This week I chose and because we were having withdrawal symptoms from the lack of Indian food we'd had recently, I thought we'd give Nirankar a go.
It is in Queen St, Melbourne and very easy to get to as we just caught a tram up Bourke St and walked half a block to the restaurant. Good thing as well was that we could book it for 5.30pm meaning we'd be home nice and early.
Once again, booking at this time meant we were the only people there, but that was good as we had our pick of tables. Apparantly having this choice isn't easy for some people and after some serious thinking and rethinking, Pete decided we should sit near a window and enjoy the view.
We decided we wouldn't have a bottle of wine here, so Pete ordered a beer and I had a bourban and coke, and also a bottle of water.
For our entrees we chose Onion Bhajis and Aloo Tikki, which is mashed potato cakes, lightly spiced and deep fried. These came out quite quickly and were very nice and crispy, just how we like them.
Our mains, Pete went with Chicken Butter Cream, which is always mild enough for him and I thought I'd try the Garlic Chilli Prawns. I asked how hot they were and was told they could make them as hot or as mild as I want. Now, at this point I have to add that Pete normally asks me to do all the ordering, so imagine my surprise when I was discussing the amount of heat I wanted in my prawns, my darling husband decides that is a good time to speak and tells the guy to add a few extra chillis in there, because "she likes it hot" I'm not sure if the kick to his ankle helped but it made me feel good as I then said I just want it mildly hot, I didnt want my head to blow off. We also ordered some garlic roti and aloo paratha, which is stuffed with spicy potatoes.
It sounds like a lot, but we never order dessert in an Indian Restaurant because Pete thinks they are just way too sweet and sugary..so we thought we'd grab a Krispy Kreme donut on the way home (hmmmmm makes sense doesnt it?)
Once again, we weren't waiting very long and my dish was really delicious. It was fresh prawns and snowpeas with tawa sauce. I had asked what that sauce was, and was told that it was a creamy sauce made from garlic and wine. It wasn't too hot as the waiter obviously ignored the rantings of Pete and I enjoyed it very much.
Pete's was tandoori roasted chicken in a mild tomato, butter cream sauce, and he also enjoyed his very much.
The tables around us starting filling up more as we were almost finished, so we had the place basically to our self which is always nice as we get all the attention from the waiters. The service was very good and as I said we didn't have to wait long for any of the food to come out.
I would definately go there again. We were finished before 7pm and even after dropping into Krispy Kreme and grabbing some donuts, we were able to catch the 7.25pm train home and walked in the door just before 8.30pm
Total cost for the night, including our drinks was $95.50
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Week 7- Kayeff Sea
This week we both decided we were going to try a place we had heard of quite a bit and as it was close to home we didn't stay around Melbourne and were able to catch our normal train.
We included Jess this week because of the fact that the place was nearby, and her and I went for our normal walk first as I wanted to make the most of being home early.
It was also a bit different this week as we decided we would pick the food up and eat it at home, so after getting back from the walk Pete and I went and did just that.
On walking in through the restaurant door the aroma of the food sneaks up on you almost like a thief and the ambience and decor almost left us breathless. It was because of this high standard that we were so surprised that they offered a takeaway service.
The service was reasonable although the high demand of the food from a previous order meant the staff were scurrying around trying to fulfill ours without making us wait too long. They continually came to us with updates on how much longer we'd be waiting, which we did appreciate.
We didn't have an entree nor unbelievably dessert because of the fact we were taking our order home and we knew we could grab something there if the main meal did not satisfy us.
Luckily we didn't as the mains were well and truly ample and all three of us enjoyed the feast that was set before us. Jess actually had a little left over and she was looking forward to taking it to work for her lunch. That meant to me that she really enjoyed it too.
I particularly liked the presentation of the food which was immaculate. It was so good that they had different containers for each of us.
I had been wanting to try the hot and spicy chicken that was formed into kebabs and the accompanying gravy since I had seen it advertised. Pete went with his favorite of chicken breast fillets and Jess had only been interested in having the original chicken.
We all enjoyed the food, although because of the short wait while they filled our order, some of it was just warm.
All in all, a pleasant evening and we will definately go back again at some stage.
Total cost for the meal including drinks was $50
My last comment on the night would be....FINGER LICKIN GOOD!
HAHAHAHA gotchya!!
We included Jess this week because of the fact that the place was nearby, and her and I went for our normal walk first as I wanted to make the most of being home early.
It was also a bit different this week as we decided we would pick the food up and eat it at home, so after getting back from the walk Pete and I went and did just that.
