glorious greek cuisine - a foodie wannabe hits greece

Being my first visit to Greece, I was keen to get amongst the local cuisine that I had heard so many good things about.  Here are my top three favourite foods in Greece - my mouth is already watering at the mere thought of these!

1. The Greek Salad
Admittedly I was never a fan of the Greek salad however had heard many good things about how tasty these were in Greece. And yes they still call it "Greek salad" even in Greece!  The main ingredients of this salad are: tomatoes, cucumber (always peeled), olives, capers, oregano, red onion, green capsicum, topped with a slab of feta cheese and drizzled with olive oil.  I loved these salads so much that we ordered one with every meal, there were some variations such as the Santorini salad that contained cherry tomatoes and the Athermi salad which contained a lot of fresh oregano and barley husks.  At the end of the day, these salads were equally delicious with the simple reason being the real flavour of the local produce.  The tomatoes were juicy and sweet, exactly how tomatoes should taste.  The cucumber was crunchy and refreshing.   The olives (non-pitted) bursted with flavour and delivered a powerful taste and the feta had the perfect balance of salty, creamy and crumbly.   The combination was needless to say - perfect!

2. Tzatziki
Traditionally a dip made of Greek yoghurt, lemons, cucumber, dill and olive oil, this is my favourite Greek accompaniment. Again, we would order this with almost every meal and I would happily eat it on it's own by the spoonful.  I find it so refreshing with the zingyness of the lemon, the lightness of the cucumber and the smooth creaminess of the yoghurt.  I think that there must be garlic or onion in this also as there is a slight kick. I love tzatziki so much, either with bread, meat or purely on its own!


3. Gyros
The first thing we ate when we reached Athens was the infamous gyros pita which I had heard so many things about from a number of people. It is a pita bread with meat (generally pork or chicken), tzatziki, red onions, tomatoes and the best part: hot chips!   This is a complete meal and for generally €2 - €2.50, it is a cheap one too! This is my idea of heaven and a surprise that I haven't seen anything like it either in Australia or New Zealand. This is the perfect lunch time meal or two for dinner is also perfect!

Recommendations on where to eat:
Athens - Strofi (thanks Ave & Derek) - a beautiful restaurant with an Acropolis view. Exceptional service also. Book for a terrace table.
Santorini - two local taverns in the small village of Megalahori: Gero-Manolis and Tzanakis.  Family run taverns away from the busy tourist areas, this was "authentic" Greek cuisine at its best.

It doesn't surprise me that I am head over heels in love with Greek food, it is so simple but delicious. Also my favourite restaurant in Melbourne is George Calombaris' - Hellenic Republic - the subject of my first post and what gave me that final nudge to start this very blog!

joy to da world

Joy Cupcakes www.joycupcakes.com.au


A few months ago I was on my lunch break when a cute little shop caught my eye.  It was 'Joy Cupcakes' located at Shop E7B, Southern Cross Lane, 121 Exhibition Street.  The sign out front claimed to use "all natural ingredients" and after closer inspection, the flavours on offer were intriguing and incredibly inventive.

My first "Joy" experience was the "Choc Marshmallow" in the "giggle" (small) size.  Although it was a while ago now, the cupcake was deliciously moist and the marshmallow icing was light, fluffy and fulfilled every expectation.  Aesthetically, the cake was a dark brown with the white marshmallow icing, beautifully made with a great taste to match.

The next time I indulged in a sweet treat at "Joy", I opted for the "Strawberry Shortcake" flavour, pictured above.  Again, the cake was perfectly moist and the icing with traces of real strawberries was again light, creamy and not-too-sweet.  These cupcakes are hands-down the best I have had in Melbourne.

After my second visit, I immediately wanted to share this on my blog.  There are so many mouth-watering and original flavours available: "Rosewater & Pistachio", "Fig & Mascarpone" and "Orange Popcorn" just to name a few.  Disappointingly, the city store is not open on the weekend, however there is a store at Westfield Doncaster and they also mentioned that another store would soon be open that is closer to city and opening on weekends.  So if you ever have a cupcake craving to satisfy or just feel like a perfect sweet treat, head to "Joy Cupcakes" where you will not be disappointed as they will hit the right spot.

zumbo-licious

Adriano Zumbo's High Tea

• Fenix Restaurant & Events, 680 Victoria Street Richmond www.fenix.com.au
• Description in the festival guide: This stylish and unconventional high tea will blow your mind when Sydney-based master Adriano Zumbo brings his magnificent macaron madness served with passion, flair and artistry to Fenix.
• Party of two.
• Da cost: Despite a misprint in the guide of $50 per person with first sweet offering and non-alcoholic beverage, it was $25 per person with each item charged separately like a yum char menu.

