I was disappointed when I learned several months ago that The Press Club was closing down. The restaurant was somewhat of an institution in Melbourne for high end business lunches, long before George Calombaris became a household name and I never had the fortune of going!

Recently I was happy to learn though that while The Press Club had closed its Flinders Street door, a new door had opened to “Gazi” whose door now enters on the Exhibition side of the same restaurant space. Rumoured to be Greek Street food, I booked a table for a recent visit from Mum & Dad in the hopes that we could still have the Calombaris experience.

And that we did at Gazi – as we watched George himself running the kitchen and the floor as he saw fit. The novelty factor was pretty fantastic with the recently trimmed down Calombaris in his chef whites schmoozing waiters, snapping photos with diners and even setting places on tables.  If that wasn’t enough,

we even spotted him chatting to Adriano Zumbo who’s having a meal with a friend.

That aside the restaurant impress me the minute I walk in. The room is spacious and quirky with upside down terracotta pots hanging from the ceiling creating a wave like feature.

Seating at the bar and kitchen counter overlooks rotisserie style pork belly and chicken as we have a drink before our sitting. The menu is designed to share and offers a $69 10 course tasting menu which I would definitely go for if I was feeling hungrier since everything looks amazing!  The price of each menu item is extremely reasonable and the atmosphere is anything but stuffy so it could definitely be a place to frequent, not just special occasions.

We order a couple of starters (sardines, lamb meatballs & taramasalata – all are extraordinary and not nearly as simple as they sound) and then a Souvlakia each which is reflective of the ‘street food’ element of the restaurant. An upmarket version of the Greek classic, the Souvlakia comes complete with chips and a paper wrapping but the flavour is beautiful! We comment that you could actually go there, have one or two Souvlaki and be happy. And at only $12 a pop, it’d be a cheap date!

We finish our meal and I’m totally satisfied but not in a sickening kind of way despite quite a lot of bread throughout the meal.  As such I figure we have to try one of the amazing desserts which are on a tray at the entrance of the restaurant. A banana… something… I actually have no idea what it was but it came in a jar and when the lid was removed let out a billow of smoke which was awesome. The smoky flavour continued in the dessert and it was incredible.

We leave the restaurant and pass George who thanks us and wishes us a great night. I’ll definitely be going back, with or without the celebrity siting.

http://gazirestaurant.com.au/

With Saturday night to relax after a day full of apartment hunting, I figured I’d treat myself to a solo culinary night out and try out another Melbourne restaurant.  I’ve heard the name HuTong Dumpling Bar several times now, mostly referred to as the “best dumplings in town”. Personally I love dumplings, but I’ve never been one to’ seek out’ dumpling bars and I mostly just only eat them at Yum Cha which is pretty consistent no matter where you go.

I wander down to HuTong which is in an ally (surprise surprise) off Bourke Street quite early in the night, around 6PM and although I’ve been told to book ahead, it appears to be reasonably accommodating to walk ins. Most of these are directed upstairs, but given I’m alone, I’m seated at a sharing table with two duo’s of girlfriends. A tad awkward, but luckily I’m also seated facing the kitchen window where I can watch the chefs whipping up hundreds of dumplings right in front of me.

This place, more than any other I’ve been to is designed to share because I’ve been told I have to order the Shao-long Bao dumplings and although I ask for half a serve, I’m told they come with 8 as standard (a huge amount for one person!).  Luckily they’re just as amazing as they’ve been described: light pockets of pork filling with a hint of ginger flavoured broth welled in the bottom. I’m told by the waitress, “very hot” in her strong Chinese accent and when I poke my chopstick through the top, a perfect stream of steam pours out as if blowing at you from inside. Mixed with the sweet, soy vinegar, it’s seriously good and a novelty to the usual yum cha dumpling. I’m told by the adorable waiter who I assume is the owner from him presence in the restaurant, they’re from a different part of China, “where I’m from!” he says excitably, pointing to himself.

“Best Dumplings in Town”

At only $12 it’s a laughably cheap dinner in town. With a group of friends I’m sure the atmosphere would have been a lot more enjoyable in the upper levels and I make a mental note to bring anyone here next time I have visitors.

