Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Our first meal in Barcelona...

After two nights in Provence, it was time to take a break (although who really needs one?) and make our way to the location that would add 14 hours onto our total amount of hours we spent on the road. Barcelona.

Yes it was out of the way, 7 hours there and 7 hours back, but it was a trip we all wanted to make, Mum, Tim and I had never been to Spain and Dad hadn't been in over 10 years and was keen to see how the place had changed.

And of course eat all the food. Hello jamon!!

So after another lovely breakfast with Catherine and Barry, we hit the road.

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The landscape was relatively plain between France and Spain, although we went through truckloads of tunnels. Mum thinks we must have gone through more than 50 and tried to count on our way back to France, but lost count after 20 or 30.

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There were a lot of tolls though. And some nice views of the ocean...at a distance, but for whoever wasn't driving, we ooh-ed and aah-ed while trying to peer out the window at the little glimpses of turquoise. Dad wished we could have driven along the coastline itself, but navigating the little shoreside cities would possibly have doubled our time getting to Barcelona...next time...

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After swapping drivers 3 times, unremarkable croissants at a French motorway stop and finding wifi at a gas station just after the Spanish border, we were in Barcelona! The main streets were wide 4 or 5 lane monstrosity's with cars everywhere. Was a bit lame driving at 50 km's after speeding along at 110+ km's for so long...

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And in contrast to the big main roads, there were lots of tiny little one way streets...which cars somehow managed to squeeze through. Mum and I had the pleasure of trying to find the carpark for our hotel, while Tim and Dad checked in with the luggage, by following our gps instructions, which resulted in lots of yelling, nearly bursting into tears, a bit of road rage and having to reverse before being able to make it around the excessively tight corners. But we found it eventually and it was nice to leave the car alone for a few days!

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We stayed in 'Just Style', very modern apartments, ours had two bedrooms, a generous sized living area with a sofa bed and a neat little kitchen, all very modern and very conveniently located near two fairly big train stations. I also liked that it wasn't quite in the heart of the tourist centre, it was a much more relaxed part of town.

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Once we settled in, we went wandering. I hadn't really done any research in where we should eat, other than to visit the Marke Bouqueria (which we did the next day...which you will see soon!), so we just had a nice evening stroll down one of the bigger streets seeing if we could find something to eat.

Although we naturally couldn't resist popping into the plethora of meat stores with jamon legs just dangling in the windows.

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Yuuuuuuuuuum.

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We eventually passed by Portonovo Silvestre, which lured us in for a peek with it's inviting warm timbers, and sweet little Pintxos all sitting along the top of the bar at the front of the restaurant, and then led us to a table at the back of the restaurant with an exceptionally friendly waiter, Jonathon, who kept us entertained all night.

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Jonathon was incredibly generous and started us off with some complimentary nibbles. Dad couldn't resist getting into them even before I took my picture! They were a bit hard, which made them great for chewing, but also absolutely delicious, savoury and a bit fatty. Mmmm.

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This is what we got served as bread. There's olive oil, a brush of tomato (or something along those lines) and it's sprinkled with salt. Oh my goodness. Yum. So simple and so delicious. And to our delight, we got this all over Barcelona when we sat down for meals. Who needs a little dish to dip olive oil in when you just get it just pre-saturated?!

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We decided to try some ham croquettes, so we just ordered two. Jonathon gave us a third one. We ended up ordering another full order of six. They were exceptional. The best croquettes I've ever had in my life. They were beautifully hot and crisp around the outside and just so soft and delicious on the inside. I want to explain how they tasted better, but I really can't. They were so moreish (obviously). Mmm. I still dream of them....easily one of the highlights of the night!

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Of course being in Spain, we had to have Sangria.

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A selection of cured meats (which included another helping of the freebies we had earlier) and a couple of slices of manchego cheese, which was just the perfect sharp contrast to the saltiness of the meats. I was amazed at how generous the portion was!

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I think this was calamari...I don't really remember this dish that well, obviously not one of the memorable ones of the night!

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Urgh, look at how thick and glorious that asparagus looks?! It was so tasty, I loved the char on it and although it was drowned a bit in olive oil, it was still so good.

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Mum wanted to try 'Grandma's secret' seafood soup, which was loaded with seafood (obviously) of all kinds and beautifully aromatic and intense. It was such a rich broth, not as thick as the one we had in France, but definitely just as flavourful.

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It makes me realise how much I have to learn about food yet when mum orders stuff that I've never heard of before. But I suppose she's been reading her Gourmet Traveller for many more years before I ever got so involved with food!

These are padron peppers, they're green, fat, a bit contorted, not spicy, they were a little chewy I think from being fried, but otherwise easy to bite through and just...yummy.

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You think we've eaten a lot so far? We probably have. But we still needed a paella, and what other one would you get, but the paella negra?

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Which usually results in smiles like this.

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It looks disgusting but is absolutely beautiful. I honestly think anyone who passes up the chance to have a pasta, risotto or paella with squid ink is crazy. There's just a flavour of the sea, that you don't get without it, so freaking savoury. I was enamoured with how black it was, not a hint of a white rice grain to be seen amongst the lovely dark charcoal colour. It almost looks bottomless since the pan is black too! The texture was perfect, soft but not mushy or sticky and just seasoned perfectly. And did I mention there was truckloads of seafood in there too? Yeah. Loved this.

