Going into the Cabinet...

It seems Wednesday's have really become quite unproductive work days for me, as it's the day I usually go into the city to go to the gym and then meet up with Brad for lunch. Although he's got exams and assignments coming up so (half) hopefully this trend may change...

When we had been in the city last, we had trammed down Swanston and I had looked up and noticed the sign for Cabinet and a couple of people sitting on the terrace, then realised this had been another little spot I had read about.

So I promptly went home, checked out the website and made it an option for lunch, which we obviously ended up taking.

You get into Cabinet, via Rainbow Alley (awesome street name!) which is just off Little Collins, near the corner of Swanston. The small little doorway, is a little unfortunately hidden amongst an assortment of bins, which makes the approach a bit off putting, but once you go up the stairs (so Melbournian) it's the most charming little spot.



The decor feels quite rich and dark, but is also relaxed and cosy. I really quite liked the space though, with some relaxed and easy jazz tunes going on in the background. Sadly the balcony had been booked out for a function, but I suppose that just gives more reason to go back for a drink one of these days....





Chai tea/lattes that are infused in a pot always quite amuse me, they just take up so much space! Put the tray on my table and there's no space for anything else!

The staff were very friendly and accommodating, giving us another table to fit all our drinks on when the food came along.



Brad went for the duck, mushroom, blue cheese and um...I can't think of it right now nor can I recognise it from the picture. But it's a flatbread, obviously! When it came out I thought it looked a little sparse of duck but he was very happy with it, neatly polishing everything off. I did nick a little of the duck and found it to be very pleasing, great texture as well!



I went for the seafood salad with rocket, tomatoes, prawns, spicy tuna and smoked salmon. I was perplexed at how all the flavours would work together, and whilst it wasn't all focused very well, all the ingredients in the dish were wonderful and fresh. The prawns were plump, incredibly juicy and sweet and the rocket very fresh.

I do have to say, we were both also quite surprised at how generous the servings were, I'm not really sure what impression I had for Cabinet, but I was expecting slightly smaller servings!

I'm personally certainly looking forward to another visit, I like how it is quite a bit more hidden than some other places in Melbourne and I'm personally always looking for a nice quiet drinking hole in the city, which are becoming rarer and rarer. So I suppose I will have to check this place out in the evening sometime!

To finish off our meal, since it was a lovely day, we decided we'd make a quick visit to Brunetti's before Brad had to run off to Glenferrie for class, as I think a good meal should always be finished with something sweet...



I always love going and getting a couple of the little biscuits and sweets...because they're little you get to try more and you don't feel as naughty :)

Cabinet Bar and Balcony
11 Rainbow Alley
Melbourne

Brunetti City Square
214 Flinders Lane
Melbourne

Tazio

A restaurant, a bar? Tazio seems to border somewhere between the two.



Whilst the interior lends itself more to being a restaurant, with some lovely intimate seating areas, the menu with it's massive drink list made us all question otherwise!

But we were quite pleasantly surprised.

Service was friendly, company was good and food was quick.



Brad and I tucked into a Pipsqueak cider each.

As we were a slightly larger group I didn't feel entirely comfortable trying to get very clear pictures or pictures of everyone's food. Although I do regret not taking a picture of the pizza, as my friend Vince's looked absolutely amazing! And according to Urbanspoon reviews, their pizza's are supposed to be consistently great.

I can briefly comment on a few of the main's though.



I got the crispy skin salmon, with broccoloni. My dish came out a bit later than everyone else's and I have to admit, initially I was a bit underwhelmed with the size of my dish in comparison, as it looked significantly smaller and not as hearty. However, the serve of fish is actually quite sizeable and I found myself very comfortably stuffed after finishing it.

Salmon was a tad dry, but living up to it's name, the skin was absolutely delightfully crispy. Broccolini was also a bit harder and firmer than I would've liked it, I had been rock climbing the day before and cutting into it was a little bit of extra effort...



Brad got the traditional porcini mushroom risotto. Quite lovely, beautifully creamy, rice was cooked to a very nice texture and it wasn't too soft or mushy. I found myself tucking into his dish a couple of times while he was engrossed with talking...

