Tutti Frutti Artisan Gelato, Mornington by Benny

New Year’s Day saw us motoring down to Mornington. Sunny and warm, we had several objectives – one of which was to check out the gelato at Tutti Frutti Artisan Gelato. We discovered this little gem just over a year ago, and we were keen to see how it compared with our recent experiences in Sydney at Anita Gelato.

Cherry Bomb and Passionfruit

Something we hadn’t factored into our plans was the Picnic Car Display – Mornington was packed. Bumper-to-bumper classic cars crawling all the way down Main Street. Obviously a huge event, with hordes of people. Furthermore, hot day + crowds = big demand for gelato.

Inaugural Cider and Pork Festival (by invitation)

It was with much anticipation that I arrived at the Inaugural Victorian Cider and Pork Festival of twenty sixteen!  Set in the picturesque Rochford Winery in the Yarra Valley, the event was full of promise for all connoisseurs of pork and cider (that would be me and sidekick MC!).  The drive up from Melbourne and the view to the winery from Maroondah Highway only heightened our level of excitement.  As we drove up, we witnessed throngs of people mingling on the green; marquees and the like dotted the vista; and the blinking lights of fairground rides added to the feeling of carnival! And what’s better than a standard run of the mill carnival than a festival which featured pork and beer? 

Pig jowl $15

AUSTiNS at Mt Erica Hotel, Prahran (by invitation) by Benny

One of Bilby Blue’s and my fondest food memories is of a celebration banquet in Madrid in the early 1990s. The details have no doubt been enhanced by the passing of time, but we recall a long procession of tapas (who in Australia knew what a tapa was back then?), each one a stunning mouthful of flavour; of being pretty much sated even before the highlights of the evening arrived: first a platter of delicious seafood, followed by a whole roasted leg of lamb for each person (the smaller foreleg, not the traditional Australian hind leg) that gave new meaning to the description of ‘roast lamb’ – so incredibly tender, juicy and flavourful!

Every Spanish style restaurant we have dined in since has had to compete against those memories, and all have fallen short, although an impromptu light lunch at MoVida Aqui some time ago was easily good enough to warrant a more thorough test that regretfully has not yet taken place.

So it is opportune that our latest invitational dinner is to a revamped AUSTiNS at the Mt Erica Hotel in Prahran, a new venture by a MoVida alumnus, Sunny Gilbert, formerly the Head Chef at MoVida Next Door.


Argentian style slow-roasted and smoked lamb 

Baowie, Forest Hill by Bureaucrat and Benny

Forest Hill Chase is unlikely to ever have the cachet of shopping centres such as Chadstone or even Highpoint or Eastland.  For as long as I can remember, Forest Hill Chase has been a bit of daggy place to shop and socialise.  However, in recent years, new shops and eateries have opened up, giving a much needed new injection of life into this sleepy suburban locale.  One such eatery is Baowie, a dumpling house, which opened up early in 2015.  At the time, Mother Hen happened to be there during its grand opening week. Based on the quality of the free tastings, it was enough to lure her and Mr Strong in for a light lunch.  In the latter part of 2015 (yes, yes, I’m very tardy with my reviews...*cringe*!), Benny, Bilby Blue and I (the three “Bs”) met for lunch at Baowie.  We had all seen or heard about Baowie and were equally intrigued to find out more about the dumplings for ourselves.


We each picked a dish, which we shared.  The standout dish was the vegetable and pork pot stickers ($10.80 for 10), which had a beautiful golden-brown netting.  The pastry wasn’t too thick and was nicely crispy.  Inside was a chunky mix of wombok, minced pork and a good punch of grated ginger.  I really liked these as they are very home style in nature –– I grew up with my grandparents and relatives making these big dumplings with chunky filling (not like the over-processed machine-made dumplings you get elsewhere).

Nutella World - Australian launch (by invitation)

Nothing compares with the texture of Nutella.  It's unctuous, slightly gooey, and silky.  Eaten straight from the jar on a hot day, it becomes a glossy, seductive, languorous trickle of molten choc-hazelnut.  And what better way to eat it on a cold day but to dunk your finger into the jar and scoop out as much as you can before someone sees you doing it.  And let's not forget how better Nutella makes everything tastes, from doughnuts to crepes to pizzas.


