a homegrown meal to remember

WLG www.au.timeout.com/melbourne/restaurants/events/1903/wellington-tourism-pop-up-restaurant

• Corner Gertrude & Napier Streets, Fitzroy, Melbourne from Nov 15th - Nov 27th
• Dining at dinnertime
• Party of two

When I heard that a pop-up restaurant named "WLG" - the Wellington airport code - was coming to Melbourne, I just had to get in as I knew the experience would be blog worthy.  Perhaps being a Wellingtonian makes me slightly biased but I was certainly eager to have a taste of home.  Little did I know, it would exceed all my expectations, however getting into this temporary restaurant proved to be harder than I thought.

By the time I looked into WLG, the tickets had sold out, but the website did say that walk ins were available every night.  We thought we would try our luck on a Tuesday night and aim to be at the restaurant by 6pm when it opened.  We arrived just after six and the friendly guy organising the patrons said that we were welcome to "hang around abit" to see if there were any no shows.

Turns out, we were in extreme luck and managed to get seated inside on a table of six.  Each place sitting had the set menu and a copy of a New Zealand guide book.  The staff were blatantly Kiwi and provided exceptional service to approximately sixty diners wanting to sample a piece of Wellington's culinary delights.  After about twenty minutes of being seated, three Air New Zealand air hostesses walk into the restaurant and a voiceover is played, similar to the safety voiceovers played at the beginning of each flight.  The next thing we know, we had all been given a complimentary return flight to Wellington.  The room erupted with cheers, the bubbles were opened and ticket vouchers were handed out, much to the delight of everyone in the room!

Watch the youtube video here and catch a glimpse of us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2akTqEClXEo&feature=youtu.be

Now to the food.  The food was brought over from New Zealand, designed and cooked by some of Wellington's top chefs from popular restaurants: Logan Brown, The Larder, Boulcott Street Bistro and Capitol.  The friendly staff explained the set menu which began with a shared entree named "Tastes of Wellington Shared Tasting Plate."  It consisted of:

• Lot Eight Spiced Olives
• Manuka Salt Cured Lamb Shortloin with Beetroot, Walnut and White Balsamic Salsa
• Grilled Marlbourgh Scallops, Celeriac puree and Pancetta crumbs
• Fried Goat's Cheese Balls with Manuka honey and Kiwi chutney
• Maple syrup smoked Regal King Salmon with Horseradish Creme Frache and tiny Capers
• Pig's Cheek 'Schnitzel' with Roast Lemon Chutney, Cornichons and Cress

Everything on this plate was delicious however the two stand-outs were the Pig's Cheek and the Goat's Cheese.  The crumb on the schnitzel was well-seasoned and perfectly crisp.  The kiwi chutney gave a tangy dimension to the goat's cheese that melts in your mouth after biting into the slightly crunchy shell.

Next-up: the mains.  There were five choices, designed by each of the chefs.  After much deliberation, I chose the dish by Jacob Brown, Head Chef and owner of The Larder.  As the menu told you who was cooking on which nights, the reasoning behind my decision was Jacob Brown was in the kitchen on this particular night.  The main was called 'Slow-cooked Venison in Tunisian Brik pasty with Veal Sweetbreads, Broad Beans, Peas and Pancetta'.



The pasty was similar to the skin of a spring roll - firm and crisp, the venison was delightfully tender, the difference in texture of the sweetbreads, broad beans and peas gave the dish variety and the strong flavour of pancetta rounded of this dish that left me wanting to savour the taste.

As there were two of us dining, I was fortunate to  sample some of Brendon's main.  He opted for the 'Braised Lamb shoulder Timbale with Dukkah-Crusted Lamb Rack and wilted mixed greens with a Thyme and Garlic Braising Liquor.'  This dish was designed by Terry Lowe of Black Barn Bistro, Hawke's Bay.  Nothing beats kiwi lamb, yeah cue the sheep jokes, but in all seriousness, the lamb was perfectly cooked and succulently tender.





