September 10, 2007: Brunetti Viii

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is withal trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built infinite within Lygon Court.

tapas-style dinner alongside Beth too Ryan, nosotros reunited alongside Jack too Emma for a 6-person dessert fest. Michael reacquainted himself alongside the pear too cheese crumble from his second visit (and the photos I took of it this fourth dimension were actually awful). That gilt cocoa-based creation you lot run into inwards a higher house is my Chocolate Oblivion ($4.50, from memory): a heated too molten chocolate cake. Here is a crisp brownie-like cinema yielding to a cakey layer, thence giving means to viscid cake batter without a hint of baking pulverization to sour it. Oblivion, indeed - blissful inwards this pocket-size serving size, but certain to set you lot into a chocolatey coma were it whatever larger.

(Check out our other Brunetti trips: one, two, three, four, five, six too seven.)

September 11, 2007: The Quarter

Jackson, Emma as well as I spent our Tuesday wandering around the Queen Vic Markets as well as the Pixar exhibition at ACMI (I enjoyed it almost every bit much the 2nd fourth dimension every bit the first). In between, nosotros grabbed luncheon at The Quarter on Degraves Street inwards the city. It's difficult going finding a spare luncheon tabular array at 1p.m. on a working day, as well as nosotros ended upwardly only choosing The Quarter because nosotros could encounter some costless seats. The menu's pretty measure Italian - some luncheon foccacias, a bunch of pastas as well as a few meaty mains. Emma as well as I both opted for the soup of the day: H5N1 spicy Middle-Eastern vegie soup, amongst spinach leaves as well as a dollop of yoghurt as well as mint floating on top. The spiciness of the soup came almost solely from pepper, but it was a hell of a lot of pepper. Emma gave upwardly halfway through, but I struggled through it, using the yoghurty sauce as well as near half dozen spectacles of H2O to dampen the flames. I mean value somebody's manus slipped during the seasoning process. Ah well, it was a prissy persuasion as well as quite tasty if yous ignored the pepper-power.

Address: 27-31 Degraves Street
Ph: 9650 6156
Licensed
Price: Soup: $8, Foccacias $11, Pastas etc $15+

September 11, 2007: Camy Shanghai Dumpling & Noodle Eatery Ii

Birchy's rave on the blood-red edible bean fried cake ($4.90) had me hunting through the bill of fare as well as insisting Michael part 1 with me: this is a crispy fried vanquish filled with sweetness blood-red edible bean paste. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fragile residue is required betwixt waiting for the filling to cool to an edible temperature as well as non letting the vanquish lose its crunch, but the rewards are great. Can anyone say me whether this is a meant to endure a dessert? It's definitely a sweetness one, even as well as thus it's tucked inward the bill of fare alongside the jump rolls as well as other savoury delights.

Gin, nosotros equally good ordered a plate of the vegetarian duck ($3.80). In alongside our other steamed as well as fried foods, it was quite a daze to detect on my get-go mouthful that this was genuinely served cold! That surprise overcome, this proved to endure 1 of the best textured faux meats I've eaten. Though it's enough salty, I'd honey it fifty-fifty to a greater extent than if in that place were a flake of extra flavor - a duo shakes of Chinese 5-spice pulverization as well as I'd endure inward faux centre heaven.

So, Camy as well as co assay to endure to a greater extent than than simply the darlings of dumplings. But with 2 readers' comments already paying off, nosotros powerfulness endure good served inward heeding advice from Jen as well as Buttons to endeavor the house side past times side door soon...

(You tin read nearly our final catch to Camy here.)

September 15, 2007: Andrews Hamburgers

is widely told the Age that the patty - made of potato, pumpkin, sweetness potato, coriander, parsley together with feta - is from a recipe that his woman raise made at home. This is veering into the territory of Grill'd Urban Burger Republic, perhaps, but the remainder of this structure is one-time skool Aussie takeaway: a well-toasted white bun, love apple tree together with iceberg lettuce, gooey cheese, sloppy sweetness onions together with a big gloop of love apple tree sauce that's destined for your shirt front. It's messy together with a tad greasy but an enormously satisfying sunny-day lunch, together with expert nostalgic value at $7.

If y'all create succumb to Andrew's old-world charms, take in atoning for your cholesterolic sins alongside a walk or then the nearby lake.

Address: 144 Bridport Rd, Albert Park
Ph: 9690 2126
Price: vege burger $6.50

September 16, 2007: The Press Club

Cindy's wisdom teeth heal, nosotros were lastly making the trip.

