Scarvelli Cafe, Balwyn (by invitation) by Obelix

I'm always thrilled to hear of paddock to plate eateries particularly in my local area as I know in general these places place great pride in their produce.  Scarvelli Cafe is one of these places in the handy location along Whitehorse Road.  I understand most of the produce is actually from the owner's farm down on the Bellarine Peninsula at Swan Bay.  They also go to great lengths with their coffees.  Their baristas work close with Industry Beans to create espresso perfection.  Scarvelli's are ranked in the top 10 of best coffee destinations in Melbourne according to Beanhunter.


So when in Rome, do as the Romans....so first up on the order is a couple of lattes to kick things off.  I am a pathetic coffee drinker.  Too strong a coffee makes my heart palpitate (I know, weak *hang head in shame*).  However the baristas at Scarvelli's were able to tailor a coffee just mild enough for me.  I get the lovely bean aromas without my heart thumping itself out of my chest cavity.  Love.

They do real connoisseur stuff too, like cold drip coffees and soon to come, filter coffees.  The baristas were super friendly and a real wealth of knowledge and they were very happy to share / chat about all things bean.

My dad and I were there to brunch and we were not disappointed with the suggestions made by the staff.  I had the ham hock special for I am unable to resists anything in relation to pork.  It was a ham hock benedict on sourdough.  The ham were locally sourced and it was simply divine.  The serve was gargantuan and will definitely keep me chugging until dinner time.

My dad had the chilli eggs.  These came with house-made chilli sauce, minted peas, ham hock hash and a rocket salad with pickled onions.  So good.  I had food envy and snitched half of his meal off his plate.  The hash was delightfully crispy and the chilli sauce had a real vinegary hit.  The greenery took the heat off and were so fresh.  It was a very well thought out plate.

For sweets, there were all manner of delectables.  We couldn't fit another bite in but were kindly supplied with a few take home treats.  Scarvelli Cafe have their own pastry chef and all these yummy treats are baked on premises.  Their iced tea are also a house specialty.  These guys really go to some effort for good food.

I'll leave you with a couple of shots of the ambiance.  It's a great place to catch up with friends, or just simply grab a coffee to go...There's a beautiful mural to admire on the external wall...I even heard plans that Scarvelli Cafe have bought a block of land close by to turn into a kitchen garden.  They walk the talk of locally sourced produce.

Verdict:  We loved it.

Overall
Scarvelli Cafe is a warm and friendly local cafe with a great ethos of locally sourced ingredients and killer coffee.

Shebeen, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

Ever since Big Fil had the chainapple (a mocktail made with pineapple juice with chai spices and topped with a sprig of mint), I wanted to check out Shebeen.  So a long lunch with my team at work was my chance to try it.  However, it was a cold day so I didn't end up ordering.

What we did get was to try out a number of their dishes, including sliders.  The ones shown above are the meaty ones - BBQ beef w kim chi and pork belly w jalapeno jam.  Shebeen's also got a big range of world beers - all of the profits from the beers go to various charities (each beer has a designated charity).

I got the Mexican organic Fairtrade quinoa salad, which was served with cherry tomato salsa and organic corn chips.  For few more dollars, I also got aside of roast pork. It was a nice quinoa salad - hefty, filling.  But the best bit was the cherry tom salsa - it was sweet, juicy and loaded with citrusy zingyness.  The corn chips were rather 'meh' - a rather lame 'filler' in my opinion (although everyone at them as a beer snack).  For $4 you get quite reasonable amount of pork, which was nice and salty, although the crackling was only good in part.

I also got a house-blend soy chai latte, which had a lovely frothy top but could have been stronger in flavour.  Gorgeous cup, though.

The other people in my team got the banh mi with smoked tofu, grilled eggplant and Asian slaw with fresh coriander, Thai basil and housemade chipotle aioli...

...more sliders (the one on the left is the smoked tofu, the other one is a meat one)...

...the chicken mole, which is a Mexican-style slow cooked chicken stew, made with Loving Earth chilli chocolate.  It came with rice, corn chips and pickled onions...

...and the banh mi with crispy pork belly, chicken liver parfait, housemade pickled

carrot, cucumber, coriander chilli & bulldog sauce; and also a slider.

Verdict: we liked it.

Overall

Shebeen is styled like a Mexican cantina - it's a bit rustic and is more hippy than hipster.  The food is reasonably tasty but nothing exceptional.  I'd say the food menu is geared towards giving punters to eat while they're drinking.  The service is a wee bit scatty and most of us felt like we weren't entirely sure they got our orders (but they did).  There isn't table service, instead you order at the bar.  

