Penang Affair 325 Brunswick St. Fitzroy VIC 3065 (T) (03) 9419 7594 website foursquare urbanspoon Much like with my last review of Roundhouse Roti, this place is also a Malaysian restaurant that’s also not really on the map for Malaysians locally. However, I did read two positive reviews of the place here and here and there was also the high rating on urbanspoon so off I traipsed, with a friend on that day in Melbourne last week where it bucketed down with rain. Firstly, I must commend Penang Affair’s slightly verbose and very over-the-top owner, he seems to have garnered quite a legion of fans! Many of the ...
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I’m a big Malaysian food aficionado. Having been to Malaysia and Singapore almost a dozen times I feel I’ve honed my palate fairly well when it comes to judging quality and authenticity in amongst the decent-sized set of Malaysian food offerings in Melbourne. A quintessential part of any Malaysian food experience is the Malaysian-style roti, normally fried with lots of oil and ghee and butter (and sweat, which probably makes it taste better… really). Roundhouse Roti has never been massively famous on the Malaysian food circuit (not popular among the horde of Malaysian and Singaporean international students in Melbourne which are ...
I first visited Charcoal Lane in September last year. This white building used to be home of Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS). I have shady memories of walking past a prominent black, yellow and red coloured building almost everyday to and from Uni. And now it has become this white and somewhat majestic building. From the outside, one would never think that this is a restaurant. It will be good if there are big glass windows or glass doors to peer into this elegant looking restaurant.
Finally, I’ve eaten at St Jude’s Cellar. It has been in my mind since stumbling upon it on a lonely St Patricks day and spending my last $20 on fine wine, not Guinness. I’ve since been back, for wine and cocktails, to sit at the bar, to taste their wine, and even to just gaze at the interior design but never for food – how I’ve been missing out. The wine list is great. They have a great range of wines by the glass, varying not only in style but also price and a massive by the bottle, walk in wine list with ...
Nicole and I landed on Gertrude St. one night for a Book for Cooks event. Luke Nguyen was in town and he was promoting his new book (the Songs of Sapa) and Little Lantern Foundation. We originally thought we should probably hit a pho joint or something Vietnamese but Nicole didn’t want to be too far from the book shop and rush there last minute (so we went outlet shopping on Brunswick St. first, figures). We went past Anada and I remember about this place being recommended highly by @redvespa so we decided we would go in. It was literally 5.55 ...
122 Johnston St, Fitzroy Phone 03 9415 6876 Okay – let me just cut the bullshit and say it up front. I like The Commoner. In fact, I even think I’m a little bit in love. Why? Well the food is obviously a major part – honest, down-to-earth fare free from foams, powders and the like. It’s seasonal. It’s paid homage and respect. And it rocks. The venue too is rather comfortable. It’s a small space, but well utilised with a large communal table, mismatched furniture and quirky accoutrement. The wine list is a lil’ eccentric, which I just love. Some interesting drops ...
Situated on the ever popular Gertrude Street, Birdman Eating is a very cool establishment filled with lots of characters and hungry customers.I had heard so much about Birdman Eating yet I hadn’t had the opportunity to eat here until this week Tom decided to take me out for breakfast after a busy morning at the office. We were hungry and luckily our appetites where more than satisfied by the generous portions served up to us. After much deliberation – the menu is so interesting and scrumptious it makes it very hard to choose – I decided on the baked eggs with beef ...
Hidden away on Miller Street in North Fitzroy is a place you will only know about if you are a foodie or a local. Julio is a gem of a find!A reformed milk bar you can still imagine the children running to the counter to get their bag of mixed lollies for the week. The counter is still there however now the kids have now grown up and they are ordering the custard filled doughnuts instead.Julio's menu has a Spanish/Mexican flavour and consists of many of the things I love eating for breakfast including poached eggs with avocado and salsa ...
What I love most about Melbourne is finding little gems off the beaten track. The Standard Hotel is one of these little gems. I knew I’d found a goodie when I first walked in the door. The country decor is full of cozy nooks for hiding from cold winters. But keep walking. The beer garden is where The Standard really shines. Then keep walking. And walking. The leafy garden stretches for ages and somehow, like inside the pub, its full of nooks too. On a sunny day it’s the perfect place to catch up with friends at a long picnic table. The ...
Raffles Place is another old time favourite places to eat while we were living in Collingwood/Brunswick. It looks a little old and rundown but strangely enough, it has an old skool Singaporean charm. The restaurant is divided into 2 parts, the kitchen & the dining area. The walls are painted pink and is lined with old colonial photos of Singapore and write ups from Elizabeth Chow.
The craving for curry usually comes when you least expect it, but once that thirst for some Indian spices enters your mind it tends to be hard to quell. So it didn’t seem to matter that it was a Monday when we stumbled upon an Indian restaurant and the craving drew us in.Liz (Food Fable) and I wandered up Nicholson St in Fitzroy North to find Spicy Masala, an Indian Restaurant and Bar also offering Pizza (a strange Italian accompaniment and not something you would expect but we didn’t let it put us off).Being a Monday night the restaurant was ...
Hi followers... I'm Liz's great friend Chloe (the afore-mentioned fellow indulger) and this is my first blog post! Woo hoo! It was my husband Tony's birthday and I managed to drag him away from the office to have lunch - destination Mario's.A famous little cafe-style Italian pasta joint on Brunswick Street (number 303), Mario's is very Fitzroy with grungy decor, lots of small tables with white tablecloths and bar stools in the front window where you can people-watch in the best street for it.Our waiter was very well spoken and smartly dressed and really very very good. The atmosphere was ...
