Red Door Corner Store, Northcote by Snooze

An eclectic vintage/modern mix look is increasingly popular in Melbourne ... and no arguments from me because I love the look. It's been my choice since the early 1980s when it definitely wasn't in. And with red thrown into the mix, I have to love the way it's done at the red door corner store. It's obviously already the main theme must be an emphasis on red: on the exterior alone it's the roof, signage, street number, the red door (of course), seating and it's continued both inside and out to the leafy exterior courtyard.


Sweet potato and corn fritter with tomato kasundi, organic bacon, poached egg and fresh spinach


But what I like is how the red doesn't feel as though someone said let's have a red theme and then made everything red, and how a second subtler theme supports the red: a baking theme. Part of one wall inside is covered with framed baking trays, patty tins and mini tart tins and beside that red door is an eclectic mix of trays to cool cakes and scones on. I had no idea there were so many different kinds. But the baking related item I liked best was the whimsical use of a green enamelled gas stove in the garden as the waitress station. It looks so cute.


Given the temperature by 9.30am (we were well on our way to a 40C day), a cold drink was in order and I chose a pear, apple and blueberry juice. It came in a heavyweight glass screw top bottle rather than the usual glass. The chilled glass bottle was a nice choice and the only downside for me was how small the drink was. I could have drunk two.

Not only do I like breakfast to set me up for the day, but I'm not averse to a little spice in my life. My choice, the sweet potato and corn fritter with tomato kasundi, organic bacon, poached egg and fresh spinach delivered on both fronts (see first pic). This is the first time I've seen corn fritters on a menu although Big Fil assures me he sees them around and likes to order them when he does. (It's definitely starting to become a tug of war between the two of us over certain things on the menu.)

I also hadn't heard of kusundi before, but apparently it's a rich tomato sauce or pickle which originates in India. Wherever it comes from I like it, and it was a great accompaniment to the dish. The fritter was light and delicate, and the poached egg perfectly cooked. There was no identifiable smell of vinegar and the egg was tear drop shaped and looked ready to burst. And what was great was how the kasundi complemented the dish: the heat of its chilli, the tang from its vinegar, the earthiness of its spices and the touch of sweetness from the palm sugar. Both Big Fil and I enjoyed this dish. (Big Fil said I had to mention the bacon because it was good too: crisp and not hard/dry because it was over cooked).


The french toast was a substantial looking dish, with the toast eggy as Big Fil likes it. Both Big Fil and I thought the pear looked pureed when it arrived rather than poached, and the only downside to the pear was its quantity (or maybe it just looked dwarfed by the size of the french toast). The cinnamon labna was nice, its slight sourness an interesting change to the more usual mascarpone or ricotta. The slight sourness also offset the french toast and prevented the dish from being overly sweet. To use Big Fil's words: a very good french toast ... that is, he said it after he'd scoffed the lot.


The housemade fresh coconut crumpets with orange blossom honey and french butter was another choice of Big Fil's. The addition of coconut changed the crumpet's texture completely, with Big Fil likening the texture to the texture often found with homemade wholemeal scones. After this, Big Fil and I had parted ways re the taste: I thought the taste wasn't changed taste significantly. The crumpets were also fresh from the oven when they arrived, and while I loved the orange blossom honey per se, the crumpets might have been better with a stronger tasting honey such as leatherwood.



Our final taste test was a Portuguese tart. Big Fil and I are both big fans of these but I felt a little let down because, while the pastry was flaky and delicately oily, the filling didn't seem to have any flavour. I'm not sure whether this happened because the tart was straight out of the oven and the custard was so hot it was almost at burning temperature, but I'm prepared to put them to test again.





Overall
Melbourne has so many above average cafes (decor and food wise) with the red door corner store making the cut above them. It's obviously popular with the locals too who have a great choice of seating: outside front, air conditioned inside or the leafy courtyard to take their leisure. red door also has an extensive range of food to go. I like its location on a quiet suburban street away from busy High Street, and it's within a reasonable walking distance of both train and tram. If I lived closer (and I so wish I did because I haven't found anything close enough to it in the southern suburbs), it would be my choice to meet friends for a coffee or a light meal.

Rating
Food - 8
Ambience - 8
Service - 7
Price - 7

Address
70 Mitchell street
Northcote VIC 3070
Tel: (03) 9489 8040

Golden Terrace, Brunswick by Big Fil

Ms Counting her Calories is a big fan of Anthony Bourdain's TV show 'No Reservations'. Last week's episode was set in Berlin, so of course to bookend Swedish Pizza at a Hakka restaurant we went off on Australia Day for lunch at a Turkish restaurant.


