Sunny's Pizza - Aireys Inlet - review

As mentioned in my previous post, the selection of eateries in the picturesque town of Airey's Inlet is rather limited. 
On one rather rain-soaked bedraggled evening that neither of us wanted to venture out of our warm cave to search for food, we decided to order some pizza for a quick pick up.

Pot Luck - $15.50.

After a quick look on Urbanspoon I decided to try the much recommended Pot Luck which consists of tomato, rosemary, garlic, roasted potatoes, cherry tomatoes, pepper, parmesan and sea salt.
I was THRILLED with this pizza. It was absolutely delicious  The potatoes were perfectly tender and it had the right balance between salty and sweet. I have since ordered it every single time we have gone back down to Airey's. I don't even wish to try any other vegetarian pizza on offer.

Weekend at Gazza's- $17
Mango chutney, sweet chilli chicken, cashews, red onion and tzatziki

Mr.M was also very happy with his choice - full of flavour.

Chocolate and hazelnut calzone - $9.50

When we ordered this the first time it was everything you want a dessert calzone to be - the filling was unctuous chocolate delight. It was so incredibly delicious we ordered two the second night, however they couldn't have been more different. We thought perhaps they had been overcooked and the chocolate had seized so we rang Sunny's and asked if they could make another two However these were the same. We asked them why they were different and they told us they were using a new mixture which included a cake mixture  We have since tried them again and unfortunately it was once again, like the second mixtures - bland, not very chocolatey, lumpy. Such a shame.

We can't comment on the service as we have never dined in. But be warned that whatever they estimate for pick up, add another 5-10minutes on top.

Sunny's Pizza has become our favourite eatery in Airey's Inlet so far and the only one we have repeatedly gone back to. It's not just good pizza for Airey's, it's good pizza full stop.

Mister Bianco - Kew - review

Name: Mister Bianco


Address: 285 High st
Kew 3101
(03) 9853 6929


Food: Italian, Meidterranen


Average price: Entree: $12-$16, Mains: $24-$36, Dessert: $13-$16


Complimentary:  Bread rolls with marinated olives.

We ordered: Arancini with saffron, pea and smoked mozzarella $12

We ordered these based on the reviews of others, and were definitely glad we did. They were delicious. Generous portion for a starter too. They would be great as an entree for one person.


Crispy fried wagyu chilli beef with oregano leaves, parmesan wafer, celeriac remoulade + red pepper dressing $19 

Double baked goats cheese souffle, salad of candied walnuts, baby spinach leaves + salsa verde $17 

This was lovely and quite light. A little sweet but still pleasing.


Baked crepes ‘crespelle’ of ricotta + spinach, yellow tomato sugo + basil pesto $28 

A really generous serve, which I would never complain about. The dish was yummy but very rich and I found myself wanting more of the delicious pesto to cut through the heavy cheese. With a little more pesto this would be smashing, comforting food. Perfect for a chilly evening.


Braised lamb ‘eye of shoulder’ in red wine, creamed spatzle, savoury nut praline + glazed dried figs $37

Broccolini and green beans, parmesan + lemon crumbs $8

We received this order by accident and were given it for free anyway, which was nice. But otherwise a fairly standard dish, wouldn't order it personally.


mister bianco ‘vienetta’, chocolate semifreddo. hazelnut caramel crunch $16 


This got me salivating from the description, unfortunately it wasn't as nice as it sounded. The chocolate was too mellow and drowned beneath the somewhat bitter caramel. There wasn't much 'substance' to it.


“sfingi”, hot Italian donuts, ricotta candied cream $15

Oh boy, these were a sugar overload. I think because the other dishes we had eaten were already so rich, that when these came out we just couldn't eat more than one. Very sweet but well cooked.

Service: Good. The wait staff were lovely however the desserts took quite a while to come out compared to the first three dishes. We did however receive a side order by accident and were given it free of charge which was lovely.


Atmosphere: Modern, neutral tones. The restaurant has a minimal look with the bar running along one side. It is a touch on the small side, so tables are fairly close together.