Dessert.  There were two choices for dessert and we had one of each.  The 'Licoricello Panna Cotta with Vodka Lime Parfait and Pistachio wafer' had a good kick of vodka and the panna cotta was silky smooth.  The perfect size and a great way to end the meal with something sweet.

The 'Whittaker's Dark Chocolate Pave with fresh Raspberries, Manuka honey cream and Damson Plum Coulis' was another mouth-watering dessert.  The chocolate pave was light in texture but rich in flavour.  The raspberries and coulis gave it a tartness it needed to stand up to the rich chocolate.  This dessert left me wanting a whole lot more of it!

And finally, Mojo coffee and Whittaker's chocolate squares were offered to complete the meal.  Three courses for $35 was a steal, the food was of high quality and all the better washed down with a glass of New Zealand wine.

I have found that it is not until you live outside New Zealand that you become extremely patriotic and this unique concept made me extra proud to be a kiwi.  It showed just what little old New Zealand can offer in quality food, wine and dining.  Hopefully this pop-up restaurant returns next year for those who missed out.  Complimentary airfares aside, the initiative for promoting Wellington proved to be successful in creating an awareness of the cuisine available on the other side of the ditch.  Now I look forward to going home to enjoy my mum's cooking courtesy of Air New Zealand!

not by the hair on my chinny chin chin

Chin Chin www.chinchinrestaurant.com.au

• 125 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
• Dining at dinnertime
• Party of five

I think everyone is familiar with coincidentally hearing about the same thing in a condensed space of time.  That was the case of how I heard about what I thought was a new, hip restaurant in Melbourne city that is Chin Chin.  Turns out, it is not so new - has been around for at least six months - and in my opinion, not so hip.

One of the things I had heard and read about Chin Chin was there was always a wait for a table, and in some cases the wait would be ridiculously long.  I am not quite sure why restaurants opt for this "non-booking" method.  There must be a method to this madness however, I have been previously victim to waiting for a table at another restaurant for three times the length of time than what the staff had advised.  This only dampened our moods as well as the dining experience.

Anyway back to Chin Chin.  Our friends were in town from New Zealand, so we thought we'd try our luck at this restaurant I had heard so much about.  It was a Monday night and we were already in the city so decided to give Chin Chin a crack.  Turns out, we were in luck as there happened to be a vacant table for five.  Only catch was it was only available for an hour.  That didn't bother us as we are all capable of eating fast.

We all happened to be Kiwis and guess what, so was our waitress.  She made the point of telling us that most of the staff there were also from New Zealand.  She went on to explain the menu and how it is designed to be shared.  This concept is not so alien to us being Asian and all but anyway, she was obviously disappointed that we didn't want any wine, then suggests we try one of their popular drinks that changes flavours each day.  She then wanders off and we decide to each pick a dish...to share. 

Coconut Crush

The drink.  This drink is called 'Coconut Crush' which includes coconut flesh, blended with ice and the flavour of day was Apple & Mint.  This drink was so deliciously refreshing.  The coconut gave it a tropical taste with the mint giving it slight kick.  I would return to this restaurant just to have this drink - it was that good.  I wish I could say the same about the rest of the meal.

When the waitress returns to take our order, we tell he what we would like.  This is what generally happens when you order in restaurants, however because we wanted to order the 'Caramelised Sticky Pork with Sour Herb Salad & Chilli Vinegar' as well as the 'Stir Fried Wild Boar with Red Curry paste, Snakebeans, Ginger & Basil' she blatantly refuses and says she "can't" let us order two pork dishes.  She continued to tell us what the "stand out" dishes on the menu were and suggested we go for the 'Indian Style Barbecued Goat with Cucumber & Mint Raita' or 'Twice Cooked Hopkins River Beef Short Rib with Coriander & Prik Nahm Pla'.

