Smoky Winter Warmer

We're well onto the final month of winter now. Have to grab every opportunity to indulge in cold weather comfort foods while scarves and coats remain necessary attire for the evening journey home around the city's train platforms and tram stops. For us tonight, it's smoked ham, bean and vegetable soup...and not courtesy of Campbell's.

I wasn't able to resist the purchase of a whole smoked ham hock from our favourite Queen Vic Market deli over the weekend. There was a bunch of them hanging over our heads as we pondered over cheeses, beckoning...beckoning. Anyway, to acompany it in the largest pot in our kitchen were sliced onion and garlic sweated in light olive oil, a shake of paprika, cubed potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, sprigs of fresh thyme, a can of diced tomatoes, a couple of fistfuls of legumous soup mix (assorted beans and lentils) soaked and softened overnight, and water enough to submerse the lot. Extract the ham after simmering for a couple of hours, remove the skin (we couldn't help dicing up a little for extra decadence) and slice off the meltingly tender and pink meat from the bone to return to the pot. A final swirl and it was served garnished with a sparing dollop of cream (or perhaps Greek yoghurt if you must), finely chopped spring onion and parsley, and an optional pinch of dried chilli flakes. Hardly any seasoning required, perhaps a pinch of salt and a couple of cracks of black pepper. The hock was enough to impart plenty of robust flavour. In fact before use, I'd pre-rinsed it in plenty of cold water brought to a rolling boil for five or so minutes to temper possible over saltiness and smokiness.

Supped while steaming hot with warm crusty buttered bread. Healthier than a Cuban stogie. Perhaps.

The True Meaning of Food

On a recent weekend, a group of us had the good fortune to be invited to a friend's family home for a Lebanese and Middle Eastern feast. For me it was gastronomic heaven because not only did I get to sample many dishes that I have not had the opportunity to try before, I also got to interrogate our gracious hostess (I hope under not too much sufferage) on details of their ingredients and methods of preparation. Our friend MS, is one of those amazing women that manages to fit into her life events and responsibilities that appear incomprehensible to the rest of us lesser mortals...a full-time working professional, active community member, social educator, mother of four delightful children, talented artist (she paints wonderful watercolour still-lifes that reminisce on the beauty of nature and the vibrant colours of her family's ethnic heritage) and of course as we have discovered, a fabulous cook of the diverse cuisine originating from that same heritage. Did I mention that there's a PhD in reproductive biology somewhere in the midst of all that as well? We arrived in time to catch MS pulling the final dishes from her oven and knew we were in for some meal. However first to catch my eye was the large serving-bowl of fattoush, a Lebanese salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, radish and lettuce tossed together with torn pieces of pita bread freshly crisped under the grill. A lemon and oil dressing was mixed through just before serving. But the salad was merely a teaser for the parade of dishes that were making their way to the dining table.

Clockwise along the table's periphery from bottom left was pickled khiar (cucumbers) to kickstart our tastebuds and whet the appetite. Then there were several bowls of tasty sides including salset taheeni (a sauce based on tahini or sesame paste), a condiment of dry roasted almonds and pine nuts and my favourite, a smoky dip of batanjane mtabbal (variation of smoked eggplant dip or baba ghannouj blended with tahini). Set me aside with just a bowl of this drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and some warmed pita bread and I'll be more than a happy camper! Moving onto the main dishes, there was a bag-roasted spiced leg of lamb which was served on a platter with corn kernels, steamed broccoli florets and roasted mushrooms. The meat was cooked to well-done but remained tender and succulent. Next was sayyadieht samak (roasted fish stewed with rice and pine nuts), a Lebanese "fisherman's dish" spiced with cumin, pepper and lemon. Following that was a huge platter of rice cooked with lamb mince that was also used as stuffing for the dajjaj mahshi (stuffed chicken). Three impressive roasted spatchcocks were perched on top of rice that was soaking up their roasting juices...delicious! A series of non-meat dishes included a yummy hummus (a garlicky dip of chickpea purée with tahini) which was declared by the one true vegetarian among us, and veteran of many a hummus, to be the best she'd ever had. Then there was libb el kousa, a dish to use up the excavated inner flesh of Lebanese zucchinis by frying them up with onions, garlic and spices. Working towards the centre of the table was a dish of bamieh, an intriguing tomato-based stew that celebrates the okra, those interesting hairy finger-like vegetable pods that break down on cooking to help thicken sauces. And last on MS's heavily stressed dining table that was creaking under the weight of all that food, was a centrepiece platter filled with warak inab bi lahme (stewed vine leaves stuffed with rice and minced lamb) and kousa mahshi, stuffed lebanese zucchinis stewed with tomatoes and roasted lamb.