Website: www.misterbianco.com.au

Hours: Fri & Sun noon-2.30pm
Daily 6pm-late

Would I return: Yes. With the generous serving size and delicious dishes I will definitely be back.

Colombo's - Balwyn - review

Name: Colombo's

Address: 250 Whitehorse Rd
Balwyn 
(03) 9836 6442
 
Food: Italian, Take away, Fast food

Average price: $7-$32 for dine in.

Complimentary: Nothing.

We ordered:
Main: Mushroom pizza
Tomato, cheese, onions, garlic,  mushroom, oregano

This was average. The base was slightly doughy and overall the flavours muted (mushrooms were as tasty as cardboard). After being spoilt with all of the gourmet pizza joints around the standard pizza is no longer satisfactory. Better than Pizza Hut but not Crust/Pizza Capers etc.

BBQ pork ribs with salad

Mr.M: I could only eat half of the ribs as they were horrible. The meat was gooey and the salad tasted old. The fact that this was almost $30 is ridiculous.

Dessert: Chocolate mousse

Supposedly homemade but this tasted like every other pizza places packet mousse - more about the cream and sugar than any real chocolate flavour. On a positive note the serving size was generous.

Service: OK. The food came out quickly but the waiters were barely seen even though they were all very friendly, no checking up on whether we liked it and you pour your water yourself. That said they were happy to box up any leftovers for us.

Atmosphere: Family budget. The atmosphere is pretty much the same as other restaurants of its ilk - think La Porchetta or Sofia's. In this particular branch the floors are tiled with wooden tables and chairs as well as an entire wall of sports memorabilia. The noise level depends on the number of patrons, at full capacity my guess is it would be quite loud.

Parking: Ample street parking as well as a Safeway car park across the road.

Website: www.colombos.com.au

Hours: Mon-Sun 11am-late

Would I return: Only if desperate, there are better lower budget fast food/dine in places out there.

il Sogno - Surrey Hills - review

Name: Il Sogno

Address: 512 Whitehorse Rd
Surrey Hills 3127 VIC
(03) 9830 1052

Food: Italian

Average price: Entree: $9-$17.90, Mains: $18-$32, Dessert: $10

Complimentary:  Nothing.

We ordered:  Entree: Bruschetta with roasted peppers & bocconcini - $12

This was plain; too simple, it needed something to balance the acidity of peppers, something to give it a flavour punch.

Pork & pistachio terrine, with wild figs & vincotto - $16.90

Mr.M: Fairly nice.

Main: Risotto with asparagus, peas, broccoli & zucchini with truffle oil - $26

The rice was extremely mushy and watery; it tasted almost exactly like what my mother used to cook up for our dogs (rice cooked in stock with diced veg). It wasn't creamy or al dente, it basically just tasted like stock, rice and bland veg. I barely ate any of it.

Tortellini veal with crushed peas & ricotta - $27

Mr.M: the pasta wasn't cooked around the edges and was quite thick, I didn't like this a whole lot.

Dessert: Lavender infused panna cotta with blueberries - $12

When you arrive you are given the spiel on how this restaurant is all about 'freshly made' and 'seasonal produce', so I'm not sure exactly how blueberries are seasonal in the middle of Winter (they also have peaches on the dessert menu too)...
The questionable seasonality aside the lavender flavour was gorgeous and paired well with blueberries. The panna cotta was touch soft texture wise but otherwise nice. I felt the dish needed something else though, maybe something with some crunch or more blueberries as the lavender panna cotta dominated.

Chocolate & hazelnut semifreddo - $13

Mr.M: I really liked this even though I needed a knife to cut through it.

Even though hubby liked it, to me this tasted exactly like those chocolate mousses you get from pizza places, but frozen. And frozen so solid that Mr.M had to request a knife just to be able to break a chunk off. The semifreddo tasted predominantly of cream/milk and sugar, with a hint of chocolate and hazelnut. And as mentioned it was hard to gauge the texture seeing as though it was frozen solid.

