quality food...

same o · Post by **same o** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:24 pm

legend

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:52 pm

Thursday wrote:Hi All!

Looking for a top class romantic restaurant to take my girl on her birthay.

Somewhere where you don't feel like the people next to you can hear every word you are saying, food is melt in the mouth, mood is well captured and service is great.

Preferably in the city...

Can't help with the city, but I like Libertine in North Melbourne for atmosphere & French food.

Di Stasio in St Kilda as Gnat says.

Also I like La Luna in North Carlton. Amazing food. Had quite a few special dinners inc. for birthdays there.

Flowerdrum in the city is excellent for tables not being crowded and service that makes you feel special.

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:56 pm

same o wrote:
legend

The Korean grocer on La Trobe St (next to hungry jacks) is good too... (for sake at least, good selection)

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:04 pm

^ Thanks for that sake tip Deviant. I have been wondering where to buy some near me.
Any brand recommendations? I like to drink my sake warm.

same o · Post by **same o** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:11 pm

otokoyama is nice, think that is how it spelt.

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:15 pm

thanks same o

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:50 pm

lol, I don't know really... I can't read the labels. I just buy the most expensive one to save myself from failing. Cheap sake is puke central.

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:52 pm

Screw sake, go shochu!

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:10 pm

not a fan of shochu...

went to a few shochu bars in in Japan... crazy amounts of that stuff they drink, pretty stiff.. like drinking straight vodka or something, from a beer stein

like this...

drunkeness aplenty

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:24 pm

HOPPY!

I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO REMEMBER THE NAME OF THAT FOR AGES!

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:25 pm

We went to heaps of Shochu bars, love it.

had bottles on the go at multiple places.

Post by **fooishbar** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:46 pm

jbs wrote:Screw sake, go shochu!

you know this!!

ps: i can change your name to Jimmy Breaks if you want.

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:55 pm

jbs wrote:Screw sake, go shochu!

I've never tried the stuff! :O Will give it a go next time.

Dan, I like your theory of get the most expensive one haha.

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:43 am

Any tried and trusted babaganouj and hummus recipes you guys could recommend? There are billions out there, but would rather go with one that i know will be delicious!

Fents · Post by **Fents** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:31 pm

Homemade Souva's last night. Yummo.

Post by **fooishbar** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:10 pm

witty_pseudonym wrote:Any tried and trusted babaganouj and hummus recipes you guys could recommend? There are billions out there, but would rather go with one that i know will be delicious!

ask lucie for her baba gannouj recipe ... best.

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:33 pm

currently obsessed with

sicilian olives w lemon
vanilla icecream and tia maria
moussaka = best for winter
peking duck
tiny custard pancakes from asian bakeries
mandarins, which i share piece by piece with yoshi puppy

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:30 am

went to hellenic republic last night. had mixed feelings after hearing mixed reports

well... it was fantastic.. beautiful food, warm noisy ambience, great service, visual element of open kitchen .. and pretty well priced for what it was imo

we chose our own stuff- split pea dip, dolmades, saganaki with peppered figs (zomfg homerdrool), stuffed mushrooms.. then had moussaka, salmon and lemon and garlic braised chicken

crisp passionfruity yarra valley sav blanc followed by mornington penisula pinot noir then rice pudding and divine semolina custard filos (highly higly recommend this light delicious kinda salty pastry with smooth custard and cinnamon sooooo good it should have been illegal

finished off with a really good coffee- tight crema, good beans

WIN in all areas and for about 200 bucks for three i think that was more than reasonable. will defo go again

only complaint was the tunes. fucking random selection of unce unce- hellenic house perhaps?..terrible, thankfully mostly drowned out by the dull roar of conversation.

9/10 greek 'sex symbols' yeah

ADD_Boy · Post by **ADD_Boy** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 7:32 pm

Nice review gnat. Also heard mixed reviews but will defo try now.

Pc shochu is deadly stuff!! Dan that pic bringsback painfull hangover memories!!

FoundationStepper · Post by **FoundationStepper** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:29 pm

gnat wrote:saganaki with peppered figs (zomfg homerdrool)

its incredible

the taramasolata was my other highlight

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:29 pm

Hit the Napier yesterday for a catchup lunch with friends.

