Seven Seeds

Seven Seeds is quickly becoming my most favourite brunch place. They have a seasonal rotating menu which always boasts at least two or three things I desperately want in my belly. And dat hot choc.

Don’t even get me started on that pinnacle of hot chocolate ($4.5). That hot chocolate to rule all hot chocolates. That hot chocolate which makes everything okay. Smooth, simple and with a decadent finger of dark chocolate to stir with and increase the chocolate hit. You can’t ask for any more than that.

House smoked Salmon served on crumpets w/ cream spinach puree, hollandaise and poached eggs ($18.0) was delicious. The salmon was perfectly smoked and not too salty. The spinach puree went really well with the runny poached eggs and the hollandaise was thick and creamy. The crumpets from Dr Marty’s really finished the dish off. So good. 

The Jamaican Style Jerk Chicken w/ flatbread and mango salsa ($17.5) was delicious, perfectly BBQ'd chicken with a spice rub, combined with a sweet mango dressing over the most incredible pita bread I've ever tasted. I was boggled. I seriously did not expect it to be this delicious. This dish ended my night shifts, and I could think of no better way.

TL;DR A kit & kafoodle favourite!!!

Rockwell & Sons

You know you won’t go too far astray with a restaurant that has a pig as its sign-age, and the fact they pay homage to the Sunday roast on Sunday by having a massive porky roast. /drools. But that’s not what we’re here for today folks; this is just the humble dinner.

That being said, the first dish that arrived on our table was Crispy Brussel Sprouts, salami vinaigrette, queso san simon ($9.0) which I felt, was a weird choice given my above introduction, but you know what, it turned out great. They were BBQd well, and full of spicy flavour. Whodathunkit?

Next up was something more in line with carnivorous me; Crispy Confit Duck Wings, red dragon sauce, scallions, sesame ($12.0) was sweet and tangy but there wasn’t a lot of meat on the wings, so it was difficult to eat, with not a lot of reward.

The French Fries, malt vinegar aioli ($6.0) were great. Really well fried, not too soggy or thick, and the aioli was nice. 

I never understood the point of Mac & Cheese ($8.0); it always seemed like such an American equivalent of cup-noodles. But I’m getting there. Rockwell’s version is creamy but used a type of tasty cheese so the end result was not as decadent as Bowery’s.

Lamb is fast becoming my favourite meat, so of course I wanted to try ribs, some of the most succulent cuts I’ve tasted. The Smoked Lamb Ribs ($14.0) were tasty initially but lost its flavour quite quickly. I wouldn't order again.

The Chicken Liver Parfait, buttermilk biscuits, strawberry-black pepper jam ($14.0) was smooth and rich. The jam chutney complemented the richness well and the buttermilk bread was really needed to soak up the flavour. It tasted like a million bucks.

Rockwell’s famous Double Patty Smash Burger, Kraft, Special Sauce on a Seeded Bun ($12.0) is a moist, cheesy and oh-so-heavy burger which leaks all over your hand. Wow, I can get sexual too. Great burger. So much fat. 

To end, or rather, the last thing put into my mouth, was the Maine-Style Tiger Prawn Roll, Kewpie Tartare, Compressed Celery ($13.0). The roll is brioche, so already it’s a winner. The sweet bread goes so well with the kewpie and prawn, and my only complaint is the serving size is small, especially for the price. 

TL;DR There are a lot of good places to eat in Fitzroy, Rockwell & Sons will always be one of them.

Kamel

Tucked off the hippest street in Albert Park, Kamel is a moroccan inspired eatery which welcomes you warmly into its arms. The decor is quaint, and the setting, cosy and intimate. Their menu is jam-packed with middle eastern stars that scream out at you, and I find myself getting lost for choice.

salmon tartare  / sumac / cucumber and white anchovies / smoked tomato puree / capers

We start with the duo of seafood on chia & quinoa crisps ($16.0) which is a beautifully presented dish, but unfortunately the taste was lacking. The salmon didn't taste overly fresh, and a lot of the flavour was lost on the crisps which were dry and very hard. With anchovy as one of the main flavours, that's saying a lot.

