In a world of maybe just too many restaurants it is refreshing to find one that is truly different. Not only in the way it looks and "feels" but in the type and quality of the food served. Somewhere you go and you just have to tell your dining buddies about it. A place where description almost fails to define the experience. Where visuals flash before your eyes. An experience that lives on in your head long after the bill has been paid. A rare culinary experience that just want leave you.
Of all the restaurants on South Bank Melbourne Spice Temple is different. It is very dark and mysterious. It gives little away as you enter. Sweet Thai smells of lime and coriander tantalise your senses the minute you are seated. Your hart quickens and you look around as you anticipate your evening ahead. The surroundings are simple if not a little understated. You have your own little seating area with a small dim lamp above. Holding the menu to the lamp you attempt to read the lists of dishes. Service is efficient and friendly, the music modern and appropriate.
I would describe the food as "gorgeous". Rich spice without the burn but just enough heat to herald its arrival. Complex flavours which enhance and intertwine with one another. No one spice competing with the other. A marriage of flavours and textures all happening in your mouth. You yearn for more and each dish brings its own signature and leaves its mark on the total experience.
I selected the whole baby snapper and my wife prawns. We never share our meals but this time we had to try what the other had selected. Both dishes were a perfect "10". The quantity was ample, the presentation excellent. As the food descended the experience ascended to bookmark the moment. Wine selection was good and prices reasonable. Once more the bill said "South Bank" but the experience was heavenly. Spice served with food to celebrate its own existence, to flag its part of the meal and to never let you forget: "you were there".
Spice Temple is a shrine to flavoursome food, rare dining experience and the celebration of good eating. It is alive with the desire to impress and impart good times, joy and life. live there.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Bowmore and Grouse - Whisky
I love me whisky but 'tend to drink what I can afford. In the past I have had a dram or two of the Tullamore Dew and Bushmills Black Bush. But for everyday sipping The Famous Grouse at $38 a bottle suites my taste and budget. Occasionally Ballantines drops to closer to the $30 mark and though I prefere the Grouse, it is another whisky I can enjoy. With Tullamore Dew and Bushmills I find a bit too much spirit though they are both an excellent whisk(e)y.
Then we have Bowmore Single Malt Scotch. The Grouse has a light bouquet and is not heavy on spirit and more gentle on the stomach than spirited single malt Irish etc. Bowmore is all about nose. Open the bottle in a room and most people and within a few minutes will all identify the "smell". But when Bowmore's hits the lip you know why many go for the single malts. They are distinct and heavy. Bowmore use an Islay (eye-la) malt which I think gives this whisky its nose and rich taste. According to the Web site the Islay malts are renowned for their peaty/smokey flavour. This is a very serious whisky but not at a very serious price. About $65 should get you a dram or two or even 700ml.
Laphroaig at $90 a 700ml bottle was the first whisky I had enjoyed which yielded this heavy bouquet. Again Laphroaig comes from the Islay region (Scotland) and uses the local malts. At $90 and a little hard to get, give me the Bowmore's. Very similar in overall tastes and a big difference in price. But for day-2-day "whisky after work" the Grouse for me is a no brainer. If you drink enough whisky no brainers come easy. Get drunk in moderation.
Then we have Bowmore Single Malt Scotch. The Grouse has a light bouquet and is not heavy on spirit and more gentle on the stomach than spirited single malt Irish etc. Bowmore is all about nose. Open the bottle in a room and most people and within a few minutes will all identify the "smell". But when Bowmore's hits the lip you know why many go for the single malts. They are distinct and heavy. Bowmore use an Islay (eye-la) malt which I think gives this whisky its nose and rich taste. According to the Web site the Islay malts are renowned for their peaty/smokey flavour. This is a very serious whisky but not at a very serious price. About $65 should get you a dram or two or even 700ml.
Laphroaig at $90 a 700ml bottle was the first whisky I had enjoyed which yielded this heavy bouquet. Again Laphroaig comes from the Islay region (Scotland) and uses the local malts. At $90 and a little hard to get, give me the Bowmore's. Very similar in overall tastes and a big difference in price. But for day-2-day "whisky after work" the Grouse for me is a no brainer. If you drink enough whisky no brainers come easy. Get drunk in moderation.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons - South Bank Melbourne
Not often I have a chance to dine then jump the notebook and post a review. Staying at the Crown Promenade gave my wife and my good self a chance to try somewhere and something new. Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons is quite different. When you first enter you get the impression it is all very dark and mysterious. In fact finding a spot to park the butt where there is enough light to read the menu is almost a challenge.
