Siana satisfies

I have been incredibly slack / sick / Christmassing / juggling a new job so they are going to be my excuses for why I haven't posted in quite some time! That's not to say I haven't been doing a hell of a lot of eating out lately- I have! It has just been harder than I anticipated to actually put pen to paper...or should I say fingers to keyboard...or whatever...you get the point. ANYWAY, I'm back with a gigantic backlog of gluttonous adventures to spill, so get your forks out!

Siana Long Island Green Iced Tea

Almost a month ago now, I had the enjoyment of a whirlwind trip to Brisbane for the weekend. My good friend Miss D's partner had planned a surprise birthday dinner at the iconic riverside dining spot, Siana. I had read mixed reviews about it so was quite apprehensive about what to expect from my dining experience. The stately staircase leading upstairs to Siana's entrance made a dramatic first impression and to add to that drama, we realized Miss D and her other half were an arm's length behind us - leading to a brief frenzied panic among those of us whom were supposed to be surprise guests at the dinner! Fortunately we escaped being spotted and scurried into the bustling bar area before any unwanted case of premature surprises.

Not ones to mess around, four of us girls went straight for the hardest, strongest thing we could find on the exquisite menu of cocktaily deliciousness: the Siana Long Island Green Iced Tea: a lethal yet mouthwatering combo of Tanqueray Gin, Belvedere Vodka, Bacardi Rum, Sho Chiku Bai Sake, Herredura Silver, Ginger Liqueur, lime & lemon juice, ginger, lemongrass, topped with ginger beer and piled into a chilled glass almost ginormous enough to swim in. Boozey heaven. Thinking it wise to perhaps line our stomachs with something a little more substantial than spirits, we picked a bunch of scrummy looking items to share for dinner. First up, six delicate bite sized rice paper rolls ($13) crammed full of yummy fresh herbs, pickled vegetables and served with a little dipping pot of chilli & vinegar. Delish.

Rice paper rolls

Next up was the Gyoza ($15) five lightly fried dumplings filled with chicken, water chestnut, coriander & spices - definitely my absolute favourite dish of the night. Miss D & I demolished four Peking Duck Wraps (Traditionally Rolled Chinese Pancake w/ Cucumber, Shallots & Hoisin Sauce $19) between the two of us in a matter of seconds! Miss C ordered the Chicken & Prawn Pad Thai (Rice Noodles stir fried with Chinese Chives,  Tamarind Sauce, Roasted Cashew Nuts, Chicken & Prawns - $27) however was left a little underwhelmed with the dish. Fortunately most of the dishes exceeded expectations, which I suppose perhaps compensated for the one dish we didn't enjoy so much.

Peking duck wraps

Whether it be for a cheeky cocktail by the river, or a full blown Asian-fusion feast, Siana is certainly worth checking out on your next trip to Brisvegas. Whatever you do, just don't do what I did and go suss out their website beforehand. I'm sorry to say but it is cringe-worthy, daggy-central! Now I know the first thing you want to do is Google that shizz and see what I'm on about.

Siana - City
Upper Plaza Level
Riparian Plaza
71 Eagle Street Brisbane, Qld.
ph: 07 3221 3887

Bosisto's the best on Bridge

One recent Sunday afternoon, my friend K and I had a hankering for something special and something breakfast-ish. Bridge Road in Richmond is predominantly known for its shopping and has never wowed me with its trail of food joints. While there is an abundance of very mediocre and over-priced breakfast fare, there is a noticeable lack of quality dining choices along the popular retail precinct. This to me is disappointing, because I like nothing better than an occasional cheeky Sunday morning 'shop til you drop' - by which point I am absolutely famished and in need of a decent feed. With this in mind, I was delighted when we stumbled across Bosisto's - an inviting, cosy little timber-furnished bar nestled in among a sea of average. Their lunch menu looked simple yet scrumptious, but it was really breakfast grub that we were craving.

