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.

Loquat - Sorrento - review

Name: Loquat

Address: 3183 Point Nepean Road Sorrento, VIC 3943
03 5984 4444

Food: ModOz, Mediterranean

Average price: Entree: $8-$15, Mains: $19-$32, Dessert: $8-$14

Complimentary:  bread with olives and butter.

We ordered:
Entree: Red Hill 'goat cheese souffle, pear salad, beetroot and ginger puree 

This was really lovely. The flavours complimented each other and it was well executed.

Dill & vanilla cured king salmon with tangelo, nasturtium, red onion & crisp capers 

Main: Pork trio balsamic glazed pork belly, sous vide fillet, pork & sage sausage, red cabbage & cider braised apple 

Pasta with vegetables

I was quite surprised at how tasty this was, and then delighted at the generous serving size.


Dessert: callebaut chocolate fondant, honeycomb, orange ganache, blueberries w vanilla icecream

Pretty good fondant with a nice oozy center.

Yellow peach creme brulee, with yellow peach ice cream and honey snap wafer

This was the let down for me. The crust didn't have that wonderful crack and the brulee was rather tasteless, like a very plain flavourless custard.

Service: OK. 
Whilst the waiters were very friendly we resorted to getting up to refill our water and the food towards the end became slow to come out.

Atmosphere: Cosy with dark tones nestled amongst loquat trees. Fairly casual vibe.

Website: http://loquat.homestead.com/index.html

Hours: Winter Thu-Sun 6pm-10pm
summer Mon-Sun 6pm-10pm

Would I return: Yes.

La Petanque - Main Ridge - review

Name: La Petanque

Address: 1208 Mornington-Flinders Rd
Main Ridge 3928 VIC
Phone: (03) 5931 0155

Food: European, French and Mediterranean
Average price: Entree: $15-$30, Mains: $29-$44, Dessert: $16-$25, Degustation menu: 5 courses, $90
Set menu: 3 courses, $79

Complimentary:  Bread with marinated olives, Olive oil & balsamic.

The olives and balsamic were so delicious we asked for more.

Chocolate brownie

The brownie tasted stale and was overly sweet.

We ordered: Thanks to Blogger deleting almost all of my drafts, I have to go by memory as I no longer my original notes.
Entree: Vegetable soup

Good old honest creamy soup. The basil oil was a nice touch. Mine didn't come with the goat's curd as it was unpasteurised so I had to leave it out.

Terrine of Gippsland farmed rabbit, pancetta, prune and pistachio with onion marmalade and cornichons

Mr.M enjoyed this dish.

Main: Flinders Tomato tart and French goat cheese, Devon Meadows green, parmesan foam and thyme pesto

Nice simple flavours, nothing super exciting though. The tomatoes were a touch bland but otherwise nice enough dish.

Mickleham duck breast, poached quince, Shoreham honey and star anise jus

Dessert: Soft centered Valrhona chocolate biscuit, almond praline anglaise and Tahiti vanilla bean ice cream

The fondant was delicious. The ice creama nd almond creme anglaise were also lovely and subtle but were smothered beneath rich oozy chocolate. Great dish.

Caramelised Red Hill apple crêpe, Calvados crème chiboust, green apple sorbet

The crepes were rubbery and the fresh apple sorbet and cooked apples didn't mesh. I didn't really like it at all.

Cost:  $158 ($79each) for 3 course lunch.

Service: OK. Waiters were great, received more of that balsamic when asked, however the kitchen was extremely slow. we were almost falling asleep in between meals despite the restaurant only being half full. the waits were far too long between each course, we ended up becoming antsy in anticipation for our food to arrive.

Atmosphere: Sunday lunch relaxed. Simple almost barn like decor with focus on the outside winery views. The petanque pitch is a nice touch.

Parking: Ample onsite parking.

Website: www.lapetanque.com.au/

Hours: Mon-Sun noon-3pm
Fri-Sat noon-3pm, 6.30pm-11pm

Would I return: No, the service was far too slow and there are other great places to try in the area.

Barrio - Ivanhoe - review

Name: Barrio
 
Address:77 Upper Heidelberg Road
Ivanhoe VIC 3079
(03) 9499 9907

Food: Mediterranean, Enlish
Average price: Entree: $11.90-$19, Mains: $24-$34, Dessert: $10-$15

Complimentary: A slice of bread.

We ordered:
Starter: Mediterranean tasting plate - a selection of house made appetisers, with grilled chorizo, roasted pepper and onion salad,  white fish ceviche, spiced chicken bisteeya - $17.9

The spiced chicken bisteeya very nice but the fallafel a little burnt on the outside.

Mains:  Pumpkin gnocchi with sage burnt butter sauce, marinated goats cheese and rocket - $25

The gnocchi was wonderfully soft but quite sweet. I would have liked more goats cheese to add saltiness and creamyness to cut through the sage oil as well. But all in all, it was a nice dish.