Some one has taken early Italian restaurant style eating and brought it to Melbourne. The bar and floor staff are clad in white lab coats and the maitre'de in a morning (funeral) coat. The interior is yellow stained marble (Giallo Siena), geometric patterned ceramic tiles, extremely tall stools and dark timber. There is a lot to like about this chunk of Italy which has been transported to Australi. Wine pours from taps in a marble wall into a huge marble trough. Carafe and half carafes are poured this way. Mine was a Crittendon's light red (Ross0 - chilled).
Your knife and folk are held at your table in a dispenser with dipping oil. A good helping of sliced bread, dipped in the oil at you table gets the juices flowing. The oil was good but not great. I chose the pork sausage in pasta, Mezzi Rigatoni, with a chili source and my lady wife the Arancini. My wife said her meal was fine but for me I found the pork sausage over cooked and hard. The pasta was firm and the source just spicy enough. Good source. My meal was pleasant without being stunning. The pork "bits" just had no taste or texture to them. Sad really.
This place would seat huge crowds, it is a massive establishment which stretches on forever and offers a few different seating arrangements. Great place for a celebration, birthday or anniversary. Service is good, staff are young and friendly the bar well stocked with every beer, wine or spirit you could imagine. Price is "South Bank" but you are getting something different. I'm sure the next time I "chow-down" in this slice of early Italian "cucinain" my dish will be "molto bello"! If you do nothing else, while in South Bank Melbourne, look in the door. It is well worth it.
Some one has taken early Italian restaurant style eating and brought it to Melbourne. The bar and floor staff are clad in white lab coats and the maitre'de in a morning (funeral) coat. The interior is yellow stained marble (Giallo Siena), geometric patterned ceramic tiles, extremely tall stools and dark timber. There is a lot to like about this chunk of Italy which has been transported to Australi. Wine pours from taps in a marble wall into a huge marble trough. Carafe and half carafes are poured this way. Mine was a Crittendon's light red (Ross0 - chilled).
Your knife and folk are held at your table in a dispenser with dipping oil. A good helping of sliced bread, dipped in the oil at you table gets the juices flowing. The oil was good but not great. I chose the pork sausage in pasta, Mezzi Rigatoni, with a chili source and my lady wife the Arancini. My wife said her meal was fine but for me I found the pork sausage over cooked and hard. The pasta was firm and the source just spicy enough. Good source. My meal was pleasant without being stunning. The pork "bits" just had no taste or texture to them. Sad really.
This place would seat huge crowds, it is a massive establishment which stretches on forever and offers a few different seating arrangements. Great place for a celebration, birthday or anniversary. Service is good, staff are young and friendly the bar well stocked with every beer, wine or spirit you could imagine. Price is "South Bank" but you are getting something different. I'm sure the next time I "chow-down" in this slice of early Italian "cucinain" my dish will be "molto bello"! If you do nothing else, while in South Bank Melbourne, look in the door. It is well worth it.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Heritage 3059 Restaurant - Balnarring
It's always a delight when you stumble, unexpectedly, on a restaurant tucked away in the woods, almost undetectable. Though this positioning is not good for business it does make the discovery and subsequent dinning experience all that more exciting. Heritage 3059 Restaurant is just a quaint find, off the road and opposite the Balnarring shops. It looks heritage listed and once inside you get the feel you have just walked into a country pub. It is as much a pub as a restaurant with a good selection imported beers on tap and a wine list well supporting local growers.
Through the week there is a staff of one so service is very personal. The kitchen is open and meal can be had. Your personal waiter will ensure your time in the restaurant is enjoyable. There is a big bar and drinks on the deck, on a warm night, would be most enjoyable. The menu has good choices and a wide range of food selections. I went for the pasta with olives. Most of the time you can count your olive allotment on one hand. Not at Heritage. The meal was large, extremely flavoursome and a stack of gorgeous olives. I could find no fault with the meal. It was perfect and a Fat Yak from the tap just boosted the experience. Make that two Fat Yaks for the fat diner.
Meals are not expensive. The surrounds could be described as: warm, quaint, country (complete with log fire) and friendly. Low level easy listening music immersed you in a tube of warm enjoyment. With the smell of freshly cooked pasta, punctuated by salty olives and the swill of a good beer this is about as good as it gets. And at a price anyone can afford. Stumbling on Heritage 3059 is a trip you must take.
