Madame Sousou is a slice of Paris placed into a corner of Fitzroy and it transports me to one of my favourite places in the world every time I step through the doors. The interior is all old-world romance, with gilded mirrors, cosy tables, antique posters and wooden champagne crates decorating the walls. The lighting is very dim, perfect for intimate tete-a-tetes but not so great for on-location food photography, sorry. The menu is classic French bistro fare. Resisting my urge for duck a l’orange (I’m really just a sucker for duck every time) I decided to try the cassoulet ($33) ...
Archives for “mid-range”
You know you’ve officially turned middle-aged at 30 when you go out for a proper sit-down meal before a gig at the Evelyn Hotel instead of grabbing something greasy from Souvlaki King and downing support act beers. Second confession. Even when I wasn’t middle-aged I never had a drink at the Provincial Hotel. But I have eaten at the adjoining Cafe Provincial several times over the years and never been disappointed. So, for our pre-gig sit down meal RM had the day’s special braised beef and bacon pie ($28.50) and I had the Otway pork belly with pear puree, roast sweet potato ...
Japanese. Jazz. Tea. Pottery. Who would have thought all those elements could work together so successfully in one place. Cocoro is first and foremost a lovely restaurant which serves high quality Japanese food. The prime position is the leather couch by the bay window, but if you’re dining it’s probably better to sit upright in the small dining area which features a wall displaying ceramic dishes and teapots for sale. The background jazz is soothing rather than obstrusive and gives the whole place a warm and cosy vibe. I want to move in. The menu is extensive – covering entrees, soup, salads, sashimi, ...
Help me Doctor!: I travel to Melbourne for a few days several times a year (for the shopping/galleries) and on the past two trips have had real issues with being a solo diner… MoVida -was ignored and watched people being sat ahead of me, had to argue to be given a single seat available at the bar. Gills Diner – ignored, then seated and ignored, then given a menu and then ignored for 20 mins before leaving in disgust. Taxi - told off for walking in off the street at lunchtime without a booking, then given a table very grudgingly, although there were plenty of empty tables when I arrived ...
You may remember that at the Nuffnang Christmas party I met Akisa, the brains behind a cool beauty website called BeautySwatch. I liked her idea so much (a huge colour library containing swatches for thousands of lipsticks) I thought you might be interested to hear more about Akisa and her work with BeautySwatch. Hi Akisa, can you tell me a little bit about your background? I’m a corporate rat by day and BeautySwatch editor by night – I have no affiliations with the beauty industry but do have a love for beauty products and the way they make you feel when you transform ...
You know that Charcoal Lane is a different sort of restaurant as soon as you walk through the handsome heavy black doors. At the entrance these words mark the wall: You are part of a unique and exciting program of Mission Australia, in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, William Angliss Institute and employers. Charcoal Lane provides the opportunity for Aboriginal and disadvantaged young people to transform their lives through training and working in this iconic building. All the profits and any donations from the Charcoal Lane restaurant go to supporting this important program that provides many traineeship and apprenticeship ...
As an ‘oriental’, I was intrigued by the concept of an ‘oriental diner’? I mean, what’s ‘oriental’ food exactly? The menu at Rice Queen appears to cover the gamut of a whole eating continent, from Japanese to Chinese, Sri Lankan to Thai. What this means is that there’s a patchiness in the quality of the food, and you can’t expect the dishes to be very authentic. The tangy and refreshing green mango salad with crispy fish and cashews ($15) was the most successful dish of the evening. The char kway tweo was passable, with the sloppy noodles doused in dark soy (very ...
I heart heart heart heart Goshen. Authentic hot and spicy Korean food, lovely presentation, a calming interior of dark wood and delicate stencils on green-tea walls and super-friendly smiley staff. It’s easily my favourite cheap eat in Melbourne and the sole (Seoul – guffaw) reason I want to visit Korea. I could just leave the review there, but I guess I should at least describe the dishes that Kimberley and I ordered. Two of my favourites: a pottery bowl of chewy sweet potato noodles with sliced beef and vegetables and a bibimbap (mixed rice in a hot stone bowl) topped with ...
The strip between Johnston and Gertrude Streets on Smith Street is takeaway heaven. Slowly RM and I are taste-testing our way down the street as our workloads increase and cooking-energy levels decrease. Peko Peko is billed as a Japanese cafe and it seems to be a popular local haunt. The small, relaxed place is decorated with a few Japanese touches (kimono fabrics, little rock garden in the corner) and it’s staffed by Japanese kitchenhands and quirky art-student waitresses. The menu is split into small, medium and large dishes, which range from traditional Japanese to fusion flavours. We started off with some agedashi tofu ...