Phew, truly an Arabic feast! There were more than ten of us there but even when none of us could possibly fit any more food into our bulging bellies, there hadn't seemed to be much of a dent made into the vast array of food that MS had laid out. We could only imagine the hard work she would've gone through in preparing this meal for her guests as we listened to stories on the preparation of warak inab and the other dishes. The stuffed vine leaves are a favourite of MS's family, usually a treat reserved for special occasions because of the tedious preparation involved in stuffing and rolling up the petite cigar-shaped treasures. All of her children's eyes lit up when the rolled vines were first tumbled onto the serving platter. They couldn't get enough of it and who could blame them? All of us could not only taste the delicious spices and flavours of those dishes, but were also able to savour the care, dedication, warmth of family and kind hospitality that went into them. Surely the true meaning of food.

Did any of you think that food was over for the night? Ah but I haven't even got onto the desserts yet, which were another impressive array of traditional Lebanese treats that MS wanted for us to try. Pictured are basma, semolina cakes stuffed with pistachios and soaking with syrup and lemon blossom essence; and mouth-watering awwameh (literally 'that which floats'), yeasty balls of flour and potato dough that had been deep-fried till floating and golden then dipped in syrup. Wow...both sweets were new to me and perfect over strong coffee or tea. Needless to say the mood was light and a pleasant evening was had by all. The night continued with the kids pulling volunteers towards the lounge room for SingStar duels on the Playstation...but that experience is probably better left untold.

Thanks MS for the food, great hospitality and the Middle Eastern food education!

Fish at New Quay - Fish Bar

We got the chance to give the fish'n'chips from Dockland's Fish Bar a taste test over the weekend. It was a rare sunny couple of days after continuous weeks of miserable wintry weather so not wanting to miss any opportunity to bask somewhere in some sunshine, we got ourselves down to Docklands to have a wander round late-ish Sunday afternoon. We seldom find much cause to visit the Docklands district, Melbourne's waterfront homage to high-density urban living for the wealthy and centre of gravity for graduates from the cold and soulless school of modern architecture. But there are points of interest here for average folks like ourselves, such as the city's much maligned second home (stadium) for Aussie Rules Football. There are also some interesting sculptural installations and more importantly from the current point of view, a quite eclectic collection of restaurants and eateries.

The Docklands area is frequently a howling maze of wind tunnels and last Sunday was no exception. We did manage a brief dalliance with the sun along the boardwalks but once it'd lost its standoff with the lengthening shadows of the surrounding apartment highrises, we were eager to find somewhere sheltered for a bite to eat. Fish Bar is a liquor-licensed fish and chippery (love that term) and sushi bar that occupies an impressive new-age kiosk-like structure seemingly perched over water at the NewQuay precinct. Seafood cooked to order can either be taken away, or eaten on premises on light aluminium furniture set up within a large shaded area outside. By luck or design, the area outside Fish Bar offered a calm enough spot away from the brunt of the rather icy winds while still remaining outdoors so we were persuaded to stop. We ordered the Seafood Pack ($17.50) which consisted of a serving of chips topped with 3 large crumbed calamari rings, 2 each of battered scallops and prawns, and a fillet of generic fish (the ubiquitous blue grenadier). We also got an additional fillet of Flake (gummy shark) ($5.95) to fill in the gaps. The fish could be cooked either battered, crumbed or grilled so we chose to try ours battered.