With the 2012 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival now a distant memory, I guess it is better late than never to share this post about a memorable event for both its positives and negatives.  When my good friend Maya snapped up tickets for a high tea by no other than Adriano Zumbo (of Masterchef fame), at no other than Gary Mehigan's restaurant Fenix, I thought I had died and gone to foodie-wannabe-heaven.  

As the high tea started at midday, I thought I would do the sensible thing and not eat anything beforehand to be ready and prepared to indulge in the sumptuous and delectable treats that awaited me.  We both did not really know what to expect and arrived to find the function room, upstairs at Fenix, dressed like it would be for a wedding, complete with a seating plan. The host was Mr Gary Mehigan himself, who is a very witty and entertaining character and needless to say I was very excited to see him however admittedly I have dreamed of meeting him in the Masterchef kitchen rather than seated in his restaurant!

Gary made a big deal of introducing Zumbo (well I guess it was his event) and he enters the room to a round of applause from very excited (mainly) females.  He proceeds with a cooking demonstration of how to make macarons, it felt like we were in our very own masterclass. The macaron flavour of the day: peking duck macarons with  spring onion and cucumber filling!  Yes, true story, it did sound strange to me but I would be willing to give anything a go.  Unfortunately I was not one of the lucky few who got to sample this macaron that pushed the boundaries of macaron flavours.

During the demonstration, trolleys holding the sweet treats were being pushed around and served.  Well that was what it appeared like.  By the time we even got a waitress, we were told the savory food had run out, not that the waitresses seemed to have any clue what was where or what.  We had already got tick-happy with our yum char like menu and ticked everything we wanted only to be told that certain flavours of macarons had run out including, and yes I'll mention it again, the savoury food. I was just really looking forward to the 'lamb & harissa' sausage roll.

I have to apologise for the state of my photos, we were so hungry by the time we got served, we had already started to share and halve our macarons and other treats!  The macaron pictured that is in tact on its own, is the lychee flavoured macaron.  Lychees are my favourite fruit so I had high expectations for it, it was ok but did not blow my mind.  The notable macaron flavours for me were the milo, cola, salted butter caramel and salted gianduja caramel.  Gianduja is a sweet chocolate that contains 30% hazelnut paste originally from Turin, Italy.  These macarons were the best I have ever had, perfectly bursting with the flavour it was, melt in your mouth and made me want to instantly jump on a plane to Sydney to visit the home of Adriano Zumbo.  The good news for Melburnians is that he is planning on opening a store (or two) in Melbourne soon.  

We also orderded the 'Lemon Meringue' cake that seemed to be missing one major element - the meringue!  The 'Decorated Chocolate Fondant' was very modestly decorated, I was left wishing that I stuck to the macarons and ordered more.  Oh that's right, they had run out!

Despite the lack of food being a disappointment, the energy of the event was fun, casual and interesting.  The audience were able to ask questions directly to Zumbo, where we learnt he trained at Laduree in Paris, and that the correct pronunciation is the French way: macaron, one O only and the other word macaroon is in fact the coconut biscuit!

After the macaron cooking demonstration, there was an opportunity to have Zumbo himself autograph his cookbook.  I don't have his cookbook myself however Maya does so we made our way downstairs to have the book signed and to sneak in a photo with him too.  We also had the opportunity to chat with Gary, who also autographed Zumbo's book, and told us the next season of Masterchef starts end of April and where Maya squeezed in a plug for shy old me and this very food blog to the Masterchef himself!  Although we left with somewhat unsatisfied stomachs, we left with extremely satisfied memories.

the four little pigs

Little Piggy Goes to Market @ Meat Market http://meatmarketsouthwharf.com.au/

• 55 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf, Melbourne
• Dining at dinnertime
• Party of four
• Da cost: $70 per person

The Melbourne Food & Wine festival is currently upon us and this year it is the 20th anniversary of the three-week long event.  To find out more about the events of the festival, click here.  This is the first year that I have been able to take advantage of the many events on offer (and when I say many, the guide is eighty pages long!).  Unfortunately due to my lack of awareness last year I missed out on a great event as I would have loved to have seen Nigella Lawson - my cooking heroine - in person and in action.  Hopefully I'll get the chance one day.

