Dutchess, Melbourne CBD by Rockstar

Friday night drinks with old work colleagues. By 7:30 pm we were a tiny bit tipsy and a little hungry. Classic mistake of thinking we could get into one of the hot new places for dinner. After walking and trying, almost begging, for a table at so many places and being given false hope with the old 'we'll have a table shortly...in 40 minutes/an hour/an hour and a half' we were starving at 8:45 pm and desperate for food. We passed Dutchess and one of us thought they'd read a review a while ago.

Gippsland porterhouse steak

We went upstairs and we're told they'd have a table in 15 minutes and we could sit at the table to the side. The table was a perfectly comfy table and banquet in a curtained alcove where others were having drinks. Ten minutes later we were lead to our table and our relief was obvious!

Lily Loves George, Blackburn by Bureaucrat

Third time lucky is how we came to sample some of Lily Loves George's food.  I was sure that Lily Loves George was open on the weekends - having seen the lights on and people coming and going from here as we drove past it on countless weekends.  And thus, in the past year or so, we've fronted up on a Sunday and found it closed.  I reasoned that it must only be opened on a Saturday.  And thus, a few months later we found ourselves again in Blackburn and was looking forward to having a spot of lunch... but... only to find it closed.  D'oh!


Portuguese tart

Months past, until now.  We just so happened to be Blackburn during the weekday and thought surely it must be open!  And open it was.  It's a cute cosy cafe that has the hum of pleasant conversation within.  While we really wanted to stay and have our afternoon pick-me-up there, there isn't much space to maneuver a pram inside.  As such, we got our pastries as takeaway.

Old Kingdom, Surrey Hills by Obelix

Old Kingdom is a no frills but bang for your buck duck.  The Peking Duck meal is what most patrons come for.  But forward planning is required as the ducks need to be ordered at the time of booking and booking is essential as the place is packed like a cattle car and the feeding of the cattle (ie you) is within a 2 hour time slot before you are replaced by the next round of cattle.  Whew!  I get a bit short of breath just thinking about it - it's a sprint across the finishing line to gobble your duck.

Peking duck

The ducks themselves are executed very well.  Crispy thin skin with a subtle spice seasoning.  Allow for 1 duck for 2 people.  It may sound a tad greedy but the ducks are on the smaller side.

Tutto Bene Risotto Masterclass by Foghorn Leghorn

Tutto Bene has been in business for at least 12 years. On a busy night it dishes up around 140 serves of risotto. With that kind of track record, the people at Tutto Bene know something about risotto, and they’ve decided to share it with the rest of us at Risotto Masterclass.


Risi e bisi

It’s fairly simple. You turn up just before dinner, head chef Nathan Scarfo shows you in detail how to make risotto, and then you sit down for some delicious food and a glass of wine. You don’t actually do any cooking, but you can learn quite a bit.

Feastively by Obelix

For a person who loathes supermarkets and struggles to cook meals that are nutritious and delicious, meal kits like Feastively are a God-send, particularly on a week night.


Beef bulgogi in the pan

What sets Feastively apart is that they do all the prep work for you.  Every thing arrives chopped and ready to go.  All you need to do is to operate a pair of scissors to cut open the vacuum pack and apply heat - voila!  Dinner in 15 minutes or less.  

Meat Me Souvlakeri, Oakleigh by Bureaucrat

I've always been disappointed with the cluster of Greek restaurants around Lonsdale and Russell Streets in the city.  Who would have thought that the epicentre of all things deliciously Greek was hidden out in the 'burbs?  Oakleigh's Eaton Mall is full of conviviality and the appetite-inducing aromas of grilled meats.

Although we had already had lunch, the Lawyer and I just couldn't resist ordering a little something something.  We picked Meat Me Souvlakeri as it was one of the bigger and more popular establishments in the Mall.

This was the lamb platter.  I can sum this up succinctly: big and delicious!  There was a lot of juicy, tender lamb that was beautifully seasoned. I loved how it came with a wedge of lemon and a dusting of dried oregano.  I equally loved the fluffy, chewy pita bread, the fresh salad, crisp chips and the tzatziki. Priced at just under $20 this was incredible value.  We couldn't finish it and took the rest home (which still tasted pretty good several hours later).  I'm not sure if this platter is intended to be a single serve, but even if we hadn't already had lunch, this would still be a big serve for the two of us.  

Maker and Monger, South Yarra by Rockstar

I don't really like cheese. I don't understand the whole cheese platter thing. However....melted cheese is a whole other thing! And the best melted cheese is a cheese toasty. And in my opinion, the best cheese toasty in Melbourne is the fondue toasty at Maker and Monger with melty gruyere, coate, shallots, wine and garlic.....

I'm pretty sure there's butter on the bread and it's make for a glorious golden caramelised crunch that gives way to cheesy stretchy heaven. It's full on and I've never finished a whole one but every mouth full is divine! I'm sure the other toastys are delicious too, but I can't try another one this ones available. Hmmm, maybe go with a friend and split two different ones!!!!

Southgate Welcome Winter Feast by Ruby Grapefruit

It was an absolute pleasure to attend the Southgate Welcome Winter Feast to sample the new winter offerings at a range of venues in the Southgate complex.

We started off with a lovely glass of champagne at a new event space called Metropolis Events. We were very impressed with the clever layout which incorporated expansive spaces, high ceilings, cosy break out zones, and balconies with stunning views.

Nikos Cakes, Oakleigh by Bureaucrat

It's without a doubt that the Greek civilisation can lay claim to some pretty impressive achievements - philosophy, democracy, science and art to name a few.  In the culinary world, they've given us the lip-smacking combination of garlic, oregano, lemon and lamb and also syrup-drenched pastries.

After lunch with Big Fil at Kalimera Souvlaki Art, we wandered around to Nikos Cakes.  It's hard to miss Nikos, it's big and it commands one of the corners of the popular Eaton Mall in Oakleigh.  It's also easily one of the popular establishments.  I just had to get some pastries!

Kalimera Souvlaki Art, Oakleigh by Bureaucrat

Right now, the Lawyer and I are having a love affair with Greek food... this will be the first of a several posts on Greek food.  It all started about a week ago when we caught up with Big Fil for lunch in Oakleigh.  Having never visited Oakleigh, I didn't realise it's like a Little Greece in this part of suburbia.  The open-air mall is wonderful - full of convivial chatter in Greek, kiddies running around, yiayia doing the shopping in the many Continental shops, pappous strolling down to a cafe for a coffee, the aroma of char-grilled meats in the air and the outdoor dining is very reminiscent of Europe.

Big Fil steered us into Kalimera Souvlaki Art.  It was Sunday lunch and stepping into Kalimera felt like getting a big, warm embrace from the local Greek community.  It was noisy a bit chaotic and we loved it. Having nabbed a spare table (which was rather lucky since the place was packed), we placed our orders at the counter.

It was chaotic (in the nicest possible way) and squishy and noisy, so I was only able to take a photo of my own souvlaki.  This was a pork souv.  While I'm partial to a lamb souv, this was still pretty tasty. There was lots of tender pork - not too fatty or too lean. Nice ripe tomatoes, onion, tzatziki and chips accompanied the pork.  The pita bread was deliciously fluffy.  It was a fairly generously sized souv and it had lots of pork - I wasn't able to finish my souv (but the boys did!).