Twice cooked western plains pork belly 'feijoada' style, chorizo and beans, boneless rib on portuguese bbq sauce, sweet carrot, mint and cabbage salad - $29

Mr.M (formerly known as R) thought it was ok.

400g hereford prime m.s.a. grade rib eye, char-grilled with potato puree, glazed shallots and red wine jus  - $34

Both D & A enjoyed this. Large enough to share.

Sides: Rocket, pear & parmesan salad - $7

Simple, but well dressed, would have liked a greater percentage of pear and parmesan though.

French fries - $7 

Desserts: Trifle, seasonal fruit, vanilla sponge, crème patissiere, jelly and crushed meringue - $14

A & K enjoyed this.

Soft-centred chocolate pudding with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel sauce - $14

This was a great pudding; perfectly molten on the inside with a nice chocolate depth. The ice cream was a little too subtle on the vanilla but nicely creamy. The caramel sauce wasn't dark enough and therefore more like sugar syrup.

Rocky road ice cream sandwich - vanilla ice cream sandwiched between chocolate biscuit, home-made marshmallow, cherry, and almond praline - $14

D liked this.

Cost: $218.80 for two starters, 4 mains, 2 sides & 4 desserts.

Service: Not great. Our glasses remained empty for long periods of time and our dirty plates were left on the table too long.

Atmosphere: Typical modern. Set within an old fire station the decor was neutral with some leather booths and black chandeliers to accent. We were in a small side room that made us feel a little disconnected from the main room which had a more lively atmosphere.

Parking: Ample - decent amount of street carparking, as well as a Safeway carpark across the road.

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

Hours: Tue-Sat 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm; Sun 9:30am-3pm

Would I return: Yes.

The Groove Train - Doncaster

Name: The Groove Train

Address:
Westfield Doncaster
Suite 2002 Level 2
619 Doncaster Rd
Doncaster 3108 VIC

Phone: (03) 9840 6466

Food: Italian, Mediterranean, Cafe,
Average price: Entrée: $12.50-$16.90
Mains: $13.50-$32.50
Desserts: $10

Complimentary:  Nothing.

We ordered:

Starters: Groovy eggplant chips - $12.90
parmesan crumbed & stacked on a balsamic reduction, served with aioli

Immediately I was hoping for a little more balsamic to go with the enormous stack of eggplant batons - and it was needed as the batons, whilst perfectly cooked, were oily and heavy. They needed the creamy aioli (which was more like watery mayonnaise) and bitey balsamic to balance it out. It has potential.

Crunchy burschetta - $11.90
ripe tomatoes marinated with Spanish onion and basil, set on chunky pesto ciabatta, topped with shaved Parmesan

R, S and D liked the balance of the flavours, the only problem was that the bread was soggy upon arrival and therefore didn't contribute that 'crunchiness' that was needed (and implied).

Fried calamari - $15.90
floured with lemon pepper and lightly fried, garnished with salad and fresh lemon, serves with tartare sauce and chips

R said this was really nice.

Mains: Pan-fried gnocchi - $18.90
with spinach, roasted pumpkin and sage, laced with cream and parmesan cheese

This was a generous serving and I did struggle to finish (that's not a bad thing). The gnocchi was perfectly toothsome, although it did lack that golden crispness of a pan-fried gnocchi, if I wasn't expecting them to be pan-fried then I would have found them to be perfectly cooked. The cream sauce was nice but I wish there had been more spinach, sage and pumpkin to balance out the portion of gnocchi.

Desserts: Baci chocolate cake - $9.40

This was ENORMOUS - great value for money. I had mine served with cream (very light cream). The cake was thick, rich, chocolatey and satisfying. Although be warned, you may need to share to finish it.

Apple pie - $9.90

S and D said this was nice, although a little plain (lacked spices). Theirs was served with ice cream.

Cost: $78.90 for three entrees, one main and two desserts.


Service: Average. We had to ask for our water to be refilled and the slice of cake took 20mins to come out due to a 'mix up' - even though the waitress asked for it three times before we received it. One of our entrees came out as a main by mistake but they only charged us the entrée price when we told them it was the wrong size.

Atmosphere: Casual with great views. The entire back wall of the open restaurant is floor to ceiling glass with sweeping views towards over the valley. The noise level is loud as it is surrounded by other restaurants and a foyer.


Parking: Ample - it's in Westfield Doncaster Shoppingtown so there is ample parking - it's free for the first 3 hours or if you spend over $200 in the centre.

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

Hours: Daily 8am-10pm (hours vary on weekends)

Would I return: Yes - it's a decent 'shopping centre' eatery.

MoMo - Grand Hyatt - Melbourne

Name: MoMo
Lower Plaza Level (Grand Hyatt Hotel)
123 Collins St
Melbourne 3000 VIC

Phone: (03) 9650 0660

Food: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Average price: They have $100 and $140 degustation menus. Entree: $17-$26, Mains: $30-$40, Dessert: $16-$20

Complimentary: 4 pieces of bread with crudites and a pomegranate molasses oil.

