Dinner @ Lulo

It's Friday the 13th and we decide to tempt fate by trying a new tapas bar. Lulo fuses Latin American and Spanish cuisine's and their menu is simply divided into Tapas and Racion sized dishes - on the night we went there was also a considerable number of specials available.

We opt to try a mix of regular and specials tapas:


Left - cured meats - Jamon, spiced and mild Spanish salamis
Right - boiled prawns wrapped in Jamon with a charred corn salsa (*special)



Left: Beef Albóndigas (*special)
Right: Yucca Fries with Aioli

Albóndigas were very tender and moist and served with a rich tomato based sauce. The Yucca fries were delightful and matched well to the aioli.



Fried Chicken and Almond Spareribs (another of the nights specials) - way better than anything offered by the colonel. The almonds form part of the chicken's coating which make it wonderfully crunchy, it's also well spiced.

We are then presented with the Racion - these are slightly bigger dishes that are also meant to be shared



Slow cooked Beef Spare Ribs



Mixed Mushrooms with Chorizo - another special



Cheese Plate: Fetta in Olive oil, Red Wine Soaked Cheese, Manchego



Churros to share but only if you have too.

Overall, we enjoyed the dishes on offer and the restaurant has a modern feel, which can be best described as Hawthorn's idea of Brunswick street, minus the ferals. Be warned though that the chairs aren't the most comfortable and all the solid surfaces makes quiet conversation almost impossible.

The details:
Lulo
798 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn
Phone: 9818 8321

Open:
Monday - Friday: 12pm - 3.30pm and 4.30 - late
Saturday: 5.30pm - late
Sunday: Closed

Web
www.lulo.com.au

Dinner @ Fenix

Today was just one of those days, when if something could go wrong it did and it all began with me leaving my keys at home. To soothe our rather frazzled psyche rather than tempt fate in the kitchen we opted for that safe haven that is Fenix.

There has been some change at Fenix but from the dishes we had tonight they are still sailing on the right course.


Smoked Tuna Broth with slivers of scallop and radish and an oyster floating in the middle - always an excellent way to start the evening.


Salt Cod with Cod mousse and broken Pistachio cake

Confused might be your first reaction to this dish - Pistachio cake and Salt Cod? But as odd as the combination might sound, it works unbelievably well. The cake is sweet, the mousee is creamy, the salt cod is salty but combined they just balance out. Every taste is intriguing and the wine match was perfect.
The Cod is salted in-house and we enjoyed it's texture and the way it flaked into thick juicy pieces.


Salmon sous-vide at 50°, pink fir potatoes, baby fennel, black sesame seeds and pine nuts.

If only all salmon was this good - soft and succulent it almost dissolves in the mouth.


Slices of Quail breast sitting on a quail broth and beetroot jelly with assorted baby vegetables and a quail egg



One of the true highlights on the night.


Dehydrated Vegetables and Bone Marrow with beetroot dust



Sirloin with oxtail and barley and carotene

I don't know how the carotene is made but it's dangerously good. The sirloin was done perfectly, the oxtail and barley was a mix of rich meat and pleasantly chewy grains.


Candied Cumquat, burnt orange cream and macadamia biscuit - a must have dessert!

It was really interesting hearing the reaction from a nearby table - the conversation changing to appreciative groans.


Broken Frangipane and Olive oil ice-cream with caramelised olives and Corella Pear core

We last had this for my birthday lunch and it's still as good.


Chocolate Clay, Tarragon Marshmallow and Earl Grey Ice Cream

The marshmallow isn't quite as large as it used to be but I think this size is probably more appropriate.


I was too slow with the petit fours!

The details:

Fenix can be found at
680 Victoria Street Richmond
(03) 9427 8500

Open:
Tuesday - Sunday for Lunch
Tuesday - Saturday for Dinner

web
www.fenix.com.au

Lunch @ Bistro Vue

It's the end of the financial year and we're off to the city to take advantage of those final sales and since we're in town we've popped in to Bistro Vue for a leisurely lunch.



It's just typical that when I went to turn on my camera, the battery was dead so Paalo is taking the photos with his cameraphone.



We start with glasses of Jacquesson Champagne and Badoit Sparkling Mineral Water.



We both decide to have the special entree - duck and pork rillettes with truffle butter and what comes out is about three times the size we had expected. It was rich and delicious but neither of us could finish our pot - we have to leave room for the main.



For the main we decide to have one of the "Plats pour Deux" - this was the Côte De Boeuf, Char-grilled 250 day grain feed Wagyu Rib Eye and it comes with a cone of their duck fat fries.



I had the extra bonus of having the bone on my plate. We also order a side of green beans that have been sautéed with garlic.

A lot of people make a bit deal about the cost of dining at Vue de Monde but Bistro Vue is a different beast. The same quality and philosophy is there but at prices that would shame most suburban restaurants. The Côte de Beouf is only $33 a person.

We somehow find room for dessert - caused in part by taking half an hour to savour the last glass from our bottle of Beaujolais and choosing the soufflé which takes 20 minutes to prepare.



Paalo has the Trio of Brûlée - from left to right they are, mandarin, chestnut and vanilla bean



while I have the unbelievably indulgent Soufflé à la Pistache with Pistachio Ice cream and Chocolate Sauce. As it's placed before you the server makes a hole in the top of the soufflé and starts pouring in the chocolate sauce - this then causes the soufflé to lift out of the pan.

