Dukes Coffee Roasters, Windsor by Big Fil

I've known about Dukes for ages. When I’d walked past it before it'd always looked busy, but also a little dark and forbidding. I'd also thought it was unlikely to have much to interest me, a non-coffee drinker. Well, one cold Sunday morning when our first choice wasn’t open we decided to give it a chance anyway, and boy did it prove me wrong.

First of all, it was just as dark inside as I'd expected. However, rather than feeling like a dark and dreary cave it was actually quite cosy. I think this was because the high ceiling and not sitting in our nearest neighbour's lap gave a sense of space. Early in the morning just after opening it was far less busy than usual which also probably contributed to this. It stands out in contrast to the much more grungy nearby cafes I’ve tried and enjoyed (Yellow Bird and Tyranny of Distance), and all the coffee sacks and paraphernalia towards the back of the cafe gives the impression they're serious about their coffee.


Food wise it’s definitely Melbourne modern but with a few twists which meant there were several dishes we wanted to try. After quite a bit of thought Snooze decided on the avocado hommus toast, with poached eggs, honey cured ham and dukkah. The very good nicely toasted bread and the perfectly poached eggs were spot on. Snooze was however not as rapt with the avocado hommus, finding the texture a little strange, and the texture of the ham bits varied: some were hard and others nicely tender.


My choice de jour was the corn and zucchini fritters, with spicy tomato relish, manchego cheese, spinach leaves, avocado and fried egg. I absolutely loved the corn and zucchini fritters, with their thin crispy outer shell, soft, fluffy middles and wonderful flavours which matched much better than I’d expected. Again a perfectly cooked egg and while I remember on the day I thought the rest of the dish was good, a few days later all I can think of is those fritters and the egg.


The breakfast dessert options looked pretty good too, and I ended up going with the apple and rhubarb crumble. It wasn't quite your normal crumble, with most of the crumble at the top and the bottom of the slice more cake like in texture. That being said it was delicious, generous in size, not too sweet and a little tangy from the rhubarb.





Overall
I enjoyed our visit here much more than I expected. Not too crowded on our visit, good service and delicious food. It's definitely one of the better cafes going and well worth a special trip to visit. Yes a little pricier than par but the quality is higher to match. My only caveat would be I haven’t been when they're flat out busy.

Verdict
Food – 8.5
Service – 7.5
Ambience – 8
Price – 7

Address
169 Chapel Street
Windsor VIC 3181
Tel: (03) 9521 4884

Oli & Levi, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

We Melbournians certainly love our little laneway cafes, the sort of places you only find out about because of word of mouth or wandering around some of the less salubrious parts of town. A fairly recent addition to the plethora of these scattered around town is Oli & Levi, located in an obscure dead-end laneway off Little Collins Street.


Despite being in such an obscure location Oli & Levi is well worth seeking out. It has a very modern style fit out with large communal wooden table, an open kitchen and window where those just seeking takeaway coffee or baguette can order, a feature which received a lot of use while we were there.


Actually one of the most surprising things during our visit was the high number of office workers getting something to take back to the office compared to the number who ate in. It could have been related to the time we were there, with our server indicating they usually started to get busy around 12.30 with the peak around 1. We were in around 12.15, gone by 12.45, and only one other couple came in to sit at the table while we were there. Actually I don’t think ‘couple’ is the correct term but how do you refer to two office workers who've popped in for a bite to eat?

Anyway, other than the cakes under the counter most of the food comprises reasonably priced gourmet baguettes and sandwiches. Two of these stood out as obvious choices to try, a salted pork belly, camembert and coleslaw (from memory – Olympics fatigue from lack of sleep is already kicking in) and a roast duck with an Asian salad.

At first taste the pork belly baguette was a little disappointing. The bread was a bit chewy, the pork a little lacking in flavour and the salad wasn’t really adding much to the flavour. That was until we hit the camembert, which added a rich creaminess that lifted it significantly.


