Neptune Wine Bar

Date nights.

They’re important for relationships, but Brad and I don’t have them all that often - as these days, especially at the moment, I can be out at events from Monday until Thursday, so by the time Friday night comes around I’m ready to curl up in a foetal position on the couch in my pajamas with a tub of ice-cream. 

That, and although I love eating out, Brad’s a little more conservative when it comes to dining out, so I try not to get too excessive - so we often have quick Indian and Thai dinners (which I can’t complain about either really though).

However, when we do get a night out, I love a bit of make up, a short skirt, heels and a flirty joke or three - and Neptune Wine Bar is the perfect space to encourage that behaviour.

Located in Windsor, but a little away from the main Chapel Street drag, Neptune Wine Bar is dimly lit and beautiful. With exposed brick walls contrasting against structured, crisp and minimalist finishes. There’s a slight European feel to the space, but it’s definitely Melbournian. 

There’s an outdoor/indoor area out front, perfect for when Melbourne decides to let summer come through, followed by a bar, and intimate booths out back. We perch at the bar, where service is warm, with a smile, professional and not intrusive. 

A glass of red felt like the only appropriate thing to drink while it was raining outside, although the cocktail list also looked delightfully delicious - maybe one to tackle with the girls one night!

The food menu isn’t excessive, but very well curated, with options for everyone, and whatever kind of meal you’re in the mood for. Want a big shared affair with lots of food? Just some late night nibbles? Or, like us, something in the middle? 

We could have comfortably gone without it, but I couldn’t resist the smoked eel parfait, that came shaped like little cigars - with such a thin and crisp casing. So smooth, and so tasty. Totally my kind of thing.

And as much as I enjoyed the smoked eel parfait, I couldn’t help but be blown away by the pastas. Maybe it the was the gentle romantic mood of the space, made even more cosy with comfort food, or the fact that it was a bit cold and blustery outside - whatever the reason, with a glass of red in hand, the pasta dishes were perfect.

Brad got the rigatoni amatriciana, which smelt like a dream, and was a surprisingly hefty serving! I think the preconception to nicer places is that they’ll charge you more for quality, but you’ll get a smaller serving - but not when it comes to this rigatoni apparently. Pasta was beautifully al dente, and the flavours were just so wholesome and comforting. Pretty classic in the flavours. 

I went with the pumpkin, gnocchi, fontina and crispy sage, which might be some of the best gnocchi I’ve had in town - and I was so sad when I heard that they’re changing the menu soon - keep it around forever!

The gnocchi was so, so pillowy and light, like a cloud in your mouth, but then grounded by the rich and creamy pumpkin puree. Oh lord, it was so delightfully sweet and smooth. Then add dollops of melted cheese, crisp sage and pepitas for crunch…heaven. I hope they bring it back for Winter next year! 

I was actually quite impressed with the two dishes, that they were vegetarian inclined (I think the rigatoni might have had just a smattering of cured meat) - I always like restaurants/wine bars/drinking holes/places to eat that do simply beautiful things with veggies.

I almost hate to say that you should all visit Neptune, because I really don’t want to have to wait for a table the next time I rock up! I’m just selfish here - the food, booze and hospitality are too good not to share. 

The staff at Neptune Wine Bar are surely going to have some fantastic stories over the coming summer, as there’s no doubt this will be Windsor’s hot spot for first dates, and long time couples attempting at a romantic night out. If you’re a foodie, it’s for sure a great spot to test any upcoming candidates to see if they can keep up pace with your quirky tastes…

Neptune Wine Bar

212 High Street

Windsor 

 

Breakfast at Marion

Although I love the bustle and energy of a cafe (paired with at least a 15 minute wait no doubt), there’s something special about breakfast places that are soothing, restorative and quiet - and they’re usually not cafes. Or at last not in the typical Melbournian way.

I never realised Marion, a wine bar, also did breakfast, until I saw someone visit on Instagram who posted a rather luscious picture of a good looking black pudding - and made the executive decision (as I usually do) that we should visit.

It was a slightly muggy and wet morning when we visited, which made the restaurant feel particularly soothing, a beautifully designed sanctuary filled with diffused light. The neat and smart interior, is also quite inviting, with comfortable looking banquettes and brick walls painted white. 

Coffees and chai are a touch short on the foam, but I’m not one to judge on technical execution. Milk was smooth, chai was sweet, but not too sweet - I’m easily satisfied with just a couple of little things.

Brad ordered the baked eggs with greens, labneh and Turkish chilli, which is a refreshing alternative to the usual saucy tomato based baked eggs, but equally as hearty. 