Servings were excessively huge, too much salad garnish even for a vegan.
Burger was dry and only saved by wedges which was charged an extra $1 to upgrade from shoestring fries.
The bogan burger was massive, and we dared one of our group to order it just so we could see it. Tower of protein and 3 meat groups. Impossible to finish and a meat raffle could of been hekd wit the lefty overs.

DBoy · Post by **DBoy** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:38 pm

Had dinner here on weekend -

$$$ but holey cow - just the most wonderful food. Very rich, but not sickely.

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:01 pm

Pretty quiet on the food front at home since Masterchef finished, but I busted out a decent crack pasta last night. Finishing up the left overs for lunch right now. It's all about the cracked pepper TBH.

Lil MiSbreaks · Post by **Lil MiSbreaks** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:06 pm

witty_pseudonym wrote:Any tried and trusted babaganouj and hummus recipes you guys could recommend? There are billions out there, but would rather go with one that i know will be delicious!

OMG, Quinn's Baba receipe is just uughhhhhhhhh fantabulous.

You still need Witty???

Ive tried a few different Hummus ones... all effectively the same ingrediants, but getting the taste just right could be trial and error. Arabesque cook book had one, i followed it to the fucking letter, and yet it didnt do it for me as it should. Too much Tahene and its weird, too much lemon juice and its weird. I find it hard

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:09 pm

Lil MiSbreaks wrote:
witty_pseudonym wrote:Any tried and trusted babaganouj and hummus recipes you guys could recommend? There are billions out there, but would rather go with one that i know will be delicious!
OMG, Quinn's Baba receipe is just uughhhhhhhhh fantabulous. You still need Witty???

Ive tried a few different Hummus ones... all effectively the same ingrediants, but getting the taste just right could be trial and error. Arabesque cook book had one, i followed it to the fucking letter, and yet it didnt do it for me as it should. Too much Tahene and its weird, too much lemon juice and its weird. I find it hard

My housemate watched my chop a whole bulb of garlic into houmous and then told me afterwards I put too much in. Understatement. It was spicy hot burny form all the garlic, at least no one else ate it. lol

ADD_Boy · Post by **ADD_Boy** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:31 pm

w_p

http://www.sbs.com.au/food/foodsafarire ... /n/Hoummus

Haven't tried it tho.. Was re-watching over the wekend and I though I'd like to make...

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:39 pm

That's the hummus I made ADD. Needed a lot more oil though (cbf with having it in the middle like that). Was yummo...but the recipe made farking tonnes of the stuff. Too much tbh. Also the smell of the cooking chickpeas was a bit gag worthy, but that's just me. Tasty though. Will be eating it for weeks.

Found a baba ghanouj in my Margaret Fulton book. Was waaaaay too garlicey even though i halved what was suggested, but that's because I only had the purple one...best ever, but phwoar! Also i don't have a gas grill, so the charring business was a bit fail. Halve the garlic again and some stove-top charring action and it probably would have been pretty tasty.

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:28 pm

yep, quinn does best baba witty- smoky delicious goodness. he's away though and i don't have recipe

BrB might though..

all about whole roasted eggplants- bbq is better

horoki on weekend was as always great- service, atmosphere and food. a fave, recommend

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:37 pm

Blaxter wrote: My housemate watched my chop...

Intriguing. For how long?

same o · Post by **same o** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:48 pm

going to helenic republic in two weeks, lookin fwd to it

Post by **huge** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 10:57 pm

witty_pseudonym wrote:That's the hummus I made ADD. Needed a lot more oil though (cbf with having it in the middle like that). Was yummo...but the recipe made farking tonnes of the stuff. Too much tbh. Also the smell of the cooking chickpeas was a bit gag worthy, but that's just me. Tasty though. Will be eating it for weeks.

Found a baba ghanouj in my Margaret Fulton book. Was waaaaay too garlicey even though i halved what was suggested, but that's because I only had the purple one...best ever, but phwoar! Also i don't have a gas grill, so the charring business was a bit fail. Halve the garlic again and some stove-top charring action and it probably would have been pretty tasty.

i made some hummus the other weekend with the purple garlic. faaark that shit is spicy as crap!

mixtress · Post by **mixtress** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:11 am

ghetto kitty wrote:vanilla icecream and tia maria

that reminds me, a friend of mine has a special birthday breakfast consisting of Coco Pops and Kahlua.

