What every cloud has...

Justs stopped over in Melbourne for two days for work and was a little disappointed initially because:
(A) The short stay meant I had little opportunity to pig out like I normally do in this fantastic city.
(B) Accomodation options were scarce because Tiger Woods was in town and that brought with it crowds that took up my usual hotel options. (Britney Spears was also in town but I seriously doubt that would have been a reason for my predicament).

In any case, I remained optimistic and tried to make the best of my 48 hours in the mighty Melbourne. As it turned out, the little serviced apartment that I managed to secure, whilst on the fringes of the city centre at the end of Flinders Lane, meant that I was strategically placed right next to one of the city's hottest up and coming restaurants, Cumulus Inc.

Named after puffy looking clouds (look up wikipedia for a more meteor-logical explanation) and run by Andrew McConnell (the Age Food Guide chef of the year), this very cool spot is famed for inventive food but also fantastic breakfasts.

I popped in in the wee hours of the morning on my second day (it starts getting busy from 8am onwards) and was immediately drawn to the smoked salmon, 65/65 egg, sorrel, apple and dill dish on the inventive breakfast menu. I am unashamedly an eggnophile - and the intriguing description meant I just had to order it.

A 65/65 egg is essentially a super slow poached egg, with its description indicating that it is poached in its shell at a controlled temperature of 65 degrees celcius for 65 minutes. What results is a textural delight - perfectly poached white and a creamy, almost gelatinous yolk of eggy goodness. Paired with the subtle saltiness of the Tom Cooper's smoked salmon, the "it just makes sense" combination of dill and capers, plus the acid from the refreshing batons of green apple, all served on a crusty buttered ciabatta toast, and you get one delicious breakfast dish.

Satisfied from a great first meal to the day, I decided that my initial reasons for disappointment were actually a blessing in disguise. Cumulus is a sophisticated and very smart dining experience, and as far as clouds go - this is one that has reminded me that every situation has a silver lining.

Cumulus Inc
45 Flinders Lane
Melbourne 3000
www.cumulusinc.com.au

Daylesford Dreaming

On a recent visit to Melbourne, M and I decided to spend a couple of days in the day spa country town of Daylesford which is around an hour and a half outside of the city. This picturesque town was very cool - great spots to eat, drink, stay, bath (in one of the many mineral springs bath houses) and unwind (with luxurious massage treatments). Here are just some of the many great little spots in this very unforgettable holiday destination.

Stay

http://www.saltus.com.au/ - These beautiful self contained villas are perched gently on a hill overlooking the Hepburn Springs woods. Fantastic fit outs, a stone bath, panoramic views from the living and bedrooms and a very functional kitchen - this is a great spot for a relaxing getaway.

Sweet
http://www.sweetdecadence.com.au/ - This well known chocolate cafe on the main strip in Daylesford serves great coffee, hand made chocolates and a to die for chocolate pudding.

Drink
http://www.breakfastandbeer.com.au/home.php - a fine collection of Australian and European beers, this eclectic establishment also serves simple but well cooked light meals. The owner is more than happy to impart his extensive knowledge on the humble brew and will expertly pair your meals with a well matched pour.

Eat
http://www.theredstar.com.au/ - This tiny cafe doesn't look like much from the outside but is a warm and welcoming breakfast establishment that does a fantastic breakfast fry up. The fare here is unpretentious but very well cooked - the black pudding in particular was stunning and well worth the visit for.

Cook
http://www.fernleighfarms.com/ - this organic farm that specialises in the rare wessex saddleback pigs is fantastic. The owner, Fiona, has a real passion for humane treatment of her livestock and is truly sincere about producing the best sustainable produce. On the drive in I even noticed her happy pigs munching on organic carrots, apples, parsnips and other delicious vegetables. I purchased some streaky bacon and a pork neck which I used to whip up for dinner that night. A roast pork rubbed in thyme and garlic and wrapped with crispy bacon and served with a apple and roasted vegetable gravy was truly brilliant and testament to how great ingredients make great food.

