Orient East: 348 St Kilda Road South Melbourne

Carrying on from the theme of being transported to another place and time, we come to Orient East. It is an almost kitsch bar that somehow also manages to have a modern day expat vibe to it. I have stumbled across similar places in Vietnam and Singapore and always been overjoyed to find such an oasis.

Fittingly, Orient East serves South East Asian food, with small or large plates and lots of veggies. I got carried away eating and talking so I didn't take many pictures sorry.

We all ordered multiple small veggie dishes to snack on. The dishes were well suited to cocktails and company and weren't too westernised that they lacked spice or that lovely sourness that I like about SE Asian food.

What wasn't vegan could easily be veganised. I did really want to try the lamb ribs or the mandarin duck steamed baos but after hearing my newly vegan friend talk about animal cruelty for 30 minutes before I ordered I just couldn't bring myself to do. Sadly. With some space and time I'm headed back with some meat leaving friends to get my carmel pork on.

This restaurant is definitely a shining star in the wasteland that is St Kilda Road Melbourne (you otherwise don't reach the really good stuff until you get to St Kilda proper).

Two ticks. This is another restaurant that I'd be happy to go back to and show off to my out of town friends.

In order of appearance - the rice crusted smoked tofu with sweet potato crisps, mushrooms and pears (yum, love those enoki mushrooms with pear!) and the french beans with black olive and mustard greens (also perfect). We also had the mee goreng, the vegetarian spring rolls and something else from the specials menu.

Ragusa: 139 Nelson Place Williamstown

One night I worked really late and Senor Gringo was tasked with finding somewhere from the GFG for us to start the weekend. No parameters. When he got in the car he told me we were going to have Croatian. My first thought, Croatian? What am I going to eat? Sausages and potatoes? Sounds kind of bland.

The restaurant has that posh minimalist feel to it, with very attentive staff. These places tend to make me feel awkward. I like to be anonymous, ignored when I am not being served food or drinks and surrounded by lots of noise and lots of people. Only, here the staff are so down to earth it does not matter, you just feel at home.

I ordered a cocktail, no idea what it was called but it was so damn delicious. I asked the staff what the alcohol was (something I couldn't pronounce) and the host brought the bottle over for me to try it straight, just to make sure I like it if/when I go buy the bottle myself. That was really nice of her & yes I definitely do like it straight. Mm mm good.

I did in fact order sausages, they came with a cabbage salad that was light and tangy, not heavy at all and homemade ajvar, which is possibly my favourite condiment. Really, if the food gods made sausages and brought them down from heaven (that fictional place in the sky), then they delivered them right to Ragusa's door step.

Senor Gringo ordered twice roasted duck with mlinci and sour cherry sauce (don't ask me what that is because I don't know) and we shared a bowl of kipfler potatoes. I couldn't finish all my meal. I was super stuffed. The food was divine. It was well balanced and flavoursome, nothing stodgy or bland about it. Senor Gringo joked that he wanted to be like the Romans and purge just to be able to eat it all again.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few things on the menu I could eat and I told the staff I can't eat eggs or dairy (they asked! bonus points for them) and they said they could modify quite a few more things just for me. Aw, nice. They have a spit roast on Thursday nights (bookings required) and I will definitely be back to try it. Also, a lot of their produce is locally sourced. This restaurant well and truly deserves its place in the GFG.

Three ticks. A bit pricey, save it for a special occasion or a time of need.

Bowery to Williamsburg: 16 Oliver Lane Melbourne

So the whole quitting bread thing didn't last very long but oh my was the lapse worth it! The Bowery serve up some damn fine pastrami on rye with pickles and sauerkraut. The pastrami was just like what my grandma used to make (and torture Senor Gringo with - she was convinced a grown man could easily finish 1kg of meat in five days - the poor thing ate it for breakfast and lunch for the whole trip). The meat was so clearly real actual meat, you could see the grain of the meat and there was a line of fat along the edge, which was easily removed. It was so very very tasty - sweet and salty and smoky all at once. 

Senor Gringo ordered a Philly Cheese Steak. It was apparently suitably greasy without being sickly and the peppers and mushrooms nicely offset the cheesy-ness. 

