Dawson

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant. Opinions are all my own 

It’s always a little sad, but also interesting to watch local restaurants change hands, names, menus over the years. 

Dawson in Kew is located on the main shopping strip in my neighbourhood, and in previous iterations, it was an Italian restaurant, so I didn’t really know what to expect when I popped in with a girlfriend on a very, very, very wet Melbourne evening. 

Dawson surprised me in the most delightful way, the space was much bigger than I expected, which is perfect for big family and friend groups, with a menu that was filled with exciting, and unexpected flavours that were also incredibly approachable. 

From small plates, to share plates, to pizzas - it suited an adventurous eater like myself, but could easily see Dawson catering to more conservative palates as well. 

Rainy weather = voracious appetites. Izzy and I tucked in to salt and schezuan pepper calamari with chilli jam, mac and cheese croquettes with harissa mayo and sticky pork belly with crispy shallots and peanuts…and that’s just to start!

The mac and cheese croquettes were huge, hearty and decadent. The pork belly was luscious, tender and just the right amount of sweet. By the time we polished off the calamari - which were unexpectedly bold and punchy…we were pretty full!

But mains were on their way! 

A refreshing miso glazed salmon salad on soba noodles generously dressed with sesame, was a nice lighter dish to balance out the heavier entrees and fish and chips hit the spot. I’d like my fries a little crunchier, but the fish was well battered and lightly crunchy.  

One of my favourite dishes for the night though, had to be dessert, a matcha panna cotta with raspberry parfait, caramelised white chocolate and berry textures. I was quite surprised to see it on the menu as really, Kew is a pretty caucasian neighbourhood, and I didn’t think there’d be much appetite for something like this! 

I was impressed with the strength of the matcha flavour in the panna cotta - which sometimes can be a bit weak, and it went so well with the white chocolate and berry flavours. Will definitely be back for this again!

Overall, Dawson was exactly what I want out of a neighbourhood restaurant. A warm, cosy environment, with classic and comforting favourites, but unexpected and punchy flavours. 

Dawson
241 High St
Kew 3101

 

Ramblr

Where on earth has 2017 disappeared to? I’m not sure what’s happened. Although I did post in February, saying it was my intent to get back into writing on the blog, I just feel like I’ve been consumed by life! However, a couple of weeks ago my dad informed me that the wife of one his friends, who I have never met, apparently asked why I hadn’t been writing recently and sometimes that’s all you need as a little kick in the butt to get back on it. I never like to disappoint! 

Lots of things have happened in my personal life. Brad and I got engaged (which I still intend to write a blog post about), we’ve had some unexpected losses, and I’ve turned 29 - how terrifying! 

For the latter, my actual birthday fell on a weekday, so decided to postpone Brad’s dinner treat for me until Friday, where I booked us in for Ramblr on Chapel Street. 

Ramble, since it’s opening, and a couple of glowing reviews from foodie friends, had been stuck in my mind so although I could’ve made Brad spend much more on me…sometimes the heart (and tastebuds) just want what the heart wants. 

Having had visited Leonard’s House of Love a couple of months earlier, you would never guess by first look that it was owned by the same people. The space is almost painfully cool, almost blending in on the street, dimly lit with clean stripped back finishes offset with touches of warm material and finishes. It’s very Melbourne chic. 

We’re so lucky in Melbourne to have a great range of restaurants from the high end, to the cheap eats, to the not too expensive - but definitely very nice - sweet spot, which is where, in my opinion Ramblr sits beautifully.

I love that the menu reads simply, just feature ingredients, and not too much fluff. Best to leave some anticipation after all!

Since it was my birthday celebration, my usual aversion to gluten was on hiatus for the night. The house made bread was gorgeously warm, with delightfully crunchy crust and just lightly herbed, salted, perfectly seasoned. 

Warm cocktails? That involve figs? And bourbon? (I think)? Tick, tick, tick.

Crispy pigs head fritters with sauce ravigote also ticks all the things I like. The golden, crisp, brown batter on the outside is just to die for. It wasn’t quite as moist and juicy as I thought it might be on the inside, but it was just right.

Calamari noodles with smoked bone marrow and kim chi sounds like it comes from another planet, and kind of looks like it too. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an abstract art piece, with the vibrantly coloured, and flavoured (hello spicy kick!) kimchi a stark contrast to the incredibly textural calamari curls. I absolutely adored this dish - a real palate awakener!

