Tutto Bene, Southgate

Just before Christmas, I went with a friend to hear the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Choir perform their Noel Noel concert.   It was a wonderful performance, and put us in a festive mood.

Afterwards, we went to dinner at the nearby Tutto Bene, at Southbank. Tutto Bene is an Italian restaurant that sells the most wonderful gelato outside.  However, this time, we were going for the full dining experience.

We shared an entree of baked goats cheese, pistachio and hazelnuts with an aperol fruit salsa ($14), pictured at the top of this post.    The goats cheese rested on a drizzle of honey, which perfectly complemented the creamy cheese and crunchy toasted nuts.  The aperol fruit salsa was refreshing and zingy.

For main, two great minds think alike, and we both ordered the Zucca risotto ($26) - pureed butternut pumpkin with sage, candied walnuts and goats cheese:

The risotto was smooth and creamy, and the walnuts added a welcome textural variation.

For dessert, my friend ordered the Cento per Cento ($15) - honey mousse, gelato, burnt caramel, comb:

How could you go wrong?

I ordered the less picturesque but equally delicious Mousse al Pistachio ($15) - a Sicilian pistachio mousse with blueberries, Amerana cherries and chocolate crumble: 

This dessert was unusual but good.  Again, the chopped pistachios added a lovely crunch to the smooth mousse and fruit compote.

We also had a very good Aperol spritz with our meal.

The dining experience at Tutto Bene  was enjoyable and definitely worth a repeat. 

Tutto Bene

Mezzanine 28/3 Southgate Complex

Southgate Avenue

Southbank VIC 3006

Middle Brighton Baths, Middle Brighton

A few months back, I turned another year older.  To celebrate that occasion, a friend took me to lunch at Middle Brighton Baths (the upstairs part).  The recommendation came from a work colleague of my friend.  From a list of possible lunch locations, I thought that this one looked the best.

We were fortunate in  being given a table overlooking Port Phillip Bay: 

We were entertained during our meal by the bathers who ventured into the chilly water, usually only for a brief dip before retreating to the warmth of the shore.   There were also two little girls who were a constant source of amusement with their antics in the sand.

We decided to share an entrée (so that we could fit in dessert!).  Our selection was the twice cooked pork belly with apple and ginger purée, red wine jus ($22), pictured at the top of this post.  The crispy pork skin gave way to the moist, delightfully fatty belly meat underneath.  The apple and ginger puree and red wine jus enhanced the flavour to the pork.

For my main course, I selected the pan seared barramundi with cauliflower puree, sultana and walnut dressing ($40):

The skin of the barramundi was perfectly crisp, and added a salty tang to the delicate fish beneath.

My friend ordered the Atlantic salmon with braised cannellini beans, samphire and broccoli puree ($39):

It looked pretty good to me.

We shared a couple of side dishes - the Koo Wee Rup asparagus with  hazelnuts and lemon dressing ($13):

and the heritage beetroot and macadamia salad ($12):

Both sides were delicious, and featured some of my favourite vegetables.

For dessert, I could not go past the chocolate fondant with griottine cherries, candied pecans and mascarpone ($16):

I had never had a chocolate fondant before, so this was my golden opportunity.

My friend ordered the Baths Eton mess with seasonal berries and berry coulis ($16):

While my friend's dessert was beautiful, light and good to eat, I think I was winning with my fabulously rich, oozy chocolate fondant:

The service at The Middle Brighton Baths was attentive and efficient.  Despite there being a number of functions on while we were there, we never felt forgotten about.

The Middle Brighton Baths is a lovely place to dine, and I'd definitely go back. 

Middle Brighton Baths

251 Esplanade

Brighton VIC 3186

Ph: (03) 9592 7350

Dining at Ezard

I am very excited, because I am a member of the newly formed The Restaurant Club.  Once every one or two months, The Restaurant Club will meet at a different restaurant to enjoy some fine food, wine and conversation, with members of the Club to choose the venue alternately.

Our first event was at Ezard in Flinders Lane, Melbourne.  On Friday nights, you can get three courses for $95, and this was the option we chose, as many of us did not feel able to tackle the 8 course degustation menu ($120).

I arrived early, so while waiting in the lounge, I managed to down two glasses of the 2004 Winstead Blanc de Noirs - a very fine sparkling indeed.   Ezard is dimly lit, so at that stage, I could quite comfortably have curled up for a kip on the lounge.

When everyone arrived, we were seated at our table, and each given a slice of soft white bread to enjoy with the garlic and rosemary infused oil and these fine condiments:

From left to right, they are dashi salt (with seaweed and fish flakes); chilli palm sugar (it sounds weird, but this was my favourite - sweet then hot on the tongue and absolutely devine); and salt and Szechuan pepper.

We were then served an amuse bouche of a garlic prawn (forgive the terrible photo - the lighting was dim and I hadn't mastered my iPhone camera yet):

Next came entree.  I chose the five spiced bangalow sweet pork belly with celeriac and apple remoulade and mustard sauce:

OMG - this was devine, and perhaps my favourite dish of the night.  I was a bit worried about having pork belly for entree in case it was heavy and filling, but it barely touched the sides.  The gloriously cooked pork was thinly sliced so that it was as light as a feather on the stomach, and the combination of apple and mustard with the pork was a dream come true.