The seared Scallops, caramelised onion puree & crispy proscuitto ($12.0) were next which was quite nice. Again, the seafood doesn't pop with sweetness as it's not fresh as fresh can be, but the ingredients in this dish are tried and true, and worked well together to create a satisfying taste. 

I did not expect the seafood claypot - saffron rice with prawns, calamari, fish & mussels ($25.0) to be my favourite dish of the night. It is very simple, risotto style rice infused with the flavours of seafood which aren't chewy or tasteless. It had a hint of sweetness, just to bring out the flavour of the mussels and it worked a treat.

I personally cannot go past a good Roasted pork belly with fennel, apple & toasted walnuts ($26.0), and though these pieces were small, it really filled you up. The salad was light and refreshing, and the pork belly decadent. Just enough fat and crackling to make you feel deliciously naughty.

TL;DR A nice restaurant, close enough to walk to Jock's down the road

Cortille

When walking through this crazy cool café’s entrance, I couldn’t help feel like I was back in Melbourne.

A massive old school trailer is parked in the hallway, where they serve take away coffee and cake to eager beavers throughout the week.

A bit further in, there is a beautiful display cabinet of cakes and tasty morsels you can grab to go, or sit down and enjoy.

Then there’s this contraption. I assume it has something to do with coffee, perhaps a cold drip – comment below if you know what it does!

The Callebaut hot chocolate ($4.5) was quite good, not as chocolatey as I’ve had in some other places, but satisfying on a Sunday morning nonetheless.

I ordered the beef burger, Tabasco chipotle, mayonnaise, American mustard, iceberg, thick shortcut bacon, pickled red onion, Edam cheese on The Good Loaf Bakery brioche ($16.5), despite being completely stuffed from the sheer amount of food we had to sample the day before. To this day, I’m still not sure why I did that (it was probably the brioche), when there were so many other tempting items on the menu, but there you go. It was pretty good. I really enjoyed the strangely fried cheese biscuit type thing, and while the burger wasn’t that sloppy, the flavours came together quite well.

A friend opted for the beautiful house made granola muesli, poached pear, granny’s apple, natural yoghurt, strawberry compote ($12.5), which could vie with some of Melbourne’s best presented breakfast birchers. She assured me it was pretty darn great.

Another friend got the Soft shell prawn taco, red cabbage slaw, guacamole, bitternut prawn crackers ($17.5) which I eyed with much envy when it was placed on the table. The prawns looked plump and juicy and there was just enough sauce to cover the handfuls of red cabbage.

The thing I would return for however, are those waffles. They dared us and we accepted the Canadian maple, thick shortcut bacon, caramel ice cream, banana, caramel popcorn ($16.5). While I prefer my waffles a tad crispier, the sheer amount of goodies on the plate more than made up for this. The caramel ice-cream was a joy to eat with the bacon, and the maple and caramel popcorn was just divine. I’m drooling. BRB.

TL;DR A Melbourne standard brunch in beautiful Bendigo!

Shoya Nouvelle Wafu Cuisine

In my opinion, Shoya is one of the best fusion-Japanese in Melbourne; it borders on ridiculously authentic, with fresh sashimi which sweetly melts in your mouth, whilst also introducing new flavours and techniques into the mix, like creating a dessert out of a tomato; with every dish being beautifully plated up every time. Usually when I eat at Shoya, I order the banquet omasake, but after many people commenting on how exquisite the a la carte menu is, I had to try it for myself.

We started with the Salmon Sashimi ($19.8) which was a beautiful little dish we knew would be a winner. Fresh, delicious raw salmon waited to jump into our mouths.

The Beef Tataki ($12.0) is something I usually avoid, as I prefer tuna. This tataki consisted of lightly grilled Wagyu beef served chilled with grated plum radish, quail egg and ponzu sauce, which ended up full of flavour but still very chewy by the end.

Nama Shii Hotate ($16.5 for 3pc) was described as mashed scallops softly surrounding the quail egg topped with shiitake mushroom in a gentle tempura. The tempura fried quails egg and mushroom combination was nice and delicate, whilst the green tea salt garnish highlighted the moreish taste.

Chawanmushi ($8.5) is my absolute favourite Japanese dish. A steamed egg omelette with chicken, prawn, shiitake mushroom and bamboo shoots so soft and beautiful I am always left wanting more. Great .