We chose Lord's Day lunch, figuring that the novel chef of the year's eatery would live packed out at nights. It meant nosotros were in that place for the Lord's Day masa luncheon - a to a greater extent than traditionally focussed repast than the adventurous dishes Calombaris is developing a reputation for. There are no other options for Lord's Day lunch, you lot only sit down dorsum as well as they convey out the food. Once we'd clarified that nosotros were vego, they had a quick conference as well as reeled off a seemingly endless listing of dishes that they were going to convey out. Our waitress seemed novel as well as was a lilliputian uncertain virtually a few things (probably non helped past times our vego-ness), but she picked it upwardly equally the repast went on.

But kickoff it was fourth dimension for drinks - I went for a carafe of the white wine, which was pleasant enough, spell Cindy opted for a sour ruby-red soft drink. Instead, she got a limonata, equally they'd run out of sour cherry. Except it turns out that they hadn't (this was spell our waitress was nonetheless struggling a little) - a few minutes subsequently she ended upwardly amongst 2 drinks to bask - to represent amongst unlike courses I guess.

With that confusion out of the way, it was on to the food. First off was a plate of staff of life amongst olive stone oil as well as fancy dark salt, which combined tremendously good amongst the tomato plant as well as lentil soup that came out soon afterwards.

This was followed almost at ane time (I'd only finished my soup, but Cindy was barely halfway through) past times the meze plate, a colourful alternative of Greek nibblies. There was a Greek salad (with some seriously scrumptious feta), a plate of marinated olives (which fifty-fifty Cindy form of enjoyed), pickled cabbage (Cindy's favourite on the plate), a beetroot tzatziki as well as dolmathes (my favourite). This was all pretty enjoyable, but it was closed to this betoken that nosotros started to larn overwhelmed amongst the dishes flight out of the kitchen.

I'm non sure if you're supposed to air current upwardly amongst a backlog of dishes on your tabular array or if something was a flake off amongst the timing inwards the kitchen, but nosotros had no hazard of keeping up. Anyway, Cindy only sat dorsum as well as enjoyed hers happily letting the dishes pile upwardly closed to her, spell I foolishly tried to proceed upwardly amongst the onslaught as well as ended upwardly feeling a flake stressed out past times it all. It for sure wasn't the laidback Lord's Day afternoon feeling I was expecting. But that's past times the by, let's force on amongst the residual of the food.

Next upwardly was some other wooden meze tray, this fourth dimension amongst a plate of spanakopita, a dyad of roast tomatoes stuffed amongst some classify of rice concoction as well as an iceberg lettuce salad dressed amongst lemon juice. The spanak was tasty, without beingness equally mindblowing equally Cindy had hoped (I shout out upwardly she expecting ane of Georgie's to a greater extent than innovative creations - he does some strange seafoody spanaks, as well as then it was flake of a shame that the vegie ane was only a criterion effort) as well as the tomatoes looked slap-up (if you lot similar that classify of thing).

With a flake of tabular array rearrangement, the adjacent gear upwardly of dishes arrived: a bowl of lemony roasted potatoes, a haloumi, shaved fennel as well as orangish salad as well as a roast pumpkin as well as almond bougatsa (basically a filo twine filled amongst a pumpkin mix). Cindy was actually excited virtually the potatoes, but unfortunately they were a flake of a allow downward - a lilliputian on the dry out side as well as non peculiarly lemony (we both had fond memories of the oily lemon spuds at Lefka's Taverna inwards West End). Luckily the haloumi salad to a greater extent than than made upwardly for it. This was easily the highlight of the repast - beautifully fried haloumi, which combined good amongst the shaved fennel as well as slices of citrusy goodness. Throw inwards the grape confit that was drizzled over the whole affair as well as it was a non-stop flavor explosion. The pumpkin filo was fine, but I was filling upwardly past times this phase as well as it was a lilliputian on the heavy side for my near-bursting stomach.

By at nowadays our tabular array was flood amongst nutrient - nosotros struggled on bravely as well as made a decent dint inwards all of the dishes earlier eventually throwing our hands upwardly as well as quitting. Luckily, this was the betoken where they chose to respite our non-stop nutrient attack, giving us a decent 15 infinitesimal breather earlier the desserts came out. When they did, nosotros were given a lilliputian newspaper handbag containing half dozen unlike dessert nibbles: some classify of mini Greek donuts, some lilliputian baklavas as well as some classify of vaguely custardy thing. All were fantastic (particularly the baklava, which I'm non unremarkably a huge fan of) as well as the java they served upwardly was high character equally well.

