I’ve been eye off the maroon meat slicer in the window of Gorski & Jones since it opened about 2 months ago. It’s a big, shiny, impressive beast atop a long white marble bar and it announces the restaurant’s Italianate roots with no need for dinky red gingham tablecloths and an accordian player.

Gorski & Jones is a handsome establishment serving rustic, affordable comfort food from the folks behind Alimentari (By the way, what is with restauranteurs in the inner north expanding to another restaurant in the same suburb? That’s three reviews in a row now where that’s happened. Next thing you know Andrew McConnell will be opening another resto in Fitzroy…..Wait! The Builders Arms has been bought by McConnell and will reopen in its revamped glory in April 2012.)

The space has high ceilings, a long narrow expanse of burnished mirror on both sides, exposed brick walls and those ubiquitous industrial lampshades and it manages to be spacious and light while exuding warmth and cosiness at the same time.

The back courtyard is particularly inviting being amongst greenery and quiet and they are getting planning permission for streetside tables as well.

The kitchen is half open, half behind the wall and there’s a glorious wood-fired oven taking pride of place. The pantry is piled on shelves in open view so they have nothing to hide – fresh ingredients are core to their cooking.

First thing to note is that the complimentary bread at Gorski & Jones is amazing. Unlike any sort of ciabatta I’ve ever had, it had the lightest and thinnest of crusts (almost to the point of being filo-pastry like) while still having a substantial crunch. As we arrived at almost the start of dinner service the bread came to our table still warm from the oven. Ask nicely for seconds!

The menu is divided into antipasto, entrees, mains, sides and desserts. As we were in a hurry we went straight for the extremely well-priced main dishes – the fish of the day of medium-seared tuna with caponata, a risotto with spanner crab, lemon oil and fennel ($26) and roasted and stuffed spatchcock with quinoa salad ($30) – all accompanied with a side of classic caprese salad ($6).

When our dishes arrived we were impressed with the generous servings and fresh and vibrant presentation of all our dishes.

The fish was cooked perfectly (nothing worse than a dry hunk of tuna steak) and the lively scent of the basil pesto and salty caponata gave the fish a huge flavour kick.

The risotto was declared by D to be ‘one of the best risottos I’ve ever tasted’. Light, yet full of flavour, each grain of rice was just the right texture and not drowned in the richness of butter or cheese.

Wood-roasted meats have a particularly salivating aroma and this spatchcock was no exception. The tunnel-boned, extremely juicy bird was paired with a refreshing pyramid of quinoa, tomato, parsley and red onion. Filling without being heavy and rich.

Our side salad could not have been any better – torn mozzarella, juicy ripe tomatoes and freshly picked basil drizzled with olive oil and with a smattering of salt and cracked pepper.

From the dessert menu I wanted to try the tiramisu ($10) but it couldn’t be taken away as it’s already presented in crystal glasses. Never mind, I’ll definitely be returning to Gorski & Jones. It’s a good value local restaurant with food that makes my stomach growl for more.

For more beautiful photos of this delicious food, check out Melbourne Food Files and Two Munch.

Gorski & Jones, 304 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9417 7779

Thanks to the folks at deliciously excellent Huxtable, Smith Street now boasts its own American-style burger and beer joint.
It’s a small space across the road from the mother ship with a few outdoor tables and continues the Cosby Show theme with the moniker Huxtaburger. Cute!

The menu is short and straightforward – there are no lentils, tofu, fish or chicken burgers to be found. Just a choice of five burgers consisting of a toasted sesame seed bun (of the super-soft kind that I love about filet-o-fish, my guilty food secret) stuffed with a juicy wagyu beef pattie and various accoutrements.

All the burgers are named after members of the Huxtable family, from Bill to Theo to Denise (the hot one). Double cute!

Always a sucker for heat, I picked Denise, a mouth-watering and head-sweating combo of beef, cheese, salad, jalapeno and sriracha mayo ($9). Beware, there are a lot of chillies in that burger!

