It doesn’t happen very often these days unfortunately, but the meal I had at The Brix last week was astounding.

Keen eyes have been keeping an eye on the space behind Foxton’s Real Estate Agency at 412 Brunswick street for a while now. The planning permit was affixed to the unassuming roller door in Westgarth street late last year and the compact 40 seater which was originally scheduled to be open in May 2011, finally opened on 19th August 2011. But I reckon it’s been worth the wait.

I’ve visited three times now, for the five course fixed price menu that is the only meal option on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday lunch, for an al la carte experience and for lunch.    Cheese and charcuterie are available at the small bar as an alternative to the five course set meal.

Two of the three folk behind The Brix were on the floor the first night we visited.  They are quite open as to their influences, Le Chateaubriand in Paris.  Based on this fact alone I was eager to try The Brix,  having had a delicious and “un-stuffy” meal at Le Chateaubriand in 2009. Emma O’Mara and Keir Vaughan (our hosts) have design backgrounds and this 40 seater is testament to  their skill and tastes.  It’s a lovely spot which manages to be bright and sunny even though the windows face south.  The front room is dominated by a large cornucopia styled photograph which was commissioned for the space.  The side room features wooden shingles and hanging plants which are a surprising feature that I’m sure will bring a welcome cooling effect as we move into summer.

Joel Alderson is in the kitchen. I”d not heard of Joel before, but the pedigree is one to respect, Joost’s Greenhouse in Sydney, Attica and the Royal Mail in Dunkeld.  He’s joined by Daniel Dobra from Greenhouse in Perth, and also the Royal Mail. If that wasn’t enough to make me want to eat there, Ainslie Lubbock (also from the Royal Mail) has helped with the wine list and works a few shifts.

Once I’d heard all that I was no longer surprised by the offerings, but was very pleased to have a bistro like this so close to home (and a 112 tram ticket is certainly cheaper than flying to Paris).

The five course menu featured grilled baby cos, salsify, flowers, horseradish snow, crunchy quinoa, salmon, beetroot, celery leaf, artichokes, braised baby turnips, roast baby turnips, veal breast (with the most delicious, thin and crispy skin and layers of luscious fat and sweet veal meat, almost like a pork belly) served with carrots, saltbush and baby leeks; Confit duck leg that had been removed from the bone and pressed, served with a slice of perfectly pink breast duck, with baby turnips.  Dessert was coffee and chocolate cake with mandarin.

I’m not going to give away all of Joel’s little surprises here, but the plating is some of the prettiest I’ve seen.

We drank some delicious Gamay  (2010 Puzelat-Bonhomme Petite-Tannique from the Loire Valley), and some of the range of growers champagnes on offer.   The Fixed Price menu is $80 a person.

I returned a few nights later to dine al la carte.  The menu descriptions are brief and specific which leaves a lot of room to be pleasantly surprised by what appears to be a never-ending supply of herbs, baby veg, leaves and edible flowers that accompanied the dishes we tried.  Some of the dished from the set menu were featured on the al la carte menu, such as the calamari (with radishes, lettuce, herbs and chive flowers) and veal breast.  We started with a naturally sweet, light french onion broth which was poured at the table over a selection of croutons, teensy, weensy baby (I mean SMALL! smaller than your little fingernail) onions, chives and chive flowers.

We followed with shallot tart tatin served with creme fraiche and perfectly picked leaf salad, and the calamari.

Mains were beef fillet which arrived with a tastebud awakening smell of smoke that came from a spring onion that lay across the meat, which was spread across a slate, served with potato and cress; a plate of Bass Grouper, and lamb with artichokes cooked two ways, jerusalem artichokes, sweetbreads and oxalis leaves.

We ordered a side of “sprout leaves” which were similar to red kale, served with more of that amazing crunchy quinoa and finished with two desserts.

With a couple of glasses of wine each we spent $90 a head.

The third time I visited for a simple lunch.  The shallot tart tatin made an appearance again ($16), as did the beef with potato and cress ($22). We opted for a shallot tart, black pudding, apple cider, sorrel  and duck egg ($16), and free-range chicken terrine with leeks, potato and Kaissler (16).

There is a synesso cofee machine, house made tomato juice and they take their tea seriously too, offering Mariage Frères blends from Paris.

