Livingroom for more

Image from the restaurant's website

"…A Hendricks and ice for me"

"Would you like that with cucumber?"

"Yes please!" My heart skipped a happy beat.

Dining in a suburban restaurant I did not expect to find Hendricks Gin available, but that short discourse told me that I had been placed in good hands.

 


In my experience the further you go from the Melbourne CBD, the better the Asian food. The converse applies to European food, especially in the South Eastern suburbs. 


Go beyond Attica in Ripponlea and the imaginative, conceptual cooking seems to disappear until you reach the countryside, where The Royall Mail and Loam are edging into creative modern territory. The same can be said for what I recently heard described as 'Honest Food' – good ingredients delivered simply, using traditional techniques and served up with a whole bunch of integrity.


While the expensive, modern and adventurous is something I looked forward to about twice a year, it is the honest stuff that would entice me to leave my own kitchen more often. My two favourite exponents of this kind of thing unfortunately are far from my home: George Biron's Sunnybrae in Birregurra and Steve Cumper's Red Velvet Lounge in Cygnet, Tasmania. The tyranny of distance means that I don't dine at either often enough. But now I think I've found another to add to the list, and it's amazingly in the burbs.


By the suburbs I don't mean way out in the heartland of McMansions where Asian cooking reaches amazing highs at low price points. No, this venue is in Malvern, where the leafy streets are filled with meticulously restored and extended period homes, well serviced by public transport and a mere stone's throw from our Jewish heartland. My new happy place venue is Livingrooom.


Hugging a corner in Claremont Street, Livingroom stretches its verandahs wide over the pavement. Close to Malvern station and away from the din of bustling Glenferrie Road it squats low on the landscape surrounded by genteel shops and a doll hospital.


This is a locale that keeps a respectable distance from the youthful outlook of St.Kilda, Windsor and the tourist aspect of the CBD; an interesting spot to do business. And somehow Livingroom manages to face the challenge of entertaining the professional families and Empty Nesters residing in Armadale through to Caulfield with integrity from breakfast through to dinner service.

They do it by making their guests feel like they're visiting neighbours for a dinner party, or by day that they've dropped in at a girlfriend's for a gossip and a cuppa. On Saturday afternoon it's a place where a man of a certain age can just be alone with the newspapers or a group of middle aged men can grab an espresso before catching a train to the football. 

Walking the tightrope between various functions, Livingroom manages to be smart, bright, spacious and kid friendly from breakfast through to dinner and at night is as intimate as the dining room of a picket fenced, restored five bedroom Federation house, with parent's retreat and outdoor living area.


Inside, an eclectic arrangement of old domestic dining tables and chairs are delineated into two spaces by chandeliers in the lower, more formal area and red shaded pendant lights in an upper room that feels more café in style. This second space is dominated by the coffee machine, wine fridges and a toy box. On entry the Kitchen is visible and in it you will spy Head Chef Darren Daley.

In 1999 Darren was recruited from London's Bibendum restaurant at the height of its popularity and prowess. He was one of a number of British Chefs lured to Melbourne to work at the Sofitel. At the time TV Masterchef judges, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris were also employed there.


Darren however, is a quiet achiever. You won't find young Restaurant Critics fawning over Darren. He has not sought out their favour nor courted the limelight. He is not one of The Australian Food Twitterati. He does not have a big PR machine behind him, though I do suspect the PR hawks will be circling, hoping to get a piece of the action soon.


I've watched Darren's progression over the years. He has worked confidently and quietly since leaving The Sofitel by working at reputable venues. From being the lynch pin in revered gastropubs such as The Kingston in Richmond, to a stint at Guy Grossi's Mirka at Tolarno and then over to head up Sud's two venues, he has consistently produced a quality product, built on a passion for what he does best.

I respect the honesty of his cooking. He takes an artisanal approach. I have watched him make his own sausages, his eyes mist over at the thought of slow cooked dishes and heard him talk with excitement of cha sui bao – Cantonese roast pork buns. In his kitchen, a passion for showcasing good produce is at the fore. And to add to that there is also an honesty in the service, where Darren's sister - a Sommelier in training – works alongside staff recruited from Maha and other reputable venues, who strike a chord between knowledgeable and unpretentious.


So from breakfast to dinner you will find polite subtlety, attention to detail and quality both in service and cooking. A brand new wine list is extensive, chosen by Alan Markham, the owner of Livingroom. This list, I would suggest is to some guests, a little intimidating. But in a thoughtful manner, tasting notes for the European and Australian selection prevents potential blushes.


To me, on a number of levels they have a difficult clientele to woo. If the menu were to sound too molecular or fanciful it would turn the conservative core off, but if it doesn't sound that little bit special, it won't entice those looking for the night out with a brag factor either. So faced with the tightrope of a dinner menu I honestly found it tough to make a decision what to eat. I was tempted by much, but initially thought perhaps it wasn't pushing my boundaries. I later realised that the written menu did not do the delicious creations justice. So I wondered if a certain amount of dumbing-down had been called for, so as not to scare the locals?


I would describe Darren's offering as Contemporary European, at times rustic. In fact on a recent trip to Paris, we found that Livingroom was in step with the regular hang-outs of city living Parisians, because here, it's all about flavor. The dishes are not excessively tricked up with gadgetry or gimicry, just strong traditional techniques. I feel Darren does his suppliers proud. From early evening, starting with diners of families and older folk, to couples having a night away from the kids, it is clear that the customers are well taken care of.