Fents · Post by **Fents** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:51 am

Cafe Saffron last night in sth morang. best rogan josh ever. also had these massive legs of lamb cooked in a tandoor oven, like a big shank but better

Post by **fooishbar** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:55 am

Fents wrote:like a big shank but better

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:52 pm

Did anyone go to A Taste of Melbourne last year? I was out of town so I missed it, and I'm not too sure how good it will be.
It's about $30 to get in, but there's no point going unless you stump out more cash to try the dishes by the different restaurants and probably have a drink at the bar.

http://www.tastefestivals.com.au/austra ... &Itemid=68

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:02 pm

Yeah I went, but we had free tickets so just payed for the food.

I thought it was rad!

@MILCO@ · Post by **@MILCO@** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:12 pm

damn food safari was mad last night, buying a tagine this week.

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:19 pm

mixtress wrote:
ghetto kitty wrote:vanilla icecream and tia maria
that reminds me, a friend of mine has a special birthday breakfast consisting of Coco Pops and Kahlua.

interesting. my birthday breakfast is bagels with smoked salmon, neufchatel, pickles and red onion.

in fact, any special occasion breakfast.

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:19 pm

@MILCO@ wrote:damn food safari was mad last night, buying a tagine this week.

Moroccans love their sugar!

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:21 pm

that carrot salad looked fucking DOPE. will be smashing that one in summer for sure.

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:52 pm

www.exclusivelyfood.com.au- some good recipes here

i'm going to emmilou in sydders tomorrow night. tapas bizzo apparently. hoping for sangria weather..

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:02 pm

I tried Ethiopian food for the first time last night! I've got to say it was delicious!
We had 2 beef dishes, 1 lamb, and quite a few vegetarian dishes with different kinds of lentils and other vege. They brought out huge round platters draped in a soft spongy bread/pancake type thing and then poured the different meat & other dishes on top of it. To eat it you rip off some bread and use it to pick up the food. There was also a fresh salad. It was good fun communal eating with pals.

The beer was also good. Castle beer from Ethiopia was just like a crisp pilsner for $5. There are 2 other kinds of Ethiopian beer to try. Overall dinner cost me about $18 and I was full of tasty food that was new to me, and very exciting.

Café Lalibela
91 Irving St, Footscray VIC 3011‎ - (03) 9687 0300‎

(just near the markets & train station).

mixtress · Post by **mixtress** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:19 pm

Have really been enjoying the Spaghetti Carbonara at Mario's on Brunswick St. Stuffed my face with it last night and had to unbutton my jeans when we got back to the car

mecka · Post by **mecka** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 8:54 pm

http://www.tastespotting.com/

bonsai · Post by **bonsai** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:21 pm

mmmmmm quality canadian style pork ribs make me one happy caveman

Amick · Post by **Amick** » Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:37 pm

bonsai wrote:mmmmmm quality canadian style pork ribs make me one happy caveman

serious grindage. nice.

EDIT: i'm hoovering some honeycomb and butterscotch sara lee ice cream. :fatass:

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:29 pm

bonsai wrote:mmmmmm quality canadian style pork ribs make me one happy caveman

mmm i has killer pork ribs recipe ala bible belt america.

should make them soon, you have reminded me!

Fents · Post by **Fents** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:42 pm

can you pls post the recipe up GK?

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:08 pm

sure fents, its right up your alley mister!

5 pounds pork ribs yankee style (like the long cuts on the bone) i think thats around 2.5 kilos.
2/3 cup tomato puree
1 cup brown sugah
1/4 cup worstershire sauce
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder (but i double that if folks like chilli, which i do)
1 1/2 teaspoons smoky paprika (or more hehe)
2 cloves garlic
lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon

cut lengths of ribs in half, combine tom puree, vinegar, worsy sauce, sugah, chilli, garlic, lemon and tarragon in a non metal bowl.
coat the ribs well in the marinade, and cover and put in the fridge for at LEAST two hours (overnight is better) turning occasionally.
preheat oven to 200 degrees, put ribs on wire racks in baking trays, and save the marinade.
bake for around 40 minutes, or till well browned, brushing with marinade now n then.

FUCKING YUM.
porky porky porky....

enak · Post by **enak** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:30 pm

^^^ sounds fucking great.

cooking tomorrow...