Anyway, I was more organised this year and managed to book a few events, kicking off with the aptly named 'Little Piggy Goes to Market'.  This event was described in the guide as follows: 'Enjoy a four course feast of free-range Berkshire pork as the experts from Tooborac's McIver Farm Foods join Meat Market to spread the word about old breed pork and taking agriculture "beyond sustainable".'  It consisted of four courses matched with local ciders.  I managed to get the last four tickets for this event with friends who had the mutual love of pork, not really knowing what to expect, nor really knowing what 'Meat Market' was.  Turns out, Meat Market is a relatively new (since November) restaurant in a new precinct that is South Wharf Promenade.  If you're interested, check it out here.

The meal began with a drink named 'Egg & bacon cocktail'.  It was brandy infused with bacon for 48 hours, rosemary syrup, lemon juice, apple juice and shaken with an egg white.  I am not too sure if this flavour combination worked with the flavour of the brandy and rosemary overpowering everything else.  Along with this, we were offered in a brown paper bag, some nibbles that were pork scratchings made from pig ears, lightly battered with salt and pepper.  I must admit although they were tender, there was a lot of salt on these scratchings, but it did awaken my tastebuds.

Up next, was the first real entree.  This was named 'Tete Fromage' - deboned pork cheek with almonds and radicchio.  The bitterness of the radicchio took over this dish, with not so much taste of actual pork.  This was served with an organic French cider (not so local as the guide had suggested) but very nice nonetheless.

Course number two was a 'Potted Pork Shoulder' which was twice cooked in its own fat served with apple, croutons and mini gherkins.  I did not expect the pork in this dish to be cold, however it was, and again, very salty.  It reminded me a little of tuna, in the way it was flaked and in oil.  However it did go very well with the crunchy croutons, apple and gherkins, but it was very rich and I could not finish all the meat.

The filler course, which the waiting staff called a "snack", came at the same time as the cider Bress.  I am not sure if this cider was supposed to compliment the course prior, however, it was a nice fresh but dry, made locally in the Yarra valley, the traditional French way.  The snack however was delicious, it was a pork butter with raw onion on a crouton.  And eaten in one mouthful, the crunchy crouton likened to crunchy crackling!

The main event.  For this course the pork was organic, slow-cooked and soaked in salt brine with star anise.  There were two lots of pork soaked for dfferent lengths of time therefore giving it different levels of saltiness.  Unfortunately, some of the pork was dry and extremely salty.  The flavour of the actual meat was good however would have been more enjoyable with a little less seasoning.  The side that it came with was roasted pumpkin and a green chilli yoghurt sauce.  The chilli was relatively mild to cater for the masses, however the pumpkin was soft and delicious.  It is funny how I enjoyed this side perhaps a lot more than the other courses that actually contained pork!  The matching cider was a pear cider made by 'The Hills Cider Company' from Adelaide.  It was light, fruity and crisp - a very refreshing cider accompanying the generous portion of pork.

And finally to finish: the dessert.  It was apple stewed in rosemary with a Napoleone apple cider sorbet accompanied with a Napoleone apple cider.  This was designed to be like a spider (traditionally made with soft drink and ice cream).  The spider concept was clever, however this was the type of thing I enjoyed as a child, although clearly this dessert is purely adults only, it didn't really hit the spot.  However, the sorbet was silky smooth and once the cider was poured over it, was obviously (if you have had a spider before) very airy.  One other positive thing was it being so light after such a heavy meal of meat.

On the whole, the event was enjoyable and for $70 it was value for money with ample portions and waiters on hand to top up your glass once it was getting noticeably low.  However, one of the main disappointments is that although the pork was flavoursome, albeit over-seasoned, there was a lack of, crackling.  In fact, there was no crackling!  Pork and crackling go together hand in hand and although I had minimal expectations of this event, I did expect crackling!  I am curious about Meat Market with their usual menu, as the ambience, location and service was excellent so those factors are enough to take me back there.

doctor who?

