Restaurant Review: Jai Ho

Location: 205, Swan Street, Richmond
Phone: 03 90787798
Link: http://www.jaiho-indian-restaurant.com/index.html

Cuisine: Indian
Overall Impression: 5/10

Highly recommend their Fish Curry (Fish fillets cooked in rich coconut and onion gravywith mustard seeds and fresh curry leaves)/ This sets you back a fair $ 17.00.
Simply delicious!

Friendly and prompt service. Very nice ambience. Good food. The portion sizes are very small even for mains so be prepared to order a few dishes. I'd advise you go with a few people so you can order a lot more - to share. And corkage is a mere $2 a head!

Restaurant Review: Co Do

Location: 196 Victoria Street, Richmond

Cuisine: Vietnamese

I have been to Co Do a few times and don't remember ever being disappointed. It does a great Pho when I am feeling less adventurous and when I feel like trying something different, its menu serves up an array of delights that include a variety of noodle dishes [dropped rice noodles, rice vermicelli, egg nooodle etc etc etc), rice dishes and stir-fried dishes.

There is such a delightful buzz about this place.

I  decided to order one of my very favourite dishes! Steamed mini pancakes with minced prawn and green bean paste. The steamed mini pancakes were soft and delicate. A very flavoursome dish that will set you back a mere $8.00.

Overall Impression: 7/10

Casual dining. Very good Vietnamese food. Entrees $5.50-$9; mains $9-$20.

Restaurant Review: The Metropolitan Hotel

Location: 263 William Street (cnr Lt Lonsdale), Melbourne

Phone: 03 9670 1385
Link: http://www.themetropolitanhotel.com.au/
Cuisine: Pub Fare
Overall Impression: 5/10

 Char-grilled 300gm Porterhouse, Mash Potato, Broccoli and Pepper Sauce

 Our “Famous” Parma: Lightly Crumbed Chicken Breast, topped with Virginian Ham, Tomato Napoli and Melted Cheese served with Chips and Salad

 Char-grilled 300gm Porterhouse, Mash Potato, Wilted spinach and shiraz jus

Decent pub food. Simple and good wood-fired pizzas. Nice and casual ambience. Friendly and prompt waitstaff. Great for a quick lunch or a casual dinner.

Event Review: The Interminable suicide of Gregory Church [16 April 2011]

The Interminable Suicide Of Gregory Church

Written and Performed by Daniel Kitson

http://www.theartscentre.com.au/whats-on/event.aspx?id=2528

It was absolutely entertaining. Daniel Kitson has this incredible power of captivating his audience members. Definitely worth seeing!

Restaurant Review: Metropolis Eating House

Location: 314 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Link: http://www.metropolis-eating-house.com.au/
Phone: (03) 9388 8730

Cuisine: French
Overall Impressions: 1/10

Would I return? No. Did I have an unforgettable dining experience? Absolutely.

Let me explain.

From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by a large velvet staircase in a rundown "lobby" area. There was no one in sight. We were not even sure whether the restaurant was open. We walked up the stairs, towards the light and beheld an amazing sight. The dining area feels like it belongs in a mansion, not a restaurant in Brunswick. A haunted, mysterious mansion.

The maitre'd, with her very strong French accent, welcomed us warmly and we were promptly seated. I could not wait for the food we were about to indulge in.

Bread with parsnip dip

I found the parsnip dip interesting.

Chilled skate with artichoke paste, slow cooked red pepper, squid salad, parsley jus

J is not a fan of cold entrees but I am. Unfortunately, this was not to my taste at all. I would liken the taste to a can of tuna mixed with a generous serve of mayonnaise. The slow cooked red pepper tasted like ordinary antipasto from a jar. It was definitely not something we expected at all.

Air-dried wagyu, duck liver parfait, fig and beetroot chutney

This was one of the better dishes from the night. It is noteworthy that nothing on this plate involved any real cooking or preparation on the part of the kitchen staff (apart from plating up, which they did a very good job on). The wagyu needed no further preparation apart from slicing, the duck liver parfait and chutney both tasted like they came out of a jar.

