Cumulus Inc Ii

January 14, 2013

My sis hitting town inwards mid-Jan to hang out at the lawn tennis in addition to explore the urban centre a bit. We alone had a twosome of nights earlier jetting off to Tassie (posts to follow!) in addition to wanted to accept her somewhere exciting in addition to quintessentially Melbourne. We tried to hitting upward Mamasita, but fifty-fifty at 8:45 on a Mon black you're looking at a hold off of to a greater extent than than an hour. Thankfully Melbourne has a few other hip walk-up places inwards the CBD. Our side past times side exertion was Cumulus Inc where, shockingly, nosotros were seated immediately.

I'm non certain much needs to hold out said most Cumulus, it's been reviewed past times to a greater extent than than a hundred bloggers in addition to is i of Melbourne's most famous restaurants. The understated entry takes you lot into a fashionable venue - it's got a pretty casual experience most it, alongside a twosome of bars in addition to enough of communal tables. We've ever establish Andrew McConnell's nutrient pretty veg-friendly, in addition to some fourth dimension dorsum Cumulus featured on Louise past times Degrees had no vegan luck at brekkie). However, on an unblogged run see a twosome of years ago, nosotros establish the prepare veg bill of fare a flake disappointing, in addition to then it wasn't clear what nosotros should expect.

The 'salads in addition to comestibles' department of the bill of fare has half dozen dishes (two of which human face vegan past times default, most of which could hold out veganised if they were feeling helpful) - at that spot are a twosome of starters equally well, but nosotros decided to focus on the larger dishes.

First upward was the grilled zucchini, dill, oregano, egg in addition to lemon sauce ($16). We've been having a flake of success alongside zucchini inwards the terminal petty while, in addition to this took things to a novel score - the flowers in addition to slivers of vegetable swam inwards a tangy lemon sauce in addition to were prepare off past times the distinct but non domineering dill.

At almost the same time, the spuds came out - roast kipfler potatoes alongside reddish vino vinegar in addition to mustard ($11). No surprise that this our favourite dish of the black - magically cooked in addition to somehow alongside the vinegar in addition to mustard seeping all the agency through. Not slow to share.

Our tertiary dish got lost somewhere betwixt the companionship in addition to the kitchen, but eventually came out later an inquiry: saffron spiced cauliflower, golden raisins, pino nuts in addition to curd ($16).

It was a shame this came out late, equally it would receive got worked best inwards combination alongside the zucchini. It however packed a pretty proficient punch, quite reminiscent of the lunch dish at Mankoushe. The earthy cauliflower is offset alongside sweetness raisins in addition to a flake of salty cheese. It's a proficient side dish, but it would receive got been ideal to receive got another bits in addition to pieces to interruption it up. 

Anyway, nosotros made upward for our slight disappointment past times perusing the dessert menu. I randomly settled on the Rum Baba ($17), despite having no existent thought what it would be. Turns out it's a classic dessert, which has been served at fancy dinners for hundreds of years.

The Cumulus version is gigantic - a huge ringlet of sponge cake served on a thick custardy sauce alongside a bottle of aged rum plonked side past times side to it for dousing. The waiter warned me non to douse likewise heavily, equally the rum would overpower everything else and, equally tempting equally it was to disobey, I restrained myself.

This is a corking dessert - the cake only soaks upward the other flavours. It's sweetness in addition to boozy in addition to ridiculously indulgent.

Cindy was a petty to a greater extent than restrained, ordering the choc mint sorbet alongside soft chocolate in addition to chocolate sponge ($16).

The paired blobs were a polish rich chocolate ganache in addition to a lighter mint sorbet, which were perched on some torn upward cake in addition to a bed of crunchy choc puffs. I'm non a huge fan of the choc-mint combo generally, but this was nicely done.

