Hellenic Republic - Kew, Victoria

What experience fine Greek food but don't want to travel to Melbourne or a main city to enjoy it. And you may want easy parking and a nice inner suburb like Brunswick or Kew. The Hellenic Republic may just be for you. These excellent restaurants are owned by George Calombaris so you know you are about to enjoy something really special. There is a cafe section if you want a more casual feed. There is only one kitchen and therefor food quality consistency. 

The wine list is extensive with lots of Greek wines up for the taste. The Red I had was light and delicious wand married well with the slow cooked shoulder of lamb. Yum! I want more! Dips were rich and full flavored and the breads perfectly made. The kitchen is open to all for viewing, these guys are hiding nothing and giving you the best they can. All meats are available and as well as veggy dishes though the carnivore in me was chasing red meat delights.

It would be hard to imaging you could ever experience a bad meal here and my dining mate, Bill, eats here regularly. The staff know him by name. He says the food is always exquisite and worth whatever they ask for payment. It is not over-priced but right priced. Staff are friendly and food served in a timely manner. For lunch you can just arrive and take a seat but I would imaging dinner seating may be at a premium. Go and enjoy what George sees are tradition, beautiful, Greek food. His vision will have you wanting more. I do. Highly recommended. 

Roti Boti Indian Restaurant - Hampton, Victoria

I have had the good fortune to dine at Roti Boti on two occasions and both occasions have been a great dining experience. The decor is modern with some Indian notes. There is both a downstairs and upstairs area and the restaurant can cater for large groups.

At both visits the staff were friendly and professional and nothing was too much trouble. Big bonus; its BYO. On our second visit we left the ordering up to our waiter who may have just been part of the family. He ordered us traditional Indian and in the manner which the Indian patrons would normally order and eat it.

The food is delicious, simply delicious and there is plenty of it. You will not go hungry. Start with dips and bread and work your way through a few mixed dishes. Disappointed is off the menu. Book because, though this is a large restaurant, at both our visits the place was full. Upstairs is a lot quieter but even downstairs will accommodate a quiet dinner for two. Go, enjoy. Great food.

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.