Craving something sweet, I figure I’d head to my old favourite Chin Chin to try a dessert there I’ve had my eye on since my first visit.  As always, I get straight in since I’m alone and order the Grilled Banana Roti with condensed milk and cinnamon sugar. Maybe the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Few people would understand and some may not like it at all, but one person in my family would 100% agree.  The dish immediately throws me back to my childhood when we would make pikelet batter, fry with banana until under cooked  bite in and taste the gooey sweet centre. I distinctly recall people seeing us do this and screw up their faces in disgust but we always loved it. Somehow the roti at Chin Chin captured this exact flavour but on steroids. Writing about it now has me salivating!

I ask for the bill (another $12) and laugh with the waiter about my amazing decision to ‘pop in’ for dessert – something only locals would do. With flavours like that, it won’t be the last time!

Following a trip to Hamilton Island my friends and I came to realise our love for South-East Asian food following a spectacular feast at Coca Chu, their newly opened beachside restaurant. The love was always there for this particular cuisine, but it was there that we all, almost in unison realised it – like the time you realise you’re in love with your boyfriend for the first time, it’s like “Ohhhh, this is love!”.

This past weekend with the girls visiting Melbourne, we couldn’t resist trying out one of the culinary delights of the city and naturally our options swayed towards South-East Asian. Now, Melbourne is wonderful and I’d argue has the best food in the world – but because of this, restaurants are kind of a bitch to get in to for more than one person. They either take no bookings, forcing patrons to line up outside or else book extremely far in advance! So of course when it came to Friday night’s dinner, although Coda and Chin Chin were suggested, they just weren’t going to work.

Luckily for us my friend is a pro at touristy type books and found “Gingerboy” in the Good Food Guide and although we could only secure a 5:30PM sitting, we decided to give it a go.

It’s set in a lane (as all good things in Melbourne are) off Bourke Street and later we found that although it’s in China Town, this particular part of town is really great and trendy off the beaten track!

We were lucky that the restaurant vibe was quite mellow to suit our mood (we were slightly tired from the night before) but you wouldn’t want to go there if you were after a bustling/party type restaurant. Although in all fairness, we were only there until 7:30 so who knows what happened after that!

Food wise though, the place was amazing!  The menu, like most Asian places is designed to share and starts with street food-type options. One of our first options is sesame crusted kingfish tataki, shiso, garlic chips, avocado & soy-wasabi dressing which is to die for and typically modern south-east Asian and we could not get enough.  We also have grilled wagu with a coriander & mint relish which was actually a meatball which we had not expected. Personally we all loved it, it was moist and flavoursome, however I think it was a pretty bad description given what it actually was.

The highlight of the meal was the whole fried baby snapper, roast chilli, lime dressing and hot & sour salad which came standing up right until the waiter then deboned it at the table (which, let’s face it, is always cool!).  Finally, we were sent back to our childhood with a classic cinnamon sugared banana fritters with palm sugar & ice-cream.

It came to about $80 a head for 3 starters, 2 mains, a couple of cocktails and at least 3 glasses of wine which was very reasonable considering we felt the item prices are higher than normal (at least $15 for starters & up to $48 for mains).

After dinner we wandered around China Town which as I mentioned, was surprisingly cool compared to Sydney’s more traditional version. Little lane ways off the touristy Bourke Street revealed unique hidden bars like The Croft Institute which replaced tumblers & wine glasses with beakers & test tubes. Complete with a hospital bed & vintage wheelchair, the bathroom had us running out screaming as the ghosts of what was a mental institution before a bar, became a little too much for us!

It’s Friday night and given I’m alone, I have the option of staying home and watching bad TV or brave the city and go solo. In a moment of confidence, I decide the latter and figure I’d try out Chin Chin, a restaurant everyone’s talking about and happens to be right near me on Flinders Lane. At 5:45PM, I’m still at work and mention to a friend that I’m going to head to this restaurant where I’m told there’s a kitchen counter which is perfect. She looks at me shocked. At first I assume it’s a pity shock, like a “you’re going ALONE?!”. Instead, she says “It’s 5:45PM, you’ll never get in now!”