On walking in through the restaurant door the aroma of the food sneaks up on you almost like a thief and the ambience and decor almost left us breathless. It was because of this high standard that we were so surprised that they offered a takeaway service.
The service was reasonable although the high demand of the food from a previous order meant the staff were scurrying around trying to fulfill ours without making us wait too long. They continually came to us with updates on how much longer we'd be waiting, which we did appreciate.
We didn't have an entree nor unbelievably dessert because of the fact we were taking our order home and we knew we could grab something there if the main meal did not satisfy us.
Luckily we didn't as the mains were well and truly ample and all three of us enjoyed the feast that was set before us. Jess actually had a little left over and she was looking forward to taking it to work for her lunch. That meant to me that she really enjoyed it too.
I particularly liked the presentation of the food which was immaculate. It was so good that they had different containers for each of us.
I had been wanting to try the hot and spicy chicken that was formed into kebabs and the accompanying gravy since I had seen it advertised. Pete went with his favorite of chicken breast fillets and Jess had only been interested in having the original chicken.
We all enjoyed the food, although because of the short wait while they filled our order, some of it was just warm.
All in all, a pleasant evening and we will definately go back again at some stage.
Total cost for the meal including drinks was $50
My last comment on the night would be....FINGER LICKIN GOOD!
HAHAHAHA gotchya!!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Week 6 - The Point
Okay, so this was Pete's pick this week and he had been wanting to try this restaurant since he saw it in the book. It is on Albert Park Lake and I thought it might be a bit far away, but Pete assured me it wasn't, so we decided that's where we would go.
Pete had to stay back and do some stuff at work so he called and arranged for me to get the tram outside work and he'd meet me on it when it got near him. Of course I worried because he had my train ticket, and this would be the time that inspectors got on and I'd be one of those many people with a good excuse like "my husband is getting on just up the road and he has my ticket" Anyway, I was saved and none got on and Pete did manage to find me on the tram. We only had about a 5 to 10 minute walk to the restaurant. Pete made a booking for 6pm and asked if we could have a table overlooking the lake....hmmm and I thought he isn't romantic! We were once again early so we sat on a bench outside and just watched the ducks and swans and rowers on the lake. I think Pete might have watched a few female walkers, but hey, I just said he was romantic, so I just checked out the guys :)
Now, when we were walking to the restaurant we noticed there was one table outside, it was cold out and I had a bit of a laugh as I imagined that was our table overlooking the lake..thankfully I was wrong! The restaurant itself was lovely and we had a corner table which had a view of the lake and the skyline of Melbourne..beautiful.
The waitress was called Krystal and she took our orders, brought us some water and was very nice.
She came back with a cup and saucer for each of us and said it was with the chef's compliments and would give us a boost before our meals. It was a mussel velute (thick soup)and there was also a mussel that seemed to be coated in tempura batter on the side. This was gorgeous and although Pete tried a bit, I finished his off. We also had fresh, hot rolls with oil to dip them in. Pete dipped, I didn't because I'd prefer butter.
For entrees I thought I'd try something different and ordered the smoked trout with seared scallops and Pete ordered a warm pea salad. Now I thought smoked trout meant it was cooked, but alas it wasn't and I didn't enjoy that very much. It also had some apple puree and sprouts and eating that with the scallops almost took away the taste the trout left in my mouth. Pete's salad was nice and had a mixture of peas, asparagus, brussel sprouts, beetroot and roasted nuts and raddichio lettuce with carrots. There was also a thin slice of potato on both our entrees which were described as paper potato. He enjoyed his and the mouthful I tried was nice.
With our mains, I had the slow cooked pork belly with pearl onions and shitake mushrooms and there was a hard piece on top of the pork which I found to my delight to be crackling! Pete had a well done Minute steak of pasture fed Porterhouse from Longford Tasmania,blue cheese, wild rocket and balsamic salad with a red wine shallot jam.
We thought we'd add two side dishes to this as we have learnt that there are not usually much of an accompaniment to the mains. This time we had home made spatzle,caramelised onions and gruyere cheese, and the other was steamed King Edward potatoes and herb butter.
For our wine we decided on a DeBortoli Rose.
Krystal also came round and gave us another bread roll between the entrees and the mains. I had seen that for a medium rare steak it could take 45 minutes, so I figured with Pete ordering well done that we could be there till Christmas.
We really enjoyed the main meals and the sides went very well with them. They weren't huge meals, but we were nicely satisfied...but there is always that tiny room for dessert :)
Pete surprised me and went straight for the chocolate dish, as that is what I would normally do. He had Valhrona dark mousse Malakoff, cumquat marmalade and blood orange icecream. I tried the Apple tarte tartin, star anise and cinnamon icecream,praline crumbs and vanilla espumas.
