Porcelain Tea Parlour

As part of my job at BrandWorks, I’m fortunate enough to have to spend time just generally reading and researching what’s trendy, what isn’t, what’s upcoming etc. etc.

What I’ve been loving reading at the moment? 

How much tea is coming into it’s own in a coffee flavoured ocean. I’ve been seeing a lot of cocktails at bars infused with the stuff (therefore it’s healthy…right?) and I love some of the tea shop concepts I’ve been seeing popping up around the world (which are all so beautiful and zen like, I’m into it).

For those who don’t know, I don’t drink coffee, not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t feel I need to, and am a lover of all things tea like. 

So when I heard the Porcelain Tea Parlour opened in Carlton, it was definitely somewhere I had been keen to go to for a while, but life was doing it’s usual thing and distracting me from remembering to visit.

Fortunately, when I suggested to Cheryl from Flag and Spear (who run some amazing tea events) that we should meet up, we wound up at Porcelain Tea Parlour. Trust a tea sommelier to get you there huh?

Warm emerald green walls, cushy seats, low tables; you could be at a tea party, or you could just be in someone’s living room. Porcelain Tea Parlour is definitely a place for reprieve, and on the slightly hot and muggy day it was, it was a relief to sink into comfortable seats to cool off. I love that they’re also open until 10pm, leaving plenty of time to pop in for a little chilled out tea time session before heading home after the work day. 

The tea menu rotates, with a diverse and interesting range of teas, a mix of familiar and a little more unknown. Opt for a tea of your choice (or let owner Scarlett help you choose), try a flight, or even request the ‘Tea & Post’ where you can sip your tea while hand writing a letter. 

I had a golden tips tea when I visited, whilst Cheryl got an iced chamomile infusion. 

Should you need a nibble as well, there are macarons, chocolate and cheese on hand. 

If my evenings weren’t so busy as of late, you would definitely find me relaxing in Porcelain Tea Parlour far more frequently. I’ve decided to read more books this year (I’ve even got a google docs spreadsheet going to track what I’m reading!), and couldn’t think of a better space to do just that, along with one of my personal drinks of choice. 

Porcelain Tea Parlour

149 Elgin Street

Carlton 

 

Woody P, Stoke Bar & Kitchen, The Lincoln, Truck Stop Deluxe, Hunters Kitchen

Disclosure: I was invited to the below events as a guest of the restaurant 

It’s been a very busy couple of months, with plenty of food, good drink, great company and expanding waistlines. Here’s a little round up of some the launch parties and dinners I’ve had the privilege of attending recently…

Woody P

121 Flinders Lane

Melbourne 3000

 

Rubbing shoulders with famous neighbours, Chin Chin, Woody P had to make sure it put on a good show and if the little (packed out) launch party was anything to go by, the food has a lot of promise. 

The interior is warm and inviting, a fun mix of timber, brick, and greenery creeping up to the ceiling. I also simply adore the ‘When in Rome’ neon. 

We don’t sample a lot of the food (there’s far more booze floating around), but beautifully done scallops and simply moreish strips of prosciutto definitely make me want more. The menu reads a treat online, and surprisingly it all looks very reasonable, with the pasta hovering around the low $20 mark and mains pushing up to $30. Definitely keen to pop back soon. 

Stoke Bar and Kitchen

7 Alfred Place

Melbourne 3000

 

The last time I was at the Stokehouse City Bar downstairs, I was there for my girl Caryn’s birthday, where I drunk the most amount of gin in the last year (I’m actually not kidding) and realised how well Monkey 47 worked in a negroni (it’s magic). 

So, after a bit of a facelift, and a tweak in the name, I knew Caryn had to come with me to check out the newly re-opened Stoke Bar and Kitchen. 

Upstairs is still a beautiful fine dining restaurant, but downstairs has been turned into a more casual spot, for a relaxed bite to eat, or post-work drink with colleagues (which is how many of us seemed to be treating it anyway…)!