Amongst the entrees on the night we visited there were some excellent locally made charcuterie options from Siketa Meats, a wagyu bresoala dish and crowd pleasers such as fried zucchini flowers stuffed with lemon, ricotta and mint and a roasted pepper dressing. But this clientele also love the chicken livers with capers, parsley, witlof and Roquefort dressing.


While polenta crusted sardines stirred Mr Sticki, he is a goats cheese buff, so went for the cheese in fritters with lemon thyme that was a roll call of his favourite ingrdients. The creamy texture and salt factor in the cheese was pleasantly offset by a piquant julienne of apple, radicchio, candied walnuts and truffled honey.

A five spice quail was reminiscent of dish I grew up with. Satisfyingly crisp fried, fleshy and subtly flavoured it works well with pickled chilli, mint and coriander. While comforting to me, I wondered whether the local clientele considered this Asian inspired offering exotic? But then I noticed in each course there was at least one dish that might appear challenging to the regulars and a number of items that some had not heard of such as, guanciale and scamorza.

Scanning the mains, I toyed with the idea of Parsley and gorgonzola risotto with apple and rocket salad. I flirted with pan fried Mirror Dory with sautéed cavala nero, confit duck and red wine puy lentils. Mr Stickyfingers chose a Black Angus sirloin with soft buckwheat polenta and braised shallots - over the skirt steak with pommes frites, truffle salt and veal jus. Finally, after much deliberation I selected a rabbit wellington with spinach, mushroom, sage and gorgonzola farce. I'm a sucker for meat in pastry and I love rabbit.

My main was very generous. Had not the beloved been on hand, I suspect I would barely have managed half. But that's just me. The contents had sufficient moisture while not making the pastry soggy. The gorgonzola gave the meat a hint of truffle like flavor, adding an unexpected depth to the dish. We could find no fault in the beautifully aged steak either. The shallots braised in wine were a delicious compliment to the deeply flavoured meltingly good meat.

At this point I must apologise for the crappy food photography. The dining scenario after the 8pm peak is moody and candlelit. It is the dinner party scenario of viewing your companions in beautiful, soft, candlelight that is unforgiving on food bloggers wielding a discrete camera that avoids flash.


As the night trickled on into the hour that gen Y usually start their evening, greed kicked in and we opted to share a dessert. While Mr coveted the Munster, Roquefort papillon and the Blairlaith Cheddar, despite hoping to leave room for more, there was no way that our bellies would allow us to man an assault on a cheese course. 


Our waitress nominated the chocolate and peanut fondant with vanilla bean icecream and salted caramel sauce, which totally hit the spot in a gooey, crunchy, sweet-but-not-sweet way. It was perfect in all respects. Like a couple of shuffleboard players we found ourselves dueling to scrape the last remnants from the plate.

Later, rolling outside into the quiet night I knew that I would be back. Being in good hands found us sated on more than one level and happy to have found 'my kind of place' south of the Yarra …. and not so far from Chez Sticky. It's really no wonder that the locals love Livingroom.

Livingroom Restaurant and Cafe

12-18 Claremont Avenue,

Malvern Victoria, 3144 

(03) 9576 0356 | book via website | map & email

Related articles

• Cooking Classes 2010 (sunnybraerestaurantandcookingschool.blogspot.com)
• Epic, sensational lunch at Sunnybrae (melbournegastronome.com)

Comfort Food. The price of humility

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. HELEN KELLER

Each day I thank the universe for the good fortune of living in a country where at my fingertips I am able to source the most wondrous fresh produce with origins from nations around the globe.


And when I pause for thought, I wonder why so many people turn their backs on this to trawl supermarkets for the sake of convenience, looking for products that will enhance the flavour of the lacklustre commercial produce that fills their trolleys...


...While others are willing to pay a chef $90 for the same simple meal that I have placed on my own dining table at a fraction of that cost.





My meal - five serves total cost $22.


Roasted whole Milawa Free Range Chicken, hand raised in the Ovens Valley of Victoria, fed a diet of mixed grain, pasture and Spring water, chemical and hormone free, sustainable and Slow Food.


Under the skin and in the cavity: usufruct Lemons from a neighbour, plus lemon thyme, Murray River Salt and Currawong Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil. In the pan to deglaze - Gooramada Riesling from Rutherglen.


Pan juice gravy made with my own thirty month old Masterstock consisting of Milawa chicken carcasses, cassia bark, coriander pods, star anise, fennel seeds, spring onions, ginger, garlic, Fernleigh Farm celery, carrots and parsley stems.


One bunch of Nettles from Glenora Heritage Vegetables, Toobanac, Victoria, blanched and drizzled with Lemon infused Olive Oil from South Australia. Mashed Royal Blue Potatoes from Gordon Jones, Warragul, Victoria.

Photo reproduced from Gourmet Traveller

For two people at Bistro Guillaume - cost $90:

Whole Barossa Valley chicken, purée de pommes and sauce à la chasseur (Chicken, mashed potato with a demi glace mushroom sauce, no vegetables)







In our household, when we choose to dine out we have two streams of thought:


Moderate to cheap and cheerful food, usually from another culture, consisting of good produce cooked with traditional or regional pride.


Secondly there is the more expensive food that astounds us with its imaginative and passionate approach. Food that requires a kitchen brigade, food I would not cook at home.