Krystal took our dessert orders and then came back with something she said would cleanse our palates. Some pineapple jelly with pina colada icecream. These did the job and were delicious to boot.
The desserts were very nice and we both tried each others..and I must say Pete's was yummy.
All in all a lovely evening, the service was excellent and the food (apart from the trout) was delicious, and the view was brilliant.
The meal, including the wine was $206.00
Pete had to stay back and do some stuff at work so he called and arranged for me to get the tram outside work and he'd meet me on it when it got near him. Of course I worried because he had my train ticket, and this would be the time that inspectors got on and I'd be one of those many people with a good excuse like "my husband is getting on just up the road and he has my ticket" Anyway, I was saved and none got on and Pete did manage to find me on the tram. We only had about a 5 to 10 minute walk to the restaurant. Pete made a booking for 6pm and asked if we could have a table overlooking the lake....hmmm and I thought he isn't romantic! We were once again early so we sat on a bench outside and just watched the ducks and swans and rowers on the lake. I think Pete might have watched a few female walkers, but hey, I just said he was romantic, so I just checked out the guys :)
Now, when we were walking to the restaurant we noticed there was one table outside, it was cold out and I had a bit of a laugh as I imagined that was our table overlooking the lake..thankfully I was wrong! The restaurant itself was lovely and we had a corner table which had a view of the lake and the skyline of Melbourne..beautiful.
The waitress was called Krystal and she took our orders, brought us some water and was very nice.
She came back with a cup and saucer for each of us and said it was with the chef's compliments and would give us a boost before our meals. It was a mussel velute (thick soup)and there was also a mussel that seemed to be coated in tempura batter on the side. This was gorgeous and although Pete tried a bit, I finished his off. We also had fresh, hot rolls with oil to dip them in. Pete dipped, I didn't because I'd prefer butter.
For entrees I thought I'd try something different and ordered the smoked trout with seared scallops and Pete ordered a warm pea salad. Now I thought smoked trout meant it was cooked, but alas it wasn't and I didn't enjoy that very much. It also had some apple puree and sprouts and eating that with the scallops almost took away the taste the trout left in my mouth. Pete's salad was nice and had a mixture of peas, asparagus, brussel sprouts, beetroot and roasted nuts and raddichio lettuce with carrots. There was also a thin slice of potato on both our entrees which were described as paper potato. He enjoyed his and the mouthful I tried was nice.
With our mains, I had the slow cooked pork belly with pearl onions and shitake mushrooms and there was a hard piece on top of the pork which I found to my delight to be crackling! Pete had a well done Minute steak of pasture fed Porterhouse from Longford Tasmania,blue cheese, wild rocket and balsamic salad with a red wine shallot jam.
We thought we'd add two side dishes to this as we have learnt that there are not usually much of an accompaniment to the mains. This time we had home made spatzle,caramelised onions and gruyere cheese, and the other was steamed King Edward potatoes and herb butter.
For our wine we decided on a DeBortoli Rose.
Krystal also came round and gave us another bread roll between the entrees and the mains. I had seen that for a medium rare steak it could take 45 minutes, so I figured with Pete ordering well done that we could be there till Christmas.
We really enjoyed the main meals and the sides went very well with them. They weren't huge meals, but we were nicely satisfied...but there is always that tiny room for dessert :)
Pete surprised me and went straight for the chocolate dish, as that is what I would normally do. He had Valhrona dark mousse Malakoff, cumquat marmalade and blood orange icecream. I tried the Apple tarte tartin, star anise and cinnamon icecream,praline crumbs and vanilla espumas.
Krystal took our dessert orders and then came back with something she said would cleanse our palates. Some pineapple jelly with pina colada icecream. These did the job and were delicious to boot.
The desserts were very nice and we both tried each others..and I must say Pete's was yummy.
All in all a lovely evening, the service was excellent and the food (apart from the trout) was delicious, and the view was brilliant.
The meal, including the wine was $206.00
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Week 5- Terra Rossa Restaurant Bar
It was my choice again this week and I decided on the Terra Rossa. It is at 87 Flinders Lane in Melbourne and easy to get to for us, just hop on the tram outside my work and go all the way up till Exhibition St and then a short walk after that. We had made a booking for 5.30 and had said we would not rush dinner and expect to be on the later train, therefore not making that last minute dash for the early one.