The finale was a serial of Greek spoon sweets - preserves of quince, eggplant as well as pistachio served upwardly on lilliputian spoons. They were delicious, although our waitress made some ambiguous comment that suggested nosotros in all probability weren't supposed to consume all six.


On the whole, it was in all probability a slightly disappointing experience - I shout out upwardly we'd live amend served ordering off their regular bill of fare when in that place are a few to a greater extent than exotic options similar the haloumi salad. Everything else was fine, but none of it was peculiarly thrilling. The service was a lilliputian uncertain, but inwards a friendly as well as alone forgivable means as well as the room is airy as well as low-cal inwards the afternoon (which is proficient for Cindy's photography). We won't write off The Press Club for our time to come slightly upmarket dining experiences, but I incertitude we'll pick the Lord's Day afternoon masa for our adjacent attempt.

Address: 72 Flinders Street, Melbourne CBD
Ph: 9677 9677
Price: Sunday luncheon masa, $55 per person
Licensed
Website: http://www.thepressclub.com.au

September 18, 2007: Asian-Inspired Salad

Here's a darn tasty weeknight repast - an Asian-inspired "chicken" salad. Mixed greens, capsicum, carrot, cucumber as well as edible bean sprouts are topped alongside about oven-baked gluten pieces. Extra season came from an ad-libbed dressing of kejap manis, tamarind paste, soy sauce, rice wine, palm saccharide as well as 5-spice powder.

September 18, 2007: Rhubarb In Addition To Ginger Pudding

Gingerlee. I took an experimental gustation together with didn't similar it at all: stringy alongside a sourness that wasn't at all fruity, together with that pesky likeness to celery. (For the tape I truly similar celery but its house equally a savoury salad vege truly interfered alongside my appreciation of rhubarb equally a "fruit".) It briefly occurred to me that I mightiness induce got picked upwardly about bitter rainbow chard past times mistake.

Another blogger (I intend it was Matt of MattBites but I can't honor the post) waxed nostalgic virtually eating raw stalks of rhubarb dipped inwards carbohydrate equally a kid, together with hence I tried that equally stage 2 of Getting To Know Rhubarb. This was a chip to a greater extent than agreeable - the sweetness together with sour gustation was starting to come upwardly through. H5N1 cynical niggling vocalization inwards my caput noted that most disliked veges would in all likelihood yield the same improvement inwards gustation if I coated them inwards sugar. Besides, that celery odor together with texture were yet lurking.... I yet wasn't completely convinced that it was truly rhubarb I've been eating out all these years.

But I pushed on together with followed this recipe for rhubarb together with ginger pudding that appeared inwards the Age a few months ago. As I spread the modest total of batter over those strong together with disturbingly greenish sticks, I wondered if this entire do was a waste materials of fourth dimension together with butter. It wasn't. What emerged from the oven was what I knew rhubarb to last - soft together with pinkish together with sweetness together with sour. Better yet, it was encased inwards a pudding! This i is a fairly dense together with non overly buttery cake - the theater surface reminded me real much of gingerbread. It's delicious warm or cool, alongside or without cream. And if the learning procedure isn't vantage plenty inwards itself, this dessert is the perfect pay-off for trying something new.

Rhubarb together with ginger pudding

500g rhubarb
125g castor sugar
1/3 loving cup golden syrup
185g evidently flour
1 teaspoon solid set down ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a milk shiver of solid set down nutmeg
a pinch of salt
125g butter
3 tablespoons brownish sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C together with grease a 1-litre casserole or pudding dish. Chop the rhubarb into 3cm lengths together with suit them on the bottom of the dish. Pour the castor carbohydrate evenly over them.

Measure the golden syrup into a loving cup together with stand upwardly it inwards hot water, together with hence that it's liquid together with pourable. Sift together the dry out ingredients (flour through to salt). Cream together the butter together with brownish sugar. When they're pale together with fluffy, innovate the syrup together with operate along beating. Next add together the egg, beating until good combined. Fold inwards the dry out ingredients.

Gently oestrus the milk together with stir inwards the bicarbonate of soda until completely dissolved. Add them to the pudding batter together with mix well. Spoon the mixture over the rhubarb together with bake the pudding until it's well-browned together with an inserted skewer comes out clean. The master copy recipe estimates 35 minutes but my pudding took 45-50 minutes to ready through inwards the centre.