Bites: Modern Dining @ St. Michael, Mount Lawley

Sitting in the place of Jacksons, WA’s legendary status degustation spot, St. Michaels is the new kid on the Beaufort Strip.  While I never knew the exact details of the owners, I did know that St. Michaels were the brainchild of the Red Cabbage establishment which hmmm did not provide me with much confident at all.  Do not get me wrong, Red Cabbage is a fine place but  I was not the keenest person after being scarred by the lacklustre of creativity from my first attempt there.  However, my sister was keen to give this place a chance and so I went anyway.  For those who are not aware, St. Michaels is now open for dinner which had just happened a couple weeks back ;)

However, because no one knew they were open for nights, we were one of the only two tables that night.  I loved being treated as if I had booked the whole place but really, it was just pure luck haha.  The dining style here is a choice of a la-carte tapas or degustation but we went for the degustation which was a no-brainer considering the $89 tag will be quickly surpassed if orders were done a la-carte.

After enjoying some crisp lavosh and bread with whipped vegemite butter, my attention turned to St Michael’s first course, the cold pickled vegetables and Bresola.

Highly acidic on the first bite, I quickly grew fond of this setup.  The musky beefy Bresola paired with the sour-sweet roots  made summer dining a bliss.  The taste was fresh and crisp.  A meal that left a very clean feel to the palate.

Australian seafood is a major highlight during the summer.  St. Michael brings the flavours of South America to plate in this dish of seared scallops.

The perfectly seared scallops were of a decent size but not massively huge. But where flavours were concerned, the dish was well-composed with the tasty salsa and sweet almost buttery charred corn complementing the fresh scallops.  Likeable at every aspect, there was a certain predictability about this setup that might have made the experience all a little too “common”.

The next dish was something a little more special with pumpkin puree, orecchiette and pecorino making their way to the table.

On the plate was pureed pumpkin with little pasta shells called orecchiette and roasted pumpkin, topped with fragrant pecorino cheese.  Sweet, a little cheesy with some pasta is how I would describe this one.  It was quite basic and could easily have been a really good dish.  However, there was an inconsistency across the plate with the doneness of the pasta.  Some were a little soft whilst a few were hard with a few sitting al dente in the middle.  I honestly did not mind it but sitting on the Jacksons’ spot where I had previously dined commands a lot of integrity :P!

The next dish of quail, carrot puree and deep fried crumbled ricotta was absolutely gold.

Cooked spot on, the quail was perfectly pink in the middle and superbly tender.  Then comes the silky gel-like carrot puree that was just sensationally seasoned.  Not too sweet, or salty, but just nicely ripe in the middle!  One its own or together, the crumbed ricotta is every kids dream snack.  Fluffy in the middle, crispy on the outside but more important, delicious. To finish was some popped buckwheat to give the dish a crunch.   Have all the elements at once and you would be thoroughly impressed.

After grazing through the appetisers, the plat de résistance arrived.  It was a dish of lamb. My first bite quickly reminded me of the lamb & scallops dish at Nine Fine Food in Highgate.  The lamb was slow cooked and pulled apart before being formed and temporarily pan fried to caramelise the outsides.  The fat contents were definitely pretty high with this one as it literally melted in my mouth!  Little bits of nifty tricks to break the norm like the mint jelly was quite a joy to have.  To sum it up, the lambs falls into the category which I call “same but different” and I like it.

After resting my buds for a bit, our maitre d introduced me to the pre-dessert course.  Described as being neither savoury or sweet, the dish consisted of a thin carrot cake slice topped with celeriac ganache, little mounds of blue cheese, pear sorbet and poached pear.

I do not know where to start because this was literally my "dish of the night".  Its description falls way short in explaining how delicious this combination was. The spongy carrot cake with a tart almost sweet blue cheese paired with the refreshing sorbet was simply genius.  Add the crunchy walnuts and juicy pears to the equation and it was even better.  This was an exemplary reinvention of the cheese course where one has blue cheese with pear, candied nuts and crackers.

Last but not least was a dessert course after an oatmeal palate cleanser.  Themed parsnip, and honey, this was an all vegetarian dessert.

