Epicurean - Red Hill, Morington Peninsula

Epicurean sits with a group of other restaurants and stores at a major “T” intersection in Red Hill. The Long Table is on the same grounds. This area and indeed Red Hill itself is packed full of nice eateries. You must try all of them including wineries. But Epicurean is huge compared to most other smaller or even boutique restaurants.  It is like a massive barn with an exceptionally high ceiling. Broad, wide, open and airy. Not only are you confronted with one very large main eating area but there are a number of other more private areas. These can be hired out for weddings, parties and anything.  And each has its only little feel and character.

The quisene is basically Italian\European and very good. We ordered pizza and a seafood linguine plus a bottle of red wine. All meals were absolutely first class and the bread which accompanied the meals was delicious. Our waiter, Giuseppe, was cheeky and fun and could take it as well as he could give it. The staff is efficient and friendly and nothing was too much trouble and there is plenty of parking.  The whole dining experience was fun, satisfying and ensured we will be back. Even if it’s just to say hi to Giuseppe!

tides - Caloundra, Sunshine Coast

You would like to think that a restaurant which carries a number of local awards for food and service would be good. Well you are right in the case of "tides" in Caloundra. Perched up on the second floor with a view of the water, this modern styled, classy eatery put on a real performance. This multi-award winner restaurant served us and wined and dined us with gourmet seafood treats.

Service was warm and friendly and with a few others to serve, was also timely. Both my wife and I had supped well on the Sunshine Coast this trip. Wherever we ate we were always very impressed with the quality of the local seafood. Tides just took the whole experience of good food, location, ambiance and service one step further. Food was delicious (as you have gathered) wines were fine (with good selections) and the total experience very enjoyable. Need I say more?

Kasturi - Frankston, Victoria

My favourite “exotic” quisene would have to be Indian. My wife and I have a well visited Indian restaurant only minutes drive from us which is our “go to” restaurant of choice. On suggestion of some friends we tried Kasturi after a night at the Frankston cinemas-“100 Foot Journey”.  A great movie by the way. Indian was on our mind after the movie and Kasturi was only around the corner.

Being a Wednesday night the eatery was sparsely inhabited.  Decor is a little ho-hum but the music was at least Indian flavoured. Speaking of flavours this humble venue is now our fav. Indian. The menu was extensive in contrast to the wine and drinks menu. This is a BYO shop so I would not expect a huge selection of beverages. Looks like they offer re-labelled clean skins, bring your own. I went for a Brown Bros. Lexia, intending to have a spicy lamb dish. What was a very pleasant surprise was the lemon rice. It had a slight buttery flavour with just a hint of lemon. Nice change.

Service is Ok, parking - easy on a Tuesday night. I would imagine a local parking area would be required on a busier night. Food was absolutely delicious though I felt my lamb a little dry. It was tender and fell apart. My wife raved of her beef meal. Sauce is the source of enjoyment in Indian food. And the sauce was good, very good.  The breads we had as entre' were also very good, in fact excellent also. I have to recommend this restaurant even if you are not a hard core Indian food lover. As I stated early in this post – our new fav. “go to” Indian food shop. Don’t wait  for a night at the movies to get you in the mood. Just go!

Moffat Beach Cafes - Sunshine Coast, QLD.

The Sunshine Coast has the allure of sun, surf and food (yes at 62 it is now food).  What we did find was even at any reasonable cafe the seafood in the area is exquisite.  We stayed right on Moffat Beach in “The Norfolks”, 4^th floor, looking over the pool. The apartment we stayed in was richly furnished and the view, across the water to the horizon, stunning. We felt spoiled. Five minutes’ walk from our apartment you are in the Moffat Beach cafe precinct.  Let’s eat.

Cafe by the Beach

I had cooked a big brekky back at the apartment but by 1pm needed a top-up.  I really didn't want a big meal and walked down to Cafe by the Beach for a small lunch. I chose a Calamari and Caesar salad for lunch and nearly fell off my chair when the food was delivered.  This was a big meal. At close to pub prices the serving size and quality of food was really excellent. I have to say the seafood here is first class, service friendly and efficient and ambiance modern and open. Dine in or out. I can recommend this restaurant. I came away very satisfied and full. Happy man.

Blackwater Trading Co.

If you like beer Blackwater Trading Co. will fill your tummy and satisfy any craving for fine beer. All beers on tap are exotic, full bodied and delicious. I didn't eat here but sipped all bar one of the beer from tap. My brother, who brews his own, assisted with beer evaluation.  He too was very impressed. Not hard to spend an afternoon here just sampling the fine ales and enjoying the view. Indoor or outdoor the view and company are tops. Once more a warm, casual and friendly staff. If you like fine beer, this place is for you.

Sunny’s @ Moffat

My wife and I dinned here twice and both times for breakfast. In fact I wanted to go somewhere else for the second breakfast but was over-ruled, so it was Sunny's @ Moffat. She loved her first breakfast here and wanted to repeat the experience. I wasn't overly impressed with the first but loved the second. Food quality is good, presentation very good and service friendly and professional. BUT the music they play for breakfast is heavy metal and too loud. We had to ask staff to turn down the music in a packed cafe with every diner talking loudly. Thank God they did comply. No real reason not to eat here. I think you would be pleased with the experience. Give them a try.