RM wanted bacon on his burger so went with Theo ($11), not realising that it came with two patties instead of one, thus causing an outbreak of meat sweats on the way home. Unless you’re feeling particularly carnivorous, it may be better to stick with the Huxtaburger ($8) a classic mix of beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese and then add an extra slice of crispy bacon for $1.

We accompanied our burgers with a large cardboard bucket of hot chips ($3), crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I reckon the crinkle cut is the key to their crispiness – more surface area to expose to hot oil.

On a related note if you are going to order sides then my advice is to decide whether you’re going to tackle the burger or the sides first! Once you’re committed to that burger you’ll find yourself clutching a dripping handful of bread-and-meat deliciousness that you won’t be able to put down (or pick up again without making a huge mess).  Mental note – BYO moist towelettes next time.

And we will definitely be returning because, to paraphrase a well-known marketing slogan, ‘The burgers are better at…Huxtaburger‘. My curiosity has also been piqued by the Bill Cosbys tacked onto the storefront next door…will Huxtaburger be extending the burger and beer experience? I think some milkshakes in steel cups and Mom’s apple pie would go down well.

Huxtaburger, 106 Smith St, Collingwood

Tuesday to Sunday, midday till late

In case you get confused by the ’99 Problems’ emblazoned on the door of number 31 Johnston Street…the address is a cafe called The Mercy Seat by day and a bar called 99 Problems by night. Time-sharing space (and facilities) is such a good idea!

The Mercy Seat serves vegan food that’s not just beans and lentils. In fact, here’s the place to get your fake meat fix! The lunch menu has three ‘meaty’ choices – a Creole Chicken burger, Philly Cheesesteak roll and Blackened tofu mushroom burger. The all day breakfast menu doesn’t contain the same degree of meat fakery – make your choice between scrambled tofu, scrambled pesto eggs and avocado feta smash.

D and I shared the Creole Chicken Burger with extra vegan bacon and cheese ($12) and the Blackened tofu mushroom burger ($10). The food is prepared behind the bar using a simple oven grill and came out promptly (though we were also the first table to arrive for lunch).

Both burgers were very tasty so it’s hard for me to pick a favourite – but I think I preferred the blackened tofu as it was less processed than the ‘chicken’ patty and contained nice big chunks of creamy avocado. That’s the compromise with mock meat – sometimes it’s the choice between taste, texture and processing. I did really like the smokiness of the facon though so I think they should have the option for facon and cheese for all the burgers! Oh and definitely hit your burger up with the bottle of hot sauce if you like some heat.

For sweets they source their brownies, cupcakes and cookies from Box Brownies in Collingwood. The vegan and gluten free peanut butter brownie ($4.50) was amazing! It had an oozy caramel topping studded with peanuts and caramel shards and a surprisingly moist brownie base given no eggs or butter were used. Despite the sugar-coma-inducing description, the brownie was actually not too sweet so it’s easy enough to finish a whole slab on your own :–)

I liked The Mercy Seat – the food is good and cheap, the staff were friendly, the atmosphere and uber-relaxed and they were playing Prince on the speakers.

For more places to eat mock meat, try Englightened Cuisine and Las Vegan.

The Mercy Seat, 31 Johnston St, Collingwood
Wed – Sun: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

You had me at hello.

There are some cafes which just grab you by the coat and give you a big bear hug, providing smiles and instant comfort. I loved Bluebird Espresso from the moment I spotted it – a retro blue bike chained to lamp post, colourful tulips bravely wavering against the grey grunge of Johnston St and a wide padded bench seat in the window. Then when I stepped inside – Dave Brubeck’s Take Five on the speakers and a bright smile of welcome from the waitress. LOVE.

The cafe is pretty small, filled with kitschy prints of Tahitian women, cute knick knacks and with the pantry becoming a decorative feature with tins of tomatoes and black beans lined up neatly on a bookshelf. There’s a spacious communal table towards the back of the room and an Astroturfed courtyard thoughtfully stocked with woollen rugs for breezy days.