I Heart Dumplings

Morsels of goodness - I love dim sum but am always found frustrated, almost violently so, about the lack of decent place in Perth to enjoy some well made dumplings (though I have found a pretty decent place recently which I will blog about down the track)...

In Melbourne however, the availability of good yum cha isn't lost in this food capital of the nation. Whilst some of these might be found in Chinatown... some really fantastic, made to order dim sum can be found in the suburbs.

Purple Sands is a relatively small chinese restaurant located in the leafy suburb of Camberwell (where that ridiculously talented actor Geoffrey Rush lives). Almost too unassuming from the outside as it sits next to an even more unassuming laundromat - the quality of the food and especially the dumplings here is pretty darn surprising.

Everything is made to order here - which is a huge difference to the mass produced gluggy stuff that have become so common around places that continue to draw the crowds (for some reason that continues to baffle me). Call me a dumpling snob - but the quiet, out of the way nature of this very tasty yum cha joint makes this a hidden gem.

Purple Sands
180 Camberwell Road
Hawthorn East

Grill'd Burgers

Long time followers of this blog will know that I have a soft spot for burgers. Grill'd, a burger chain that originated from a corner shop on Glenferrie Road has expanded into something of a phenomenon. It has since grown to be a hugely successful franchise that specialises in well constructed "healthier" burgers which are oh so tasty.

My personal favourite is the Grill'd mustard and pickled... so simple but oh so good. Served with a side of their famous herbed chips and range of dips and aiolis - this is one kick ass burger joint that's well worth the visit.

Oh - and did I mention that they're licensed so you can purchase a cold beer to go with your meal?

www.grilld.com.au

Pearl cafe

Next up - lunch at Pearl cafe... offspring of the upmarket Pearl restaurant which specialises in mod-Asian fare. This casual diner offers a mix of Asian influenced meals (think king prawn mint and glass noodle salad, green chicken curry) as well as hearty cafe type meals.

We opted for two examples of the latter, a duck and chestnut pot pie and an autumn vegetable lasagne. Prices here are extremely reasonable for the generosity of portions and quality of produce. The lasagne whilst plated beautifully lacked seasoning which would have made it a fantastic vegetarian option. The duck pie however was delicious - perfectly braised duck with chestnut topped by a buttery flaky puff pastry. Paired with the caramelised onion jam on the side, this was perfect comfort food for a typical crisp cold Melbourne afternoon.

Pearl Cafe
599 Church Street
Richmond

Porgie & Mrs Jones

Alright - its been a while and its because I have just returned from the magnificent city of Melbourne. As usual, there is always a fantastic list of places that serve brilliant, well cooked food.

First up we have Porgie & Mr Jones, a very cool breakfast spot in Hawthorn that has a laid back warehouse feel to its space. We ordered the poached eggs on toasted grain bread with spinach, red pepper pesto and hazlenut dukkah as well as the smashed avocado with thyme buttered mushrooms, marinated fetta on whole grain toast.

Both were delicious, generous and a great start to our first day in Melbourne.

Porgie & Mrs Jones
291 Auburn Road
Hawthorn

Cool as Hell

Hellenic Republic is the sister restaurant of the uber cool Press Club in Melbourne. Inheriting the family genes, this fresh faced dining room is understated in its delivery of modern Greek food in chic surroundings.

We stopped by for a weekend breakfast and were immediately drawn to the refreshing menu here. Nothing overly pretentious, you instead get an interesting range of breakfast items to give you that all important kick start to the day.

From a creamy spanakopita topped with poached eggs to a refreshing watermelon salad with chopped mint, fetta cheese and toasted almond flakes… the food here is simple but good. The modern Greek take on standard fare here was definitely evident in the lamb ham sandwich (cured ham, fried egg and cheese in sourdough) and the omelette of loukaniko sausage and potatoes.

