Breakfast by the Bay – The Strand

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer

A warm Spring morning in Melbourne is indeed a thing of beauty, and even more so by the glittering waters of Port Phillip Bay. Zip over the West Gate Bridge, or arrive by bike or boat if you’re so inclined, and explore the glorious waterfront of Williamstown.

Its rich maritime history is evident, from the warship HMAS Castlemaine berthed at the jetty which is open to the public, to the canon perched on the grass facing Melbourne across the water, to the ship building yards and lighthouse.

 

Williamstown is also home to some varied and interesting eateries,  and my favourite so far, with arguably one of the best breakfasts in the area,  is The Strand.

 

On this particular Saturday morning, the terrace beckoned us with its stylish outdoor furniture, coffee aroma and menu of breakfast classics with a twist, including poached egg, served on lovely toast, and adorned with beautifully prepared enoki mushrooms with just a hint of truffle oil.

We also tried some fantastic home made hashbrowns, some seriously good hollandaise, bacon with relish, and eggs on toast. My breakfast wingman declared this his new favourite breakfast in Melbourne – and this bloke knows his eggs. The hotcakes were also a big winner with our little dude, and the coffee was simply excellent.

The staff could not have been more friendly, eager to please, and welcoming, and whilst we were there we saw a large group of older people, as well as couples, and parents with a stroller and in need of a highchair all accommodated with the same smile and service.

 

This is a perfect spot to stop, relax and while away part of your weekend, drinking in the glorious view whilst being seriously spoiled by the menu. 

 

http://www.thestrandrestaurant.com.au/

Mama mia – Mamasita!

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer
Mexican food in Melbourne just keeps getting better.  For those of you for whom a Taco Bill experience or a trip to the ‘Old El Paso’ section of the supermarket is as far as you’ve gone, the good news is that your tastebuds have alot more to discover than you ever dreamed of. 

We recently died and went to authentic Mexican food heaven, and the pearly gates are located at the top of the staircase at 11 Collins St, Melbourne.  Mamasita has been open for a while now, and knowing how popular it is (even mid-week), we’ve arrived each time at 5.30pm to ensure we get a table, as they don’t take bookings.

The sangria to start with is delightful, unfussy, chilled, with a hint of spices, and very easy to drink, the guacamole and salsa are suberb, all  fresh coriander and zinging with lime.

You have to start your Mexican onslaught with the street-style chargrilled corn with queso, chipotle mayo and lime. Ai ai ai! You’ve never tasted corn like this, all song and dance, and god bless that mayo!

When you get to the ceviche, you really know you’re in serious Mexican business – I joked at the time that  I wished I could get a bucket-sized serve of this, but seriously, what’s not to love about market fish with green tomato, chilli, mint, lime and coconut milk? Apart from the other ceviche of course, which is prawns, scallops, cherry tomatoes, lime and coriander. Win-win. 

The tostaditas are fantastic 2.5″ fried tortillas with various toppings, you order a mixture and they come presented beautifully on a wooden board.  We have worked our way through the combinations including fish with lime, coriander, guacamole and nasturtiums, crabmeat with avocado, tamarind mayo and habanero, chargrilled chicken, avocado, queso fresco and chipotle mayo, and slow braised pork shoulder with jalapenos.

The tacos are also a delight, favourites there include the braised beef with chorizo, coriander and onion. The quesadillas offer some interesting  combinations, at our last visit we decided to go with the Mexican truffle, mushrooms, roasted corn, epazote and queso fresco, which was sensational.

Despite the bustling atmosphere,  always-full tables, and the queue of anticipatory diners staring you down from the stairwell, willing you to finish,  the service at Mamasita is unfailingly excellent, the staff are smiling, friendly, helpful and genuinely care that you are enjoying your meal.  Apparently Australians have a reputation for being stingy tippers, but in my opinion if someone makes your dining experience more enjoyable, acts like they actually want to be there, and smile alot, that’s when they deserve a tip. Needless to say we tip the staff at Mamasita.