After doing a little research we settled on Golden Terrace. First impressions were not positive. From the outside it looked like just another kebab shop. On the inside the front room was closed off, and the backroom dark and gloomy looking. This is often the case where the restaurant is trying to hide a lack of cleanliness or cheap outfitting but as our eyes adjusted the restaurant began to look a little better. Lots of pine, comfy chairs, pictures of Ataturk and Dervish Dancers on the wall and Turkish TV in the background. I even liked the initials which patrons had obviously carved into the tables over a number of years.


The guy taking orders was fairly brusque, almost to the point of rudeness. However, he was efficient and once we ordered the food came out very quickly. Ironman and myself were curious to try the Ayran, a yoghurt based drink to which salt is added. Different to most drinking yoghurts, it was kind of like drinking a thin, natural yoghurt with a pinch of salt (which is probably a fair description of what it is).


Of course we had to sample the mixed dips. The medium sized serve was quite generous, with at least six different types of dip including hommus, cucumber, eggplant and the surprising unanimous favourite carrot.


This was served with a large basket of thick, crusty bread. The bread had been slightly warmed and while not fresh out of the oven had been baked earlier that morning.


First of the mains to arrive was the Iskender. Pieces of lamb cooked crispy on one side, still moist on the other, with a delicious tomato and yoghurt based sauce. Another big hit with the whole table, and it was very generous given, again, we only ordered a medium sized dish to share.


The other main we ordered to share was the mixed grill - kofte, lamb cutlet, lamb and chicken kebabs and some meat off the spit on a bed of rice and served with a small simple salad. While not quite as good as the Iskender the kofte were still moist and the lamb cutlet was delicious (a second would have been good though). The rice and salad did give the impression of being a bit of an after thought, but that is often the case with mixed grills.


Overall
If the staff switched on a few more lights and turned that frown upside down this place could be a real find. It's all very simple in style but the dips were good and the meat better. Prices were more than reasonable (more than we could eat for around $50 including drinks). It's located in a bit of a dodgy looking section of Sydney Road but it's a more than acceptable options for a decent meaty feed.

Verdict
Food - 7.5
Ambience - 6.5
Service - 6
Price - 7.5

Address
805 Sydney Road
Brunswick VIC 3056
Tel: (03) 9386 6729

Sushi Hiroba, England by Bureaucrat

I'm told that the sushi craze descended upon London a few years ago. When walking through London, I'm not sure that that is the case.

There are about three or so chain Japanese 'restaurants' - Itsu, Wasabi, etc, which serve itty bits of take-away sushi at relatively expensive prices. They'll also serve food court quality chicken/beef teriyaki, chicken curry, 'exotic' udon noodles etc.


The alternative to these places are at the other end of the dining spectrum. Pricey, fine dining experiences that one can hardly go to for a good-value, work lunch.


So it was with much joy that I found Sushi Hiroba near my work. A smart but reasonably priced Japanese/Korean restaurant that has a proper dining area, sushi train and karaoke lounge.


The first time I went there, I ordered the unagi don. God, I miss unagi! It's so hard to find this dish in London. A big piece of eel, grilled with that delightful, sticky marinade. The only bad point was that the rice wasn't hot - luke warm at best. However, it was very filling - I didn't even need to resort to having my usual 3.30pm-itis snack in the afternoon.


Another time, I tood Ms L there. For starters, we shared the takoyaki (fried octopus balls). These were very morish and I loved the tender pieces of octopus (...fresh seafood, I miss you too!).


For mains, Ms L ordered the udon with mixed vegetable tempura. Ms L liked the dish but had wished that the tempura were served separately, as they went quite soggy, quite quickly.


I ordered the chicken teriyaki with rice. The dish is called 'Big Chicken', which I quite like the sound of! Like last time, the rice was luke warm. However, there was a generous serving of (big) chicken thighs, which were delicious. The dish could have done with a little less chicken and more of the salad and pickle - twas a very 'meaty' dish.

Overall
Spacious and comfortable surroundings. Lots of friendly and helpful staff. While there could be minor improvements to the food (eg the rice), overall, the food is pretty good. When I have walked pass this place at night, it's fully packed out and you can see that all the diners are having a good time. Next time I might try the sushi train - from what I could see, the seafood looked particularly fresh and enticing.

