Blood Orange

Am I in a grocery or cafe? 

Why not both? 

Cafes seem to be coming more multi-functional these days, day to night, night to day, eating and shopping, why not do it all? 

Blood Orange in Hawthorn (well technically Hawthorn East, but I’ll claim it into Hawthorn…) is a charming addition to a sleepy stretch of Burwood Road, with it’s bright, light and unpretentious space, coloured by gorgeous looking produce and shelves heaving with all sorts of interesting condiments and yummy cookery things. 

The cafe is deceivingly big, with an average sized shopfront that stretches all the way back, and then peeks out the side a bit (or a lot) to fit a dining area in. 

With all the bustle and people generally walking around anyway perusing the shelves or doing a late morning shop, rather than take your order, orders are made and paid for at the counter, before you take a number and sit back down. 

The girls at Blood Orange are quick and efficient, our hot drinks appearing quite quickly. Nothing to complain about here at all. 

The breakfast menu wasn’t too big, and looked like they were keeping things pretty simple,  just allowing the produce to shine, but looks can be deceiving and I was pleasantly surprised with how impressed I was when the food arrived. 

I honestly cannot think of a more artistic way to plate portobello mushrooms with feta, pine nuts, grilled asparagus and house made rosti with a bit of avocado on the side. Seriously. It’s so pretty, it could be an entree at a restaurant rather than brunch at a cafe. The fetta was delightfully creamy and smooth, everything beautifully seasoned and the rosti with nibble crispy edges that I didn’t want to stop. Beautiful.

Brad’s big breakfast of bacon, chorizo, mushrooms, tomato, eggs, avocado, potato rosti and sourdough toast was a visual and literal feast. Definitely one of the most laden plates we’ve come across recently, but yet surprisingly, not a sea of brown as big breakfast’s can often be. Again, crispy potato rosti’s meant I was stealing Brad’s, the tomato chutney was so good I was smearing it on my mushrooms too and although the dish for the most part is pretty simple, the produce is good, it’s well seasoned and well cooked. Not much more you could ask for. 

Blood Orange is honest goodness, I kind of arrived not expecting too much, and found myself enjoying it far more than I thought I would. Maybe next time I’ll grab some cake on my way out too… 

Blood Orange

659-661 Burwood Road

Hawthorn East

Vic 3123

Tokyo - Day 4 - Tsukiji & Shimokitazawa

We nearly didn’t go to Tsukiji market. 

My goodness, what a mistake that would have been! 

Although we didn’t go to the famous tuna auctions, which now require people to be lining up by some ungodly hour of 3am to get tickets (which may or may not run out), even if you pop by later in the morning and just experience the ‘outside’ market of Tsukiji, it’s a real sensory feast. 

Tsukiji market is super easy to get to, with a number of train lines just a 3 to 10 minute walk away, and you definitely know when you’re nearby, with the swell of people and happy buzz. 

There is simply so much to eat and see at Tsukiji, we were only there for a little over an hour, but it was nowhere near enough for me, or my camera; the crowd, the energy and the vibrancy of the place reigniting the photography passion. 

We saw great big tuna’s get delivered to restaurants and to fish mongers, we ate sweet, and freshly made tamago (egg) on a stick, as well as the biggest and juiciest steamed oysters I have ever set eyes and moth on. The shell was bigger than my hand, and the oyster itself was bigger than my palm. Unbelievable. 

After walking around a little bit, we stumbled on to a sushi shop that I recognised, the very same one that I had eaten at when I was last in Tokyo in 2009. How’s that for memory? However, I don’t exactly know the name of the place, so uh…good luck finding it!

We had a most delicious sushi breakfast; the sushi chefs were friendly, posing for photos when they saw the camera pointed their way, the little old ladies taking our orders were energetic and had a bit of a laugh with us as we bantered back and forth in broken Japanese and English, and we of course had sake with our sushi breakfast. It’s the only sensible thing to do!

I made sure to eat my fill on all my favourite things, anago (sea eel), uni (sea urchin) and saba (mackerel) and only wished I could eat even more. Very many happy times. 