So with that in mind and having studied the menu, Mr Stickyfingers and I will not be going to Bistro Guillaume. I know a number of local bloggers have already been and shared their positive experiences, but as nice an outing as it might be to sit in the chi-chi surrounds of this much vaunted venue, quite frankly Monsieur Brahimi's menu resembles the food we eat at home. Well, those dishes along with our favourite Asian and Hungarian meals in my repertoire.


Perhaps if I were unable to acquire such good produce for myself, I might consider it. Given the marvellous concepts, innovation and exploration of new produce happening on the food scene here in Melbourne, I think that it would not be high on our list. In fact there are a number of more humble French establishments that I might choose in preference to it.


I know that although my home is small and simply furnished, the providence of the produce in our pantry is as good - and my techniques are sound. Our roast chicken was as succulent and as flavourful as you could wish for, plus we had the benefit of easily staggering to the lounge for semi-horizontal post-prandial relaxation. There was minimal prep time. Cleaning up pretty much required just throwing everything into the dishwasher.


Perhaps I am stuck up and naive but nothing could compel me to part with $90 for the same meal that I eat regularly at home.

Are the diners of Melbourne suffering from a case of
'The Emperor's New Clothes' - being hoodwinked by our fascination for the new and by the hype stirred up
following the arrival of celebrated Sydney chefs?

What do you think?

Salix. Willow Creek Winery

“The food here is so tasteless you could eat a meal of it and belch and it wouldn't remind you of anything.”

Redd Foxx
(American Comedian best known for his starring role on the television situation comedy Sanford and Son. 1922-1991)

What is it about dining in picturesque places? Why do the meals in rustic venues invariably not triumph over the surrounds? In the Melbourne pantheon of super-league chefs, why is it - with the exception of George Biron and Herman Schneider - that consistently good chefs and staff seemingly have no desire to work beyond the city confines? To me it is illogical.



I can't see that their skills might be under-subscribed out of town and successful regional chefs are often well feted. Take Steve Cumper's Vogue Entertaining & Travel award last year for 'Outstanding use of a Regional Product by a Chef' - an acknowledgement of his passion and skill, and for his outstanding efforts while at Peppermint Bay on the Huon Trail in Tasmania. And people flocked to Montalto Winery when Phillipe Mouchel was in residence, meanwhile the winery still trades off on this even though he now has his own venue at Crown.



It would seem that Galloping Gourmets seem willing to travel as far as Dunkeld for fine dining. Healesville is on the gourmet trail too, as is Rutherglen. And in addition to his celebrated Sunnybrae at Birregurra, George Biron's name pops up all over the place from Campaspe House in Mt Macedon, to Diggers Seeds cafe in the Mornington Peninsula and T'Gallant Winery in their sales pitches.



But all too often the majority of venues are a venture of style over substance, with fine buildings and vistas, but pretentious food that lacks flavour. It's like dining in Noosa, where the menus are festooned with laborious descriptions fit to enthuse the sophisticated punter, but which are undermined by the final, mediocre product that ends up on your plate. As I recall, a friend who had parents living there had remarked that one could also describe the locals with the same analogy.



Last November in the Barossa Valley, we had a surprisingly sublime meal at Appellation, on high ground at a Peppers resort, overlooking vine covered vistas. There was no publicity to be seen or heard of, yet at every winery we visited, I asked the same question - where's the best restaurant in the region? Every time the reply came back with a hushed reverence: "Appellation". So we went. They weren't wrong and the restaurant was full. It was definitely world class fine dining in a very fetching and productive part of the countryside. A rare gem indeed.



It was with this experience in mind that a friend who was with us on the Barossa trip took us to Salix at Willow Creek Winery on Mornington Peninsula. Salix is the botanical name for the willow tree, and the environs in autumn are truly beautiful. The buildings interesting in their form and even a gloomy day did not dampen the overall first impressions of the venue.



At Salix the dining room is raised to take advantage of the vista of rising slopes of vineyards and trees. A curved glass wall hugs the space and draws the attention away from the pass to the scenery. The room is awash with white linen and diners sit relaxed, in deep cane chairs. The wine list is limited to the Winery's drops but that's not unusual. The service, although a little halting, was well meaning. The staff coped well with a full service on the day we visited, surprising considering that we were part of a large party, there for a late lunchtime seating.


I had no expectations, I just hoped for something pleasant. I know the friend who organised the lunch must have thoroughly enjoyed it on at least one occasion prior to our visit as they were very enthusiastic. So there is definitely a market for the kind of food served. But our friend's palate is possibly less educated than some.


The menu was short, which I thought was prudent. The use of local produce was flagged - thumbs up. But it did not feature any classic dishes. Instead, like a local fashion house that had plagiarised a season of Gucci exotica 2 years after they originally hit the racks, the menu read like a bunch of dated old frocks. Not so old as to be retro, but notably fashionable in recent history. As I said, it has a market.


Mr Stickyfingers and I have the same taste in food. It's one of the many things that cements our partnership. So we always swap our plates half way through, in order to enjoy twice as much from the menu.


We chose as entrees:

Confit Berkshire pork belly, jerusalem artichoke puree, ginger, fennel and ruby grapefruit...

**take a breath**

...and Pan fried thyme & potato gnocchi, cavolo nero, blue cheese marscapone, sage.