We entered Bosisto's, sceptical about whether we could get away with ordering breakfast, despite it being past lunch time, however a friendly waiter greeted us and joked that it would be just cruel of him not to let  us to order from the breaky menu. Delighted at this news, we hurried in out of the cold and were seated at one of the cosy leather booths along the wall. I must emphasise how comfortable these booths were - I wanted to stretch out and put my feet up! The atmosphere was so laid-back, I probably could have got away with it! Despite the lack of other patrons, there was still a pleasant, buzzing vibe that made me instantly content. 

I was most impressed by the bold move to put "A Glass of Goon" as one of the menu options. No kidding. Sure, many restaurants cleverly promote cheap cask wine as their "house wine", but to just cut the crap and simply put "goon" on the menu got me downright respecting Mr Bosisto, whoever he is, before I had even tasted anything. I won't lie, it is probably the greatest thing I have ever seen on a menu. 

Flashbacks to uni days aside, this daring little eccentricity was by no means any indication of things to come. The standard of food was far superior to what one might expect from a menu that included goon. K decided to channel her inner-sweet tooth and ordered the scrummy French toast with  a generous drizzling of honey and toasted walnuts ($16), while I couldn't go past the "il Classico" - gooey poached eggs, melt-in-your-mouth buffalo mozzarella, garlic-infused  oven roasted tomato and perfectly paper-thin slices of prosciutto ($16). Drool! It was so, sooo good.

Satisfied with our meal choices and incredibly comfortable nestled inside our booth, we decided to make an afternoon of it. As the late afternoon August rain set in, we sat chilling out with deliciously naughty Bloody Mary's for another hour or so, soaking up the ambiance inside our warm little Bosisto's haven. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Unless we'd ordered the goon, then perhaps our Sunday afternoon really would have got better! Hmmm... anyone for a layback?

Bosisto's Liquor Bar

318 Bridge Road

Richmond

Ph: 9428 6888

Quirky Cookie can cook

Self-described as a Disco, an Eating House and a Beer Hall, Cookie claims to be many things. Showing off what would surely be the longest bar in Melbourne, plus a drinks menu of equally impressive length, Cookie has established itself as one of Melbourne CBD's premier social hang-outs. Whether it be for after-work drinks, a dinner date or a dance, Cookie has it covered. Located one level up on Swanston Street, you can expect to find a classy, yet down-to-earth spot with a pleasantly mixed crowd and an absolutely buzzing atmosphere. 

Image courtesy of melbournepubs.com

One of my favourite features of Cookie is its charming Juliet balconies which overlook Swanston Street and are the ideal position to take in the Melbourne air and watch the world go by. In stark contrast to its exterior is the spacious, noisy indoor area where it's always a challenge to find a seat. Another favourite feature, the quirky wallpaper featuring a crowd of black and white photographed faces, adds a certain kitsch element to the mish-mash of decor. Somehow though, it works. 

Having been to Cookie on a few occasions to drink and dance, I had been dying to come back to sample their much-talked-about dinner menu. So Wednesday night, I caught up with my French friend M for some Thai-inspired food done Cookie-style. Having moved to Australia from France almost one year ago, M gushed about how lucky we Aussies are to have such a diverse choice of food from such a mixture of cultures. Here I was, thinking the French must boast the be-all and end-all of culinary experiences! It just goes to show how much we take for granted this wonderful melting pot of culture that we are blessed with.

Being such a massive venue with such a massive bar, would of course call for a dinner menu just as massive. It was near impossible to make a decision because each item truly sounded as exquisite as the next! The menu was divided into Small Dishes, Medium Dishes and Large Dishes and the prices seemed very reasonable for what was on offer. The decider would be whether the meals tasted as good as they were described. Wanting to sample as much as we could, we decided to share two items from the Small Dishes section and go from there. I chose the Baked scallops with chilli oil and pomelo salad ($26.5), while M chose the Grilled banana chilli with minced chicken and kaffir lime ($14.5). Both were beautifully presented and the serves were more than sufficient. The scallops were baked in their shell and adorned with an elegant-looking fusion of Thai flavours. Thai food is traditionally characterised by the delicate balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy  flavours each contained in most Thai dishes. We definitely tasted a lovely kick of chilli, which was then balanced with after-flavours of coriander, lime, coconut and a hint of pomelo (a relative of the grapefruit). 