Parsnip sponge, and parsnip sorbet on cornflakes with honey drizzled all over.  To end the night, it was quite right.  Refreshing, light and over all quite easy to eat without leaving one feeling as if he/she had just eating a block of  meat.  Now, if only it was a little less salty!  For some reason the sponge has salt in it, which I found to be unnecessary because the cornflakes itself already has some salt.  Not a major fault but something that could have been easily prevented for sure.

At the end of the night, I enjoyed the meal at St. Michael quite a fair bit.  Unlike its more established sibling Red Cabbage, I found myself more enticed to the creations at St. Michael.  Dishes like the scallops as well as the lamb were rather predictable in flavour but still, faultless in all ways.  The carrot slice with the walnuts, pear condiments and blue cheese were exemplary in reinventing the classic blue cheese plate.  In saying that, there were a few errors which displeased me especially with the last dessert being quite salty or the pasta dish being inconsistently prepared but otherwise it was good.  Nonetheless, this has got to be one of the better $89 dollars spent in 2014!

WenY

Melbourne: Perfect Steaks @ Rockpool Bar and Grill, Crown Melbourne

Rockpool Bar and Grill in Perth was my first massive steak crush.  Between its bolder flavoured grain-fed or the more mellow, lighter tasting grass-fed beef, there was always something for everyone.  As Australia’s first internationally acclaimed restaurant, I have always wondered how does Rockpool Bar and Grill in Melbourne compare to the one back home in Perth.  On a cool Sunday night, I decide to take a trip to Bovine Heaven.  Whilst I have no pictures of the entrance, the original Rockpool Bar and Grill in Melbourne sports the same long hallway graced by cuts of beef being dry-aged.  A true sight to behold!  Its interior was darker than the establishment in Perth but sets the mood for a good night out.

But food beyond anything else is key to my verdict of any restaurant.  Why should it not be after all?  Our starter was a Wagyu Bolognese.  A classic favourite since my first trip to Rockpool back in Perth!  Here, the waiter takes courtesy of plating a main size one into two appetiser sized ones to avoid the fuss of splitting.

With no questions, the mince melts in your mouth whilst the sauce was just perfect.  But the pasta was not as thin as the one in Perth!  

The grain-fed rib eye.

Its dark red middle is symbolic of why dry-aged beef is such a priceless commodity among foodies and beef lovers alike!  The flavour is just yums and the way Rockpool cooks the steak always elevates the joy of eating it.  At Rockpool, a perfectly charred steak that never fails to hit the sweet spot is a norm.  Tender, cooked to order and the temperature of frying the steak is just spot on!  For my condiments, I chose the Dijon Mustard and Harissa as both help bring the best out of the steak!  But if you are not a fan of mild mustard, the spice laden Harissa might just be your thing.

No meal at Rockpool is ever complete without its famed Mac n Cheese side.  And what can I say?  Fat on fat on fat?  Nobody got time for concerns!  It was yummy!  But for some reason though, the charm it first had on me 3 years ago had seemed to worn off.  It no longer felt all that special.. and I wonder why!

We also ordered a side of chopped salad which looked absolutely rubbish after being tossed in the dressing but here is a picture of the oven-roasted pumpkin and sweet potatoes topped with a roasted garlic yoghurt.  This was really nice! It was my second time having it at Rockpool and I still cannot get over the way the garlicky condiment harmonises with the sweet edible tuber!

A sweet ending of what I can only remember now as some sort of cheese cake with strawberries, meringue and what I believe instead of a biscuit base, was grated coconut?  Hahaha I really was so full at this point that sharing a dessert was all my stomach can afford.  

But I have to say, it was an impressive slice this one.  I was quite hesitant to follow XL’s choice of cake because cheesecakes had always been a fairly “heavy” dessert but this felt nothing like the conventional cheesecakes!  Instead it was rather refreshing and led the dinner to a good ending!