My first impression was that it seemed very warm and inviting, and not formal at all. We were shown to the back part which is the restaurant section to a table for two. Unfortunately the bar section is right next to that and a party of three drunk guys were having a lovely time at the next table swearing and carrying on with the waitress. I must say that Pete could definately see why she was getting the attention, although I think she could have worn something a bit more decent for waitressing and not like she was about to start dancing up and down a pole waiting for tips!
When we got the menu I was a little disappointed that it had changed from what I had seen in the Entertainment guide, as that had my mouth watering at the thought. There was a good selection however from breads to pizza, pasta, fish and meat.
We thought we'd try the oven baked italian bread with olive oil and dukkah to start with. The entrees we decided on was garlic and chilli king prawns with a lime and coriander dipping sauce for me and Pete had skewered lemon and thyme chicken kebabs with minted yoghurt.
For our mains, I chose, chicken risotto- slowly cooked chicken breast with pumpkin and rosemary finished with white wine and parmesan. Pete decided on chargrilled gremolata chicken breast on a meditteranean vegetable salad. We also picked a bottle of Barwick Crush Rose as we thought that would be nice with the chicken dishes.
The bread was nice and the entrees were lovely, however my one complaint there is that they brought the bread out and my entree and the waiter said Pete's wouldn't be too long so Pete told me to go ahead and eat mine as it was hot. I had finished mine before his had even arrived at the table. Pete enjoyed them however so at least that was something.
The mains were delicious although not huge servings and I definately felt I needed dessert to fill me up.
I picked the warm chocolate fudge cake with double cream and Pete went with the mixed berry crumble with vanilla bean icecream. These were extremely yummy and we tried each others and I think I preferred Pete's..surprise surprise because everyone knows how much I love chocolate.
The wine was tasty and refreshing and went down very nicely with the meal.
The service was good, except the waiter forgot we had asked to see the dessert menu and Pete had to go up and ask for it. Everything was brought out without much time between courses and the food was tasty,but we both felt it had a hint of La Porchettas about it
After the initial annoyance with the trio next to us the evening was enjoyable, although I don't think I would go there again..Pete might however, as the waitress gave him a wink when he paid the bill..although even that wink and ample cleavage didn't warrant a tip!
Total cost of the meal, including the wine was $111
My first impression was that it seemed very warm and inviting, and not formal at all. We were shown to the back part which is the restaurant section to a table for two. Unfortunately the bar section is right next to that and a party of three drunk guys were having a lovely time at the next table swearing and carrying on with the waitress. I must say that Pete could definately see why she was getting the attention, although I think she could have worn something a bit more decent for waitressing and not like she was about to start dancing up and down a pole waiting for tips!
When we got the menu I was a little disappointed that it had changed from what I had seen in the Entertainment guide, as that had my mouth watering at the thought. There was a good selection however from breads to pizza, pasta, fish and meat.
We thought we'd try the oven baked italian bread with olive oil and dukkah to start with. The entrees we decided on was garlic and chilli king prawns with a lime and coriander dipping sauce for me and Pete had skewered lemon and thyme chicken kebabs with minted yoghurt.
For our mains, I chose, chicken risotto- slowly cooked chicken breast with pumpkin and rosemary finished with white wine and parmesan. Pete decided on chargrilled gremolata chicken breast on a meditteranean vegetable salad. We also picked a bottle of Barwick Crush Rose as we thought that would be nice with the chicken dishes.
The bread was nice and the entrees were lovely, however my one complaint there is that they brought the bread out and my entree and the waiter said Pete's wouldn't be too long so Pete told me to go ahead and eat mine as it was hot. I had finished mine before his had even arrived at the table. Pete enjoyed them however so at least that was something.
The mains were delicious although not huge servings and I definately felt I needed dessert to fill me up.
I picked the warm chocolate fudge cake with double cream and Pete went with the mixed berry crumble with vanilla bean icecream. These were extremely yummy and we tried each others and I think I preferred Pete's..surprise surprise because everyone knows how much I love chocolate.
The wine was tasty and refreshing and went down very nicely with the meal.
The service was good, except the waiter forgot we had asked to see the dessert menu and Pete had to go up and ask for it. Everything was brought out without much time between courses and the food was tasty,but we both felt it had a hint of La Porchettas about it
After the initial annoyance with the trio next to us the evening was enjoyable, although I don't think I would go there again..Pete might however, as the waitress gave him a wink when he paid the bill..although even that wink and ample cleavage didn't warrant a tip!
Total cost of the meal, including the wine was $111
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Week 4- Society
It was Pete's choice this week and after much deliberation and google map checking he decided we would try Society. It is an Italian restaurant at 23 Bourke St, Melbourne. Once again, very easy to get to, just hop on the tram across from my work and get dropped off literally across the road from the restaurant.
