Mamasita

February 17th, 2010

Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek – all cuisines that Melbourne does well, and authentically. Mexican . . . not so much. Outside of Fitzroy’s Las Amates, the choices are limited to cheese drenched Oz-Tex-Mex.

The newly opened Mamasita (level 1, 11 Collins St, Melbourne. ph 9650 3821) gives Melbourne another authentic option. There’s nary a burrito or enchilada in sight, as the folk running the show are at pains to point out. Instead the menu covers tacos, quesadillas and tostaditas, amongst other offerings.

On this occasion, the choices at the table were limited to tortilla chips and a number of different tacos. The tortilla chips were made in-house, and coupled with marvellously fresh salsa and guacamole, were delicious. At $8, they represented reasonably good value, given the serving size and quality.

Tacos were even better, at least in terms of taste. I chose a fish taco, a chicken taco and a lamb taco. All used soft (read: real) tortillas, and came with a very small amount of filling, each of which tasted very different. My favourite was the pulled lamb, which was served with shallots and mojo verde.

tacos

The problem was really with value for money. My three tacos set me back $16, which isn’t too bad given the quality, but I was still quite hungry after finishing up, as was the rest of the table following their meals. I’d barely classify it as a light lunch, making $16 very steep.

To be fair, we were warned about meal sizes, it was only the first week, and the manager was happy to listen the feedback. Still, I feel Mamasita, which doubles as a bar (with a good range of tequila) will struggle to attract repeat diners if they don’t improve the value for money.

Posted in Melbourne (CBD), Mexican | No Comments »

Tiba’s

January 1st, 2010

A good kebab is more than the sum of its parts, and a case in point is the phenomenal example served up at Tiba’s Lebanese Restaurant (504 Sydney Rd, Brunswick). I ordered a double chicken shish ($9) to take away, although a single is available ($7.50)

Despite being fairly busy, it arrived quickly quickly. The pita bread was toasted, and was spread with what tasted like tahini and garlic sauce. Pickled turnip and a parsley provided great depth of flavour, with the latter also providing texture, as did the tomato and lettuce. Being a double, there was quite a lot of chicken, and it was perfectly cooked.

People rave about Kebab Station, up at the Coburg end of Sydney Road, but I think it’s Tiba’s that serves Sydney Road’s (if not Melbourne’s) finest kebab.

Posted in Brunswick, Kebab, Middle Eastern | No Comments »

Lygon Charcoal Grill & Steakhouse

December 28th, 2009

Whenever I hear people recommend the Carlton end of Lygon Street as a destination for great food, it makes me laugh. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with most of the many cafes and restaurants dotted along the strip, but most of them are certainly not particularly noteworthy.

That said, I did enjoy a recent meal I had at the Lygon Charcoal Grill & Steakhouse (120 Lygon St, Carlton) a lot more than I thought I would.

In nearly all respects, it’s your typical Melbourne steakhouse, with slabs of meat on display in a glass cabinet, ready to be turned into the steak of your choice – in terms of cut, size and doneness. The menu also includes the obligatory seafood, sausages, chicken and strawberry pancakes, along with (surprisingly) risotto. Not sure why you’d order risotto at a steak house, but whatever floats your boat.

I chose a porterhouse done rare. The steak itself wasn’t overly flavoursome for a porterhouse, and was closer to medium rare, but was tender enough and not overcooked enough that I’d send it back. Particularly given that, at $31.50 for around 450 grams, it was fairly priced. Like all steaks, it came with some spinach and potato, which was absolutely delicious thanks to liberal use of butter.

The others two people I were with ordered the scotch fillet and the rib-eye, and spoke very highly of them – and the sides.

While I can’t see Lygon Charcoal Grill & Steakhouse gracing the pages of the Good Food Guide any time soon (it actually did feature in 1995 and 1996), if you’re looking for a reasonable steak, at a reasonable price, with friendly service, in the inner city, it’s recommended.