Confit pork belly, green curry, bok choy

grilled scallop

It looked delicious on the plate and we were both hopeful that the night was looking up (food-wise that is, apart from that, we were having a fabulous time!). The pork lacked any flavour. It was extremely stale. The fat was rubbery. It was obvious that the meat had been prepared well in advance and had been quickly defrosted and pan-fried before serving. I have never tasted pork belly like this before.
The scallop was tasteless and insipid.


At this point in the night, we realised we were in a bizarre alternate reality, much like a scene from Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. That could be the only explanation. We waited for the moment Gordon Ramsay would storm into the restaurant, shouting abuse. Amusing as that would have been, that never came to pass.

Garfish stuffed with prawn, nori, coriander cumin

Every bite was filled with mini, utterly annoying fish bones. It was sad that after ploughing through and removing those deadly spikes, we were left with an extremely under-seasoned, zestless fish devoid of flavour. The concept of the dish was good. The execution, on the other hand, was horrendous.

Berry Gazpacho, yoghurt sorbet

The dinner ended on a somewhat pleasant note. This was an enjoyable dessert. Simple and to the point.

Chocolate tapioca, chocolate espuma

housemade honeycomb

This was an average dessert, at best. But given the other courses served throughout the night, we were thankful at how ‘non-disastrous’ this was. I guess everything in life is relative.

And it was over. What an interesting experience. I have never been so shocked by food in my life. And please do not be fooled by how well these dishes present. Taste is an entirely different matter. I would recommend this restaurant for a hilarious night out, but please stay clear of it if you wish to taste delectable food. As the menu prices are equivalent to 1 hat restaurants in Melbourne, it surprises me that this restaurant has remained open for a substantial period of time (the wait staff we asked told us it has been open for about seven months) given the quality of the offerings.

 J and I have read the reviews of this restaurant on Urbanspoon and are both puzzled by the extent of praise lavished upon this eatery by other reviewers. Nevertheless, we can only speak from our personal experience and there is only one word for the food: Monstrous.1 

1. For the purposes of this post the word 'Monstrous' is given its ordinary meaning and not the one given by Matt Preston (Masterchef).

Restaurant Review: Straits Cafe

Location: 694 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster
Phone: (03) 9848 1605
Cuisine: Malaysian Hawker food

Entree: Jyu hu eng chai
Cuttle fish and spinach "salad"

Assam Laksa $9.90
Thick rice noodles in a tamarind based fish soup with onions, pineapple, cucumber and mint leaves.

You can always tell how authentic the rest of the menu will be after tasting an Assam Laksa dish at any Malaysian hawker style restaurant. If this isn't on the menu, it is because it is difficult to replicate overseas Additionally, I have been told it is an acquired taste, so that may also play a big part. My advise is, if you like Thai style food - sweet, sour, spicy and savoury flavours, this is the noodle dish for you.
I was pleasantly surprised at how authentic this tasted. Every mouthful was delicious and packed a punch.

Curry Laksa $9.90
Rice vermicelli and egg noodles served in a fragrant curry and coconut soup with chicken, fish cake and beancurd.

Great place for a casual and quick bite.

Overall Impression: 7/10

Restaurant Review: The Colonial Hotel

Location: Corner of King and Lonsdale st, Melbourne,
Link: http://www.colonialhotel.info/index.php
Phone: (03) 9670 8599

Cuisine: Pub food

$5 Pizzas at The Colonial Hotel...

Caponata
Tomato, char grilled eggplant, roasted capsicum, mozzarella, basil

Angelina

Haloumi, olives, oregano, tomato, lemon

Calabria

Calabrese salami, tomato, mozzarella 

Great service and very cheap pizzas!