Through the week there is a staff of one so service is very personal. The kitchen is open and meal can be had. Your personal waiter will ensure your time in the restaurant is enjoyable. There is a big bar and drinks on the deck, on a warm night, would be most enjoyable. The menu has good choices and a wide range of food selections. I went for the pasta with olives. Most of the time you can count your olive allotment on one hand. Not at Heritage. The meal was large, extremely flavoursome and a stack of gorgeous olives. I could find no fault with the meal. It was perfect and a Fat Yak from the tap just boosted the experience. Make that two Fat Yaks for the fat diner.
Meals are not expensive. The surrounds could be described as: warm, quaint, country (complete with log fire) and friendly. Low level easy listening music immersed you in a tube of warm enjoyment. With the smell of freshly cooked pasta, punctuated by salty olives and the swill of a good beer this is about as good as it gets. And at a price anyone can afford. Stumbling on Heritage 3059 is a trip you must take.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Briers - Mount Matha
One thing the Mornington Peninsula is endowed with is big open spaces of land. Some times paddock stretch as far as the eye can see. Vineyards, farms, horse stables, parks, reserves and estates are numerous all the way down the Peninsula. One reserve\estate and restaurant is The Biers at Mount Matha. This restaurant is part of a very old and rambling estate\farm which appears to go on and on for acres. You need a cut lunch to get you to the main restaurant because the drive to it, on the estate, is so long.
Perched up high on a hill, over looking most of the estate is a cluster of old farm buildings. They are rustic but plain. Attached to the main building is an al fresco easting area. This very pleasant area at one time was probably just a modern undercover area attached to the side of the original building. Now being closed in and light and airy it makes for a delightful dining experience. A great place for a wedding or engagement. With beautiful and expansive grounds surrounding the restaurant area this location is secluded yet open.
So what of the food? The service firstly was very good. Plenty of staff to take drink orders and obey your every wish. The host himself was friendly and chatty. Beers and wines are well represented on the drinks list with better than average support for local brewers and growers. The Main Menu had good choices and the large table of friends I sat with had a lot of trouble deciding between some excellent sounding dishes. The food matches the mouth watering descriptions laid out in print, no one on my table complained about their meal.
But the Briers is more than just food and drink. Though a little spares in yesteryear structures and oddments it is well worth a walk around the grounds. There are many areas to this huge estate. I kept my wandering to the hilly restaurant area. The main building has a bar and a big open area which is being use as an art gallery. I would well image if a wedding was held here this area would become the dance area, though tables and chairs setup here would make for a quaint old world celebrational experience.
You would think this place perfect. I have not bitched about anything yet. As with most places of public eating and entertaining there is always a chink in the armour of an otherwise perfect setting. So here it is. The toilets are shared with non-dining folk and are not only outside but a short walk through an open area. If it is raining, as it was on the day we visited, you get wet. And the dunnies are basic, partially open to the weather and cold. Don't sit, just stand or hover.
This is a place you must visit. The fine food and excellent selection of thirst quenchers may be the draw card but the sheer size of this once prodigious estate has to be seen to be believed. If you don't want to layout for a meal in the restaurant bring a picnic and join the working class. Feed the ducks or water foul, enjoy the big open expanses or walk off a few hundred kilojoules. You can do it all here. This end of it is free. So grab it.
Revisit; I recently when back to the Briers for lunch. It has changed hands. The new owner said it was a little run down when they took it on. The dinning area looks tied and a little dirty. To the the sound of a staff members crying child in the reception area I ordered both entree and main. The entree was Dukka and a hot white roll with oil and salt. The Dukka was very nice, the bread roll a little ordinary. To the sound of the same child now bouncing a hard ball on a echoing wooden floor I eat my Beef Wellington. The meat was dry and a little over-cooked, the sauce barely had any taste but the greens OK. Service was OK also and the view pleasant from the dinning area.
The Briers may have had its day. I was hoping for a quiet steak lunch, I was disappointed on both counts. Try coffee and cake but seriously dine elsewhere. Sorry guys, you will have to do a lot better. And organised a baby sitter. The wining, crying child and continuous ball bouncing in the reception was awfully off-putting.
Perched up high on a hill, over looking most of the estate is a cluster of old farm buildings. They are rustic but plain. Attached to the main building is an al fresco easting area. This very pleasant area at one time was probably just a modern undercover area attached to the side of the original building. Now being closed in and light and airy it makes for a delightful dining experience. A great place for a wedding or engagement. With beautiful and expansive grounds surrounding the restaurant area this location is secluded yet open.
So what of the food? The service firstly was very good. Plenty of staff to take drink orders and obey your every wish. The host himself was friendly and chatty. Beers and wines are well represented on the drinks list with better than average support for local brewers and growers. The Main Menu had good choices and the large table of friends I sat with had a lot of trouble deciding between some excellent sounding dishes. The food matches the mouth watering descriptions laid out in print, no one on my table complained about their meal.
