Katarina Zrinski, Footscray by Foghorn Leghorn

Before Footscray was Vietnamese, it was Croatian, and before that it was Polish. The Polish presence is today marked only by the cryptically named Millennium House*. The Croats, by contrast, have the unambiguously named Hrvatski Dom, or Croatian House, proudly displaying the chequer-board red and white Croatian coat of arms. Inside Croatian House is the Katarina Zrinski restaurant. On All Saints' Day, I paid a visit for Sunday lunch, together with Big Fil, Snooze and Mrs Leghorn.

A noticeable thing about the restaurant is the natural light and spacious interior. I've been to many ethnic clubs, and generally they're somewhere between cosy and dingy. Croatian House was renovated in 2006, and evidently it was done with ample funds and a bit of thought. The floor-to-ceiling glass wall gives the room a pleasant feel, and the outdoor terrace is a nice spot for a drink. When we visited, the restaurant was a quarter to a half full. It’s a fairly big space, so that would be 30 or 40 people.

The menu has a range of Croatian dishes, plus some Aussie bistro standards for those who aren't ethnically inclined. With four of us willing to share, we were able to sample most of the Croatian offering.


Mrs Leghorn kicked off with a chicken soup, explaining that it's her ethnic custom (Mrs Leghorn hails from Prague) to start lunch with soup, no matter what the weather. Happily, it was good soup weather, and the soup was just as chicken soup should be, with a nice yellow colour and strong chicken aroma. Mrs Leghorn claimed to detect some Podravka undertone, Podravka being a popular Croatian brand of stock cubes and other things. If there was any, it didn't detract from the flavour.

Little Bridge Cafe, Richmond by Bureaucrat

Medical appointments are never fun.  However, the upside of going to the doctors (at least for me), is that it's an excuse to have lunch at a nearby restaurant or cafe - which is how we came across Little Bridge Cafe.  True to its name, the cafe is little.  But, golly, it packs a punch when it comes to its glorious middle-Eastern influenced cafe menu.

When you're greeted with this amazing bounty, you just know you're onto a good thing.  Everything is made on site - the bouncy doughnuts, custard tarts, muffins and baklava-y sweets.  Also on offer are soups of the day and these delicious, moreish savoury flat breads.  Little Bridge Cafe seems quite popular among the local workers, residents and even the boys in blue come in for a coffee and snack.

12's Cafe, Hawthorn East (by invitation) by Obelix

12's Cafe is a new addition in the Camberwell Rivoli precinct.  Owner Jack Kwan opened in September 2015 with the concept of fusing traditional Chinese BBQ (think roast duck, roast pork) with modern Australian cuisine.  "Fusion without the confusion", is what Jack calls it and it he has nailed that well.  He spent a Sabbatical in Hong Kong learning the BBQ meat techniques and has brought that back to fit in with on trend Australia food culture.

We were offered a sample from the menu and it was exciting as there is nothing quite like 12's Cafe in the Camberwell surrounds.   The menu is a mix of sharing plates, brioches, beautifully plated-up mains.  So the following photos show miniature versions of what's on the menu.


First up, we were treated to a selection of nibblies which would serve well over Happy Hour or over a couple of beers in the jaw droppingly amazing Beer Garden.  (Yes! There's a Beer Garden - quite a fancy one at that but more on that later).

Rosella's 120th birthday (by invitation)

Iconic Aussie products that are Australian owned and Australian grown are a rare breed nowadays. Having grown up with bottles of Rosella Tomato Sauce in the pantry, the Eat And Be Merry Crew were chuffed to be invited to help celebrate Rosella's 120th birthday last week.  It was a celebration that was steeped in Rosella's rich history.  We toasted to Rosella in Cremorne, right opposite its original factories (which were operated from 1905).

What started out as a backyard-operation in Carlton has become a much-loved Aussie brand.  Having said that, it's been a bumpy ride over the 120 years, with Rosella changing owners several times and was even at the brink of receivership.  However, in 2013, Australian company Sabrands bought Rosella and decided to take the company back to its roots.  Since then, Rosella stopped importing tomatoes from overseas and only uses home-grown ingredients, most of which are grown in Victoria.

Pho Minh Long, Mitcham by Obelix

My sister and I tried out a new yoga studio in Mitcham not long ago and walking out completely zen-like we hit Maroondah Highway and noted a waft of wok breath emanating from Pho Minh Long from across a six lane (plus two service lane) Highway.  Surely that is a good sign of good food being cooked, we pondered?  So we checked it out.  Pho Minh Long was doing a steady trade already just shy of noon.  

