Dinner @ Koots Salle a Manger

We've been trying for a few weeks to get into the newly remodelled and renamed Koots Salle à Manger and we finally snagged a booking tonight.

The old hard wooden chairs are gone and been replaced with more comfortable, firmly padded seats. The walls are light and a much larger white marble topped bar offers extra dining options. All over, the space feels more relaxed.

With glasses of 99 Pol Roger we enjoy an amuse as we wait



a flavoursome, chilled Tomato Soup, with balsamic and chives

For entrees:


Slow-cooked green lip abalone served with and crispy confit pork belly, raspberry vinegar glaze

Paalo would eat this just for the abalone and having tried a little I can certainly understand. The pork belly was also very good but the abalone is certainly the star.


Smoked eel with a zucchini, celery & apple salad, truffle foam

I couldn't resist the siren call of truffle and it certainly wasn't overpowering or overpowed by the the smoked eel. The eel itself was wonderfully moist, the crisp salad of zucchini celery and apple an excellent match.

For mains:


Beef Tartar, with accompaniments and pommes frittes

Though it is smaller than the one Paalo recently had at The Brasserie, this is a better sized serving.


Grilled red mullet fillet with kipfler potato salad and slow cooked octopus, aioli

Good to see red mullet on the menu, it's an excellent fish that still seems to not get the recognition it deserves. A lovely dish with clean flavours.

Cheese:




Dessert:


Classic Vanilla Crème Brûlée
a delicious deep bowl of brulee


Plate of 3 petits fours of the day - white chocolate sponge, chocolate fondant, madeleine

The details:

Koots Salle à Manger
479 Glenferrie Road
Kooyong

Phone: 9822 3809

Open:
Lunch - Tuesday to Friday
Dinner - Tuesday to Saturday

Bushfire Fundraiser @ Church St Enoteca

As soon as we heard Church St Enoteca would be hosting a fundraiser for Bushfire relief we immediately signed up to attend.



From our experience of previous held here we knew that it would be a good evening for a very good cause.



As we waited for people to arrive we enjoyed glasses of Gaston Chiquet Champagne and Trumer Pils. Platters of chicken and black truffle tartlets, sher wagyu tartare and freshly shucked oysters with watermelon granita & prosciutto kept us satisfied.

First Course:


Tuna Crudo - raw yellowfin tuna, compressed cucumber, mooli, vanilla
To drink: 2008 Scorpo Pinot Gris


Second Course:


Glenloth Pigeon Brodo - pigeon and fois gras tortellini, summer herbs
To drink: 2008 Scorpo Rose

Third Course:


Sher Wagyu Tenderloin, smoked potato, caponata
To drink: 2005 Curly Flat Pinot Noir

Cheese:
Hand selected Cheese with house made breads and condiments
To drink: 2005 Scorpo Shiraz

Dessert:


Milk Chocolate Semi Freddo, raspberries, milk sorbetto

During the evening, several auctions took place with all funds raised also going to the cause. I must say that GQ did an excellent job as auctioneer and I'm not just saying that because we know him.

The final tally at the end of the night was an absolutely fantastic



$34,155!

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the suppliers, the staff and owners of Church St Enoteca so kudos to all of them for pulling this together in such a short amount of time.

Lunch @ Hellenic Republic

There's been some changes to the menu since our previous visit but that hasn't dampened the enthusiasm of the punters - the place is packed but we've managed to grab a seat on the communal table.



To drink, we opt for the more casual approach, a half kilo of red - served in these tin jugs. It's the perfect tipple for this odd collection of dishes.


Cured Meat Platter - pork, beef and lamb - syrian pork loin, bastourma and lamb ham




The famous souvlaki - it's actually not on the menu but it can still be ordered.



This one is filled with roasted chicken rather than the more usual lamb - it is still just as delicious.



Spanakopita - spinach and feta pie



Giant beans cooked in a rich tomato based sauce and at the rear, Village Salad

There's one thing you notice when you sit in a shared table and that is people's little habits. One rather odd thing kept happening over and over again. As I've mentioned previously the tables are set with oil and vinegar in which you use to dress your salad. What we found rather peculiar is that this lovely olive oil (and the vinegar) is being used to dunk peoples bread in. That is not what it is there for - so leave your bread bare and just stick to soaking up all those lovely juices in the dishes you've ordered.

Desserts:



Semolina Tarts - an ultra generous serve of 3 and



impossible to resist, loukoumades - these were even better than the last time we had them.

If you manage to snag a booking, just remember - the oil is for the food not the bread.

The details:

Hellenic Republic
434 Lygon Street
Brunswick

Phone: 9381 1222

Open:
Dinner - Tuesday to Sunday
Lunch - Friday to Sunday
Breakfast - Saturday - Sunday

Dinner @ Matteo's

It's strange to be at Matteo's without Al or Elle but since they are overseas we'll just have to soldier on without them. We had good intentions before arriving that we would just have something from the a la carte menu but alas, the call of the degustation proved too strong.

First course:


Cured yellow-fin tuna 'pastrami', wasabi sour cream, toasted rye crisp - petuna ocean trout tataki, yuzu miso sauce, Yarra Valley Salmon roe - Carpaccio of Hiramasa kingfish, prawn remoulade, shiso basil sauce
To drink:
2008 Quealy Senza Nome Tocai Friulano
2008 Babich Black Label Sauvignon Blanc

The wasabi sour cream had just the right about of wasabi - enough to give you a hit of heat but not enough to leave your eyes watering. There's always some kind of variation of the theme for the first course of the degustation but what variation they try, it's always a dish that is guaranteed to please.

