Dinner @ Matteo's

It's Al's birthday so we're off to Matteo's for dinner. As a surprise, we're having a special degustation.

Hiramasa Kingfish Sashimi, prawn remoulade with kaffir lime and lemongrass; Confit Tasmania Ocean Trout, creme fraiche, Yarra Valley salmon roe; Rice crusted smoked eel brandade, red claw yabby tails, pickled plum

Dinner @ Jorg

We had intended to dine at Josie Bones tonight but typically, it was closed. No matter we thought, there are plenty of places to eat around here. We tried venturing up the road to Huxtable but it was booked out so we decided to look further afield and headed off to Scopri. Unfortunately, it was also booked out. Our next stop was Jorg and luckily for us, they had a free table.

We started with a few dishes to share:

Dinner @ Matteos

We're back for another degustation at Matteo's - most of the menu is fairly similar to our last dinner though there has been some tweaking.

Dinner @ Matteos

The eat crew have gathered for what could be described as Paalo's pre-birthday dinner at one of our collectives favourite spots, Matteo's.

As usual it seems the menus are not really needed and it's a fait accompli that we've ordered the degustation.

Dinner @ Jorg

Jorg has only been open a few weeks and initial reports from fellow Eators, Al and Elle have been positive. Tonight we're joining them for dinner to see for ourselves.

For a Friday night, the restaurant is certainly busy with just about all the tables filled. Surprisingly for such a cavernous space full of hard surfaces, we are actually able to carry on conversations at normal speaking levels. I think it must have a lot to do with the high vaulted ceiling. Other good signs are the generous proportions of the tables and the fact that they aren't all squeezed together.

On the menu there's a fairly large selection of share plates and we've started our meal by picking a good selection to graze on.

Before we get the food, we get the bread.

Lunch @ Charcoal Lane

Since our last visit Charcoal Lane has finally got its liquor license - about time too - and while perusing the wine list Paalo couldn't help but order this Lemon Myrtle Beer to try.

Dinner @ Matteo's

Ding dong the witches are dead or at least sulking in the corner - We're off to celebrate some very good news for Elle and that means degustation at Matteo's.

Once again the menu is a little different from normal and there will be six individual courses beginning with this

Dinner @ Matteo's Restaurant

It's Al's birthday so we've gathered the crew and headed off to Matteo's. I suppose we are getting predictable when the table is already set out for degustation but there is a change to the degustation structure - rather than groupings the dishes will be coming out individually.

We begin with one of our favourites:

Lunch @ Matteos

Having finished up early I decided to check in with Elle and see if she was free from lunch. While the answer was yes, finding some place open on Monday proved a little more difficult. Ultimately we decided to go with a tried and tested venue, Matteo's.

For lunch apart from the regular a la carte offering there is also a lunch special menu, 2 courses & a glass for $35. Since some of our favourite dishes were also on the lunch special we've gone for that option.

For starters:

European Vacation - Scandinavia

We sadly come to the last in this series of European Vacation with Raymond Capaldi - the final destination is Scandinavia which explains why Abba is playing during dinner.

As with the previous dinners there are some options - in this case the first is a Tribute to Noma.



Delicately smoked, soft and gelatinous, oozy explosions of eggy goodness



The whole pot was generously filled with a delicate and fluffy tarragon cream topped with a crunchy malt soil, into which spankingly fresh radishes had been planted. What surprised me is that most people just ate the radish and left the tops behind.

To Drink: Carlsberg Pale Lager, Elderflower Vodka Martini

~Entree~



To drink: 2007 Delatite Sylvia Kabinett Style Riesling

A delicate and refined offering - it teases you with the aroma of smoked eel and then charms you with it's light touch.


~Main~



To Drink: 2005 Bannockburn The Estate Shiraz

The belly is rolled and stuffed with a sausage like farce, the skin a good blend of crunch and caramel like chewiness. Those celeriac sticks coated in hay ash are a real taste sensation.


~Side Dishes~



There's a subtle flavour of beer to these slightly firm onions



The carrots still have a nice bite to them, the pork greaves just shatter in your mouth



A stand out salad where each mouthful offers a new combination of flavours.


~Dessert~
A salute to Rene Redzepi of Noma for putting Nordic food on the world stage.



To Drink: 2005 Late Harvest Viognier

A dessert that isn't obvious and probably did stretch some people but for myself, I really did enjoy it. I think the key that bound the goat milk curd and iced sorrel was that thin, translucent sheet of anise caramel. It give you an initial crunch which then became chewy, which in turn released a refreshing anise flavour that cleansed your palate.


~To Finish~



To finish off both an amazing month of dinners and to celebrate a rather stunning celebration of Scandinavian cusine, it's fitting that we end with Aquavit. If you managed to attend all of the dinners I think you'd agree, we've experienced something quite special.



No meal is really complete without a peek into the kitchen where all the hard work is done.

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

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European Vacation - Spain

A more relaxed evening is in store tonight as we enjoy the third European Vacation with Raymond Capaldi dinner - this time we taste the delights of Spain.

This week the extras are 3 tapas dishes and 2 side dishes and I don't really have to say that we've opted for the complete menu.

~Tapas~



The mussels are buried underneath gorgeously moorish salsa, which has just enough bite to keep you wanting more. The presentation is delightful.



Crisp coated bites of chicken, chard and saffron - so good we ordered another plate!



Did we just step into a black & white movie? No, that's just my wonky colour problems again though I have finally figured out the reason. Coloured candles! Poor silly camera cannot cope with the varying light and since I'm not going to use flash you'll just have to put up with it.



