Mr Beebes

Mr Beebes is a beautiful converted house front in Bendigizzle which serves up quality dishes done well. High ceilings and open plan dining at wooden tables gives off a relaxed bar-vibe despite the impressive menu selection. The staff are friendly and graciously accept our Asian requests to take group photos. 

I appeal to my inner alcoholic and order the Beebe's Bloody Mary ($17.0) which was quite spicy but on the sweet side. A decent drink nonetheless.

Lamb shank and nettle croquette ($3.0) were not bad, though the lamb was not as tender as I hoped and cut quite large, and the croquette had quite a thick batter. I prefer my croquettes Japanese style, soft and fluffy in the inside.

These Potato skins with beef tartare and truffle aioli ($4.5) were a pretty epic dish, they were bite sized morsels that packed a lot of flavour; combining the fried potato with the strong raw flavour of beef and mixing with the salty eathiness of the aioli. Genius. I'd definitely get these ones again.

Being a massive fan of the smooth parfait, I jumped at the change to try Beebe's Duck liver Parfait, pedro ximenez jelly and brioche ($12.0). There were no regrets to be had that day. The flavour was quite light however, I much prefer a heavier deeper taste to duck liver.

The token vegetarian dish was in the form of Braised wild mushrooms, tofu, smokey eggplant puree, truffle oil and tarragon ($15.0), which was delicious. The silken tofu combined with the expert flavours of shiitake, enoki and chanterelle mushrooms, it was a delicious foray into a herbivore's dream.

Slow braised lamb ribs, smoked paprika, pickles and parsley ($12.0) were a good entree style dish, marinated really well and full of flavour, the lamb was tender and succulent.

Hand cut russet chips and aoili ($6.0) delicious and simple. Great crispy exterior with just enough salt to lift the flavour of potato.

A visually stunning dish was put before me as my main, Pan-seared barramundi with fennel salad, smoked barramundi croquette, pea puree, radish, lemon dressing and dill ($30.0). It was a beautiful lightly seared piece of fish, ensuring it wasn't overdone and chewy. It felt healthy but tasty, and the barramundi croquette appealed more to me compared to the lamb shank croquette. A well constructed dish in all it's parts.

The tender Roasted lamb loin, pan friend gnocchi, eggplant pickle, roast tomato and basil jus ($30.0) was simple but delicious, I don't think it was anything too spectacular, but a good safe choice of main.

The Roast pumpkin and gruyere tortelini with asparagus, leek dressing and hazelnuts ($25.0) was very interesting. Another vegetarian dish which completely appeals to the meat-eaters in the room. The al dente tortelini was stuffed full of cheesy pumpkin goodness, and dressed in a similarly tasty sauce of asparagus and leek. 

We were so full we couldn't even manage dessert. That was probably the worst part of the night.

TL;DR A large variety of great tasting dishes to try, don't miss this when in Bendigo next.

Hinoki Japanese Pantry

If you are ever needing beautiful Japanese food or produce in Fitzroy, Hinoki is definitely the place to go. Decked out with a sushi bar and small eating area at the front of the stall, and followed with a well-stocked imported Japanese grocery, it is a dream to wander the aisles and choose what to add to your cupboard.

Nigiri & Nosé Maki Mix ($15.0)

The raw fish is sweet and melts in your mouth. The freshness of the ingredients they use and the perfect delicate balance they achieve is truly delectable.

Nose Maki & California Roll Mix ($13.0)

The salmon with aoili and tobiko was delicious of course, with lightly vinegared carrot and soft sushi rice. If their sushi roll mix of raw salmon, avocado and crab meat were not enough, add in some tamagoyaki cubes and you have yourself a winner. 

TL;DR A go-to Japanese eatery and supermarket when you are in Fitzroy.

Duchess of Spotswood

Duchess of Spotswood is a well known brunch eatery for anyone who passes by or lives/works in the Westside. Despite its distance, I have travelled there in the past to experience the fine-dining-at-brunch style food. The flavours are refined, and well thought out, and the dishes are very carefully put together.