A fresh paint job makes the space a bit darker, moodier and broodier. Very Melbourne. 

Prosecco in hand, we enjoy a beautiful spread of oysters, spoons of beef tartare with tomato, egg yolk and rye, and the most delicious salt cod and speck croquettes with romesco sauce. Had two of everything. At least!

Roast cauliflower with herb yoghurt and brown butter crumbs comes out looking like a macabre white brain with a knife sticking out of it (but don’t worry, it’s delicious) and brussel sprouts are the new green of the season, here they are served with cotechino sausage and smoked almonds. 

It’s a lot of comforting goodness, but served up pretty for the city folk to enjoy…and we certainly do! Funnily enough, it’s nearly Caryn’s birthday again…so watch out Stoke Bar and Kitchen…there might be a whirlwind of gin drinking coming your way soon…

The Lincoln

91 Cardigan Street

Carlton

 

When I learnt that the Lincoln was being bought and getting a face lift, not just to interiors but to the menu as well, I’ll have to admit, I was a little sad. The Lincoln was an old favourite of the family, and we loved the moody and cosy spot, with it’s distinctively upmarket gastropub comfort style food that was always comforting. I had the best rabbit pie of my life there.

It was like losing an old friend, and so when I was invited to check out what the Lincoln was now offering, I was certainly intrigued to see it’s evolution. 

Now looked after by owner operator Iain Ling (ex-Movida), the Lincoln’s looking a little lighter and brighter, with a bit of colour added to the walls with retro posters. 

We enjoyed beers from the Melbourne-based Barrow Boys Brewing, who do very small runs. Apparently they usually do about 25 barrels in one patch of porter, and one barrel of that sells at the Lincoln in 26 hours! 

We get a sample of what their ‘Our choice’ menu of 5 dishes would be like, starting with spanner crab in corn crackers and coffee cured ocean trout with radish and nashi pear. The latter is a very interesting combination, with the earthiness and round richness of the coffee coming late on the palate after the sweet salmon. 

Beetroot, pickled green tomato, farro and goats cheese makes for a really, really tasty salad, with plenty of texture that’s also comforting, that partnered well with the lamb shoulder with pickled fennel and yoghurt.

Triple cooked chips came golden, but could have totally been much, much crispier, but fortunately the chocolate & beetroot pudding with creme anglaise did not disappoint, with it’s molten and gooey centre. 

For the most part, the Lincoln put on a good show, and has definitely taken a turn towards more contemporary modern Australian. Something new, in something iconic. 

Truck Stop Deluxe

98 Watton Street

Werribee 

 

Got 5 year old boys? Bring them to Truck Stop Deluxe in Werribee. They’ll have a ball.

Got 28 year old boys? Bring them to Truck Stop Deluxe in Werribee. They’ll have a ball too!

You know the guys for their work in helping make Melbourne into an absolutely burger crazed city, at Dandenong Pavillion and Grand Trailer Park Taverna. 

Now the guys bring their magic to Werribee…and they do it with a bang. With plenty of road-inspired signage, and actual truck cabs just kinda hanging about inside, that customers can actually climb into…for the real truckie experience. 

All your favourites from Grand Trailer Park Taverna can be found here; Kinder Surprise milkshakes, the KSA burger with premium Aussie beef patty, American cheddar cheese, tomato, butter lettuce, special burger sauce and American mustard on a lightly toasted brioche bun and the Francis Underwood burger, which throws in a mac and cheese croquette into the mix…just because you can. Right? 

I smash down two KSA sliders on launch night, and even in the mini versions, the burgers are cooked to pink perfection, with mayo squeezing through with each bite. Yum and yum. 

Apparently the menu is expanding here to also include bacon and egg brioche rolls on the weekend and a focus on coffee, so it actually is kind of the ultimate gourmet truckie stop. That or an awesome way to get over a hangover…coffee and a burger with croquette in the middle of it? Breakfast of champs obviously. 