The food was technically proficient, the presentation good, even quite pretty. The pork belly skin was crisp. Sadly the meat was not super tender and was bland - as though they had forgotten to rub the meat with a delicious spicy salt prior to cooking. Along with the tasteless puree which lacked the expected nuttiness, the fennel had been shaved so thin as to make it virtually undetectable to the palate and the grapefruit too was more decorative than purposeful.


The gnocchi was golden and sweet but I couldn't detect the flavours of the herbs for the dominating strips of red onion. The wilted cabbage was oily and the gorgonzola was although delightful, a mere smear, making us wonder if they had run out and just scraped the dregs out for the dish. I needed more, much more.



Main courses:
Seared Yarra Valley Venison fillet, spiced Corella pear, savoy cabbage.



Again technically the execution was fine. The venison was tender and rare, the berries a surprise addition. But the overall taste of the meat and two fruit, was of nothing. The jus was neutral and the core ingredients were not flavoursome. They lacked spice, seasoning or character. OK, I admit that I am spoilt, eating either Hartdale Park or North Eastern venison on a weekly basis, so I know how good venison can be. Dragging my fork around the plate, I felt as glum as a bored toddler and hoped that the other main would be better.



Twice cooked half Bella Farm duck, parsnip puree, chestnut jus.



No luck here. It suffered the same affliction as the other dishes and the meat was dry and stringy. It served to push me down into a gloominess that rolled in like the autumn mist outside.


Dessert:
Charred fig & hazelnut semifreddo, preserved Ellisfield cherry sauce.



Held captive in a spun sugar cage, the figs were yummy as was the sauce, but I wasn't taken by the semifreddo which was super hard, tasteless and left a cloying, fatty coating in the mouth that was not broken by the sauce. I may as well have rubbed Vaseline on my teeth and gums.



Soft centred Belgium chocolate pudding, honeycomb nougat icecream & date sauce.



It's the kind of dessert that you can't refuse when there's a chill in the air, it evokes comfort. But this pud was on the dry side and lacked the expected gushing molten larvae of gooey, rich chocolate from within. The honeycomb icecream tasted slightly burnt - and I had assumed that it was burnt toffee - until I looked at the menu again. The date sauce served to anchor the tuile and made no contribution to the character of the dish.



Yes, style over substance reigns here. For a moment I thought that my Super Bug had returned to rob me of my palate. But in the car on the way home, Mr Stickyfingers explained that he had exactly the same reaction to the dishes. He concurred that we were exceptionally fortunate people, who had enjoyed better food, many times over and even sometimes at home.



I feel that Salix could be so much better. I would love to see Bernard McCarthy offer some simple classic dishes, done well and to stop approximating a turn of the century St.Kilda restaurant. Then, perhaps he should enjoy a tasting trip into town to see what is exciting diners these days, in order to build upon it. That done, the kitchen brigade might attract more attention than the view.



But perhaps, just perhaps, the clientele are not there for the food. And possibly it's the circumstance and the perceived modernity of the venue in a rustic setting that draws them in....oh, and the ability to use their trusty Entertainment Card for a discount meal after a weekend drive out of town?



As I watched the scrubby paddocks of the peninsula whiz past the car window, I wondered whether Chef/Owner Bernard McCarthy had recently lost his palate to a super bug too?

Salix at Willow Creek Vinyard

166 Balnarring Road, Merricks North, Vic. Australia
Phone: +61 3 5989 7448

The Roti Man

The roti man or bread vendor is quite a common sight in Penang. They are usually on their rounds in the mornings and from tea time (about 4pm), plying their stock-in-trade in a road contraption that resembles a hybrid between a motorcycle and a ‘meat safe’.

During my school days in the afternoons, I would wait patiently for the ‘ting ting ting’ sound (produced by striking a metal cup-like object with an iron rod) which signalled the arrival of the roti man. And when he did arrive, I’d rush out of the house, coins in hand, calling “Roti! Roti!” (Bread! Bread!). That was how the bread man was usually addressed.

My little hands would then frantically try to undo the catch on the little glass framed doors of the ‘meat safe’. The aroma of freshly baked bread, buns, cakes, candies and savoury snacks would waft out tantalisingly.

ADRIAN CHEAH Tourism Penang

A couple of years ago in The Age, Melbourne Restaurant Critic Matt Preston, made this comment about The Roti Man in Middle Park -

'...unless the Roti Man lifts the quality of its service I can see another name being added to the "MIA" list.'

Perhaps he was referring to the fact that since Melbourne visionary, the late Donlevy Fitzpatrick vacated the same venue many years ago - in this expensive inner City Bayside suburb, to pioneer the new groove down the road in St.Kilda - many restaurants have come and gone without as much as a by-your-leave? For me there had always been an air of impermanence about the flash-in-the-pan restaurants that followed there in the wake of someone who customarily initiated the zeitgeist. And they did their dash by not really understanding what it is that the area needed or wanted, that is until The Roti Man arrived.

Two years after the Matt's review, The Roti Man is still there. And I believe that it may well have become 'the modern Indian (he) yearns for'. I wonder if he has visited there of late?

Our encounter with The Roti Man was a spontaneous one. An extraordinarily long takeaway menu had arrived in the mail box around the same time that Mr Stickyfingers was diligently tearing out soon to be expired discount vouchers from the 07/08 Entertainment Book. He noticed The Roti Man and quietly slipped the voucher in his wallet. Meanwhile I was unfurling the extra long, roll folded menu like a snake from a charmer's basket. It featured two goat curries and many other tempting dishes like Kerala Fish and Chicken Chettinadu, not usually found on local Indian Takeaway menus, so I silently made a mental note to order from them in the future.

