Squires Loft Steakhouse - Melbourne, Victoria

There many steak houses in Melbourne and surrounding inner suburbs. Some good, others great and some not so good. Some, like The Grill Room and Squires Loft Steakhouse , serve a CryoVac  steak with barbecue lines and sauce to go. I find this style of cooking treatment leaves the steak dry and tasteless. Also the steaks are tenderised prior to other preparations again causing the steak to dry out more during cooking. Also you may find your medium to rare more medium plus than rare.

Squires loft is a two story establishment in the heart of Melbourne with hard floors and high ceiling. The Thursday I was there the place was very busy and quite noisy. If this is your thing it is a good place to get it off! Staff are friendly and efficient and the surrounds are very early Ozzie. What would you expect from a loft? Wine list is sufficient and the red I shared there with a friend was pleasant.

If you are a hard core steak aficionado this is not the place for you. But for a catch-up with friends (though you may have to raise your voice across the table) over a reasonable meal and right in the heart of Melbourne - try it. For me, it’s all about the steak and I’ll go elsewhere. 

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.