Whilst 5 out of the 6 of us had main dishes, other dishes included a farfelle pasta with ox tail and peas and a crumbed veal dish, I would certainly suggest that if you do come to Tazio, maybe tuck into the pizza's instead. As I touched on earlier, they certainly look incredibly hearty and there is a great selection.

I generally find Italian food a little bit unexciting, so whilst I did very much enjoy my meal and the place, I doubt I'd find myself back in Tazio soon, as being gluten intolerant, I have to be picky where I get my pizzas. Unfortunately, Tazio does not cater to my rather picky type.

66 Flinders Lane
Melbourne
9654 9119

Coffee like tea? - The Sensory Lab

Food is a science isn't it? I mean, it's quite like chemistry isn't it, you put a bunch of elements together, add some fire and hopefully it doesn't explode.

Even something as simple as coffee, which mind you, I usually never drink, looks horrifically scientific when you walk into a place that looks like this...





But I love it. The...I'm reluctant to use word waiters, so let's call them connoisseurs, are all very hip, very trendy and wearing adorable white lab coats.

This is David Jone's new Sensory Lab. And whilst there's a couple of baguettes in a little glass case at the back, this place is all about the coffee. Just the coffee. Not even tea for non-coffee drinkers like me.





But when a place is this cute, how can I say no?



David and I walked in, probably looking very lost, took a seat and had someone very promptly come over to us and walk us through the different ways of brewing and serving coffee. Since David and I both admitted to not being coffee drinkers, she suggested we go for the syphoned coffee, which we had both had before and didn't find so bad.

She then proceeded to recommend us two of the four brews that she thought was tasting the best today, so that we could try them both and maybe (hopefully) see a difference between the two.



We were given the Tanzanian Blackburn and the Ethopian something...forgot the name. Oopsies.

But I was given the Tanzanian first, which I found quite rich and smoky and heavy. A little bit much for me.

But then we swapped and fortunately, David liked the Tanzanian much better (and even more so after 3 spoons sugar...oh David.), because I quite loved the Ethopian brew. It was sweeter, lighter and a bit fruitier than the Tanzanian and whilst David insisted I should put sugar in it, I decided to be purist, follow the advice of our connoisseur and not go down the sweet path.



So I would absolutely love to swing by here again, but alas for not being a bit drinker of coffee. If they only did single estate teas like Proud Mary now....

297 Little Collins St, Melbourne

I love me some crunch...Kenzan GPO

When I need a quick lunch, my usual fix is a smoothie from Tropicana and a couple of sushi rolls from Kenzan GPO



Yes they are a little bit more expensive than Sushi Sushi, or the numerous ones dotted around Melbourne Central, but firstly, the size is far more appropriate. I mean, I can't have been the only one noticing how small the Sushi Sushi rolls have been getting as they slowly but surely pump up the prices. Secondly, the quality of the rolls and ingredients is far better. In my opinion anyway.

And thirdly, who doesn't love the seaweed that's wrapped separately, ensuring the delightful, delicate crunch before you get to the rice?

So let me show you how it's done basically. Pardon all the pictures are in my lap, I took my rolls and my smoothie and perched myself on the steps of GPO to watch the people go by. Whilst Kenzan GPO is located in a dark cosy laneway, I love watching the hustle and bustle of people go by.



So here's your roll, very politely stating what's in it.



You then unravel it...see how the rice and seaweed is separate?



Then you put it all together! And noms ensue. This was the first time I had the soft shell crab and I wish it was a metre long roll as it was absolutely delicious. A lot more flavoursome than I had imagined!



They also do onigiri in the same fashion. My personal favourite is the vegetarian onigiri.



This is because of the soy sauce that's through the rice, along with the mushrooms and carrots etc. etc.

And as you can see, the procedure with the onigiri is exactly the same as the sushi rolls.