Doctor Java - Check it out on Urbanspoon

• 87a Smith Street, Fitzroy

Doctor Java is pretty much on the corner of Smith and Gertrude Streets.  The sign caught my eye when I first moved to Melbourne as it serves organic coffee.  There are three things that I love about this cosy little cafe:

1. The coffee is great - and organic.
2. The iced coffee is arguably the best I have ever had.
3. The savoury scone is to die for.

I do not need to say too much about the coffee as my coffee palate is relatively simple: I don't like it tasting burnt and I like the milk a tad on the "too hot "side.  My usual order is simple - a latte.  No skinny/trim milk, no sugar - just coffee and full fat milk.  The coffee here is consistently great, has a great flavour and is a great temperature. I have not once been disappointed with my simple latte from Doctor Java.

However, as the Melbourne summer is upon us and last weekend in particular was exceptionally hot for this Wellingtonian, it was difficult for me to get my caffeine fix from a "tad on the hot side" latte.  I immediately thought of good old Doctor Java to provide me the caffeine I needed (and the calories I didn't) with their oh so amazing iced coffee.

There are three types of iced coffee on offer:

1. DJ Iced Coffee $5.50 - espresso, ice, ice cream, milk, simple!
2. Da Bomb Sugar IC $5.50 - 2 scoops house espresso sorbet, 1 scoop ice cream and milk
3. The Godfather $6 - 3 scoops ice cream, 3 shots coffee, the affogato you can't resist!

On this particular day, I opted for number 1, the simple iced coffee.  I have also tried da bomb sugar iced coffee - the name only attracts me!  Both these iced coffees have a delicious coffee flavour (a result from the great organic coffee beans no doubt) and it has the perfect amount of ice cream to milk to coffee ratio.  How many times have you ordered an iced coffee and it is literally ice + coffee and you come away disappointed and unsatisfied?  It has happened to me plenty of times, therefore the prerequisite for ordering an iced coffee is that it must have ice cream to rightfully give it the sweetness and creaminess.

One thing I struggle to find in Melbourne is savoury scones or muffins.  I mentioned savoury scones to a colleague once, and he looked at me as if I had said something in a foreign language, like he had never heard of it before.  I just love savoury scones or muffins (as opposed to sweet scones or muffins) and together with a latte, it is a match made in heaven.

Needless to say, when I discovered the savoury scone at Doctor Java, I knew where to go to satisfy my savoury-scone-craving.  It is $5.50 and described as "tomato, vintage cheddar and basil scone with red wine and onion jam".  The price may be a bit steep, but it is worth every cent.  For one, it is huge and therefore perfect for sharing, but every bite of this scone is scrumptious.  It is a great consistency, in other words, not dry or stodgy.  It is not only flavoursome but filling and hits the spot every time.

So if you are looking for a great cup of coffee to wake up, a much needed iced coffee to cool down, or a snack to fill that growling gap, then Doctor Java is a great place to tick all or some of the above boxes.  Whether you are in the neighbourhood or if you wish to especially go there, with it only being a stone's throw away from the city, the trip will be well worth it fulfilling your expectations.  Well, it hasn't disappointed me yet!

curry curry curry

Fitz Curry Cafe www.fitzcurrycafe.com.au

• 44 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
• Dining at dinnertime
• Party of two
• Da bill: less than $50

I love a good curry.  I have often said to people that if I could choose just one type of meal to have for the rest of my life for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it would be curry.  Call me a "curry-muncher" or whatever you like, but I absolutely love all types of curries.  I must admit, I especially enjoy curries that come from India as nothing beats the smell and taste.  I don't really have a favourite Indian curry but generally love Indian cuisine as a whole.  

Hopefully now you get the idea of how much curry means to me, so since I have lived in Melbourne, I have been on the constant lookout for a curry house to satisfy my palate.  I have tried a few scattered around the city, but nothing ever completely satisfied me.  There were times when the aroma of a place has lured me in only to be disappointed by the taste.  It is that extra bit disappointing when something that smells so good can fail in the taste department.

I have often walked past the Fitz Curry house on Johnston Street in Fitzroy and was always curious about what the food was like.  However with the selection of restaurants in Melbourne being so vast, I never decided to try it until after a year of living here.  It was a random night and although there are a number of great restaurants on this street, this was the night for the Fitz Curry House.

