Café Vue 401 St Kilda Road - Any Given Sunday

Being tasked to organise a relaxing yet modest lunch somewhere between Southbank and St Kilda on a mild Sunday afternoon did not pose much of a problem. My reluctance to stagger to Café Vue at 401 St Kilda Road whilst still nursing a sore head and body after an especially big day out previously at Shoya, Eveleigh Bar, Hell of the North and the Gertrude Hotel is what concerned me however in the end after a somewhat lackluster dawdle there, I was able to meet friends and more importantly languish outside and be offered some professional service.

This particular Café Vue (there are five locations in Melbourne) is popular on the weekdays with the St Kilda Road corporate crowd and remains rather calm, cool and collected on the weekends as the uptight sorts have all left the area. What is most oddly appealing for me is the small outdoor dining space on the street. Normally I am not one that likes to dine next to the road however the manicured shrubs shield your eyes from the unsightly automobiles traversing back and forth and it is surprisingly peaceful despite the proximity to the bitumen.

After advising the staff that we were going to not only rest but dine outside, menus were provided. We inquired about the daily three course blackboard special ($55) however opted to start with the special artichoke soup followed by the David Blackmore wagyu beef burger ($19) with crispy bacon and a side of fries. Although the soup could have used a bit more salt, I found it tasty and very appropriate for the mild conditions of the day. Bread is provided so you are not left in distress considering how to suck up the remaining remnants of taste when the bowl is nearly vacant. The wagyu beef burger was much larger than I expected it to be. Being a fan of the Neil Perry waygu beef burger that is available from Rockpool Bar & Grill, I had high expectations and Shannon Bennett's café kitchen met them. What I was impressed with was that the crispy bacon was actually crispy - go figure, and combined with the fries, this dish certainly filled us up. Dirty Granny cider ($7) seemed appropriate over the Peroni ($7.50) that was on tap but in retrospect, I may have erred. The beer would have complimented the David Blackmore beef better however in the end, a bit of alcohol of any sort managed to improve both my mood and constitution and left me wanting more.

When we retreated inside with the intention to purchase macarons from the display cabinet, we decided that we were far too full and it would have been a gluttonous exercise that at least for me was not in the interest of my waist size. I did purchase some fresh bread that is on offer from a basket and took that with me to the bar at the Royce Hotel next door which had the footy  playing and of course ultimately a constant flow of inebriating fluids that are a requirement for watching any given game on a sullen Sunday.

Café Vue

401 St Kilda Rd., Melbourne VIC 3004
(03) 9866 8055

http://www.vuedemonde.com.au

My Rating: 13.25/20

Service: 3.25/5

Ambiance: 3.25/5

Quality: 3.5/5

Value For Money: 3.25/5

Twitter: @epicurean3006

e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com

web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this post, 72% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Café Vue on St Kilda Road.

Cicciolina St Kilda - The Naked Truth

With the weather becoming colder and the sky weeping on occasion the other day, I had the honour of choosing a location for a much heralded lunch meeting in St Kilda and I happily made a booking at Cicciolina on Acland Street. The Italian-Australian fare and warm service on offer at this local stalwart seemed appropriate considering the climate, which ultimately cleared up incidentally whilst enjoying the second bottle of wine.

Three of us converged on the restaurant all at different times with a booking. Service was happy to provide Hepburn Springs sparkling water ($8) whilst the various parties waited for each other to arrive. Nothing seemed to be too hard or inconvenient for service at the restaurant and I found it a rather relaxed environment. Fortunately being the second to arrive, I was able to take a chair in the front dining room which enabled me to face the erotic artwork on the wall. When the conversation ultimately became quite boring and tedious at various points in the afternoon, I would inspect every detail of the art in my view. Not because I am a pervert, but just because I found the imagery fascinating and much more interesting than the conversation at times.