Hunters Kitchen

481 Chapel Street

South Yarra

 

Lucky Penny by day, Hunters Kitchen by night. Same place, but different concepts, depending on the time of day you pop in. Hunters Kitchen has popped up as a little winter project for the guys on Friday and Saturday nights and as the name might suggest, consists of wholesome comfort foods with slow cooked meats with a Scandinavian twist and mulled wine.

I mean, who doesn’t love mulled wine? 

Entrees consist of cured salmon with celeriac puree, coronations, dill, celery leaves, salmon roe and rye and thinly sliced rare wagyu, cauliflower, mustard and freeze dried horseradish. There’s a lovely level of sweetness, but also touch of bitterness in both. 

Roast beetroot and rhubarb with buffalo mozzarella absolutely delights me, so lovely and sweet, and I’m all over the burnt broccoli with brown rice, currants and almonds. It’s so comforting, but feels so healthy as well, but with a touch of sweetness. 

Out of the two mains we have, the slow cooke venison with venison sausage, confit red cabbage and spiced pear chutney, and Bannockburn free range farmhouse chicken, bacon, roast celery and kale chips, the chicken is easily favoured by the table. Beautifully cooked and tender, and sitting in a thick and rich, creamy sauce…the only other thing you need is to be curled up in front of a fire. 

Don’t forget dessert! Blueberry and elderflower crumble with vanilla ice-cream is classic…but it’s really the warm saffron cake absolutely drenched in treacle and served with ice cream that really gets me. Isn’t treacle such a great thing? It’s totally underrepresented. The cake is warm, as promised, with a lovely little crusty exterior, but moist on the inside. 

Certainly something a little different for a Friday or Saturday night! 

The Roving Marrow

Disclosure: I visited The Roving Marrow twice. One visit was as a guest of the restaurant and second time on my own dollar.

Roving Marrow met me in a time in my life where I was absolutely craving bone marrow. 

Go figure. 

No, I promise I’m not pregnant. 

I was initially excited, as I thought perhaps the concept might have something to do with offal and all the funny little bits of animals I like. Somewhat unfortunately, this is not the case.However fortunately, The Roving Marrow, residing in Lygon Street’s iconic Astor, does deliver delicious modern Australian goodness, with a fun serving twist. 

I had the great opportunity of visiting twice, once with my dad, and once with Brad and a couple of friends, so pretty much have gotten to eat the whole menu…although I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already changed since I’ve been last!

Walking into the Astor, you can definitely see the results of the facelift immediately. Dark, and sophisticatedly moody, you immediately feel like you’re being enveloped into comfort, and a log fire wouldn’t seem too out of place in the classic, yet contemporary fit out. 

The kitchen is headed by Hayden McMillan, originally from New Zealand, but fresh back from a jaunt in San Francisco (honestly with the weather at the moment, why did he ever leave?). The menu is a produce-driven contemporary European, but with yum-cha style service thrown in. Go figure. More on this in a bit.

Both visits, we start with their cold brewed kombucha iced tea, brewed upstairs by their tea sommelier (who was also a flavour consultant for T2 previously). It is a gorgeously refreshing way to start a meal, sweet, cool and just a touch tangy. 

At Roving Marrow, when you arrive, you are given a menu with a couple of hot entrees, mains and desserts to choose from. However, eyes should really be up to see the white ‘yum cha’ trolley pushed to you, with a variety of cold entrees and nibbles to get you going, meaning you never know what’s going to be available! Happy surprises indeed. 

And if what’s on the trolley isn’t enough, the staff do make regular intervals around with trays of different goodies, or second rounds, should you be in the mood. 

Oysters are always a stunner, served natural. I was also a fan of the clams, infused with Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (I think) and vanilla, giving it a refreshing but surprisingly sweet flavour profile (however Brad wasn’t a big fan of this dish as it was too sweet for him). 

