Mushroom Mania - Tall Timber

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Australian Mushroom Growers for their 2013 Mushroom Mania campaign. Venue was of my choosing, meals paid for and as always, my opinions my own :)

Let me tell you a little secret.

I hated mushrooms as a kid. Along with peas, they were detested in my childhood. But fortunately, I did a little bit of growing up (just a little now, nobody wants to grow a lot!) along with my palate and I now kind of adore mushrooms and they're one of my go to ingredients, on the odd occasion I'm cooking at home. 

So I was quite excited when I was asked to be one of the official bloggers for Mushroom Mania, a tribute run by the Australian Mushroom Growers in the month of July, to showcase mushroom dishes in different restaurants, cafes and other dining establishments throughout the country.

Which meant only one thing to me…time to head out for brunch!

Having come back from America though, and hardly paying attention to my twitter feed as to what was new and happening while I was away, I was at a bit of a loss as to where to check out. Seriously Melbourne, you're ridiculous with your restaurant openings.

But when Kate mentioned on twitter that Tall Timber is the 'bomb diggerty', I knew I had to hot foot it there, stat! So Caryn got brunch-called and we met up at Tall Timber on a rather blustery Sunday morning to catch up on the shopping I had done in the States and plan out her wine and cheese birthday celebrations.

Created by the people who brought us Coin Laundry and Station Street Trading Co., it wasn't surprising really that upon arrival we were greeted with a 30 minute wait for a table of two at 11:30am. What were we thinking really?

The place was buzzing, waiters in smart brown aprons with evergreen ties, couples and families waiting by the door to be seated. The space was clean and bright, with large windows at the storefront and brick walls painted in a brand spanking new and clean shade of white. It did feel a bit like Coin Laundry, but a tiny bit rougher around the edges. 

I, for some forsaken reason, had not had a soy chai latte upon arriving back on Melbourne soil, so my soy chai at Tall Timber was a treat. It could have used more spice and love, but the milk was smooth and velvety, and I was pretty happy. 

Caryn enjoyed her coffee, after downing her first one fairly quickly, she was quite tempted to order a second…'because it was yummy!' Or so she kept telling me.

Caryn ordered the open sandwich of poached eggs, avocado salsa, Kaiser flesh bacon, roasted romas and a beetroot relish. Normally served on ciabatta, they had run out and instead she had it served on a few slices of sourdough. 

The eggs were cooked well, and I loved how colourful her dish was, but she did comment that while tasty, was lacking that 'wow' factor for her and tasted a bit 'monotonous'. We theorised that maybe it needed some texture, so some crunchy nuts or dukkah, or a sharper and brighter flavour to contrast, like a bit of the goats curd from my dish, which she thought made for a good match with hers. She did like the beetroot relish though! 

I of course, jumped to the portobello mushroom with goats curd, almonds and balsamic. 

I've always loved the meatiness of portobello mushrooms, my mum often fills them up with chopped garlic and grills them on the barbecue at home, but the balsamic glaze at Tall Timber gave a very pleasant sweetness and also gave the rather earthy and 'meaty' mushroom a rather different character. A bit lighter, a bit springier. I fell in love the creamy, creamy goats curd, which added a burst of flavour, but not overwhelmingly so. All up, especially on the rather seed dense bread it was served with, I really liked the portobello mushroom dish. I maybe wouldn't have minded an egg on it, just for a little more protein, but it made for a relatively light and healthy brunch option. 

After we finished our munching, Caryn did get her second coffee, and I opted to get a hot chocolate as a second drink. It was pleasantly light, but with enough cocoa to satisfy my need for a chocolate hit. 

For the most part, Tall Timber is great, serving good food (Caryn and I were going to order a French toast we saw floating around while waiting, but they had run out by the time we were seated. Sigh!), with polite and efficient service, albeit in a slightly hectic setting for a weekend (but this is Melbourne, surely that's expected). I think I would enjoy revisiting Tall Timber during the week, when the staff are a little less harried and can take a moment to breathe! 

So what about you guys? Where are your favourite mushroom dishes? You could have the chance to win one of 40 $100 restaurant vouchers, simply by sharing some of your favourites! Find out more here. 

Don't forget to check out where else the other Mushroom Mania bloggers have been eating out around the country too! 