Address
Sushi Hiroba
50-54 Kingsway
Holborn WC2B 6EP
Telephone: 020 7430 1888

Famish'd, Melbourne CBD by Snooze

How many times can you say you went out for lunch, shared a salad and baked potato, and a couple of very small macaroons at about noon and you weren't ready for dinner by 7pm? Not often in my world but that's exactly what happened at Famish'd, a small cafe style eatery with large serves at odds with the price of the food served.


Before I go through what Big Fil and I had, some explanation of the concept behind Famish'd might be useful. The two main features in the room are a large refrigerated unit containing an array of sandwich type fillings and salads, and a board describing how to order behind the serving staff. I still had no idea was to do but this was quickly resolved by the friendly staff who talked me through it: start with a baked potato or salad and add five ingredients for the base cost, or $2 for additional items. There was also a range of ready made salads like a tasty looking potato salad, soup and a variety of cakes. Big Fil and I went with the design your own baked potato and salad.

Big Fil chose the mixed leaf salad and added sweet corn, artichoke heart, red onion, mixed beans and tomatoes, and added chicken. He also went with a subtle but nice coconut curry dressing. What I was impressed with was that on asking for a second plate to share with someone else his salad was divided into two bowls and a second slice of bread added ... the photo below is the"half" bowl of salad! A nice touch by Famish'd, which led me to thinking that half the regular portion of salad would have been enough for me generally without half a baked potato to come!


Big Fil was surprised I didn't opt for the salad but truth to tell the modern fetish for salad which is little more than garnish drives me crazy, so when presented with a hearty baked potato it's time to get out of my way! I wasn't as careful with what I chose and instead of thinking through what would go well with the potato I went for things I like: cheese, sour cream, cucumber, artichoke heart and chickpeas . I could have chosen better and included bacon bits, for example, and I was also offered a dressing which I turned down. All in all though, the potato was well cooked and nicely mashed and the additions were truly generous. A nice choice: baked potato with sour cream and cheese alone is always worth having.


If I've enjoyed a baked potato or three, I never walk away from macaroons and I grabbed two chocolate and one hazelnut and milk chocolate. These macaroons are amongst the best I've had.
None of your delicate, break apart offerings here: the chocolate macaroon in particular was crisp but slightly dense with a solid, deliciously rich chocolate filling. I'm thinking about going back today for more. Hazelnut is less of a favourite with me so this particular macaroon didn't sing for me. Having said that though, the hazelnut flavouring was obvious and good, and I'd suggest it to anybody liking hazelnuts.


Overall
Famish'd was a little out of the way for Big Fil and I at the top end of Little Collins Street, but this won't be the case for everybody. There's little not to rave about with the exception of the decor. The concept is good, the food fresh and extremely generous considering the price, the range is considerable and the service friendly. My only thoughts on the decor, and they don't detract generally, is that while the quirky logo is really cute, orange and white is hard to pull off, especially the shade of orange used upstairs. The grungy carpet on the stairs also put me off, although Big Fil didn't notice. Small things, because overall Famish'd has my thumbs up.

Rating
Food - 7.5
Ambience - 6.5
Service - 8
Price - 8

Address
130 Little Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: 03 9004 0322

Great Eastern Hakka Restaurant, Mount Waverley by Big Fil

The Hakka are a people who are thought to have originated in Northern China. They aren't now associated with any particular part of China (although a lot seem to be concentrated around Shenzhen and Hong Kong) but without a province of their own have spread all over the world. A couple of people at work are of Hakka origin, including Chewy. There are a small number of Melbourne restaurants which specialise in Hakka cuisine so at Ms Counting her Calories suggestion we of course headed off to Great Eastern Hakka Restaurant to try Swedish style pizza?

For a pizza restaurant GEH looks pretty fancy. With a bright red colour scheme (a bit too bright for me), high backed leather chairs and pristine white table clothes, it's what I'd imagine an upmarket Swedish Café would look like, although that might be more my presumptions about Scandinavian preferences than reality. The service is friendly and efficient, and comment was made that one of the waitresses bore a resemblance to Alicia Silverstone.


Apparently the people who run GEH are of Hakka origin but lived for many years in Sweden where they ran a restaurant. We were already leaning towards trying the pizza over the Hakka dishes but my mind was made up when we saw the menu. While I only know a couple of Hakka dishes the Chinese side of the menu looked quite conservative and not that interesting. I was actually very curious about the style of pizza we would get. Different countries do their own variations of pizza and I don't much like the version most commonly available in Australia. With a thick base and often greasy, to me it's cheese on toast with too many things added on top rather than pizza. I can't comment on how closely GEH follows authentic Swedish style pizza, but it is good.