Second Course:



Seared sea scallop, braised leek tortellone, sweet and sour xo dried scallop and shrimp sauce - Pithivier: puff pastry pie filled with pork belly, chicken and lup cheong sausage
To drink:
2007 Paza San Mauro Albarino
2005 Craiglee Unoaked Chardonnay

The Pithivier was the stand-out of this course but its strong flavours seem to overwhelm the mild flavours of the tortellone. It's best to eat the left side first before moving to the pie.

Third Course:



Five spiced, Chinese Style, roast duck breast, stir fried choi sum, hoi-sin plum sauce - Pan fried rice noodle raviolo of grilled eggplant and smoky baba ghanoush; Seared Wagyu beef, crushed wasabi peas, black bean sauce
To drink:
2007 Stonier Pinot Noir
2004 Brini Estate Grenache Shiraz

In this dish the rice noodle raviolo provides a good companion to both sides of the plate.

Fourth Course:



The dessert offering is a change from that listed on the degustation menu. We were given the following:
berries between shortbread stacks; coffee ice cream and chocolate fondant.




The details:

Matteo's
533 Brunswick Street, Nth Fitzroy
Phone: 9481 1177

Open:
Lunch: Sunday-Friday from noon
Dinner: 7 days from 6pm

web:
www.matteos.com.au

Dinner @ The Brasserie by Philippe Mouchel

To celebrate my sister's birthday we've headed off to the evil empire for dinner at The Brasserie.






To fit the occassion we've ordered a magnum of Bollinger Special Cuvée to go with our appetizers and starters


Ocean trout and smoked salmon rillettes


and a selection of freshly shucked oysters - served with shallot, vinegar and lemon sauce - lime, chilli and coriander sauce - and panko crusted with spicy tomato condiment


For starters:


Yellowfin tuna and leek tartare, cucumber gaspacho, cream and condiments



Tasmanian salmon gravlax, spelt blini, vegetable salad and rocket sorbet



Left: Scampi carpaccio, citrus and ginger vinaigrette
Right: the Brasserie’s assorted duck charcuteries sur planche


For mains:


Beef tenderloin and braised Wagyu ox cheek in red wine, confit of Kipfler potatoes

Both Elle and Al ordered this dish - the braised ox cheek was particularly tender, it just fell apart with a fork


Traditional steak tartare – hand diced raw beef wagyu with fries and condiments

A very generous serving that proved too much for Paalo to finish


Rabbit degustation; braised leg, shoulder rillette, confit belly and sautéed saddle

Another very generous sized dish - a sophisticated study of rabbit.


Selection of sides: Creamed and crusted potato gratin (front) and Cauliflower gratin (rear) - the fries are served with the tartare


Desserts:


The Brasserie‘s dessert tasting plate - pistachio and raspberry sorbets, financier, caramelised rice pudding, coffee and strawberry panna cotta, rhum baba and


French crêpe filled with lemon custard, sorbet and jus

The details:

The Brasserie by Philippe Mouchel
Riverside at Crown

Open:
7 days - Lunch and Dinner

web:
The Brasserie

Lunch @ Bistro Thierry

To round off our weekend away, we've headed to Hawksburn for a visit to Bistro Thierry



With the oh-so-French waiters, to the french conversation coming from nearby tables, you know you've found yourself in a French Bistro. We begin with Champagne (Billiecart-Salmon) and Charcuterie.



On the plate we have pork rillettes, saucisson, jamon, terrine and cornichons. Served with thick slices of fresh baguettes, it's a fabulous way to begin.

For starters:


Gambas en Papillotte, sauce Vierge
Prawns wrapped in Brique pastry with basil and lemon served with a olive and tomato vinaigrette

Such a simple idea, the prawns are wrapped in that ultra fine middle eastern pastry and then deep fried until the pastry is crisp. The prawns remain wonderfully succulent.



Cervelles d'agneau, Prince Albert
Pan-fried lambs brains wrapped in air dried ham with a saute of mushrooms and a tarragon mayonnaise

As Paalo is the brains of this operation, he ordered this dish as you don't often see brains on the menu.

For mains:


Coquilles St.Jacques poellée aux petit pois et crème de Langouste
Panseared scallops with crushed peas and a crayfish cream

This is an Hors d'oeuvre on the Main menu - 4 oysters, seared on one-side with translucent interiors. A lovely marriage with the crushed peas and crayfish sauce.



Steak Haché, Beurre maître d'hôtel
Grilled minced eye fillet with a lemon and parsley butter,served with frites and salad

This is a Petit Plate from the Main menu - Steak hache is basically a burger, this one was ordered rare and came out as such, incredibly dense and wonderfully moist. It went well with the pickled flavours of the butter and the rich veal jus underneath.

For desserts:



You couldn't go to a Bistro and not order, Tarte Tatin (with Calvados scented ice cream) and Crêpes Suzette (with Grand Marnier and Orange Sorbet)


This is our first visit but I'm sure we will return. I don't know who said Melbourne didn't have any bistros but they are dead wrong.

The details:

Bistro Thierry

511 Malvern Road
Toorak

Phone: 9824 0888

Open: 12pm-4pm and 6pm-10pm

Web:
www.bistrothierry.com