My choice is for the five course fixed price menu  - this meal was astoundingly good, mind you –  I haven’t had breakfast there yet!

Oh yeh – and there is a life size pig in the doorway….

… and an outdoor space

It’s terrific value and an outstanding debut.  Here’s to the new kid just off the block, open only a week so be gentle with them and let them find their feet.  Relax, take it easy and enjoy a new local.

Autumn had just started to bite here in Melbourne, and it seemed like the perfect time to settle in and learn a lot more about cider, and eat some delicious food at Libertine in North Melbourne.

Our hosts, Zoe and Nick, packed their restaurant with cider makers, cider lovers and food-folk; offered us 12 ciders over four courses with plenty of cider making and tasting chat.

What’s not to love?

We would be tasting ciders from Henry of Harcourt, Napoleon & Co (Punt Road Wines), and those imported by Gabriel and Valerie from Cerbaco.

We started with a glass of Henry of Harcourt Original Cider – served as an aperitif like a champagne. This is made from Pink lady eating apples, a practice that is quite common in Australia, but very unlikely in France or the UK where cider apples are grown especially for cider and brandy making. I found the Cider to be very dry, short and quite acidic.

Then we settled in for:
Course one

Fromage du Tete, crackling and radish salad

Served with:-

Henry of Harcourt Perry – made from eating pears – tasted thin and very acidic.

Napoleon & Co Pear Cider – Sweet and inoffensive

Le Père Jules Poire Pay D’Auge – Complex, full and aromatic. Also organic.

Course two

Seared trotter (with truffles), gribiche & beans

Served with:-

Henry of Harcourt 2010 Yarlington Mill – this is made from a single variety of cider apple.  I found it terribly dry, tannic, bitter and pretty much undrinkable.

Napoleon & Co Apple Cider – Apple blossom fragrance and pleasant drinking.

Cidre d’Anneville Cidre Traditionnel, Pays de Caux – a typical pasteurised cider – sweet smelling, but a dry finish little bit tannic behind your front teeth…

Course three

Confit pork belly, bourdin noir and Calvados Jus

Served with:-

Henry of Harcourt Duck & Bull draft cider – this had a distinct smell of pineapple lollies and was quite astringent.

Henry of Harcourt Kingston Black ’10 – another single apple cider and again I found it bitter.  The apple variety hails from Sommerset, and it was hoppy and almost “beer-like”.

Cidre de Cornouailles Manoir du Kinkiz, Brittany – AOC cider, slightly sweeter than the previous two, orange in colour and effervescent.  Had aroma notes of .. wait for it … manure, urine and asphalt.

Course four

Cheese

Served with:-

Henry of Harcourt Last Apple 2008 – made from some Pink Lady apples that they forgot to harvest.

Cider Doux Binet Rouge, Pays de Caux – made from a single apple variety – the Binet Rouge.

Overall on the evening the attendees voted Napolean & Co Apple Cider their favourite, followed by a tie for second between Henry of Harcourt Kingston Black and Cider Doux Binet Rouge, with Cidre Cournouailles coming 4th.

I didn’t agree with them :-)  I put all the French ones before the local ones.

I learnt that Cider in Brittany is made with indigenous yeast, can be pasteurised or unpastrieurised, and comes from hundreds of years of tradition, often from small producers who think that no-one else will like their cider as it’s “rustic”.

Our local “artisinal” ciders are made with champagne yeast and most often table apples.  Only very special makers have access to cider apples, Henry of Harcourt being one, and Bress Wine and Cider being the other that I know of.  There may well be more.

Cider apples are juicy, and very tannic and astringent.

Making Perry is a difficult proposition as the natural process produces naturally occurring sorbitol, also used as a sugar substitute.

Industrial ciders are made from apple concentrate and spring water and are nasty!

I also learned that 13 tasting glasses makes you a wee bit squiffy!

If Chin Chin is trying to captivate me and seduce me into a long term relationship, it’s going about it the right way.

(Disclaimer – my friend Jess Ho works at Chin Chin – but not even she can get you priority seating!)

The large (cavernous?) space on Flinders lane uses the best of what it’s got; high ceilings, a corner location; a serious gap in the market; fills it full of comfortable furniture (not too full!), eclectic music and “beautiful” people; and serves up tasty, interesting food of SE Asia for me to share.

