcanic salt, red wine jus

= ★★★

Roasted free-range corn-fed duck breast, chestnut purée, duck liver parfait, grilled mushroom, Pedro Ximenez jus

= ★★★

Musquée de Provence pumpkin, pine nuts, sage, blue cheese and buttermilk kuzu gnocchi

I could not believe that this was under the ‘something more substantial’ category of the menu. Where was the rest of the dish? What’s worse was that the five bites of pumpkin and five tiny morsels of soft watery gnocchi drowning in cheese also turned out to be extremely disappointing taste wise.

= ★

Overall:

Beautiful setting, good service (although our drinks were forgotten and had to be chased up), unsatisfactory food. Perhaps we went on an off night but even so I doubt I will return.
Sault

Sault

2349 Ballan-Daylesford Rd, Daylesford

5348 6555

Sault Restaurant Daylesford

Sault on Urbanspoon

Lake House (revisited)

Veal tartare, mojama, bonito, nori

House baked sourdough

Confit trout, roe, cauliflower

Bug agnolotti, house kimchi

Skipton smoked eel in pancetta, new season beets

Limestone farms pullet egg, wild mushrooms, white polenta, porcini chestnut pangrattato

Seared duck breast, parfait, fig, muscatels, hazelnuts, salsify

Ginger and lemon shot

White chocolate mousse, poached pears, pear granita

Lollypop

Lemon curd meringue lollipops

‘An autumn ramble’

Almond biscuits, pistachio friands

Overall:

A perfect experience as always. We chose to get the autumn/early winter tasting menu and relished every single bite. My thoughts remain unchanged from my previous visit and I still believe that this place is worth a visit the next time you are in Daylesford!

Lake House

4 King St, Daylesford

5348 3329

Restaurant

Lake House

Chez Dré

Duck Sandwich – confit pulled duck, onion jam, red cabbage, grated apple, truffle mayonnaise and panini

A delicious combination of ingredients (including a considerable amount of duck) sandwiched between crispy panini bread. Seriously one of the best sandwiches that I’ve had in a long time.

★★★★★

Salmon Rillettes – beetroot relish, caperberries, poached eggs, beetroot crisps and toasted sourdough

Perfectly poached eggs, tasty salmon, piquant beetroot, briny caperberries.

★★★★☆

Prana Chai – masala blend with honey, black ceylon tea, spices and ginger

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

It’s been a few years since I last visited Chez Dré and my only regret from this visit was being too full to fit in any of their amazing desserts. I have to get an eclair the next time I come here! And a cheesecake…and a tart…possibly a macaron. Either way I must come back soon.

Chez Dré

Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9690 2688

http://www.chezdre.com.au/

DakDak Cafe

Unit 2, 1-3 Bignell Rd, Moorabbin 9532 2749

Bartholomew’s Baked Eggs

Lamb, spinach and pine nut sausage, free range eggs, sautéed spinach, kalamata olives and feta cheese in a tomato and herb sauce, served with buttered sourdough toast

= ★★

Vegorama

Poached free range eggs, homemade hash brown, avocado, sautéed mushrooms, over roasted tomato and truffle hollandaise served with buttered multigrain toast

= ★★

Overall:

I loved the retro vibe that this garage-turned-cafe had going on! A small powder blue caravan served as a kitchen, industrial shelves and recycled furniture filled up the place, bright green artificial grass covered the floor, and there was Volkswagen memorabilia everywhere (which was expected as this place is named after the signature stuttering of the Volkswagen engines). Service was friendly although it took a while before our orders were taken, and then much longer for our food to arrive. This unexpected cafe (as is it located within Moorabbin’s industrial area) is a comfortable and quirky place to hang out, but they need to up their game a tad when it comes to service times.

Champions Bistro

37 Springs Rd, Clayton South 9544 9929

Smoked oyster, apple, horseradish

Beef tendon, salted macadamia praline

Duck liver, rye crisp, mountain pepper

Charcoal chicken wing, celeriac, scallop, lemon pith, miso foam

House baked sourdough with butter

Hapuka, nettle broth, broccoli leaf, pork fat

Kangaroo, native plum, sorrel, dried berry

Pynegana cheddar, mustard sheet, muntries

Tangelo, black garlic, brioche, fromage blanc sorbet

Jerusalem artichoke ice cream, dehydrated chocolate mousse, fragrant tea jelly

Overall:

Things I knew before dining here:

1. former Vue de Monde chef Clinton McIver heads the kitchen

2. reviews have been very complimentary and at one point this place was booked out for months in advance

With this in mind, I walked in with fingers crossed hoping that this place would live up to its expectations. Unfortunately for me it did not. Although I enjoyed everything that was offered on their tasting menu, nothing in particular sent my tastebuds into a frenzy. However the menu here is constantly changing depending on seasonality and other aspects so perhaps it was just the current menu that failed to impress me. I also found each course to be quite small and left still feeling hungry.

On a more positive note the service was terrific and I loved the simple unpretentious atmosphere (this place is unexpectedly located at the Clayton Bowls Club and the dining area offers a nice view of the bowling green).

I am still undecided as to whether or not I want to venture here again. Perhaps so once the menu has completely changed.

Little Chloe

1810 Malvern Rd, Malvern East 9885 2194

Pork, fennel & three-cheese meatballs cooked in a tomato broth, tossed with spaghetti, spinach, and roasted capsicum

The meatballs were somewhat bland however the spaghetti was cooked to perfection and the sauce was tasty and light.

= Not bad

Little Chloe’s corn fritters with red chilli scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, spring onion and goat cheese on sourdough toast

A splendid dish that was unfortunately ruined by one thing: the burnt corn fritters. Nevertheless the red chilli scrambled eggs were great, the bacon was super crispy and delicious, and the goat cheese gave this dish bonus marks (I love goat cheese!)

= Good

Overall:

A nice breakfast/brunch/lunch place that offers a good variety of menu options, quick service and a casual ambience.

Eden Espresso

121 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern 9509 9119

Olive Bread Benedict

Middle Eastern Eggs

Thoughts:

Olive Bread Benedict – 2 slightly overcooked poached eggs served on Noisette’s Kalamatta Olive Sourdough with a slice of fresh tomato, baby spinach, crispy grilled bacon and drizzled with a lovely home-made hollandaise sauce. I probably would not have ordered this had it not been for the olive sourdough which definitely made this dish extra yummy. I love olive sourdough = Good

Middle Eastern Eggs – 2 poached eggs served in quite a spicy tomato concasse, topped with squeaky pan-fried haloumi, chorizo, spring onions and a side of crusty Turkish bread = Not bad

Overall:

A nice place for breakfast if you happen to be in the area. The service is quick and there is heaps of seating room (tables and couches inside, a small back room as well as an outside courtyard).