The banana chilli was an interesting concept, with what appeared to be most of the insides of the banana replaced with the kaffir lime and chicken combination and then grilled until it was slightly sweet, a little spicy and very succulent, virtually melting in the mouth. Both meals definitely exceeded expectations. 

Not quite finished sampling the exotic menu, we selected a dessert to share: Banana fritters with honey and coconut ice cream ($12.5) The fritters were deep fried, so there was a balance of savoury and sweet from both the hot, gooey banana and the honey, and they were nicely complimented by the big dollop of coconut ice cream with a touch of mint to cleanse the palate.

Cookie had already established its cool, 'disco' reputation in my books and proven itself to be the stylish, so-called 'beer hall' it proclaims to be, however it is the 'eating house' aspect that it so proudly promotes but is often forgotten. Incredibly, Cookie succeeds at all three levels with sophistication, cleverness and originality.

Cookie

252 Swanston Street

Melbourne

Ph: 9663 7660

European delights

It was a miserable, wintery old Saturday morning and my girlfriends and I were about to gnaw off our own arms in hunger. I decided we should go on a recommendation and use trusty Google maps to find the esteemed Melbourne dining institution, known simply as The European. I admit, I had been begged to try this place by my food-loving Dad who lives hours away in a sleepy Queensland country town and spends much of his spare time living vicariously through my city-dwelling-restaurant-hopping experiences. So I thought I should take one for the team and try this place he had heard so much about. It's a tough gig, but someone's gotta do it! 


Located up the top of Spring Street, opposite Parliament building in the Melbourne CBD, The European really is reminiscent of a bustling timber-furnished restaurant you would expect to find in Europe. The warm interior, big chalk-scrawled blackboards and rustic decor are defining features that make this place so inviting. But it was the culinary fare that really resonated with us.

To begin, I embraced the chance to order a freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice. It's not very often you see that on a restaurant menu and if you do, it comes 'fresh'...from a bottle. But this was straight-up, no-bullshit, pink, sweet, refreshing, tangy, invigorating goodness directly from the fruit itself. And it was damn good. (Yes, so damn good that I did need to squish every one of those adjectives in there to make sure I highlighted just how epicly good it was.) I downed it in a blink and had to be restrained from ordering seconds. In hindsight I was grateful my girlfriends kept me under control, because it meant I still had plenty of tummy-room for the scrumptious delights that were still to come. 

K ordered the Breakfast Bruschetta, which came with roasted mushrooms, pancetta, poached egg and roquette, R chose the Breakfast Crumble with cinnamon poached fruit and yoghurt, while I surrendered to my cravings and requested The European Breakfast: poached eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomato and crusty toast. Sounds like your standard 'big breaky' and on paper it was, but on the plate, it was so much more. And because that combination didn't seem like enough fat and grease, I lashed out and got a serve of hollandaise on the side. What a ridiculously good choice that was! Buttery, creamy, velvety, slightly tangy, melt-in-your-mouth, heart-stopping, artery-clogging flawlessness! It was hollandaise perfection. Yes, I tried all three breakies and yes they were all amazing in their own right, but - wow - I truly could have eaten a bucket of that hollandaise on its own. Naughty, maybe. But so worth it.

John Lethlean summed it up perfectly in his 2006 review for Epicure: "...The European is not Spanish... Nor is it French, Italian, Austrian or Greek. The European is a hybrid creation that evokes memories (and the occasional bit of longing) for the wine bars and cafes of all those places; and the extent to which the concept resonates with Melbournians can be measured in the place's longevity..." 

I can't argue with that. Here's to heavenly hollandaise and having our very own taste of Europe right at our doorstep.

The European

161 Spring Street

MELBOURNE

Ph: 03 96540811

Baclava toast and ouzo for breakfast

From their clever reuse of industrial fetta tins as seating, to their innovative breakfast menu, Demitri's Feast hits the mark when it comes to finding an original breakfast spot in Melbourne. Demitri's stands out as one of the best in its class, insisting on using local, fresh, seasonal, free range and organic products to serve breaky and lunch with a distinctly Greek influence. Its bright Meditteranean-blue exterior stencilled with white tree patterns quite literally stands out among the drab shop fronts in Richmond's Swan Street. 