During the week, I attended the Australian launch of Nutella World at LaManna Direct. While many of us know and love Nutella, it was a great opportunity to find out more about this near ubiquitous spread that's loved here and around the world... and to also sample a range of delectable Nutella goodies!

Rae's Restaurant, Yarra Glen (by invitation) by Obelix

It had just dawned on me that I have only been to Balgownie during winter.  It sure conjures up romance and coziness sitting by the roaring fire and gazing out the floor to ceiling windows to the vineyards beyond but the views in summer would also have its charm.  And I was not disappointed.  It was clear and sunny.  There was a little hillock which kids were rolling down whilst their parents enjoyed a civilised meal inside.  It was picturesque serenity and joie de vivre all rolled into one.

The Bureaucrat and I opted for the two course lunch menu, which came with some warm bread.  For entree, I chose the chicken Caesar salad.  I loved the garlicky sourdough croutons and crispy little shards of parmesan and proscuitto.

57 Cafe Bar Restaurant, Mount Waverley by Obelix

It was Mamasita's birthday and being smack bang in the middle of a heat wave, she decided a lunch out would be much more preferable than any one of us slaving away over a hot stove to mark the occasion.  Mamasita picked 57 Cafe for its great range of cakes (that's what we had in lieu of an actual birthday cake) and its little courtyard for functions, etc.

I decided on the seafood risotto.  I have to say, it was one of the better risottos I have ever tasted.  Generous sized prawns and seafood and the rice was creamy and flavoursome.

Australian Open 2016 - Southgate dining deals

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!  Oi, oi, OI!  Yes, the Australian Open is here from 18-31 January 2016 and if you're a tennis and food lover then you'll be stoked to hear about the dining deals that are on offer at Southgate restaurants.

There are many dining deals on offer and here are our picks:

Tutto Bene's Granchio Risotto - spanner crab risotto with tomato and chilli  

'Ciao! Ciao!' express lunch menu from Tutto Bene

In a rush to get to your match?  Then Tutto Bene's 'Ciao! Ciao!' two course pre-tennis lunches are served within 45 minutes.  The express lunch is $44 per person (minimum two people), with vegetarian and gluten free options available.  Have a gander of our review of Tutto Bene.

Pavlov's Duck, Fitzroy (by invitation), by Benny

Eat and Be Merry management has issued Bilby and me our P-plates – entrusted to our first invitation event at Pavlov's Duck. Armed with detailed instructions we arrive just a bit early at the decidedly less fashionable end of Smith Street, Fitzroy – amidst all the sportswear outlet stores. No evening parking problems here.

Pavlov’s Duck is currently a breakfast to afternoon coffee café with an innovative Sri Lankan twist: ranging from Bircher Muesli for the traditionalists, to Pol Roti – son-in-law eggs on Sri Lankan coconut roti with sweet onion relish and spiced red lentil – for the more adventurous. It is extending its hours to include evenings of Sri-Lankan hawker-style dining and tonight is a pre-opening event to introduce and test out the new format. The owners Noah and his partner Alanna give a friendly greeting to all of the guests while making sure everything is ‘just right’. Like ducks, they are calm on the surface but paddling frantically below the waterline. The staff are on their toes and the atmosphere is buzzing.


Godhamba roti with dhal

Nourish Me Organics (by invitation)

I have been on a fermentation journey for the past year or so.  Jars of kombucha and sauerkraut resembling science experiments crowd up my bench surfaces.  My home smells faintly of vinegar (fellow fermentators would know what I mean!). However I am new to fermenting milk and water kefir.  The folks at Nourish Me Organics were kind to send me a sample of each of their milk and water kefir grains to initiate me.

Nourish Me Organics' website is a treasure trove of information regarding gut health and recipes for kefir and other nourishing foodstuff.


I found the milk kefir easy to grow and it actually taste pleasant.  It reminded me texturally of unsweetened condensed milk by the time it was 'done'.  Here's what went into my milk kefir mix. The recipe was courtesy of Nourish Me Organics.