Service: OK. The service seemed a little scattered with most of the waiters hanging around a table of 8 joining in on their conversation. The food came out fairly quickly though and our water was kept topped up.

Atmosphere: Sleepy. Despite being told we only had one hour to eat on a Friday night the restaurant was only 30% filled and when we left was still the same. The restaurant patrons seemed to be predominantly older and dining in large parties. Most were regulars as the waiters sat around with them chatting whilst they ate. The decor is neutral with wooden tables covered in white linen and painted taupe wood panelling on the walls with framed coloured photographs of Italy and some hanging copper pots as decoration. The seats at the front windows will feel a huge draught whenever someone opens the door.

Parking: Ample. Plenty of street parking.

Website: http://www.ilsogno.com.au/

Hours: Thu-Fri noon-3pm
Tue-Sun 5pm-10pm

Would I return: No. The food was no better than what I cook at home and the pricing a little expensive for the quality you are getting.

Estivo - Kew - review

Name: Estivo

Address:
330 High St
Kew 3101 VIC
Phone: (03) 9853 1727

Food: ModOz, Italian
Average price: appetiser - $9, entrée - $18, main - $30, dessert - $13.


Complimentary:Bread with balsamic and olive oil

We ordered:
Mains: Vegetarian platter

The mushroom parmesan tart was lovely as were the mixed vegetables but I was slightly perplexed as to why the third component was a dollop of guacamole. For a main it was slightly small.

Aged angus tenderloin of beef, medley of vegetables a la Grecque, soubise sauce and rich veal glaze

Sides: Rosemary garlic potatoes

Gorgeous crunchy exterior with fluffy insides and a good sprinkling of salt.

Dessert: Chocolate fondant with raspberries and cream

For a chocolate cake, this was lovely, but a fondant it was not. There was no ooze whatsoever which was disappointing as I was expecting a fondant. The raspberries were also a little mushy and too scant to offer enough tartness to balance the heavy sweetness of the chocolate cake.

Affogato

Mr.M: Best I have had, loved the addition of Frangelico.

Service: Good. As there were no vegetarian options for either entree OR main the staff and chefs arranged something for me to eat.


Atmosphere: Smart neutral. The interior was a cool brown with neutral tones and artwork on the walls. There is downstairs and upstairs seating. There wasn't much noise at all considering the tables were almost full. The lighting was low but not too low.

Parking: Good. There is street parking along High St although it can get a little scarce on a Friday or Saturday night, but there are side streets.

Website: None.

Hours: Tue-Fri noon-3.30pm, Tue-Sat 6pm-10.30pm

Would I return: Yes. The food was decent and it is just down the road for me.

Georges - Camberwell - review

Name: Georges Restaurant Bar Cafe

Address:
819 Burke Rd
Melbourne, 3123

(03) 9882 0777

Food: International, Italian

Average price: $15 - 32 for mains.

Complimentary: Nothing.

We ordered:
Main: Chicken Parmigiana with chips - $23.95

Nanna loved this but she will love any Chicken Parma (hers was the one with ham).

Mr.M on the other hand found it to be an average parma.


Pea & haloumi fritters - $14.95

These were quite soft and full of mushy peas, which was fine as I quite enjoy mushy peas. The haloumi was cubed and therefore still very firm, I think it would have been better grated that way the saltiness would have been evenly spread throughout the pea fritters and the cheese would have been a little melted. The fritters were served with tomato and avocado with a yoghurt sauce and a slice of lemon. The acidity was definitely needed as the fritters are quite sweet on their own. Overall I quite enjoyed this dish.

Dessert: Creme Brulee 

As soon as I saw the topping I knew it wouldn't 'crack' beneath my spoon and I was right. Therefore it failed the first test which is a hard, toffee crust.  The second test is the custard. I prefer a vanilla flecked, not overly sweet, with smooth, not too firm but not too liquid texture. This, whilst gorgeously vanilla flecked, was a touch too liquid for me. Instead of leaving a white space once a spoonful had been scooped out the custard slowly began to viscously ooze into the space. Whilst not a great creme brulee it also wasn't the worst I have had. I still ate the lot.