A Sorrenberg Gamay ($75) from Beechworth, VIC, was the first bottle of wine to arrive. I thought it would be appropriate being light and fruity, which would have matched well with nearly anything that we would order as an entree. Gamay is really the only grape grown in France's Beaujolais region and our friends in Beechworth have done an excellent job developing it into a light and cheerful vintage that would stand alone as a drinking wine and is even better with food. I paired the soufflé of blue swimmer crab meat with shallot and lemon thyme served on a champagne and chive velouté ($20.50) which although would be perceived as a smaller starter compared to others available, it was packed with flavour and really complemented the Gamay. Swimmer crab is a personal favourite of mine and I was impressed.

When the Sorrenberg had been vanquished and remained as a mere memory, a bottle of 2010 Erath Pinot Noir ($70) from Willamette Valley, Oregon USA, was sourced. I started to appreciate wine from this region more after attending Pinot Palozza in Melbourne last year. As the region had not been producing grapes for that long, classically I have always ignored it but found that the Erath, despite being more of a fruity wine, I thought would selfishly match my main quite well; the special venison leg fillet with potato gnocchi, baby beets and a chestnut ragu ($41.50). The venison was roasted rare and was amazing. Very lean cuts combined with a beautiful purple-rare colour complimented both the ragu and potato gnocci like a dream. I am glad that I opted for the lighter wine so that it did not overwhelm the taste of the deer and in the end I was satisfied by the large portion provided. My dining companions seemed to enjoy their respective scotch fillet ($41.50) and duck leg ($40.50) and were equally impressed by the matching of the wine.

Throughout the extended dining experience service remained consultative and patient. Head chef Michelle Elia has devised a smart menu where the fundamentals of Italian cuisine can shine and when served in the cozy confines of the dining room, or even the back bar which is open on weekends, makes for an experience within itself. Making a journey to the toilet requires you to leave the restaurant completely with a key that will grant you access to shared facilities in the complex. When I spotted the junkies hanging out at the entrance to the restroom I decided my bladder was not that full and instead retreated back to the dining room knowing that I had the resolve to hold it in until we visited a bar afterwards.

I would certainly return to Cicciolina and it does make for an alternative to Café Di Stasio if you are looking to enjoy Italian cuisine in St Kilda.

Cicciolina

130 Acland St., St Kilda VIC 3182
(03) 9525 3333

http://www.cicciolinastkilda.com.au

My Rating: 15/20

Service: 3.75/5

Ambiance: 3.5/5

Quality: 4/5

Value For Money: 3.75/5

Twitter: @epicurean3006

e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com

web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this post, 87% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Cicciolina.

Portello Rosso + Murmur Bar - Oak Forests, Acorns and Pigs

When we arrived a bit late at Portello Rosso the other day with the hopes of an extended and relaxed lunch, I was not expecting too much consideration to be given by the restaurant since we did not have a booking and it was nearly the middle of the afternoon. Regardless of the situation, the restaurant which is located on Warburton Lane, off of Little Bourke Street was happy to accommodate two hungry blokes.

Our punishment was not being able to order one of the paellas simply because of the time required to put out a quality product. Not to be disappointed though, we compensated by starting off with 30g of jamón ibérico de bellota ($40.50) which was very rich and savory. The finest ham which is from free range pigs that roam oak forests along the border between Spain and Portugal that eat only acorns (bellota) which are ultimately slaughtered and the ham is cured, in this case for 48 months. Served with slices of bread and matched with the 2011 El Pajaro Rojo Bierzo Mencia which was on "special" according to the blackboard ($44) and certainly complemented the rich and wonderful taste of the jamon. Mencia is a red Spanish grape varietal found mainly in the Bierzo, Ribieria Sacra and Valdeorras appellations of northern Spain. Bierzo is a remote area of Galicia, a cool province bordering that Atlantic Ocean. That is where the next dish was influenced from so the wine was a natural segue.

One of the restaurants "signature dishes" being Pulpa de Galicia - marinated octopus Galicia style served over paprika potato with chilli, spanish onion and black garlic ($20) was just amazing. Although you could easily drink the wine on its own, is flavours were enhanced by the pairing of these neighbours. The octopus was so soft and the flavours so pronounced that I could have been satisfied just having this dish and the jamon and have gone on my merry way but fortunately the goodness did not end there.