I ordered the seafood combination with rice noodles.  The serving was pleasingly huge and the wok breath?  Really prominent.  That is some good noodles.  I also liked the fact the fish fillet bits in the noodles were deep fried then incorporated into the veggie mix.  It made it so much more tastier than some slippery flaccid bit of white fish flesh one sometimes gets.  

BonBons Bakery, Burwood East by Bureaucrat

Alliteration aside, it seems these days that no matter where you go, there's an Asian style bakery, for example, Bread Top or Bread Kingdom.  While all of these bakeries offer a similar range of products, not all are of equal quality.  BonBons Bakery is yet another Asian style bakery chain.  And having sampled a few of their baked goods, I have to say, it's now my go-to place when I'm in the mood for a Swiss roll or pineapple bun.  I usually go to the one inside Burwood shopping centre.  This one seems to have a smaller range than, say, its counterpart inside Chadstone shopping centre.  Nonetheless, there's enough of a selection to tempt me to pick up a few goodies for an afternoon treat.  

The simple but fluffy and nicely doughy cinnamon doughnut was delish.  It wasn't too oily or greasy on the fingers.  It wasn't dry on the inside and was pleasantly chewy (I loathe doughnuts that are as hard as a camp-fired damper).  The fresh cream bun was equally delish.  The slightly sweet soft bread  had a nice cream-to-bread ratio.  Lovely with a big cup of tea.

Meme's Gourmet, Mauritius by Obelix

Whilst it is all well and lovely to be sequestered in a beautiful resort in the lap of luxury, I do make an effort to venture out and suss out what the locals are eating (and doing! - for I am an unabashed people watcher).  So we went downtown to the capital of Port Louis and followed our noses for a bite of traditional Mauritian Chinese Hakka cuisine.

Meme's (pronounced Mei Mei's) is the type of place the city-folks who work in the big smoke go for lunch.  It's cheap and unpretentious and generally consistent with quality (so I've been told by the regulars).  We ordered a few things to try.


First up was the min bui (boiled noodles) which we ate with a serve of octopus rougaille.  Boiled noodles in name does not sound very attractive but it was like a Mauritian version of spaghetti aglio olio as it was served with a garlicky and peppery emulsion drizzled over the top.  The octopus rougaille was tender and had a tomato base and slowly cooked down.  I loved it.

Alfa Bakery, Seddon by Obelix

Seddon has really blossomed into quite a happening place in the last few years, particularly down Victoria St and surrounds.  I was pleasantly surprised when asked by a friend, J, to meet her for lunch there to find a hub of inviting cafes; doggie paraphernalia shops; organic produce shops and other curio shops lining the strip.  I was even more awed by the wonderful graffiti adorning the walls at each street corner.  It was obviously endorsed and planned graffiti as it depicted the name of each shop on the corner in techni-colour pictorial but it demonstrated a collective artistic spirit to be found in the area.  We were spoilt for choice when it came to picking a place for lunch.  Eventually we settled on Alfa Bakery as the seating appeared roomy enough to accommodate my friend with her bub.


Being an unseasonably warm Spring day, we both ordered freshly squeezed OJ to quench our thirst from nosey poking in the surrounding shops ($5).

Giveaway—Red Spice Road and Burma Lane at Night Noodle Markets

I love the annual Night Noodle Markets which kicks off today at Birrarung Marr.  This year, there are more stalls than ever - with 56 stalls, three bars and a VIP dining area.  And if you need another reason to go to the Night Noodle Markets, the fabulous guys from Red Spice Road and Burma Lane (see our reviews for Red Spice Road, Red Spice Road QV and Burma Lane) are running an exclusive mystery giveaway for our dear readers.

Red Spice Road's famous pork belly (source: Red Spice Road)

If you haven't been before, the Night Noodle Markets is an opportunity for cheap and incredibly tasty food, served up by the banks of the Yarra River with a beautiful springtime sunset in the background.  The Eat And Be Merry Crew have got attending the Night Noodles Markets down to an art form... all of us know to leave work bang on 5 o'clock to hustle across town before the queues get crazy and to ensure that we can snag a table.  And believe me, it's best to get in before peak dinner time!

Chinta Ria Soul, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

Continuing my ongoing nosh around the eatery options in the Emporium food court, today's review is about Chinta Ria Soul.