The duck on the other hand was good from the start. Nice bread with a little crunch to the crust but fluffy interior and the duck given a little bit of a spark by the tangy salad.


The baguettes weren’t as large as some on offer around the city, but then they're also less pricey than most of the ‘gourmet’ offerings. Consequently we felt properly justified in finishing off our lunch with two small crumbles to share, one mixed berry and the other apple. These weren’t your typical crumble, with the filling served in puff pastry. Unusual but an interesting idea. Of the two the apple was definitely the better, the mixed berry suffering a bit from being overly sweet.



Overall
Yet another very good Melbourne cafe. Not as busy as I'd expected but then just as we were leaving several groups started heading towards us down the alleyway, like some coffee seeking zombie office worker apocalypse (I’ve been watching too much The Walking Dead recently). Food was good if not the best in town but good value as it was also a bit cheaper too. And our server was quite entertaining, possibly due the fact that he'd just finished his fifth coffee for the day (one of the benefits/curses of working in a cafe I guess). If you're in the area and want a bite to eat Oli & Levi is well worth seeking out, if you can find it.

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

Address
20 Coromandel Place
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9650 0501

Dessert Story, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

It’s not that long ago it was hard to find an East Asian style dessert café in Melbourne. Now they seem to be popping up like sweetened mushrooms, maybe served with red bean or black sesame paste.

Looking for something to finish off with after visiting the Hawker Night Market we spotted Dessert Story at the end of the lane, the newest addition in Chinatown. On a cold winter’s night it looked bright, warm and inviting so making a decision on where we were heading next was quickly made.

On entering it was obvious that we were the only two gweilo in the café. The place was reasonably full as well, which surprised me a little because it was somewhere I’d have expected to be much busier later in the evening. Given the type of place – brightly lit, lots of red, Asian pop playing pretty loudly – I’d also expected a fairly young crowd but there were also a few older diners as well, maybe looking to revisit a food memory from home.

After a few minutes our menu arrived. To say a generous variety of desserts is offered is a definite understatement, with the menu going on for several pages. While the photos of the snow ice dishes looked very tempting and may well be the subject of further investigation we were both looking for something a bit smaller and simpler. Snooze's choice, a sago and coconut milk with mango, mine a tofu and peanut in sweet syrup.


In both taste and texture these differ significantly from more familiar western style desserts. The tofu is soft and silken, the syrup/soup sweet but slightly watery, and the peanuts soft. It’s not something necessarily to everyone’s fancy particularly if you haven’t grown up with it. To be honest it wasn’t quite to my taste either, as I wasn’t particularly fond of the peanuts or the soup/syrup. Unfortunately though, the dish which was my first preference and that I've had many times before had already been spotted and chosen by Snooze.


The sago and coconut has the slippery texture provided by the sago, the richness of the coconut milk and the flavour provided by the mango. It’s sweet, it’s comparatively light (well, compared to say chocolate mud cake or a similar cake) and it’s one of my comfort foods. I only got a taste, as it’s pretty rude even for me to double dip into someone else’s dessert, and while I would have preferred it pandan rather than mango flavoured something I’d always be happy to eat. To me, the better of the two desserts.





Overall
Two decent desserts served in a fairly interesting location and at a price that won’t break the bank. Service though was a bit of an issue. It’s not the number of staff, as there were more than enough to cope with the number of orders. It wasn’t the timeliness, as once we had ordered our food came fairly quickly. What was a bit annoying though was the way the staff stood behind the counter chatting and texting without seeming to be paying attention to the customers. It didn’t really slow service down but I certainly got the impression that they weren’t concerned about the customers.

Verdict
Food – 6.5
Service – 5.5
Ambience – 7.5
Price – 7

Address
195 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9650 7776

Bayte, Collingwood by Big fil

I like a place where the food is good. I like a place where the food is different. But when you combine a place where the food is very good and very different, well then I just love it. And while it's only been open for a few months now Bayte is definitely bringing something very different to the table, a delicious middle-eastern style slant to beginning your day.


