quality food...

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:06 pm

made yummy thai punkin soup yesterday. couple of tablespoons of red curry paste, decent chunk of ginger, a few kaffir lime leaves and can of coconut milk towards the end. would be good with a bit of corriander on top too.

i'm keen for cous cous tips too. it can be pretty non a lot of the time.

kronz · Post by **kronz** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:10 pm

@MILCO@ wrote:mmm cooking steak with polenta chips and chargrilled asparagus tonight cant wait mmmm oh and mushroom sauce.......

asparagus = F41L IMHO

F41L i tells ya

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:00 pm

Witty... was it you who recommended 'The Kitchen Table' in Malvern East for brekky?

Fucking awesome. Seriously, the best scrambled eggs I've had since the one-time in Daylesford. Scrambled eggs with chives, nice toast with butter and crispy bacon... mmmmm!

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:03 pm

It was! A colleague of mine works there on Sundays. Might have to mission over sometime to check it out.

Will pass on the kudos.

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:18 pm

We've been there the last two weeks... did both Sat and Sun this weekend just gone.

The biz.

It gets beaten for coffee by The Spoon and Servery down the road, but GREAT food and fantastic service.

Thanks for the heads up.

@MILCO@ · Post by **@MILCO@** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:14 pm

Feigan wrote:how do you make polenta chips?

also - any tips on good stuff to do with Cous Cous.

I'm new to this accompaniment and I want to do something cool with it.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/2377/polenta+chips

but use mascapone in stead of parma cheese soo much better ment in your mouth good.

Fents · Post by **Fents** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:46 pm

fuck me i just walked into our house from work and theres been lamb shanks cooking in the slow cooker all day with tomato, garlic, onion, rosemary and it just smells amzaing and ive just had a beer and smoke and bloody hell the smell is driving me nuts. bring it on.

shanks for reading.

@MILCO@ · Post by **@MILCO@** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:42 am

mmm slow cooked lamb shanks FTW...........

Fents · Post by **Fents** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:51 am

no shit if i was at a "pay what you want" resturant last night i would of offered $50 easily. <3 my wife.

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:45 am

Sounds awesome Fents

Feigan · Post by **Feigan** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:53 am

Shanks are the F'n Business.

Love em to bits.

they've only really become a super popular meal though in the last 10 - 15 years though haven't they?

Fents · Post by **Fents** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 11:11 am

yea they have feigs...missus was telling me they've gone from $2 a shank last winter to $4 a shank this year. crazy 100% inflation.

next week will be slow cooked osso bucco with pilsner gravy i think.

Feigan · Post by **Feigan** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 11:36 am

Magic.

Love that Fentonington - good to see you get excited about food as i do!!

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:31 pm

Cooked this one last night. It's a winner. I usually do it with wine but will try it again soon with beer instead.

http://www.cuisine.com.au/recipe/chilli-con-carne

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:23 am

hmm i never made him ever PC. prob the only person in oz not to. good yeh?

braeside cafe was nice- terribly cold up there, brekky was ok, not 19/20. balsalmic mushies, yarra valley fetta, mashed avo, char grilled bacon, sourdough, potato and quinoa roesti at q10 south melbs has eclipsed all brekkies ever taken. zomg homer drool

de stasio finally arriveth tomorrow night... gwarn gimme

just booked hellenic republic too- so feedback on here is interesting..

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 3:46 pm

Had a big weekend of cooking new recipes

This one was a winner, Italian beef stew ...

http://www.cuisine.com.au/recipe/spezza ... -beef-stew

It used 750ml-1L of red wine!
Tasted good last night, but tasted even nicer today for lunch. I just ate it with a fresh crusty bread roll. Very easy & very tasty for winter. Not heavy either, but satisfying for winter.

menace · Post by **menace** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:04 pm

ate at Ichi Ni in st kilda yesterday ... wasnt bad .. didt blow my mind tho

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:14 am

ichi ni is a great space. food was only ok imo. service- chick was a dunce, NFI came back to us three times insiting we ordered a dish we hadn't. would go again for snack with beer but not for dins

cafe di stasio was win win win. great ambience in there, simple elegance and best service ever- i like attentive but not intrusive with some personality. had baked scallops, pasta with ragu and bitter choc tart. bohhh to yarra pinot too. 11/10

word up: http://www.putvictoriaonyourtable.com.au/index.html

some great deals there. pinot and pie ftw. might also pay matteos in north fitzroy a visit

Fents · Post by **Fents** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:23 am

had the maddest apricot chicken last night from my very own masterchef. go rachy!