Cumulus worked out perfectly for us inwards the goal - it's effortlessly cool in addition to however really example of a slightly fancy Melbourne black out (minus the hours of waiting this fourth dimension amazingly). The staff were helpful in addition to pretty friendly (although the missing cauliflower was a flake of a shame) in addition to the nutrient was travel past times notch. Much similar Movida Next Door, at that spot aren't actually whatever substantial veggie dishes on the menu, but you lot tin brand a pretty splendid repast out of the bits in addition to pieces available.

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Since nosotros visited for breakfast inwards 2009, Cumulus Inc has been reviewed past times everyone on the network ever, although alone Nouveau Potato has given a vegetarian perspective - they weren't equally impressed equally nosotros were. 

From a meaty perspective,Petit Miamx (twice), Pooh inwards the Kitchen, The Epicurean of Southbank,  N & due north Eating Out, Queen of Bad Timing, The Hungry Excavator, Eesh, A Sheepish Flog, Melbourne Culinary Journal, Munch & Muse, Let Me Feed You Melbourne, e*ting the world, Ichigo Shortcake, Sweet in addition to Sour Fork, food, glorious food, Expat Gourmand, All hail your Huiness, the sydney tarts, T in addition to T, EAT AND BE MERRY, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE(T), Taste Buds Galore, Gluttony Gluttony, melbourne gastronome, I Eat Therefore I Am, bri eats, Fat Pom Pom, The Food Complex, The Gourmet Challenge, nik-nak castle, Dave Plus Food, I'm in addition to then hungree, The Frenchman's Food in addition to Wine Blog, The Belly Rules Blog, Eat, Cook, Drink, Big Food, Small World, 1001 Dinners, 1001 Nights, Saucy Onion, slicing almonds in addition to zesting lemons, wok you lot talking about?, Temasek, The Ortolan's Last Meal, Reservation inwards the elevate of Jones, daily musings, ramblings, Missy Ness' Food Train of Thought, Barley Blog (twice), Where Adles Eats, Poppet's Window, half-eaten in addition to Melbourne Culinary Journal receive got all loved it, spell food.loves.my.mouth, The Razzies in addition to angelkhong were underwhelmed (so many reviews - I didn't fifty-fifty include the dozens in addition to dozens of brekkie spider web log posts!).

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Cumulus Inc

45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

9650 1445

savoury veg dishes: $11-$16, desserts: $16-$17

http://cumulusinc.com.au/

Accessibility: There are a twosome of shallow steps off the street. There are a mix of seating arrangements: high tables, a twosome of bars in addition to some lower options. It's fairly spacious in addition to there's total tabular array service. We didn't larn inwards to the toilets.

Curry Soup

July 28, 2014

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few months subsequently it hitting the newsstands, Cindy together with I live grabbed a re-create of Cutler & Co, Cumulus Inc together with elsewhere).

The topic for this wintery calendar week was soups - nosotros skipped the chestnut, celeriac together with cabbage soup recipe together with focussed on McConnell's curry soup. The recipe included a big pile of mussels, but nosotros were assured inward the text that it was merely equally practiced mussel-free, thence nosotros swapped inward a tin sack of chickpeas together with garnished amongst a few fried mushrooms instead (we likewise left out the butter to croak on things vegan). Once yous chop upward all the pumpkin it's a rattling straightforward recipe together with the halt effect is loaded amongst spicy-sweet flavours from the array of aromatics that are simmered in. The chickpeas were an okay addition, but adjacent fourth dimension I mightiness seek to mean value of something a chip chunkier to accept the house of the mussels - I experience similar about big murphy cubes or diced mock-meat would travel well. This is definitely a practiced base of operations for a spicy wintertime soup - we'll study dorsum on whatever futurity experimenting nosotros do.