First impression was that it was nice and cosy. Soft lighting and Michael Buble playing in the background made it nice and relaxing. A waitress with a case of the hiccoughs showed us to a table near the window and gave us a wine list. We sat there for a while, a bit surprised that we hadn't got a menu. Eventually Pete got her attention and asked if they do in fact take orders for meals and could we have a menu. She seemed a bit put out, grabbed the wine list and the glasses! When she came back with our menus, we thanked her and said we would like to order wine as well, but we didnt know what type to get until we knew what we were eating.
Anyway, we decided what we'd like and thought we would just order separate meals this time, an entree, main and dessert, rather then a tasting menu and run the risk of missing the last train of the night and having to walk home!
She mentioned what the specials were and I settled on the pasta with prawns, scallops and broccollini and Pete had twice cooked duck in flaky pastry layers with dill orange coulis and poached celeriac. For our mains I chose, Pan seared pork rib-eye with apricot and pistachio glaze and apple cider jelly, while Pete opted for Blue eye-fillet (black angus and wagyu cross) (well-done) which had been grain fed for 400 days, porcini mash, glazed prunes and dolcetto jus. The waitress said the rib-eye didn't come with anything else and thought we might like to order a side dish, so we had a bowl of hand cut chips.
We were given a plate with some bread annd oil for dipping. I dont like just plain oil and so I was trying to get the balsamic vinegar that was at the bottom of the dish. I now think it wasnt vinegar at all, but the bowl had a black bottom. Needless to say I just had plain bread. Oh and there were olives too..very nice. At least I didn't get black drips on the tablecloth this time. You can take me anywhere!
We also chose a bottle of Chianti as we love to drink that when we can..and when in an Italian restaurant..drink italian!
Our poor waitress still had the hiccoughs, and after the initial hiccough (the service not the ones coming from her) we relaxed and had a lovely evening. The servings of the entrees were just right, they were both delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed them. I was more then happy with my prawns and scallops and the pasta was al-dente. Pete said his duck was very well cooked and even though it was plated up to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, without the leaning bit, it was all delicious.
We had waiters hovering around, ready to top up our wine and water glasses. I swear I only had one glass, although Pete reckons I drank 60% of the bottle..just because they kept filling it before I had a chance to actually finish it.
The mains were wonderful. Pete's steak was cooked to his liking, even slightly charred on the outside and the mash and everything else on the plate went down a treat. My rib-eye was basically two pork chops on a plate with apple sauce, but they were sooo yummy, although I did miss the crackle. The chips on the side hit the spot and we both finished them off easily.
After this we asked for the dessert menu and I chose the Chilled white chocolate cream served with peppered strawberries & a mint syrup. Pete saw that there was a Chef's daily assortment platter so he picked that.
Now, all the food was very quick coming out and we weren't waiting too long in between courses, in fact it was just the right length of time.
The desserts came and I found the strawberries really a bit peppery, but when i had them with a spoonful of the cream, they were delicious. Pete had quite a selection of desserts, which I tried most of them out, and the chocolate icecream with some kind of nut in it would have been my favorite. There was also some sorbet and even a strawberry dipped in white chocolate. Some pears, one that was poached in cranberry jus and also a piece of hazelnut almond nougat.
We were finished eating by just after 7pm. As the tram stop was right across the road, we didnt have to walk far and the tram was coming just as we were leaving. We made it to the station in time for the 7.25 train home and we were home by around 8.15pm
We really enjoyed the food, the service was very good and the atmosphere of this small restaurant was very relaxing. I would recommend it to anyone. One thing though, you might like to take a night light or torch with you as the lighting is that dim it was very hard for people arriving later to actually read the menus. The waiter had to hold a candle up so the people on the table next to us could see what they were ordering!
Total cost, including the bottle of chianti was $219
First impression was that it was nice and cosy. Soft lighting and Michael Buble playing in the background made it nice and relaxing. A waitress with a case of the hiccoughs showed us to a table near the window and gave us a wine list. We sat there for a while, a bit surprised that we hadn't got a menu. Eventually Pete got her attention and asked if they do in fact take orders for meals and could we have a menu. She seemed a bit put out, grabbed the wine list and the glasses! When she came back with our menus, we thanked her and said we would like to order wine as well, but we didnt know what type to get until we knew what we were eating.
Anyway, we decided what we'd like and thought we would just order separate meals this time, an entree, main and dessert, rather then a tasting menu and run the risk of missing the last train of the night and having to walk home!