As far as a civilised meal of Fish and Chips go, what we had at Fish Bar was pretty good. The seafood served casually on open cardboard-containers was not too greasy and had spent just the right amount of time in the fryer...clean tasting cottonseed oil is used. Our fillets of fish were lightly veiled with a crisp, almost tempura-like batter which we thought was excellent, and the fish were obviously fresh with tasty flakes of moist flesh. The rest of the seafood was also quality; firm plump scallops with rich coral still attached, fresh tasting prawns and large but tender rings of real calamari. The traditional square-cut chips didn't let the pack down either, crispy exteriors and soft inside...no pedestrian over-fried shoestrings anywhere in sight here!

It was past the meal-time peak and quiet when we visited but the counter-cum-kitchen staff were young, efficient and amiable, one cheerfully helped me bring our meal to the table outside. Fish Bar also offers a choice of salads if you desire something green with your fry-up, and beers and wines are available to accompany your meal. Not exactly fish'n'chips on butcher's paper at the beach with a shimmering ocean as backdrop but not a bad spot for some people watching over fried seafood all the same.

Food: 4.5 spots - Good fish and chips.
Service: 3.5 spots.
Value: 3.5 spots - Not bad for upmarket fry-up.
R-Factor: 4 spots.
Spot Score: 16/20

Fish Bar
25 NewQuay Promenade, Docklands, VIC.

A Light on the Bay - belleZain

We stumbled upon belleZain Restaurant and Bar in Port Melbourne back on the Queen's Birthday long weekend, now a distant month ago! Feeling guilty for procrastinating indoors the entire day before, KB and myself had decided to spend Sunday with a slow drive down the length of the Mornington Peninsula. We spent a pleasant enough afternoon revisiting those bayside townships of Rye, Sorrento and Portsea although to be honest, with the jostling long weekend crowds they were more evocative in name than experience. However a walk we took around Point Nepean afforded us with some escape from the masses and good views of the Bay near the point of its escape into the Southern Ocean. I remember it being a rather bleak day, with a persistent chill in the air and a grey limpid sea that one learns to expect on a day at the beach in Victoria (slight lament from an expatriated Queenslander). We had been prepared and were appropriately wrapped for the weather but when the weak sun finally gave up for the day it was definitely time to find somewhere warm for a good hearty meal.

BelleZain wasn't initially on our cards for dinner. As we drove back down the coastal highway towards Melbourne we'd somehow missed the turn-off to the first place we'd thought to try and our second choice was inexplicably closed, on Sunday evening of the long weekend no less! In fact, we were all but resigned to heading back to a familiar 'cheap and cheerful' in the city when we spied the neon cursive of belleZain and decided to make a hasty U-turn. The restaurant was tenanted within an apartments development with an enviable location, separated from sand and sea only by Beach Road and with a clear outlook towards Station Pier. One can almost imagine whiling a warm summer's afternoon away on its large patio with beer in hand. Almost...because on that night I had fumbled with stiff fingers at a taut zipper in a hurried attempt to get us in through the clear PVC awning that protected the entrance of the restaurant from the biting evening chill! Inside was a modern chic bistro typical of many such establishments located in Port Melbourne. Basically, a dimly lit palette of chocolate, beige and burgundy interspersed with stained timber slatting and white linened tables. A continuous benchseat with a backing of large cushions ran the length of the floor-to-ceiling glass frontage, demarcated only by the separated table settings.

Lovely bayside views looking towards Station Pier from belleZain's doorstep. Not a bad place to grab last drinks and a decent meal before boarding that ferry for Tasmania!