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:36 pm

gnat wrote:cafe di stasio was win win win. great ambience in there, simple elegance and best service ever- i like attentive but not intrusive with some personality. had baked scallops, pasta with ragu and bitter choc tart. bohhh to yarra pinot too. 11/10

glad you liked di stasio.

it certainly is the weather for pasta with ragu. can't get enough of it lately! Had an awesome one at Mess Hall on Bourke the other Sunday.

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:14 pm

Made pepper crusted rare tuna with ponzu sauce, water cress and sesame chilli green beans last night.

BEST

ADD_Boy · Post by **ADD_Boy** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 3:35 pm

sounds MAD jbs.

we go cumulous again this weekend for a quick nom.... yummmmmm!!!

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:07 pm

I had a cassoulet at Cumulus Inc not too long ago. Delicious

same o · Post by **same o** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:40 am

made up my own little baked eggs the other day.

tried to do a sort of middle eastern. Israeli styled thing.

used
pumpkin
tined tomatoes
mushrooms
spinach
coriander seeds
coriander
cumin
sea salt
and lots of pepper.

cooked it down in the pan till it was like a stew cracked three eggs in and mixed it up then chucked in the oven for 5 mins.
had with some thick toast with parmesan on it... mmmMMmmmMmm..
think it needs some chillies’ in it next time tho

Post by **fooishbar** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:55 am

min lokal reopened today, time to get my egg on ...

same o · Post by **same o** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:30 am

u gotta try this one. is bad bwoy got a nice hotness to it from cooking the pepper, coriander and cumin in a dry pan.

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:35 am

So, Hellenic Republic...

The fresh pide and dips were fucking mad, tarama was out of this world, the tzatziki was delicious and the light smokiness of the babaganoush was yummo. Dolmades were fairly disappointing, but the fresh sardines were awesome...and i'm not usually a fan. The baked fetta was also bang on. Wish we'd ordered more entrees, but the others weren't up for it. Had calamari, moussaka, lamb and goat for mains. All yummy, although the goat wasn't amazing. The lamb and calamari were perfectly cooked and lightly flavoured, but I reckon I make a better moussaka tbh.

Wines were way over priced and wish I'd had enough room for dessert, but now I know for next time.

Would definitely go again and smash more entrees rather than mains.

Also lol at fat head Aaron working in the kitchen with his stupid little mouth and beadie eyes.

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:59 am

ah good feedback witty. i'm going next week

min lokal is great foo. 7 seeds also a new winnner

FoundationStepper · Post by **FoundationStepper** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:08 am

lol witty sounds like my experince! your more entrees aim was derailed by friends...

quiet roar · Post by **quiet roar** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:06 pm

Have you tried other traditional greek restaurants, Witty? If so, how do you rate Hellenic Republic as compared to them?

I haven't been yet but the few reports I have received, all mentioned it was good but not amazing, and amazing is what you would expect for the cost.

I'll get there eventually but at the moment, I can't go past Jim's and Piraeus Blue.

mixtress · Post by **mixtress** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:43 pm

Oh, I think you can. We went to Jim's the other night and I was thoroughly disappointed. The lamb was fatty and grissly (sp?) and the salad was pretty bland. The saganaki was to die for though, but I've made better at home and it lands on my table hotter than it does when you buy it in a restaurant. Proper stretch. The dips were ok though.

We shared these meals and it cost $60. Faaaar too much for what we had, which was basically a throw together meal. The house red came in a tiny drinking glass and it cost $8. Poor form imo.

Going to Pireaus Blues next time.

Question: Adrian wants to take me to a Japanese restaurant and I've only ever been once and wasn't too happy with what I had. Can anyone recommend a nice meal that would make a good gateway into Japanese cuisine for a newbie?

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:47 pm

quiet roar wrote:Have you tried other traditional greek restaurants, Witty? If so, how do you rate Hellenic Republic as compared to them?

I haven't been yet but the few reports I have received, all mentioned it was good but not amazing, and amazing is what you would expect for the cost.

I'll get there eventually but at the moment, I can't go past Jim's and Piraeus Blue.

I'm not very well versed in the Greek department, but it was probably on par with what I've had before...perhaps a bit better. The entrees, in particular the dips, really were very good, but the wine and food prices were a bit off putting. I generally find Greek to be quite expensive for what it is tbh.

Maha tonight!

quiet roar · Post by **quiet roar** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:12 pm

Thanks for the feedback, mixy'. I agree, that is expensive for what you had. Please report back on your Piraeus Blue experience because I rate that as the best greek restaurant in town but again, I haven't been for a long time.