She mentioned what the specials were and I settled on the pasta with prawns, scallops and broccollini and Pete had twice cooked duck in flaky pastry layers with dill orange coulis and poached celeriac. For our mains I chose, Pan seared pork rib-eye with apricot and pistachio glaze and apple cider jelly, while Pete opted for Blue eye-fillet (black angus and wagyu cross) (well-done) which had been grain fed for 400 days, porcini mash, glazed prunes and dolcetto jus. The waitress said the rib-eye didn't come with anything else and thought we might like to order a side dish, so we had a bowl of hand cut chips.
We were given a plate with some bread annd oil for dipping. I dont like just plain oil and so I was trying to get the balsamic vinegar that was at the bottom of the dish. I now think it wasnt vinegar at all, but the bowl had a black bottom. Needless to say I just had plain bread. Oh and there were olives too..very nice. At least I didn't get black drips on the tablecloth this time. You can take me anywhere!
We also chose a bottle of Chianti as we love to drink that when we can..and when in an Italian restaurant..drink italian!
Our poor waitress still had the hiccoughs, and after the initial hiccough (the service not the ones coming from her) we relaxed and had a lovely evening. The servings of the entrees were just right, they were both delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed them. I was more then happy with my prawns and scallops and the pasta was al-dente. Pete said his duck was very well cooked and even though it was plated up to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, without the leaning bit, it was all delicious.
We had waiters hovering around, ready to top up our wine and water glasses. I swear I only had one glass, although Pete reckons I drank 60% of the bottle..just because they kept filling it before I had a chance to actually finish it.
The mains were wonderful. Pete's steak was cooked to his liking, even slightly charred on the outside and the mash and everything else on the plate went down a treat. My rib-eye was basically two pork chops on a plate with apple sauce, but they were sooo yummy, although I did miss the crackle. The chips on the side hit the spot and we both finished them off easily.
After this we asked for the dessert menu and I chose the Chilled white chocolate cream served with peppered strawberries & a mint syrup. Pete saw that there was a Chef's daily assortment platter so he picked that.
Now, all the food was very quick coming out and we weren't waiting too long in between courses, in fact it was just the right length of time.
The desserts came and I found the strawberries really a bit peppery, but when i had them with a spoonful of the cream, they were delicious. Pete had quite a selection of desserts, which I tried most of them out, and the chocolate icecream with some kind of nut in it would have been my favorite. There was also some sorbet and even a strawberry dipped in white chocolate. Some pears, one that was poached in cranberry jus and also a piece of hazelnut almond nougat.
We were finished eating by just after 7pm. As the tram stop was right across the road, we didnt have to walk far and the tram was coming just as we were leaving. We made it to the station in time for the 7.25 train home and we were home by around 8.15pm
We really enjoyed the food, the service was very good and the atmosphere of this small restaurant was very relaxing. I would recommend it to anyone. One thing though, you might like to take a night light or torch with you as the lighting is that dim it was very hard for people arriving later to actually read the menus. The waiter had to hold a candle up so the people on the table next to us could see what they were ordering!
Total cost, including the bottle of chianti was $219
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Week 3- Kri Kri
My choice again this week and I had been wanting to try Greek for a while so I found Kri Kri. The restaurant is at 39-41 Little Bourke St, Melbourne. We were able to make an early booking this time, so we went for 5.30pm.
We caught the tram opposite the station which took us right up Bourke Street and we got off just before Exhibition St and walked the short distance. Once again we were the only people there and the waiter seemed very friendly and showed us to a table. The restaurant was very relaxing and I felt very comfortable and ready to sample some real Greek cuisine.
We decided to give the Dinner Banquet a go, but we didn't want 2 of the courses, which were Calamari and Octopus, and the waiter said that was fine and we could substitute them with something else, so we asked for his suggestion and he said lamb cutlets and also a mushroom course.
We decided to have a bottle of wine this week and we chose Pinot Noir from New Zealand which was very nice.
The waiter first brought out some bread which was delicious and straight out of the oven, we were starving and tucked into that but thought we better save some room as the banquet had 12 courses including dessert and then coffee.