Prince of Wales ($19.50) Warm house cured salmon with cucumber and mint salad, almond aioli, dukkah, poached eggs and Zealy Bay toast, with an accompaniment of potato hash ($4.5). A nice staple dish, but the salmon was overdone and so not as soft and sweet as I hoped, you definitely had to chew your way through the dish and by the end it became quite bland. The little spots of almond aioli were tast, as was the dukkah sprinkled throughout, but the toast was hard and pointless. As for the hash, it was a nice chunky piece but not as crispy as I expected.

The special of the day was the Pork Belly and Soft Shell Crab burger ($19.0). With that kind of surf and turf royalty going on, of course we had to try it. The sweet corn capsicum salsa had a good flavour to it, and the home-made tartar sauce was really nice with the soft shell crab. The pork belly was overcooked, and so didn't have the tenderness or fattiness you usually taste, but overall it was quite a good special. 

This Mork Hot Chocolate ($4.0) has nothing on Seven Seeds', it seems to be lacking the milky body and deep chocolate hit.

Duchess Lawn Tennis Association ($12.0) gin, sparkling apple, fresh mint cocktail is a nice little refreshing number with an equally charming name.

TL;DR I wouldn't go out of my way to try, but if you're in the area it's a good option.

Grand Trailer Park Taverna

While most fads of Melbourne die out, the burger reigns supreme to this day. Grand Trailer Park Taverna is in the heart of the CBD in an highly unlikely spot, above a 7-eleven. Don't let that worry you though, as soon as you step in, you are transported to America in all it's trailer-trash-chic glory. There are caravan shells which have been gutted and replaced with communal dining tables, and wooden cubby houses with bar tables and stools. The service counter is decked out like a diner, and the floor is synthetic turf. 

Spiked Milkshake

Kinder Surprise, Frangelico, Baileys ($21.0) Yes that's the real price, and yes that's a real Kinder Surprise, but the size of this drink is crazy-huge, and crazy-thick. One of the best milkshakes I've ever had, and the smooth way the alcohol was incorporated into the drink made it utterly delectable. I cannot wait to try every single flavour on the menu. 

Atomic

Premium Aussie beef pattie, American cheddar cheese, chilli cheese kransky, crispy bacon, BBQ sauce & truffle cayenne mayonnaise on a lightly toasted brioche bun ($16.5) + Hand cut chips (sml $2.8). I really, really love cheese kranskys, and so of course I chose this burger. It was like a triple meat stack attack. So great. The chips were pretty amazing too, thick chunky potatos fried to a crispy batter. Pro tip: ask for some truffle cayenne mayonnaise dipping sauce, and the experience is even better.

The Ivan Drago

Premium Aussie beef pattie, American cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, black Russian tomato, sliced beetroot & tsar burger sauce on a lightly toasted brioche bun ($16.5) + Hand cut chips (sml $2.8). This burger was definitely the star of the day, and it was all in the tsar burger sauce - finely chopped pickles in a creamy tangy sauce. It made the burger sloppy and so tasty. I'd get this again in a heartbeat.

These artery-clogging Nutella Donuts - 3 fresh nutella filled donuts coated with sugar ($9.5) were pretty amazing. The explosion of runny nutella and the traditional sweet donut were a great way to finish the meal off. But next time, I'm choosing waffles!

TL;DR I can't wait to go back and eat more things of their menu (read: their spiked milkshake flavours)

Meatmaiden

Meatmaiden is of course, the (little) sister (daughter) restaurant of Meatmother in Richmond. It is by no means, a small joint. That underground hideaway is a big maafakka, and because we went down on a certain public holiday where you aren't meant to eat meat, it was pretty empty. I highly doubt it is like this most days, but it made for some nice open shots.

As soon as we sat down we were served complimentary Meatmaiden CHIPS! Which were just like your normal potato chips but FREE! And slightly spicy. Naiz.

I ordered me a Maiden Sweet Tea which came in a SOFT option (sans EtOH) and with Buffalo Trace (HARD $16.0). It was definitely not sweet enough for my liking, but tasted quite refreshing nonetheless, and surprisingly the bourbon didn't make it disgusting. 