I figured Brunswick Street would be a really good place to take two out-of-towners to experience one of those Melbourne food strips. Somehow, and I wasn’t sure how, I decided that we should give Pireaus Blues a try. And we weren’t disappointed. We decided on the banquet ($38.00 per person). The moment I said to the waiter, ‘we’ll have the banquet, please.’ And his reply was ‘for all four?’ and I nodded I realised we could have ordered just a leetle bit more food than we would have been comfortable eating! (Greek dips - from front anti-clockwise: tzatziki, melitzanosalata, skordalia, taramosalata) We started ...
197 Gertrude St, Fitzroy; 03 9415 6101It's so hot right now. Food reviewers around Melbourne are loving Añada's work. Clearly Melbourne's diners are fond of tapas too, given the struggles many have getting into Movida Next Door (which doesn't take bookings), and Añada (which, thankfully does). Despite its more welcome policy, even on a random Wednesday they had but two seats available: in at 6pm,
Food Fable: Houndstooth
We were on our way to Los Amates on Johnston Street Fitzroy but when we arrived it was empty and the prices were a bit too expensive for a Wednesday night and also too expensive to risk on Mexican food which let's face it Australia is not very good at yet! My cousin Chrissy has been talking about Houndstooth for a while and I didn't know where it was so when I saw it was right near Los Amates and I could get 3 courses for $20 (That's right, 3 courses!)or even 4 courses for $25, if you are extra ...
First thing, make a reservation. We arrived at 6.30pm on a weeknight and the place was packed. The staff seemed less then impressed that we had just turned up without bothering to make a booking. After being given a table on the condition we had finished our meals by 7.30, we were starting to wonder if we should have gone somewhere else but I am glad to say the food was AMAZING! The pictures below do not do it justice. The menu is a spoken menu, meaning the waitress describes the food to you. I found this a little confronting because I ...
The Best Posh Eat of 2009 in The Age Cheap Eats Guide.... budgetary concerns hmmm....(decides to take a gamble and plots)May be Oliver & I, 'cause we can’t bring wine will split the vino separately....these are insights into the constant struggle between light+ perfection + order against the occult +surprise + risk!...(balance & build will you.....I’m...Brunswick...what the f#@k!)Brunswick was the designated area but after ruffling through cafes that shut at 5 and restaurants that were shut on Mondays......I did the unthinkable....called our most accommodating Presidentress to grant me the option to look elsewhere.Añada(pronounced Unyaada)is Spanish for new harvest, inspired by ...
A few of us are planning our friend Tom’s 30th which will be held in the Salon at The Provincial Hotel next month. The evening is to be a royal affair and the theme is King Henry VIII. Last night we gathered together to discuss the evenings festivities over a meal in the restaurant area at Provincial.There is a new menu in both the bar and restaurant but it looks as though they have stuck to a similar format to the previous menu. They are keeping the wood-fired pizzas. There have been a few new additions including the roast duck ...
Met up with a couple of lovely friends yesterday evening for dinner and drinks at Boire on Smith Street in Collingwood.It's an ecletic little place, with a bunch of interesting characters, a simple design and a few little quirky finishing touches. Look out for the paper towel dispensers located on the wall at each table setting. If you feel like getting creative, the walls are painted with blackboard paint and there is chalk in the bathroom.The food was simple and homely but cooked to perfection. At Boire you have a choice of 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 deserts along ...
Cumulus has been a rather regular dining place for some of us and we have been looking forward to Cutler & Co (55-57 Getrude Street, Fitzroy) for awhile. I had a rather full on day before dinner and all I could only think of a dirty martini when asked for drinks. Wendy ordered a bottle of French white to start the night. I was pretty happy and felt more relaxed with my Martini.
Zucchini & Feta Fritters Baked Egg with Tomato Sugo & Pancetta, Steak Sandwich with Melted Fontina Crumpets with Honey 238 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy 03 9416 4747 Posted in Café, Fitzroy, Lunch, Restaurant
11 Johnston St, Collingwood; 03 9417 3797It's the simple things that can make you happy. For me, one of those is when you call to book an ethnic restaurant, and your booking is taken by someone who is clearly from that region.Such was the case when we arranged to go to Koliba one chilly Friday evening. I'd been waiting for the weather to cool sufficiently so that I could make good on Sarah's
Did you know Bimbo's was actually called Bimbo Deluxe? I have been there so many times, twice this week in fact, and I never realised until I tried to google it. *sigh* You think you know a place.For me, Bimbo's is the ultimate $20 date night...x2 pizzas + x2 pots = approx $16 (between 7pm-9pm any night except Friday)It is GREAT pizza. My favourite is Calabrese or El Greco. Both are taste sensations. We have been there three times to try and take pictures of the pizza but we always get too excited and the photos and up like this ...
The dessert that made me a plate licker. I’m not the only one worrying about the recession. But I’m probably the only one in Cutler & Co thinking about it. The reincarnation of chef Andrew McConnell’s Three, One, Two at the top end of Gertrude St is packed. So packed, McConnell later tells me that it took them by surprise which explains a couple of timing issues that a few of you will have seen on Twitter. But the whole experience isn’t about minor niggles magnified by a control freak social media misanthrope like myself. It is about the the whole ...