If you want something that's relaxed and unfussy for your beer and or a light meal, this is the place for it.

Archie's Fish and Chips, Mt Waverley by Obelix

Let me say this:  I am not a fan of fish and chips.  I find it incredibly greasy and ultimately not worth the calorific intake.  However having said this, I LOVE the fish and chips at Archie's.

P read in the Good Food Guide (?) that Archie's was nominated best surburban fish and chippery.  We were curious so concocted a reason why we had to check it out.  I believe, if memory serves, the excuse was that Kiddo was being particularly angelic for the past two hours and deserved a treat or some such.

Here was "Kiddo's treat":

A selection of crumbed calamari, battered prawns and scallops, grilled salmon, fried whiting and chips.

The calamari were real rings versus manufactured seafood putty moulded into a ring shape.  But to really really die for were the scallops and prawns - huge, succulent with a light crispy batter ($2 each).  I could happily eat half a dozen as a meal in itself.  We have been back many a times since and Kiddo normally scoffs down three scallops plus a piece of salmon - easy.

Kido's piece of salmon ($7).

And a big serve of chips.  The chips were crispy and hot.  No soggy chips here.

Verdict:  We loved it.

Overall:  For a person who normally eats fish and chips once every three years or so, I have been hooked on Archie's.  I have been back there three times in the past month *hang head in shame*.  But in my defense, it's really good fish and chips.

Lefkas Taverna, Brisbane (QLD) by Obelix

Lefkas is one of my favourite Greek restaurants in Brisbane.  When I first discovered the place a few years back, it was all about simple but well cooked meals, generous in size and cheap in price.  Back in ye ole days, you had to go next door to the bottle shop to get your drinks, it was that pared back.  

Flash forward to today, Lefkas has undergone some changes.  The restaurant itself is two to three times bigger post renovations and has a more up-market feel.  The meals are half the size and twice as much as it was yester year but fortunately the taste is still the same.  

Fried calamari

On this occasion we had the grilled baby octopus and the calamari lightly floured and fried for the entree. They were about $20 each.

Grilled octopus

I normally also order the home made dips in the past - well worth a try as well.

For mains, we ordered a mixed yiros with a combination of chicken, lamb and pork - the holy Trinity of meats!  It was approx $22 for the combo.  The meat was tender and garlic-y good.  It melted in your mouth.  

Verdict:  We liked it.  

Overall  Despite Leftkas going up market, the integrity of the food is still the same.  I am still a loyal customer.  You can now pay by credit card - proving the convenience of the modern age!

Lil Boy Blue, Kew (by invitation) by Bureaucrat

Juxtaposition of classic themes with modern Australiana is how Brett, the front of house at Lil Boy Blue, describes the food, service and interior design at his cafe in Kew.  Think of the rigour and standards of fine French cuisine but with a healthy dose of laid back Australian sensibilities.  If you want a quality experience but without the stuffy starched shirt and snootiness, Lil Boy Blue is the place to be.

Our hearty five course brunch started off with a gorgeous almond and coconut chia pudding w fresh fruits.  Beautiful to behold and just as lovely to savour.  If you haven't had chia before its one of them wonder grains, full of protein and very good for you.  When you add liquid to it, the individual chia seeds swell up and become all gooey - kinda like sago.  

The chia pudding was a delight to eat with the delicate flavour of the almond and coconut milk.  We also loved the bright, colourful mango, pear and strawberry salad.

Pots of English breakfast and ginger and lemongrass tea.

Next up was a duo of tacos.  The duck taco had generous amounts of shredded duck, grilled corn, mango, capsicum and chili salsa.  My favourite was the chili and lime prawn tacos, avo, coleslaw and smoked paprika.  I loved the nicely zingy chili and lime on the plump pan-seared prawns.

The next dish was Mother Hen's favourite as it contained two of her favourite things - scallops and watercress.  Perfectly seared scallops topped with crispy pancetta is a classic dish, and the pureed watercress added a twist.  The garlic chips were a nice idea, however, I felt the garlic flavour overpowered the scallop.  

Despite it being brunch, we also go to try a dish on their dinner menu.  On offer includes 'duck - two ways', which is duck confit with a duck cigar.  A nice dish of ducky goodness - the confit was tender and falling off the bone; while the cigar, though a tad burnished, was crispy and was yummy with the garlicky sauce.  I especially loved the gorgeously waxy potatoes and the bed of wilted spinach.  

The front of the cafe where many locals drop by for their caffeine fix and a tipple.

By this point we need a bit of a breather before dessert, and Brett took us on a tour of Lil Boy Blue... 