The seafood pizza came with a thin crispy base, not too much cheese, a touch of tomato paste only, topped with some nice pieces of calamari, a few mussels and prawns. Much better than most Melbourne pizza, not too filling and the emphasis on the ingredients rather than how much you can fit on the pizza for the price.


The Lulea - marinated beef and fefferoni (kind of like a mildly spicy chilli pepper) - was very similar in style. Good quality meat, not too many ingredients, flat crispy base. Again a very good pizza.


Given there were only two pizzas ordered between us we decided to also go for dessert. I went for the apple fritters which was a bit of a mistake. Not that they were bad apple fritters but I prefer my apple a little soft, whereas these were still quite firm.


While not on the menu the Daim cake was available as a special. This is apparently a Swedish style cake, with layers of chocolate, cream cheese and nuts to give an alternatively smooth and crunchy texture. The flavours were a little muted but basically nice, resulting in a pleasant rather than great but very nicely presented cake.


Overall
Nice pizza, extremely pleasant staff in a slightly formal atmosphere. Prices were reasonable and we all quite enjoyed ourselves. If I'd my way I'd change slightly a few things. The feel of the place doesn't quite work for me, a semi-formal pizza restaurant? I also like my pizza with a thin and crispy base but not as thin as GEH, with a slight chewiness as well. I'd probably add a few scallops to the seafood pizza and a bit less calamari too, with a few more fefferoni on the Lulea. That's being a bit picky though, as while it's not the best pizza I've had in Melbourne it's one of the better ones. I also quite liked the cabbage served on the side to have with your pizza. Kind of weird but sweet and a surprisingly good match.

Verdict
Food - 7.5
Ambience - 7
Service - 8
Price - 7

Address
319 Stephensons Road
Mount Waverley VIC 3149
Tel: (03) 9807 3388

Straits Cafe, Doncaster by Big Fil

I've been told for over a year now that I must visit Straits Café. According to Ms Counting her Calories it's the place in Melbourne for Assam Laksa and Char Hor Fun, as well as selling Fresh Kueh (Nyonya sweets). (Fresh Kueh's a favourite of Mmmm as well.) But with no nearby train or tram line and Jade Kingdom being so convenient for friends it just hadn't happened. Finally last Saturday we took a last minute decision and made the plunge for lunch.

From the outside it would be really easy to miss Straits Café. It's got a plain blue shopfront, looking as much like the local tax agent's office as a café.


As far as dining experiences go it's not exactly the Ritz. Inside is fairly plain with 1970's style décor, a few tables quite close together and customers wading into bowls of laksa and plates of noodles and chicken rice. It's very much a weekend get together sort of place for friends and families and the majority of diners appeared to be Chinese Malaysian or Singaporean with only one Caucasian (me).


Based on Ms Counting her Calories recommendations we went for the Assam Laksa, the Char Hor Fun and the Hainanese Chicken Rice. While not on the menu on Saturdays, Straits Café also does Popiah, sort of like a large steamed spring roll.

First dish to arrive was the chicken rice. The good part was chicken itself, which was very smooth and silky just like it should be. I did find the rice a bit tasteless though. With a really good Hainanese chicken rice you should almost be able to eat the rice as a meal by itself. Not the case here.


I thought the Assam laksa was better. Piping hot when it arrived and a popular choice at other tables, it was both sweeter and less spicy than I've had in Penang (Ms CHC indicated she normally asks for it spicy). The flavours of the mint and pineapple came through nicely though and I'd agree that it’s the best I've tried in Melbourne (that’s not such a big call though, it's kind of hard to find here).


Also pretty good was the char hor fun, rice noodles in an egg based gravy. This is one of our favourite Malaysian dishes, with the gravy adding a smooth velvety texture to this dish.


Popiah was something I'd heard of but never tried before. I was very curious to try it but ended up a little disappointed. While the filling and sauce were fine the whole thing showed a tendency to fall apart, so you ended up with popiah skin on your chopsticks and filling trailing across the plate. Shui thought that could be because the popiah skins weren't fresh but prepacked. Still, it was good to finally get around to trying them.


For dessert we went for the Bubur Itam (black rice in coconut milk) and the Bengka kueh (baked cassava cake). I'd never had Benkga Kueh before but these were seriously good. Golden in colour, moist in texture and rich in taste, a new addition to my list of favourite kueh.


I quite like Bubur Itam but one of fellow diners thought that it was a bit too starchy.