The menu revealed that belleZain was available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and probably anytime in between. There was a selection of bistro type offerings which showed an attempt at lifting them above the usual standard fare and a section dedicated to semi-gourmet pizzas ($15-$19), suggesting that the place wouldn't be a bad choice for a daytime family stopover. Once the sun has set however, the feel was definitely 'adult' with an alluring bar dominating one end of the room and a large Specials Board at the other offering a more sophisticated selection of Mains and a choice of $14 cocktails. Both our Mains came from the Specials Board, from which I selected the Chargrilled Ribeye Steak with Vegetable Ratatouille and Red Onion Relish ($29) and KB the Spicyed (sic) Pressed Pork Shoulder and Potato Puree and Sauce aigre-doux ($29). We also ordered the Whitebait with Fresh Green Herbs and Preserved Lemon ($8) and the Deep Fried Goats Cheese and Sage Arancini ($9) to start, and a Pear, Rocket and Parmesan Salad ($7) to accompany our meal. Nice thick slices of bread with the requisite saucer of olive oil and swirl of balsamic arrived after orders were taken. Despite the intriguing list of cocktails and a wine list however, I settled for a local beer ($6). The chill had finally started to dissipate from our toes.

Truthfully, we weren't expecting much from the food as the one or two other bar-type restaurants we'd been to in the area, namely at nearby Station Pier, had been pretentiously overpriced while delivering totally unremarkable fare. So we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the dishes at belleZain. The goat's cheese arancini were nice and crispy on the outside and crumbly and soft in the middle, with each golden ball topped with a fried sage leaf. Even better were the whitebait which were crunchily more-ish and served abit differently tossed with a light scattering of dry-roasted chilli flakes and fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley. However the so-called preserved lemon was more like a scatter of not particularly thinly julienned raw lemon rind, and had to be picked aside as they were too hard and bitter to be eaten. On to the Mains, my medium-rare ribeye was chargrilled on the bone and laid over a bed of diced roasted vegetables and was delicious, although a minor misjudgement meant that some of the meat clinging to the bone was a tad on the blue side. But the combination of hard-to-see dim lighting and a very tasty garnish of sweated onion relish made me forget about that and continue to pick at it anyway. KB's dish consisted of a tight, meaty roll of cleverly marinated pork (we guessed at hints of five-spice) that was pan roasted to perfection, with filigrees of golden crispiness encasing the medium-cooked and very succulent meat within. The sauce aigre-doux (sour-sweet) was a faintly sweet balsamic-like vinaigrette which together with the drizzle of pan juices and creamy mashed potato, perfectly rounded out this surprisingly remarkable dish. Our generous bowl of salad was also well constructed, with a nicely subtle dressing binding together the dependable combination of rocket leaves, sweet pear slices and savoury Parmesan shavings. After the fine meal we were contented to linger a little longer for a coffee, so it was an added bonus to find that the restaurant hadn't just invested on a decent chef but also had a good barista on board. KB's flat-white ($3.50) had a strong creamy hit of caffeine and was served at the perfect temperature, hot enough to warrant a little caution at the lips without being scalding. This was remarkable only because so many places, including dedicated coffee dens, frequently can only come up with lukewarm and weak white coffees. As for me I'd splurged on the Affogato ($9), which arrived on a platter balancing a ramekin of vanilla ice cream, a shot of strong espresso and a shotglass of Amaretto (liqueur of choice). I must say I enjoyed these, using the style of a scoop of this followed by a sip of that or the other.

Service at belleZain was casual and efficient, despite there being only a limited number of wait-staff (two) servicing an evening that progressively got quite busy. But here is its main downside...the restaurant has the potential of being quite an intimate evening treat with its handsome look and decent food, so it's really a shame that it tries to cramp too many tables into its layout and so separate table settings are way too close to each other. Such is the proximity of neighbouring tables that one really does feel that personal space has been invaded, not exactly a relaxing way to dine. Just to press the point, to one side of us a group of elderly regulars that had arrived later struck up a conversation among themselves, and then with us, on the merits of our menu choices. "We should get some of the whitebait too, it's always delicious here...Isn't it?" Just as well we could agree wholeheartedly!