These Smoked salmon rillettes, pickled fennel, toast ($13.0) were pretty on the plate, but did not have the "oomph!" to match. The rilletes were a bit bland, incredibly smoked but simultaneously not being salty enough; the toast, though buttered and slightly salted, didn't really compliment the rillet. The pickled fennel was probably the highlight; I don't think I've ever had pickled fennel before, and it brought the flavours out well.

Here is my fancy artistic-slightly-left-of-centre shot of the Cajun tuna, horseradish, avocado ($15.0) which was lightly seared to bring out a nice smokey flavour. This dish disappeared quickly; it was amazing. The rub on the lightly seared sides really brought out a spicy herb flavour. The mayo and avo went well (duh!).

I ordered an Oyster with smoked fennel dressing ($3.5) which was plump, fresh and delicious, but pricey for what it was. The smoked fennel dressing was quite tart, so overtook the sweetness of the oyster. I have had better toppings on raw oysters.

If you are looking for melt-in-your-mouth, pull-apart beef, choose the 20-hour Rangers Valley Wagyu brisket, Tasmanian pepper berry rub (200g for $24.0) I really, really enjoyed this fatty cut, it had just the right amount of fatty streaks. Every mouthful was so full of flavour, and the pepper berry rub was very good, subtle and not overpowering, though more rubbed onto the sides wouldn't go astray.

Spring onion mash, gravy ($8.0) was okay, but not buttery enough, nor had enough gravy - so ended up being quite dry and we left a lot behind. Plus the serve was massive.

With a name like Crack mom's apple pie, vanilla, walnuts ($10.0) I was expecting full on comatose insanity. It did not live up to that expectation. The cool part was, we were introduced to this pie being told to listen before we ate. Popping candy! The pie was nice, with a nice buttery shortcrust pastry, and the filling was very sweet stewed apples and giant sultanas, but nothing that blew my mind. A heavier style blondie caramel something or rather would have been amazing.

I am not usually a fan of the Choc fondant, raspberry sorbet ($10.0), but I enjoyed this dessert more than my beloved apple pie. The fondant was soft and squishy, decadent chocolate cake, with a tart raspberry sorbet. The caramel crumble was also a nice sticky addition.

TL;DR A good meat hit. I will try Meatmother next!

Colonel Tan's

Ah my beloved teenage years spouting angst and staring starry-eyed onto the mini-stage at Revolver. Those steep-ass steps which got you nice and sweaty before the main act is even near coming on. Hipster dancing to the Inches. Good times. I hadn't stepped back into my past for a good eight years, until I was introduced to Colonel Tan's. Passing by the empty venue area getting prepped for a gig was nostalgic, as were the toilets with the primary school style water fountain taps. 

Their cocktail menu is tempting as. I wanted to try all of them, but restraint, dear friends, restraint. I opted for the Colonel Royale - Lychee puree dances with Cassis in a magnified glass of sparkling. I fell in love with Cassis in Japan, apparently the Cassis Orange is one of the most popular cocktails there. It was perfectly sweet and delicious.

The mix of food is largely Thai inspired, and done really well. The menu is somewhat tedious to read, with dishes that state the main dish and all the ingredients surrounding it, and losing the capacity to piece it all together in your head before you reach the price... but it all sounds delicious nonetheless. 

We start with the Pork & Prawn Donuts, Chilli Jam ($12.5) - cos duh. donuts. As expected, these were delicious. Juicy, deep fried deliciousness and with a nice jam to kick start it. 

Fat Duck Noodles ($17.5) is very much similar to Chin Chin's Pad Sieuw, with less dark sauce. This dish had generous slices of duck breast, mixed in with nicely fried Hor Fun noodles (flat thick white rice noodles) and of course a smattering of greens to make you feel less guilty. I would definitely re-order this dish.

The Penang Lamb Curry, Rice, Eggplant & Young Ginger Relish ($17.5) was eventually the curry we settled on (the Green was similarly tempting), and it was a good choice. The lamb was tender and fell apart, whilst the red curry was full of flavour. The eggplant ginger relish was quite an interesting cream/sour? addition, and I may or may not have finished off the whole thing.

TL;DR I will return till I smash out everything on that menu!