Neo Lemonade
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Neo Lemonade is putting the Docklands’ food scene back on the map, defying all the stereotypes of what we expect from the usual food ventures in the area.
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Breakfast @ De Mad Hatter
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Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of De Mad Hatter and Collins Square.
The owners of Beanstalk Cafe have recently expanded their café portfolio to include the De Mad Hatter.
Alice in Wonderland themed, the café possesses an eclectic charm with a contemporary vibe. Wooden benches, stools and ceiling suspended lighting with Alice in Wonderland themed pieces such as the Rabbit’s timepiece adorn the dining area.
De Mad Hatter has succeeded in crafting a convivial atmosphere in which to enjoy a weekday brunch. Friendly and hospitable wait staff will be at your service throughout your meal.
Home-made Birchers Muesli topped with yoghurt and fresh fruit
The home-made muesli was the highlight of our breakfast. A fresh, moist and delicious option, we loved the luxurious yoghurt and the freshness from the berries.
Prosciutto & asparagus bruschetta with rocket, olive oil, poached egg & parmesan flakes
Two perfectly poached eggs were succulently seasoned with savoury prosciutto and accompanied by perfectly cooked asparagus. The highlight of the dish was the grilled bread which had a lovely crunchy yet chewy crust. In all, this dish was a respectable assembly of breakfast essentials.
DMH Signature. Fried egg, chorizo, oven baked cheesy tortilla topped with fresh tomato & bean salsa
House made Pancakes topped with fruit compote served with ice cream & maple syrup
A simple breakfast favourite that amalgamates the best things in life (such as ice cream). The pancake was fluffy and moist and embellished with delicious fruit compote.
The coffees at De Mad Hatter are excellent. Served with an intricate rosetta in the milk foam, both our cappuccino and latte were well made, with the slight sweetness of the frothed milk cutting through the residual brightness from the foundation espresso.
The breakfast offerings at De Mad Hatter are respectable with reasonable prices and an extensive menu to suit most.
A lunch date with Mr Collins
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Location: 747 Collins Street, Docklands
Phone: 03 9629 7055
Facebook: http://www.mrcollins.com.au/
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch, Pizza, Italian
Overall Impression: 8/10
Phone: 03 9629 7055
Facebook: http://www.mrcollins.com.au/
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch, Pizza, Italian
Overall Impression: 8/10
Gastrology recently joined the team at Mr Collins, Collins Square for a decadent lunch where we tasted the regional produce, watched pizza making demonstrations and enjoyed the many flavours of Italy.
We heard from Frank Nesci, the entrepreneur behind Mr Collins who is also behind the highly successful Healthy Habits and Fancy Fillings. While Frank is no longer involved with the day to day running of his healthy empires, he took away invaluable experience from the opening and operation of these successful franchised businesses. In addition to these successes, Frank is the innovator behind Port Melbourne’s Bay 101, Spuntino in Port Melbourne, Epping Plaza and Werribee Plaza and Zinc Café and Zinc Express at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Frank has integrated his 20 years of experience and his innate understanding of the functionality and nature of the food business into his new project, Mr Collins. While Mr Collins is licensed and boasts concise wine list offering local and international quality wines, the real focus for Frank and his team is the fresh food options, all made in house with Italian passion, on offer daily.
Left: Italy bread
Right: Cured meats and cheese board
Mr Collins' team of Pizzaioli and Chefs prepared a wonderful selection of antipasto, cured meats, pizza, handmade pasta, fresh modern salads, Sicilian wine and substantial secondi for us to try...
Left: Bruschetta
Right: Margherita Pizza
The bruschetta was pleasant. Thick, warm slices of toasted house made ciabatta were served with sensational toppings of tomato, basil and red onions and glistened with generous splashes of extra virgin olive oil. It was a tastebud-enlivening start to what promised to be a memorable meal.