Food: 4 spots - Honest attempt at creativity and quality not typical of bar-restaurants.
Service: 3.5 spots.
Value: 3.5 spots - Cheaper meals can be found in pubs around the area but not bad value for more formal dining and a chic place for drinks with a view in Port Melbourne.
Returnability(R) Factor: 3.5 spots - Could well do.
Spot Score: 15/20

belleZain Restaurant and Bar
1 Beach Road, Port Melbourne, VIC.

DigiCamera Lucida

Being new to the blogging universe, my posts so far have been rather mono-medium. There are several reasons for this but initially, I'd only wanted to treat the moments I get to spend with Spot4Nosh as a kind of memo or diary of our dining experiences and an outlet to get prose out of my system. But I've decided that when writing about food, you really can't argue with that old adage that a picture really is worth a thousand words! After all, the first sections I look through in any cookbook or recipe card are the pictures. And some of the beautiful and mouth watering photos presented by other Food Blogs out there are truly inspirational. So I present here the first picture for Spot4Nosh, although taken of what we'd cooked at home for dinner tonight rather than at a restaurant. But one has to get in some practice first right?

Slow braised belly pork and shiitake mushrooms in red braising stock with chilli and palm sugar caramelised red onions.

The dish wasn't prepared to any particular rigid instructions which is the way I prefer to cook, but inspiration came from a Kylie Kwong recipe. After an hour or so of braising in the oven, the lengths of belly pork and the reconstituted mushrooms were beautifully tender and infused with the warmth of star anise and cinnamon quills used in the braising liquid. A light garnish with thinly sliced birdseye chilli (and chopped curly parsley in this case) added refreshing but not overpowering points of heat and zest to cut through the richness. The use of palm sugar for caramelisation added a mellow rich sweetness to the sauce. Absolutely went down very well with piping hot plain steamed rice and a side of barely blanched snowpeas.

Hopefully I will get into the habit of carrying a camera around at opportune moments from now on. Meanwhile some older posts may yet score an accompanying retrospective photo, if possible. But I don't think I'll go crazy with the pictures though, since I don't go eating out for the purpose of blogging and I started this for the love the writing....oh and eating.

Thursday a Go Go (Part Deux) - Paris Go

Forgive the cheesy Frenched sequel of the title but the excuse is that it's quite apt since the final restaurant in our series on Thursday dining ventures happens to be a French bistro known enlighteningly, as Paris Go. Paris Go is one of those places that we'd been meaning to try for awhile as whenever we'd gone past it in the evenings, the restaurant always seemed to emanate a bright and cheery light in an otherwise relatively dark and quiet section of Rathdowne Street (it's a couple of doors from La Contadina). It has the vibe of an inviting and cosy refuge, almost always packed with chatting or otherwise engrossed diners cocooned within its large glass frontage. Actually not unlike a celebratory scene from a Renoir Impressionist canvas, with participants within seemingly oblivious to the world outside. It wasn't surprising then that when we finally chanced to give the place a try, I had some preconceived expectations.

We didn't get a good start. Any early anticipation on our part was all too quickly lowered a notch as we followed the waiter to our table. Despite having rung earlier (albeit only an hour before) and assured a reservation, we found ourselves allocated to that restaurant patron's most dreaded of table locations...yes you guessed it, that little afterthought-for-two situated at the fartherest nook of the room right next to the toilets! Aww heck, guess we had only ourselves to blame for not having provided sufficient forewarning of our visit. As expected the place was pretty busy, though there were a few larger tables still empty when we were seated. However, these were promptly occupied by subsequent groups of more than two so there was little chance of an upgrade. Before I move on though, okay we could handle the cold draught that rushes in whenever someone opens the door to enter or exit the hallway leading to the restrooms but if the Management insists on locating tables so close to the doorway, they really should do something about the tendency for that same door to slam with a bang whenever someone lets it go! We longingly gazed out at the rest of the room, confirming a casual bistro brimming with full tables and surrounded by cheerful walls sparsely decorated with Parisian themed prints and posters. Wait-staff were all male on the night and two of them circulated the floor wooing customers with their stilted French accents and the restaurant Menu. Our non-existent grasp of French was incapable of revealing whether their Gallic roots were truly genuine or part of the show but they did look the part with maitre d'-style white aprons tied around waists.