Then, at 9pm on saturday night after visiting the recuperating Madam Roseleigh (my soon to be Mother Inlaw) Mr Stickyfingers instructed me to look in his wallet and gave me the choice of a number of vouchers hidden within. I chose The Roti Man. I was famished and by that stage really wouldn't have cared if the meal had tasted like a reheated can of Pataks, just like the familiar cheesy hits and memories produced by the many Gold FM equivalents of Indian restaurants in Melbourne.

Stepping in from the cold I noticed that the layout of the restaurant had not changed in years, but it now felt softer and warmer than it had in a long time. The high ceiling was hung with colourful saris and staff buzzed around in saffron shirts. We were cheerfully taken to a table by the fire and it was evident by the rumpled table cloths around us that the place had been packed to the rafters - including the verandah table and the street tables, which still hosted a few happy revelers. A good sign in an area where locals are just as happy to drive to St.Kilda or the city for a meal.

The dine in menu was full of promise with dishes I'd not seen on a menu in Melbourne. I wished that I was with a large group - as a number of tables were - so that I could sample many dishes. Most notably there were at least twenty vegetarian dishes on offer. We chose two curries, a salad, plain rice and two kinds of bread ($3.50-$5), which was overkill.

The delicious wafting smells of curry had me giddy with hunger. We chose a baby goat curry ($16.90) which was tender, spicy, rich with tomato and a coriander based masala, onions and peppers. The thick sauce in this generous portion was ideal for mopping up with bread. Mr Stickyfingers had chosen a combo of garlic and cheese naan which was thick yet fluffy and soft - outstanding. I had chosen a plain paratha which like the naan came in a basket and was so generous as to make our fragrant basmati rice virtually redundant.

The first mouthful of the Paratha whizzed me back in time to the early seventies and of patting out a small ball of the bread dough in my hand. I was only very little and standing on a stool in an Indian neighbour's kitchen in the UK, forming neat little patties with the heel of my palm. Our neighbour then took them and rolled them out with a dowel thin, foot long rolling pin that was thicker at one end. The taste was exactly as I remember it from childhood, a chewy, thin wholemeal bread with a unique fragrance I thought I would never smell again without visiting India. I curled my toes with excitement.

Another dish I thought I would never see in Australia was our salad - Behl Puri ($9.50). It is a crunchy combo mixed through with a tamarind thinned hot mango chutney. The foundation ingredients are crisp puffed rice, fried wide flat noodles, chat masala, puri chips, fresh coriander, onion, cucumber and tomato. The combination of flavours and textures is pure genius. Eaten usually as a snack, it was in this instance a large serve and the ideal foil for the richness of the goat curry.

Mr Stickyfingers meanwhile was frenzily attacking the Parsi Chicken($17), a pale, mild curry from Mumbai. The chicken itself was a little dry, but again the masala was stunning. I think I detected nigella seeds and dried coriander in the mix, the body of the sauce is made with dried apricots, yoghurt and jaggery making it unlike any of the curries Aussies currently identify with as Indian. The three dishes were an ideal combination of complimentary flavours.

I murdered a Kingfisher in the process of devouring our meal. The curries were not muddy or cloying, as I had become accustomed to eating elsewhere. The clarity of flavours meant that I could pinpoint the spices, the seasoning and the nuts and was unable to hold back from tasting mouthful after mouthful. Tearing apart the last pieces of bread and soaking up the sauces, I felt as though I had eaten enough for two. We counted ourselves lucky that we hadn't ordered entrees, though if I had two stomachs, there may have been room to squeeze in the mango or pistachio kulfis or the flambeed gulab jamun or even the chocolate roti.

Unlike Mr Preston, we were not only lulled by the warmth of the room and a table by the fire, we were charmed by our waiter - a witty raconteur - and all the staff were certainly eager to please. They also deftly and gently managed a local drunk who wandered in and was handling a tablecloth in the manner of a Matador. It was a welcome cheerful flicker of warmth that came unexpectedly after what seems like months of disingenuous or offhanded treatment in restaurants. Cheeky wit, efficiency and helpfulness were booted up another notch when I asked about the chefs. As it turns out, all the chefs are Indian, but the front of house is staffed by Malaysians, hence the Roti Man name.

It led to our discussing our plans to visit Malaysia with our waiter and we were then introduced to staff from Kuala Lumpur and Penang. On the backs of dockets, visitor itineraries and dining recommendations were jotted down. A business card was handed over and we were directed that were we to visit a certain restaurant in Penang, we would be taken care of by the sister of one of the wait staff on presenting the card. The phone number of a sibling was proffered in case we needed help or directions whilst in KL. We were overwhelmed by such kindness and it was a timely reminder of the generosity of Malaysian Indians.

I count myself lucky that The Roti Man is a local venue for us. It is indeed the kind of modern Indian restaurant that many curry munchers like myself have been waiting for. As soon as we return from Malaysia I want to introduce a group of my old friends to it so I can selfishly try more dishes - but I know they'll love it too.