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Can you believe we managed to finish it all?! I think after a day on the road eating not much else but chocolate (and a croissant), we could fit more in our stomach's than usual!

We were absolutely rolling in our chairs. Food coma's were coming on and although we wanted to try the creme catalana, we just had no room.

No worries says Jonathon our extremely excitable waiter (we taught him the different terms to call mum (ma'am) and me (miss), amongst other things), and he decides to bring us a digestive and dessert. We groan and concede.

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With aplomb Jonathon shows up with 4 little glasses and what looks like a very cold Patron bottle of something very yellow. I couldn't quite pick up what our digestive was called, but it was freezing cold, very alcoholic and quite refreshing. It's amazing how much it really settles down a stomach that's feeling bloated with food, true to it's name I suppose. I actually quite liked it.

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And you know, in case we didn't have enough alcohol, our homemade cake was just drowned in...something sweet. I can't remember if it was rum or something else. But it was just intoxicating, but a perfect note to end the night on.

We were all quite grateful that we had a bit of a walk home afterwards, the cool weather, the digestive and a bit of physical activity helped settle the heaving stomach down, although it did feel excellent to have a nice warm tummy as well.

One night and I already liked Barcelona a lot. Our meal cost a grand total of...85 euro. I kid you not. Food this good, this cheap?! Unbelievable. Maybe I should consider moving...this meal is still so memorable in my mind.

Postonovo Silvstre
Carrer de la Creu Coberta, 37
08014 Barcelona

Friday, May 27, 2011

Merchant

Merchant is Guy Grossi's newest venture, located in the Rialto Intercontinental, which seems to be really trying to push and revamp it's image, away from it's sky deck (quietly I like Eureka skydeck more, so just as well) and lure in the big hitters of the Melbourne food world. Shannon Bennett being the next one to move Vue de Monde from it's old residency on Little Collins Street and start serving up high on level 40 or 60 something. I can't remember and am too lazy to check.

I have been checking Merchant's menu online and have been enamoured at the broad variety, with fairly reasonably looking prices. So one night, when David needed someone to help kill time before going for drinks, I proposed we get dinner at Merchant, and we were so full and content afterwards, David didn't bother going out anymore!

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Merchant is not so easy to find once you step into the Rialto, but it didn't take long to find help to get escorted there.

It's a relaxed, nonchalant atmosphere about the place, no table cloth, colourful, glossy chairs, set in a dimmed room and waitresses in the most darling flared wrap dresses. They all looked so neat, but so sweet and quaint as well. We were greeted extremely brightly, the waitresses leading us to our table with aplomb and a cheery greeting from the chefs in the open kitchen as well, who always looked like they were smiling. You could sort of feel the Venetian inspiration with the small hints of coloured glass and not so subtle vibrantly lush walls.

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The menu reminds me a lot of Giuseppe Arnarldo and Sons at Crown, there's not really a structured three course layout, but a variety of categories inviting you to try a little bit of everything.

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I wasn't planning on drinking, but when the waitress brought up the idea of a bellini, I caved in and said yes. Front-house selling, it works guys. I was quite impressed that it was made at the table, the waitress spooning in the peach puree, which looked deliciously thick and pink, then topped it up with sparkling wine right in front of us. It was quite delicious, with a nice little tang from the peaches. Not overly sweet at all. But a little bit painful at $18 a pop!

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I can't remember if I tried the bread. But I do know that David finished two lots of it. Although he decided not to be so Italian and ask for butter (several times) instead of olive oil. He absolutely loves his butter on bread, and is never impressed by just olive oil. Hehe.

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We started with two saffron arancini, a little on the small side, but absolutely beautiful. They weren't heavy and mushy like I've had before, but it was absolutely hot and crunchy around the outside, and the texture of the rice was so distinct, each grain quite distinguishable, which I found fairly impressive as it still held together well. Tasty too.

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Saffron. Mmmm.

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After reading Libby's review of Merchant, I was very keen to try the goose prosciutto, as I love pushing the envelope with what I eat and being able to eat everything. I'm not a lover of offal for nothing!

Goose was something I (am pretty sure) have never had before, it was served with a scattering of fennel and shaved cheese over it, the fennel provided a bit of crunch to the chewy and deliciously savoury prosciutto. And the cheese? A nice little bit of sharpness. The combination was different, but quite delicious, refreshing too.

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We also decided to try a special, of fried whitebait. Mmmm! I really enjoyed these, I'm used to them being a little crispier, but I liked how meaty these little fishies were, look how fat they are! They was only a light dusting of batter over them which was nice, it didn't mask or outshine the flavour. Very much enjoyed these, but found myself getting very, very full on them!

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I did want the squid ink risotto, but couldn't quite get David keen enough on the idea, so we got one of the vegetable risottos, I know it had zucchini flower, but I can't remember what else. When I told mum I was going to Merchant, she commented on how dad didn't like the risotto at Grossi Florentino as it was too soggy for him.