Posted in Carlton, steak | No Comments »

Luncheonette

December 12th, 2009

When you pay $8.50 for a baguette, it needs to be very good. I’m happy to say that the baguette I got from new Kensington cafe, Luncheonette (173 Rankins Road, Kensington), was worth every cent. I believe the bread is from Dench, which is a good start, and was filled with nicely poached chicken, quality mayonnaise, ripe tomato and some lettuce. If I had a complaint, it would be about the size, but given the quality of the ingredients, it’s fair.

Like the baguette, the cafe itself is pretty small. It’s simply but tastefully fitted out, and I’d be happy to return to explore more of the menu.

Posted in Kensington | 1 Comment »

Atomica Caffe

December 11th, 2009

At some stage, Atomica (268 Brunswick St, Fitzroy) would have been a cool new Fitzroy/Collingwood cafe. That was in the past, and it’s been overtaken by the likes of Birdman Eating and Cavallero in the cool stakes. The interior is looking pretty tired and the menu doesn’t look particularly exciting.

What it lacks in style, it more than makes up for in substance. The coffee is the best and most consistent in Fitzroy – much better than many of Melbourne’s cafes that makes up the so-called ‘third wave’ of coffee.

Similarly, the food, while not particularly imaginative, is executed perfectly. Scrambled eggs are actually scrambled rather than being mashed up omelettes, and poached eggs are done just right. Side are equally good, with crispy bacon, ripe tomatoes, and beans that actually taste home-made, or house made, as other cafes might phrase it. Even the bread is even baked there.

Service is friendly, and when a mistake in service is made, the staff is happy to acknowledge it.

Next time you’re wanting a nice breakfast out, instead of queueing for a table at the latest cool cafe, give Atomica a shot.

Posted in Breakfast, Fitzroy | No Comments »

Charcoal Lane

November 8th, 2009

When you pay $14 for scrambled eggs and hash browns, you want everything to be close to perfect. Charcoal Lane (136 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy), a newish cafe/restaurant/social enterprise, ultimately fell short.

The scrambled eggs were well executed, reasonably fluffy and nicely seasoned. They were also listed as free range, and the serving was pretty generous. Even better were the hash browns, a mount of buttery, salty (but not too much so) grated potato.

scrambled eggs from Charcoal Lane
Apologies for the photo, taken after I’d started the dish

The dish was let down by the toast, which was made from thin slices of decidedly average bread. I wouldn’t quite say it was supermarket quality, but it was much too light and didn’t taste much like sourdough, as the menu promised.

My girlfriend ordered corn fritters, which came with a chutney, and were superb. The texture was just right, and you could actually taste the sweetness of the corn kernels.

The coffee wasn’t too bad, although I’m not too sure about the Bodum double walled coffee glasses my long black was served in. It did keep the coffee hot, but I don’t think it did the flavours any favours.

Posted in Breakfast, Fitzroy | 1 Comment »

Barbagallo Trattoria e Pizzeria

November 2nd, 2009

With +39 Pizzeria & Degustation going gangbusters, there appears to be demand for good pizza in the Melbourne CBD. So, the opening of Barbagallo Trattoria e Pizzeria (103 Lonsdale St, Melbourne) seems like a no brainer.

It’s the new restaurant of Pietro Barbagallo, who started i Carusi fame, arguably the place that kicked off Melbourne’s pizza renaissance, so it’s a safe bet that the pizzas are going to be good, and they are.

The pizzas subscribe to the less-is-more theory, with minimal toppings. My salsiccia pizza was topped with passata, cheese, chilli, red onion and, of course, sausage. The flavours worked well together, but the passata could have been richer and the sausage could have been a little more multi-dimensional.

Salsiccia pizza

I also found the base a little bland, and worse still, by the time I had finished, it had turned a little soggy in the middle. To be fair though, it was only the first week, so it may be that they’re still getting used to the oven.