DINNER BANQUET # 1
$41.50 per person, minimum 2 persons
Mixed Dips Varied Dips
Dolmathes Vine Leaves wrapped with rice & herbs
Saganaki Grilled Kefalograviera cheese with lemon
Arnissia Paithakia Chargrilled lamb cutlets
Loukanika Grilled spicy Pork and orange Sausage
Yiganthes Lima Beans braised with tomato & onion
Keftethes Char-grilled Meatballs
Kotopoulo Scaras Char-grilled Chicken skewers
Patates Sto Fourno Oven baked Potatoes with lemon & oregano
Village Salata Greek salad
Baklava - Walnut-filled pastry fingers steeped in syrup
Coffee- Greek coffee and a latte
Now, there seems a lot to eat, but once again the servings weren't huge. We enjoyed every course, except Pete did not eat the mushroom one, although he did try it (good boy). The courses were very fast coming to the table and sometimes we had 4 of the courses on the table at one time. This meant we were not going to be very late leaving. The waiter as I said was friendly but didn't stop and explain what each course was and a few times we actually asked him. I enjoyed the food, but I think I was a little disappointed in that it tasted like every day food to me, and the fried cheese everyone had always raved about, just seemed like grilled cheese on toast without the toast.
We left there quite full and this time we had everything in our favour and just caught a tram which meant we got to the station to just catch our train, the 7.25 meaning we got home just before 8.30, which meant we were able to tape something we'd been wanting to watch.
Overall, very nice food, friendly staff, but maybe not authentic greek cuisine like I'd hoped for.
Total cost including the bottle of wine was $121.50
We caught the tram opposite the station which took us right up Bourke Street and we got off just before Exhibition St and walked the short distance. Once again we were the only people there and the waiter seemed very friendly and showed us to a table. The restaurant was very relaxing and I felt very comfortable and ready to sample some real Greek cuisine.
We decided to give the Dinner Banquet a go, but we didn't want 2 of the courses, which were Calamari and Octopus, and the waiter said that was fine and we could substitute them with something else, so we asked for his suggestion and he said lamb cutlets and also a mushroom course.
We decided to have a bottle of wine this week and we chose Pinot Noir from New Zealand which was very nice.
The waiter first brought out some bread which was delicious and straight out of the oven, we were starving and tucked into that but thought we better save some room as the banquet had 12 courses including dessert and then coffee.
DINNER BANQUET # 1
$41.50 per person, minimum 2 persons
Mixed Dips Varied Dips
Dolmathes Vine Leaves wrapped with rice & herbs
Saganaki Grilled Kefalograviera cheese with lemon
Arnissia Paithakia Chargrilled lamb cutlets
Loukanika Grilled spicy Pork and orange Sausage
Yiganthes Lima Beans braised with tomato & onion
Keftethes Char-grilled Meatballs
Kotopoulo Scaras Char-grilled Chicken skewers
Patates Sto Fourno Oven baked Potatoes with lemon & oregano
Village Salata Greek salad
Baklava - Walnut-filled pastry fingers steeped in syrup
Coffee- Greek coffee and a latte
Now, there seems a lot to eat, but once again the servings weren't huge. We enjoyed every course, except Pete did not eat the mushroom one, although he did try it (good boy). The courses were very fast coming to the table and sometimes we had 4 of the courses on the table at one time. This meant we were not going to be very late leaving. The waiter as I said was friendly but didn't stop and explain what each course was and a few times we actually asked him. I enjoyed the food, but I think I was a little disappointed in that it tasted like every day food to me, and the fried cheese everyone had always raved about, just seemed like grilled cheese on toast without the toast.
We left there quite full and this time we had everything in our favour and just caught a tram which meant we got to the station to just catch our train, the 7.25 meaning we got home just before 8.30, which meant we were able to tape something we'd been wanting to watch.
Overall, very nice food, friendly staff, but maybe not authentic greek cuisine like I'd hoped for.
Total cost including the bottle of wine was $121.50
Week 2 - Verge
This week was Pete's choice and so he decided we would try Verge. The restaurant is described as a mecca of modern European cuisine that sees traditional techniques entwined with definite Japanese influences. It is at 1 Flinders Lane in Melbourne, so we caught the tram up Collins, right to Spring St, and then walked the short distance . Once again we were early, so we walked around that area, and saw there were quite a few other restaurants that are also listed in our book. When it got close to 6pm, we went inside Verge and sat down at a table in the bar and after telling the waiter we were waiting to have dinner, he brought some water over for us. A few minutes later, Ainsley, from the restaurant came down and showed us upstairs to our table. We were the only people there at this time, and we realise that because we make the bookings for 6, which is convenient for us as it is straight after work, that it is very early for other people, and have found that as we are leaving after dinner, that that is the time most people actually come to eat.