I also enjoyed what was labelled on the menu as “yesterday’s gemista” – basically a baked tomato stuffed with rice. The use of rice that had probably been from a risotto like dish for dinner service the previous night actually meant that the flavours were deliciously mellow. Served on crunchy hot sourdough toast with crumbled fetta – this is a great vegetarian breakfast and one that’s sure to satisfy.

Our well informed waitress was also great in helping us navigate through the Greek translations of the menu – showing what a difference professional service makes. I glanced at the dinner menu on the way out and whilst I have had limited exposure to Greek food previously, I felt confident that the process of discovering it would be a pleasant one on my next visit... and I sure as hell hope there's going to be one.

Hellenic Republic
434 Lygon Street
Brunswick East

Swine Dining

My brother is an extremely gifted photographer and has started to turn his hobby into a side business – one that I know will be hugely successful with his incredible talent. I happened to be in Melbourne on his first paid wedding shoot and he was kind enough to let me tag along. The shoot was long but really enjoyable and at the end of the night, he had managed to pull together a really fantastic set of photos for the newlyweds.

Whilst the reception was held at The Prince, one of the most highly regarded restaurants in Melbourne – and the venue was in the centre of St Kilda which is packed with well known eateries, we instead craved for the simplest of foods for our supper – Cantonese roast pork.

And so we headed to our favourite spot in Melbourne for that specific craving (we have many) – Pacific BBQ Cafe in the City. This restaurant is not fancy – but it does great Cantonese roast meats. I pigged out on Charsiu pork and Siew Yok served with steamed rice topped with a fried egg. This is fast food at its best – the crackling on the perfectly roasted pork sending me to swine heaven.

Perhaps it was the long day of being out and about with my brother on his photo shoot – or perhaps it was the novelty of having something completely informal after a formal event… but our simple meal was probably the best celebratory supper I could probably have asked for.

Pacific BBQ Cafe
213 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne Vic 3000

What really matters - Yakiniku

One of the best things about being in Melbourne is the chance to spend some time with my older brother who lives and works in this city he has come to love. My brother has always been someone I've always looked up to and we have a hard to describe connection that has always kept us close even though we now live in different cities.

Part of our connection is our common love for food - and on his recommendation, we arrived at Izakaya Chuji for dinner. Instead of the usual izakaya fare in the main restaurant downstairs, we headed to the upper level for a meal of yakiniku - grilled meat over wood charcoal. We ordered a very refreshing dish of yukke (a Japanese take on steak tartare) to start which was fantastic over a bowl of piping hot rice.

For our yakiniku, we selected gyu tan (ox tongue) and wagyu beef which had been marinated in tare (mirin, sake, soy, sugar). The meat selection was spot on and I was particularly fond of the gyu tan which had a great bite and flavour. The buttery wagyu was terrific with the smokiness of the charcoal perfuming the succulent slices of meat. The cuts of meat used here were great and very fresh.

I thoroughly enjoyed eating and cooking our meal with my brother over a bottle of sake. The fact that I enjoyed it so much was also a reminder of the things that really matter... It wasn't the decor (the restaurant is a little tired looking) or the service (you're left to your own devices most of the time)... it was pure and simply, the ingredients that made it... great produce and the company of one of the people you love - afterall, that's what all great meals are born of.

Izakaya Chuji
165 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne Vic 3000

Marvellous Movida

In a city that prides itself on fantastic eateries tucked away in the myriad of Melbournesque alleys, Movida still stands out as one of the best places to seek out for a drink and bite to eat. A spanish tapas bar, it serves up Spanish fare with little twists... but more importantly, the cooking is excellent and everything is well executed.

We stopped by here just after lunch and were only after a small snack with a drink... but the menu proved too alluring. We started with a Croqueta of leek and mahon cheese - simple, crunchy, cheesy and utterly addictive. We then followed with a crumbed stuffed quail leg of manchego cheese and spanish ham. The quail leg was perfectly tender and the contrast of the crunchy exterior and creamy fillings done just right. Then came a Cecina of air dried wagyu beef topped with a truffle foam and poached egg. The richness of the egg, earthiness of the truffle foam and salty, buttery cecina was a real treat for the taste buds... lovely.