We tried to stand our ground to have both pork dishes but she pushed back and would not let us so we decide on the wild boar and beef short rib.  Perhaps she felt she was being helpful however we felt that she was not very tactful in her suggestions.  Anyway, our other dishes inculded 'Grilled Roti Madtarbk filled with Indian Spiced Beef & a Cucumber Relish' for entree,  'Crispy Barramundi and Green Apple Salad with Caramelised Pork, Chilli & Lemongrass', 'Massaman Curry of Coconut Braised Hopkins, River Beef Brisket with Pink Fur Apple, Potatoes & Crispy Shallots' and 'Crispy Skinned Duck, Pickled Cucumber & Ginger Salad with Sesame Salt & Fresh Lemon'.  We also ordered two sides of Roti bread and of course, what Asian meal would be complete without the rice.

Madtarbak

The Madtarbak for entree, was nice enough. It went well with the cucumber relish and the roti was perfectly crispy.  Having said that, this entree is not worth raving about and I wouldn't order it again.

Barramundi salad

The Crispy Barramundi and Green Apple Salad with Caramelised Pork, Chilli & Lemongrass came under "Green Stuff" on the menu. The Pork was so sweet and tasty, together with the tartness of the apple, this combination was great.  The salad was not so green and noticeably lacked barramundi which did not fulfil the expectation of this salad.  Slightly disappointing in that respect but still undeniably tasty.

Crispy Duck

The Crispy Skinned Duck, Pickled Cucumber & Ginger Salad with Sesame Salt & Fresh Lemon again was nice enough but it did not blow me away.  It is exactly as it is described in the menu.  The sesame salt did not add much to the dish.  The duck was a tad overcooked therefore a lot drier than what you would normally get from a Chinese restaurant.

Wild Boar stir-fry

The Stir Fried Wild Boar with Red Curry paste, Snakebeans, Ginger & Basil had a good kick to it.  As I love a bit of spice in my meals, this had just the right amount.  Once again, this dish did not follow its name as it only had a few snakebeans thrown in, but also included asparagus, and two different types of baby eggplant.  The dish was overpowered by the basil giving it a very strong aniseed flavour which is not always welcomed.

Beef short rib

This was the dish that the waitress claimed to wow many patrons - Twice Cooked Hopkins River Beef Short Rib with Coriander & Prik Nahm Pla.  It was good, the beef was very tender and fell of the bone.  The Prik Nahm Pla is very similar to a dipping sauce that my mum makes so once I tasted the flavours of this sauce it brought me to a familiar place, although the sauce was definitely not as good as my mums!  This dish was good but not exceptional as I would expect it to be given the amount of hype.

Massaman Curry

The Massaman curry had a great curry flavour and the potatoes had a smooth creamy texture.  It was a great tasting dish but as well as for the other dishes, it was nothing to write home about.

Roti

Finally the roti.  The texture of the roti can be summed up in one word - cardboard!  It was rough, stiff and one would guess, stale.  Not the hot, fluffy and fresh type that we would expect in a place like this. 

On the whole, Chin Chin was an average experience, from the service through to the ambience and most importantly the food.  We did want to order the banana roti for dessert, but due to the time constraint and the lackluster plain roti we were served, we decided against it.  I think this restaurant is perceived as trendy and hip, and perhaps the ambience would suit some, but I felt that the food disappointed on several levels therefore I would not rush back.  As Melbourne offers many restaurants in this same "genre", I have the luxury of choosing out of a high calibre of places.  Hopefully next time, I am much more satisfied with the choice.

melbourne can certainly take the cake...

One of the things I love about living in Melbourne is the variety of mouth-watering cakes and sweet treats available on hand.  From cupcakes to macarons to high tea to novelty cakes, this post takes a look at all things sweet with some of my favourite and different treats from this city.

Brownie & Passionfruit
Chocolate Gateau

Le Petit Gateau, www.lepetitgateau.com.au can be found at 458 Little Collins Street and was introduced by friends Ti and Hannah who had their wedding cake made there.  I am working my way through the many irresistible cakes on offer at this French patisserie.  My favourite so far, hands down, is the 'Brownie & Passionfruit Chocolate Gateau'.  This cake has a brownie base, crunchy praline, passionfruit custard with chocolate mousse, covered with a smooth dark and oh so shiny chocolate ganache.  There is something about this combination that screams original, unique and delicious.  I have never experienced something so original or inventive in a cake.  From the presentation right through to most importantly, the taste, this cake never disappoints.