For main, I chose the pan fried john dory with cauliflower cream, roasted jerusalem artichokes, seared scallop, farmed osetra caviar and chive oil (also pictured at the top of this post):
 

The foam that you can see is the cauliflower cream, and the top photo more clearly shows the scallop and caviar (which were hiding under the garnish).  This dish did not strike such a strong chord with me -  I found the cauliflower cream too rich for my liking, and the dish did not sit as well with me as the pork.  Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for fish - next time, I would be keen to try the caramelised pork hock that one of my colleagues tried, as that looked magnificent.  (Of course, I then would not have pork belly for entree!)

Finally, out came the desserts - and as I exclaimed at the time, they were awesome!  My pick was the duo of pear and caramel parfait, passionfruit syrup and salted popcorn, topped with pashmak:
  

The icecream in the parfait was a little firm, but the overall taste combination was fabulous, and the addition of the salted popcorn was inspired.

A colleague was recommended the fromage frais cheesecake with a tuile, sago pearls and rhubarb sorbet, and topped with vermicelli:

The "frogs eggs" are the sago pearls, and I am told that this dessert was fantastic.

A number of Club members chose the honeycrunch icecream, toasted gingerbread and sugar swirl:

It looks pretty spectacular and won a unanimous tick of approval from those who chose it.

Our meal was accompanied by red wine (I didn't choose it so I don't know what it was).

The service was very efficient, knowledgeable and courteous, with one of the Club members taking quite a fancy to our waiter.

All in all, we had a fantastic evening that more that justified the price of the meal.  For a special occasion or whenever you feel like a splurge, Ezard is a fantastic venue to dine at.

Ezard

187 Flinders Lane

Melbourne, Victoria, 3000

Ph: +61 3 9639 6811



Lunch at Red Spice Road

Last Friday, I went along with a group of former colleagues and friends for lunch to farewell one of their team and to welcome a new member of their team. The venue was Red Spice Road in inner city Melbourne. Red Spice Road states on its website that its cuisine is "inspired" by South East Asia. The head chef is John McLeay.

The venue is quite funky - the ambience is dark and smoky, with slashes of red lighting up the interior like so many lightning bolts.

On the back wall of the restaurant in the "Lantern Room", the art work at the top of this post is the main feature. Arranged beneath this backdrop are semi-circular dining tables and a circular water table, which arrangement forms the logo of Red Spice Road. Pretty clever, yeah? There are also two long tables lined up side by side lengthways at the front of the restaurant for more diners, known as the Long Room. All dining is communal, but that said, there was a lot of space between groups when we visited, so it meant that we had perfect privacy.

Here is the place setting, with a rather cool tear-shaped bowl through which the chopsticks are threaded for a change from the usual round bowl with chopsticks on a rest at the side:



Dominating the back half of the restaurant is an enormous red lantern, positioned beneath a sky light:

You can also peek at the kitchen staff preparing food through small windows cut into the side walls:

There is a small bar off to the side of the restaurant if you fancy a drink while waiting for your friends.

Our chirpy and friendly waiter gave us marvellous service throughout the meal. I was served water (still and sparkling are available) promptly on arrival, and asked if I wanted a drink at the table while I was waiting for the rest of the group. The waiter also had no problem when I asked if I could take photos during the meal.

We ordered the $30/head banquet, for which you get five different dishes to share. You only need two people to order the banquet, which is fantastic if just you and your beloved are having a meal. As a special, you can get a glass of wine with the banquet for an extra $5. I took them up on this!

The appetiser was Betel Leaf with Chicken, Spanner Crab, Lemongass, Chilli and Kaffir Lime:

These little morsels were very tasty, and easy to eat because you just scoop up a leaf and fold it around the filling before popping it into your mouth.

Next came the five main dishes. The first was a Burmese style lamb shoulder, a type of curry:

The next dish was Chicken Ma Po- Minced Chicken Wok-Fried with Tofu, Sichuan Pepper and Chilli Bean Paste :

My second favourite dish was this Prawn Vietnamese Slaw - instead of having just two prawns in the whole dish, as is usual and disappointing in so many restaurants, this slaw was studded with many large pink prawns, and dressed with a zesty, light vinegarette:

My favourite dish, and the one of which I have the worst photo, was a Crispy Five Spice Pork Belly with Chilli Caramel, Apple Slaw and Black Vinegar. This dish was superb! The pork melted in the mouth, releasing the beautiful, spicy caramel flavour, and the apple slaw complemented it beautifully:

The final dish was Beef Salad with Cucumber, Herbs, Peanuts, Chilli and Shallots:

Red Spice Road has three recipes, including the five spice pork, on its website. They have also just launched their recipe book, with over 70 recipes - I am tempted to buy it!

The ambience, the setting, the service and the food make this one of the best restaurant experiences that I have had in a long time. If you are in Melbourne and like Asian food, I highly recommend Red Spice Road. The details are:

Red Spice Road

27 McKillop Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: + 61 3 9603 1601