Um, what?

She continues and explains that like many Melbourne spots, they don’t take bookings and people will line up from mid-late afternoon (mid-late afternoon!) to secure a spot at the new buzz place. She suggests I don’t even bother.

I leave work, still set on my solo dinner date plan and out of sheer curiosity I head to Chin Chin and there’s the line. At least 15 people deep and curling around the corner, I figure I’ll go through the motions and join the crowd.  They know they’re cool at Chin Chin – they expect this line, and have a light show projected onto the beautiful sandstone building across from the restaurant. I get to about 3^rd in line surprisingly quickly and overhear the maître d say casually, “table for 2? Sure! It’s about a two and a half hour wait at the moment so we’ll see you then”. The couple smile gratefully and after giving over the details happily walk out and begin their epic wait, apparently at the bar “Gogo” downstairs.

I have a date with a movie at the local cinema in an hour so as much as I want to try to place, there’s no way I’m waiting that long.  This is when I’m seeing the benefits of being alone though – i tell the man it’s just me and he says, very quietly, says “come straight in my dear” and ushers me straight to the bar in the middle of two couples.  Boom.

The place is so cool and it’s buzzing – I can see the appeal.

I look at the menu and its massive. I scan it quickly and realise it’s Thai…no Chinese…I mean, Indian. Hell, I suppose it’s actually Modern Australian! But the real modern Australian – it’s like the holy grail of Asian. You’ve got your Thai classics contrasted against contemporary gems with a side of quirk.

Chin Chin

I ask for a recommendation from the waitress who’s lovely and I order the Kingfish with lime, chilli, thai basil & coconut to start with some Sake.  I’m lucky I’m a chili fan because the kingfish packs a punch but it’s one of the best entrée’s I’ve ever had. It was like a sashimi with green curry sauce poured over with a hit of lime.  Amazing.  Next is chicken, sweet corn and shitake mushroom dumplings with spring onion and ginger dressing. The amazingness continues with this and when I’ve finished the dumplings, I’m left with a sauce in the bowl that I could drink! (which I do, as ladylike as I possibly can).

The downside of being alone is that was the end of the meal for me. The menu is designed to be shared and I vow to return with a crowd. Having said that, I also decide I will definitely go back alone and try to get through the A3 menu eventually!  I ask her for some recommendations when I come back and I jot them down on my iphone. A few seconds later the girl on my right turns to me and says , “are you a food blogger?”.  I explain that no, I’m just a lonely Sydneysider with a love for food.

chinchinrestaurant.com.au

This was definitely the most exciting restaurant I’ve been to in ages, Sydney or Melbourne. Or anywhere for that matter! The décor is amazing, picture you typical underground steakhouse complete with pictures of cows and dim lighting.

I was so lucky today because my good Maxus friend Justine has invited me to lunch with one of her suppliers so that I can meet new people.  When we arrive I’m introduced to the 3 strangers from the sales team of a partner digital agency but I remind myself that this has to be the norm for me now and to my delight, I immediately feel comfortable. One of the guys is your typical media salesmen, chatty and very easy to get along with. The other guy is very down to earth and both are happily married which let’s be honest, always takes the pressure off. The girl with them is actually down from Sydney for the day and is fresh off the boat from the UK, admitting that she’s joined the rest of her country folk in Bondi.

Justine Mills & Daisy the Cow

This is exactly the sort of lunch I was hoping for with strangers in Melbourne.  For someone like me who relaxes after a glass of wine I was happy when we ordered a bottle of wine – BUT it was definitely not one of those ‘loose’ type lunches I’m used to.  The conversation just flowed and throughout the whole meal I genuinely enjoyed myself.

The food itself was AMAZING! Ironically out of the starters, the one I loved the most was the complimentary cheese pull apart with Burgundy butter which sounds simple but was far from it. For a main I had a Coffee Smoked Wagu Fillet Mignon and I’ve never had anything like it.