You won't find any plain old bacon and egg rolls at this place. Demitri's prides itself on its trademark quirky twists on classic dishes. You won't see a drop of maple syrup in sight when ordering the Baclava French toast ($11)- Demitri's signature dish and a local's favourite. Rather, the two whopping slabs of eggy, toasty goodness come served with a dusting of crushed walnuts, a dollop of the freshest greek yoghurt and a heavenly orange honey syrup. But words don't do it justice. You just must try this Greek spin on a French classic - it is seriously awesome. 

Other menu items include Poached Eggs with ouzo and dill cured salmon and spinach ($15.5), Sage Mushrooms with manouri cheese, toasted almonds and rocket on sourdough ($12.5), Zucchini Fritters with free range bacon and oregano roasted tomatoes ($14.5) and Semolina Pancakes with Greek yoghurt, rose jam, pistachios and orange honey syrup ($11). I could go on, but you get the picture. It's mouthwatering stuff. 

Be prepared to wait for a table for five or ten minutes (they don't take bookings), but  trust me, it's worth the wait - the brilliant waitstaff will ensure you are taken care of with a coffee-hit ready for you in the nick of time. Or, for the more daring / not-yet-sober, a shot of chilled ouzo before breakfast, in authentic Greek style. The Age Cheap Eats named Demitri's as 2010's Breakfast of the Year - and with good reason. Since first discovering it, I have made a cheeky visit every weekend for the past three weeks. Simply nothing else beats it on a lazy Sunday morning. I dare you to knock back an ouzo.

Demitri's Feast

141 Swan Street
Richmond, 3121
Ph: 9428 8659

Jeremy's gives Melbourne food a run for it's money

Last weekend when I was back in Brisbane to celebrate my birthday with old friends and see Fame with my parentals, I was delighted when Dad suggested doing dinner at Jeremy's Espresso Bistro in Albert Street, near the Brisbane botanical gardens. A family favourite for many years, Jeremy's never fails to impress me and stand out from what is unfortunately still a city with relatively sub-par CBD dining. I have eaten at Jeremy's for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the last few years since discovering it way back when I first moved to Brisbane for uni. Not once have I had an unpleasant experience. The food is outstanding and the service is beyond excellent.

On this occasion, we rocked up at an early 5.30pm with ravenous appetites after having a late Saturday breakfast and skipping lunch. We were welcomed immediately by our delightful waiter who had the thickest Italian accent I have heard. He ensured us the best seats in a cosy corner of the restaurant (I do love cosy corners!) and gave us his undivided attention all evening - I suppose one of the benefits of getting in super early! To start, I had a glass of pinot noir (I can't remember the rest of the details) and we were presented with a complimentary appetiser, a spoonful of tender marinated lamb and pinenuts atop a creamy parsnip puree. It was an explosion of flavour in one tiny mouthful...what a treat!

For entrees, we shared a plate of melt-in-your mouth seared scallops on potato blini with sauce veirge along with some crusty toasted sourdough, a generous helping of juicy kalamata olives and a fruity Italian extra virgin olive oil. As if on cue, our waiter launched into an animated story about his family's olive oil business back in Italy and his love of one of my favourite things in the world: olive oil with bread. Yuuuum. I could totally live off that delightful little combo. None of this butter business, I'm all about the olive oil.

Our mains were served quickly after, and proved yet again that Jeremy's can do no wrong. Dad and I ordered the special: Beef Eye Fillet with Truffled Mash, Roasted Beetroot and Beef Jus. The thick cut of steak was cooked perfectly medium rare - we suspected first in the steamer and then in the pan to seal in the juices - and the buttery mash had a beautiful, silky consistency that complimented the sweetness and texture of the roasted beetroot wedges. Mum, who has a restricted diet due to health issues, had a generous helping of Chicken and Vegetable Scotch Broth and an enormous plate of fresh and colourful stir-fried vegetables. Yet another reason I love this place: the staff don't cringe when Mum has to explain that she is unable to eat most of the items on the regular menu. Many restaurants put her in the 'too-hard basket' and she ends up going hungry to avoid making a fuss. But Jeremy's chefs embrace the challenge and give her extra special treatment rather than complaining that she is a difficult customer. By all reports, both her meals were fantastic.