Only problem is, we were not the only ones to figure out that the Bowery offeres tasty, good quality NY-esque food. The cafe is packed, you wait close to ten minutes for a table at lunch time and it can get very loud. Unless you are seated outside probably don't plan on catching up with a long lost friend for that much needed conversation. 

The staff are very accommodating, even for the fussy eaters amongst us (my sandwich needed a couple of modifications and even though they were so busy they got it right). 

Seating is mostly at a long communal bench, with a few smaller tables inside and out. The menu is on black boards on the wall and changes even during mealtimes (some dishes were added and others removed as they went). There are a couple of vegetarian options, vegans would have to survive on garden salad and celiacs would have to make it well known if they have an issue with cross contamination (there are gluten free breads available for an extra charge or the salads are gluten free). 

Two ticks. Way better than a lot of food I've had in American (although I must confess since 97% of beef in America is raised in feedlots I usually go meat free unless I can get organic). If you want a good quality sarnie for lunch & you have the time I certainly recommend the Bowery to Williamsburg. 

Sushi Masa: 10 Bourke Street Melbourne

Final blog post for year, I'm going to finish it off telling you about a great little Japanese place in the city. 

At Sushi Masa a Japanese man prepares made to order sushi or sashimi for the lunch crowd. The restaurant smells like the ocean and the food is fresh, plentiful and delightful.

My go to favourite is the vegetable bento box with vegetable tempura, agedashi tofu (crispy and well balanced), nasu dengaku (grilled eggplant with miso sauce), miso soup, rice and salad (the potato salad is not fussy eater friendly). Very filling, I haven't managed to eat it all yet but it is worth a try, particularly for $16.50. 

Senor Gringo gets the sushi and sashmini combo and I'm game for a little teeny bit of the raw tuna dabbed with wasabi. Their teriyaki beef is also a winner and the lunch menu is about half the price of the dinner menu.

Three ticks. It deserves recognition.  

Threefold: 381 Flinders Lane Melbourne

Being a Sydney-ite originally, I can't help but think of things in the context of home. Threefold would fit very well into The Rocks or Darlinghurst; they serve food that is a cross between what you would expect at an old school bar or upmarket cafe. Nothing offensive or risque but all very good quality and locally sourced.

The Good Food Guide has this place pegged as a destination for a working lunch, with main meals that have French leanings. There are ample home made cakes, tarts and pastries on display. A few rich and hearty salads (not fussy eater friendly), toasties, sandwiches and home made pies.

I ordered a tomato salami toastie with mustard and even though it came on very white bread (the bane of my life) it was still very good. Senor Gringo ordered a steak sandwich with relish and a side of green beans and salad (coated in butter and therefore off limits to the likes of me).

My meal left me wanting a cider and an afternoon nap, although that is possibly because this is the sort of meal I would have on the odd occasion, in a beer garden somewhere. The price was very reasonable considering the quality (less than $30 for two people) and I would say it would appeal to a wide variety of people, though possibly not the fussiest of eaters (I am not sure celiacs could eat here, nor vegans, though there are vegetarian options).

One tick. Good but not what I really seek in a lunch venue. It would suit my dad or his generation more.

  

Rice Paper Scissors: Fitzroy and Melbourne CBD

A post about Rose BBQ offers a nice little segway into a discussion about Rice Paper Scissors. This place does offer nouveau cuisine/Asian fusion and it does it very well - tasty, zesty flavours that pay homage to authentic and traditional dishes.

Rice Paper Scissors is my favourite restaurant in Melbourne, not just because I love modern Asian food but because everything is small and you get to try a little of so many things. For a couple, the standard option is five dishes for $55 (27.50 each - bargain). If there are more of you, you all order the same five dishes, they just bring out the number of portions you need. They are flexible and do allow group members to order different options, provided you don't have a group over 12, but don't make it too complicated - be nice to my Rice Paper Scissors peeps, they bring me food gold.

I have tried about half the dishes on the menu and nothing has disappointed me. My must haves are the twice cooked pork belly with tamarind caramel sauce, the steamed pork bun with delectable crispy pork belly, shallots, cucumber and hoisin sauce. Depending on my mood, I then add a veggie dish of some sort, roast duck and one or more of the meat options. I even trust the chefs so much that I'm going to try the lime cured kingfish next time. I need to eat seafood and one of these days my taste buds are going to catch up and learn to love it.

