dinner at Sapore on Fitzroy St, St Kilda
I recently had dinner with Tomatom publisher Ed to discuss how we could use social media to rule the world. We ate at Sapore on Fitzroy St, St Kilda which, as far as I can see, has previously only been reviewed by 1001 dinners 1001 nights. I’m surprised by this, as Sapore has been open for a year or more. Ed chose risotto while I made a brilliant choice – the lamb shank on the specials menu.
The shank had been roasted, the meat removed and shredded, recombined in a ball around the bone, wrapped in prosciutto, crumbed and fried. It rested on a bed of polenta with truffle oil and was as decadently delicious as it looks.
I’d eaten at the vegetarian Soul Food cafe on Smith St in Fitzroy the night before so I felt no compunction to order a side of vegetables. But I did have dessert: sticky date pudding that came with a custard creme and two adorable little toffee balls that contained melon. The tartness of the melon was a fabulous contrast to the richness of the pudding.
Food bloggers are unpredictable and some restaurants and cafes receive lots of attention while others receive very little. Sapore only has one previous review and I was even more surprised to find no previous reviews of Soul Food. What is it that motivates bloggers to review the places they do?
Does Sapore look too conventionally middle class from the outside for the digerati to feel enthusiastic? Once inside you discover that the food is exciting and the service is excellent. Is Soul Food taken for granted because it has been there for years and is predictable? But so is the Vegie bar and it gets reviewed all the time.
It’s a coup to be the first to review a place and usually this is only achieved by spotting somewhere new, often while it is still under construction, and ensuring you know when it will open so you can visit in the first week. I recently congratulated new Melbourne food blogger Food Fable for being the first to review Boire on Smith St in Collingwood.
There’s a great practical reason to be the first to review somewhere (old or new): if people are looking for reviews they will find yours and read it rather than finding 10 reviews and maybe not reading yours. Hopefully you’ll also discover some exciting places and be able to share this knowledge with your audience, like I have done with reviews of Gutz on Brunswick St and Griff’s wine pub on Johnston St.
Similar or related posts
|
|
|
|
Other posts you may find relevant and interesting
- dinner at Soul Food cafe on Smith St, 29 July 2009
- Fitzroy recommendations for August, 8 August 2009
- the most reviewed restaurant in Fitzroy, 4 August 2008
- London holiday – the best cafes in Soho, 4 February 2010
- beer and pizza at Deco bar, St George’s Rd North Fitzroy, 22 December 2009
August 5th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I am so going to try and do a lamb shank like that next week….
Like or Dislike:
0 
0