December 9, 2006: Sos

Another Outspoken Female's review and the online menu gave us due alert that at that topographic point is a lot of seafood on offer: the entree listing is roughly 40% vegetarian, the mains listing 33% veg, too all the specials were distinctly fishy.

I institute the atmosphere of SOS to last a niggling disjointed. It's really open, making the most of the summertime daylight, too ultra-modern inward design. The communal tables too placemats give a casual feel, notwithstanding the service is to a greater extent than formal, amongst the staff pulling out chairs too setting napkins on the customers' laps. While I appreciate the constant topping upward of my water, I'd experience much to a greater extent than comfortable looking afterwards my ain jug (and my ain lap). While we're at it, I'd equally good experience a lot to a greater extent than comfortable inward unlike chairs.

While nosotros perused the bill of fare nosotros were treated to our alternative of breadstuff too a shallow dish of citrus-infused olive oil. I was going alcohol-free, too was disappointed that my 'lemon squash' was nearly sure enough a tin of Lift inward a crystal-glass-with-a-lemon-peel-garnish disguise. After we'd made our decisions too returned our menus, nosotros were presented amongst tiny bites of bruschetta on crunchy, oily mini-toast.

As an entree, I ordered "warm greenish too white asparagus served amongst 'pane croccante', parmigiano too bottarga" ($17). Having since dicovered that bottarga are fish roe, I'm pretty confident that they were omitted from my dish. The asparagus were fresh, flavoursome, too a niggling firmer than my preferred texture. The creamy sauce, sliver of cheese too salty-crunchy breadcrumbs were the perfect accompaniment, but a chip to a greater extent than leafage would bring been nice. Michael had zucchini flowers stuffed amongst ricotta, amongst crispy love apple tree skins on the side.

Michael's principal class was "hand made polenta pasta amongst borlotti ragu, babe silverbeet, Roman cauliflower too truffled Pecorino" ($27). H5N1 tasty mix of textures amongst silky-soft pasta. I had "hand filled triangles of pumpkin too ricotta served amongst pumpkin puree, butter too sage sauce" ($27). The mathematician inward me protested that these weren't actually triangles, but the gastronome was good satisfied: soft sweetness filling contrasted amongst garnishes of precipitous salty cornflakes too orangish rind, all made particularly indulgent amongst melted butter.

We had enough of room for dessert, too a sly await at portions served close us confirmed that nosotros had enough of room for a dessert each. On the left is my "traditional Italian trend Zucotto served amongst chocolate sorbet too vin santo sauce" ($14). The innocent ice-creamy centre amongst lollyish glace fruit pieces was wrapped inward an extremely alcoholic layer of pinkish sponge cake. The chocolate sorbet was a potent cocoa striking amongst a hint of coffee, too non a driblet of milk or cream to last tasted. H5N1 novel too really adult summertime dessert experience for me! Michael picked the daily special, a tart amongst grapes, custard too pistachio H2O ice cream on the side.

It was sure enough worth visiting SOS to sample the upper destination of Melbourne cuisine for the get-go time. But equally vegetarians rather than seafood-lovers, the increased character of ingredients too inventiveness inward the bill of fare doesn't quite agree the increment inward toll too decrease inward constituent size. For my side past times side birthday, I'll remind myself how many Melbourne restaurants offering fabulous meat-free feasts for nether $25.

Edit 21/07/07: SOS has since unopen but creator Paul Mathis has opened a novel restaurant, the 100 Mile Cafe, inward the same location.

Address:Level 3, Melbourne Central, 211 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
Ph: 9654 0808
Fully licensed
Price: entrees $17-21, veg mains $27-29, desserts $13-18
Website: http://sosmelbourne.com.au/

Menu For Hope

Helen over at Menu for Hope.

Last twelvemonth nutrient bloggers merely about the basis raised $17,000 for UNICEF. This year, the United Nations World Food Program volition have the proceeds of the campaign. The coin is basically raised through a serial of raffles amongst prizes donated past times generous bloggers, restaurants together with other food-related organisations. The listing of prizes is over at Grab Your Fork, along amongst to a greater extent than details nearly the whole campaign.