We had a fun night, 5 of us, an easy wine choice (in carafes from Yabby Lake  winemaker Tom Carson… Pinot Grigio or Pinot Noir) a moderate beer list with many from  SE Asia, a few cocktails to start with and intelligent, smooth service (“I’ll let you have some more time with the menu, then come back and talk about wine “, says our “wine guy”)

The service snaps along, pacey but not pushy. I doubt you’d want a long, languorous meal here (although a bar session could be quite tempting), but we didn’t feel rushed.

We ordered

• Chin Chin Pork “Roll Ups”  - red braised suckling pig, with pancakes, slaw and sour herbs $16 Spicy corn and coriander fritters with iceberg lettuce and chilli jam  $8
• Crispy Barramundi & green apple salad with caramelised pork, chilli and lemongrass $24
• Steamed spanner crab salad & chicken salad with ruby grapefruit, coconut and fragrant salad $23
• Salad of organic silken tofu, banana blossom and thai basil $16
• Massama curry of coconut braised beef brisket $18
• Son in Law Eggs with Chilli jam $8

And 1.5 litres of Pinot Gris.

I guess the “hardcore” will say it’s “panasian” in a derogatory sense, but I’m more than happy to explore different spice mixes and flavours in the one meal.

It’s all geared to be comfortable, approachable and somewhere you can’t wait to return to. If they were open for lunch I think I’d be back tomorrow, but until that happens, I’ll drop in for dinner / snacks in the next week I reckon. I want those corn fritters again, and some more massaman curry, I didn’t get to try the eggnets, or the oysters, or the tripe salad, or the house made noodles, or so many of the dishes others have been raving about … Next week!

(There are no photos because it was too dark and I was having too much fun to really bother with manually adjusting settings – can there be any higher praise?)

Billy from Half Eaten really likes Chin Chin.

Ed for Tomato seemed to enjoy it – and was sitting next to us on his what third? or fourth visit.

Griff’s wine pub has been quietly feeding the faithful for almost two years under it’s latest guise (let’s all try to forget about the Purple Turtle shall we?). On the corner of Johnston and Napier streets in Fitzroy, it’s a stylish and comfy kind of place, with a front bar it can be hard to more on from, even when you’re only moving as far as the stained glass accented dining room, or the conservatory.

I love the feel of Griff’s, the smart cosy feeling, and the real beer. But mostly I love the reasonable mark-up on the wine list. And there is always an interesting bottle or two to try.

We share a charcuterie plate ($29) and a half dozen Streaky Bay oysters to start. The charcuterie was very generous with two types of terrine, duck and pork, liver parfait, salami and proscuitto along with various accompaniments including a delicious pickled cucmber and fennel.

For mains there was

Lamb’s liver was the “Offal of the Day”

“Fish of the Day” was a fish stew with saffron and shellfish.

And baked goat loin.

Griff’s hand cut chips are just that (and are fab with a beer in the front bar)

The Dessert Tasting Plate was terrific, featuring a warm frangipane tart with pears, some custard apple ice cream, a lavender creme brulee and a quince and pear crumble.

We went home very full, and very happy after a second bottle of Cab – well wouldn’t you?

Griffs Wine Pub
Cnr Johnston st and Napier St
Fitzroy
03 9416 5055
www.griffswinepub.com.au

The old corner pub looks a bit like a unassuming from the outside, and you wouldn’t be surprised to find a few oldtimers leaning against the front bar, but the side entrance to the restaurant shows a restrained deco/modern style, with dark wood, good linen and heavy cutlery.

We restricted ourselves to mains and dessert, but to give you a feel for the entrees:-
* scallops, bone marrow, goats curd, beetroot and bacon $23
* Venison Bresaola with persimmons, EVO, shallots and blood plums $18

Tasty starters are tempting, alongside terrine, a vegetarian option and a fish dish as well.

Main meals (there’s no mucking around with small plates, bigger plates and share plates here, traditional entrees, mains and desserts thanks!) move from traditional steak of the day, offal, a couple of fish dishes, Otway Pork Belly and seem quite reasonable at $27 to $35.

