Bluebird Espresso

Bluebird Espresso has an unassuming storefront in Collingwood but judging by the wait time and significant lines, it is definitely a popular spot for brunch in the North. The decor is cute, the waitstaff hipster trendy and the dishes mouthwatering.

Toasted cornbread w/ avocado, salsa fresca, poached egg & jalapeno drizzle + chorizo ($17.5 + $2.5). Though visually stunning, this wasn't a dish to reach the upper echelons of perfection. The avocado was unfortunately slightly raw, and so was not as tasty as it could have been. The cornbread was nice, though quite dry and the salsa didn't assist in that department. 

Smoked Trout Fishcake w/ preserved lemon aioli, a poached egg & a salad of fennel, caper berries & olives ($17.5) was a special special. I am bummed that this won't be showing it's beautiful face again, because this dish was spectacular. The fishcake was nicely crumbed and fried on the outside, the insides were protected and delicious. The trout wasn't dried out and the flavour was very impressive. Everything on the plate came together very well, I was enamoured.

This Bloody Mary ($10.0) was fine, made with a thicker tomato juice base which was good, but again, too sweet for my liking. The spice factor was adequate though. 

The Pièce De Résistance in the form of Brioche French Toast w/ salted caramel, banana, marscapone & ginger crunch ($16.0). I love me some good-ass dessert to finish off a meal, and this was both of those things. The Brioche wasn't too heavily into the French Toast side of things, so remained buttery and sweet whilst not becoming too egg-like. The combination of bananas, salted caramel and marscapone can never really go wrong, and the ginger crunch added the final touches of texture to a delicious-ass dessert. 

TL;DR Wow. Get there or be square.

Vapiano

Vapiano has developed an incredibly interesting ordering concept for their good quality Italian food. Diners are given a card resembling a credit card, which is used to track your order throughout each station (pasta, pizza, drinks, dessert). Their claim to fame is freshly made pasta and pizza bases, so you can either wait for your dish to be prepared fresh in front of you, or are given a buzzer to return when it's ready. The card is then presented at the end of your meal, and you pay for the food you have consumed. It is a perfect way to split bills in a large group, or a nice way to enjoy a meal at your own leisure without feeling pressured by table service.

There is a lot of space in this upstairs food court style restaurant, and the weekday night we attended didn't really require a booking to be honest.

Antipasti

The Caprese: Fresh ciabatta, creamy buffalo mozzarella, ripe sliced tomatoes + basil ($12.9) was quite delicious and an excellent starter, the mozzarella was smooth and tasty combined with the basil and tomatoes, especially with the tangy vinaigrette sauce drizzled across each slice.

Gamberi e Spinaci

Prawns, onions, cherry tomatoes, cream with basil pesto + Parmesan tossed with fresh spinach ($20.9). A nice dish, especially with the freshly grated parmesan, though there weren't a lot of prawns present in the large serving. 

Bolognese

The Italian style beef and pork, onions, carrots, cherry tomatoes in homemade tomato sauce ($17.9) was quite a nice bolognese; definitely was not overly wet and saucy, but the meat was fresh and the ratio between ingredients to spaghetti was adequate to ensure you didn't run out of either.

This dessert, the White Chocolate Cheesecake ($5.9) is enough to ensure I return to Vapiano. A huge jar filled with very rich, very sweet layers consisting of the cookie crumble base, the thick white chocolate cheescake centre and the honeycomb crumble topping drizzled with salted caramel. It was incredibly decadent and you may need two people to finish it.

The Panna Cotta ($5.9) was definitely not as exciting as the White Chocolate Cheesecake, though it was smooth and consistent in texture, there wasn't a lot of wow factor that came into this one.


TL;DR Very cool concept with the swipe cards and open dining hall style eating area.

Charlie Dumpling

Charlie Dumpling lives in Prahran, near a lot of other asian fusion restaurants, but you will notice that on most nights, it is always packed. Experiencing the food makes you realise why, as the creators of this asian-fusion have hit all the right buttons in your taste console.

The Yellowfin tuna sashimi, pink lady apple, radish, goats cheese, white soy ($19.0) was very fresh, and being a fan of puffed brown rice, it was a nice way to bring crackle to the dish. The sweet apple pieces combined with smooth goat's cheese really completed the dish. I'd definitely order this again.

‘The Chimichanga’ Ora King Salmon Tartare, nori taco, bonito, pickles, seasoned rice ($18.0) was a fantastic choice, an asian spin on a mexican classic. The staff were lovely enough to give us an extra few nori tacos, but the serving was quite small as they didn't increase the size of the actual fillings. The salmon was tasty and obviously went really well with the dill pickle and flavoured spicy rice. The taco shell didn't actually taste that great on it's own, but it did look appealing with its battered layer. 

'Cos we're Ballers, we ordered the most expensive bao on the menu, the Crispy Prawn Bao, cucumber, shallot, kewpie, lettuce ($10.0 each) which was ok I guess, but truly nothing special. The prawn was fried in a crispy batter, which was nice, but there wasn't a lot of kewpie mayo or anything that made it appealing. I'd skip this for better options on the menu.

The Cola braised beef cheek, jalapeño orange salad, pickles and steamed buns ($26.0) was a tender pile of beef which pulled apart easily and as we stuffed the bao buns with the radish pickle salad, our mouths definitely started watering. The pieces of chilli and orange mixed through brought even more flavours to the dish. 

Kuromitsu salmon, green tea soba noodles, radish, miso, wasabi peas ($16.0) I expected a lot more out of this dish; on paper it sounded easy to combine and enjoy, however I felt the soba noodles were too heavy for the salad, and the salmon in the dish was few and far between, and not that fresh. 