The Roti Man

10-12 Armstrong St, Middle Park, Victoria.
Ph. 03 9699 4244

York Cafe Wine Bar

Foreign bodies in your Kleenex
You've got no taste at all
While your system is dyin'
The bugs are havin' a ball
You've got a beauty, a bad ass
The mother of them all
You've got a cold
You've got a cold

LYRICS - YOU'VE GOT A COLD - by 10CC

   PLEASE NOTE THIS VENUE CLOSED IN 2010   

On the corner of York and Cecil Streets in South Melbourne is the remains of an old pub, which like many an old, possibly heritage listed buildings in the area, has grown a modern multi-storey building like a hump upon its back. This is where the York Cafe Wine Bar is housed.


Nearby is the revamped George Hotel, which having purged its old dirty raincoat brigade of regulars, is now getting a name for a casual dining offering and The Southern Cross, undergoing refurbishment, is hoping to do likewise. Across the way a new Tapas venture at South Melbourne Market is gradually building a following and a cluster of more established venues are full of regulars along Coventry Street.


In an area where Demographers recognise the potential for testing - as one of the few areas of Melbourne where the rich, the middle income and the poor rub shoulders, a new lease of life is being spurred on by two brand spanking new shopping centres, each with a major supermarket at its heart. The Clarendon Centre, where Max Brenner has recently opened a chocolate emporium, and diagonally opposite the market, the South Melbourne Lifestyle Centre is forming a hub for casual eateries, takeaway food and providores. This is the hump that has emerged from behind The York.



The excitement building here reminds me of the days leading up to the recession in the eighties. It is only a matter of time until this area becomes to South Melbourne, what the Park Street strip was when Ian Hewitson held court at The Last Aussie Fishcaf, Donlevy Fitzpatrick had a foothold in Middle Park and the Red Eagle was aflame with shoulder pads and ponytails who had cash to splash.


It's 2pm on a friday and a few ruddy faced, pot bellied men in their fifties are finishing their steaks when Chardon-Ange and I enter the York Street Bar and Cafe. Over the road, the South Melbourne Market is bustling, but the queue for Dim Sims is short. After the heavy rains, no one is choosing to sit outside in the mock rattan seating under chocolate brown umbrellas.


Some of the staff here look familiar to me. One - I found out later - is a refugee from the curt service culture of Rockpool, which we discuss as seeming anti Melbourne in ethos. The owner of this week old venue - taking shipment of some large lampshades and an antique style Indian screen - looks familiar. I could be wrong, but I place him as being once the owner of The Red Eagle in its heyday, and perhaps later the man who took The Albion in Port Melbourne from down at the heel to a thriving local hotspot. It would make sense, as only a canny, seasoned hospitality business professional would have had the foresight to choose this location.


If I'm right, then this venue is set to become another popular hangout for those with an interest in decent wine and quality food alongside good service in a casual environment. The precinct in which it stands, surrounding the South Melbourne market is emerging as an entertainment and shopping hot spot for the new affluence and empty nesters arriving in Port Melbourne, Albert Park and Middle Park, not to mention the sudden influx of a bachelor population inhabiting the newest sea side to city high rise apartment developments.



Decorated in Brasserie style with Thonet Bentwood Chairs and bare dark wood bistro tables, that are to be transformed by linen at night, the bar is the centre of focus here. A red leather Chesterfield, looking like a refugee from a St.Vincent's Place garage sale, sits oddly against a wall near the door. Newly opened, things are still taking shape. The wine list is odd and disappointingly short for a wine bar, but with a sigh of relief I spot a Hugel Riesling marked on a small wall painted black board, available by the glass at $9 or $36 a bottle.


For lunch, a light menu has be assigned for the time being, featuring oysters, focaccia's, pasta and risotto, side salads, but no obvious restaurant style main courses. I remind myself that lunch has only been available for a week. Behind me on another blackboard, a special of Minestrone is displayed alongside a vegetarian risotto, a steak at $34 and Bream at $31. We choose to share two entree sized pastas and a garden salad.


I trust that the food will be palatable, in spite of the lack of customers, for with chef Neale White at the helm, the provenance of the ingredients ought to be good. Prior to coming here, he left Pure South at Southgate - Tasmania's Gastro-Palace in Melbourne - for the eccentric French Bistro, Madame Sousou in Fitzroy. Before that I recall that he did a spell at Olivo in Byron Bay. His resume reads as being Indian born and having worked in London, Sydney, Malaysia and Brisbane.


The chef is not around this afternoon, but his Second is - formerly of Maris in Kew - and the dishes are executed well. Luke Morris is supposedly Michelin trained and is noted by management as having developed the menu alongside Neale. Their intention is to broaden the offering to service diners from breakfast to dinner, including Tapas and from April 9, a seven course $100 degustation, inclusive of wine, held every second Wednesday.




But enough of the waffle and back to our order; we enjoyed a perfect hand made gnocchi with goat and olives, rendered down in a rich braise. Unfortunately, afflicted with the remains of a crappy head cold, my Supertaster's palate was hampered and I am unable to give you my usual breakdown of the composition of the dish's seasonings. What I can tell you that there is evidence of a mirepoix and the peas dotted in amongst the other ingredients added both texture and colour.





We also ate a risoni coated in a sugo of perfect texture and taste, amongst which nestled mussels, pipis and wilted spinach. The two entrees and a generous garden salad with vinaigrette were a perfectly portioned lunch for two women. Had I been with Mr Stickyfingers however, we probably would have rounded out the experience with a starter of oysters. The coffee to finish the meal was flawless, as was the service.