...towards the back of the cafe, you'll find Lil Boy Blue and also his friend, Lil Girl Red.

Upstairs is a beautiful, apartment-style loft, which is used for functions.  It's spacious, light and airy, and has a delightful nook by the window where you can sip on your drink and watch the world pass by.

Dessert was a rather decadent and fun affair.  A whole wooden board with a quartet of sinfulness.  My absolute favourite was the oh-my-god-yum chocolate milkshake - the best milkshake I've ever had!  Chocolatey but not sickly sweet, creamy but not that icky milky taste (I find some milkshakes taste more milk than chocolate), and it had a lovely mouth-feel to it.  

The vanilla cheesecake was beautifully smooth and I loved the blackberry compote that came with it.  The profiteroles were filled with a honey-tinged cream, while the brownies were incredibly chocolatey and had a lovely softness to them.

Verdict: we loved it

Overall
A great cafe that hits the mark in creating something that is smart and relaxed.  Service is super friendly, not just to us, but also to everyone that came through.  It's a great place to grab a coffee in your trackies, have a champagne brunch with the girls, after work drinks with the mates or a classy dinner with your partner.

Also have a gander at Big Fil's review back in March 2013.

Op Pa's Kitchen, Melbourne CBD by Obelix

I am a sucker for anything with a quirky name.  So when I walked past Op Pa's Kitchen which advertised "Meal Buckets" for $10, I thought, a meal bucket is exactly what I needed for I had visions of me eating hog style out of a trough.


It's a cafe-style affair offering Korean food on the quick.  The meal buckets turned out to be traditional Korean wooden receptacles for rice, meat and veg.  I ordered the Bulgogi filled one for $10.  It was a decent size for the price and tasted reasonably well.  It came with accompanying potato fritter, pickles and greenery.


The Bureaucrat was after a light meal and ordered herself some Korean fried chicken $6.  They were probably on the darker side of nuked, but were nicely seasoned.

Verdict:  We liked it.

Overall
Op Pa's Kitchen was an okay feed for the price and the service was quick enough for a lunch time hit and run.

Cafe Vue hot cross buns (by invitation)

With the scent of mixed spice in the air, you know Easter is fast approaching (long weekend, woo hoo!).  To get into the Easter spirit, we were lucky to get a box of Cafe Vue's gourmet hot cross buns.

Nobu, Southbank by Big Fil

March is one of my favourite times of the year.  Why you ask?  Other than being a Pisces, which means I receive my birthday loot then, it’s also that time of the year when you can get to sample some of the best restaurants in Melbourne without breaking the bank.  After a flutter of emails it was decided that this would be the year of Nobu, one of the Crown stable along the Southbank waterfront.

For those who don’t know, the $40 dollar express lunches currently on generally allow you to choose 2 of 3 courses (main plus entrée or dessert) with a complementary glass of wine and a coffee or tea to finish.  The ordering options are not necessarily from the more normal menu, but hopefully give you a taste (so to speak) of what the restaurant is like to entice you to return.  Nobu was slightly different, offering four set options, seafood, meat, poultry and sushi.  Given that there were three of us we followed our servers suggestion of sharing, with sushi missing out this time.

Our three first courses were the Yellow Tail sashimi jalapeno, the beef tataki onion ponzu and garlic chips, and the Crispy quail anti-cucho salt.  It would be hard to pick a favourite between the delegate sashimi with it’s delicious sauce and the moist, meaty quail.


The thin, almost translucent tuna wrapped around the slice of jalapeno and coriander leaves was melt in your mouth stuff.


The quail, a delicious meat if prepared right but so often overcooked and dry, was crispy skinned and juicy – if only quails were the size of turkeys so there was more to share!


The rare beef, while good enough to hold its own in most company, unfortunately struggled a bit to match the other entrees.


From the second courses, my personal favourite was the Saskia beer free range corn fed chicken in teriyaki sauce.  Yes, it’s roast chicken, but it is rare to get one as beautifully cooked, as plump and flavoursome.


The JBS Pinnacle Beef Tenderloin with Wasabi Pepper Sauce was much more delicately flavoured than the description would suggest, with the wasabi barely hinting through, but was again perfectly cooked.


The Atlantic salmon on parmesan rice felt like wonderful comfort food, the sort of thing you’d like to make yourself for that cold and windy day.



Verdict: we loved it.

Overall
Very good food, service that was there when wanted without being too pushy on upselling (an annoyance at some express lunches) and quiet calm surroundings met there was much to like about our visit.  Admittedly Nobu isn’t at the cheap eats end of the pricing spectrum, but I certainly enjoyed our visit enough to tempt me to come back to try the more normal menu.