Tall Timber

60 Commercial Road

Prahran 3181

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America - Planes + Communication

What are you guys like when it comes to travel? I'm a stickler for organisation, and once it was decided I was going to join Brad on his trip, pretty much booked everything on the trip. And I mean everything. Out of the seven cities we visited, Brad booked on hotel room, tickets to a basketball game and the Statue of Liberty…annnnd…that's it. Oh and his plane tickets to and from LA I guess.

I took control of everything else, and although it took a while, I think that in hindsight, I did a pretty good job in regards to flights, accommodation and general logistics. 

So I thought I would focus this first post on airlines and getting a sim card for your phone.

I know, kind of boring, not so delicious, but I know a couple of my readers are heading to the states soonish, so thought this might be of help to you, as I would have loved to read a post like this myself!

Getting to the states, Brad had booked his flights before I decided to join, and the cheapest tickets he could find, with the most reasonable layover were with Air New Zealand. They were around $1200, when I bought mine a month later for the same flights, they cost me about $1500.

Now, I have done a fair bit of flying, but had not flown with Air New Zealand since I was like 7 (oh god, that's getting to be so long ago now). So I didn't really know what to expect and was kind of worried it would be…I don't know, subpar? 

But gosh, was I surprised. I loved Air New Zealand. LOVED.

I even looked forward to my 12 hour flight from LAX to Auckland. Look forward to a long haul flight. Can you imagine?

All planes we took were newly fitted out, with surprisingly spacious seats, usb ports and powerpoints in all seats (even in economy) and some of the largest tv screens in the seats I had ever seen…I think they were even bigger than Singapore Airline's A380 economy screens! 

What I loved even more though, which I had never come across on an airline before, was that their on-demand movies, tv shows and music were all available 'gate-to-gate'. Basically from the second you get on the plane, to the second you get off. So while waiting for other passengers to board, you could be getting immersed in the action of 'A Good Day to Die Hard' (don't judge too much, I love mindless action films) and continue to while taking off, then be watching 'A life of Pi' as you land and taxi to the gate.

Simple, but totally brilliant. There was also a great selection of movies and shows, ranging from the very recent releases to old favourites. On the way to LA I ended up watching about 6 hours of David Attenborough goodness. 

Service was super friendly and easy to access, as you could simply order food, drinks and snacks via your giant tv screen. Waking up to a piping hot milo after a 5 hour snooze on my way to LA was really the best thing ever. Really, why is milo so good? 

You can also order baps.

Something else that took me completely by surprise, was how tasty the food was. Yes. Tasty aeroplane food. I know it's an oxymoron, but Air New Zealand somehow broke the mould. 

My gluten intolerant meal of lamb stew with potato slice was surprisingly well seasoned, full of flavour and totally tender. The thin potato slices that were assembled into a small rectangular square were perfectly cooked, not mushy, but soft enough to scoop up neatly. I was super impressed.

And then I stole Brad's chocolate ice-cream. After eating my gluten free chocolate bar. Teehee. It was delicious. Fortunately he's not a sweet tooth, like at all. Yay!

The only meal that I wasn't really impressed with were my scrambled eggs for breakfast, which had a really strange granular texture and were a bit bland. Everything else we ate onboard though, was seriously good. Best airplane food I've had? Definitely. 

That's how Brad slept on the way home. Hehe.

Even the toilets had a cute fit out, with a library-like wallpaper with a variety of funny and quirky book names. I appreciate Air New Zealand's sense of humour.

It was also great while in LAX, since we flew in from New York pretty early, we could actually check in our bags about 10 hours before our flight, which saved us from having to drag them around with us all day.

Also as a quick mention, the layover we had in Auckland airport was short, but very comfortable. There's a really lovely little waiting area where they have comfy sofas, fit for two, with two powerpoints at each. Plug the laptop in and you're good to go for a few hours no?

Whilst in America, we flew Virgin America, Alaska Airlines and Jet Blue. The only one we had issues with in regards to delays (or generally really) was Jet Blue, but we were on the plane and it only took about an extra 30 minutes. The only thing I didn't like about Jet Blue, was that getting through security at their terminal in New York was absolutely ridiculous. It probably took nearly an hour…for a domestic flight! When we were in LAX on our way home, it only took about 15 minutes to get through security…little bit mixed up no?

The last thing I did want to make mention of here was getting a sim card for a smart phone. 

It took ages of googling to figure out that yes, T-Mobile only offers prepaid plans, and you can get micro and nano sims for your phone. 

All of the prepaid plans from T-Mobile had unlimited calling and texting (fairly handy) and the most basic plan you could pick up was $50 for one month, which included the unlimited calling and texting and 500MB of high-speed data. After that it apparently slows down to somewhere between Edge and 3G speeds. 