Curry soup

(adapted from this recipe inward The Sat Paper)

1 onion, diced finely

ii tablespoons olive oil

iii garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric

ii blood-red birdseye chillies, sliced finely

4cm spell of ginger, chopped finely

410g tin sack of chopped tomatoes

600g pumpkin, peeled together with diced into 1cm cubes

1L veggie stock + an extra 250ml or thence of water

410g tin sack of chickpeas, drained together with rinsed

aromatics

vi makrut lime leaves

fifteen curry leaves

2cm chunk of ginger

2cm chunk of galangal

1 tablespoon palm sugar

1 teaspoon garam masala (we'd run out, thence I made upward my ain amongst a mix of terra firma mace, cinnamon, cloves, cumin together with nutmeg)

400ml tin sack of kokosnoot milk

Heat the olive crude oil inward a big saucepan together with throw inward the onion, garlic, ginger together with chilli, cooking for v or 10 minutes, until everything is soft together with the onion has gone a chip golden.

Add the tomatoes, pumpkin, stock, turmeric together with the extra water. Bring to a simmer together with cook, covered, for nearly xx minutes.

Attack the mix amongst a stick blender until you've managed to plough all the pumpkin together with onion pieces into a relatively polish glue (if you've got a existent blender yous tin sack transfer the soup together with produce it properly)

Throw inward all the aromatics together with simmer again, for nearly 10 minutes. Fish out the ginger together with galangal chunks equally good equally the lime together with curry leaves together with and then stir inward the chickpeas, cooking for about other v minutes or so.

June 17, 2010: Cutler & Co Ii

Since nosotros moved to Melbourne we've been edifice upward a tradition of fancy degustation feasts to celebrate our respective birthdays. People who've been with us for years volition retrieve our gob-smacked enjoyment of Andrew McConnell's onetime house Three, One, Two means dorsum inwards 2007 as well as our follow-up see inwards 2008. It's taken us a piece to actually elbow grease out McConnell's novel place, Cutler as well as Co - certain nosotros sampled a neat lunch finally year, as well as we've breakfasted at his other articulation Cumulus Inc, but nosotros hadn't got our human activeness together as well as tried out a actually fancy repast there. So this twelvemonth I decided to larn far my birthday venue.

Unlike Three, One, Two the vegie degustation isn't a criterion choice - nosotros allow them know ahead of fourth dimension that nosotros were keen as well as they were to a greater extent than than happy to adjust us. The degustation is 8 courses - half dozen savoury as well as 2 sugariness - for $100 a pop.

Things started off with the obligatory breadstuff - sourdough this time. It was every bit delicious every bit ever, but I intend I generally savour the breadstuff at these places because of the licence to smear it with awesome butter as well as salt.

The kickoff existent shape was a pick of four entrees:

Rye crackers with horseradish as well as fresh radishes,


Weird parmesan as well as tapioca crackers (right) as well as goats cheese cigars with olive pulverization (left)


Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 pick of marinated olives (you'll annotation that I was besides impatient to hold back for the photos as well as there's already a lonely pit sitting in that location inwards the pit-bucket.

These were all excellent, a cavalcade of flavour as well as texture - crispness, creaminess, weird powders, tender olives. All real impressive. The undoubted star were the cigars - filled with a wonderfully creamy caprine animal cheese within these crisp footling cylinders, all sitting on a dehydrated olive powder. I would direct maintain been happy if these came out with every course.

Instead, nosotros were adjacent served upward this footling delight:

baby beetroot served on creme fraiche as well as smoked onion ceviche, with rye cracker twigs, dill, footling beetroot jelly cubes as well as fresh light-green capsicum. The creme fraiche was lightly tangy as well as impossible smooth, piece the beetroot had a sweeter sense of savor than I expected. This was or as well as then other textural adventure: crunchy crackers, crisp capsicum, jellied beetroot as well as tender infant beet. The dill was a footling overpowering when you lot big bits of it inwards a unmarried mouthful but otherwise it worked brilliantly.

Next upward was an unphotographed dish (can't fifty-fifty blame booze for this oversight) - a carrot salad with raw, cooked as well as pickled carrot, with walnut cream as well as shanklish. This was a cute riff on the carrot theme, with crisp raw carrots, black as well as soft cooked carrot as well as slivers of tart carrot pickle. There were a few to a greater extent than radishes inwards in that location every bit well, along with or as well as then pieces of slightly candied walnut as well as the mild shanklish as well as walnut cream.