Eel is definitely not my thing, and I mostly blame the miniscule bones that pepper the eel flesh. This Unagi Kabayaki ($32.0) however, had no bones!! I was able to enjoy the heavier eel meat covered in a semi-sweet pepper sauce.

Being a carb queen, I hastily ordered the Mentai Potato salad ($9.0); a mashed potato topped with spicy cod roe, but ultimately ended up as nothing special. It was a nice and creamy mash, with the salty roe making it slightly better than average, but nothing you couldn’t do at home.

To end the meal, we opted for the Sea Urchin Cheesecake ($16.0) which was silky soft to taste, but I had no idea where the sea urchi was as I didn't taste any saltiness at all. Nevertheless, maybe that’s what made it great. The nut crumble was an easy way to create a crunchy texture to contrast the smooth cake. 

TL;DR Shoya will make for a beautiful meal out, every time.

Bistro Vue

I am often found wandering the city late-ish at night, trying to find a dessert to satiate my stomach post-dinner (and/or first dessert). One of my qualms with the CBD is the lack of dedicated dessert cafes or restaurants, or the ones which are present, being ridiculously overpriced, or not even coming near what I expect from dessert (too Asian, cakes too dry etc).So, after much urbanspoon’ing, I settled on the walk towards Bistro Vue, the smooth bar-style restaurant that remains on the old Vue de Monde site on Little Collins. The décor is lovely and warm with dark mood lighting to set the scene for romance. Dessert romance.

First up was my beloved Tarte Tatin, they brought the dish out and turned it out in front of you. A beautiful, warm crispy pastry that wasn’t as heavy as a shortcrust, but definitely as buttery. The apples were highly caramelised, so quite sweet but the crème anglaise was very good at neutralising the sickening sweetness. I would have preferred a big scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream, but I can see how crème anglaise is more fancy pantsy.

Crème Brulee is a staple dessert for most restaurants, though sometimes it can be lacking in some ways. This style brulee was very eggy and disappointingly the shell was not thick enough to be cracked when broken.

The Mango St Honore was quite a strange choice. Presented in the very-hip “deconstructed” manner, it visually was the most modern of all the desserts but the taste of the dish wasn’t very cohesive. The mango jelly was too solid, the sorbet was biting but refreshing, the chocolate was smooth and tempered well. The puff pastry slices however, tasted very similar to burnt weetbix.

TL;DR An alright dessert spot for when you’re desperate, and it’s open late!

Dainty Sichuan Hot Pot

I am a long-time fan of Sichuan cuisine, and Dainty Sichuan provides a more (unnecessary) up-market take on well-loved dishes. They recently opened a new location in the city which offers both their a la carte menu and hot pot style dining, so we jumped at the chance.

One thing you cannot expect from most Asian restaurants, is good or friendly service. Dainty Sichuan is no exception. The service was slow, and due to no one waiting at the front desk, it took a long time to be seated. A brief check of the menu showed a lot of my staple dishes were missing, but that’s ok, bring on the Chong Qing Hot Pot ($31.8/pp).

There is a lot of choice of items to cook in your hot pot, and all of the meat is fresh and tastes quite nice. You are able to split your pot into half-half, for the diners who don’t like chilli as much. The spicy side is saturated with spices and chilli and really makes it a Dainty Sichuan recognised soup. The non-spicy side has a lot of Chinese herbs and is chicken stock-based.

There were a few starters you could order as well, the pre-cooked fried chicken bits were reminiscent of the a la carte “kung pow chicken”. The lap cheong sausage was a favourite, but I typically don’t like the oily fattiness of the Chinese sausage. My favourite items were definitely the raw meats, meat balls and the pig’s blood cubes. The vermicelli and potato noodles were great as well, and the unlimited factor is definitely a plus. For those who need a bit of green in their meal to not feel guilty, there are plenty of leafy bok choy and cabbage to go round.

Just a warning, the soup gets quite oily after a while, so you may want to ask the waiters for a new bowl, and use one as an oil dumping ground.

TL;DR overall a nice hotpot, but you can get cheaper elsewhere (and it’s hard to mess up hot pot)