I opted to add $10 to my plan so that I would get 2GB of high-speed data. 

On top of that you will also get charged an extra $10 for the sim card itself. 

All up making the bill $70 in my case (and 9c for tax). 

Seriously, having data was an absolute godsend. Google maps is pretty reliable for figuring out public transport or walking routes and I came to realise why Yelp was actually kind of cool (I found the coolest little consignment shop in Seattle with it, amongst many other little delicious finds). With T-Mobile, I generally had pretty good coverage all across the country, although the data often hated it when I went indoors, for some dumb reason. 

I hope that wasn't too boring for everyone? For those planning a trip to the states, I hope this helps out a little bit, but I promise my next American post will be much more tasty for everyone.

The Grain Store

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Grain Store launch, and returned and paid for my own brunch.

I had heard a lot about The Grain Store before I visited myself for the first time. I had heard so much good feedback in fact, that I had recommended a couple of friends to visit, even before I had! 

When my friends who visited all returned with similar reviews, I knew I had to visit…fortunately, shortly after, I got asked to check out their launch, so how could I say no?

So I met up with my friend Shamim, who's slowly turning into a regular on my eating expeditions, who was one of the friend's who visited before me, and we strolled down from her place on Russell Street (yes, she lives in the heart of the CBD, so jealous), down to the west end of Flinders Lane. 

I must have gasped when I entered, although The Grain Store is inspired by the days when the buildings in the area were used to store grain (unsurprisingly), the space hardly felt like a dark warehouse.

Instead, with tables and chairs pushed aside for mingling space, The Grain Store was warm, inviting and felt incredibly bright, despite the sun setting. It was so refreshing to have white walls, and light woods, and just a beautifully crisp and clean aesthetic. I felt like I was in a cute interior design magazine!

As we sipped on wine and bubbles, we got to try a variety of tidbits from the kitchen, which we all complained were on the small side (we're food bloggers, what do you expect?), but still all absolutely delicious. 

Red witlof with cous cous was a fresh awakening to the palate, served cool with a bit of crunch. The black pudding was piping hot and naughtily delicious, so I couldn't help falling in love with it straight away. 

Little baked potato bites with cheese made for hearty little bites and I loved the super spicy and delightfully charred chorizo with a bit of sweet salsa goodness on the top. 

We were also invited into the kitchen with head chef Ingo Meissner, originally from Germany, who gave us a demo of how he makes his steak tartare, with 11 different ingredients! (Sorry for the photo Ingo, but I just love how this photo shows how animated and lively you are! :))

Chef Ingo made it all look so easy, merrily chatting away to us while his hands kept busy, with a pinch of this, and a toss of that. Served bite sized on a bit of toasted brioche, there was nothing to dislike here. 

It was great to know too that on top of serving delicious food, The Grain Store also gets it's produce supplied by Brunswick's Ceres Market Gardens, so supporting local farmers and also reducing their food miles. Lots to like right?

Still the real test comes in actually dining at the establishment, so Brad and I popped by the weekend before we headed off to the States. 

Visiting on the weekend is made real easy, as people driving in can park at the carpark below for just $5…for the whole day! Good deal if you ask me!

It was bustling when we got in, every single table taken with happy looking diners with great smells wafting about the room. We were told that it would be a 30 minute wait, but were seated in about 20 instead…can't complain about that! 

Beautiful coffees, and warm and tasty chai lattes, wouldn't have minded it to be a bit spicier and stronger, but perfectly pleasant in the nippy weather. 

I was excited for the food and certainly wasn't let down. Brad's portobello mushroom and raclette potato roesti with poached eggs and hazelnut hollandaise was a delightful twist on a classic, with thick and golden hollandaise sauce and deliciously oozy yolks. The subtle nuttiness of the hazelnuts added a lovely earthiness. 

I couldn't be more delighted when my dish was placed in front of me. I didn't want to eat it! It was a piece of art! The orange cured salmon with fried poached egg, truffle creme fraiche, smoked eggplant and crostini was a masterpiece. A variety of fresh greens, sculpted across the plate, a smear of baba ganoush that was smokey and tangy and just perfect with everything else. 

Oh and a panko crumbed poached egg. Love the stuff. This is how you make a salad exciting! My only complaint was that there wasn't a whole lot of salmon, but what I did have was smooth and sweet.