Restaurant Review: Scusami

Location: Southgate Shopping Complex, Mid Level /Southgate Avenue, Southbank
Link: http://www.scusami.com.au/
Phone: (03) 9699 4111
Cuisine: Italian

Bread to start

Seared calamari, herb marinated, white anchovy warm panzella salad

The calamari was perfectly cooked. The salad was quite good. Simple and well seasoned.

 Beef carpaccio, served raw, truffled duck egg, wild mushrooms and herbs infused olive oil
This was a delicious dish. Each mouthful was delectable. There was a great balance of flavours.

 Pan roasted Tasmanian Salmon, with rocket and salsa verde dressing
Very plain. The Salmon was cooked well.

 Orrechiette pasta served with Smoked pancetta tomato and peas

The pasta was cooked al dente. The sauce lacked depth as the dominant tomato base over-powered the entire dish.

Red wine braised chicken with olives and roasted potato

The chicken was overdone and was disappointingly dry. As such, the lack of sauce on the plate made this one of the least enjoyable courses of the night.

House churned gelato

Overall Impression: 6/10

Very pleasant and waitstaff that provided efficient levels of service. The food was well presented and all things considered, was a positive dining experience.

Restaurant Review: La Camera

Location: Shop MR2 Mid Level East End, Southgate, Southbank
Link: http://www.lacamerasouthgate.com/
Phone: 03 9699 3600
Cuisine: Italian

La Camera Risotto

Bacon, mushrooms, pesto, spinach, tomato and a touch of cream

Risotto? Win
Includes Free glass of wine? Win

"Bi-winning" (reference: Charlie Sheen)

Great for a quick lunch. Prompt service, and risotto was not bad! For $10, there is enough win to go around.

Overall Impression: 6/10

Restaurant Review: Grossi Florentino: The Grill

Location: 80 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Link: http://www.grossiflorentino.com/

Phone: (03) 9662 1811

Cuisine: Italian

Before Eddie's Perfect show, we decided to have a pre-theatre dinner somewhere to start the night off. One of the great things about pre-theatre dinners is that you know you won't be waiting too long for your dinner. The menu is designed in a manner that ensures that you will not be late for the 'theatre', or in our case, the show. We couldn't go pass the pre-theatre menu at The Grill. I had emailed the restaurant for more information and found  a  very polite and lovely voice message on my phone explaining that she would prefer to speak to me about the menu because it is not fixed and changes very often. I was told what sort of dishes to expect. It sounded great so I quickly made a booking for the coming Saturday night.

Grissini

We were greeted by the longest breadsticks I have ever seen. As far as breadsticks went, they were pretty good. We immediately noticed how European the décor was. We really appreciated how the restaurant was set up. It reminded us both of our eating adventures in Italy.

Freshly baked bread, extra virgin olive oil and dukkah

very very good extra virgin olive oil!

 Yering Station Shiraz Cabernet

Rigatoni Norma

tomato, eggplant, salted ricotta

The pasta was perfectly al dente- not that I would have expected anything less. The eggplant was delicious and quite literally melted in our mouths. Perfectly seasoned, this simple dish was a good started.

Lombata di manzo

Minute steak, chargrilled, roasted potato

The steak was disappointing. Although cooked perfectly (medium rare) and texturely pleasant, it lacked basic seasoning. The potatos were however, lovely and crisp on the outside and had a good rosemary flavour.

Pollo Agrodolce

Chicken, pine nuts, sultanas on a bed of polenta

The chicken was tender and delicious. Hearty and simple, it really struck a chord in us. It was the sort of delectable comfort food we both enjoyed.

Orange biscotti

Lattés for a caffeine hit

Torta di sciroppo di fichi

Fig syrup cake,
almond milk sorbet

The cake was less than ordinary and lacked any fig-tasting components. The almond milk sorbet, however, was splendid. Smooth and delectable.

Overall impression: 7/10

It was good, simple, Italian fare. Lovely ambience and attentive waitstaff. Minor hiccups along the way but it was an overall pleasant dining experience.