A selection of pequenos or sharing dishes were then ordered. Crispy pork belly served over almond and garlic puree ($6 each) acted as a bridge before we continued with very large piquello peppers stuffed with spanner crab along with a fish and dill mousse ($7.50 each) which were bold enough to take on the rich flavours of the wine. These peppers were huge with an equally large portion of spanner crab and I loved them.

Not to be outdone on the enormity of the tastes and sheer volume of spanner crab, the jamon-wrapped king prawns ($8 each) were just as huge. I really enjoyed the prawn being wrapped with the jamon and the whole of the prawn being served on a mixed leaf salad. The size of the prawns were almost daunting and when we originally placed the order, the server raised her eyebrow thinking that we were being ambitious with the amount of food required and I can understand why.

Whilst enjoying the shared dishes, we supplemented the flavours with an order of patatas bravas - crispy potatoes dusted in smoked paprika with a spicy tomato sauce and aioli ($13) which were especially nice when paired with the tortilla del dia - a spanish style fritter with onion jam ($6) and when washed down with more wine rounded out a very bold and exciting dining experience.

Head chef Aaron Whitney certainly has a winner on his hands. This is an exciting menu full of comfort with an attentive and cheery staff. There is minimal dining space on both the ground level where you have the ability to watch the kitchen in action but there is also seating upstairs in a loft type setting. I really liked this experience and when the bill came, I was pleasantly surprised.

Given that we wore out our welcome by staying nearly all afternoon, it was suggested that we go to the adjoining bar next door, which is also owned by Portello Rosso, called Murmur. It had just opened for business being 4:30 PM, and we happily obliged. A quick trek up a flight of stairs and you enter an attic space with high ceilings and a really cool fit-out. This is one of the reasons why I love Melbourne so much - finding spaces like this, almost like hidden gems which quickly become popular with the after-work corporate crowd. There was a wide variety of beer available and the barkeep was actively making cocktails for the lovely ladies who appeared whilst I was distracted when I was catching up on e-mail after being in dereliction of my afternoon duties, but that is nothing that a Brunswick Bitter can not solve. This is certainly a bar worth frequenting regardless if you visit Portello Rosso and I am looking forward to returning to both of them soon.

Portello Rosso + Murmur Bar

15+17 Warburton Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9602 2273
http://www.portellorosso.com.au
http://www.murmur.com.au
My Rating: 15.25/20

Service: 3.75/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Quality: 4.25/5

Value For Money: 4.25/5

Twitter: @epicurean3006

e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com

web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this post, 89% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon also like Portello Rosso. A further 92% of the reviewers also like Murmur Bar.

Wonderbao - Literature Lane Curiousity

After reading a fair amount of positive press and equally good comments on Twitter about Wonderbao my interest was effectively peaked so we went on the hunt for this place on A'Beckett Street, which is technically accessed via Literature Lane for lunch the other day.

This is a small shop that is hugely popular considering the very reasonable prices and the proximity to not only the CBD but also RMIT. The first thing I noticed when approaching the building that Wonderbao is housed was that the police were conducting some sort of operation across the road. It wasn't long until the whole of the police were also queued up to get a bit of the Wonderbao goodness.

We were lucky and were able to secure one of the six stools against the window after ordering. You can easily have a wide variety of tastes for under $10, and I was very impressed. People rave about the pork belly gau bao ($3.80) so that was the first one that went down my gob. The bao itself was light and fluffy and had a very nice texture. I was impressed by the amount of pork belly which which was both gelatinous and tender. The crushed peanuts and coriander complemented it well and I appreciated the volume of food and intriguing tastes that you experience for that meager price. The Cheung chay bao ($2) was the biggest surprise. It is a Chinese sausage bao, not only full of flavour but the bao itself was awesome. I used a fair amount of the chilli sauce provided to spice it up and was thoroughly impressed. Finally "da" chicken bao ($3.20) was consumed. Although the chicken contained a trace of cartilage was tasty however the bau starred with this menu selection and the taste was once again highlighted by the addition of chilli sauce.