101 Pizza - Mozzarella cheese, basil pesto, San Daniele prosciutto, Burrata cheese
The pizzas at Mr Collins are of particular note. The pizzas arrived picture perfect in appearance and outstanding in taste. We loved the margherita pizza - think layers of mozzarella teamed with delightfully fresh basil and juicy ripe tomatoes. Encircled with a puffy crisp crust, this pizza was superb.
Left: Tasting plate of 3 pastas: Gnocchi sorrentina; Ravioloni Burro & salvia; and Gamberi Squid ink spaghetti
Right: Tiramisu
As expected of any good Italian restaurant, Mr Collins is good at producing quality pasta dishes. All 3 pastas had complex and rich flavours and were cooked al dente.
Our date with Mr Collins ended on a sweet with delightful tiramisu. The tiramisu was well made, with its flavour heavily dominated by the constituent alcoholic component. It was a simple traditional dessert that was well executed and thoroughly enjoyable.
Mr Collins' menu captures a variety of pastas, authentic Italian mains and delicious antipasti made with well-sourced, fresh and organic ingredients. Every dish has something to make it different, offering gourmets and fans an excellent dining experience.
Restaurant Review: Non Solo Pasta | 11 Inch | Firechief | Pizza Religion | Pizza e birra | Pizza Espresso
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Non Solo Pasta
Location: Shop 2/800 Collins St Docklands
Phone: 03 9620 1110
Link: http://www.nspitalia.com/
Cuisine: Italian, Coffee, Pizza
Overall Impression: 7/10
Firechief
Location: 169 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East
Phone: 03 9831 1700 $$
Link: http://www.firechiefpizzeria.com.au/
Cuisine: Pizza, European
Overall Impresion: 7/10
Pacino's Pizza & Pasta
Location: Shop 2/800 Collins St Docklands
Phone: 03 9620 1110
Link: http://www.nspitalia.com/
Cuisine: Italian, Coffee, Pizza
Overall Impression: 7/10
Remo Nicolini (from +39 Pizzera) has done it again with Non Solo Pasta - one of Docklands most popular pizzerias.
Every pizza is well-made with classic, tried and true flavour combinations that are very much in the style of Remo's other pizza-serving establishments.
11 Inch Pizza
Docklands Location: 2Shop 8 Vlg St 737 Bourke Street, Docklands
CBD Location: 5B, 353–359 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Cuisine: Italian, Pizza
Overall Impression: 8/10
The pizzas at 11 Inch are as good as you can get in Melbourne. We were very excited to find that they had opened a new Docklands location and also pleased to report that the pizzas there are JUST AS GOOD.
The delicately thin crusts have the perfect balance between crispiness and chewiness and the expertly judged toppings are always impeccable. The bases are never soggy – something which unfortunately cannot be said for many of the other gourmet pizzerias around Melbourne.
And they do a good coffee too!
If you love pizzas, you’ll love 11 Inch!
Location: 169 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East
Phone: 03 9831 1700 $$
Link: http://www.firechiefpizzeria.com.au/
Cuisine: Pizza, European
Overall Impresion: 7/10
Firechief serves up consistently good pizzas with generous toppings.
The service was great - we were seated promptly by friendly staff. The only downside is the wait for food to be served.
All in all, a good neighbourhood pizza joint that is certainly worth a visit.
Pizza Religion
Location: 493 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn East
Phone: 03 9882 2555
Link: http://www.pizzareligion.com.au/
Cuisine: Pizza, Coffee, Desserts/Ice Cream
Overall Impression: 8/10
It's tough getting a table at Pizza Religion but when you do, boy is it worth it. That said, there is always the takeaway option that J and I tend to take. The pizzas are all beautifully thin crusted and each has expertly judged toppings - DELICIOUS.
Pizza E Birra
Location: 60a Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
Phone: 03 9537 3465
Link: http://www.pizzaebirra.com.au/
Cuisine: Italian, Pizza
Overall Impression: 7/10
A pizza place with a bustling vibe, Pizza E Birra is a fun St Kilda restaurant that delivers on service and ambiance and yes, the pizzas are good too.
We love their Tuesdays and Wednesdays BYO night where you can bring along your favourite bottle of wine which is a brilliant money saving offer.