Overall
Good solid Malaysian Café with good food, helpful staff and supersonic service at reasonable prices but pretty lacking in the ambience stakes. It's not a place to linger, more one to order, eat and leave or to get takeaway. Best thing about it though is the fresh kueh, which is quite hard to find in Melbourne.

Verdict
Food - 7.5
Service - 8
Ambience - 5.5
Price - 7

Address
694 Doncaster Road
Doncaster VIC 3108
Tel: (03) 9848 1605

Micawber Tavern, Belgrave by Foghorn Leghorn

The Micawber Tavern has a lot of things going for it. It has a good selection of beers, and an honest approach to pub food. Most of all, it has location, location, location. It’s a 10-minute walk from Belgrave station, on the edge of Sherbrooke Forest, right next to Sherbrooke Creek. Taking advantage of this, it has one of the best beer gardens in Melbourne.


The Dandenong Ranges are a pleasant place for a stroll. As we’ve done before, we started at Upper Ferntree Gully, walked up a back road to Sassafrass, and then down forest paths to the Micawber. A relaxing walk, with the anticipation of a refreshing beer at the end of it.


For lunch, we stuck to pub basics: steak, and fish & chips. The Micawber excels at both.


The steak was an eye fillet, cooked medium rare, exactly as ordered. The accompanying vegies and potatoes were a delight. The potatoes set a standard that should be studied by other pubs – cooked just right, nicely firm inside, crispy and golden on the outside.


The fish & chips was also top class. Two generous pieces of quality fish, in crispy golden batter, with crisp fresh chips, and a pleasant salad.


The discerning reader might ask at this point, “What’s so special about being able to cook steak, or fish & chips?” In theory, the discerning reader is right. But in practice, so many pubs get the basics wrong. Veal parmigiana is a Melbourne pub staple, but in North Carlton I’ve had one that was just a gooey mess. There was too much cheese, oozing all over the plate, and the parmigiana was lying on top of the chips, so that the chips went soggy, as did the bottom half of the schnitzel. A North Carlton pub that can’t do parmigiana should just give up and become a bingo hall, but this place is still out there, trying to do pub food. In a renowned Brisbane steak-pub, I’ve had an excellent eye fillet ruined by a tasteless over-cooked potato (it was falling apart), and a salad with a sickly sweet dressing – we paid $100 for our meal, including wine. I could fill pages with the bad pub food I’ve endured. None of that happens at the Micawber. Whoever runs the kitchen loves the food he produces, and it shows.

We finished off with a lemon meringue with ice cream, and a coffee. The lemon meringue not only tasted good, but was presented well. The coffee was as strong as it should be. It had an unusual note in the taste that we couldn’t identify. It could be a slip-up like not cleaning out the espresso machine the night before, or it could just be that we’re used to different coffee. Given how well it executes everything else, I’ll give the Micawber the benefit of the doubt, and assume that we’re just too set in our ways with our coffee.


We ate off the restaurant menu, with mains in the $18-30 range. There’s also a bar menu, with plenty of options around $15, and this seemed to be a popular choice at nearby tables.

Overall
We've been to the Micawber before, and we will definitely return. The Micawber is easily reachable by public transport, has a clear bubbling stream running next to the garden, great natural foliage, tables set apart at a comfortable distance, good honest pub food, and a good range of beers. It’s all these elements together that make the Micawber such a stand-out. No public transport? That introduces the hassle of designated drivers or taxis. The only beer on tap is Tooheys? I’d rather stay home. In my opinion, the Micawber has the best beer garden in Melbourne. Mrs Leghorn begs to differ. Her favourite is the Standard in Fitzroy.

What could the Micawber do to improve? Hmmm ... not much. Perhaps mozzie coils under the outside tables. Perhaps include lamb’s fry (another pub classic) on the menu, but that leads us into the territory of how broad a menu can be before it becomes too broad. Ultimately, it’s better to have a small number of dishes, and do them all well. Mrs Leghorn thinks the Micawber is a bit blokey, and could become more female-friendly. Nicer furniture outside, for example (the current furniture is bit weather-worn).

Readers should bear in mind, though, that the Micawber Tavern is a pub. It’s not a fine dining restaurant with white tablecloths. It’s in the Dandenongs, but it’s not a Gawd-help-us place where people take their mum for Devonshire Tea. It has all the signs of a very well-run pub (clean toilets, good food, pleasant staff), but it’s worth noting that I am scoring it as a pub.

Verdict
Food - 9
Service - 8
Ambience - 10
Price - 8

Address
61 Monbulk Rd
Belgrave VIC 3160
Tel: (03) 9754 8660