But the Briers is more than just food and drink. Though a little spares in yesteryear structures and oddments it is well worth a walk around the grounds. There are many areas to this huge estate. I kept my wandering to the hilly restaurant area. The main building has a bar and a big open area which is being use as an art gallery. I would well image if a wedding was held here this area would become the dance area, though tables and chairs setup here would make for a quaint old world celebrational experience.
You would think this place perfect. I have not bitched about anything yet. As with most places of public eating and entertaining there is always a chink in the armour of an otherwise perfect setting. So here it is. The toilets are shared with non-dining folk and are not only outside but a short walk through an open area. If it is raining, as it was on the day we visited, you get wet. And the dunnies are basic, partially open to the weather and cold. Don't sit, just stand or hover.
This is a place you must visit. The fine food and excellent selection of thirst quenchers may be the draw card but the sheer size of this once prodigious estate has to be seen to be believed. If you don't want to layout for a meal in the restaurant bring a picnic and join the working class. Feed the ducks or water foul, enjoy the big open expanses or walk off a few hundred kilojoules. You can do it all here. This end of it is free. So grab it.
Revisit; I recently when back to the Briers for lunch. It has changed hands. The new owner said it was a little run down when they took it on. The dinning area looks tied and a little dirty. To the the sound of a staff members crying child in the reception area I ordered both entree and main. The entree was Dukka and a hot white roll with oil and salt. The Dukka was very nice, the bread roll a little ordinary. To the sound of the same child now bouncing a hard ball on a echoing wooden floor I eat my Beef Wellington. The meat was dry and a little over-cooked, the sauce barely had any taste but the greens OK. Service was OK also and the view pleasant from the dinning area.
The Briers may have had its day. I was hoping for a quiet steak lunch, I was disappointed on both counts. Try coffee and cake but seriously dine elsewhere. Sorry guys, you will have to do a lot better. And organised a baby sitter. The wining, crying child and continuous ball bouncing in the reception was awfully off-putting.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
DOC - Main Street Mornington
Where DOC Mornington is now, some run-down old buildings were. These had no place in Toorak's southern campus: Mornington. Now with million $ apartments above and on the ground floor a gastophile experience no hard core diner could prepare for. DOC is in Main Street Mornington down the salt water end. It is just over the road from Brass Razoo.
A modern up-market, up-beat restaurant which "spits" Italian in your face. The food is Italian, the goods (sold in-shop) are Italian, the waiters are Italian the music is CRAP! Let's get the yucky bits over and done with first. Try sitting in a knockout Italian restaurant, in a prime Mornington location, waited on by gorgeous young Italian men, eating traditional Italian food and listening to techno crap up loud. YUCK!! Did I put you off this place, please don't let me. Now for the nice bits.
The decor of the restaurant is modern. The kitchen is within sight of most customers. I like the feeling of knowing where my food is coming from. The restaurant is as much about preparing and server food as it is about selling it. The range and variations of food products sold is beyond description. But think imported Italian. Go to the "store" and take a look for yourself and while you're there, have a meal.
My wife and I ordered pizza. This is served as a genuine Italian pizza which most Australian men describe as too thin. Pizza is meant to be a thin dry crust with a smattering of spicy, aromatic ingredients. NOT TWO INCHES OF HAM AND A SHIT LOAD OF OTHER INGREDIENTS. Sorry I feel strongly about this. Unfortunately this genuine style Italian pizza needed a nappy change. The base was far too wet. Not only my pizza but other pizza lovers suffered the same fate. A dry crispy base please. Mine was the mushrooms and truffle oil. A great pizza spoiled by a wet ass!
Service is good but you will find yourself shouting above the noise of other customers and techo-crap-rap-syncopated-noise competing with conversing humans. How about some soft jazz, Italian style music or NONE! Oh, I said I would get the yucky parts over first. Wines are good but not a huge selection. Beer, Peroni of course.
A modern up-market, up-beat restaurant which "spits" Italian in your face. The food is Italian, the goods (sold in-shop) are Italian, the waiters are Italian the music is CRAP! Let's get the yucky bits over and done with first. Try sitting in a knockout Italian restaurant, in a prime Mornington location, waited on by gorgeous young Italian men, eating traditional Italian food and listening to techno crap up loud. YUCK!! Did I put you off this place, please don't let me. Now for the nice bits.