Already stuffed from what had become a second lunch, we couldn't resist ordering the churros with rich drinking chocolate. The version here is great - crunchy just fried doughnuts with a chewy texture, it was doused with vanilla bean sugar and great with the accompanying hot drinking chocolate.

Service here is efficient and the prices are fairly reasonable for a tapas bar of this calibre. But what I love most about Movida's food is that their inventive menu that tries to mix and match flavours as well as textures in their food.

Movida draws in the meal time crowds naturally - which is why I've always tried to make a detour here for an afternoon snack on my previous trips to Melbourne... and always walked away feeling the guilt of having had a second lunch.

1 Hosier Lane
Melbourne 3000
(Open noon till late)

Melbourne Bites #10: It's all in the name

This fine dining restaurant makes no secret about what it serves with its choice of name. Straightforward, traditional Italian fare. The smart and elegant dining room is popular with the corporate types who work in the office building which it is housed in and has an air of understated intimacy.

We started with a classic – Parma ham wrapped around succulent rockmelon. Salty, sweet – superb. We then proceeded with oxtail ragu with hand made pici, slow cooked tripe served with creamy polenta and a wagyu tenderloin served with mixed mushrooms. For mains, our table had the swordfish, porterhouse and a Ligurian fish stew chockfull of fresh seafood. The food here is competent but we were let down on a few occasions by the service and attention to detail (we had to ask repeatedly for a dessert menu and were not offered more wine when our glasses were empty).

But all was forgiven with a sweet ending to the evening – the desserts here are pretty darn good. We had a magnificent tiramisu and a done just right panna cotta with mixed berries compote. All in all, the Italian will do its namesake proud if it smooths out a few service issues in the dining room.

The Italian

101 Collins Street

Melbourne Victoria

Melbourne Bites #9: Superstar Sides

Yes… it may seem a little overkill to dedicate an entry to a side dish… but the chips at Grill’d, a highly successful burger chain in Melbourne, are really good. Whilst I didn’t get a chance to taste their much loved burgers (which apparently are good for you… or less evil depending on your moral standpoint) due to a huge lunch – I had to try their chunky cut chips doused in a secret herb mix (with rosemary being the star seasoning).

Delightfully crispy on the outside and perfectly fluffy on the inside – these chips with the alternative seasonings are worth coming back for. Of course – its not that I need another excuse to visit Grill’d again to show my support for burgers with a conscience.

Grill'd

http://www.grilld.com.au/

Melbourne Bites #8: Tasting Tokyo

Chinatown in Melbourne is a bit of a misnomer as it is home to more than just Chinese food. Instead, Little Bourke Street is filled with eateries offering a huge variety of Asian cuisines – you just have a wander along this bustling street with its hidden alleys and you’re likely to stumble into a little taste of Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan… and even Japan.

Lunch at Shoya is a pretty decent choice for Japanese food if you’re in the area. The lunch sets are good value and you get decent Japanese dishes served course by course in this quiet restaurant that sits in an alley off the main street. Sip on your ocha after your 8 course lunch and relax in the modern and sleek interiors to soak up a bit of Tokyo… right here in Melbourne.

Shoya

25 Market Street

(Between Russell & Exhibition streets and Bourke & Little Bourke streets)

Melbourne, Victoria

Melbourne Bites #7: Deli-licious!

An unassuming Japanese deli in Hawthorn is the setting for surprisingly great takeaway. Shop from a wide range of Japanese groceries, including a great selection of Japanese beer and sake. Then, head to the adjoining room to select from freshly made maki sushi, inari and nigiri sushi. The fish here is very fresh and the sushi rice done just right. Pretty darn tasty stuff for a cornershop deli!