These Coconut braised Flinders Island Lamb gyoza, massaman and peanut curry ($14.0) were presented really well. They essentially looked like giant mushrooms, with a fried disk sitting on top of the dumpling. However, the filling didn't really appeal to me - it tasted quite dry and overcooked and the peanut sauce ended up having most of the flavour.

‘Burrawong Gaian’ Peking Duck Dumplings, burnt mandarin and Sichuan caramel ($14.0) were the best dumpling out of the trio we picked. They had a nice tasty filling which was moist and had a nice accompanying sweet sauce.

Finally, the Snapper, chilli, lime and blackbean savoury dumplings ($13.50) had quite a lot of filling inside, and the skin wasn't too thick or sticky. However, given the price, and the fact the snapper didn't really burst with flavour like most (cheaper) typical dumplings, I wouldn't be in a rush to order these.

I first got introduced into these neat little morsels at the Street Feud last year, and in fact, due to my vote (and others) it won them the competition. Milk chocolate dumplings with raspberry-chilli sorbet ($13.50) are deep fried dumplings which burst apart to release a smooth milk chocolate ganache filling inside. The tart raspberry-chilli sorbet has a peppery aftertaste and is an interesting combination to the chocolate. 

I really expected myself to not enjoy these Coconut and lime mochi, poached pears, salted caramel ($13.5) however, they are pretty great. The soft, squishy mochi skins encase a cold coconut and lime ice-cream, with generous swirls of salted caramel and sweet poached pears.

‘Hazelnut jaffa’ Callebaut chocolate bombe, mandarin sorbet, toasted rice ($14.0) was probably my least favourite out of three great desserts. I think compared to the others, this was just too plain for my liking, the chocolate bombe was smooth and very rich, and the mandarin sorbet very sour. The toasted rice didn't particularly add much apart from texture, but I'm not complaining.

TL;DR I quite like this asian-fusion dumpling place, though the serves are small and it is very pricey.

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!

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!

Masons of Bendigo

Masons of Bendigo kicked off our 24 hour food frenzy in the beautiful town of Bendigo. They are a beautiful establishment, with high ceilings and bright lighting. The wait staff are efficient, polite and the manger is enthusiastic about his work and the locals. They cater to dietary requirements with ease and extra servings for the dishes.

We were starving by the time we reached Masons, so we started with some Hand Cut Royal Blue Potato Chips with aioli ($8.0) while we were waiting. They were great and disappeared in like ten seconds.

Complimentary carbs arrived, which was an in-house made Milk Bread with delicious Smokey Miso Infused Butter. I would buy a whole loaf and pot of this butter, and then just om-nom-nom in the surrounding Bendigo gardens. HASHTAG DROOL.

We started with the Seared Hervey Bay Scallops with curried cauliflower, salmon caviar, coriander vinaigrette, prawn crackers (x3 pcs $14.0). I could see they were trying an asian influence with the curried cauliflower, but I think that flavour overwhelmed the naturally subtle taste of the scallop. That being said, I really enjoyed the textures and flavour combination of this dish, but I think a lighter vegetable would also suit.

I was hesitant about the Warialda Beef Carpaccio, black pepper, golden beets, smoked aioli, potato chips, fried onions ($14.0) as I usually prefer fish tartares, but this was delicious, tasty and full of flavour. It turned out to be my favourite savoury dish of the afternoon.The beef slices were incredibly well prepared, and the large amounts of beet and aoili really added to each mouthful.

Chicken, blue swimmer crab & corn pot sticker Dumplings, cucumber, white soy and ginger sisho (x4pcs $12.0) were a tad dry, but really nailed all the asian-inspired flavours, and they were stuffed full of delicious fillings, so it was forgivable! 

The McIvor Farm Berkshire Pork Belly Skewer, sweet & sour blood plums, szechuan spice (x2pcs $10.0) was tender and succulent and everything a beautiful pork belly dish should be. The sweet plums brought out the flavour of the pork incredibly well.

The Roasted McIvor Farm Berkshire Pork Fillet with pork belly, pork cheek schnitzel, roast pumpkin, crackle pinwheel ($30.0)

The Crispy Fried Soft Shell Mud Crab with cucumber, beanshoot & avocado salad, nam prik mayo ($13.5) was a refreshing salad, especially with the addition of the crunchy beanshoots and semi-spicy nam prik mayo. The crab was nicely fried but had only a little meat on it, so wasn't anything grand.

Butternut Pumpkin Gnocchi with Holy Goat fromage frais, fried onions, young spinach, black basil pesto ($23.0) was a vegetarian dish but really quite impressive. The pesto with spinach was perfectly blended and the gnocchi were fried pillows of soft potato goodness. I really enjoyed the sweetness of the butternut and the gamey goats cheese together.

The Panfried Tassie Salmon, mussels, prawns, risotto tortellini, moghrabieh, saffron braised tomatoes ($29.0) was a good choice. I expected more seafood in that the mussels and prawns must have been hidden in the tortellini, but the salmon made up for that. I was surprised how well the tomatoes went with the salmon!

Masons Dessert Tasting Plate which included small serves of vanilla & peach brulee, Eskimo pie, Meredith yoghurt pannacotta with passionfruit gel, choc-hazelnut delice, baked cheesecake, Yuzo curd & tapioca pot with summer fruits, pomegranate ice-cream and Persian fairy floss ($26.0). In reality I could've smashed this out my self, but social etiquette deemed that I shared the sharing plate. It was beautiful. Subtle flavours when needed, paired with a good mix of heavier bites like the choc-hazelnut delice and baked cheesecake. They used different textures, from the light flossy persian rosewater fairy floss, and the tapioca sago. I really, really loved this dish.

TL;DR A definite hit in Bendigo, I would return to eat here fo' sho.