The Menu was quite extensive although held no surprises, offering a range of fare one would reliably expect from a French bistro. Fancy a taste of the ubiquitous snails in garlic butter? There was Escargots a 'la forestiere ($13.50), their version over roasted mushrooms. Feel like a winter warming onion soup, or a cassoulet, or roasted duck? It's all there. Their Plat du Jour (Dish of the Day) on the Specials board was even Coq au Vin! The wine list offered an intriguing variety of French labels of which we were largely ignorant about, but we were abstaining anyway due to it being a weeknight. A basket of nicely chewy baguette slices arrived together with a small dish of butter molded into cute rosettes. However this little attention to detail was juxtaposed with the butter being hard and unspreadable and likely straight from the fridge. It didn't take long for us to decide on the Soupe du Jour of Crab Bisque (of course) and a half-dozen of Huitres Paris Go ($13) (oysters served three ways, with garlic and herbs; topped with a cheesy sauce Mornay; and natural) for our starters. The bisque which arrived with a dollop of cream was thick and savoury though nothing mind blowing, but we especially enjoyed the oysters. The six on half-shells were plump and fresh, as evidenced by the sweetly salty natural duo. The grilled offerings were pretty perfectly done with their meat heated through enough to be aromatic but not overdone, and the herbed and savoury toppings complimented without overpowering the natural juices. The half dozen were gone in a flash and shells were definitely slurped clean!

For mains we had the Canard a la Montmorency ($28) a roasted duck dish in a port, red currant jus with wild baby figs, and the grilled Poisson du Jour (Fish of the Day) which was fillet of barramundi. We had to wait a long while before our dishes arrived, but the duck consisted of tender, medium-rare slices of breast and roasted leg over a flavoursome red wine/port reduction. The little wild figs were a curious addition, no larger than cloves of garlic and slightly tartish but served as interesting points of contrast to the sweet roasted meat juices. The grilled barra fillet was laid over ratatouille of roasted vegetables and surrounded by a bevy of small scallops (no coral). The fish was moist and tender with nicely charred skin and quite tasty. However although the fish was fresh enough, we didn't think that the barra lived its life in the wild by any means. There was just that slight weedy tint that gives farmed fish away. All in all though, both main dishes were cooked well and suitably enjoyed.

Service was not all that intuitive and we were left alone for much of the time but we concede it was quite busy. The food was good but the whole experience wasn't quite up to my romanticised expectations. Paris Go's desserts selection was actually quite tempting but we were not prepared for another potentially long wait and so decided to seek our sweet fix elsewhere. Not a problem, as a quick and simple relocation only a few blocks away found us ogling at the always eye-popping array of treats displayed at Brunetti pasticceria. But that's exactly why we all love Melbourne for food!

Food: 3.5 spots - Nothing mind-boggling but everything nicely done.
Service: 3.5 spots - Serviceable but minimalist and maybe even a touch haughty.
Value: 3 spots - Some prices leaving casual bistro behind and approaching fine restaurant.
Returnability(R) Factor: 3.5 spots - We'll have to do the rounds of French bistros about town first.
Spot Score: 14/20

Paris Go Bistro
116 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, VIC.

Thursday a Go Go (Part I) - La Contadina, Cafe Zum Zum

Thursday's an odd day of the week in my opinion. Most of us would have just barely struggled over the summit of yet another hectic week, and now hoping to ease off the pedals to coast down towards the weekend. For KB and I it's usually when we start getting a bit lazy in our daily routine, including the process of pondering and preparing our nightly meal. Despite this, we rarely dine out in the middle of a working week...(though we do succumb to that 'home-late-from-work' take-out more often than we care to admit). However on occasions where for one reason or another we'd visited a restaurant mid-week, it would more often than not happen on a Thursday. After all the vegie crisper would be looking a bit barren by then and the thought of re-heating the remnants of that curry that was eagerly enjoyed on Monday and again on Tuesday, would now be decidedly unappealing to say the least. The big plus of Thursday dining is that pre-planning is hardly ever required. We seldom have problems getting ourselves a table despite having not made a booking. The following set of posts reflects on our experiences at three different local restaurants that we'd chanced upon during lazy Thursdays in the past couple of months or so. It so happened that somehow they were all located on the same street, which was also quite odd...