The seafood laksa was pretty tasty and was loaded with lots of goodies.  Plump-sized prawns, coils of calamari, reasonably thick slices of fishcake, crunchy snake beans and big puffy fried cubes of tofu. Slurp-worthy noodles.

Blue Ginger, Mauritius by Obelix

Whilst in Ile Maurice, we stayed in one of the villas at Trou Aux Biches Resort & Spa, which as cliched as it might sound was like heaven on earth.  In Trou Aux Biches Resort itself are five restaurants which if you take full board, like we did, the meals were included in the price of the stay.  We had a lovely staff member who met us on our first morning to map out a menu plan for the duration of our stay to suit our taste and lifestyle.  I was very impressed by the careful consideration given to the suggestion of our meals.  One evening she suggested we sampled Thai cuisine at Blue Ginger.

Blue Ginger is located on a floating pavilion surrounded by a pond, lit up with fairy lights.  It was magical.  And romantic...

They served a set menu.  Whilst it appeared it was more a couple-y dining, salle intime sort of venue, they were quite accommodating to flex what they can on the set menu to cater for Kiddo.  They also served separate chicken and rice for the kids as an option.

This is a big call but P and I have agreed that it was the best Thai we have ever had.  So here's what it was:

Campari House, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

Hardware Lane is a bit of a gamble. There are some great places along Hardware Lane but then there are all the touristy trap-y places where touters try to lure you into parting your money for their over-priced, kinda-average quality food.  With no real place in mind for dinner, Ms G and I took a chance on Campari House.  I had some internal reservations about the place, as it looked kinda tourist trap-y.  Plus, I was more intrigued with the nearby Korean restaurant where diners mix up their food with their disposable gloved hands.

But my fears were dashed when the food came out.  The food was real good.  Ms G ordered a goats cheese ravioli dish ($25) which was served with brown butter sauce, sage and lots of toasted pine nuts.

Rochford Restaurant, Coldstream (by invitation) by Obelix

It's an understatement to say that there's been exciting new developments at Rochford Wines.  It's more of a metamorphosis of mammoth proportions.  New head chef Raki Andriana has been injecting the menu with his French techniques and Middle Eastern influences.  And the space itself has also had a revamp.  There are now four new tasting stations accompanied by Rochford's expert sommeliers to guide you through different wine options to complement the new menu.  And there's also the innovative 'take home' option whereby diners can take home what they have enjoyed for lunch with more food and produce available for purchase at the new deli in the Rochford shop.  It's a whole new way of experiencing good food and wine at Rochford Restaurant.  Yes, Rochford Restaurant is the official new name!

The Bureaucrat and I were treated to a tasting menu prepared by Chef Raki.  It showcased a selection of items from the menu.  The menu structure itself lends very well to communal plate sharing and nibbling over wine selections.  Items are arranged by plate sizes.  So one could have a 'large' plate all to oneself as a stand alone course or share a selection of 'small' or 'medium' plates with others.  Particularly now that the weather is fining up and there is generous al fresco dining areas available, I could definitely see myself enjoying the vista over a few plates and a few wines with friends.  I noticed this structure is quite family friendly as there were many families with young children and this menu structure arrangement worked very well.

To start with, our very friendly and knowledgeable waitress Emily provided us with crusty bread to have with our charcuterie platter and she steered me towards the Estate 2014 Chardonnay to go with our starter / entrees.  The platter was laden with charcuterie of a various sorts - two types of salumi; sopressa; proscuitto; marinated olives; eel croquettes and my personal favourite, the smoked ox tongue.  It was sliced paper thin and so absolutely smokey and tender.

South Society, Mt Waverley by Obelix

Feeling very familial one fine morning, I organised a brunch for the three generations of ladies in my family.  My dad was included as an honorary lady of the family.  I have been hearing great things about South Society, relatively new in the Pinewood Shopping Centre area...all accounts fairly positive with the exception of the noise level - apparently there is not much in the way of sound proofing.  And so it was.  An echoey concretey space.  But if you can get over that, and the somewhat on the slow side service, the brunch offerings were pretty decent.  Most of the brunch menu were between $15 - $20 with the exception of the calamari salad which was $22.

I ordered a colourful poached eggs on a vegetable pattie type affair.  It had sweet potatoes, mushrooms, beetroot and rocket.  It was filling and guilt free deliciousness.