The next dish was in all likelihood our pick of the bunch: slippery jack mushrooms, pomme anna as well as nettle.

The footling bundle of finely sliced as well as fried potatoes was exactly amazing. Most of you lot volition know Cindy's obsession with all things chip-related, as well as this left her unable to fifty-fifty beak - perhaps the potato-highlight of the year. The slippery jacks were their commons odd, slightly squishy texture, but were cooked beautifully as well as had a mild, buttery flavour. They were served atop a Jerusalem artichoke puree with vanilla as well as beneath a nettle topping, which was a welcome sight of greenery with a plate of fried goodness. But really, this was all nearly the potato. Stunning.

Things shifted gears over again next, going from a hearty fried treat, to something to a greater extent than fragile as well as stewy - a leek bourride, with fregola, smoked Lycopersicon esculentum as well as mustard cream.

The mustard cream made this dish, with the residue serving almost every bit vessels for it's creamy goodness. The tiny pasta pieces were a prissy textural variation, piece the leeks were soft as well as had soaked inwards enough of the glorious mustard cream.

Our finally savoury was billed every bit a form of principal dish, with 2 plates coming out: a footling rectangle of baked ricotta, served with a raw populace artichoke as well as fennel salad.

The salad was tart as well as fresh as well as the cheese-prism was lite as well as crumbly - Cindy noted that on its own, this plate would brand for a great boundary entree. But it came with something to a greater extent than seasonally appropriate, this hearty eggplant mush, sprinkled with almonds.

It was warming as well as hearty, with a prissy mix of crispy roasted nuts as well as soft as well as gooey eggplant mush. It was also filling - at this phase nosotros were both glad that it was fourth dimension to motility on to dessert.

First upward was a Mandarin as well as carrot granita, served with sheep's milk yoghurt.

This was ameliorate than either of us expected - the fine cylinders of raw carrot had been soaked inwards something sugariness as well as delicious, piece the icy granita as well as sugariness biscuit crumbs were similar powdered goodness. Throw inwards a few plump Mandarin pieces as well as or as well as then amazing yoghurt as well as you've got a wonderful refreshing treat.

But a chocolate-less treat. So it was lucky that our concluding shape brought the chocolate: purplish H2O ice cream, chocolate ganachek, clove meringue, freeze-dried raspberries, or as well as then classify of nutty sponge as well as chocolate powder.

This was astonishing - the footling ruddy pellets were concentrated raspberry flavour, the ganache was ridiculously chocolatey, as well as the purplish H2O ice cream was floral without beingness weird. Combined, this was exactly a heavenly plate - all the flavours as well as textures (the meringue added or as well as then mash to all the powders as well as creaminess) working together to brand something wonderful. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 perfect goal to the meal, as well as the alone dish to compete with the murphy as well as mushrooms every bit the night's winner.

Cutler as well as Co actually plough it on with the degustation - our repast made stars of beetroot, carrot, mustard cream, fried potato, goats cheese, eggplant, Mandarin as well as ricotta, with each shape highlighting the restaurant's wonderful ingredients as well as inventive cooking. The service throughout was impeccable, as well as the twain of spectacles of vino I had were great - I tin dismiss intend of literally zip to complain nearly except for our inability to larn a booking earlier 8:30 as well as hence eating yesteryear xi at night. But it's pop for a reason, people, as well as then larn booking.

Read nearly our previous see to Cutler as well as Co here.

For the completist, brand your means through the dozens of C & C reviews at: Saucy Thyme, Melbourne Dining, Melbourne Gastronome, Melbourne's Bargain Foodie, Doublecooked, Eat (almost) Anything at Least Once, See. Smell. Taste., Record, rewind, play, 1001 dinners 1001 nights, The Chronices of Ms I-Hua, Munching inwards Melbourne, Off the Spork