Ingo and the team are doing great work at the Grain Store, and it obviously shows with the volume they're doing on the weekends and I imagine the suits up that end of town are loving the new addition to the brunch and cafe scene in the city. 

As I've been writing this post, I've been reviewing the menu and considering what to have on my next visit…perhaps chilli and fennel sausage with the winter vegetable hash?

The Grain Store

517 Flinders Lane

Melbourne

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Adeney Milk Bar

Having recently returned from the States, I'm busy sorting through my photos and figuring out exactly how I'm going to tackle actually writing everything up! Do I do day by day? Individual posts for each restaurants? Or just a general guide? 

I'm also dreaming of the warmer weather, as I sit here curled up in my woollen cardigans and thick slippers, maybe not in NYC, as we were melting while we were there, but of the cool breezy and sunny weather in San Francisco…which reminded me of a brunch Brad and I had, when you could still get away without wearing a jacket in the mornings, that I forgot to blog about!

Adeney Milk Bar popped in Kew, right across from Victoria Park, which meant that late morning, on a weekend, the place was filled with families, mums, dads and kids who had just finished Saturday sport. 

Although busy, it was actually quite pleasant. I'm kind of getting to that age where I can actually tolerate having overly exuberant kids running around and find myself smiling stupidly at babies. No not ready for that yet (for a long while yet!), but there's something about the lively energy that I found so endearing. 

No I'm not getting old. Really. I think. Oh god. 

These guys had to delay their opening as their custom painted pearl Slayer coffee machine was stolen jus days before they were originally scheduled. It was tragic to hear about, but this hasn't stopped them from serving beautifully frothed lattes and chai's. The drinks were very hot, I normally throw my chai down my throat (almost literally), but I actually had to wait to let mine cool down before I could even touch the glass. I know some people like their coffees at ready to drink temperature, but I also know people (like my parents) like their coffee a bit hotter so that they can sit over it and chit chat rather than hurry to finish it. 

I love that there's a takeaway coffee window on the side…for those busy parents no doubt! 

The menu is incredibly concise and quite limited, without a single egg dish in sight! Bold, but fair, keep it simple, keep it good.

They did.

Brad's ham, cheese and tomato croissant was a delight, with a nice ratio of ingredients and a beautifully buttery and flaky croissant. There was a lot of 'mmmmm-ing' going on after I took a bite.

I went with the classic of avocado with fetta on toast. I thought it didn't look like a lot of avocado at first, but I found I had more than plenty to spread out on both slices of bread. It was so smooth, like butter and so fresh. Squeeze a bit of lemon on that, and you really can't go too wrong. 

Sure, the mummy crowd can be a bit daunting to infiltrate, and usually breakfast does require protein, eggs and sustenance. However, for a light and quick option, Adeney Milk Bar does pretty darned well in my books. 

Adeney Milk Bar

70 Adeney Avenue

Kew 3101

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Homebound!

As I write this, I've just gotten off a 12 hour flight from Los Angeles and am now enjoying a relaxing transit in Auckland airport, only one or two hours fortunately, before I'll be heading home and hitting Melbourne soil again! Brad and I were lucky enough to score a row of 4 seats to ourselves, and he, being the long, lanky and good boyfriend he is, let me stretch out over 3 of them (since he wouldn't fit into two very well anyway). I'm a terrible girlfriend, but I slept great!

I do apologise for the lack of updates, although I do hope you've been following the last portion of my American trip on Instagram and all the noms I've been having! 

Seattle, Rochester and New York City, the last three cities on our trip, were a total blast! Seattle and Rochester were a little more relaxed, fortunately, since New York City was go, go, go, go everyday all day! Brad and I returned to our hotel room every night, absolutely exhausted, hence the lack of blog posts. 

I am looking forward to editing my hundreds of photos though and talking about my amazing dinner at Craft, the deliciousness we enjoyed at Smorgasburg, the madness that is the pastrami sandwiches at Kat'z (how did Joey Chestnut eat 25 of these in 10 minutes?!) and how much I love Shake Shack's shakes. Sigh….

In between that, do expect more Melbourne posts, didn't catch up on that backlog like I thought I would, and I'll be hitting the Melbourne nom scene very soon. Who needs to diet?!

Just wanted to say also thanks again to everybody who made suggestions for places to eat and visit while in the States, I did try to go to as many suggestions as I could (I think I did pretty well in San Francisco!) but so little time, tummy space and moolah (I went a bit shop crazy towards the end of the trip…)!

Let me know if there's anything you guys are most interested in hearing about first! :)