The pizzas served are of a reasonably good standard and well-priced and they do a great range of Italian desserts to cap off your night.
Pizza Espresso by Nicolini
Location: 17 Macedon Road, Doncaster, VIC
Link: http://www.pizzaespresso.com.au/
Cuisine: Italian, Pizza
Overall Impression: 8/10
Pizza Espresso is one of my favourite suburban Italian pizzerias of all time. The perfect place to share a beautifully crafted and delicious wood-fired oven pizza with family and friends over some vino rosso, this pizzeria is what good Italian pizzas are all about.
We love their use of fresh ingredients, great service and also enjoyable desserts. It is no wonder they are one of Australia's most critically acclaimed and awarded Pizza Restaurant.
Pacino's Pizza & Pasta
Location: 708 Doncaster Road, Doncaster
Link: http://www.pacinospizza.com.au/
Cuisine: Italian, Pizza
Overall Impression: 6.5/10
Cheerful staff, consistently good pizzas with generous toppings, we love this for a good pizza takeaway.
Cafe Review: Vintam's Bakery Café
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Location: Shop 109, 111 Merchant Street, Docklands
Phone: 03 9670 0116
Cuisine: Asian, Bakery, Vietnamese
Overall Impression: 7/10
Vintam churns out cheap and cheerful Vietnamese delights such as banh mi and pho.
The banh mi offerings at Vintam are brilliant value.
BBQ Chicken Roll
BBQ Pork Roll
For about $6, you receive a crunchy bread roll shimmered with egg mayo and pâté, filled with generous serves of the meat of your choice (both the BBQ chicken and the BBQ pork are particularly delicious), topped with a salad of sweet pickled carrots, cucumber, coriander and fresh chilli glossed in a hoi sin glaze. It is both fresh and very tasty.
Alanna tried one of the muffins and was not impressed. But at $3 a pop, it was difficult to be too critical.
No frills - the food is simple, to the point and irresistible.
Special thanks to my favourite S***** S***, Alanna for a delicious lunch at Vintam.
VIP Luncheon at The Lunch Room @ Collins Square
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Location: Collins Square, 727 Collins Street, Docklands
Gastrology bloggers experienced the VIP lunchroom experience and indulged in a delightful Luncheon within the Lunch Room.
The Lunch Room launched on July 30 2013 at 727 Collins Street and has brought to Melbourne a brand new and seriously stylish, food destination.
Designed by collaboration between blackmilk interior design and Walker Corporation, The Lunch Room looks like a restaurant, but it will serve honest to goodness sandwiches, freshly rolled sushi, salsas and more.
Providing hungry stomachs with a broad and exciting range of tempting cuisines from Mexican and Asian, through to modern Australian, The Lunch Room is the fashionable new home for Think Asia (Asian and Thai), Papadam (Indian cuisine), Nashi (Sandwiches), Rhumbas (Rolls), Edamama (Salad Bar), Salsaʼs (Tex Mex Grill), Sobo Japanese, Big Italiano, Harvest Juice Bar and Hudsons, a specialty coffee shop. Winner of the ʻGolden Bean Best Coffee Chain/Franchiseʼ, humble sandwich shop, Nashi is committed to providing both coffee and food at the highest level.
Owner, Sam Nash, believes Collins Square represents the lunch venue of the future. “The Lunch Room is actually a beautiful architectural designed space and the perfect venue for Nashi” says Sam.
The Lunch Room is the first food venue within Walker Corporationʼs Collins Square, the new link between Melbourneʼs CBD and the Docklands. Collins Square encompasses 10,000 sqm of retail precinct that will create a vibrant and active heart for the Melbourne CBD to deliver every amenity and everyday essential to local workers and residents. The Collins Square site covers more than two hectares of land, will have up to 200,000 sqm of commercial space and holds 200m of prime Collins Street frontage. Collins Square retail will be opened in three stages, with The Lunch Room being the first to have launched.
Stop by the Lunch Room for a re-fuelling pit stop!
Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Collins Square.
Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Collins Square.