For the final course, I lashed out and went chocolate-crazy with the Chocolate and almond brownie with Valrhona chocolate sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. It was as decadent as it sounds and every bite to die for. The brownie was moist with a slight crispiness on the outside, and the perfect nutty texture inside was just the way I liked it! The chocolate sauce had a very dominant cocoa flavour and virtually no sweetness at all. This was unexpected at first but after a few more mouthfuls I decided it really balanced out the sweetness of the icecream and brownie itself. Jeremy's is elegant and sopisticated without being pretentious. This combined with the relaxed vibe and friendly atmosphere makes this Brisbane restaurant a winner in my books!

Jeremy's Espresso Bistro
93 Albert Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
(07) 3210 6529‎

I love Leroy

If you’re anywhere near Acland Street in St Kilda and looking for a smashingly great breakfast, listen up! Nestled amongst this wonderful street of iconic, drool-worthy patisseries, wintry water of St Kilda beach and rows upon rows of shops to please your inner-hippy, Leroy Espresso is the spot to be. Even late on a Monday morning, the café was almost full and buzzed with great music and a laid back atmosphere. Our fellow diners appeared to be all regulars or at least young locals, which is usually a good indicator that a restaurant is doing something right. The retro orange booth seating was incredibly comfortable and fit in well with the arty, retro vibe of the place. Every inch of wall was covered with posters featuring upcoming festivals, movies and other cultural happenings. Despite the waitress taking a while to come back for our order after initially greeting and seating us, the fast, fresh and scrumptious food and well-made coffee certainly made up for any patchy service.

My girlfriend L and I giggled at the huge bottle of Absolut vodka that was placed on our table – which we quickly discovered was a recycled vessel used to serve us our tap water. Clever, yes, but I’m glad I hadn’t had a big night on the vodka the night before or the mere sight of the bottle might have triggered more than just laughter! Out came two stunning looking serves of home made toasted corn bread, home made baked beans, poached eggs, rocket and crispy bacon. The corn bread was TO DIE FOR, the baked beans were rustic and perfect, the poached eggs perfectly gooey and void of any nasty vinegar aftertaste and the bacon was pure crispy goodness. My soy latte was fabulous too. I would love to go back to try some other items off the menu, but after one satisfying experience I can confidently say this place is great! Don’t be put off by its tiny indoor area – what it lacks in size, it makes up for in taste. Besides, I’ve always been a sucker for a cosy little corner in a retro orange booth.

Leroy Espresso
191 Acland St
St Kilda VIC 3182‎
(03) 9525 5166
‎

Pireaus Blues

Oh Melbourne, how I love you. Pireaus Blues is one of those quintessential Melbourne institutions that epitomises what this city is all about.. So impressive in fact, that I was busting to go back there again after my first amazing dinner there, that I revisited six days later. I just don’t think there is anything this good back in Brisbane. A couple of weeks ago, my friends K, S and myself arrived all rugged up on a wintery Saturday night. A short tram ride from the city, Pireaus Blues is situated in the eating and drinking cultural boiling pot of Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. We walked into the cosy, bustling restaurant with sunny yellow walls dotted with framed snaps and memorabilia. Each of the delightful wait staff greeted us with warmth and laughter from the tables of people echoed through the restaurant. Something tells me that this was a great find.

It was almost half past eight and the place was brimming with diners and exuded a fantastic, familiar atmosphere. I almost felt as though I had gatecrashed a big Greek family dinner. Well, that probably wasn’t such a great stretch of the truth. Pireaus Blues is one of Melbourne’s longest-running Greek restaurants and if there are two things I know about Greeks: it is their love of family and their love of food.