I don’t often order omelettes when I go out for brunch, but when I do, they better be as good as Marion’s omelette with zucchini, tarragon and buffalo ricotta. Oh lordy, someone let loose on the butter and I am so okay with that. Delightful moreish, and fluffy, I loved how the tarragon cut through the richness a bit, and although it maybe was just a tiny bit salty, I was much too content to be bothered. 

A lot of cafes you’re in, and then you’re out. But when you have a space where you feel comfortable so sit, and I mean really sit, not just perch at a communal table on a stool, with a newspaper (or just the news on the phone), it’s really quite a luxury. One I hope to enjoy again quite soon. 

Marion

53 Gertrude Street

Fitzroy 3065

 

Embla

There’s nothing better when something is simple, but simply perfect. 

Embla, the newest venture from the team that brought you Town Mouse (which y’all know I simply adore), was somewhere I had dropped by for a drink when they first opened, but just never made it around for dinner. Until your friend Chris from Brisbane randomly drops in on a Monday night and it’s simply perfect timing. 

Located on Russell Street, the wine bar (they have been quite specific in the media that they’re not a restaurant…yet) is a like a warm cavern in the distance on a cold winter’s night; candlelight flickering and casting shadows across the timber heavy interiors which give it the feeling of age, grandeur, but intimacy all in one breath. It’s cosy, and it’s easy to get lost in the selection of wine and top-notch hospitality. 

I love the wine list, the wine by the glass list is punchy, selected and not too long, but with enough things on it that aren’t familiar on it - so it’s fun to get adventurous. 

The food menu is quite similar, not too long, punchy, selected, with lots of charred items that enjoy some time in the scorching wood fire oven that looks like a dragon is opening it’s mouth every time the door is opened to pop something in, or on the charcoal open grill. 

A plate of anchovy toast is whisked on to our table, a must, and it’s easy to see why. Hit of salt, hit of umami, hit of crunch, it whets the palate beautifully. 

Duck liver parfait is something I can never go past, and Embla’s was a generous serve of perfectly smooth and velvety goodness. Loved the pickled radish on the side to offset the richness. Was also very kind of them to top up our quickly dwindling bowl of lavosh which I wasn’t expecting (otherwise I would’ve not held back!) 

When I see pine mushrooms on the menu, being in season (when I visited Embla), it’s impossible to say no. Served so simply (a theme you’ll see ongoing through the night) with rosemary and soured buttermilk, my only wish was that there would be more. Perfectly cooked, the buttery and meatiness of the pine mushrooms was accentuated beautifully.

Wood roasted broccoli with sunflower seed miso is not much to look at, or so one may think, tree trunks of broccoli charred to black on the outside, but so sweet and tender on the inside. I’m also totally obsessed with broccoli (as a kid I actually drew ‘steamed broccoli, chicken and rice’ as my favourite dish for a homework task) so couldn’t get enough of this.

Ongoing theme yet again, but the half roast chicken was everything you could ask for. So juicy and delightful, but surprisingly, the roasted garlic was one of the most delightful components. Roasted until so soft that it’s sweet - it perfectly accompanied the chicken. Make sure you and your dining partners all have one (or enjoy them all and let the others suffer).

We also enjoyed the roasted celeriac, I forgot what it was served with (it’s a wine bar, sue me for forgetting), but at the end of the meal when Chris and I were trying to decide our favourite dishes, this one definitely came up for me. I loved the crisp and charred edges and how comforting, homely and filling the dish was. Reminiscent for me of Town Mouse’s roasted cabbage, and the way it makes me feel. You’ll have to forgive my vague flavour profile notes…this was one of the last savoury dishes we had after a couple glasses of wine!

Chris and I had the great honour of being one of the first people to try a new dessert on the menu that evening, a lemon curd tart made with a white sesame pastry, black sesame sugar and bananas with lemon/citrus. 

Oh my goodness. So sublime. Perfectly zesty, and sweet, but also refreshing. Great smooth texture, and absolutely loved the extra level of flavour the sesame brought to the citrus palate. We were recommended a glass of yuzushu, which was absolutely perfect and highly recommended. 

For only being a wine bar, the food offering is pretty solid and also solidly filling. Pretty sure I rolled out of there at the end of the night, although it’s almost tempting to never leave with the most warm and welcoming of service (always always take their recommendations - everyone there knows what they’re doing), cosy atmosphere and obviously delicious food and wine. 

Embla is just making the simple, simply magic - and that’s all there is to that. 

Embla

122 Russell Street

Melbourne 3000