Even if you have to queue (and if you arrive after 5.45pm it’s pretty much a given), the meals come out so quickly that you won’t have to wait too long, and trust me when I say it will be worth it.

 

http://www.mamasita.com.au/

Going local – Clifton Hill/Fairfield/Alphington

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer

One of the joys of moving house is exploring your new neighbourhood, including its eateries.

THAI

We have been lucky enough to strike some absolute gold on a number of levels, not least of which is living within walking distance of Melbourne’s only ‘5 star Thai restaurant’ as they proudly proclaim on the extensive website at ‘Paladarr Thai Issan’. Right opposite Alphington train station, with a beautiful, modern interior to match its food, and even a sommelier to help you guide you through the spices and flavours of your meal to reach the perfect alcoholic match. A highlight is their famous appetiser, Miang Karm, where you’re presented with a plate filled with diced ginger, chilli, toasted coconut, diced lime and dried shrimp which you then wrap in a Chapoo leaf, add their tamarind sauce and send your tastebuds into sensation overload! Great special-occasion dining, and apparently people come from all over Melbourne for dinner here. www.paladarr.com.au

BREAKFAST

One of our favourite breakfast haunts is the ridiculously popular Apte, on Heidelberg Road in Fairfield. Despite its bustling activity, they always manage to find you a seat, and bring your piccolo latte with speed and a smile, which is surprising given the heaving weekend workload. Happily the menu has remained constant for a little while now, allowing me to indulge my love of their pea and corn fritters served with Tasmanian smoked salmon, dill, sourcream, rocket and avocado. The big breakfast option is also sensational, their coffee is unfailingly great, and the pikelets with maple syrup, strawberries, banana and sugared pecans are very popular with Mr 6 year old. Apte is very child -friendly, including space for strollers, (and dogs) and has a lovely outdoor area which is covered, heated and filled with flowers, herbs and garden sculptures.

When you go inside to settle your bill, you will be distracted and mesmerised by the large cupcakes on the counter. Or perhaps the homemade preserves or muesli, or the carrot cake. Give in. You won’t be disappointed.

Apte, 538 Heidelberg Road, Fairfield

ITALIAN

Next stop, Chianti Bistro, in Clifton Hill which was recommended by our neighbours. We had to search hard for this rustic, unpretentious tiny bistro, covered in prints of Italy, shelves full of Chianti Classico, and a small, handwritten menu up on a chalkboard offering typical dishes like parmigiana, veal scallopine, etc. Delicious, honest food, served with steamed veg, and a huge dose of Italian hospitality, our host alternating between speaking to us in Italian and English. Charming, intimate, well-priced and a new favourite.

Chianti Bistro 376 Queens Pde, Clifton Hill

VIETNAMESE

Station Street in Fairfield is another gem waiting to be fully explored, and we are making our way slowly up one side and down the other. The clear front-runner at present has to be Viet Palace, which serves great Pho, excellent special fried rice (hard to find and very important in my book), a salt and pepper squid to knock your socks off, and a Chef’s special of duck with sesame prawn (sounds wrong but trust me, the flavour is sensational). This place is your standard Vietnamese decor, complete with fish tank, but the food is most definitely fit for a king.

http://www.fairfieldvillage.com.au/viet_palace_vietnamese_restaurant.htm click here for a link to the full menu


Yarra Valley goodness – Train Trak

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer

A spare Sunday afternoon, some magnifent Spring sunshine, a new car to take for a drive, and volunteers to try out the passenger seats.  Destination: Yarra Valley.  After a zoom through green vineyard-covered hills, stopping at a few favourites for some tasting including Balgownie Estate (the sparkling Shiraz should not be missed) we pulled up at Train Trak for some lunch. Having not been back there since a 40 degree February day some years back for Grape Grazing, where the ground was brown and dusty and we sat on picnic rugs under the shade of a tree, it was a delightful discovery indeed to step into ZONZO, the restaurant, festooned with paper lanterns and flowers, and to be met with an aroma of wood-fired pizza and other Italian fare.  A quick glass of  Train Trak Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay to wet the whistle, and we moved outside into the sunshine, a vista of vines and daisy-dotted grass laid out before us.