There are no lack of eateries scattered along Rathdowne Street as it stretches through the suburb of Carlton, although it does lack the dense concentration of places and late evening buzz of neighbouring Lygon Street...kind of like the latter's more introverted cousin. Anyway one of the places we walked by and decided to stop in for a meal was the La Contadina Italian restaurant. The feel of La Contadina is every bit the typical Italian trattoria, with rustic exposed bricks breaking up timber panelling that is everywhere else. Counters and walls were cluttered with Italian-feel memorabilia ranging from statuettes and vases, to Renaissance prints and photos. More than one section of wall catered to the Head-of-House's (one Giovanni Mico) narcissistic tendency for pining up trophy photos of himself with a parade of local and international personalities but despite that, the overall atmosphere was warm and homey. The restaurant is fully licensed and allows BYO wine but we did not choose to imbibe that night. We were however persuaded to start with the usual serve of garlic bread, which was fine if a little heavy on butter. KB not unusually, had a hankering for seafood so she ordered the Risotto with Lobster, Local Prawns and Moreton Bay Bug in Chilli Garlic Sauce, while I was craving something heartier and chose the blackboard special of Osso Bucco with Grilled Polenta. Both mains had substantial servings but both also turned out to be a bit of a let down, mine much more so. KB's risotto was a little too overdone for her liking and somehow lacked the richness one would expect if made with a crustacean rich stock base. The prawns may have been 'local' and were okay but the grilled lobster was anything but, with its flesh having that bland and mushy consistency of having been frozen (probably because it was imported). The amount of seafood was generous though. My veal shank was an imposing meaty chunk and tasted suitably rich as I started on it but working inwards, a disconcerting feeling crept in that the meat was getting colder. Then I had a taste of meat next to the bone and it immediately killed my appetite...it was cold, not in the way of talking too much and eating too slowly cold, but more like just taken out of the fridge cold. So much for looking forwards to sucking out the marrow...yes I do that, but doesn't everyone? I did let the waitress know about it and although I thought she could've been more apologetic, she did offer to get what was left re-heated for me. Bleah! I politely declined mainly because I've had enough Osso Bucco for the night and secondly, if I'd wanted to dine on microwaved left-overs I would've stayed at home in my PJs. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for pre-cooking a decent casserole and re-heating it the next day with the knowledge that flavours would even have improved. But I think that the initial half-hearted attempt at re-heating a dish for serving in a restaurant smacks of a definite level of jadedness in the kitchen in question and a lack of respect for paying customers, considering it wasn't even busy on the night. It definitely did not leave a good impression but we put it down to hopefully, an isolated oversight. We even stayed for after-dinner coffees and shared a Tira Misu, which must have been alright but not that memorable, because I don't remember it.

Food: 3 spots - Difficult to score because of my cold shank treatment, and so decided to be on the generous side.
Service: 3.5 spots - Our waitress was efficient and friendly enough without being warm.
Value: 3 spots - Prices were okay (Mains under $30) but again, value affected by food on the night.
Returnability(R) Factor: 2.5 spots - In an area renowned for its multitude of Italian bistros, not likely.
Spot Score: 12/20

La Contadina Ristorante Italiano
168-170 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, VIC.