Guess I take a bit after dad. The risotto was delectably creamy and rich, very warming and comforting on a cold night, but for a risotto it was a bit too soggy and wet for my taste. The rice was a bit too soft, needed to be more al dente for me. It was tasty though, flavours were good! We kept going back for more of the cheesy goodness and ended up...leaning back in our chairs groaning at how full we were. The agony of melted cheese...

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To try and feel healthy I ordered a side of baked vegetables....but they came out like this. Very oily, a little sad and burnt looking and overall, not fantastic in flavour for me. Definitely a bit of a downside to the meal.

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We had to sit and mellow out for a while after our meal, we were both just so full, although a cup of peppermint tea helped settle the stomach down a bit. I loved that I got a pastel yellow cup, so cheery!

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As always though, there's that tiny bit of room left for dessert and I had been eyeing this on the menu all night. Apple fritters with cinnamon ice-cream.

The ice-cream was delicious, but the fritters themselves? Incredibly underwhelming. I am an extremely visually driven person and I just found the presentation quite blase and uninteresting. They're not the prettiest looking things. The batter was a bit thicker than I would have liked and I found I just lost almost any apple flavour, a bit doughy.

So to buy or not to buy? Merchant was enjoyable, and the appetizers were certainly executed well and delicious, but the sides, dessert and risotto were a bit hit and miss for me. I would like to comment on more of the proteins...but alas, too few stomach's....

Service was generally pretty good, it was certainly better at the start of the night and started to deteriorate through the meal a bit as the restaurant got a bit busier, but everything still came out at a good pace. I won't be suckered in for another drink here though (...maybe)!

I think Merchant would be the perfect location for after work nibbles, maybe when our daylight lasts a little longer, but I'm not as keen to come back for a full meal again (unless someone tells me the proteins are ah-maaaayzing).

495 Collins St
Melbourne, 3000
Merchant on Urbanspoon

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Cecconi's Cantina

Have you noticed in Melbourne's CBD, you have to go up stairs into everything? We seem to have a fascination with rooftop bars in summer, bars squished inbetween random food stores with doorways that are a person wide followed by a couple of flights of darkly lit stairs....which aren't always great in heels, in little dresses and after some drinks. Especially when you're leaving an establishment.

Fortunately the boyfriend unit is usually around to help with that.

However! I think Cecconi's Cantina is one of the few places in the CBD where you go down a small set of stairs, reminds me a lot of New York, which is the exact inverse of Melbourne. In regards to stairs and bars anyway.

David and I visited Cecconi's Cantina one fairly cold night, although I still decided to wear shorts and some crazy heels. Because I can of course. I don't think I looked like the clientele that Cecconi's usually received, but David and I both felt very comfortable and welcomed.

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Inside the dimmed, but coloured lighting provided a very suave and sophisticated atmopshere, contrasted with the detailed carpet patterns, and other such textures, it was very elegant. Looking over at the then quiet bar (it was only 6pm or so), I could imagine it being filled up with lawyers in suits from some swanky firm in....I don't know, Boston. Or New York I guess.

And as David and I discussed this fact, we were then served by a waiter with an American accent. Go figure, we suddenly felt like we had in fact been transported to the US.

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We kept dinner fairly simple and straight forward, no wine, no appetizers, just straight to the mains. I was also a little bit sick, so nothing looked better than a warming risotto. And my gosh, this was fantastic.

The risotto of blue swimmer crab meat, bisque and...I forget what vegetables was just what the doctor ordered. Even though my nose was a bit stuffy and blocked, I could smell the sweetness of the crab meat as it was placed in front of me. I was so impressed at the amount of crab meat they had strewn throughout the risotto, it was so succulent and sweet. Combined with the creamy (but not by cream) rice, it was just so incredibly comforting and warming. Probably one of the tastiest risotto's I've come across in Melbourne (although I wouldn't have minded it a little more al dente I think).

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I can't remember exactly what David had. I felt the plating looked a little sparse, but the fish was absolutely beautiful. Perfectly cooked. And David said he was quite comfortable after he finished it.

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No it's not a science project, it's dessert. Again, I forgot exactly what it was, but it was definitely pannacotta, there was a little fruit jelly and there was some deliciously crunchy crumble sprinkled over the top. It was light (as it should be) and just lovely, I loved the inclusion of the crumbly stuff at the top, as I've said in prior posts, I love contrasts in textures in my dishes.

And I was smitten with it's presentation, it was so round and bulbous, it made me think of a terrarium or something, with the little micro herbs poking their heads out amongst the brown crumbs. So pretty.

We both left with warm, very contented tummies. We were initially going to go run around the city and take photos, but since I wasn't feeling well we ended up in Westin having a cup of tea instead. Go figure.

But I would love to revisit Cecconi's, it's dressed up Italian, but still elegant and enjoyable in the simplest of ways. Service was impeccable and we were tended to very well the whole evening. At $50 a head, it was a little expensive, but for me it's always about the food, the service, the atmosphere and the overall experience, and mine was good, so I'd pay for that again.

61 Flinders Ln
Melbourne, 3000

Cecconi's Cantina on Urbanspoon