In continuing my disregard for gluten for the evening, I ordered the crab linguine with lemon, dill, chilli, garlic butter and bottarga for my main (although Brad and I swapped plates half way through, as we always do). Brad’s been going on recently on how good just simple pasta is - without being drowned in sauce and this really was just a beautiful example of that. The pasta it self was beautiful in texture, gorgeously al dente, and so wonderfully complimented with simple ingredients and sweet crab meat. I don’t do pasta often, but when I do, it’s gotta be like this.

While the linguine was light and zesty, the slow cooked beef cheek, BBQ onion and horseradish sat on the other end of the spectrum. A small but densely packed luscious lot of protein. A little sticky, the beef still had some structure to it, but fell apart beautifully and was so tender - and although little, filled you up very quickly!

Dessert options are limited to two, and feeling pretty full, just opted for the baked muscatel custard with cinnamon poached quince. I’d had mixed responses to quince desserts in the past, but this creation from Ramblr was a hit for me. Perhaps because it was more custard than quince and I was kind of delighted that it was executed like a creme brûlée (not sure what I was expecting otherwise though…). I actually did like the quince a lot too though, maybe it was the texture that made it seem sweeter, and lighter than I’d had before, but I enjoyed it greatly. 

In all, I was greatly impressed by Ramblr. I love the modern Australian dining experience that is a good balance of experimental and boundary pushing, but with a lack of pretentiousness about it. The setting was relaxed and intimate, but professional. For a nice meal out, I also found the price point to be very reasonable - in fact I think there might’ve even been a first (or perhaps second date?) going on at the table next to us…! 

(Also, shit, how I am 29 already?)

Ramblr

363 Chapel Street

South Yarra

 

Atlas Dining

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

Some nights Brad and I will slouch on the sofa watching the news when some upstart in the soccer world is reported on during the sports news. At this point Brad always comments on how young they are - and how old it makes him feel.

I had the same kind of thoughts visiting Atlas Dining in South Yarra, with owner and chef Charlie Carrington just 22 years old.

God damn, you guys don’t need to know what I was doing when I was 22. I reckon it’s a pretty big feat to be opening your own restaurant!

Already with a couple of big notches in his belt, having worked in kitchens such as Vue de Monde in Melbourne, Firedoor in Sydney and around the world, Atlas Dining is the culmination of all those experiences with a revolving menu inspired by a different cuisine every couple of months.  

When I visited with Kara in October we were excited to try to the Vietnamese inspired set menu, 4 courses for $50 per person, or 6 courses for $65 per person - which in Melbourne’s scene at the moment and the quality of food that we enjoyed that evening, is absolutely amazing value. 

To begin with though, the space is simply stunning. The place is so new, it smells of freshly cut wood, which is prominent through the earthy but minimalist interior. It’s mature, but contemporary and fresh.

Drinks are presented in a Vietnamese passport cover, and although some Vietnamese specific specials were on offer such as 333 Beer, a glass of Fritz’s Riesling big the spot for me instead. 

To begin your meal, once you’ve decided if you’re doing four or six courses (do six, do six, do six), you’re given your cutlery bundle which makes me feel like an adventurer. Like if Indiana Jones was getting ready for an epic journey through a degustation, he’d want this beautiful leather bundle too!

But to start, it’s finger food (sort of). There’s really not much of a better way to warm the hearts of two food loving girls than with chicken liver pate, with honey and served on a grilled baguette. Simply delicious. The lightly charred baguette is perfection, the pate smooth and unexpectedly quite sweet with the generous dollops of honey in it. 

The king salmon with sweet potato is a vibrant punch of colour on the plate, but refreshing and bright on the palate. I absolutely adore the smooth creaminess of the sweet potato puree. 

Asparagus with wood ear mushroom and hen’s egg doesn’t scream Vietnamese in terms of flavour palette to me, but the use of seasonal asparagus makes me so happy. The dish is simple, but gorgeously executed, the tips of the lightly charred asparagus unexpectedly tender, and highlights his use of light wood cooking techniques. 

Everyone has been talking about the wagyu beef pho tartare, and rightly so! The dish is artwork when it arrives on the table and is pretty much the epitome of a deconstructed pho. The diced and tender pieces of beef are aromatic, and so tender, infused with all the richness we’re used to getting from the broth - which on this plate are concentrated and found in lightly charred onions. There’s zest, bang, texture - oh the rice crackers I absolutely adore. 