Actually the food isn’t all I love about this place, as our visit was a clear proof of the possibility of love at first sight. I thought it was one of the most photogenic cafes I’ve been to in Melbourne, with lots of things to catch the eye. The lighting at the window into the kitchen area, the way the larger communal table had been set, the painted roller door in the courtyard area, a leaning Lebanese cookbook, everywhere I turned there was something which I wanted to look at.




The service was excellent as well, bright and cheerful with a smile which that said ‘Welcome to our new place – we're very proud of it’. Honestly, there are some people who are born to be front of house staff, who with a word can make you feel like a welcome guest than a paying customer. The staff here have it in spades.

So by this stage we were probably already set on liking Bayte, it was actually the unusual menu that had drawn us to the other side of town. Pearl Barley porridge, semolina pancakes, an omelette with labna, poached or fried eggs with middle eastern spices, it was one of those days when the number of interesting options makes it hard to choose. After many minutes of deliberation we settled on the fried eggs with sumac and lamb kafta, the poached eggs with zaatar and the semolina pancakes for breakfast dessert.


The poached eggs with zaatar came with pumpkin kibbe and house made babaganoush (beyd bil zaatar). Kibbe is something I don’t remember having before, but it reminded me of a pressed cake or possibly a hash brown, with a nice, crispy outer shell but a soft warm interior. Add delicious flavours from the pumpkin and other ingredients and you have what Snooze thought was the best part of our meal. The babaganoush (eggplant dip) was good but more familiar, and while it initially looked like the poached eggs had been over spiced with the zaatar it turned out to be a perfectly balanced mix of spice and egg with neither dominating. Eggs perfectly cooked too, full of golden runny yolk.


Snooze went with the fried eggs and kafta (beyd meli bil summael kafta meshwi). Kafta is a ground meat dish and my experience is that it's often a bit dry when served. Here though the meat was perfectly moist, full of flavour and perfectly seasoned. The fried eggs were again perfectly cooked although I didn’t notice the citrusy flavours of the sumac (made from crushed berries) coming through.


One of the things we discussed with our waitress was the concept of breakfast dessert. While it had always been the plan to finish off with a serve of the pancakes she indicated that this had become almost a theme of many customers, finishing off their meal with something sweet. The semolina pancakes came filled with walnuts, drizzled with rosewater and served with ashtah (a type of cream) and sprinkled with pistachios. The pancakes had a different texture to the normal cafe style, somehow both fluffy but a little more dense than usual. The walnuts and pistachios gave the dish great texture and the rosewater gave it sweetness without it being overwhelming. A bit different but really, really good.


Overall
I know it probably sounds like I'm gushing over this place but I thought it was fantastic – if our visit was typical I can’t imagine how anyone wouldn't love it. And I’m not someone who wants to hoard their favourite places, I want everyone else to try them and enjoy them as much as I did (well, provided I can still get a table). Go and try it, just please nobody take the window seat looking out into the courtyard so I will always have somewhere to sit!

Verdict
Food – 9
Ambience – 8.5
Service – 8.5
Price – 7.5

Address
56 Johnson Street
Collingwood VIC 306
Tel: (03) 9415 8818

Chinatown Market Day, Heffernan Lane, Melbourne CBD

At the moment every third Friday of the month is Hawker night on Heffernan Lane in Chinatown. While of course it doesn’t compare to a south-east Asian night market in terms of quantity, quality or price, it’s still fun and possibly the germ of an idea which can grow into a real, full scale night market.

Dognation, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

Dognation appears to have very rapidly become a bit of a foodie favourite. It ticks a lot of the boxes – it's small, new, unusual and, if you didn’t know it was there you’d be unlikely to come across it by accident.



