Trocadero - Southbank - Melbourne - review

The moment I heard of this restaurant and peeped at their menu I was chomping at the bit to make a visit and fill my belly.

Trocadero is situated within the Art Center at Hammer Hall. Perfectly positioned on the banks of the Yarra facing the iconic Flinders street station and federation sqaure. With your meal you also get a view. The decor is relaxed but polished with a dark, neutral colour theme. The staff are dressed in t-shirts but the patrons were a mix of casual and dressy. Trocadero sites itself as a bar-slash-brasserie, practically open all day with quick-bites for the pre-theatre crowd.

We arrived on a gloriously sunny Thursday evening and ordered the following:

The evening started with a bag of complimentary bread which Mr.M devoured.

Berkshire pork cacciatore and venison calbrese salami - $15

cooked potatoes, truffle aioli, pecorino $11

I ordered this as my entree. The potatoes were probably a touch overdone for me, and I was hoping for more of a truffle or cheese flavour, they were surprisingly mild. Mr.M on the other hand, ADORED them - but he is a 'potato chip' fiend.

zucchini risotto with black truffle

This was a special, and I regret not ordering the onion risotto instead. The consistency was a touch watery for me, and with the zucchini as the main flavour component it was all rather bland. Even the generous shavings of truffle didn't help punch up the flavour.

beef, chipotle pepper and quinoa sausage, chickpea fries, harissa $28

Mr.M asked our waitress what she thought was their best main dish, and this is what she suggested. At first Mr.M was a little hesitant to order sausages and fries, but after he tried some he changed his mind. The chips were delicious although Mr.M hoped there had been more. The sausages were so incredibly juicy that Mr.M exclaimed they should come with a warning  in case someone pierce it and be squirted in the face. It was a touch spicy but overall Mr.M enjoyed it.

caramel cooked cream, pear, popcorn crumble, chocolate $17

The chatter about this dish was assaulting me from all sides - so needless to say my expectations were quite high. It looked scrumptious and very generous, I tend to find some desserts tiny so was incredibly pleased with the portion serve. However, I barely finished half. As many have said, it is decadently rich. As someone who is sadly dairy-intolerant, the cooked cream part was just too much for me to handle. What I loved most about this dish though was the popcorn crumble in its salty deliciousness and the sticky caramel - caramel popcorn is a favourite of mine, and this dessert was what caramel popcorn would be if it reached enlightenment   Despite the fact that my body wouldn't allow me to eat it all, I would order it again and perhaps eat more topping, less cooked cream. It truly was delicious.

chocolate pudding, milk toffee ice cream $17

Mr.M ordered this was and incredibly happy with it. The chocolate fondant had a glorious ooze and exquisite cocoa richness. Desserts were definitely the stars of our evening.

The staff were friendly and the food was wonderful. We will definitely be returning.

Persimmon - NGV - Melbourne - reivew

We find ourselves fluttering to Persimmon rather often due to the fabulous food, fantastic service and relaxing garden-setting. We thought it long overdue for a visit.

As usual the staff were attentive and friendly. Upon glancing at the menu we saw that the dishes had taken on a more Asian twist and that the regular chocolate fondant was no longer on the dessert menu. We asked the waiter whether Terry was trying some new things to be told that he was no longer working at Persimmon and that there was a new chef, Gabriel Martin at the helm. At the time the website still listed Terry as the chef (tsk,tsk NGV) but the menu suddenly made sense to us. And despite the fact that we would no longer be able to sample our favourite chef's food, we were excited to try the new menu.

Mr.M and Miss Dor elected to try the Market 4 course menu - $45 per person.
As usual, the meal began with the complimentary bread and butter, always a nice selection.

heirloom tomato salad, tomato beurre blanc, tomato dust

Both Mr.M and Miss Dor enjoyed this dish.

salmon vermincelli, prawn, carrot oil

This was Mr.M's favourite dish of the menu.

aged beef porterhouse, bean cassoulet, red wine jus

Miss Dor enjoyed this dish but Mr.M did found it too strong in taste.

chocolate and mint tart,chocolate sorbet

Both Mr.M and Miss Dor enjoyed this tart.