The menu was packed full of Mediterranean goodness, and we wasted no time ordering up a storm of pizzas, including the alla salsiccia (tomato, mozzarella, pork and fennel sausage, spanish onion and rosemary), the con carciofi (tomato, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, proscuitto, rocket, gorgonzola) and the con marscapone (tomato, mozzarella, walnuts, speck and marscapone).  We also ordered a salad of buffalo mozzarella, mini roma tomatoes, basil, and baby spinach.

These pizzas were an absolute delight – light crispy base, fresh produce, just the right amount of cheese and toppings, and we followed up with the tiramisu, which for my money was bang on – and as Paolo Vino always maintains, it’s about the ratio of the marscapone/whipped cream to sponge biscuit and coffee.  Zonzo clearly understands this important point. 

Bellisimo!

http://traintrak.com.au

http://zonzo.com.au

Cutler & Co – Gertrude St, Fitzroy

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer

All hail Andrew McConnell. Just when I thought nothing could top Cumulus with the incredible freekeh salad,  insanely delicious crispy prawns, 10 different types of oyster, (and let’s be honest, what’s not to love about a menu that offers, amongst other delights,  a whole tin of Ortiz anchovies as an entree?),  I had the recent pleasure and privilege of dining at Cutler & Co with some of my favourite dining companions.

The interior is sleek,  tasteful and individual, with an inviting open bar space at the front, and a private dining room option at the back. You can see into the kitchen from various vantage points, the wine list goes on for days, and the staff were professional, friendly, and looked happy to be there. The automatic sliding door which could easily be mistaken for some type of textured glass artwork rather than a portal to the the bathrooms was somewhat of a novelty, but again, tastefully done.

Having despatched an imaginative cocktail which involved maple syrup, we got down to the business of ordering.

We opted for a trio of entrees including a very pretty sashimi-style arrangement with caviar and nasturtium petals, Mandarin duck cooked three ways including a boudin noir (black pudding sounds more appetising in French, n’est ce pas?), and a magnificent salad with carrots and radishes. All delicious, with faultless presentation and offering exciting flavour combinations. For main, the gnocchi was a mouthwatering combination of taleggio, cauliflower and pea salad, and coupled with the beautiful fresh bread (a weakness),  sadly ruined me for any chance of dessert.

C’est la vie, we’ll just have to go back for that.

http://www.cumulusinc.com.au/

http://www.cutlerandco.com.au/

Dinner with Gaz – Rhodes W1

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer

Once we knew we’d be in London town, the first thing to do was to decide on where to go for  dinner.  Whilst London is full to the brim of fabulous eateries,  flashy bars and even a combination of both complete with burlesque fire-eaters,  we only had 1 night to dine out,  so we had to make it count. 

Having long been a fan of Mr Gary Rhodes and his seasonal cooking approach, and especially his book ‘The Cookery Way’  which allows the budding home-chef to impress the pants off  dinner guests without getting a migraine trying to follow the recipes, we felt it was time to pay homage and visit the very grown-up Rhodes W1 at the Cumberland Hotel at Marble Arch.

We arrived in posh frocks for dinner at 7pm and were shown straight into the Patron bar for a quick pre-dinner cocktail.  The service was slick and efficient, the cocktails were icy cold, strong and well-presented, with some interesting flavour combinations on offer including Cointreau and maple syrup, Sloe gin with apple and rosemary, and Chivas Regal with thyme and honey, amongst other delights.

Slurping the last of our drinks, we were led into the beige, carpeted restaurant adorned with chandeliers.   

After being greeted by the impossibly polite and attentive waiting staff, we were presented with a delightful plate of salmon croque-monsiuer and croquettes, to nibble whilst we perused the menu. This was the first of many intriguing, welcome little extras that made the evening extra-special.  Other surprises included small glasses of comsomme, as well as palate cleansing refreshers in between courses, not to mention 3 different types of butter to go with your 3 types of bread .