Event Review: Eddie Perfect in Misanthropology [2 April 2011]

J is Eddie Perfect's biggest fan. No.. really, he is. I'm talking listened to his albums on repeat for a year.. continuously... fan. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But he is definitely in love with Eddie Perfect. So, we got tickets months and months in advance for his Misanthropology show, which is part of the Melbourne comedy festival. It was being held in the famous Spiegeltent which I found very exciting, given I have never seen any of Eddie's shows.

 the famous Spiegeltent

 I found it incredibly entertaining and enjoyed every bit of the show. J on the other hand was slightly dissapointed. He said that it was very entertaining but lacked the substance and depth that had earned his respect for Eddie.

As someone seeing Eddie for the first time, I thought it was a bit of fun and a good gig to attend.

Waiting in line to buy Eddie's new cd and for his autograph

Restaurant Review: Healesville Hotel

Location: 256 Maroondah Highway, Healesville
Link: http://www.healesvillehotel.com.au/
Cuisine: Pub, Restaurant

We decided to try Healesville Hotel as it was once hatted.

Shepherd's Pie

slow cooked lamb with vegetables, minted peas and rocket

Parmesan crumbed Chicken Schnitzel

roasted tomato, crispy bacon, cos and thick chips

Overall Impression: 5/10

Decent pub food. Nice and relaxed ambience.

Restaurant Review: Q1

Location: Q1 Resort & Spa, 9 Hamilton Street, Surfers Paradise QLD 4213
Link: http://www.bestrestaurants.com.au/restaurants/updateStats.aspx?restaurantId=3464&websiteUrl=http://www.Q1.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Australian Was at a conference in the Gold Coast and had the opportunity to try out Q1. Smoked breast of chicken garnished with witlof salad and tossed with julienne of apple, snow peas and aged balsamic

This was very dissapointing. Really just tasted somewhat like a grocery store bought caesar salad. The dressing was extremely thick and creamy. Which was nice, but had too much salt, in my opinion. The saltiness was unnecessary, given it was tossed with smoked chicken breast, that would have added ample saltiness to the mixture. I found the dressing very overpowering and could taste not much else. If this wasn't the case, the aged balsamic would have otherwise provided a good balance that would have cut through the creamyness of the dish Thinly sliced beef tenderloin served on a bed of rocket leaves tossed with extra virgin olive oil, shaved parmesan and cracked pepper Grilled Atlantic Salmon marinated with tarragon served with braised fennel on crushed new and sweet potatoes complimented by an orange sauce

Roasted lamb loin marinated with rosemary and chilli pesto complimented by Roma tomatoes salsa and basil jus and roasted pototoes

This was beautiful. Cooked to perfection. Ample seasoning, flavours sealed. Pink in the middle. Very hearty with beautiful flavours.

Orange and Grand Marnier marshmallows and fresh strawberries served with hazelnut and white chocolate mousse in mini chocolate cups

Japonaise- layers of crisp hazelnut meringue flakes with chocolate ganache, hazelnut sauce and a dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with roasted almond flakes

What an amazing dessert. Perfectly balanced on the palate. The meringue layers just melted in my mouth. A great finish to a good meal.

Overall Impression: 6/10 Very nice ambience, good food.

Restaurant Review: Margo's

Location: Crown casino, Southbank
Link: http://www.crowncasino.com.au/margos
Cuisine: Modern Australian Veal shank slow-cooked veal served with mashed potatoes and vegetables

This is the second time that I've had the Veal Shank and its actually pretty good. The veal has good flavour, it was tender and falling off the bone. The mash was deliciously buttery. The only down side was the vegetables. They had simply been boiled and then tossed on the plate.

My friends had the $12 steak and said it was tender and cooked to perfection.

Overall Impression: 5/10

Great for a casual catch-up dinner. Situated in the gaming area, I guess it could not be anything else. Service was quite good. Waiters served us crusty white bread upon arrival with a smile. Food arrived promptly and was, given the prices (assuming you get the $12 meal deal), a reasonable meal.