We also tucked in to some soft serve, which we thought was made in an interesting way. Each serving is in it’s own container, and when you order it, they just pick up one and pop it into the soft serve machine, where it’s then swirled out to perfection. Genius.

After our morning adventure in Tsukiji, we made our way to Shimokitazawa at the recommendation of one of our colleagues who ventured on her own there earlier in the week. From Shinjuku main station, it’s a simple 20 minutes or so away, just 4 stops or so if I remember correctly.

What a gem!

Our colleague described it as the Brunswick/hipster-ville of Tokyo which is a fairly accurate description. From the first step out of the train station, you are in no shortage of quirky little fashion shops, vintage and secondhand shops and adorable little cafes. It does remind me a lot of Melbourne, but just with a little bit more cool.

I picked up silk Dior scares for just $30, and found a consignment shop, the New York JOE Exchange, where I grabbed an awesome Gareth Pugh jacket for just $90 or so (his stuff usually retails for $1000+), so yes, I was in shopping heaven.

For those who aren’t as enthusiastic about shopping as I, the food in the area doesn’t disappoint either. We stopped by the J.S Pancake Cafe for a ‘Pancake Pie’, which is a pancake sandwiched between two sheets of mille feuille and either chocolate or chestnut puree (I opted for the latter obviously). 

Wow. Wow. Flaky and crunchy, not too sweet, fluffy and soft pancake, this was awesome. Just awesome. 

We also took a pitstop at Bear Pond Espresso, which is notoriously well known for grumpy staff and bad service, which we definitely got a little bit of as we got scolded when some of us started sitting inside when we said we were sitting outside. Oh. And no photos allowed inside either. My apple cider was very refreshing though!

If you’re into shopping and you’re into food, Shimokitazawa can easily fill an afternoon, or even a whole day! 

For dinner, most of the group split up for the night, so Jyotsana and I decided to go look for some tempura for dinner, as we had not checked it off on the list of Japanese things to eat yet. Although our initial first choice, Shinjuku Tsunahachi Souhonten, was closed for renovations, it was almost a blessing, as the second spot we decided to check out was one of the best meals I had on this particular trip. 

Funabashiya Honten has apparently been around in Shinjuku for over 100 years, and the second you walk in, you’re immediately swept up in the delicious aromas. The restaurant has a downstairs area with counter space that wraps around the cooking, but as that was full, we were sent upstairs and popped onto a table, which is not quite as exciting, but we definitely needed the space for all the food we had!

You could choose to order sets, or individual pieces, so we got one of the vegetarian set and one of the regular set which included seafood, as well as an additional serve of tempura anago and tempura scallops…since it’s not just something you come across everyday! 

Before the tempura arrived, our sets included grated radish, pickled vegetables and a delicious, delicious red miso soup with clams in it. Wow. They don’t make miso like this at home, so aromatic and rich in flavour!

The tempura came out quickly after and they did not disappoint, so light and crisp. Even with white paper lining the dishes to soak up the oil, they were hardly stained at all. We had great fun trying to pick out what the different ingredients were, from the thick cut lotus root, to the inoki mushrooms, prawns, eggplant and delightfully meaty scallops and anago. There were also fried bundles of grated carrot and other vegetables, which was simply one of the most delicious things we had eaten on the trip. Seriously. How do they do it? Everything went down a treat and I only wish we had more space to eat more. I have to say it was also incredibly affordable, and we only spent around $30 or so a head as well. 

Since there wasn’t really any dessert we were interested in, we made sure to swing by Baskin Robbins on the way home for rocky road goodness in Halloween themed cups. Good times!

So to wrap up, visit Tsukiji, you don’t need to be there super early to have an amazing time; Shimokitazawa is a little local gem that’s worth checking out; Funabashiya Honten’s tempura is the bomb and I can’t wait to go back later this year (I’ve already booked my plane tickets!)

Mister Jennings

With the arrival of Mister Jennings on the city-side end of Bridge Road, it seems a new breath of life might be coming to the once busy shopping street with it’s numerous factory outlets, which more recently are now found vacated with brightly coloured ’For Lease’ signs on the windows. 