We finally managed to decide on our meals, and between us ordered for entree the salt-cured fois gras with peach, ginger parkin puree and spiced bread, the roast Scottish scallops with braised oxtail carpaccio and blood orange, and  crisp pork belly with steamed langoustine, sweetcorn, beurre noisette and spiced popcorn.

Our mains included the blackened sirloin of beef, with watercress risotto, wild mushrooms, and peppered red wine jus, the tapenade glazed monkfish with lobster, aubergine puree, fennel and shellfish emulsion, and the slow-cooked fillet of seabass with king prawn tortellini, coconut and coriander.

You could have heard a pin drop whilst we ate, save for the appreciative murmurs as each mouthful was savoured.

I would have to rate this as one of my tastebuds’ most enjoyable outings to date, and I was in seventh heaven for pretty much our entire meal.

By dessert I delirious with happiness, and buoyed with champagne confidence,  I foolishly ordered a magnificent chocolate extravaganza that blew my mind, and that I was devastatingly unable to finish.  My dear old dad refers to that as  ‘eyes bigger than your stomach’.

 http://garyrhodes.com/main.html

London lunch – The Thomas Cubitt

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer

We arrived in London to lashings of sunshine, and wasted no time getting in amongst it. We had a special Bank Holiday lunch planned in Belgravia, but that was hours away and we were hungry now! We sauntered from Westminster to St James Park, and into the sunlight-filled space of Inn the Park, overlooking the duck-filled pond.

My first foray into London coffee in some time was cause for trepidation, especially considering we had just left Italy, however I need not have worried – we were in good hands.

Inn the Park, together with a number of other eateries around London, was conceived by Oliver Peyton, veteran restauranteur and judge on the BBC’s ‘Great British Menu’ and it turns out he rather knows what he is doing. Hoorah
http://innthepark.com

Amongst us we sampled the baked mushrooms with goat’s cheese, streaky bacon, poached eggs, smoked bacon and sage sausage, and pancakes with caramelised apple. And the verdict: ALL GOOD! The coffee was great, the service was lovely and friendly, and the location was pretty as a picture.

We then needed to work off our breakfast, by way of a jolly good walk, feeding some ducks and geese along the way.

Before we knew it, it was time for lunch, so into a couple of black cabs and across to Belgravia, piling out amongst the roadworks which are part of the revamp of various pipeworks etc for the Olympics in 2012 and which seem to feature in every second street around London at present. Into the white-washed, bright and breezy interior of the Thomas Cubitt, named for one of London’s greatest master builders, and down we sat at a huge sunny table and quickly ordered some Pimms cocktails to start the ball rolling.

For the second time that day we were met with smiling, friendly service, paper and crayons for the kiddos, and an extensive menu which promised great things, and most joyously delivered. Our meals were as delicious as they were pretty, and we ordered the fried calamari with lime aioli, grilled prawns, chicken breast with sauteed potatoes and glazed vegetables, a side of cauliflower cheese with toasted almonds and cheddar, beer battered fish and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce, a cheese souffle with roasted fig and walnuts, and the Lancashire sausages with potato mash, pearl onions, and a mustard and cider apple sauce, washed down with a lovely Bordeaux, and finished off with Guiness Chocolate cake. We voted both the fish and chips and the bangers and mash the best we’ve ever had. Toodle pip!

http://www.thethomascubitt.co.uk/

And last but by no means least, a very honourable mention goes to a very special chef in Richmond who kindly and most magnificently recreated Delia’s chocolate torte for our visit to his leafy borough, which we enjoyed with a cup of tea whilst his heavily pregnant goddess and I conversed freely on matters of state and otherwise, and the childer-beasts channelled Luke Skywalker in the garden. Magnificent!