Lemon tart

Nanna and Madame A both thoroughly enjoyed this dish, having ordered it for the second time.

Cost: $136.50 for 4 mains, two desserts and two cafe lattes.

Service: OK. Food came out pretty fast but we had to ask to have our water refilled.

Atmosphere: Cafe-esque. Despite being one of the more 'upmarket' eating establishments on Burke rd it still has a very typical cafe feel of that hustle and bustle and medium noise level. On the plus side the tables are decently spaced apart and the seating comfortable. The decor is neutrals with mostly dark brown tones and charcoal walls.

Parking: Limited metered street parking, but there is nearby 2hour free parking at Target etc around the corner on Prospect Hill Road.

Website: None.

Hours: Open Daily 10am-11pm

Would I return: Yes - for a cafe style lunch it was rather good and reasonably priced. They have recently opened a more 'refined' and therefore expensive restaurant on the second level.

Centonove - Kew - review

Name: Centonove
109 Cotham Rd
Kew 3101 VIC

Phone: (03) 9817 6468

Food: Italian, ModOz
Average price: Entree: $18-24, Mains: $29-42, Dessert: $13-14

Complimentary: Bread with olive oil.

We ordered: Mother's Day 3course menu for $45 each. Thanks to Blogger deleting almost all of my drafts, I have to go by memory as I no longer my original notes.


Entree: Cauliflower soup

Smooth, creamy soup with a slight sweetness and subtle cauliflower taste. It was a lovely soup.

Beetroot salad

Madame A: My entree Baby beets with blue vein cheese and walnuts was delicious. I loved the delicate sweetness of the baby beets being paired with the tangy piquant flavor of the blue vein cheese. The 'crunchiness' of freshly light roasted walnuts brought the dish together adding a subtle roasted flavor to blend with the sweet and tang. It was a little on the 'scarce' side.

Beef carpaccio salad

My Nanna loved this. She said it had just the right amount of meat.

Main: Onion jam & taleggio risotto

It had a great balance between the jammy sweetness of the onion and the saltiness of the cheese. The rice was cooked well and I enjoyed it as a dish.

Swordfish

Madame A: My main meal of grilled swordfish with green peppercorns on radiccio salad was also delicious. The swordfish was a respectable portion and was perfectly cooked, slightly moist, bursting with freshness and flavor and perfectly complimented by the green peppercorns that were not overly 'peppery' in flavor which was nice. I was pleasantly surprised with the warm radiccio salad. It was lightly tossed in fish broth which added to the overall flavour.

Veal

Nanna loved this also.

Side: Garlic & rosemary roasted potatoes - $9

The potatoes had that perfect texture of crunchy outer and soft fluffy center. Whilst I loved the aromatic rosemary and caramelised garlic I felt the potatoes were just slightly oversalted.

Dessert: Yoghurt pannacotta with rhubarb

I'm not normally a fan of pannacotta but this one had the perfect amount of firmness and wobble. It was creamy and slightly tangy and paired well with the tartly sweet rhubarb, delicate but satisfying.

Madame A: it was delicious. Light and well set and a perfectly balanced flavour, not too sweet, not too sharp.

Cost: $144 - for three Mother's Day Menus and 1 side dish.

Service: OK - there was a long wait in between meals, it took 1.5hours to get the three dishes. We were also served out tea and coffee 10mins before desserts came out which I thought was odd.

Atmosphere: Chilled but classy. The decor is dark, modern and elegant with a large chandelier, marble topped bar and pieces of marble in the red concrete floor. The lower level is cramped compared to upstairs which is filled with light from the large windows, the tables are also spaced decently apart.


Parking: Ample - there is decent street parking.

Website: http://www.centonove.com.au/centonove.htm

Hours: Tue-Sat 11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm

Would I return: Yes. Nanna has declared this her favourite restaurant.

Madame A: The setting, the seating, the ambiance, the service, the timing of serving the meals was all faultless. 5* I would absolutely go back and highly recommend it. Loved it!