A meal at any Rockpool establishment comes with a tag that most find unjustifiable.  But coming here once a year for that once in a blue moon treat makes a lot of sense to me.  You get the prime service, absolutely delicious steaks and over all, an amazing meal.  The food here does not carry the cues of modern molecular gastronomy and lacks the necessary elements of surprise of fine dining but what Rockpool does is make the classic staples like steak & chips, absolutely spectacular.  I mean after all lets be honest to ourselves, how many times have you been served an absolutely rubbish $30 steak? 1 too many I’d say.

WenY

Melbourne: Brunches of 2014 (Breakfast Thieves)

Breakfast Thieves, Fitzroy

With my homies arriving from Perth, it was definitely time to reach out to more interesting places around Melbourne.  After a mediocre experience at Hammer & Tong, I was in not in anyway keen to return in the limited time I had.  But fret not, hipster suburb Fitzroy had plenty more on offer.  For today’s brunch, Breakfast Thieves situated just off Smith Street on the leafy Gore Street was our host.

Brunch at the Breakfast Thieves on cool Friday morning could not get any better.   Considering that it was a quiet day, the service was gratuitous and prompt.  The hot chocolate here was quality but not as stellar as the one I had at Architect & Heroes.  In saying that though, I could do with the $3.50 price tag any day!  For breakfast we had:

THE LEGEND: Spicy baked eggs with spanish chorizo, mushrooms, green peas, corn & feta served with herbed garlic toast

The cliché, with a little more swag is the right way to describe the Breakfast Thieves version of baked eggs.  The herbed garlic toast that came with it was a good enough reason to order this dish.  It has been a long time since someone served me an interesting carbohydrate on the side!  The smokey chorizo flavours through the goey yolk and tomato base paired well with the creamy, almost neutral feta.  Yummy!

LEPRECHAUN: Corn fritters on roasted fennel puree, burnt butter brussel sprouts, avocado mousse, pomegranate and raisin with poached eggs.

The highlight of the brunch at the Breakfast Thieves was probably the fritters.  Mildly crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, really there was nothing to hate.  Its fennel puree was seasoned well and every thing just seemed to complement each other really well.  Oh, do I even need to mention its picturesque plating too? Probably too obvious.    I do not normally harshly compare restaurants, but this really shames the fritters at Hammer & Tong big time.  Sorry bud.

THE BREAKFAST CHAIN: Quince & apple, almond crumble with triffle berry yoghurt, side of soft-boiled eggs & English cheddar melted soldiers.

A green chain with what I would consider a decadent vegan option is something AC ordered.  Needless to say, I was impressed and never would I imagine that something like that could be vegetarian!  Tasty soldiers for dipping were so good I ate it on its own!  However, the eggs here were a bit of a 50-50 as one was perfect whilst the other was overcooked.  But with two other sweet options  on the side, it was hard to stay disappointed for long!

The name Breakfast Thieves is definitely not representative of its prices but rather, how I would be willing to let this establishment play thief to my mornings if I become a Melbournian.  Its barely secluded location on a leafy street means that there was a lot of value in just the ambience itself.  Its food is far from the modern breakfast gastronome but what it does, it does well.  Really well in fact.  I would not like to talk this up because after all, hype kills.  Breakfast spot in Fitzroy?  Done.

Operator 25, CBD

Hardware Société, CBD

Hammer & Tong, Fitzroy

Seven Seeds, Carlton

LE MIEL et la lune, Carlton

WenY

Melbourne: Brunches of 2014 (LE MIEL et la lune)

LE MIEL et la lune, Carlton

A short track through the Carlton hills for a morning walk with my little girl Daisy means I was ready for a good breakfast.  Today’s brunch was at LE MIEL et la lune, a French sounding cafe situated just a few steps away from the busy Lygon Street.

At 9am, the venue was not overly crowded allowing a prompt yet welcoming service from the  LE MIEL et la lune breakfast crew.  Add that to a menu that is long and elaborate, it looked to be a promising morning.  But coming here solo means my choices are limited to one.  I learned the hard way when I ordered a pad thai and a beef salad all for myself just a day earlier at Ying Thai 2!