The decor of the restaurant is modern. The kitchen is within sight of most customers. I like the feeling of knowing where my food is coming from. The restaurant is as much about preparing and server food as it is about selling it. The range and variations of food products sold is beyond description. But think imported Italian. Go to the "store" and take a look for yourself and while you're there, have a meal.
My wife and I ordered pizza. This is served as a genuine Italian pizza which most Australian men describe as too thin. Pizza is meant to be a thin dry crust with a smattering of spicy, aromatic ingredients. NOT TWO INCHES OF HAM AND A SHIT LOAD OF OTHER INGREDIENTS. Sorry I feel strongly about this. Unfortunately this genuine style Italian pizza needed a nappy change. The base was far too wet. Not only my pizza but other pizza lovers suffered the same fate. A dry crispy base please. Mine was the mushrooms and truffle oil. A great pizza spoiled by a wet ass!
Service is good but you will find yourself shouting above the noise of other customers and techo-crap-rap-syncopated-noise competing with conversing humans. How about some soft jazz, Italian style music or NONE! Oh, I said I would get the yucky parts over first. Wines are good but not a huge selection. Beer, Peroni of course.
Go there, be knocked-out by the sheer mass of product held within the store, try the food and the young Italian men and decide for yourself. Book though, many love it already. DOC or not? You decide.
Note: My wife re-visited here with a group
of friends and had an awful experience.It was noisy and the piazzas were
embarrassing. Try it yourself. Some of our very respected friends love
it here and go regularly so it may just be us. But I doubt it.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Montalto - Red Hill Morington Peninsula
This would be one of the few restaurant/wineries I have been to where I really did feel like I was in another country. Montalto is a massive estate combining open outdoor eating, alfresco, wine tasting, indoor fine dining and an extensive sculpture park. Once I sat at our out door table, amongst the vegetables and herbs we were about to be served, I just had this over-whelming feeling I was in the south of France or Tuscany region Italy.
We secured a table early (11am) by putting coats on the table (there is no booking, be early) and ventured into the tasting room. There was many whites and reds ready to sacrifice themselves on your pallet. And try all five of the olive oils and olives. I settled on a Sav blanc and my wife a Pinot. Back to the tables for lunch.
You need your imagination to picture sitting "in" a veggie and herb garden of glorious colours and smells. There is no other word for it. You "smell" curry sage and fresh green, healthy looking veggies in very much a provincial French setting. You are in another country and you are looking across many acres of rolling vines of green and brown coloured from autumn's icy touch. Your vista vanishes into the rolling hills beyond the valley. Mist veils the vines and the hills themselves are capped. Big white brollies provide some shade from the odd sprinkle of rain or hot sun.
Pizza is very much the selection for the outdoor diner. And though the pizzas were satisfactory they are not mind shattering. The selection of olives we had prior to the pizza were delicious. You must try the olives. Once fed and watered take the walk through the sculpture park. The trek is steep and stony. Take a pair of walkers for the culture tour. Don't miss the art, some is excellent.
As a complete package Montalto is hard to beat. My wife and I have been to France and Italy and the Montalto experience is as close as you will get to country Europe. If you sit indoors you will miss the smells, the cent and sense that you are somewhere else. In the herb garden your body may be an hour from home but your heart and mind will be in another land. Travel there.
We secured a table early (11am) by putting coats on the table (there is no booking, be early) and ventured into the tasting room. There was many whites and reds ready to sacrifice themselves on your pallet. And try all five of the olive oils and olives. I settled on a Sav blanc and my wife a Pinot. Back to the tables for lunch.
You need your imagination to picture sitting "in" a veggie and herb garden of glorious colours and smells. There is no other word for it. You "smell" curry sage and fresh green, healthy looking veggies in very much a provincial French setting. You are in another country and you are looking across many acres of rolling vines of green and brown coloured from autumn's icy touch. Your vista vanishes into the rolling hills beyond the valley. Mist veils the vines and the hills themselves are capped. Big white brollies provide some shade from the odd sprinkle of rain or hot sun.
Pizza is very much the selection for the outdoor diner. And though the pizzas were satisfactory they are not mind shattering. The selection of olives we had prior to the pizza were delicious. You must try the olives. Once fed and watered take the walk through the sculpture park. The trek is steep and stony. Take a pair of walkers for the culture tour. Don't miss the art, some is excellent.
As a complete package Montalto is hard to beat. My wife and I have been to France and Italy and the Montalto experience is as close as you will get to country Europe. If you sit indoors you will miss the smells, the cent and sense that you are somewhere else. In the herb garden your body may be an hour from home but your heart and mind will be in another land. Travel there.
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