If you are fortunate enough to secure a stool, you will have views out to the street art and rubbish bins on Literature Lane. Most people seemingly choose to eat their food in the laneway which has a fair amount of character itself. There is a perfect symbiotic relationship with the location of Wonderbao and this particular laneway and makes for a relaxing and interesting time where your senses are piqued. Don't be surprised if you turn up and see a long queue however do not abandon your desire for bao. The staff are really efficient and you will not be waiting long - in our case less than five minutes, which included time spent in the queue and waiting for the finished product. So good.

Wonderbao

4/19-37 A'Beckett St., Melbourne VIC 3000
03 9654 7887
http://www.wonderbaokitchen.com.au
My Rating: n/a

Service: n/a

Ambiance: n/a

Quality: n/a

Value For Money: n/a
Opening Times

Mon - Fri: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sat: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Beware... Cash only.

Twitter: @epicurean3006

e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com

web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this post, 89% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Wonderbao.

Little Creatures Dining Hall - Of Mice and Men

After visiting Little Creatures Dining Hall on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy for a drink or two in recent times, it wasn't until last weekend when I was able to convince my learned friend to join me not only for the requisite vat of beer to be shared between us, but also wine, pleasant conversation and offerings to share from their menu.

There are a few stools at the bar and a handful of high tables that are technically considered part of the bar, so you can not order food from the proper menu and have it delivered there. Instead, you are asked to walk around and present yourself to be allocated a table in the dining hall. Fair enough. The high tables in the bar are quite small so it was more apt to wander to the back of the hall after being lubricated by pints of Little Creatures after a few hours.

I really liked our server. She brought a certain amount of honesty and it was evident that she was "on our side" with respect to what to get from the menu and actually suggested that we not order some of the items. With this sort of information, we were intrigued so in the end defied her advice which proved to be a bad decision but it was still very refreshing to be provided with such a level of consulting that usually is not on offer.

We requested the cured salmon, beetroot, creme fraiche with toast ($18) to come out first so that it could be enjoyed with the pilsner instead of the red wine that was ordered. This dish was a light and refreshing way to start and with my stomach filled with beer, tasted wonderful. The beetroot was crunchy and the creme fraiche was a nice touch. Sadly this is where the positive experience ended.

Despite placing all of the food orders at the same time, it took 45 minutes for the next dish to come out. However not only a single dish came out but all of the remaining food at the same time which I suppose satisfied the order but caused some chaos on the table. The cheese kransky with sauerkraut and chutney ($13.50) was just horrible. This was one of the dishes that the server recommended not to order. The kransky itself was dry and the cheese was awful. The sauerkraut did a good job of removing the foul taste from my mouth and certainly the wine helped. Chilli, tomato mussels with fennel ($19.50) were then sampled. The chilli completely overwhelmed the mussels and I could not taste them. I could not tell if they were fresh as my senses could not detect the mussels at all. The charred lamb ribs ($16) although technically would make good fare at a beer hall, did not make the grade at all here. Although you would expect one side of the rib at most to be fatty, the meat was completely surrounded by fat.

A serve of enterprise bleu (45g for $11) was ordered to finish off the wine. The cheese was really bitter. Surprisingly bitter.

Despite the majority of the food, we had a good time at the Little Creatures Dining Hall, mainly because of the atmosphere, the server and the quirky ambiance. This place would be good for groups but if you order a single kransky from the "share" menu I can imagine a larger group being disappointed when the single sausage comes out for the relatively high price. There are a few tables outside on Brunswick Street so you can enjoy the elements, the sound of the trams and have a cigarette if that motivates you however when I return next it will be just for the beer.

Little Creatures Dining Hall

222 Brunswick St., Fitzroy VIC 3065
(03) 9417 5500

http://www.littlecreatures.com.au

My Rating: 11/20

Service: 3.5/5

Ambiance: 3.5/5

Quality: 2/5

Value For Money: 2/5

Twitter: @epicurean3006

e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com

web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this post, 87% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like the Little Creatures Dining Hall.

The Lucky Coq - Pizza au Vin

Standing proud on the corner of Chapel and High Streets in the modest suburb of Prahran, it isn't hard to not notice the Lucky Coq. Some would consider this more of a bar that caters to many subcultures however they do have a pizza menu that is somewhat renowned in the circles that hunt out value for money.