Kenzan also does more standard rolls, without the seaweed wrapped separately, a number of soba, bento and rice dishes and even sashimi. And again, whilst not the cheapest in town, I certainly think it's extremely reasonable for what you are getting.

350 Bourke St Melbourne VIC 3000
9963 7767

Chocolate Macarons

I recently discovered that there's actually quite a difference between macarons and macaroons. Who woulda thunk?

I'm not very good at explaining, plus I'm kinda tired after a full day of work so I suggest you just wiki them and find out for yourself. :)

But why the topic of macarons?

Mum and I made some about a week and a half ago! And they came out far prettier than I expected them to!







Yes, yes all my own photos, give me some good light, a photo tent and my Nikon D70s and we work it out pretty well.

We were at first worried when mum initially piped out the shells that they weren't going to smooth out, but it's amazing the change the macaron shells go through in the 10 minutes that you let them sit after piping them, before popping them in the oven!

So yes, they're quite easy to make, just a little bit time consuming! Mum and I didn't bother to pipe the ganache inside, we just grapped a butter knife and got busy spreading!

Chocolate Macarons

Macaron shell
300g icing sugar
200g ground almonds
18g cocoa powder
150g egg white (approx 4, 60g eggs. They usually come in a dozen box that weighs 700g)
60g caster sugar
cocoa powder, for sprinkling

Chocolate ganache
225g cream
50g butter
50g honey
250g chocolate couverture, broken into chunks

To prepare shell:
In a blender, process the icing sugar, ground almonds and cocoa powder finely.
Sift mixture.
Using a stand mixer, whip the egg white on a medium to high speed, adding the sugar gradually until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
Using a spatula, fold the sifted mixture into the egg white mixture, to form a slightly soft mass.
Fill the mixture into a piping bag with a 6mm plain nozzle and pipe out circles of 5-6cm diameter on a silicon mat or silicon paper lined baking tray. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. Seta side for 10 minutes, to allow the shells ot dry slightly.
Bake at 155C for 14 minutes – halfway through the baking time, open the over door slightly to allow the steam to escape; close door and finish baking.

To prepare ganache:
In a saucepan, heat the cream, butter and honey, stirring, until well-mixed. Remove from heat. Place the chocolate into a bowl and pour the cream mixture over. Mix until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is nicely blended.
(Mum and I popped the ganache into the fridge for a while to firm it up and make it spreadable)
Fill the ganache into a piping bag and pipe onto a shell, sandwiching it with a another shell. Chill in the fridge.
(And we didn't use the piping bag to sandwich it like I said earlier)

A quick revisit to Allegro...

Argh, so backlogged! I have so places and blogging I've been wanting to do but I've just been way too busy!

So there will be a mini flood over today and tomorrow....

Brad and I went out for dinner on Thursday night, which looks like is becoming a bit of a trend...whilst we originally had decided on going to Bar Lourihna, since he hadn't been ever and I hadn't been in almost 2 years, we walked up to the door and found even the waiting area completely full with people!

Usually we are both terrible and take ages to contemplate where to next, but I realized I still had my Starwood Privileges card that was going to expire at the end of this month (so sad!). And off to Westin we went!

As I have said in the past, I always enjoy going to Allegro in the Westin. Good food, smart but relaxed atmosphere and very attentive and friendly waitstaff.



Brad got the kingfish fillet on braised lentils with buttered broccolini and a ginger and carrot emulsion.

I found the fish a little bit dry, but kingfish has that tendency, so for what it was, I still quite enjoyed it. However, when had with the emulsion, it was absolutely delightful. And I love love lentils.



I ordered the baked ocean trout served on herb risotto with a bacon and mushroom broth.

This was just DELICIOUS. The trout was done perfectly, and the herb risotto (that peek of green underneath) was so tasty. I had never had such a basic risotto before, I'm personally so used to having risotto with something else mixed through it, fish, mushrooms, chicken etc. But as this was just a basic herb risotto, the flavours were so focused and the rice done perfectly as well. I could easily go back for more.

And don't let my pictures fool you, they are both very decent sized servings, so even though we were both hungry and started dinner quite late, we really couldn't even consider having dessert since we were so comfortable.