Shakahari, Carlton by Bureaucrat

While I'm an unabashed carnivore, I do enjoy a really nice vegetarian meal.  By this, I don't mean dull-as-dishwater rabbit food or eating a big slab of tofu and trying to convince myself that it's "steak".  There's only one or two vegetarian places that stand out in my mind as being tasty enough to satisfy those who are used to cutting their canine teeth against the muscle of a once living, breathing animal - these places being my all time favourite Smith & Daughters in Fitzroy, Enlightened Chinese Cuisine in Southbank and Au Lac Royal Vegetarian Cuisine in Canberra.  Most other vegetarian places that I've eaten are okay but the food that's served at these establishments wouldn't be able to convince me to go green for good.

So when Ms No Meat organised a dinner for us at Shakahari, a place where she raves about the food, I was very keen to go!  And based on our happy foodie experience, I'm glad to say that Shakahari has joined the ranks of Smith & Daughters, Enlightened Chinese Cuisine and Au Lac. Shakahari offers a fairly extensive range of vegetarian dishes that draws from cuisines around the world.  And it caters for vegans, coeliacs and a range of other dietary needs.


With so many enticing dishes on offer, we decided to share an entree.  This was Ms No Meat's pick - a dish that she had before and loved - a signature dish called Avocado Magic (vegan, non-dairy and gluten-free).  These are wedges of avo, red capsicums and eggplant that have been fried in a tempura-like batter and served with a green sesame coriander puree ($14.50 for a standard serve - note that the above pic is bigger than a standard serve but I forgot how much the price was).  This was delicious, buttery (from the avo), crispy and not greasy.

Something For Jess, Chippendale (NSW) by Benny

Something for Jess is a tiny café reminiscent of a country kitchen. Rustic mismatched furniture, well-loved bibs and bobs that look like they were donated by someone’s nanna, boxes of produce (exactly how many turnips would a little café use, we ask), naïve artwork and a big splashy mural. The overall atmosphere is just like your country cousin’s place (even if you don’t have a country cousin). The design is a credit to the owner’s girlfriend – the eponymous Jess is a graphic designer.

Bilby Blue and I were looking for breakfast on a recent trip to Sydney, an alternative to the jawdroppingly expensive hotel charges, and as it turned out we were very lucky to find Something for Jess. The menu is only small, with most items being vegetarian, although there are a couple of options for meat eaters.


The more traditional breakfast options (organic house-made muesli, poached eggs on toast) sounded good, but the brunch options sounded even better, so we decided to share the Spanish chorizo bruschetta with roasted apricot-maple jam, poached egg, ox heart tomato, baked beetroot, enoki mushrooms and shaved pecorino cheese. The generous serving had been divided for us onto two (mismatched) plates – only one plate got the egg, but as Bilby doesn’t like poached eggs that worked out fine. Quite an international melange of components, all of which were individually excellent, and the combination also worked brilliantly. A half serve each was ample for breakfast.

Mei Jing Chinese Restaurant, Wantirna by Benny

It’s about two years since Bureaucrat’s review of Mei Jing Chinese Restaurant. Has it kept up its high standards? Yes, definitely! Family and friends recently indulged (once for yum cha and the second time for dinner) and had wonderful meals on both occasions.


Selection of yum cha dishes

Tien Dat, Box Hill by Obelix

I so wanted to like this place. I've seen drool inducing pic of their Hanoi style spring rolls on Instagram which led to me to drag P and Kiddo Tien Dat in Box Hill with the promise of a good feed.


It all started going pear shaped from the get go. The waitress taking our orders got several key things wrong. Firstly I got the standard prawn spring rolls ($12.50) after specifically ordering the Hanoi style ones.

Greenpoint Brasserie, Coldstream by Bureaucrat

Noisy and slightly below average service is how I'd sum up our visit to Greenpoint Brasserie at Domaine Chandon in the Yarra Valley.  Despite this, it didn't damper our high spirits as a dozen of us hens toasted and feasted in honour of Ms G's upcoming nuptials.  Domaine Chandon is one of the bigger and more well known wineries in the area, so we were all a bit disappointed with the overall impression of Greenpoint Brasserie.