I wasn't intending on calling into the Lucky Coq on this adventurous and pleasant day. I needed to bide some time before an engagement in St Kilda so I happened in there for the first time in over a year. Before I had found the venue to be a good meeting place before toddling off to other venues in the area, most notably Jacques Reymond, but the Lucky Coq, being so conveniently located serves multiple purposes, and as I discovered, they sell pizzas for $4. A glass of postmix Coke is $3.50.

There are roughly twenty pizzas available for purchase. Some being "special" and are not discounted. I placed an order for the "Funghi" which is a simple pizza with a tomato base, cheese and mushrooms. About ten minutes later it was delivered.

What you see on the menu, with respect to the wording, is what you get. The pizza isn't especially large - and is about the size of my Samsung Galaxy 7" Tablet, just round. The sauce was applied very frugally and had little taste. The cheese also seemed to be rationed like they would have done during a Soviet winter in the 1980's. Although the mushrooms were soft and tasted like the familiar fungus should, they were indeed the standout if I am bold enough to nominate one. You are responsible for cutting the pizza also. However given that the pizza cost $4, how critical can you be? It is fine for bar food and if you are looking for some value for money.

The bar itself is designed like there was an explosion at an Op Shop and the fit-out does amuse me a bit with the merging of about four different styles from four different eras where lounges are mixed in with high tables, a pool table and of course an upstairs area which includes a small area outside for our friends that smoke and wish to endure the elements. The furnishings just makes the place a bit funny, where you can't take anything too seriously. A bit like communism in a way.

Lucky Coq

179 Chapel St  Windsor VIC 3181
(03) 9525 1288

http://www.luckycoq.com.au

My Rating: n/a

Service: n/a

Ambiance: n/a

Quality: n/a

Value For Money: n/a

Twitter: @epicurean3006

e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com

web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this post, 87% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon also like The Lucky Coq.

The Bond Store - Skyfall

This is the first blog post where I am embedding a video made of photographs that I took of the respective venue. In this instance, when combined they form a short 29-second movie which will also be available on my YouTube channel. Over the next week or so, I will work to provide higher quality galleries in future reviews and also use a better camera where appropriate instead depending on the in-built camera on my Samsung Galaxy S3.

The Bond Store, which is located near Eureka Tower, behind the Southbank Promenade on Riverside Quay is named after the bluestone vaults of Customs House where back in the good old days, imported goods were historically held in bond until the customs duty had been paid. Now the old warehouse has been turned into a quality café that is popular meeting place for the corporate lemmings that work in Freshwater Place and the area in general. With the exposed brick walls and high wooden ceilings, the venue is a portal into the local history of the area in a bygone time where tourism, gambling and the ubiquitous McDonald's had not encroached on the serenity of the area in general.

I met my clever friend here for a morning catch-up knowing that if we convened before the clock struck twelve and concluded our business, we would not be tempted to get into either the alcohol supply on offer in the café or kick on to other places in the area and enjoy the liquid hospitality over a long and boozy lunch.

We started with the coffee which was decent. Although a breakfast menu is available until 11:30 AM, I waited until precisely that time so the lunch menu was released to order a Reuben sandwich. A good Reuben is hard to find in Melbourne so I was rather excited to find one on offer. Technically what the café was advertising was a bastardised Reuben as their concoction was described to have pastrami and dijon mustard, substituting for corned beef and thousand island dressing, which is what a tradional Rueben would have in between rye bread. Still, there was a good quantity of pastrami of average quality, which made it a good sandwich with a fair amount of rocket on the side.

Service was under pressure from the fair amount of patrons serving coffees and given that we were there during a transition period between menus where they were preparing for the lunch rush, I could understand why they were not as attentive as you would expect. Still once you caught their attention, the process kicked into overdrive.

The Bond Store

1 Riverside Quay, Southbank VIC 3006

(03) 9686 9007

no web site, no Twitter feed

My Rating: 12.5/20

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 3.5/5

Quality: 3/5

Value For Money: 3/5

Twitter: @epicurean3006

e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com

web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this post, 96% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon also like The Bond Store.

Rating: 3.1