After we sat and Ainsley gave us the menus and wine list, we decided to try the tasting menu. This meant we get 5 courses of different foods to sample. They also call this the degustation menu, which means sample. We had to pick our courses from the menu, we also both had to have the same thing so we thought we'd pick 2 each and then we'd agree on the dessert course. So, I picked Kingfish Tiradito,crisp school prawns,fennel and coriander caviar. My second choice was rolled rabbit loin, braised leg quinoa,pickled apple,chestnuts,crisp carrot. Pete chose Lamb rump, pressed shoulder,parsnip,onion, roasted rice consomme. His second choice was Roast Dory, vegetable escabeche ,liquid black olive,basil powder. For dessert we agreed on Pistacchio and white chocolate parfait, citrus noodle,rhubarb,sesame meringue. The waitress said we made excellent choices, and once again we decided to leave the wine selection to her and so we had 2 glasses each. One red (chianti) and one white (traminer)
Firstly rolls were brought to the table, one white and one wholemeal and also some butter (unsalted) with a small container with salt (why not just make it salted butter!)
Our first course came out quite quickly and if someone could have taken a photo of our faces they would have been priceless, as the plate were huge and then there was this tiny little plated up creation in the middle. I do mean tiny, but it was very delicious, but definately only a sample. In fact, we enjoyed every course, except for the lamb as it was only cooked medium rare, so it was a bit undercooked for us and there was a bit of fat which made that our least favorite course. I dont remember having rabbit before, but I really enjoyed that course and the two fish courses were really nice.
The time between the courses was quite long, which was surprising as we basically could finish them in one mouthful. I think it took the chef longer to make the plates look 'pretty' then it did for us to eat them. Now, we had arrived at 6pm, and just before 8 we had to ask Ainslie if we could have our dessert fairly quickly as we had to make our train. She did get it out to us fast, and this was delicious, although once again very tiny. We paid the bill and almost flew out the door.
We missed the 8.25 train and the next one wasn't till 9.55, meaning we wouldn't get home till nearly 11pm.
We had so much time to kill obviously, so we ended up walking all the way down to Southern Cross station which took around 30 minutes.
Total cost including wine was $206
Overall, we enjoyed tasting the different foods, although we were disappointed with the size of the meals, as we were definately not full when we left there. Not somewhere I would go back to again, but the waitress was extremely friendly and very helpful and the courses were all explained to us in detail as they were brought out. I have to say though, it took them longer to describe what the course consisted of then it took us to eat them.
After we sat and Ainsley gave us the menus and wine list, we decided to try the tasting menu. This meant we get 5 courses of different foods to sample. They also call this the degustation menu, which means sample. We had to pick our courses from the menu, we also both had to have the same thing so we thought we'd pick 2 each and then we'd agree on the dessert course. So, I picked Kingfish Tiradito,crisp school prawns,fennel and coriander caviar. My second choice was rolled rabbit loin, braised leg quinoa,pickled apple,chestnuts,crisp carrot. Pete chose Lamb rump, pressed shoulder,parsnip,onion, roasted rice consomme. His second choice was Roast Dory, vegetable escabeche ,liquid black olive,basil powder. For dessert we agreed on Pistacchio and white chocolate parfait, citrus noodle,rhubarb,sesame meringue. The waitress said we made excellent choices, and once again we decided to leave the wine selection to her and so we had 2 glasses each. One red (chianti) and one white (traminer)
Firstly rolls were brought to the table, one white and one wholemeal and also some butter (unsalted) with a small container with salt (why not just make it salted butter!)
Our first course came out quite quickly and if someone could have taken a photo of our faces they would have been priceless, as the plate were huge and then there was this tiny little plated up creation in the middle. I do mean tiny, but it was very delicious, but definately only a sample. In fact, we enjoyed every course, except for the lamb as it was only cooked medium rare, so it was a bit undercooked for us and there was a bit of fat which made that our least favorite course. I dont remember having rabbit before, but I really enjoyed that course and the two fish courses were really nice.
The time between the courses was quite long, which was surprising as we basically could finish them in one mouthful. I think it took the chef longer to make the plates look 'pretty' then it did for us to eat them. Now, we had arrived at 6pm, and just before 8 we had to ask Ainslie if we could have our dessert fairly quickly as we had to make our train. She did get it out to us fast, and this was delicious, although once again very tiny. We paid the bill and almost flew out the door.
We missed the 8.25 train and the next one wasn't till 9.55, meaning we wouldn't get home till nearly 11pm.
We had so much time to kill obviously, so we ended up walking all the way down to Southern Cross station which took around 30 minutes.
Total cost including wine was $206
Overall, we enjoyed tasting the different foods, although we were disappointed with the size of the meals, as we were definately not full when we left there. Not somewhere I would go back to again, but the waitress was extremely friendly and very helpful and the courses were all explained to us in detail as they were brought out. I have to say though, it took them longer to describe what the course consisted of then it took us to eat them.
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