That morning, I wanted something special so I went for an extravagant French toast.  The one at LE MIEL et la lune came topped with bacon caramelised bananas, crushed pistachio and butter scotch.  Absolutely scrumptious.

Buttery brioche, silky thin butterscotch, and perfectly caramelised bananas sets the standard for the most orgasmic first bite.  The addition of the bacon can be likened to adding salt in a chocolate cake. It enhances the flavour.  Here it played the same role.  Textural wise though, I was not overly impressed.  Too damn soft =/.  Soft bananas, silky butterscotch, and airy toast was perfect but all that was missing was a few slices of extremely crispy streaky bacon.  I would have preferred that over the pieces of lean and limp ones! A personal preference I guess?  

So pretty!  This easily rivals or betters the one served at Gusto Food in South Perth. 

LE MIEL et la lune served me an indulgent meal today.  So many indulgences all on one plate, of which almost every element was done to perfection.  I was happy.  Very.  Any unhappiness would almost relate directly back to the fact that I was alone and could not sample the other awesome dishes like the pork hash, fritters and even the Korea inspire Gnocchi.  It was time to stop dreaming now.  

Operator 25, CBD

Hardware Société, CBD

Hammer & Tong, Fitzroy

Seven Seeds, Carlton

Breakfast Thieves, Fitzroy

WenY

Melbourne: Brunches of 2014 (Seven Seeds, Carlton)

Seven Seeds, Carlton

With a name more synonymous to that of an artisan coffee roaster, this was the last place I expected to find a brunch spot.  Last winter, I stumbled across this little institution about 200 steps from my friend’s abode in Carlton and had been keen to try it ever since.  Was their highly rated coffee as good as their brunch?  I headed there with XL’s housemate, KK to give the place a try.  He told me to expect a very healthy brunch which got me sort of concerned.  But without trying I would not know right?!

Housed in a refurbished warehouse, it was a busy place at 8am.  More interestingly,  diners are invited to see the Seven Seeds production line made in a room encased with glass.  More than half the space was dedicated to that whilst the kitchen felt no smaller than 10 squares max!  But hey, sometimes the smallest kitchens make the best food no?  Drinks here are fine, but the hot chocolate was not life changing one.  So duh right?  Its was a coffee place after all!

For my brunch, I decided to go for the WelshRarebit.  Imagine a toasted bread topped with a tasty cheese, and mildly pungent mustard mixture before being grilled momentarily to melt.  If you are a fan of both cheese and mustard alike, you would find that this was an absolute beauty.

Before I dug into the dish, I realised that Seven Seeds paid strong attention to detail.  On my dish, "fried poached eggs" sat on the rarebits with a refreshing mixed green leaf salad fixed atop. Altogether it looked sensational.  More importantly, this was not sickening in anyway as everything complemented each other well.  I am actually quite surprised that several greasy elements can come together without being cloying!  

While mine was not one of the healthier options, the Green Eggs was KK’s choice.

Whilst I had just a very little piece, it was yummy!   Nothing really outlandishly special but hard to dislike.  Perfectly poached eggs, well-presented and simple.   My only regret was perhaps not paying more attention to the sauce.  Was it a pesto?  Was it a chimichurri?  Or perhaps an avocado mix? 

Handmade crumpets with coffee-infused butter, toasted hazelnut crumb and coffee caramel was something I decided to share with KK to end our meals.

As a person who does not drink coffee, I actually enjoyed this sweet ending of mine for several reasons.  First off were the soft and fluffy crumpets which made eating a bliss. No knife or fork required here.  Additionally, the use of coffee gave this dish a lovely smell which made my senses tingle.  Lastly, its composition of which was sweet, salty, and fragrant altogether with the crunchiness of the crushed nuts was simply yummy!

Whilst I am unwilling to commit to saying that Seven Seeds is the best brunch in town, it would not be too far off.  Its casual yet relaxing environment makes this a likeable place to dine while still being conveniently located within walking distance from the city.  Add that to Seven Seed’s fair prices and well-prepared dishes like the green eggs, the Welsh Rarebit and coffee-infused crumpet, it was hard to say no!

