Un Viaggio attraverso La Campagna

In the fourth Italian dinner, we explore the region of La Campagna.



We start with glasses of 2006 Vesevo Fiano di Avellino DOCG and these


Supli - rice balls filled with peas and mint


First Course:


Pizza Napoletana
tomato, mozzarella and basil
To drink: 2007 Villa Matilde Falanghina di Roccamonfina IGT

While you couldn't fault the topping, the base was just too thick.

Second Course:


Polipo alla Luciana
braised octopus with olive oil, tomato and chilli
To drink: 2006 Vesevo Greco di Tufo DOCG

Third Course:


Ziti Ripini
large canneloni filled with pork, salami, egg and caciocavallo cheese
To drink: 2006 Villa Matilde Aglianico IGT

Dessert:


Zeppole di San Giuseppe
potato doughnuts with a chocolate dipping sauce
To drink: Liquore Strego over ice

Forget Churros, these are the future!

The details:

Church St. Enoteca
527 Church Street, Richmond

Phone: 9428 7898

Restaurant Open:
Lunch: Monday-Friday 12-3pm
Dinner: Monday-Saturday 6pm to late

Web:
www.churchstenoteca.com.au

Lunch @ La Luna Bistro

It's the Grand Final and while the eyes of Melbourne are trained upon their TVs, it seems the perfect time to escape for a leisurely lunch at La Luna.

We begin with antipasto


an assortment of hand cured meats including salami, prosciutto, speck, poached quince, olives, pickled shallots

For starters:


I have the grilled Cotechino on lentils and oh boy is this delicious. Thick slices of cotechino beautifully grilled - moist and full of flavour. The lentils show why they are such a perfect match to cotechino.


Paalo has one of the specials - Spicy Beef on green beans with yoghurt & feta dressing with jalapeno salsa. This has a good level of spice, a bit of warmth without blowing the top of your head off.

For mains:


I decide to repeat myself and have the Crackling wrapped roll of Roast Pork, served with mashed potatoes and tuscan cabbage. Every bit of that crackling was perfectly crisp - the meat, tender and juicy.


Paalo can't resist another of the days specials - Suet pastry Lamb pie on mushy peas. Once Paalo heard the words suet pastry he was a goner.


Here's a good inside look at the pie - the pastry was crisp yet just melted in your mouth and the pie was generously filled with large chucks of meat.

After an extended break we finally did manage dessert:


Mezze plater - strawberry sorbet, brownies, coffee pannacotta, chocolate and passionfruit ice-creams, lemon curd meringue, creme brulee




Oh, and who won the final? Who cares.

The details:

La Luna Bistro
320 Rathdowne Street, North Carlton

Phone: 03 9349 4888

Open:
Lunch: Tuesday - Friday: noon-3pm
Dinner: Tuesday - Sunday: 6pm - 10pm
Brunch: Saturday - Sunday: 11am - 3pm

Web:
www.lalunabistro.com.au

Un Viaggio attraverso L'Umbria

In this third Italian dinner, the theme is the food and wines of Umbria.



We begin with:

Anguille alle Brace
Smoked eel marinated in white wine with bay leaves
2007 Palazzone "Terre Vineate" Orvieto Classico Superiore DOC

The wine is a blend of Grechetto(20%) Procanico (50%) and Verdello, Drupeggo, Malvasia (30%)

It's very interesting how the smoked eel brought out the smoky flavour of the wine.

First Course:


Un Piatto di Salume
a selection of hand prepared salami and cured meat
2007 Palazzone Grechetto Umbria IGT

Second Course:

Tegamaccio
a stew of local fish with garlic and peppers
To drink: 2006 Arnaldo Caprai Grecante Grechetto dei Colli Martani DOC

Third Course:


Spaghetti All Nursina
artisan spaghetti with black truffle
To drink: 2004 Arnaldo Caprai Collepiano Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG

Dessert:


Pan Nociato
sweet bread with walnuts, grapes, cloves and pecorino
To drink: Arnaldo Caprai Grappa di Sagrantino di Montefalco

The details:

Church St. Enoteca
527 Church Street, Richmond

Phone: 9428 7898

Restaurant Open:
Lunch: Monday-Friday 12-3pm
Dinner: Monday-Saturday 6pm to late

Web:
www.churchstenoteca.com.au

Dinner @ Rathdowne Tavern

We're joining Al and Elle for a celebration dinner at Rathdowne Tavern.