It was only a matter of time really, but Mister Jennings comes in with guns blazing; head chef Ryan Flaherty had just left Estelle, and had some experience in Europe in establishments such as The Fat Duck and El Bulli. However there’s none of the pomp you may expect either, and is quite an unexpected, and welcome, addition to Bridge Road. 

I had originally booked for a table for four, but in the end, it was just Allan and I, as our friends had to pull out. I arrived early, and settled in with my book and a carafe of wine. I certainly appreciate restaurants that do carafe’s, as they’re perfect for sharing, but allow you to change wines throughout the night so suit the meal or on a whimsy. 

Mister Jennings is sharp and clean cut, white walls, dark bar, light woods and mirrors. There’s hints of the future, with an abstract robot man on the wall, and touches of playfulness with little artist mannequins found doing tai chi on top of the bar, or precariously dangling from a light fixture. 

Although the option for 5 courses for $80 sounded pretty good, there were some particular things that Allan and I were eyeing off, so we opted to put our menu together instead. And honestly, we calculated it up later, and I think it ended up a little cheaper…(typical Asians).

The puffed veal tendons were simply to die for and a simply moreish way to start the meal. Lighter and crisper than crackling or any other form of pig skin, this little bowl was very swiftly demolished. 

I know that everyone has talked about this, but I really must tell you about it too. The frozen kangaroo dish is just sublime. A pretty picture of dark pink hues, you must eat it quickly, or you lose the effect. When frozen, the sliver thin slices of kangaroo are almost crispy, the delicate icicles crunching in the mouth, that melt away to reveal the delectably tender meat that’s encased inside. It’s almost like a science experiment, mixed in with a little bit of theatre. Let’s not forget the sweet fruits, that also lend their crunchy texture, and the smooth avocado cream that adds just another complexity level to the dish. 

Totally not everyone’s thing, but I was definitely feeling it. 

The crab, salmorejo, chilli and black peppers is not the easiest dish to share, but it’s just lovely. Intense in colour, light, sweet, spicy. Can I have some more please sir?

Allan and I were unanimous in our decision to order the leeks and brown butter béchamel sauce, and this dish spoke to both our sensibilities and palates. Hitting you in the face with rich buttery and cheesy aromas, it’s a sensory delight before it even touches the tastebuds. But once it does, it’s pure comfort, gorgeously sweet, rich and creamy; this is the sort of thing I could eat entirely through the whole of winter. 

The duck dish comes blanketed by thin sheets of turnips, topped with peanuts and just the right amount of vibrant satay sauce. Whilst not heavy, the satay sauce is still full of flavour; not what I would expect to pair with duck, but it does work quite well. 

Mister Jennings seems to like to hide his proteins, as the next dish, pork, lime pickle and kale, also came veiled underneath vivaciously green kale leaves. When pulled back, revealed carrots, and sumptuous pork jowl that melted int he mouth. Although probably the simplest dish in flavours, the addition of the lime pickle kicked it up into another gear. 

To finish our meal, chocolate, cardamon, crunch. Of course it has to be chocolate. In a bout of theatre, the mountain of chocolate is placed on the table, before a thick and dark chocolate sauce is poured over the top. Is there anything more sensual to a chocaholic? 

Whilst I really liked this, I honestly didn’t love it. Yes, plenty of chocolate in there, and lots of playful textures, but perhaps it was the cardamon that I wasn’t quite feeling, as when I go all chocolate, I just want it to be rich and bursting to the brim with cocoa, which I think the cardamon cut through a bit for me. 

Overall though, Mister Jennings was a delight of a meal. A little bit whimsical, definitely playful, full of colour and flavour and lots of new things, which is always welcome when done well. 

I could certainly see someone like my dad not being into a restaurant like this, and I felt a little bit sorry for the kids that were at a table across from us with their family, as they pushed things around their plates and waited for the chips to arrive to the table. However, for those who are a bit more adventurous, Mister Jennings will be just the thing for you. 

Mister Jennings

142 Bridge Road

Richmond 3121