All in all, another fabulous meal, Allego hasn't let me down yet. I do have to say, I always love how colourful and well plated their dishes are, it's always a visual treat.

205 Collins St
Melbourne
9635 2200

Luxurious Lunches

I absolutely hate it when I go somewhere, have my wonderful little Canon G9 on me, whip it out to take a picture and see...'no memory card inserted'.

ARGH?!

I was heartbroken, as Brad and I had ventured up to the Exhibition St end of Little Collins st to try out Sakura Kaiten Sushi, after I had read about it on '...it pleases us'.

See, I have always agonized that we don't have a good sushi train place in Melbourne, yes it's a bit of a novelty, but I don't see why it can't be done well. Gogo sushi on Swanston street is good, but standard and nothing amazing, Tomodachi in Melbourne Central I feel is overpriced and overdone...and then...what else is there really?

As much as I love my sushi hand rolls, sometimes you just crave something a little bit different. And with Brad and I being such big Japanese food fans, we're always keen to try a new place.

But anyway, at least I had my iphone on me, so I managed to snap a few pictures, but didn't record everything we had, as I was too busy eye-balling what was coming up on the conveyor belt.



Sakura Kaiten is a small, intimate space, but still maintaining a modern, slick feel about it. Without overdoing it as well, there's a fine line there. The sushi train can probably fit just over 20 people on it and there a few other seats as well.

The sushi presented on the train, was an absolute delight for me, all of it was visually very pleasing and there was an immense variety, which I certainly enjoyed. Even the fairly standard rolls were somehow made more exciting, there was spicy tuna rolls, but presented absolutely beautifully with the sauce on a little white plate, giving it a bit of a 'ying yang' look and then some more interesting combination's such as unagi and cream cheese.

Now don't give me that look, I know generally that unagi and cream cheese, whilst it kind of works, is usually over powered by the cream cheese, but I was extremely impressed with this one, the cheese was very subtle and absolutely just melted in your mouth to combine beautifully with the unagi. Mmmm.



The tuna sashimi was to die for as well, it was another one of those 'melt in your mouth' dishes that immediately makes you vocally express how delicious and good it feels.

Sakura Kaiten also does bento boxes, which I noticed some guys having sitting across from us, but I have to wonder if it's a bit of a waste, when the sushi on the train is so delicious!

It is slightly on the pricey side, the cheapest plates starting at $3.60, but for the quality you are getting, I think it is absolutely well worth your money. Brad and I plowed through about 8-10 plates and our bill came to about $40 in total, which I think is very reasonable.

After we finished lunch, we decided we weren't ready to quite call it an afternoon and wandered on down to the Lindt cafe on Collins st to get some macarons.

Whilst I do enjoy the macaroons there, I'm always grumbling at the service at the cafe, and even at 2pm, after the lunch rush, it was really not a whole lot different. I mean, there's a sign at the front telling you to wait to be seated, but no one attends to you for quite some time, even if the place is empty. And not to mention when it came to taking our order, the waiter who served me could have at least pretended to smile or be friendly at least....

But since it was quiet, our drinks and macaroons came out pretty quickly at least.



Brad's mocha looked absolutely divine, look at that chocolate sitting at the base there! Mmmmm! My chai was also, quite lovely, the milk was frothed beautifully, and whilst the chai wasn't the type that gives you the lovely spicy warmth in the back of your throat later, it was very tasty and unoffensive.

In regards to macaron flavours, I know some people are a bit hit and miss with Lindt's ones, but for the most part I think they are very tasty and am a personal fan of the passionfruit and hazelnut ones. The hazelnut in particular, always seems to have more ganache, making it oh so succulent and rich...

Basically, if you want something from Lindt though, take it away.

Whilst marvelous fun, I'm wondering if continuing these Wednesday lunches with Brad is a good idea for my work productivity.....:s

Sakura Kaiten Sushi
1/59 Little Collins St Melbourne VIC

Lindt Cafe
271 Collins St Melbourne VIC 3000