The biggest problem that I can see, however, is the pricing, with most pizzas sitting around the $18 mark. Given the Lonsdale Street location, I’d imagine they’re expecting to draw in the lunchtime crowd, but I think the pricing is a little steep. Drinks are also pricey, with pots of Trumer Pils costing $7.50.

WIth +39 serving up pizzas that are not only much cheaper (around $12), but also better in my opinion, Barbagallo Trattoria e Pizzeria still has a bit of work to do.

Posted in Melbourne (CBD), Pizza | 4 Comments »

Northern Soul

October 25th, 2009

When I lived in Thornbury in the late nineties, Thornbury didn’t have cafes. Well, not cafes like Northern Soul (843 High St, Northcote), and certainly not this far north up High Street, way up past Darebin Road.

It looks fairly non-descript from the outside, with only a small picture of an owl hinting anything interesting. Inside though it’s a nice place to be, with a tasteful fit-out and furniture, relaxing music, and some delicious smells wafting from the kitchen.

The breakfast menu is short, but there’s something for everybody, including vegetarians. Amazingly, there’s only 1 egg dish – fried, poached or scrambled on toast. I went for scrambled, with a side of bacon. The toast was a little thinly sliced for my liking, but the eggs were cooked pretty well, and rich butter. My bacon, originally forgotten, arrived shortly after my eggs, and wide quite salty (even for bacon), though not unpleasantly so.

My girlfriend ordered fruit tabouleh, which was bulgur wheat with nuts, fruit and honey. I didn’t try any, but it was apparently nice and tasted healthy.

The coffee was well made, which is increasingly uncommon in Melbourne cafes these days, despite the “third wave of coffee” apparently being in full swing here. The crema was thick, suggesting fresh beans, and importantly, it wasn’t burned.

I also ordered a blueberry muffin to take home, and it was moist inside, with some nice crisp bits on outside, and a generous berry to muffin ratio.

Servings were generous, everything was put prepared well, and the service was friendly. I’d certainly be happy to spend another Sunday morning here.

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Posted in Thornbury | No Comments »

Q Eleven

October 10th, 2009

Some of the inclusions in Cheap Eats puzzle me. Take Q 11 (303 Coventry St, South Melbourne) for instance, at least in terms of breakfast. The big breakfast, doesn’t live up to its name, unless you’re talking about the price. For around $17 you get eggs on toast, bacon, tomato, spinach, mushrooms and relish.

This sounds reasonable, except when it arrives and you get a single piece of toast, a single rasher of bacon, a single sausage (are you sensing a pattern?), two eggs, a tomato, spinach, 3 or 4 mushrooms, and relish.

This would be excusable if the food was great, but it’s not. My poached eggs had a texture that suggested that they had been prepared in poaching cups. The roasted tomato was floury, still had the core intact, and didn’t appear to have seen much time in the oven.

On a more positive note, the other components of the dish were better – in particular the good quality sausage pairing well with the relish. The coffee was competently made, and the service is friendly.

This wouldn’t be enough to draw me back though. At least not until the prices fall a little, or they stop being so stingy with the bread and bacon.

Posted in Breakfast | No Comments »

Juanita’s

October 3rd, 2009

I remembered reading Fitzroyalty’s very positive review of Juanita’s, so decided to drop in for lunch.

I only wish I’d re-read his post, or that of Where’s the Beef before visiting, because I could have ordered a lot better. Had I re-read either of these posts, I would have definitely ordered the Huevos Rancheros, which not only look awesome, but filling too.

Instead I ordered a sort of Chilean steak sandwich. It was tasty, but was very small for a steak sandwich, and at $15.50 didn’t represent very good value. Other cafes would have charged around $10 for a serving of this size.

My girlfriend chose the kidney bean gratin, which was delicious. We shared a delicious vanilla slice for ‘dessert’.

It took around half an hour for our meals to arrive (far too long), but I’d still give Juanita’s another shot.

Posted in Fitzroy | No Comments »

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