The bread was fluffy and warm, perfect for tearing and dipping. The vegetables were carrots, cucumber, capsicum and radicchio. The pomegranate molasses gave the oil a lovely tart sweetness.

Tomatoes with sumac and cheese

Nice, refreshing, and simple, clean flavours.

We ordered the $100pp Arabesque menu for four, one vegetarian:

Entrees: prawns in olive brioche crumbs with Turkish style shredded celeriac salad with feta

I could tell by my husband's expression that this dish was a winner. In R's words - they were awesome.

Golden lentil stew with scallops, mussels and Syrian pepper noodles 

Although it was spicy everyone enjoyed this dish.

Silky hummus asparagus, feta and softer herbs with green olive toast

The hummus was smooth and the flavours melded well although I wasn't sold on the thin, crisp bread toasts. I think I would have preferred a fluffy bread.

Hazelnut falafel, mint cucumber salad and sesame yoghurt sauce

Traditional flavour and exactly what I was expecting.

Mains: Veiled quail covered in leaves with chorizo pine nut stuffing and mustard whipped feta

R was a little disappointed in this variation (it wasn't as crispy) as he enjoyed this immensely on his previous visit. That being said, S, who had an extreme 'quail aversion' thought it was good.

Venison roasted rare with cinnamon, ginger and black pepper, warm baba ganoush with scarmoza cheese

There was an issue with this dish. The venison came out cold and medium well so it was sent back to be served hot - but after reheating it came back well done and devoid of juice. Despite the disappointing texture, everyone remarked that the flavours were good.
I adored the smoky baba ganoush - such a taste sensation.

Spiced eggplant tagine, cous cous and herbed labneh

This was full of flavour, spice and everything nice. The herbed labneh helped to cool the warm elements. The chickpeas and cous cous added textural intrigue and overall it was a homey but satisfying dish.

White cabbage with sticky rice fig stuffing, shankleesh cheese egg and pine nut sauce

I enjoyed this dish but I didn't taste sticky fig in it? Overall it was quite a savoury, salty dish with some softer, sweeter elements.

Sides: Button mushrooms with shankleish and spring onions

These were yummy and the accompanying spring onions and cheese suited the mushrooms well, however the mushrooms were a little rubbery in texture.

Leek, currant and aged feta spanakopita with pear herb salad

I adored this on our previous visit but this time the pastry was a little too overdone and tasted powdery and a touch burnt whilst the filling had dehydrated somewhat making the cheese a little dry - other than that it was nice.


Malouf's tabbouleh with hazelnuts

R liked this.

Dessert: pears, orange, persimmon, pomegranate, passionfruit with pineapple anise sorbet

 

As soon as S saw this arrive she could barely refrain from tucking in. Refreshing, light and with a lovely fresh sorbet. Presentation was gorgeous. Couldn't pick up on the anise flavour though...

Vanilla bean-rose mousse, strawberry marshmallow and poppyseed crisp

I found the mousse was a little heavy and overpowered the soft marshmallow and crisp with its heaviness. The marshmallow itself was very delicate.

Halva macaroon, toffeed sesame seeds with honey, citrus and saffron jelly

I loved the chewy halva macaroon (great shell and feet), and I'm not a fan of macaroons which I find are generally too sweet. The sesame seed was yum. What perplexed me was the jelly, whilst I liked it and could taste the citrus but I wouldn't pick that it had honey or saffron from taste alone, that said I enjoyed it but D didn't.

Milk chocolate orange blossom ice cream, mandarin granita, pistachio wafer


I could have sworn the ice cream was jasmine - I'm a little shocked it was orange blossom unless it was changed and the menu wasn't amended with it as I could not taste milk chocolate either...
I found it a little too heavily perfumed for me (and I adore florals) and could not eat more than 2 or 3 spoonfuls. The wafer was crisp and delicious though and the texture of the ice cream was spot on.


Cost: $422 for four Arabesque menus and one glass of wine.

Service: OK - our water was never more than half empty, and the waiters were proficient and courteous, however our venison dish came out cold and D's wine took a while to arrive.

Atmosphere: Calm luxury. The decor is really gorgeous; From the dazzling Swarovski crystals hanging like stalactites from the ceiling to the lattice work windows and etched glass and velour walls - even the floral arrangements are lovely. The lighting was a little low but not enough to put you to sleep. The temperature became a little chilly towards the end of the evening. The seats are spaced well but the noise level is increased slightly by the nearby Spice Market Bar. Do check out the bathrooms ladies - they are a great place to have a chat whilst you powder your nose - nice lighting too :)


Parking: Hotel carpark - the hotel has a large underground carpark at a flat rate of $10 or $5per hour on weekends - otherwise you can chance a limited street park.

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

Hours: Tue-Sat 6pm-10.30pm

Would I return: Yes - the servings are generous and you never leave hungry.