Kebabs on Bell - Heidelberg, Victoria

Souvlaki and Kebabs are something you may eat at 2am after a night out at a club or pub. At that time of the morning you are probably not too fussy just how good they are. You need to eat and these tasty take-aways are filling and easy to handle. Do a spot of shopping through the day and not feel like a big sit down high priced meal, a Kebab for lunch or dinner is a no brainer.

I had to take a drive to Heidelberg to test drive a new car. Before leaving I Googled where to eat nearby and timed the test drive to finish right on lunch. After ready a number of really bad reviews about some the cafes and take-aways in the area I settled on Kebabs on Bell. Not one bad review graced the page of this Urpanspoon entry, in fact, the reviews were gushing. Good enough for me. In fact I was a little excited to give this place a try.

I’m not sure whether you would call them a Kebab in a roll or a Souvlaki but my freshly made Kebab was huge and delicious. Turks were eating here which is always a good sign. Not only was the bread smoky flavoured with just a hint of burnt bitterness but unbelievably fresh, cooked to absolute perfection. I questioned the staff if the made the bread on premises, “of course” was the answer. I could have eaten the huge flat roll with nothing in it. The onions and greens tasted fresh and snappy and the meat moist and full of flavour. I had the lamb. Most cafes use sausage meat and not 100% lamb, not here. Chicken was the other selection. To add to the flavour a garlic sauce was added.

I may have experienced the world’s greatest Kebab\Souvlaki, a huge fresh roll, fresh greens and onion and well cooked tasty lamb. The cafe is clean and neat and plenty of room for a few tables of friends, service is fast and courteous with lots of parking out front. If I had one minor quibble is a little more meat may have been nice but this is a very minor quibble.  Best Kebabs ever? I think so.

Bottega - Melbourne City, Victoria

I don’t need an excuse to go into Melbourne City but when I have one I always chase-down a meal. Any reason to go into Melbourne is even a better excuse to “fine dine” at a new to me restaurant.  I had a watch repaired and it was high time I took the long train ride and picked it up. I visited Madam Fangs many years ago on two occasions and loved the food and dining experience. Coming into Melbourne was a great opportunity to visit Fangs again. But I couldn't find the restaurant.

 While searching for Fangs I stumbled across Bottega on Burke Street near Exhibition Street. Though an Italian restaurant there is little in the decor to show this. Decor is modern, simple and clean in light and bright tones. Big front windows allow the lucky dinners with a window seats to people watch and what better place than on Bourke Street.  In summer the windows can be slid open.

Wait staff, on my visit, were Italian and were very professional and chatty. The restaurant was quiet and service was prompt. The wine list is extensive with half bottles also listed. All wines are quite expensive with local, Italian and French wines listed. I selected a whole bottle of WA wine and though absurdly pricy, it was well aged (2012) and very nice drinking. I took the two course lunch offer and after washing it down with the vino, was more than enough for lunch. Music was just a little too funky for me but at least it wasn’t techno, dance or trance as in some other dining establishments.

Would I go back, hell yes! I dined alone but would jump at the opportunity to return with others and once more enjoy fine Italian\European quisene. Cured anchovies on a bread with capers and 13 hour cooked Waygue  lamb  and onion is only the start of it. Fine food, clean, simple decor, good service and in the heart of Melbourne, multi grazie.

1001 Nights Restaurant - Mount Eliza, Mornington Peninsula

Every now and then you dine in a new place which you have not dine at before with the expectancy of a good time. You are never sure exactly what you are going to get. If you have friends who have visited recently and you trust their judgment and they give it the thumbs up you know you should enjoy your visit. The Mornington Peninsula is crowded with restaurants and cafes of varying quality. Just because they are on the Peninsula you are not guaranteed of a good experience. The quality of service and food can vary widely. Dining out is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes its hard to find the forest in the trees.

Serious and steady endeavor is always rewarded with good results. Never give up just because you have had a bad experience. Press on and find that eatery which satisfies, excites and rewards and makes you believe. So it is that I had the extreme pleasure of dinning at 1001 Nights restaurant in Mount Eliza. I was already prepared for a good night with my wife giving me a heads-up about this new restaurant in the heart of the Mount Eliza "village". A heads-up is one thing but nothing beats the subjective enjoyment of eating really good food. Its personal!


The Food is Middle Eastern and decor points in that direction but only just. The restuatnt has a modern feel. Kitchen is on display and you can watch chef employ his craft. Wait staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. Being on the corner of the main street and being wrapped in glass provides a great view, day or night. But I suppose you would like to know about the food? Parking is easy with some provided behind the restaurant but plenty of street parking. Now I'm teasing. Why? Because when you dine out you should be hungry to enjoy your food to the max and I'm holding you off so you now feel hungry also.

One word to describe the feast we were presented with? I want just one word which will some-up a genuine exquisite dining experience. That word has to be able to convey to you what a fabulous time was had at 1001 Nights. That word must convince you all four of us on the evening were extremely pleased with the meals we were served with ABSOLUTE NO RESERVATIONS!! To be thoroughly engrossed with food quality, portion size (large), taste, textures and flavors. To be surprised and pleased with the free bread and Dukkah at the start of the evening, overwhelmed be the portion size and variety of the dips we ordered. Then to be delightfully shocked once more by the beautiful food served to us as our main. All this at a moderate cost.

There is no one word only gushing prose could convey our delight and enjoyment of our dinning experience. The food is Middle Eastern with delicate smokey flavors and lightly perfumic where required. Add to this high food quality and a side salad which was dreamy and you have an excellent meal and a great night. Don't wait for an excuse, just go. 10\10 1001 Nights.