Actually it’s one of the smallest hole in the wall style places I’ve seen, the sort of place that makes an actual hole in the wall look spacious. It’s mainly oriented for takeaway too with only one small table in front. Located in a laneway it still manages to generate a surprising amount of atmosphere, mainly I suspect because of one of the friendliest and most vivacious hot dog sellers I’ve come across.


One thing though where I think it’s a bit misleading. I don’t consider what they sell as hot dogs. To me eating a hot dog is like eating a condom filled with unidentifiable bits of what can only be hoped is fresh meat. On a good day you can hope for hoof or snout, on a bad one I don’t even want to think about it. Instead of being about the meat it’s more about the toppings served with the hotdog. Dognation certainly serves good and unusual toppings but more importantly it uses much higher quality sausages, to the extent I think it’s more accurate to describe them as gourmet sausage buns rather than hotdogs.

Given the small size of the cooking area it shouldn’t be any surprise that only five options are offered. What is more of a surprise was that I wanted to try all five of them. However, given the limits of a belt with only so many notches I decided to go with the London, a variation on the classic sausage with mushy peas, mashed potato and gravy. Have to say that I loved it. I mean, take a classic recipe, use decent ingredients, put it in a good bun and voila, potential fast food classic. Good texture, great flavours and avoided that dread fast food ambush of too much liquid resulting in gravy/sauce running down your arm.


Snooze though was in a more patriotic mood and headed for a Melbourne Dog. The ingredients brought a classic New York hot dog to mind but far outstripped her usual expectations using a substantial sausage, good quality bread and topped with masses of grated cheese, onion, tomato sauce and mustard. Both a winner and a serious stomach filler.


Overall

It’s fast food Jim but not as we know it. A little more expensive than your typical hot dog but you're only paying a small price for a much higher quality option. And what’s more a second shop appears to have opened on the corner of Little Collins and Russell.

Verdict
Food – 8
Ambience – 7.5 (if you can get the table)
Service – 8
Price – 7.5

Address
Shop 2, The Causeway
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: 0423 083 287

Wa Hing, Adelaide (SA) by Benny

Random conversations with shop assistants can sometimes lead to serendipitous experiences, as happened on a recent trip to Adelaide. Gouger Street is dining central for Adelaide and it’s been more than a few years since our last visit, so in some ways it was a bit surprising to see so many restaurants we remembered. However, the Wah Hing, almost directly opposite the end of Moonta Street in the Chinatown area, is new to us, and came highly recommended from the shop assistant at North Adelaide’s Fabric of Life (a favourite of my better half when indulging her interest in textiles).

The décor is simple and modern with clean lines and little fuss. Generously sized square tables comfortably cope with three main courses, a serving bowl of rice and a pot of Chinese tea, without being so large you struggle to enjoy a conversation without yelling at your dining partner. There is a decent gap between tables so that you're not eavesdropping on nearby discussions and even with the restaurant buzzing, the ambient noise level is far from intrusive. On the other hand the only way to push tables together is in a line – groups of eight or more looking for a large round table may be disappointed.

The menu is full of mouth-watering promise and selecting a meal just for two is challenging – we need to be here with a larger group so that we can taste everything that appeals. After much agonising, we settled on the salt and pepper soft shell crab, steamed duck with salt plum, and to balance the meal, a simple dish of gai lan (Chinese broccoli) stir fried in stock with a hint of ginger.

The soft shell crab is wonderful. Batter crisp and light, flavours salty and tangy, crab tender and flavoursome. The crab is encircled with finely sliced cucumber, which looks a bit naff on first glance, but the freshness and crunch perfectly balances the saltiness of the crab – an excellent pairing.


The duck is even better. A large mound of succulent duck in a complex sauce – sweetness given depth by the saltiness of the preserved plums. And that mound is all duck – not just a layer of duck over a pile of vegetable filler.