I'm usually no fan of that occasional Thursday evening wander at the local suburban shopping complex. That's because it inevitably interferes with dinner time and sheer hunger usually coerces us into doling out not insubstantial sums of cash on the generally God-awful fare that lurks within foodcourt bains-marie. But on this particular occasion I was happy because I'd walked away from the Sales with a sparkling new Espresso machine, relatively content that I'd managed a great deal. Well that may or may not be so as I'm usually quite the skeptic of so called bargains at departmental 'Sales'. Anyone else notice that retailers seem to be having 'Sales of a Lifetime' just about every other week these days? As for our new coffee machine, it's great! The only drawback is that I haven't managed very much sleep since, as I stare wide-eyed at the bedroom ceiling fully buzzed from umpteenth shots of perfectly textured crema. But back to the night of its purchase, the need to mark the occasion with a proper meal helped us resist the lure of the foodcourt. Instead we decided it was as good a time as any to give Cafe Zum Zum in North Carlton a try.

This small quaintly named Lebanese & Middle Eastern orientated cafe/restaurant is located amidst residental suburbia at the the opposite end of Rathdowne Street to La Contadina. Although it was nearly 9 pm by the time we walked in seeking a feed, the place was lively with diners and we were lucky to be offered the only empty table left. The atmosphere was casual and friendly and a quick survey of occupants at the other tables hinted that this was a popular meeting place for locals in the know, regardless of which day of the week (we did find out the hard way on a previous unresearched and subsequently fruitless visit, that Zum Zum is closed on Mondays). The place was decorated with Middle Eastern and Asiatic trinklets and although small, tables were thoughtfully well spaced. There were also several tables located on the footpath outside the shopfront but even a month ago, al fresco dining appealed to no one. The two of us were hungry and quickly perused the relatively focused Menu to order Falafel Balls drizzled with yoghurt to start, and shared main plates of Harissa Spiced Chicken with Chickpeas and Grilled Snapper Fillet on Almond Rice. A surprisingly diverse drinks selection offering wines by bottle or glass and even boutique beers, rates a mention. We were impressed with the quality of the food. The falafels were flavourful well-spiced balls of crispy and crumbly goodness. The chicken dish was tasty especially the chickpeas, although the harissa lacked adequate kick and we would have preferred portions of chicken cooked on the bone, as I'm sure the spirit of the dish was meant to be. What's the deal with this pervading modern western preference for skinless and boneless but comparatively bland chicken breasts! The fish was a simply but superbly grilled fillet with skin on (yay!), which rested over a bed of almond rice consisting of steamed long grains infused with warm spices and toasted whole-almonds. At last a kitchen that knew how to handle fish with respect, no hint of overcooking or heavy-handed seasoning but instead letting the freshness of the moist white flesh shine through with just a tinge of lemony zing. The aromatic crispy edges of grilled skin accentuated the effect. Needless to say, we sparred forks over the last flakes! Overall, the food at Zum Zum was reminiscent of careful understated home-style cooking highlighted by its ethnic influences. It was invigorating to know of a place where we can go for simple tasty food prepared by folks who obviously care about what they offer from their kitchen! Alas my thoughts about their coffee and sweet offerings are a little more restrained. I thought I'll try the Arabic coffee since I witnessed them being served in intriguing individual-sized (they also have larger ones for more people to share) rakweh, long-handled metal pots in which Lebanese coffee is meant to be brewed. However while I was expecting a strongish caffeine hit with maybe hints of spice, the coffee was rather weak, nothing special and tasted slightly burnt to boot. In fact I doubt it was actually brewed over a stove in the rakweh since I could actually witness my order being prepared behind a large commercial espresso machine located at the bar! Anyway, I was convinced that I could've produced a much more satisfying cup at home, especially with our then new counter-top gadget waiting in the boot of the car! We also shared a bite each of a delightful enough cube of Turkish Delight...we had to woefully share one because at $4 a piece, it was already a rather cheeky ask. But don't let this minor whinging influence you. We recommend giving Cafe Zum Zum a try!

Food: 4 spots - Do yourselves a favour, gather a group, and share some great food!
Service: 3.5 spots - Friendly despite being busy.
Value: 3.5 spots - Can't argue with Mains round about $20.
Returnability(R) Factor: 4 spots - We're not local but we'll be back.
Spot Score: 15/20 - Recommended.

Cafe Zum Zum
645 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North, VIC.