A slice of the Cosmoplitan

I recently tried a slice of the 'Cosmopolitan' which has a carrot cake base, white chocolate cheesecake and homemade raspberry jam.  The carrot cake base, including chunks of nuts, is relatively dry compared to the conventional carrot cake but when accompanied with the creamy layer of white chocolate cheesecake, it is barely noticeable.  The difference in textures make each mouthful a delicious delight.  The sweetness of the raspberry jam compliments and finishes off yet another amazing cake combination.

'Mocha' mini cupcake

Little Cupcakes www.littlecupcakes.com.au on Queen Street is one of my favourite lunchtime hangouts where a mini cupcake and coffee is a bargain at $4.90.  The selection of cupcakes on offer always make the choice difficult however my favourite is the 'Salted Caramel'.  There is something I love about the salty/sweet combination.  I do find that the moistness of the cake can be a hit and a miss.  There are times, and I have been there plenty, that the cupcake is crumbly however the icing never fails to be deliciously smooth and creamy.  Despite the inconsistent quality, when a sweet craving needs to be acknowledged, this place has always successfully satisfied.

Mini 'GO MO' cupcakes by Louise

Speaking of cupcakes, last week my colleague Louise brought me a homemade one.  I was very impressed with how it looked and it tasted even better.  It was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate butter cream icing and topped with decorative but edible flowers made of fondant.  So when Louise brought in cupcakes to fundraise for Movember, complete with moustaches, she didn't need to ask me twice to support the cause!

Salted Caramel macaron from
La Belle Miette

Macarons and Melbourne go together hand in hand.   Macarons can be found at many different places around the city and to be honest, initially I did wonder what all the fuss was about.  However these have to be, in my opinion, one of the greatest inventions by humans.  The crispness of the shell with the soft, chewy centre is always so satisfyingly good.  One of my favourite places to indulge in these wonderful creations is La Belle Miette www.labellemiette.com.au 30 Hardware Lane.  They offer a variety of exotic flavours such as 'Pimms & Pomegrante' or 'Olive oil and Vanilla' however again my flavour of choice is the 'Salted Caramel'.  The '72% Cocoa Single Origin Chocolate' macaron is also one of the most delicious sweet things I have ever had.  Each bite is "melt in your mouth" goodness.

Selection from the High Tea
dessert buffet at the Windsor Hotel

High tea at the Windsor hotel is a Melbourne experience definitely worth trying.  If not for the ambience and history, then for the dessert buffet that is covered with so, so many fancy delectable treats.  We had high tea in the Grand Ballroom where a five-tier chocolate fountain stands prominently as you enter.  The waiting staff genuinely advise you to sample a little bit of everything which I think is virtually impossible.  However from what I did manage to try, I was not at all disappointed.  From the mini creme brulee to, of course, the macaron, this was indulging at its best, albeit a little sickening after a while!  If it is a sweet tooth you possess, then you must not bypass having High Tea here.

Burger cake

And finally the burger cake. Yes, what you see pictured is a giant burger, that is a cake.  This cake was Ti's birthday cake and when his wife Hannah told me she was surprising him with a burger cake, admittedly I did not quite know what to expect.  Needless to say I was very impressed with the attention to detail and workmanship.  From the Oreos giving the pattie its texture, to the sponge cake chips on the side, the only thing missing was good old tomato sauce!  Even the red and white "napkin" base was edible icing.  The buns were made of plain sponge, the pattie was a chocolate cake and the the layers of cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion were icing.  The top of the cake was also iced with pinenuts to resemble sesame seeds.  To say a slice of this cake was huge, would be an understatement, however despite the size, I managed to finish a slice as it actually tasted great too.  Also, the novelty of eating a burger that was a cake never did wear off!

It never does fail to surprise me what can be discovered in this food mecca of a city.  One thing's for certain,  Melbourne takes the cake in offering some of the most delicious treats to satisfy any sweet tooth.