The gai lan is tender and the sauce just right to provide a crisp and refreshing accompaniment to the flavour highlights of the other dishes. Plentiful steamed rice is provided on a per person rather than the ‘per serve’ basis that seems to be slowly infecting many up-market Asian restaurants over recent years – in other words, endless refills.

Service is good throughout – friendly, efficient and not intrusive. Our teapot is checked discretely and refilled as needed; the rice is replenished almost instantly the serving bowl is empty.

Overall
We don’t get to Adelaide very often, but we will be coming back, with friends. A very enjoyable dinner at a reasonable price.

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

Address
85 Gouger Street
Adelaide SA 5000
Tel: (08) 8212 0338

Breezes, Southbank by Bureaucrat

For a celebration, I took a while to think of the place to take my family. The temptation is to go to a buffet - either Conservatory (see my review back in Oct 2011) or Collins Kitchen (read Nov 2011). It's a safe bet - everyone likes it, as everyone gets to pig out on a wide range of food in a nice surrounding.


However, I wanted to go somewhere new. After cogitating, I decided to go to Breezes. The only think I knew about it is seeing its ad in the Entertainment Book. But after seeing its 2 or 3 course lunch menu on line, this was a place I wanted to try.


Breezes is one of Crown Casino's restaurants, and is located next to the Crown spa. Inside it's light and airy, with sunshine streaming through the French windows. From our table, you get a nice view of the Yarra and Southbank. The staff are in smart green uniforms.


The prix fixe menu is pretty impressive. It has about eight dishes for each course - which is a rarity for most restaurants that offer prix fixe dining. After placing our orders, we were served the complementary bread and glass of bubbly. Delicious, textured bready goodness which was served with good quality EVOO and proper balsamic vinegar.

For starters, we ordered...


...seared scallops with summer heirloom tomato and thyme compote, olive tapenade and apple honey. The scallops were perfectly cooked and very fresh. The sweetness of the hone and the tartness of the tapenade gave a nice flavour balance to the dish.


...grilled calamari, smoked eggplant puree w chorizo, tomato and parlsey salad.


...seared king prawns, garlic butter, parsley, lemon and croutons. I loved the presentation of this dish.


...Tasmanian oysters au naturel. Fresh, plump and succulent.

For mains, we ordered...


...kids fish and chips for Bubba Chuck, which I assumed she liked, as she wolfed the whole plate.


...pan-roasted kingfish, cauliflower skordalia, grapes and pinenut dressing. I ordered this dish. The fish was perfectly cooked. I really liked the grape and pinenut dressing. As with the seared scallops, the grapes added a nice sweetness (without being cloying) to the dish that enhanced the seafood.


...Victorian rib-eye served with sauteed spinach w veal jus.


...I can't remember what this was. Beaker ordered it, and I liked the look of the bubbly sauce.


...honey-glazed duck breast, autumn baby vegs, kataifi wafer basket (filo pastry) and red wine glaze. Mother Hen liked the duck breast as it was cooked to her liking (well done) and was still quite tender and juicy.

The side dishes were...


...rocket, parmesan and toasted pinenuts salad. Fresh leaves dressed in quality olive oil.


...garden salad.


...chips, chunky cut wedges, string beans.


A few of us had planned on going for 3 courses, but we were so full from the entrees and main dishes. So we opted for tea and coffee to go with the complementry birthday cake - a chocolate and hazlenut mousse. Velvety cake, but a smidge too sweet for me (not that it stopped me from eating it).

Overall
Great menu, food, service and ambiance. For about $45pp, I think two courses (which includes a side dish each) is very good value. I'm glad we ventured beyond our usual buffets - this is a new place where we can still indulge in fine dining without having to unbuckle our belts when we leave. Breezes has made it onto my family's select list of favourite fine dining restaurants. Two thumbs up!

Verdict
Food - 10
Service - 10
Ambience - 10
Price - 10

Address
Breezes
Crown Casino
Southbank 3006
Telephone: 9292 6896