The details:

Bistro Vue
Normandy Chambers
430 Little Collins St (Entry via New Chancery Lane)
Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9691 3838

Open: Monday to Saturday 11am to Late

Web:
Bistro Vue

Lunch @ Canvas

It's incredibly cold so we're on the look out for someplace warm. Our first choice turns out a bust so we head over to take another look at Canvas.

We decide to try their 2 course lunch special, very reasonable at $29 with a glass of wine.



Paalo's Choice: Stuffed Calamari served with a saffron broth



My Choice: Pea Risotto with Seared Prawns



Paalo's Choice: Seared Salmon on crushed Kipflers



My Choice: Roasted Chicken Breast with Creamy Potatoes


The details
Canvas Restaurant and Bar
Level 1, 302-320 Burwood Road
Hawthorn
Phone: 03 9819 2200

Open - Restaurant:
Monday - Friday: 10am - late
Saturday: 9am for breakfast; lunch/dinner until late
Sunday: Closed

Open - Bar:
7 days until late (1am license)

web:
www.canvasrestaurant.com.au

Dinner @ Fenix

Paalo does like finding excuses reasons to eat out and tonight was the longest night of the year so obviously we headed to Fenix to celebrate.



Smoked Tuna Broth with Scallops and Radish

We do enjoy this broth and it's a great way to begin the meal. This time fine slivers of scallop and radish have been arranged at the bottom of the bowl.





Forest: Mixed mushrooms, Parsnip, Chlorophyll

Considering I made Chlorophyll a few weeks ago this dish certainly got our attention. Fine tails of roasted parsnip served with a variety of mushrooms and a thick mushroom sauce that's silky smooth and utterly addictive.




Wild Barramundi with Rhubarb, Date and Black Sesame

Another great example of wild barramundi - a really interesting combination of flavours and textures.



Quail with shallots, onion broth

I do love quail and this easily satisfies my love. Served pink, the quail breast is still juicy and wonderfully tender.



Lamb with Jerusalem artichokes




Our favourite dessert - burnt orange cream, macadamia biscuit and candied cumquat. One word is needed - sublime.



Bruleed ginger cake with pumpkin ice cream and coffee nest

The pumpkin ice cream by itself was really interesting, texturally and tastewise, however when eaten with the coffee, the coffee just overwhelmed it.



Violet Candy, Salt and Vinegar Chocolate Sticks, Berry Pops and Coffee Macaroons

The details:

Fenix can be found at
680 Victoria Street Richmond
(03) 9427 8500

Open:
Tuesday - Sunday for Lunch
Tuesday - Saturday for Dinner

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

Dinner @ Fenix

There's a very good reason why we're back here so quickly - as Paalo was having a read back through the posts he came to an interesting discovery - today marks the first blog-iversary of our first post on Fenix. Well, that's more than a good enough reason to go out!

For a change, we begin the night with a glass of Bollinger which is followed by the liquid nitrogen cleanser.


Smoked Tuna Broth with a mix of cultivated and field mushrooms.
To drink: Jones Road Chardonnay

We've talked about this dish before but it's now being served in a deep glass bowl. There's a bit of tilting and twisting required to get to the contents due to a combination of the bowl height and spoon structure - it was easier to eat when served in the shallow bowl. This is one soup in which you will enjoy to the very last drop.


Vegetable salad in a Roasted Onion broth
To drink: Henschke Pinot Gris

It's a poor photograph of an excellent dish - the broth was a delight, it's flavour hard to describe but you just wanted to take another sip to try to work out all it's different notes. In the vegetable mix we had the tiniest baby leek, baby turnip, beetroot segment, baby onion and carrot and slivers of meaty mushroom. A variety of leaves sat atop including pineapple sage and chickpea leaves.
The wine certainly proved there's more to Henschke then Hill of Grace - this was a perfect match to this dish.


John Dory with Artichoke and White Beans
To drink: German Riesling

It sounds like we're a broken record but Dan Hunter certainly has a way with fish and seafood of all types, they aren't just cooked well, they are cooked with true skill. It's a more minimalist approach, there's no need for a heavy sauce as the fish speaks loudly by itself.


Sirloin with King Pine, Swiss Brown, Oyster Mushrooms in a Broken Egg and Roasted Garlic Sauce
To drink: La Zona Barbera 2001

King Pines are such a great mushroom - you can see a photo of them here.
The beef was wonderfully tender and cooked just perfectly as you can see - the sauce was deliciously sticky - a thoroughly pleasurable dish.


Mascarpone Ice Cream with mulled wine sauce, mulled wine jelly cubes and sago

It's most disappointing that this photo is so bad as this dish is just so good. It's still in it's experimental stage and I'm not sure how they intend to improve it. Hopefully we'll get to try this again!


Confit cumquats, burnt orange cream and pressed macadamia
To drink: Sauterne
A week is a long time in the restaurant biz as this dish has also had a change in it's presentation and name - it's still unbelievably delicious.



This is the cheese platter - it's not part of the degustation menu but we had seen them appearing and disappearing through the room during the night and could resist no longer.


Petit Fours: Raspberry Macaroons, Salt and Vinegar Chocolate, Coffee tarts and Thyme Jellies.

The details:

Fenix can be found at
680 Victoria Street Richmond
(03) 9427 8500

Open:
Tuesday - Sunday for Lunch
Tuesday - Saturday for Dinner

web
www.fenix.com.au