I had the following two dishes: Folded lasagna, purple artichoke,parmesan foam - $24

This was delicious. The pasta was well cooked and the parmesan foam added a delicious saltiness. I ate every morsel.

Chocolate waves, salted caramel, chocolate mousse, chocolate sorbet - $19

A really lovely and generous dessert. The salted caramel had the perfect amount of saltiness to compliment the rich sorbet and sweet mousse.

The chef may have changed, but the food is still lovely enough to warrant repeat returns. The prices, however, are more expensive then they were previously, for instance the desserts have gone from $14 up to $17-19. That being said it is still value for money.

Xocolatl Artisan Chocolates - Kew East- review

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” 

― Charles M. Schulz

I could inhale and consume mountains of glorious chocolate every single day and never get sick of it. NEVER. Because of my addiction I have tried every type of artisan chocolate shop out there, but it was a little store on Maling Road that finally ended my search.
I don't know what has taken me so long to write this post as Xocolatl as been my favourite chocolate shop for YEARS. It is rather rude of me not to have shared my treasure. Please forgive me.

Every month, my three beautiful best friends and I would meet there rain, hail or in blistering heat to order some hot chocolates and a few small pieces (they ordered a few, I would order an entire box, naturally).

Not only did I find my favourite individual chocolates, I also found my favourite hot chocolate - luscious, THICK, and flavoured with exotic rose and heady spices - heaven I tell you!!!

Ever since my hubby relocated his business to High St Kew East, their Kew store has since become my local haunt; I go every week to get myself a box of nine (and that's showing restraint) lovingly crafted chocolates. I have sampled every single flavour they have, but to keep it short, I shall inform you of the ones I would buy over and over again - my most beloved.

I must start with my personal number 1 - the Rose Caramel (pictured above right in the middle).

the following below are also extremely delicious - you have been warned.

• Popcorn caramel
• Rose, lychee and strawberry
• Apricot Gianduja
• Tendre Praline
• Cardamom
• Lavender
• Cinnamon
• Salted caramel
• Coconut
• Creme Brulee
• Sesame
• Lime

They change flavours regularly and have such a diverse variety,from the more common raspberry truffle or praline to the most unusual such as:

• Goat cheese and peach
• Elvis (peanut butter and banana, another flavour much favoured by me).
• Basil and champagne
• Smoked olive oil
• Strawberry Shortbread
• the list goes on!

Do yourself a favour and head down to their Canterbury or Kew East shop and taste heaven in a morsel.

They have their Christmas editions currently in stock with everything from Christmas Tree printed chocolates to large Santas and even Babushkas!

Lil Boy Blue - Kew - review

I might be in the dark as to what's popped up in the greater Melbourne area, but when it comes to my local hood (Boroondara) I spot a new restaurant whilst driving like an eagle spots a tasty mouse.
And it was on a trip down to Leo's in Kew that I spotted this little gem.

As soon as I got home, I googled it, checked their menu (most important) and their opening hours. And what a lucky day for me that they are pretty much open all hours, very handy when you have an irregular napper for a kid.

So off we sauntered for a 5pm dinner on a Saturday with some familia, a baby and a cucumber (baby's pacifier, or so we hoped).

Our familia had some trouble spotting the cafe whilst driving, so do keep a lookout.
The interior is lovely with some very prominent shag-like carpeting squares on the wall. Whilst I thought they complimented the decor, my 14month old had a panic attack like no other and shrieked with fear whenever she looked up at them. To avoid this I had to sit her in my lap instead of the offered high chair, luckily I was on one of their benches so I could sit her next to me when it came to eating.