Restaurant Review: Shoya Nouvelle Wafu Cuisine

Location: 25 Market Lane, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9650 0848
Link: http://www.shoya.com.au/
Cuisine: Japanese Serving consistently good Japanese fare, Shoya has been a long favourite of mine. This time we decided to visit during lunch. There are several lunch menu options that range from about $25 to $65. To my delight, the quality of service and the food delivered was not compromised even though the lunch menu option is relatively cheaper to the usual a la carte.

The thing that I enjoy most about visiting Shoya during lunch is that it really breaks up the day at the office. Shoya's restaurant structure consists of 6 split levels including a traditional Horigotatsu, which is my favourite. I was very happy that we were seated there as it has such a relaxed ambience and for some reason it feels like I have ducked out of the office for a little Japanese adventure.

Chawa Mushi

Savoury Egg Custard

Agedashi Tofu

Chilled Bean Curd

Seaweed salad

Sashimi

Sushi rice topped with Salmon Sashimi and Salmon Roe

Tempura

Grilled Fish

Udon

Green tea ice cream

The sashimi was fresh, the chawa mushi was silky smooth, the tempura had a clean crispness about it and the green tea ice cream was dense and creamy. It was a good meal. Cannot wait to go back!

Overall impression: 7/10

Restaurant Review: Innocent Bystander

Location: 336 Maroondah Highway,Healesville
Phone: (03) 5962 6111 or 03 5962 2533 (after office hours)
Link: http://www.giant-steps.com.au/menus.php
Cuisine: Bistro style
Overall Impression: 5/10

Innocent Bystander is a trendy little café in Heallesville. Its worth dropping by for a free tour of their winery (tour information is on their website). It’s a very relaxed environment with cheerful waitstaff and a good bakery on site.

Pizza: spicy pork sausage, buffalo mozzarella, san marzano tomato & chilli

pizza: roast mushroom, ricotta salata, white truffle oil, garlic & parsley

buxton farm smoked trout salad with witlof, red radish & pickled cucumber

pizza: prosciutto, san marzano tomato, parmesan & parsley

For dessert we had Tarte Tatin & hot chocolate (kennedy+wilson 70% dark with valrhona.

The Salmon salad was at best plain but the pizzas on the other hand were good. The sweets (from what I hear) were yummy. Overall a good casual lunch. Highly recommended if you are going with a small group (around 8 people) as they allow small group bookings.

Restaurant Review: Locale, De Bortoli

Please refer to our latest review of De Bortoli here.

Restaurant Review: Mandala

Location: 133 Commercial Road, South Yarra
Phone: +61 3 98279297
Link: http://www.mandalarestaurant.com.au/
Cuisine: Ethnic Fusion
Overall Impression: 5/10

Decided to have dinner with J at this restaurant. Ambience wise, this is quite a nice restaurant. Cute fittings and fixtures. Its a bit noisy for my liking but overall, it was a good night out. The menu comprises of a range of Asian food and some western food as well. Don't expect a 'fine dining' experience and you will be alright!

Entrée:Okra Fritters Chicpea batter okra cubes with apple tamarind chutney

This dish was quite bland. Lacked basic seasoning - salt and pepper.

Main: Soft Shell CrabWith pickled plum, toasted peanuts, cherry tomato

This was a highlight for me. The softshell crab was crisp on the outside and deliciously moist on the inside. Yum!

Main: Slow Cooked Lamb ShankWith spiced bokchoy, wombok and market vegetables

This is an example of an attempted fusion dish. It tasted alright but it wasn't anything special.

Dessert: Pistachio Kulfi With wild berries and mango puree

A bit too creamy for my liking. The 'pistachio' bit of the kulfi was overpowered by the large amount of cream in that Kulfi. I guess its a matter of taste since J liked it.