Operator 25, CBD

Hardware Société, CBD

Hammer & Tong, Fitzroy

LE MIEL et la lune, Carlton

Breakfast Thieves, Fitzroy

WenY

Bites: The 7am breakfast, Architect & Heroes @ Subiaco

Waking up between 5 and 6 in the morning during my holidays sounds like an absolute waste after a long period of grinding.  Nevertheless, the term breakfast soon becomes something very relevant and interestingly rewarding.  My first morning at home was a breakfast date with my sister at Architects and Heroes.  This geek themed hipster-ish place in Subiaco has a cosy fit out which walls are graced by the many characters in comics.

My morning staple switches between a choice of tea or chocolate.  In this instance, it was the latter and I was glad to have ordered the hot chocolate here.  It is easily one of the best cocoa drink in town if not the best.  It tasted mildly sweet with a good cocoa intensity and more importantly, a smooth creamy consistency.  Give me a cup any day and I will gladly drink it up. 

Almond Croissant, what is there to dislike?

My initial choice for breakfast was the steak but the kitchen ran out of cooking oil or something. Taking a second look at the menu, I decided to go with a serve of green eggs.

Taste wise, the green eggs were really nice and the eggs were cooked well.  It was a shame that the yolks were not runnier.  My biggest dislike though was probably how the layout & presentation did not complement the eating.  I would have liked the slabs of ham placed on the toast before letting the eggs lay sexily on the toast and have the lot oozing with the green sauce.  Why the whinge?  The sauce was distributed quite poorly across the board leaving the dish quite dry at the end. =/!

Architect & Heroes is a promising cafe with heaps of potential left to tap.  Just not that morning whilst I was there.  As is, a little boring.  But with more attention to detail, and some TLC amongst the elements on the plate, this suburban eatery can propel itself to heroic proportions.  But its ok, most heroes never looked cool in their first costume anyway!  Better luck next time :P!

WenY

Bites: Modern Izakaya @ Bonsai Restaurant & Lounge, Northbridge.

During Halloween the canteen tried serving Teriyaki, I never knew a dish could be so relevant to a theme until I ate the Teriyaki Chicken they made. It surely was Halloween.  To help regain some comfort, I revisited one of the best Modern Izakaya in town, Bonsai.  Located on Roe St, this is my go to place which I visit for modern Japanese fusion that never leaves you walking out with a limp wallet.  My recent meal here was no different.

To start, we ordered a chicken salad topped with crispy wanton skin (extra $1.00).  Looking back at my previous posts, I labelled the salad here as a “convert” and this time around, it was not different.  This was simply my kind of salad; flavourfully robust, juicy, and fresh.  Always add the crispy wanton skin as it gives the salad a good crunch that matches with the fresh bite of the cabbage.

Next up was the Aburi salmon nigiri topped with a dollop of red miso.  Having the salmon blow torched gave the fish a really nice smokey fragrance while making it more tender too.  The Aburi here never fails to satisfy although this time around it could have been a torched a little more evenly.

A dish of seared scallops! Nom nom nom!  These little beauties were seared to perfection.  Loved the topping which Bonsai does for them lovelies.  It complements this dish well.

Some might consider the crab claws a little bit of a dud.  It is true, they are.  But when you bite into Bonsai's version of it, you will know why it is not.  So any perception you might have thinking that it is similar to the artificial ones bought from the oriental shop can now be discarded.  

Keep calm, dip into mayo.

Buta no Kakuni is a classic favourite of mine when I go to Japanese restaurants.  Braised for hours in a broth made from a mix of Mirin and soy, the humble pork belly is made into a melt-in-your mouth protein with a darkish brown appearance.  Its flavours are not meant to be overly salty or sweet but aim is to strike a good balance between them.  Here the sauce was all the rave but the pork felt lacking.  It was still hard and was not soft through.   It is in this aspect that Bonsai failed to deliver.  

For the mains we started with a crispy skin duck;

It was crispy skin with no doubt,while the duck itself was cooked to perfection with the middle slightly pinkish leaving it tender.  Equally impressive was its presentation which was pretty damn nice.  Looking on at the pictures I have taken, it was clear Bonsai was not there to make good food. But rather good looking ones too.  Imagine a manicured plant, because that is after all, the art of Bonsai.