Their whole menu looked delicious, so we just picked willy-nilly and crossed our fingers.


chilli prawn soft tacos with coleslaw, avocado lime salsa & smoked paprika

 Mr.M thought these were delicious.
I thought the branded wrappers were adorable.

chickpea & sumac battered mushrooms with balsamic reduction

Oh my goodness I loved these. I loved these so much that I did not wait until they were cool enough to eat and as a result burnt the roof of my mouth, but it was worth it. The batter offers a lovely, salty and crisp coating to the meaty mushrooms with the reduction delivering a pleasant sweet tang. Yum.

chacuterie board; cured & smoked meats, pickled veg, terrine, pate, bread

The offered was gluten-free as we were also dining with a gluten-free eater.

pork belly cooked twice with sweet corn puree, caramelised apple, preserved lemon & caper dressing

E really enjoyed this. Mr.M had pork-belly-envy.

grain fed beef fillet w hand cut polenta chips, pickled swiss browns, baby beetroot & juniper infused jus

L thought this was nice and didn't even realise the chips were polenta.

special: baby chicken with potatoes

Mr.M said it was lovely, but upon seeing the pork belly, lamented his decision.

spring vegetable plate.
artichoke hearts, asparagus, broad beans, polenta chips, goats feta, truffle honey dressing & crispy shallots

A really lovely, hearty veggie dish. The truffle honey was such a nice touch and I adored it with the creamily tangy goats cheese and salty shallots. The veggies were all done well and the polenta chips added a nice textural element.

I wish we could have stayed for dessert, but Little Miss was having none of it.

The service was excellent and really friendly. The staff were dressed in their own hipster attire which gave the place a really casual vibe.

I enjoyed the food, service and the atmosphere and will definitely be back for a date night or even brekky or lunch!

The Whoopie Pie Bakery - Camberwell - review

Ever since I had my beautiful daughter one year ago, I have been completely out of the 'foodie' loop; I wouldn't know what restaurant is hot, what's closed down and what's opened up on my own street. Needless to say, it's going to take me a while to catch up.

Just the other day, I found  myself with some time to spend, and used it to read some of my favourite food blogs. And whilst I was perusing Momo and Coco I was shocked to discover that not only had a Whoopie Pie store opened, but that it was merely a 10 minute drive away! After witnessing a whoopie pie explosion on American sites for so long,  I was so incredibly eager to finally sink my teeth into a whoopie pie, that as soon as my little girl had awoken, I had her dressed and out the door before she could even register that she had indeed, woken up. 

Taking Momo and Cocos review into account, here is what I selected.

Tiramisu

I don't drink coffee but this pie was my absolute favourite. It nailed the tiramisu flavours. The cake itself was that perfect balance of moist yet light and the butttercream frosting was sweet but not cloying. 

Chocolate peanut butter

Mr.M enjoyed this one the most. Whilst it was nice, I felt it could have had more of a peanut butter kick, the flavours were a little subdued for me.

Red Velvet

This was the least successful out of the selection for me, I found it lacked flavour.

Pistachio Rose Water

I was very eager to try this, as I LOVE rose. Alas, this turned out to be my second least favourite of the bunch. The pistachio made the cake a touch too crumbly and it lost its 'softness'. The rose however, was completely lacking. I really wanted that floral note to stand out, but I think, in order to suit everyone, they may have dialed down the flavours on this one.

Apple and Cinnamon

This was my second favourite of the day. The tart apple and heady cinnamon were wonderfully balanced, it was like a mouthful of apple pie. Really delicious.

Chocolate Salted Caramel (the kind owner generously gave me three small samples to try out).

I adore salted caramel, the saltier the better. Whilst the chocolate component was delicious, I felt the caramel could have used a touch more salt. That being said, it was still a delightful pie.

I thoroughly enjoyed the tiramisu and apple flavours, but unfortunately all of the family members who also sampled the goods found all of the pies to be TOO SWEET for them. I didn't think they were overly sweet at all, but then again, I am a sugar fiend.

The store definitely stands out with its vibrant red and white stripes (I am obsessed with red and white stripes at the moment.) Inside though, the decor felt a little too much like a bar/lounge to me with the dark leather sofas. I didn't feel as though I was in a bakery at all.

That aside, the packaging is divine and feels very upmarket.

The service is super friendly to the point that it took a good 20 minutes before I could even ask for the pies I wanted. I wasn't in a rush to be anywhere, so I enjoyed the chat. The counter display still had the previous day's whoopie pies on show which was a little off-putting as you don't know what the actual merchandise looks like (the older pies were dry and cracking and some flavours had sold out and weren't on display).

I, personally, would purchase a pie again, but as none of our company enjoyed them it would only be a snack for moi if I found myself in the neighborhood.