I haven't been for about a year or so but last time was as good as previous times. Around $35/ head for dips, saganaki, char-grilled octupus, calamari, blue-eye (best bit, IMO), lamb cutlets, gyros, chips and salad. All was quality but I can see how you could be disappointed with the salad, if you care about that stuff.

I kind of agree with the greek cuisine being expensive, witty but meat and seafood are costly and that's what you get at greek restaurants. However, Hellenic Republic seems to be more expensive, again and that's why I was wondering at the comparisson to other like restaurants.

For japanese: Akira in Nth Melbourne & Matsumoto on Lygon St. East Brunswick are my favourites (matsumoto is also really cheap!)

mixtress · Post by **mixtress** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:28 pm

Thanks QR, will give Matsumotu a go I reckon.

I'm Greek and I've grown up with amazing food laid out on the table every single night. So to go to a Greek restaurant and be disappointed is...well, disappointing.

My Dad used to prepare the salad a good 30 minutes before eating. He'd chop the tomatoes smaller so you got some juices involved, add oil, salt, oregano, onions and feta and then mix it with two folks for a minute or two, to combine everything and get all the juices out of the tomatos. Nothing better than dipping crusty bread into the oily tomato juice at the bottom of the bowl.

quiet roar · Post by **quiet roar** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:10 pm

Interesting mixy. The salad at our house was never dressed until just before it was placed on the table so that it wouldn't go soggy.

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:50 pm

mixtress wrote:Question: Adrian wants to take me to a Japanese restaurant and I've only ever been once and wasn't too happy with what I had. Can anyone recommend a nice meal that would make a good gateway into Japanese cuisine for a newbie?

I like to go to Matsuya on Station St in Fairfield (make sure you book!)
http://yourrestaurants.com.au/guide/mat ... estaurant/

For a newbie I don't think you can go wrong with a bento box, especially one with teriyaki chicken. You get a bit of everything to try with those.
It's relaxed there, with generous servings and good quality for the price. Must go back and eat some more raw fishies

Feigan · Post by **Feigan** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:45 am

Love Bento....

so good.

got Japanese cravings now.

Dinner = Japanese!

Lovely inspiration guys - thank you!!

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:18 am

Not really much to go soggy in a Greek salad though is there?

Did you grow up with that awesome bread stuff you put under water (or in a bit of olive oil) then crumble into the salad Mixxy? I think it's Cretan?

THE BEST!

mixtress · Post by **mixtress** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:33 am

Hells yeah! Mum baked her own bread when I was a tyke.

Thanks PC

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:48 am

Maha wasn't as good last night as the first time i went.

Desserts were still out of control though. OMG. Pomegranate cocktail is amazement.
nom nom nom.
Station hotel in Footscray for dins tonight. BOH!
Gawd I love July's birthday season.

Post by **fooishbar** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:59 am

jbs wrote:Did you grow up with that awesome bread stuff you put under water (or in a bit of olive oil) then crumble into the salad Mixxy? I think it's Cretan?

from atlantis, surely?

HA!!!

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:14 pm

i hope hellenic doesn't do that heavy handed 'suggestion' that you have the soufra or banquet. i want to choose my own stuff

also gripe re this 2 bookings per night business that's getting popular. if i am paying in excess of 110 bucks for my meal i do not want to be rushed!!

coming up for us: simone's of bright and panama dining room

anyone been to melbourne wine room?

same o · Post by **same o** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:55 pm

have been getting back into cooking... wow i am slow with a knife now.

same o · Post by **same o** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:56 pm

also any one know of any places where i can buy saki, dashi powder etc.

churs

FoundationStepper · Post by **FoundationStepper** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:00 pm

the korean grocer on brunswick st is best first bet id think

same o · Post by **same o** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:12 pm

FoundationStepper wrote:the korean grocer on brunswick st is best first bet id think

sick.

am getting into making jap, gonna do teriaki salmon on a warm bed of soba noodles.

Thursday · Post by **Thursday** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:50 am

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...

Post by **JAMESSSS** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:05 am

Taxi for degustation.

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:09 am

for romance cannot go past cafe de stasio at st kilda or ezard if you've got cash to spend

otherwise gingerboy, longrain...

FoundationStepper · Post by **FoundationStepper** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:29 pm

for Japanese, i just saw an articlei n a paper about a good supplier

SUZURAN Japan Foods Trading
1025-1027 Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124
(03) 9882 2349

SUZURAN Sushi Bar
Shop16/210 Toorak Rd (31 Chambers St)
South Yarra VIC 3141
(03) 9804 7396