The last main we ordered to share was the Teriyaki Wagyu Steak.

This has always been a favourite of mine since my second visit to Bonsai a couple years back.  With a  choice of how you want it cooked, we asked for medium rare and that is exactly what we got.  Topped with shavings of mildy pickled onions, they complemented the tender beef.  But the highlight of it all was the sauce.  A quality Teriyaki base with a subtle butter flavour made this dish simply sensational.  A dish which have been recognised by my peers, friends and family for not being 1 dimensional.Bonsai, you’ve done it again.  Thank you for the great hospitality and delicious food. 

WenY

Bites: A Meal at the Vineyard @ Lamont's , Swan Valley

After a hectic week involving a car service, catching up with the ex-colleagues, my mentor and just getting through the chores around the house, I was in Swan Valley for a day trip.  More importantly, I discovered a whole new place of happiness in the Valley.  It is the famous Lamont’s Vineyard.  While the whole menu looked all very decadent, I was a little cautious after my last attempt to fine dine at Lamont’s Bishop went pear-shaped leaving a huge hole in my pocket.  Needless to say, a few queries at the counter to ask about the waiter's favourite dishes as well as her other recommendations soon had me decide on the dishes I was going to order.

The first to arrive was the crispy pork belly, cauliflower puree, and caramelised onions.

The puree was silky smooth and the pork was the crispiest.  Salad at the top was refreshing, and the onions were caramelised till sticky-sweet.  While most techniques were aced without question, it was the simplest detail that was left out.  Salt.  Spices.  I felt that the pork could do with more salt-marinade as it was a little bit bland and did not standout from the lot.  Still, it was a decent eat.

Deep fried prawns, grated coconut, and avocado soba was the next dish.  Splendid.  This was my dish of the day without question.  Prawn so amazing you thought you were at the seaside and soba so well modernised it felt just right.  Drizzling the lemon over the soba, you are left with a silky smooth soba with a creamy avocado coating.  This normally gets a little cloying but when you have the diced bits of onions and coriander playing with your senses where it was a little bit pungent, a little bit herbed and it all felt very interesting especially towards the end with a citrusy note from the lime juice.  I truly enjoyed it.  Despite being deep fried and having bits of creamy avocado, I did not feel overwhelmed at any one point!

Steak, croquette, caramelised root vegetables and salad, with a side of chips with truffle oil.  While it was hard to fault with the steak dish, it more -standard than special.  Still, there was nothing wrong.  The steak was well-cooked, croquettes crisp with a fluffy inside and over all just very nice.  But when you have a side of chips cooked so bloody amazing, you soon disregard everything else.  The chips at Lamont’s Vineyard soon became a highlight.  Yobi who was with me commented that why do most places do chips so bad.  This is amazing he says!  True enough, I was thoroughly impressed by the humble potato.  If you ever come to Lamont’s Vineyard, this is definitely worth ordering.  Even if you are here just for the drinks!

To end was a caramel tart that came highly recommended by the waitress. On the first bite, you might feel like you have had enough because it was so very rich but there always seemed to be a taste that had me come back.  The gooey texture topped with some crunchy nuts with its crumbly base made the tart a very yummy.  In the end, it was never quite enough to share for three. 

But having called too many dishes to share earlier means I was left to bring the macaron’s back home.  These were made by the famous Jean Pierre Sancho Patisserie.  Crunchy top with a chewy centre, there was nothing much too praise for a person who is not a fan of sugar.  Admittedly though, the macarons were very visually impressive.

Comparing the Vineyard to the fine dining establishment at Lamont’s Bishop, I really adored the former more.  Lamont’s Vineyard on a Saturday afternoon is a lovely place.  It was just so relaxed.   Food is simple, honest and not overly complicated.  The environment was relaxed and it all felt very comfortable.  Being with my old buddy and his girlfriend also meant that it was time spent well.  A lovely end to a long week I have to say :)!

WenY