For meze (the Greek word for appetiser), we ordered the Pireaus Dips Platter which included five enourmous servings of Tzatziki, Beetroot, Taramosalata (fish roe & pureed potato), Eggplant and Skordalia (garlic & pureed potato) dips and a generous stack of traditional grilled pita. In the centre was a ramekin filled with Kalamata and Volo olives drizzled with Greek olive oil and oregano. All of that for only $19.95 and we hadn't even started on the entrees! The tzatzki was a stand out favourite on our table, with the cucumber's texture and the tangy lemon and garlic flavours really complimenting the creamy (goat's milk?) yoghurt. Tzatziki is often used as a sauce in popular greek dishes like gyros and souvlaki but it can also be served as a side for a meat-based dish. The tzatziki's acidity cuts through the fat of the meat, making it the perfect accompaniment to a perfect greek feast.

Next up, we had the Htaponi Sta Karvouna (Char grilled octopus), the Dolmades (vine leaves stuffed with rice and herbs) which came with a beautiful minted yogurt dip and a serve of one of the evening's entree specials: Seared Scallops in a red salsa. The virtually melt in-your-mouth tender scallops were perfectly contrasted by the classic aciditic tomato flavours and was my favourite pick of the entrees.

Despite being absolutely stuffed to the point of an almost unbuttoning of the jeans, we couldn't leave without trying the Paidakia. We decided to share one between the three of us, after realising we'd gone a bit overboard with the starters! All worth it though, of course! Out came our Paidakia: our main (and final!) course. This translated as Frenched Lamb Cutlets with lemon and olive oil dressing, served with zucchini, mushroom, fresh tomato and fetta and topped with a potato fritter. Oh. My. God. I never knew it was possible for lamb to taste that good.

Without a doubt, Pireaus Blues is the most brilliant dining experience I have had in Melbourne so far. On my second trip back there, I couldn't resist ordering those divine lamb cutlets again, just to prove to more friends how absolutely phenomenal they are. And they were exactly that, even the second time around. I also paced myself in the entree stakes this time and managed to squeeze in enough space for the Loukoumades, which are sticky little Greek Doughnut balls served with honey, cinnamon and crushed walnuts. Okay I'll admit, I am a huge fan of any kind of doughnuts, including those cheap and nasty ones from Donut King... but to make something so plain and simple into something so lush, left me delighted and left us all fighting over the last one! It may or may not have seen me waking up drooling after a recurring daydream about those sweet little suckers. Mmmm. Delightful indeed!

 

Pireaus Blues

310 Brunswick Street

Fitzroy

Melbourne

Ph: 03 9417 0222

Home away from home

The problem with living in a new city is not knowing where to go for a special occasion dinner on a brisk autumn evening. I discovered Home Dining Room as the result of typing my local area into Google combined with a bit of good luck. Situated in Hawthorn, one of the beautiful leafy suburbs in Melbourne’s East, Home Dining Room could be easily missed in amongst the hub of Burwood Road.

From the outside it appeared small and actually had us wondering whether it was closed, because there wasn’t a customer in sight. We were greeted by a smiling, efficient waiter who led us upstairs, to where – much to our relief – there were a few other groups of people sitting at tables in the cosy candle-lit upstairs section. I’m sure most people can remember an awkward, uncomfortable dining experience being the only table in a restaurant, so I was pretty relieved to see other patrons! The interior truly made me feel as though I was visiting someone’s home – warm, rich tones, well-loved old books as part of the table settings, shelves filled with teapots and various bits and pieces, old-world picture frames and regal-looking mirrors. It was a unique take on restaurant décor and certainly evoked a homely, welcoming vibe. Our waitress presented us with a taste of Rosé from the wine list in what seemed like a slightly-too-pushy bid to persuade us to order a bottle of wine. She seemed disappointed when I said I would stick to my one glass, but I didn’t want to have to point out that I was taking my cousin out to celebrate turning seventeen…and getting on the vino could wait for next birthday!