December 10, 2006: The Dark-Green Grocer

Update 27/2/2014: Walking past times the other day, I noticed that The Green Grocer has unopen downwardly in addition to been replaced past times Sixteen 83 Epicerie.

With Cindy heading off to Brisbane for a pre-Christmas grooming course, Dominicus was our final endangerment to grab upwards alongside Krusty and J-Files earlier they ditched Melbourne (and us) for exotic unusual pastures. To commemorate our brief Melbourne overlap, nosotros braved the stifling oestrus in addition to dense smoke for breakfast at The Green Grocer inwards North Fitzroy. The Green Grocer doubles every bit a pocket-size organic foodstore in addition to a cafe specialising inwards organic breakfasts in addition to lunches. Surprisingly, things were nevertheless fairly tranquillity when nosotros arrived - patently North Fitzroy doesn't teach going until a chip later 9am. Either that or the thick smoke had fooled everybody into sleeping in. Regardless, nosotros had the house well-nigh to ourselves in addition to the focus rapidly turned to ordering.

Aside from Cindy's baffling anti-egg agenda, the mix 'n' jibe egg options were the flavour of the day: I went for beans in addition to avocado to accompany, Krusty settled for only the beans in addition to J-Files opted for mushrooms in addition to hash-browns. All of us settled on poached eggs - alongside practiced reason. The eggs were perfectly cooked - fluffy whites gently encasing delicously gooey yolks. The beans are worthy of a cite also - spicy in addition to flavoursome, a long means from the globe of Heinz. The non-egg savoury options were pretty limited, in addition to thus Cindy went for the French toast alongside seasonal fruit. The seasonal fruit turned out to last a twain of stewed peaches, which was a tad disappointing, but her breakfast was otherwise a success.

It was, all inwards all, a delicious occasion tinged alongside sadness - Krusty in addition to J-Files convey introduced us to only about of our favourite Melbourne places in addition to been a beacon of familiar friendship inwards a unusual novel world. They volition last missed. Their legacy volition last carried on past times the treasure trove of cookbooks nosotros plundered from their pile of pre-intercontinental relocation cast-offs.

Address: 217 St. Georges Rd. Fitzroy North
Phone: 9489 1747
Price: Breakfast $10 - $15

Categories:

• Restaurants

Holiday Wrap-Up

Michael as well as I finished 2006 as well as began 2007 amongst a whirlwind tour of Queensland, amongst much eating as well as a piffling cooking to live had. I prepared ii trays of spanakopita, as well as my friend as well as host Justine as well as I gradually ate our agency through them, inwards minor microwaved episodes, every bit nosotros finished our final calendar week of work. I baked the really American butter pecan turtle bars for a really Australian Christmas party, a beery barbeque on the verandah of a Queenslander-style home. For our Cairns Christmas, nosotros passed circular eastern vegetarian burgers amongst raita, as well as I had a consummate home-made mayo failure. The spud salad survived, but was a pale faux of the Soulmama version. H5N1 few days after at Redcliffe, nosotros wowed my dad amongst our fried brownish rice as well as mightiness to give the recipe to him inwards seconds from my USB retentiveness stick.

Christmas arrived a piffling early on amongst a surprise bundle from Michael's mother, Robyn. Inside was a bunch of Oxfam goodies! Indian Chai, Za'atar, Hot Chilli Sauce, Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce, Hot Mango Chutney, as well as a box of v fragrant spices. I'm looking forwards to blogging near our uses of these inwards the coming months. Some of my solid unit of measurement members gave us an Oxfam goat, which nosotros promise volition render nutrient as well as income for a solid unit of measurement that needs it to a greater extent than than nosotros do. Michael's brother, Matt, presented us amongst a mass that got me to a greater extent than excited than Michael - tempted: 150 really wicked desserts. This saw me retreating from the grouping for at to the lowest degree one-half an hour, absorbing page after page of luscious, chocolately photos. Watch this infinite every bit I recreate them!

