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While they do have the very best of intentions, the main problem with Rinaldo’s is that they need to train their staff. When queried as to the variety of dips on the antipasto entrée, we were informed they were “a bit of everything”; and whilst charming, I’m happy for you to tell me which part of the duck the dish uses, rather than pointing it out on your own body. Other issues, such as mains being brought out during entrée were quickly and adequately solved, and the food was great. Fresh produce and skilful preparation made for very nice dishes.
Griff’s might be named after a dog, but this restaurant is anything but. The dining room has an elegant feel, with just enough sound from the front bar filtering in to keep the atmosphere relaxed. The wine list is extensive and affordable (as you’d expect from a “wine pub”), and the food is great. Cod croquettes were crunchy and succulent and the fish of the day was salmon filet, cooked to perfection and served over a generously hearty seafood broth. And I’ll leave it to your imagination, just how good the chocolate crème brûlée with ice cream and honeycomb was.
There’s a real art to cooking good vegetarian food; and it’s a skill that I wish I had. Luckily, Vegie Bar is just down the road from me, and if the (almost 24/7) lines to get a table are anything to go by, they’ve certainly got the skill down pat. And it’s cheap, too; with most of the mains hovering around the $10 mark (a distinct positive when my attitude towards vegetarian food is similar to my attitude towards organic food). For the record, my tempeh and roast pumpkin pizza was brilliant (and led me to establish what tempeh was)!
It’s really more a food-court outlet than a restaurant, but I’ve recently started having wraps and salads from Wrap It Fresh for lunch, and I love it. There are plenty of places that will customise your order, and there are others that specialise in fresh ingredients. This place does both. Just take an order form and tick what you want, and then watch it made in front of you. It is a bit pricy (~$8 for a salad/wrap), but the quality of good. The only thing I’d like is a smaller size option for the salads. Those bowls are huge!
There’s not much wrong with Sugo. The décor’s nice, with wooden tables, a clean kitchen opening onto the dining area, and chalkboards showing the wine list. The food’s the same, too. Great saganaki, tender marinated calamari (that could have used a few more spices in the marinade), fresh pasta with soft, shredded duck and mushrooms, and spring flavoured risotto with chicken, bacon and leek. Unfortunately, there’s not much that really stands out over a lot of other restaurants. I’m not disappointed that I tried it, but next time I’m looking for this kind of dinner, I won’t drive as far.
I know that take-away pizza doesn’t really fit the standard “restaurant” category, but as far as pizza chains go, Crust is up there with the best. Sure it’s a little more pricy than something like Dominos, but you feel the quality both in the taste and in the way your stomach feels after you’ve eaten. I’m a big fan of the Upper Crust (gourmet selection) Sausage Duo pizza with its sweet caramelised onion setting off the Italian sausage and chorizo; as well as the Vegetarian Supreme for its creamy bocconcini and pesto aioli. Try it next time you’re ordering in.
Regardless that there’s a tie-pinned and waistcoated waiter bringing me bacon and eggs on a Sunday morning, this quintessential Fitzroy establishment remains a very relaxed location. Maybe it’s the two metre high child’s painting of a pig on the wall, or the contented chewing from nearby tables. In fact, you don’t even need to eat here to know this place is good – the constant stream of people walking in the door should be all the indication you need. But when you do eat, it’s great. Creamy eggs, perfectly cooked bacon, and serves that fill you up, without leaving you bursting.
If I took a ratio of meal quality to price of all the restaurants I’ve visited, then Undertaker Social would be at the top. In a comfortable and spacious room (keep an eye out for the amazing light fittings), the variety of European tasting plates and gourmet pizzas is an experience to savour. We had a pork, apple and caramelised onion pizza, matched with plates of grilled baby octopus on a lentil salad, duck rillettes, Spanish sausages, bastourma (air-dried, cured beef), and chicken liver parfait. This is Michelin star food for the same price as a parma at the pub.
I’ve found my new local – and at $20 for a three-course dinner, it’s hard to go wrong. To keep the costs down, you’ll have to order at the bar, and the menu is limited, but the food really is great. A puff pastry gorgonzola and onion tart was a delicate start, feeding into kangaroo fillets with a beetroot, lentil, and rocket salad, topped off with one of the best choc-ripple cakes I’ve ever eaten. Houndstooth isn’t pumping out high-end gourmet delicacies, but this is the best kind of good quality home food – the kind you don’t have to cook yourself!
First of all, this was my first experience with Japanese noodle soups, so take this review with a grain of salt (or wakame or menma if they’re more your thing). I was lucky to be eating at this small, quiet noodle place with a self-proclaimed ramen soup aficionado and fluent Japanese speaker; who, after discussions with the chef/waiter/one-man-band about his native area of Japan, soup specialities and bias against fried pork, quickly ordered for me kappa ramen with extra katsu. A new experience, but the healthy, filling, and cheap dinner was something I’ll be trying again.
