Archive for June, 2010

Balkan Fresh Burek

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

For some reason people rave about the bureks sold at the Queen Victoria Market. I don’t see the appeal, myself. It’s not that they’re bad, but they’re nothing on those found in the former Yugoslavia, and in fact, aren’t even Melbourne’s best.

Balkan Fresh Burek (351 High St, Preston) serves Macedonian style bureks, although I struggle to really distinguish the different types. There are three fillings to choose from, including meat, cheese, and spinach & cheese.

Your best bet is to simply order whatever is freshest, as they certainly taste best immediately out of the oven when the pastry is at its crispest. Alternatively choose one of the round style bureks, which are made-to-order.

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Grigons & Orr Corner Store

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

I’ll get it out the way early – Grigons & Orr Corner Store (445 Queensberry St North Melbourne) is decked out to resemble and old milk bar from some time last century. This is a nice change from a lot of other cafes that all seem to be cut from the same mould, and what’s more the food is also great.

On my most recent visit I had the Prosciutto Eggs, which, aside from the obvious, comprised roasted tomato, spinach and roasted tomato on corn bread toast. The prosciutto was flavoursome and crispy, the eggs were fresh and perfectly poached, and the roast tomato actually tasted like a tomato. Unfortunately the corn bread was dry and crumbly, and I suspect was baked in a bread machine.

Normally I have the excellent BLT with avocado. If George Calombaris tried this, he’d probably say that he’d “be happy to serve this dish” at one of his restaurants. He’d likely also call out the mayo as the “hero” of the dish, and I’d have to agree. It’s “beau-ti-ful”.

Posted in Breakfast, North Melbourne | No Comments »

Brunswick Street Alimentari

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

For a quick, reasonably priced lunch in Fitzroy, I don’t think you can beat Brunswick Street Alimentari (251 Brunswick St, Fitzroy). I could happily eat nearly anything on they serve up, but my favourites are the chicken schnitzel wraps and meatball wraps.

The chicken schnitzel wraps are pieces of pita bread wrapped around sliced pieces of schnitzel, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. While this which might not sound particularly special, thanks to the quality of individual components, the whole thing tastes amazing.

Equally delicious are the meatball wraps, which are a cross between a standard wrap and a piadina. The meatballs are nicely moist, and complemented by leafy greens, tomato, cheese, and a hit of lemon juice.

Although I rarely pass up the wraps, there’s are generally two or three salads to choose from, which look and taste fantastic.

The quality of the food is matched by the staff, who are some of the most helpful and genuinely friendly around.

I do wish they made better coffee, as I have yet to get a genuinely good one there. The only other negative is that they often sell out of the wraps, so get in by 1pm to be sure of getting one.

Brunswick Street Alimentari on Urbanspoon

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Fox Hotel

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Inspired by a review by Fitzroyalty, we decided to try the Fox Hotel (351 Wellington St, Collingwood) for dinner. It’s located on the corner of Alexandra Parade, and we’d passed it many times without thinking much of it as it looks fairly nondescript.

Once you get inside and see the huge collection of beer cans, it’s apparent that it’s not just a run-of-the-mill pub. There’s a large selection of bottled beers, as well as some non-standard beers on tap, including one of my favourite wheat beers, Erdinger.

It was food we primarily came here for though, and the menu provided a number of tempting choices. My girlfriend ordered the gnocchi with wagyu ragu, which was a mixed bag. The ragu was fantastic, with tender chunks of beef bathed in a wonderfully rich tomato sauce. Not so good was the gnocchi, which rather stodgy.

I played it safe and ordered a parma, which was both generously proportioned, and well cooked. The chicken was moist, and the parma elements – cheese, napoli and proscuitto – were balanced. Still, it was just a parma, and next time I’ll try something a bit more interesting from the rather lengthy and wide ranging menu.

Posted in Collingwood, Pub | No Comments »

The Bell Jar

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

The Bell Jar (656 Smith Street, Clifton Hill) is a new cafe that has popped up in a part of town that is relatively poorly serviced in terms of cafes – the part of Smith Street where Clifton Hill meets Collingwood.

It’s a good location, so long as they get the formula right, and from my first impressions, they’re well on the way. The coffee is well made, the prices are reasonable, and the food is promising.

I had the poached eggs with spiced tomato and beans ($12), which was a good dish without being amazing. My eggs were poached almost perfectly, but the toast was sliced a little thinly, and a bit burnt around the edges. The beans were a little watery, and thin in flavour.

My girlfriend had the confit tomato on toast with goats cheese ($10). While there was only one slice of toast, the ingredients were very good quality, which is important for such a simple dish, and it tasted great apparently.

Given the staff actually know how to make coffee, The Bell Jar shoes promise, and with a few tweaks could be a great cafe.

Posted in Breakfast, Clifton Hill | No Comments »