Restaurant Review: Kellybrook Winery and Restaurant

Location: Fulford Road Wonga Park 3115 Victoria Australia
Phone: 9722 1304
Link: http://www.kellybrookwinery.com.au/
Cuisine: French
Overall Impression: 4.5/10

I guess I was just dissapointed. It looked so good on the website. I was salivating just looked through the menu.. checking out what was on offer! In the restaurant's defence, I am a pretty excitable person. (Is excitable a real word? Wait I just checked, http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=excitable yes it is!) Anybody who knows me, knows how much I enjoy just waiting in anticipation. I enjoy booking weeks in advance and planning what to order like a week before I step into a restaurant. Now that I think about it, I probably have some mental disorder. But I digress… The point is I was very excited and I already had high expectations for this place. And the prices didn't really help. So, all things considered, including value for money, I think 4.5/10 is a fair score. Oh and one thing that this place is famous for is Apple Cider! Both J and I really enjoyed the drinks we ordered. I got the Kelly Brothers Sparkling Cider and J got the non-alcoholic cider
Chicken and pistachio terrine served with homemade fig chutney Caramelised sweet potato and coconut cream soupSalmon paté – prepared with smoked and fresh salmon, served with dukkah-spiced toasts Fillet of Blue eye, baked, and served with a minted green pea puree and parsnip crisps Porterhouse steak, chargrilled, and served with Kellybrook Shiraz jus Honey and almond tart, served with honey and spice icecream and clotted cream Apple brandy cheesecake served with brandied apple compote and clotted cream

Nothing was really wrong with the food. It was just very very ordinary. There's nothing wrong with 'ordinary' food per se ,but I didn't think the prices were justified. I was particularly dissapointed with my Salmon paté. It was just way too salty. Which would have been fine if it had been served with a whole lot more bread. The soup and the terrine, on the other hand were both far too sweet. The evening ended on a high though. With a delicious honey and almond tart. What was truly special was the home-made honey and spice ice cream. The place has a really nice ambience. Its not a very long drive from Melbourne but when you get there, it feels like you're miles and miles away. J and I walked through their garden before heading inside for dinner. And it was lovely.

Restaurant Review: Red Spice Road

Location: 27 McKillop Street, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9603 1601
Link: http://www.redspiceroad.com/
Cuisine: South East Asian influenced, Fusion
Overall Impression: 7/10

Having heard and read good reviews about Red Spice Road (in particular with regards to their banquet option), I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to dine here. As you can see, it's not a place you would go to for an 'intimate' dining experience. Sharing is highly encouraged so I would suggest going with a group of people. I would recommend choosing a bunch of small eaters to go along with you, so you can eat more than your share!Entree: Betel Leaf with Chicken, Spanner Crab, LemonGrass, Chilli and Kaffir Lime

It was a solid start to the meal. This Thai style entree is an appetiser in every sense of the word. Mocktail: Green Asian
This was deliciously refreshing. The coconut and kiwi fruit really worked a treat.Barramundi, Watermelon, Cucumber, Mint and Coriander SaladLarb Woon Sen- Minced Chicken, Glass Noodle, Roasted Rice & Herb Salad Left: Crispy Five Spice Pork Belly with Chilli Caramel, Apple Slaw and Black Vinegar Right: Lamb Meatball & Potato Red Curry

We also had the Slow Cooked Beef, Water Spinach & Mushrooms with Lemongrass, Chilli Broth. Each dish was delicious. Of particular note was the Pork belly. It was packed full of flavour, the traditional five spices (star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and ground fennel seeds) were prominent in the dish. It was also perfectly seasoned. The pork itself was beautifully tender.  Another dish definitely worth trying is the barramundi dish. Succulent and perfectly cooked in a tasty batter, the dish was balanced with just enough acidity from the watermelon cubes. The dining experience as a whole was extremely enjoyable. The banquet option at Red Spice Road is a great way to try various South East Asian influenced flavours.