The selection of curries in vegetarian, chicken, lamb, beef and seafood options were plenty, however it was not too difficult to decide what to order. We ordered a vegetable samosa and a meat samosa to begin with.  Both samosas had crisp skin the way it should be and the filling in both varieties was tasty.   Although the one thing about samosas when ordered in a restaurant is that they are never spicy enough.  I realise that samosas are not meant to be spicy but just a tad more heat would make this favourite morsel of mine so much better.  The only other let down with the samosas was the mint raita as it lacked the fresh flavour of mint and was on the salty side.

Before I get into the mains, I must mention one fault and that is we waited a long time for them to be served.  Despite the length of time we waited (45 minutes) the service was great and to be fair, but not to make an excuse, there was only one chef in this full restaurant.  

We ordered Chicken Makhani, more famously know as Butter Chicken and Lamb Rogan Josh.  We asked for extra spice in both dishes and they came with a perfect amount of "hotness".  The Butter Chicken was described in the menu as "the fountainhead of Indian Cuisine, chicken cooked in Tandoor and then cooked with home made tomato sauce and spices".  This dish did not disappoint.  It was perfectly creamy with just the right amount of sweetness, very well spiced and seasoned and was a delight to eat.

The Lamb Rogan Josh is contrasting in flavour to a Butter Chicken, with different spices, colour and obviously taste.  It was very delicious, packed with amazing flavour and the lamb was so beautifully tender.  The extra spice packed a punch but the dish was perfect in its own right.  The curries were accompanied with garlic naan and plain rice.  I must mention that the naan was light and fluffy and contained enough garlic to warrant it being called garlic naan as there have been times I have ordered garlic naan when it may as well have been just naan!

It took over a year but I have now found the best curry house in Melbourne.  It is great value for money, offers friendly service and most importantly the taste is deliciously great.  It serves free range chicken and natural spring lamb which is just an added bonus to what will now be the place to satisfy my curry cravings.

nothing like a german sausage

Hofbrauhaus http://www.hofbrauhaus.com.au/

• 18 - 28 Market Lane, Melbourne
• Dining at dinnertime
• Party of six

There is something about German sausages that put them in a category above all other sausages I have tried.  I am not entirely sure what the Germans do differently but all I know is their sausages, from kranskys to bratwursts, are always full of flavour and satisfaction.  The Hofbrauhaus is one of several places where Melburnians can find these German delights in an authentic, restaurant setting.

We started our meal with a vorspeisen or entree to share and we opted for the Gebackener Camembert which was a crumbed camembert cheese with ligonberry compote.  Now I love crumbed camembert, perhaps one of the most indulgent things I eat.  I can still remember the very first time I tried deep-fried camembert.  I was seventeen and it was at the Dunedin Wine and Food Festival where I initially thought, what a strange thing to deep-fry.  That camembert was cut in wedges, crumbed and served with a cranberry sauce that was both sweet and tart.  The camembert oozed in your mouth, the creamy richness perfectly complemented with the cranberry sauce.  Unfortunately, the crumbed camembert at Hofbrauhaus did not compare and for $13.50, it disappointed my eager expectation.  It was bland and lacked the fullness of one of my most fondest food memories.

Now to the sausages, I chose the HB Wurstplatte which was a selection of sausages (nurnberger, cheese kransky, Swiss bratwurst) on a bed of sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and served with German mustard for $26.50.  The stand-out sausage on the plate was definitely the cheese kransky, the cheese in the middle is perfect with the seasoned flavour of the meat.  If I were to dine here again, next time, I would opt just for the cheese kransky.  Having said that all three sausages were delicious in their own right, and if it is variety you are after or if you just can't decide, this is the perfect dish to sample three different types of superior German sausages.  I must also add the mashed potatoes were well-seasoned, light, fluffy and creamy and there was also an overly generous serve of sauerkraut.  I have had better sauerkraut but German sausage is just not the same without it, so this sauerkraut was better than having none.  The German mustard was not at all memorable and the dish would have been just as good without.

For great atmosphere, service, beer, schnapps and German sausages to boot, Hofbrauhaus is a place to enjoy a complete dining experience.  Until next post, may your taste buds be continually tantalised!