In terms of the flavours, everything is bold but not overpowering. There isn't any misplaced sweetness, just the right mix of tangy, sour and spice. It is fussy eater friendly as nearly everything is gluten free, dairy free and egg free. I don't have to alter a thing but vegans would definitely struggle and perhaps might even need to go elsewhere.

The only downside is you have to wait. They only take bookings for big groups and they allow an hour for each sitting. I have been turned away many times, including once when I arrived two minutes after the bar opened, not even the restaurant - the street was packed and a waiting list was already going. The Fitzroy place is more than double the size of the city venue and you can sometimes get a table with no wait but the staff are not as friendly (a few huffy, puffy, I'm too good for you types).

Now, here is where I rail against the Good Food Guide. Rice Paper Scissors was not in any of the 2015 guides. Any!! I sincerely hope they have rectified this for the 2016 version, otherwise I am going to have to question their taste buds. This restaurant has well and truly earned its three ticks. Come and fight me to get a table and don't get offended if I try to glare at you to hurry the hell up, finish your Asian inspired cocktail and let me at it!

 

daffy duck  

 mmm, look how crispy that is. So delectable 

 lemongrass cocktail

 twice cooked pork belly, looks are deceiving, it is very crispy

 quintessential Melbourne

ribs, a dish I don't eat elsewhere (portions for five of us)

Mr Nice Guy: 10 Healeys Lane Melbourne

Mr Nice Guy is a cute little Thai food place off of Little Lonsdale St. It is slightly quirky and tries to do Thai food with a slightly modern flair.

The lunch menu has the key entree, salad, curry and stir fry dishes you want to see plus a couple of chefs specials that offer something different. The food is good quality and tasty and has enough variety that will make me want to come back for more.

Senor Gringo and I shared the tofu salad and massamun curry. The salad had crispy tofu, shredded carrot, red onion, tomatoes and lettuce. It was smothered with satay sauce that while tasty in itself was a bit much for the salad - ask for the dressing on the side and you will solve this problem in a second. The beef in the massamun curry fell apart when I attempted to pick it up, just want you want from a curry dish, and as a nice touch it had broccoli and carrot in addition to the usual potatoes. As I love veggies, this made me happy. Plus, bonus points for them, you can choose white rice, brown rice or rice noodles to accompany your meal. There were also a range of vegan options (or dishes that can be veganised) and celiacs would be well catered for.

Nearly every table had a plate of spring rolls or fish cakes accompanied by lettuce leaves and dipping sauce. So next time I visit Mr Nice Guy I'm going to vote with the crowd and give these a whirl.

Two ticks, I would be a (semi) regular if this place was near my work. Only wish - that this place would have more spice and less sweetness to their food.

Spicy Fish: 209 Little Bourke St Melbourne

Two words: delicious and yum! This place is going to the top of my Chinese food list (which is actually a really short list, hey I'm fussy!).

The menu contained all the Chinese food essentials. Each of the dishes we ordered had complex flavours with layered spices, which gave me confidence that I could order anything and it would be good.

We ordered the shao long bao (steamed pork buns that contain soup), which were really lovely (think about a dish that you would call lovely, you know it is better than average). Plus, the dry fried chilli beef, which was fabulous.

I was overjoyed to see dry fried chilli beef on the menu. I have not found it anywhere else in Melbourne so far and frankly I was beginning to think something was wrong with the city for its absence (joking, Melbourne is awesome)! Dry fried chilli beef is one of my favourite Chinese food dishes and I don't think I have had it better anywhere else, thank you Spicy Fish. The dish was salty and spicy and a little bit sour. My lips were pleasantly burning at the end and as it was rated as 1 chilli, I would say this place deserves a spice warning in general. I usually go for the spiciest dishes on the menu and often ask for more. If this dish gave me burning lips, I'm curious to see what they rate as three chillis(?!) For the record, Senor Gringo was bright red and had to drink copious amounts of water and he probably represents the general public when it comes to his tolerance level.

   

Three ticks.

 Mm, fried beef goodness

The menu has pretty pictures for everything, so you know what you're getting. 

My Taiwanese friend ordered this. It was basically cold cooked bacon. I couldn't bring myself to eat it but it got a big thumbs up.