We decide to share a selection of starters:


Onion Tart


Grilled scampi with a herb crust gratinee


Antipasto plate - a mix of salami, thick grissini, pickled capsicum, olives


For mains:


Roasted Pork Belly - an enormous piece of pork belly with a seriously crisp crackling. Gelatinous and decadent.



Chargrilled Beef Fillet with cauliflower puree and grilled asparagus


Osso Buco milanese


Papparadelle with Pork & Veal Meatballs



green peas with crispy pancetta

for dessert:


Pavlova with mascarpone, passionfruit and fresh raspberries


Tiramisu

The details:

Rathdowne Tavern
184 Rathdowne Street, Carlton

Phone: 9348 1133

Open:
Tuesday - Sunday: 12pm till late

web:
www.rathdownetavern.com.au

Lunch @ Enoteca Vino Bar

This time last year we were in Italy but as we can't make it there this year, the next best thing is visiting Enoteca Sileno.

As usual we begin with an assortment of assaggini


Fritelle di baccala con insalata di puntarelle di campo (baccala fritters) and Olive Regionali - Taggiashe and Cerignola olives gently warmed with olive oil, rosemary and chilli


Roasted Bone Marrow


Assaggini Trio Special of the Day - consists of


oxtail raviolo with mushrooms


farro stuffed calamari


san danielle prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella


For Mains:


Tagliata di Manzo con Rucola, Pomodorini e Parmigiano - Char-grilled sirloin, presented simply yet authentically.


Pork Special: Pork Confit with white pean pure and fennel and herb rolled roast pork with cavolo nero

Paalo certainly couldn't resist the sound of this dish - on the left is a large cube of pork belly, deliciously bad for you but hard to resist, the skin crisp, the fat almost molten.

For dessert:


Apple Tart with coffee cream


Zuppa Inglese - Italian-style trifle with sponge, rum, zibibbo vino liquoroso, vanilla cream

The details:

Enoteca Vino Bar

920 Lygon Street, Carlton
corner of Lygon and Richardson Streets
Phone: 03 9389 7070

Open:
Monday: 8am - 4pm
Tuesday - Saturday: 8am - Late
Sunday: 9am - 5pm

web:
http://www.enoteca.com.au

Dinner @ Interlude

While flicking through this site I suddenly realised, much to my shock, that we hadn't been to Interlude since July! It was a situation that needed to be immediately redressed and after a quick call dinner had been booked.



As it's a bit of the cool side tonight, we decide to start with a good Sherry to warm us up and get us into the mood for tonights degustation. There's a good mix of old favourites with some new dishes to try.



Alphabet Soup
2005 Bannockburn Saigné Rosé, Geelong

It's always surprising just how much flavour resides in that broth.


Snail Trail, Mushroom, Parsley, Garlic
2007 Müller Thurgau Franz Haas

Perfect mouthfuls of flavour.

Foie Belle Hélène
2005 Marcel Deiss Pinto Blanc "Bergheim"

This is a new dish - a play on "belle hélène". It may look like the criss-cross skin of duck but that is actually all foie gras. A wonderful combination of crisp and soft.


Blue eye cooked in Roast Chicken Jelly with Trimmings
2005 Georg Breuer Spätburgunder

We had something similiar at the Truffle lunch and even without truffles it's still a terrific dish


Duck, Bacon, Foie Scramble, Short Stack
2006 Luis Pato Casta Baga

While the previous dish was mild and gentle, this one comes at you. Upfront and bold, the flavours are distinct yet striking.



Venison, Red Cabbage, Caraway Stuffling, Pear
2005 Gaja Ca 'Marcanda Promis'

The venison deserves a close up!



Rye, Apricot, Caraway
2006 Charles Hourse Juranco

The first of the dessert courses, this is on the sweet side of savoury.



Cherries, Milk, Olive Oil
NV Renardat Fache Bugey Ceredon

Served on the corner of the plate it's an utterly delightful voyage of flavour and texture.

Cardamon, Quinoa, Coconut, Pedro Ximénez
NV Campbells Tokay

Petit Fours
a lovely way to finish

The details:

Interlude
211 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Phone: 9415 7300

Open:
Lunch: Tuesday to Friday 12-3pm
Dinner: Monday to Saturday 6.30pm to late

web:
www.interlude.com.au