We ordered the twice cooked Macleay Valley Rabbit served with brussel sprouts, chestnuts and a thyme jus. Delicate rabbit rolled and roasted was moist and juicy and only very lightly ‘gamey”.

…and Duck Breast with pumpkin walnuts and hazelnuts, which was rich and a little bit on the tough side, but served with thoughtful (if not surprising) garnishes.

We had a chat to our waiter and he suggested a bottle of the Sorrenberg 2008 Gamay from Beechworth. This wine edged toward the a lighter style, but was terrifically savoury and with neither too much acid or fruit. It drank very well with both our mains.

I am a sucker for suet puddings, so I couldn’t go past the Steamed Quince and Suet Pudding – custard, brandied prunes and Earl Grey Ice Cream. The pudding was flavourful and had the texture you only get from suet. The quince was delightful and full of vanilla scent, but the Earl grey icecream wasn’t quite right. Not enough Earl Grey, and perhaps Ice cream wasn’t quite right for a winter meal? Clotted cream maybe?

The service did seem to struggle a little bit the night we were there, one waiter was on his first night, and at least one other was covering from their sister establishment, so the service didn’t hum the way it has done in the past. But the bones are still there, it’s a lovely room, a terrifically interesting wine list and decent food. May not be in line for the next chef’s hat, but it’s real and grounded and not too complicated, and sometimes that’s just what I’m in the mood for.

The Court House
86 – 90 Errol Street (cnr Queensberry)
North Melbourne
Ph (03) 9329 5394

It was a pretty frosty when we headed out, and arrived in Rathdowne street to see our dinner guests standing out on the street…ah why?

Turned out that Black Ruby’s didn’t have our booking due to an answering machine malfunction. Darn it! No room at the inn but the obliging Kate sent us away with a bottle of red to keep us company. It was a nice touch, unnecessary as I realise these things just happen, not much you can do about it but accept it in good grace. So we walked the street for a bit looking for a cancellation – what GFC? Every restaurant except the Rathdown street food store and La Porchetta’s was packed.

We rang around a few places and ended up with a spot in 45mins time at Little Zephyr Kitchen 563 Nicholson Street.

We headed up the road for a drink and Gerald’s while we waited, and ran into some old friends. I like Geralds’s, I just wish it was walking distance from my house. (Or perhaps not!)

We’ve eaten at Little Zephyr Kitchen before, one night when we wanted to go to Bistro Flor, and found it an adequate substitute, some nice flavours, a bit clumsy with some offerings but definitely one with potential.

I think I’m striking a few stars off that potential after last night. It’s not that it was bad, it just didn’t feel very “right”.

We shared three entrees, some tasty borek cigars filled with feta and some nice warming spices, a small Aubergine, split in half and grilled, topped with spice lamb mince, and the standout dish of the night some pan seared calimari with house made chorizo. The chorizo really did stand out as delicious and moreish, crunchy and spicy and a good counterfoil to the calamari.

On to the mains then. We were told that the gnocchi was the ‘best in town” and that the chef had learnt it from Guy Grossi (Did we know who Guy is?), and then warned that it was soft and fluffy, “because we’ve had some comments from people who have been surprised that the gnocchi was soft and fluffy…” like … huh? Too much chatty waitstaff, too much useless information. The Gnocchi was OK.

The seafood hotpot looked better than it tasted …

the lamb pizza – salty and, well, meh, not very interesting fill-er-up stodge.

Atlantic Salmon on fat chips with Hollandaise .. meh.

We had dessert as well, but nothing really stood out there either.

Portions were large, service was OK, but $5 EACH corkage….that was a bit rich. You surely “don’t want to encourage it” as we were informed. I think they could have been a bit more generous about the corkage, I’d explained to them that our booking had been lost when I called, and we did turn over a table for them that wouldn’t have turned over otherwise, and once they offered us a discount to $4 each per person I was determined to drink the 2003 Lethbridge Pinot Noir we had brought with us (for our other planned meal, where BYO is welcome) and then they brought it back to the table on ice!!!!!

So I wasn’t all that impressed this time around, and was actually a bit annoyed about the wine – why don’t you just say no? And your website has annoying music on it that you can’t turn off…one of my pet peeves.

So we left fed, but underwhelmed, but not feeling like we’d paid too much. you know, a bit …meh.