The corn fed duck with preserved vegetables is a surprisingly generous in it’s portion size, as Kara and I definitely start to fill up! The duck breast is plump, juicy and succulent, the preserved vegetables balancing out the rich meat.

Coconut, lemongrass and fried shallot is not quite a dessert as I first thought it might be, but is actually a palate cleanser - and a very delightful one at that. I would have loved for it to be 30 degrees out while eating it, the shaved ice so textural and the coconut and lemongrass so refreshing, with the contrast of the shallot to curb the sweetness. 

And now it was really onto dessert, with rice, cashew and banana - to be concise. I loved the nutty black rice coated in coconut cream - reminded me of some of my mum’s favourite desserts, and the intensely rich banana ice-cream with crunchy cashew crumb to bring it all together. Definitely one of those desserts where I could have gone for a bigger serve because it was just so delicious. 

Atlas was really all in the details, service, food, atmosphere, interior details - it all comes together to be a very relaxed atmosphere serving remarkable mature and complex food. It was nice to see Charlie himself pop out to serve and present the food himself to his diners now and again. 

The Vietnamese menu finishes in December, and in 2017, Charlie and the team will be back to introduce a menu with flavours, inspirations and ideas from their Israel trip - definitely looking forward to that one! 

Atlas Dining

133 Commercial Road

South Yarra

 

Juno & May

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

I love a good neighbourhood restaurant. The atmosphere is usually a lot cosier, pace relaxed, friendly and smilier than CBD outlets…and the parking is super easy. 

Juno & May, located in Camberwell on Burke Road is all of the above plus some wicked good modern Australian grub. The restaurant is actually named after two cows that chef Henry Honner and his brother would milk, before and after school, to save enough money for a TV back in the day! The place definitely doesn’t look anything like a farm, but the food does focus on quality local produce. 

Daisy and I visited on a cold night in August (in this extended Melbourne winter!) and got cosy in a couple of booths. The dim lit yet contemporary space was very soothing - especially after a long day at the office!

We started, on their recommendation, with their version of the Dim Sim with chicken and shiitake mushroom, ginger, garlic, kaffir lime, sriracha chilli and crushed peanuts on lettuce cups. These come as plump individual servings, and I was surprised with how full of flavour and texture these were. I’m not a big dim sim eater myself, but if they all tasted like this, I might be! Meaty and nutty, I loved the kick of heat and the crispness of the lettuce. 

When it came to ordering the buttermilk fried chicken with chipotle mayo, Daisy and I pretty much looked at each other and nodded at each other in sync. Hard to go wrong is it? Served in nice little mouthful portions, like popcorn chicken, the chicken was juicy with gorgeously crisp batter. And is there anything better than chipotle mayo with a kick? Moreish stuff. 

The ceviche with citrus, avocado, tomato, coriander, chilli and shallots also had a nice kick of heat - this one was a nice dish, but not super memorable out of everything we had…but that’s because all the other dishes were pretty darned delicious. 

I loved the roasted cauliflower and green wheat salad with almonds, barberries, fresh mint and yoghurt - all of my favourite things! Earthy, loads of texture and I loved the sweetness of the barberries with the crunch of the almonds. A good balance to our other main which was a big ol’ hunk of meat….

We absolutely had to order the chargrilled 16 hour beef short ribs with house mash and chimmichurri. Goodness, the meat just fell off the bone and was so tender. Perfectly comforting wintery food…which is still pretty good for this weather! 

At this point Daisy and I were stuffed. But whenever there’s two of us…there’s always got to be two desserts! 

We went for a light and fresh dessert option and a rich one to balance it out. The Eton mess with fresh seasonal fruit, meringue and cream was exactly as you would hope for it to be. 

But really, the star tonight was Henry’s favourite chocolate soft-centered pudding with English toffee and vanilla bean ice-cream. Oh lord have mercy! There are soft-centered puddings…and then there’s this. Perfectly baked, but it just overflows with chocolatey fudgey goodness when broken over. Gorgeous rich and dark, and not too sweet, we couldn’t get enough. 

Juno & May also opens for breakfast and lunch, with a coffee window that also opens at the back of the store and into the giant carpark in front of the Woolworths and Target there. 

I didn’t have expectations going into Juno & May, which is often the best, as I was delighted with the friendly and attentive service - even by the waitress who was working her first service (good job!), and the food was vibrant, but comforting and familiar at the same time. 

And man that chocolate pudding….

Juno & May

662 Burke Street

Camberwell 3124