Ciao, Venezia

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer

Ah Venice! There is no place on earth like it. Magical, welcoming, achingly beautiful, with her arching bridges, black shiny gondolas, and endless, meandering laneways filled with the most beautiful lighted window displays of vividly-coloured glass birds, chandeliers, jewellery, diamond studded shoes, Venetian paper, masks, costumes, souvenirs…and the glorious waft of cooking smells as you wander past each trattoria.

We had a full 24 hours in Venice, and whilst I could have easily stayed longer (and will next time), we still managed to find enough time to chase the pigeons in Piazza San Marco, have a full hour’s water taxi ride around the city, go up in the Bell tower for heart-stopping 360 degree views, visit a Murano glass factory and watch a master glass-blower at work, and have lunch canal-side; an outstanding yet simple lasagne.

A highlight was stopping by at Harry’s Bar for a Bellini, and some divine (and complimentary) chocolate cake. Understated, simple yet stylish decor, with barmen in white dinner jackets complete with bow ties, looking exactly as you would expect and in a uniform probably unchanged from the time when Ernest Hemmingway used to frequent the place, it is easy to see why Harry’s has been declared a national treasure. Everyone is welcomed like a special guest, regardless of the language you speak, and their signature drink, the Bellini, is unfailingly and consistently lovely. Sigh. The chocolate cake was a knock-out too. http://www.cipriani.com/locations/venice/restaurants/harrys-bar.php

At the suggestion of our concierge at the Duodo Palace Hotel (which I recommend for somewhere central, without being ridiculously expensive, full of friendly, helpful staff who are keen to help you get the most out of your stay in their gorgeous city http://www.duodopalacehotel.com/ ) we dined at Beccafico in Campo Santo Stefano, sampling their fried vegetable fritters, Mediterranean eggplant, tuna with sesame and citrus, and calamari cooked 3 ways, washed down with an Italian Sauvignon. A lovely warm evening, plenty of cause to celebrate, with just the right amount of well-dressed passers-by to make for some good people watching. The service was excellent, and after dinner they brought out a Venetian version of Vin Santo, as well as limoncello to finish with. No complaints there! Buona sera!

http://www.abeccafico.com/lang1/

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A Tuscan Table

| GastronoMel - Melissa Brauer

So, what to do when you don’t want to go out for dinner, but you don’t want to cook? The answer is simple – Emily! Emily is a lovely lass from Leicester, who set up a catering business called ‘A Tuscan Table’ after visiting the region from the UK some years ago, where she fell in love with the rolling hills (and probably the weather) and never left.

We discovered Emily one afternoon, cooking for the family in the villa adjoining ours, and immediately registered our interest in her delicious services, which meant we could plan a day trip (or indeed a day doing nothing) and dinner would be taken care of, including kind consideration of any dietary requirements, likes and dislikes.

You choose what you’d like to eat from her extensive seasonal menu which centers around fresh local produce, she then comes to your villa, brings all the food and wine, sets the table, fills your kitchen with magnificent cooking aromas, serves, clears up, puts the dishwasher on and leaves you feeling ridiculously pampered and well fed, at very reasonable rates. And she caters very nicely for kids!

http://atuscantable.com

We booked Emily on 2 separate occasions, including our last night at the Villa, so that we could pack, get the kids organized, and still have plenty of pool time and enjoy our last balmy day in Toscana. It also meant we didn’t have to buy groceries for our last meal at the house which was one less thing to worry about!

Emily was a dream to deal with, cheerful, accommodating and friendly, and nothing was too much trouble. There were lovely decorating touches on the table, and fresh bread and Prosecco waiting for us as we sat down, and when she left, the kitchen was cleaner than when she arrived!

Our first meal included:
Spelt with homemade almond and basil pesto
Ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta with butter and sage
Roast Loin of pork with fennel seeds
Lamb cutlets with mint pesto
Tiramisu

Our second meal included:
Stuffed zucchini flowers
Gnocchi with pancetta and zucchini
Veal saltimbocca
Fried fish skewers
Baked pears with marscapone

If you’re ever in Tuscany make sure to give Emily a call to work her magic in your holiday kitchen, and tell her we said hi!