I intend to return there soon. Less ostentatious in style than Hotel Nest, this place has great potential as a regular local haunt for me. Next week from Monday to Friday, the following set menu will be on offer, with 2 courses, a glass of wine & coffee offered at $30, or three courses for an additional $5:

STARTER
Roasted pumpkin soup, goats curd & sage
Char-grilled calamari, chick pea, preserved lemon and green olive
Free-range chicken liver parfait, red onion jam

MAIN
Blue Cheese, celery and walnut risotto
Seafood brodetto, saffron rouille
Char-grilled St Arnaud angus rump, mash, rocket and radish salad

DESSERT
Almond milk pannacotta, poached peach
Strawberry, basil and balsamic salad, vanilla ice cream
Cheese plate, quince paste and pear chutney

I think I ought to dive in before the masses discover it and the prices rise. Next time I hope to actually have a clear head and be able to taste more in the dishes.

York Cafe Wine Bar
Cnr York & Cecil Streets, South Melbourne, Vic. Australia
ph. +613 9690 3262

L'Oustal. Restaurant Express Menu

The Age Good Food Guide Restaurant Express.
Friday 22 February - Saturday 8 March, 12pm or 1.30pm.

Jump on board The Age Good Food Guide Restaurant Express and head off on this year's foodie rite of passage. Acquire the flavours of Melbourne's monopoly board of restaurants at an unbelievably reasonable price.

Two express courses with a glass of Victorian wine for lunch -at only $30.00, you'll be tempted to stop all stations. Restaurants, cafes and gastro-pubs alike, they've all made it into the annals of The Age Good Food Guide. Board The Age Good Food Guide Restaurant Express and travel the taste-scape of Victoria. Live large in a lunch hour! Dining is available in two sittings at each metropolitan location. One service only at regional locations, times vary. Book your berth now!

Vegetarian options available at all restaurants.

DINE AND WIN!

Every time you lunch at a participating restaurant during The Age Good Food Guide Restaurant Express you can go into the draw to win a free lunch every week for a year at restaurants from the guide! Conditions apply. Details online. Drawn 1 April.

Download a complete list of participating restaurants here.

( UPDATE: This restaurant is no longer open )

Mr Stickyfingers and I enjoy The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival's annual Restaurant Express events. It allows us to try places on our doorstep that we have been procrastinating about and to revisit old favourites without the big ticket expense. Our lunches are a stolen moment in a busy working day, encapsulated in an hour long experience that somehow makes the day go faster and serves to put me in a better disposition for a corporate afternoon.

This week we had a pleasurable meal at L'Oustal in Albert Park. It's a snug, traditional looking brasserie environment in a busy village of left wing affluence by the sea. Seated by the window we watched the passing parade of SUV's disgorging 'Yummy-Mummies' and on the pavement strolling retirees stopped to chat to friends.

When dining out, my beloved and I always share our meals with each other, swapping dishes half way through so as to have the broadest possible experience. We tend to favour entree and main at lunchtime over dessert.

So, we began with an exceptional soup which manifested as more of a veloute in the traditional sense - not as a foam as many seem want to describe their frothy concoctions. It was described as Mussel Chowder and saffron potatoes. We declared it delicious. A velvety soup with a generous addition of saffron was rich with the flavour of mussels. A few in fact garnished the soup as well as dice of potato which seemed to have soaked up the flavour. So good was it that the generous serving of bread brought to the table, was used to wipe the bowl clean.

The terrine, described as Brawn and Sauce Gribiche exemplified simple classic French cookery using offal. The English do something similar, though perhaps a little less subtle, known as Head Cheese. This particular execution was quite dainty and the boiled egg coupled with herbs and capers of the Gribiche offset it well with a piquancy that cut through the richness of the aspic and pork.




The first main course was Fish of the day, crushed potatoes and Bouillabaisse reduction. What appeared to be standard bistro fare was set apart by the deeply flavoured crustacean based sauce. The fragrance of it perfumed the dish but did not overwhelm the fish, which turned out to be seared salmon. I loved the texture of the crushed potato with the flakes of fish, an inspired move when some other bistro’s would have predictably served it with a mash.

The second main course was an acceptable Cassoulet. Considering that it was a very handsome dish, we eagerly anticipated a traditionally rich and earthy bowl of wonder, but although tasty, it disappointingly fell a little short of our expectations. It seemed that the principle elements of beans, Sausage, duck confit and belly pork had been prepared separately but combined at the very end of the process. The taste was lighter than expected and lacked the complexity that the dish acquires when the elements are slow braised as an ensemble.

To our minds the Cassoulet at The French Corner in Highett and the now sadly defunct Vera were vastly superior. Mr Sticky also pointed out that the pork here was a little stringy when it should have relaxed to the point of being melt-in-the-mouth and the parsimonious amount of sausage on the plate, which was not Lyonnaise, could surely have been improved on.



The wines offered as part of the package were an acceptable Zilzie Sauvignon Blanc 2007 and Zilzie Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. I followed the meal with a perfect espresso, which was included in the $30.

As I dodged the SUV's and made my way back to work, I felt sated, refreshed and not overly bloated by our indulgence. The afternoon floated by and the morning stresses had washed away.

L'Oustal 166 Bridport St, Albert Park, Victoria, Australia.
Ph. +613 9699 8969

Hotel Nest. Bar Food.