A goats cheese dip with taro, kale and seaweed (again I think…) chips is intensely creamy and absolutely velvety on the tongue. 

The oxtail master stock, with oxtail at the bottom is perfect in these wintery months; this is probably what vitality tastes like! Chicken liver parfait topped with salted and caramelised peanuts, served with celery sticks is also a surprisingly sweet twist on a favourite that I still quite enjoy. 

One of my favourite entrees though, might have to be these scone biscuits topped with triple ream cheese and crunchy caramelised onions on the top. Heaven. Pure comfort, with plenty of crunch, but with the creamy cheese in-between. Levels of yum are high on this one. 

I also loved the beetroot cured Ora King salmon with pomegranate and fraiche, with an absolutely extraordinary saturated colour and such a beautifully smooth texture as well.

One entree that didn’t hit the mark for me though, would have to be the kimchi pancake, that could have punched me a little harder in the face with flavour, and was overall a little bit soggy and uninspiring. 

It’s definitely hard to keep yourself in check as all the entrees come swarming around you, as my dad and I discovered on our visit, leaving little room for the mains!

The mains menu is short and sweet, intentionally obviously, as like me, you’re likely to get a bit carried away with the entrees!

The market fish (definitely didn’t take enough notes on my visits…) with cauliflower, spinach and beurre noisette is cooked well, the fish tender and lightly charred, and the cauliflower just melting in your mouth. 

The Flinders Island lamb rump with charcoal eggplant and ricotta is one of my favourite mains at The Roving Marrow, cooked to blushing medium perfection and with an overall intense smokiness, which seems to be transferred from the eggplant to the meat. 

When my dad and I visited, we sampled the Hen’s egg with smoked potato and mushroom, which although a little on the salty side, might actually be my favourite main from the lot. Just pumping with umami and flavour, this is pure comfort, as the soft poached egg just comfortably melds into the rich broth. 

From mains, to desserts!

The red wine quince, sorrel, mandarin and chocolate is definitely one for the adventurous, not so sweet dessert lover. The red wine in the quince is quite intense, and a bit savoury, the chocolate sneaking in later on the palate later to give you that cacao fix. It’s a hard one to describe, and not one I would recommend lightly, unless I knew the other person’s taste!

I absolutely though, adore the caramel roasted banana, milk caramel and coconut dessert. This is your typical dessert lovers dessert! It’s a little bit tropical, but still suitable for the cooler weather with the rich hits of caramel, and the vast array of textures, from the cold ice-cream, paper thin dried coconut, crunchy dehydrated lychees and warm and comforting caramelised bananas. It makes me feel like a kid. A very grown up kid. 

I personally enjoy what the Astor is doing, the food is interesting and the service a little bit different to match, but totally friendly as well. The staff are knowledgable and incredibly attentive. However when I visited on my own dollar with Brad, we spent $70 a head, including a bottle of wine to share on a table of four, and despite sharing a couple of entrees, getting a main each and the three desserts to share, Brad left feeling a bit hungry, and as he’s not really a sweet guy at all, didn’t enjoy the food as much because a lot of the savoury dishes even, had quite sweet flavour profiles. 

So would I recommend The Roving Marrow? I think I still would, but with context. Are you looking for easy and fun nibbles (and all of those scone biscuits), but maybe not a full meal to catch up with a girlfriend? Perfect. Are you willing to spend a bit of cash to get a filling meal but with an interesting dining experience (that you can actually book a table at and not wait an hour at the bar hoping something will open up)? Yup? Totally fine. Do you want to support a produce driven seasonal menu? Yup? Well there you go. 

It’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, and perhaps not the best value for money in Melbourne, but worth visiting if you’re in for something a bit different. 

The Roving Marrow

The Astor

Cnr Lygon and Elgin Street

418 Lygon Street

Carlton 3053