Beautiful baby leeks, grilled until just tender, served in their own envelope. It was interesting to note how the garlic allioli mellowed in flavour when eaten with the leek, a brilliant match.

To drink: Delgado Zuleta La Goya Manzanilla


~Entrante~



To drink: 2006 Palacio de Fefiñanes Albariño

They may look like olives in the photo but they are Volcanic Butter beans, a rather remarkable ingredient that I am going to have to get my hands on.


~Plato Principal~



To drink: 2004 Marqués de Riscal Reserva Tempranillo

The next photo shows the tenderness of the lamb.



A push of the fork and it slipped off the bone.

~Side Dishes~





~Postre~



To drink: 2007 Gandia Moscatel Fustanova

Just when you thought things couldn't get better, we were served this. This is a dessert where it is greater than the sum of its parts - eat the components separately they are okay but put them together and you end up with something special.

To top of a wonderful evening we finish with glasses of NV Bodegas Alvear 1927 Dulce Viejo Pedro Ximenez.


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

European Vacation - France

The fearless four have returned for the second European Vacation with Raymond Capaldi. It's Bastille day and our destination is France!

Once again there is a 3 course set menu - options include a Soup and Side dishes as well as wine matches. We've once again opted for the whole experience.

~Soupe~



Ignore the horrid colour shift in the photo, the soup was more brown in colour. Quite a different texture from what we'd expected due to the inclusion of lentils - as velvety as you'd expect but with more body. Seared rounds of langoustine adorned the center of the bowl.

~Hors d'oeuvre~



To drink: 2007 Reverdy La Reine Blache Sancerre

What a clever dish - all the ingredients of cassoulet presented as a terrine. Even the cassoulet crust was represented by those garlic croutons and scattering of loose beans. You can't see it in the photo but I especially loved that beans were also in the terrine, located at the very top in the corner.

~Plat Principal~



To drink: 2003 Parker Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvignon

According to the menu the braise took 14 hours, 19 minutes and 12 seconds, I also have a bridge in Sydney I'd like to sell.

However long it took, the end product is divine, fork tender, meltingly beautiful. Sweet carrots and a cloud-like mousseline.

~Side Dishes~











~Dessert~



To drink: 2005 Le Tertre du Lys d'Or

Chausson aux pommes translates to Apple Slipper, it's a type of apple turnover. Sorrel crème had a refreshing green apple taste.

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

European Vacation - Italy

We're heading back out again with Al and Elle to Matteo's where tonight the first of four dinners titled, European Vacation with Raymond Capaldi takes place - each dinner features the cuisine of a different country and this week, it begins with Italy.

While it's a 3 course set menu there are a few options in the form of wine matching, antipasto and "Insalate e Contorni." Naturally we've gone the full option route!



This plate shows a serving for two.

While it probably made sense to eat these from left to right, none of us could resist those amazing candied globe artichokes. The gorgonzola cream was the definition of subtle balance. It's the type of sauce you keep looking for things to dip into it.


~Primo~



To drink: 2008 Pieropan Soave

This is a type of dish that when you read the description you're left thinking "okay, sounds interesting" but mere words fail to convey the depth of flavour and beauty of this offering.
The crustacean sauce had us wishing we hadn't been dipping quite so much of our bread into that gorgonzola cream. The agnolotti were quite large in size but perfectly cooked and filled with a chestnut puree.

~Principale~



To drink: 2006 Grove Estate Reserve Nebbiolo

Bollito Misto is basically a mix of boiled meats and vegetables and usually tends to be presented in various shades of grey but this was something special. The vibrancy and colour was incredible. A very generous serve but isn't that part of the beauty and generosity of Italian cuisine?

~Insalate e Contorni~








~Dolce~



To drink: 2006 Pellegrino Passito di Pantelleria DOC

A grilled wedge of Pannetone lightly drizzled with the reduced syrup from the poached quinces coupled with a boozy hit of marsala zabaglione. A lovely way to end the evening.

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 @ Matteo's

Once again we're off to dinner with Elle and Al but this time we've gone for a reliable favourite, Matteo's.

As always we've opted for the degustation.


From left to right:
Teriyaki glazed baby squid stuffed with sea eel, rice crusted tofu, pickled plum and bonito mayonnaise
Petuna ocean trout tataki, yuzu miso sauce, Yarra Valley salmon roe
Carpaccio of Hiramasa Kingfish, prawn remoulade, shiso sauce

To Drink: 2008 Clonakilla Riesling, 2008 Babich Black Label Sauvignon Blanc

The first course is usually some type of variation on this grouping of flavours which is such a great way to begin. It's clean and refreshing and the Hiramasa Kingfish would go down as one of our all time favourites.


From left to right:
Pan-fried rice noodle raviolo of grilled eggplant and smoky baba ghanoush, soya bean salad, red miso sauce
Baked Asian pie of minced chicken, pork belly and eggplant

To Drink: 2007 Quealy Independence Pinot Gris, 2005 Knight Granite Hills Pinot Noir


From left to right:
Seared wagyu beef,
Peking cabbage and bamboo shoot okonomiyaki pancake, bbq sauce
Grilled gyu-tan ox-tongue, pan fried saganaki cheese, red raisin and seeded mustard dressing

Drink: 2003 Parker Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Brini Estate Shiraz Grenache



Warm dark chocolate fondant pudding
Caramelised banana ice cream
crepe roulade with ricotta and pistachio nougat

Drink: 2006 Cookoothama Darling Point Botrytis Semillon


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 @ 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