Rob Mills was bounding down the stairs at his old stomping ground, the Red Eagle Hotel, when something caught in his throat. As he stopped to clear it he noticed the crowd chanting and screaming below: "Millsy! Millsy!"

"I feel like a rock star," he said, uncertainly. "That's good, isn't it?"

For more than two years Rob Mills had worked this Albert Park pub as frontman for a cover band, the Megamen.

He was used to belting out upbeat covers of FM hits for the regulars; the blonde, buff, sun-kissed 20-somethings who swayed to Angel, by Robbie Williams, and sang along to 3AM, by Matchbox 20.

And even before the instant fame of appearing on Channel Ten's star quest, Australian Idol, Mills had habitually upstaged the other two in the band, Simon Candy and Brook Chivell.

Sometimes the two guitarists jokingly referred to themselves as "the chopped livers", figuring they might as well be chopped liver with all the attention they got playing next to Mills.

THE AGE. By Misha Ketchell - October 27, 2003

The Red Eagle is dead. When I started going there in the eighties it was par for the course because that was where all The Advertising people played, along with The Flower and The Rex in Port Melbourne. Later on The Botanical joined those ranks. When the Ponytail Set moved on it became the spot for the Millsy generation, but when they too left for the modern, renovated The Beach - once The Bleakhouse - the Red Eagle too became chopped liver.

In December it re-opened as Hotel Nest with a celebration marked with pleasant young blonde 'modules' as they're know in Adland and Rent-a-crowd personnel such as Suzy Wilkes. The opening, orchestrated by event company Gorgeous PR - who claim to have done the branding, PR, uniforms etc, as do Ennis & Perry - meant owner Michelle Matthews had her eyes set on a certain calibre of customer. But on two sweltering nights earlier this week it was filled not with the stunners but with locals, many of whom once belonged to the Ponytail Set of the eighties.

I nipped in for a quick bar lunch yesterday, to dip my toe in the water. Buoyed by the fact that Mansion Hotel Executive Chef Paul Raynor was now consulting to the venue and Nick Dodds, ex front of house at MoMo, Ezard and Gingerboy was working with them I expected good things. I wasn't disappointed.

Gone are the raucous bands and the really young crowd. The venue is modelled on places like 'The Bot' and I can see a similar crowd will converge there. It feels a little young for the Lamaro's set, but some may cross over. It is sleek, white, modern and full of expectation. The white marble counter across the bar drives your eye down the guts of the front bar. Quirky childlike touches add a modernity to the scene like a carved wood goat head wall sculpture, a cluster of white dovecotes and low colourful stools that remind me of my Nursery School in Surrey in the early seventies.

At 1pm unlike The Bot it was quite deserted for a venue of this size. But so also was Lord Cardigan further up in Albert Park Village and feted GastroPub, The Montague. In all I think there were ten patrons in the bar during my visit. Four Grey Nomads from the 90 000 tonne cruise liner which berthed momentarily at Station Pier were lured into the dining room. It will just be a matter of time before the St.Kilda Road Business types and cashed up Domestic Godesses of older private school children join the ranks, especially when the latter hear the news that they will be serving High Tea.

The bar menu was a fine example of the Modern casual dining scene and definitely not what had been offered in previous incarnations. Two $20 specials of Mushroom risotto or Penne with sugo, spinach, sausage and olives served with a glass of wine were drawn to our attention, scribbled on a blackboard.

Menu items listed included...




...And a Wagyu burger with blue cheese dressing, Tempura Prawns with Chilli Mayonnaise, Minute Steak Sandwich with caramelised onions and a Ploughman's Platter for two.




Gluten-Free-Gourmet, who had come for the spontaneous jaunt ordered the Chargrilled Swordfish which was served a touch rare and moist, with an Alsatian style potato salad featuring bacon and grain mustard. I didn't taste, but it appeared to be technically proficient and a very good simple offering. Chardonn-Ange tried the Penne special and gloated about the sausage - as all good women of Germanic descent are want to do after a good feed.

I ordered the Crispy Pork Salad, it was not a fragrant dish but certainly effective in its execution. Small thin, deep fried pieces of belly pork appeared triple fried until the required crunch factor was achieved. They sat atop a bed of cucumber shavings and snow pea sprouts - known as Dow Mui in Cantonese - which had been doused briefly in hot vegetable oil. The lot was garnished with spring onion and dressed in a concoction that seemed to comprise the rock sugar sweet pickling syrup from Asian pickled shallots with a splash of rice vinegar, not soy lime, as described on the menu. All it needed for a truly authentic touch were some sesame seeds and slivers of pickled daikon.

I enjoyed the crunch of the meat combined with the slippery and leafy. I liked the sweet and sour nature of the salad, but as an Oriental this is programmed into the suite of tastes appealing to my palate. For a 'girlie' lunch it was a perfect portion. If you have a larger appetite, perhaps an additional small dish shared between two would hit the spot.

Service was efficient and pleasant. The drinks list includes fourteen wines by the glass, twenty nine beers and - delighting The Coeliac - Little Creatures Cider. With our meals averaging $15 each it was a nice lunchtime diversion. I'm glad this local of mine has been revived and revised, there's something about it which has always felt welcoming and convivial. It is bound yet again to rise to popularity sans Millsy, potentially with an older and wiser league of former ponytail wearing Ad men and with the people who drift in their wake. Now next step, to try their Dining Room.

Hotel Nest, 111 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park, Victoria, Australia.
ph. +61 3 9699 9744