Archive for May, 2009

Muttis

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

Only a few tables were occupied when we visited Muttis (118-120 Elgin St, Carlton) on an unseasonably warm Saturday in May. Given that Markov Place, just around the corner, was heaving, it should have been more full. It deserves to be, because it does almost everything well.

Muttis is part bar and part restaurant, and is set up really well to serve these dual purposes. There are a few tables outside in a semi-sheltered space, which I imagine will be popular in summer. Inside, out the front, there’s a moderately sized, tastefully decorated casual dining/drinking space, housing a mix of standard restaurant tables, along with some high, bar-style tables, perfect for drinking. Out the back, there’s a much larger space, full of dining tables.

The style of food is Austrian slanted, with dishes such as goulash, schnitzel and strudel. Don’t let that turn you off, however, as the quality is certainly a cut above some other venues that concentrate on this cuisine, and there’s nary a lederhosen or stein in sight. In addition to the Austrian style dishes, the menu branches out to other parts of Europe.

We tried the goulash, which came a sort of pasta, and the twice cooked ox cheek, which was served with a rich, wine-based sauce and soft polenta. The goulash is fairly traditional, starring the key ingredient of caraway seed, which gives it its very distinctive flavour, and some hot paprika to give it a bit of kick. Likewise, I suspect, the pasta, which has an unusual texture that some may find an acquired taste. Together though, they work really well, and are very well cooked, using good ingredients, and very generously proportioned.

The ox cheek was equally good. Wilted spinach and parmesan sat atop three of four large pieces of cheek were cooked until they could be flaked apart with a fork. The meat, in turn, sat atop soft polenta, which was surrounded by a beatiful, rich red wine sauce.

Both of these very filling dishes were great value, at less than $25 each. A side of perfectly cooked beans in butter and garlic, was much bigger than you might expect for $6.50.

There are 3 or 4 well chosen German beers on tap, including a couple of pilsners and hefeweisens, along with quite a number of bottled beers, and a reasonable wine list.

With a couple of 500ml beers, the bill only added up to around $70, including a tip for the good, and friendly, service. What’s not to like.

Posted in Austrian, Carlton, German | No Comments »

The decline of Brunswick Street

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

I remember somebody writing that Brunswick Street is the new King Street, and walking along there on a Saturday night, it’s hard to with this statement. Sure, there are still some interesting venues and business along the strip, but there are a number of venues that seem to attract a disproportionate number of annoying drunks.

I remember visiting Brunswick Street as a child in the early to mid-80s. In the early 90s, in my early 20s, I spent quite a bit of time there, and already it had changed a lot. Jump forward to 2004, and living near Brunswick Street, it bears little resemblance to the street I remember from 25 years ago.

Brunswick Street jumped the shark some years ago, but I don’t think you can put it down to a single event. Rather, it’s been a gradual slide.

Some of the notable events in the dumbing down of Brunswick Street that I can think of are:

  • the opening of 7-11 on the corner of Johnston and Brunswick streets
  • the closing of the Punters’ Club
  • the opening of generic cafes like Joe’s Garage and Red Tongue

I’m sure there are other events. Can you think of any?

Posted in Fitzroy | 5 Comments »

Sally’s Kitchen

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Situated right on the city fringe, just near where Exhibition Street becomes Rathdown Street, Sally’s Kitchen (295 Exhibition St, Melbourne) is a welcome addition to the CBD lunch dining scene. It’s an attractive, modern looking space, full of dark wood, with a nice balcony out the front which has room for 4 or 5 tables.

The lunch menu is scrawled on blackboards, and includes everything from sandwiches and soup to risottos and fish. Based on the medium, I suspect it changes frequently. It’s supplemented by a range of tasty looking cakes sitting behind a glass display at the front counter.

On this occasion my companions both chose chicken sandwiches ($10) – what looked like poached breast meat in mayo, between rye bread trimmed of crust. From all reports it wasn’t particularly filling, but was tasty. It was a similar tale with the pea and ham risotto that I ordered. Despite arriving rather quickly, it was well made, with the rice and other ingredients having just the right texture, and lots of flavour. At $16 though, given the size it was probably a little more than I would have liked to have paid.

There’s a separate breakfast menu, also written up on a blackboard, which looks to have some interesting options.

While the serving sizes probably preclude me from making this a regular lunch option, next time I’m not feeling particularly hungry and feel like some well made food, I’ll definitely return.

Posted in Melbourne (CBD) | No Comments »

Cafe Di Stasio

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

It’s a rare occurrence that we venture south of the Yarra, so there has to be a good reason. The recieving of a gift voucher to Cafe Di Stasio (31A Fitzroy St, St Kilda) is one such reason.

Having never been to Di Stasio, I was a little surprised at the small size of the dining room. Despite this, and the proximity of the tables, privacy isn’t an issue on a busy night, as all the conversations of fellow diners tend to blur into one.

The atmosphere is a good balance of casual and formal, so there’s no problem going there in a pair of jeans. Likewise, the service is polished, without being fussy.

However, a restaurant doesn’t get an Age Good Food Guide score of 17 on atmosphere and service alone – the quality of the food is what really counts. For starters we had the spinach and parmesan, and the pasta special, which spaghettini with scallops in a white wine and garlic sauce. These are two very simple dishes, but they were both packed with flavour. The spaghettini may have been slightly overcooked, as it was very clingy.

For mains we had the Agnello Alla Romana and an amatriciana-style Bucantini dish. I can’t comment on the later as I didn’t try any, except to say that it looked very good. The Agnello Alla Romana was fantastic, with the rich white wine, garlic and anchovy-based sauce sticking to the lamb. I only wish the waiter had suggested a side of potatoes, as my dish could have done with some carbohydrate to complement the protein. A side of a mixed green salad was cleansing, but didn’t provide much in the way of carbs.

With a bottle of Leeuwin Estate riesling, the bill came to around $200, to the prices certainly reflect the 17/20 Good Food Guide score, and I wouldn’t exactly call it great value, despite the quality of the food. Next time I wouldn’t mind coming back during the day and trying the lunch special.

Posted in St Kilda | No Comments »