To be fair, though our waitress was new, she was the only staff member that was friendly, prompt and willing to help.  Unfortunately, we couldn't really say the same of the other staff members.  I mean, when a large group turns up (with a booking) and is standing at the doorway waiting to be seated, it's not a good look to have three staff members who have made eye contact with us, continue to talk for several minutes and not make a move or even indicate that one of them would be with us shortly.


We all opted for the three course meal which comes with a glass of wine.  Entrees is a shared charcuterie platter.  This was pretty tasty and most of us considered this to be the best dish out of the lunch (no one thought any of the main dishes were particularly noteworthy).  A gorgeous range of cured meats, potted meats and unctuous preserves and chutneys.  For me the, standout was the chicken liver parfait (the earthenware bowl at 5 o'clock) and the proscuitto.  More wine please!

2015 – Highlights from the Eat and Be Merry Crew

2015 has been a stellar year for the Eat and Be Merry Crew: over 200 restaurants, cafés, bars, wineries and other foodie activities reviewed, across Australia and around the world. Not content to be confined to our home town of Melbourne, collectively we ate our way into country Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia; and also headed overseas to New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Mauritius.

From luxe dining experiences to cheap eats, from familiar cuisines to challenging flavours, we found places that We Loved pretty much everywhere we went – about one in every three posts, showing how lucky we have been, and how fantastic the food scene is in Melbourne and abroad.

Amongst so many great places, which ones have been the most memorable (for the right reasons)?

I asked the Crew to nominate their two or three absolute favourites from the year, and the results are in. No one cuisine dominates: modern Australian (with its myriad influences) mixes it with Thai, Malaysian, Japanese, Chinese, Cretan, French and Italian. Naturally, Melbourne features as the most frequent destination, but there are a few mentions from overseas, some a bit surprising.

In no particular order…


Yellow Tail sashimi jalapeno at Nobu


Deep fried rockling fillets with curry leaves, chilli and spices at Blue Chillies

Ruby Grapefruit is a fan of the Express Lunch events at the annual Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Her most memorable express lunch was from Nobu and she also has very fond memories of the Malaysian fare at Blue Chillies in Fitzroy.

La Mama del Gelato Anita, Chippendale (NSW) by Benny

The Central Park complex in Chippendale is home to a Din Tai Fung, however there is a huge number of other food outlets to sample. La Mama del Gelato Anita is a relative newcomer to Sydney, and while it may not have quite the profile of Gelato Messina, it serves up amazingly good gelati in a much less frenetic atmosphere. Bilby Blue and I had previously visited Gelato Messina in Darlinghurst, and have vivid memories of long, long queues, an extended wait for service and limited ability to see (let alone sample) the range on offer due to the crush of people.

On the ground floor at the back of the Central Park shopping mall, with the entrance opening on to Central Park Avenue, Anita Gelato is light filled and airy, with plenty of small tables inside and out. But the real action is at the long front counter where the crowd of indecisive gelato fans samples the flavours before choosing. The cheerful staff juggle requests from multiple customers – we reckon the chances are extremely slim that anyone will be walking away without commitment.

Lao Tuo Jia, Malvern by Bureaucrat

The overwhelming aroma of mutton smacks you in the face when you walk into Lao Tuo Jia - a family run restaurant in Malvern that specialises in Xinjiang food.  If you can get past the heady mutton smell (which clings to your hair and clothes) then you're in for a real culinary treat.  And surprisingly for Ms No Meat (and the rest of us), we were very pleased that there are enough options for vegetarians to eat quite happily here.

For the eight of us, we shared the following dishes.  One of the favourites among us all was this glossy, silky and luscious eggplant dish.  Imagine thinly sliced eggplant that's been cooked (I think it was steamed or braised - I'm not sure) and smothered in this gorgeous salty, umami-rich gravy. This was fantastic with a bowl of rice, and I could easily wolf down this dish on my own.  We also loved the presentation of the eggplant.  I would go back just to eat this again.