To start we shared the bread and dip of the day, which if memory serves me correctly was some sort of delicious pumpkin and fetta concoction. For mains, we were very unoriginal and both ordered the same dish! Perhaps the ultimate food blogger’s sin?! Regardless, it was a phenomenally tender breast of chicken with a lovely apricot sauce which I am sure was worded much more eloquently on the menu! What blew me away was the beetroot gnocchi on which the chicken breast was served. Those velvety little purple mouthfuls of bliss were the highlight for me. The dish was a surprisingly delightful combination of flavours and textures.

For dessert, we shared the Eton Mess: a martini glass brimming with white chocolate mousse, mixed berries and wonderful little white puffs of meringue. The tartness of the berries complemented the sweetness of the white chocolate, while the meringues added an extra dimension by giving the dessert a lovely crunch. Divine.


More recently, my good friend S came down from Brisbane to visit me for the long weekend. I had read great reviews about Home Dining Room’s breakfast menu, so we braved the icy winter winds and spots of rain and decided it was too tempting to resist. This time, we were seated in the downstairs section of HDR, tucked away in a cosy corner in front of the warmth of the coffee machine. I once again admired the innovative interior design: the stacks of books on each rustic wooden table, tiny flowers in little glass jars and old-fashioned glass milk bottles being recycled as water carafes. S and I couldn’t make a decision so we decided to order the two most appealing-sounding dishes and share.

The final verdict came down to the Eggs Benedict served with spinach on olive bread and the Potato Rosti with poached eggs and chilli jam. While both plates were scraped absolutely clean, both S and I agreed without hesitation that the Rosti beat the Benedict hands down. I’m not sure whether the slightly over-cooked poached eggs (I like mine seriously runny) on the Benedict was the decider for me, or whether the chilli jam on the Rosti was just so damn scrumptious that nothing else stood a chance. Either way, Home Dining Room provided truly pleasant breakfast and dinner experiences. I would highly recommend Home Dining Room for a satisfying weekend brunch. The coffee was outstanding and the servings were adequate but not so filling that you’re forced to go back home and sleep it off. The staff were relaxed, friendly and happy to have a chat with us. I would happily call this place Home any day!

Home DIning Room
601 Burwood Road
Hawthorn VIC 3122‎
(03) 9819 5555‎

Living la vegie loca

With a sign that looked like it hadn’t changed since the eighties, I was initially hesitant about The Vegie Bar in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. That and the fact that there was absolutely no sign of meat anywhere in sight, which scares me just a little bit. Step through the front door and into a dark, hip, converted warehouse and it becomes clear that this Saturday hotspot is anything but your conventional restaurant. At the same time, it is far more than a big room full of tofu-loving hippies and communal seating arrangements as the daggy sign out the front may have suggested. From groups of stylish 20-somethings swapping their weekend gossip over burgers and wine, to conservative-looking families sharing coffee and dessert – The Veggie Bar has such a diverse range of patrons and menu options, it could be easy to forget about the whole vegetarian thing.

My cousin H and I were seated by a friendly staff member in between two groups of people, on one of the long communal tables. The place was absolutely packed, yet it had a great relaxed atmosphere. Despite being run off their feet, our waiters were friendly, helpful and attentive. I felt completely comfortable sitting among strangers and admittedly, quite enjoyed listening to rather entertaining snippets of other people’s conversations. While we each guzzled down a huge freshly squeezed juice and perused the huge menu selection, we found ourselves distracted by a giant slab of decadent mud cake being shared by the couple next to us. Having sufficiently worked up an appetite by this point, H and myself decided to share a wood fired Margherita pizza to start. The simple combination of tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and olive oil on a delicious crust: not too thick, not too thin. Next on the table was the Mee Goreng: yellow Hokkien noodles fried with plenty of garlic, onion, vegetables, chilli, peanuts and garnished with a sprinkling of bean sprouts. We took one look at it and wished we had brought a few more friends to help us eat the mountain of noodles. Both dishes were extremely flavoursome and not what I would consider your stereotypical vegetarian meals. The Vegie Bar is not your average vegetarian restaurant so even if you’re a bacon/steak/chicken/lamb-loving carnivore like me, you will be nicely surprised to find something other than a lettuce leaf to satisfy your craving.

The Vegie Bar

380 Brunswick Street

Fitzroy VIC 3065

Ph: (03) 9417 6935