I visited roughly former favourite restaurants (most notably Punjabi Palace, my local Indian takeaway amongst the killer korma; as well as Babylon Restaurant, amongst the largest Turkish banquets you lot volition e'er encounter), discovered roughly novel eating (the Green Ant Cantina inwards Cairns) as well as adventuring (the incredible novel Gallery of Modern Art inwards Brisbane). Many of our favourite folks took us out on the town, prepared fabulous nutrient as well as society at home, or gave us a bed for the night. We're grateful that nosotros know then many generous people.

January 5, 2007: The Vegie Bar Iii

here together with here.)

January 5, 2007: Trampoline

dinner at the Vegie Bar together with a drinkable a fiddling farther along Brunswick St, close of our political party discovered their dessert stomaches together with joined the out-the-door queue for gelato at Trampoline. Michael together with I shared this loving cup of purplish rumble, java mash together with caramel pear sorbet. Both the sorbet together with gelato flavours were smoothen together with refreshing, non heavy or likewise rich. The java mash together with purplish rumble hitting the mark, but I constitute the caramel pear overly sweetness together with lacking fruity tang (guess I should accept ordered lemon or lychee & lime if that was what I was looking for). This is the perfect process for a summertime night: cool together with light, sweetness together with fruity or chocolatey every bit y'all please, together with simply a fiddling extravagant.

Categories:

• Takeaway
• Sweet

January 7, 2007: Pizza

another recipe. But fourth dimension was getting on together with it looked edible, thus I split upwards it into 4 together with rolled out some sparse bases.

The consequence was really sparse together with crisp, smaller together with lacking the breadiness that I was hoping for. I approximate the whole yeast affair didn't actually operate out for me this time. Nevertheless, sparse together with crispy is the best agency to approach a wholemeal base, I reckon, together with houseguests Emma together with Simon were really gratuitous of my homemade effort. Their ideas inward the morning time inspired some pretty especial topping combinations too.

This i has love apple tree paste, mozarella, mushrooms, zucchini, capsicum, marinated eggplant together with capers.

Satay sauce, fresh basil leaves, spinach, steamed pumpkin, pino nuts, fetta together with a petty mozarella.


Tomato paste, dried oregano, fresh basil leaves, mushrooms, mozarella together with parmesan.

Edit 11/01/07: Within hours of posting this, the lovely Ellie (a.k.a. Kitchen Wench) emailed me amongst some extra tips. Here are the of import bits, copied amongst her permission:

I’ve simply spoken amongst my colleague at operate (who is quite the experienced baker/cook together with my resources for data when I’m stumped!) together with he’s said wholemeal flour is a lot less refined than white flour, thus the destination consequence volition last something a lot heavier than what the consequence would last similar made amongst white flour. To scrap this you’d need to purpose to a greater extent than yeast to instruct it to ascent nicely. Also, though non 100% certain, he said he’s fairly sure as shooting that wholemeal is a lot ‘thirstier’ than white flour, thus y'all may need to add together to a greater extent than liquid to instruct the dough to the same consistency.

Since I’ve never baked amongst wholemeal before, I’m exclusively guessing here, but perchance y'all could add together some other 1g of the yeast for the initial blooming, together with purpose 150g white flour together with 100g wholemeal? I’m non sure as shooting almost adding to a greater extent than liquid – if y'all honour that the dough that comes together at kickoff isn’t mucilaginous at all, perchance add together some other 50grams (a petty less than approx ¼ cup) to run across if it helps? If you’re feeling upwards for experimentation, this could last a practiced starting request :) Also, if you’re upwards for something non quite *so* thin, what y'all tin also do is evidence together with curlicue it into the sum cast (about 4mm thick) the kickoff fourth dimension around, layer the toppings thus encompass it amongst a dishcloth together with instruct out it to proof for almost 10-15 minutes, that *should* instruct y'all something a fleck puffier/breadlier :)

Perhaps I'll make-over the kitchen every bit a surreptitious pizza laboratory on a weekend soon...

Categories:

• Cooking
• Recipes
• Savoury