Suzuran

1025 Burke Road

Hawthorn, Victoria

Melbourne Bites # 6: Soup Pho the Soul

This is one thing that I look forward to on every visit to Melbourne. A piping hot bowl of pho in an aromatic beef broth that ever fails to put a smile on my face. The key to a good bowl of pho literally boils down to one thing – freshness. From the slippery rice noodles to the accompanying beef and offal and even down to the beansprouts and herbs (typically purple basil and Vietnamese mint) served as accompaniments. Of course the clear broth brings everything together – you’ll know it when you taste it.

With its large Vietnamese population, Melbourne serves up some of the best pho I’ve ever tasted. Pop by Pho Chu The in Richmond to feed your stomach as well as your soul.

Pho Chu The

270 Victoria Street

Richmond Victoria

Melbourne Bites # 5: Warung Agus

Balinese food in Melbourne – who would’ve thought? But this place really is a testament to how a city can cook up the most delectable food simply by scooping into its melting pot of cultures. A meal here promises a sensation for the tastebuds – every dish is packed full of flavour and perfectly executed. The pork satay is exceptional as is the gado gado. The accompanying sambals offered with every meal pack a real punch and cuts through the richness of coconut milk that is used quite liberally in Balinese cooking. But the standout here is the Babi Guling – a slow roasted pork dish with oh so sinful crackling. The meat is perfectly cooked and the accompanying sauce intriguing and addictive. A definite must try.

Warung Agus

305 Victoria Street

West Melbourne

Open for dinner Thursdays to Sundays only

Melbourne Bites # 3 & 4: Read and Bite

If you ever feel philosophical about feeding the mind first before the stomach, drop by to Books for Cooks in Fitzroy – a bookstore that is a dream for me – a shop wholly dedicated to all types of cook books… from popular titles to some rare and quirky ones (think Taiwanese Chinese cookbooks from the 1980s). Floor to ceiling shelves of gastronomic literature – this is a true haven for cook book lovers.

And once your brain is bloated from all that reading – feed your stomach and head a few shops down to Enoteca, a wine bar that also serves up great snacks to accompany your drinks. We opted for Jamon Iberico, the Rolls Royce of Spanish hams, served with grissini. Delightfully rich – this may not be for everyone with its high fat content, but with a glass of wine or two – it might just be the perfect accompaniment to finish off a decadent afternoon of reading and biting.

Books for Cooks

233-235 Gertrude St

Fitzroy Melbourne

Enoteca

229 Gertrude Street

Fitzroy Melbourne

Melbourne Bites #2 - Addicted to Rice

I’m not ashamed to say it. I am addicted to rice. Rice that is cooked perfectly for me trumps every other food craving I ever have. There’s something heart-warmingly familiar about a bowl of rice that comes from being the common thread in all meals I’ve had since I was a toddler. First Taste of Soup restaurant in Footscray serves kick ass rice – firm to bite quality Jasmine rice grains slowly cooked in earthen claypots to reveal a deliciously golden brown crust. The rice is the star here but a wide variety of toppings (we tasted the black bean pork ribs and pickled vegetable steamed pork patty) are a great accompaniment. Choose from a wide range of herbal double boiled soups with your meal – and you just might check yourself straight into Rehab for Rice.

First Taste of Soup

104 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Melbourne

Melbourne Bites #1: Vue for Value

Vue de Monde, rated twice by Gourmet Traveller as restaurant of the year has a reputation for the finest French food in Melbourne and probably all of Australia. Of course, with this status comes fine food at a price. But for a bit of restaurateur Shannon Bennet’s magic, check out Café Vue, its casual but not poorer cousin which serves up no frills lunches at a very reasonable price. Sit out in the Café’s courtyard under the precious Melbourne sun and have the ever popular Vue burger (deliciously juicy meat patty with bacon, fresh lettuce and luscious aioli, sandwiched in a house made brioche sesame bun) with a side of shoestring fries… all for $10. Magnifique!

Cafe Vue

430 Little Collins Street (at the front of the Normanby Chambers Building)

Monday to Friday from 7am to 4pm.