During the service someone mentioned to the waiter that they’d heard of the renowned crispy pork crackling and was disappointed that it was no longer on the menu.  Ten minutes later the chef came over with a serve of the crackling with the disclaimer that he didn’t have much time to make it. The restaurant is newish and underneath our office which they’re aware of so they are looking to impress – but that was over and above.  We sit and chat for almost 4 hours, only going through two bottles of wine between 5 of us, and leave when we realise we’ve been in there alone for far too long. To be honest, I could have stayed for another 5 hours.

http://www.littlehunter.com.au/

Today we headed for lunch to PM 24, a French bistro which I LOVED.  It’s another restaurant under the Made Establishment umbrella – same group as The Little Press – but that was just by chance and you would never have guess they were related.  Having been to this one today, I would say it was better than The Little Press but probably more of a treat too.

PM 24

One thing I’m noticing about Melbourne restaurants already is how often the kitchen counter is the focus of the whole restaurant space (just quietly I’m cheering because more often than not you can actually sit there alone). This was no different and we were seated right in front of the kitchen, above which had a list of the chef’s names and what their role was during the service, i.e. James Dean on the grill – very cool.  It was one of those places where the food is actually reasonably fancy and very French but the atmosphere remains quirky and cool and by no means stuffy.

We started with salmon rillette which was like Mum’s salmon dip but slightly more fancy, followed by some pomme frites cooked in parmesan and rosemary .  I was lucky enough to be facing the kitchen and watched all our meals be prepared and was hypnotised to the point where I wished I was on my own so I wouldn’t be distracted by the lunch conversation with my collegues!

I had the pan seared squid, wanting a healthier French option.  Unfortunately it was the wrong choice as it came on a bed of very strong tomato puree which to me tasted more like tomato paste (I’m trying to avoid high levels of sugar so it was pretty much the worst option). However the lamb next to me looked to die for and I’ve since vowed to go back to order it for myself.  Along with the chicken which is their specialty, the lamb is freshly rotisseried for 20 minutes before serving, so you definitely need an entree to keep you going – but man, it looked worth it!

Bread, entrée and main were more than enough, especially for lunch so we didn’t even look at the dessert menu but I would assume it would have been amazing. I really enjoyed the place!

P M 24,  24 Russell Street, Melbourne

I’m lucky in job for a lot of reasons. One of those is the restaurants I get to go to when my Sydney based boss Rob is in town!  I figured I’d take a leaf out of my Sydney on Sunday concept and write about these and any other note-worthy places I go.

Tonight we went to The Little Press & Cellar which is next door to The Press Club which was undergoing renovations when we arrived (I’m told Press & Cellar had just completed theirs).  It’s a very small space and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was merely the bar/waiting area for The Press Club next door.  Great vibe though, and I mentioned to Rob during our meal that I’d probably feel comfortable sitting alone here with a book.

At the moment I’m trying to be as healthy as possible – the two weeks before my move down here, I literally went out 11 of the 14 days, all of which included copious amounts of food and alcohol – so I’m immediately happy with the menu. A Greek theme – which I should have known given it’s a George Colombaris restaurant as I’m quickly reminded seeing his cook books behind the bar – lots of salads and fresh sounding options.  The menu encourages you to share your meal which seems to be the preference of most people in the restaurant and the set menus that seem to be coming out look really good. Alas, given my new ‘healthy’ self, I suggest we order our own meals to save Rob from anything too small or boring.
The Little Press & Cellar

So we start with a salad each to start and mine is a classic Greek salad which i’m expecting will be the standard ‘classic’ with all the trimmings. Apparently I’ve been deceived this whole time though because what I coz was literally coz lettuce and cucumber. Seriously. Anyway, it was fresh I guess so I got what I asked for 😛

Thankfully the place redeemed itself with the main meal and my Salmon with fennel salad and tzatziki is fresh but also yummy! Rob went with a braised beef with potato puree and wild mushrooms. Looked. Amazing.  

I suspect The Little Press & Cellar is enjoyed best when you know what to order. There was tables around us who received a paper bag full of what I assume was chips and then given spices to add to it and shake. So cool – but I deliberately looked at the menu as I left and didn’t see anything that sounded remotely similar but I think I’d go back just to find out!

The Little Press & Cellar, 72 Flinders Street, Melbourne