Their breakfast menu is very eggs heavy but it’s eggs with a twist. I’ve tried both the Harissa eggs with chorizo ($14) and Mexican eggs ($12) and can highly recommend both if you like a bit of spicy heat in your belly in the mornings.

On both occasions – perfectly poached eggs running their yolks around some interesting flavour combinations – with the harissa eggs it was firey strips of  roasted capsicums and tangy rocket ladled on top of crusty Noisette bread, with the Mexican eggs it was black beans and spicy salsa on a flour tortilla. With the mouth-panting chilli on the plate I was thankful for sips of my excellent fruit smoothie ($5.50) to temper the heat.

The service was super-friendly, with the owner Anthony manning the La Marzocco coffee machine and chatting to the regulars.

Bluebird Espresso is a little gem. Don’t miss it.

For other excellent breakfasts in Collingwood, try The Bell Jar, Cibi and Proud Mary.

Bluebird Espresso, 134 Johnston St, Collingwood +61 3 9078 7047
Mon – Sat: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sun: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Since I wrote about The Social Studio almost 18 months ago the social enterprise has grown and developed.

In terms of their cafe, it has moved from the back of the studio (where it was cute but small and hidden) to a bigger, brighter and more prominent site right next door. I’m so glad that they’ve taken over the forlorn Eatz and Treatz and jazzed it up to turn it into The Cutting Table. The cafe is part of The Social Studio enterprise and it provides hospitality training, work experience, employment and pathways to employment for refugee youth.

The menu has expanded too to encompass burgers galore. Eight African inspired burgers to be precise – from beef to chicken to lentils to tofu. The burgers are a variation on a theme – some sort of protein filling, some sort of sauce (shiro, spicy lovers sauce or tahini yoghurt), salad and all sandwiched between a Turkish roll. The menu states that all meats are halal and they use free range chicken and free range eggs.

I decided to go for the tofu burger marinated with spicy lovers sauce ($10). The burgers are not for elegant eating – mine was a hefty two-hander containing several slabs of spicy tofu. As with all the burgers it came with a small side of home-style African potatoes which were cold and frankly an unexciting mix of boiled potato, chopped carrot and a very mild sauce. I washed it down a smoothie ($5), a very vibrant purple coloured mix of berries, bananas, oats and cardamom, the spice taking it above the norm.

At lunch time the cafe was fairly busy so there was a bit of a wait on the food, but I would have expected dishes to come out much faster since most menu items were very similar. In fact, if you’re in a hurry at lunch time this is not the place for a quick feed – the service was a little haphazard but I understand that comes with the territory of it being a training business.

Besides the burgers they also have daily specials which commonly feature some sort of African stew. Seeing the other (African) patrons gnawing on drumsticks and cleaning their plates with injera bread makes me think that next time I’m going for the stew.  I also like the idea of returning on a Wednesday night for ‘African night’ which features an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, music and food.

In more Social Studio news, this Thursday 8 September they are launching their Magic Tent Collection at BMW Edge as part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. The gala event will feature fashion, food and music and tickets are $55 ($45 for Craft Victoria Members. For more information, click here.

The Cutting Table, The Social Studio, 128 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9417 2143

Café hours     7am-4.00pm, Mon-Sat, 6pm-9pm - Wed African Night

The newest addition to the Fitzroy/Collingwood bike shop enclave is Tokyo Bike, a small independent bike brand hailing all the way from Yanaka, Japan via Sydney.

I’ve previously written about Tokyo Bike’s Sydney store on The Design Files and now husband-and-wife team Fuyuki and Yuki Sagahara have headed south to bring their colourful steeds to a lovely light-filled shop off Smith Street.

The fitout is simple but thoughtfully furnished with small tokens of Japan, from the sprig of cherry blossom at the entrance to the series of overhanging Japanese fisherman’s lamps.

Tokyo Bikes are made with the urban cyclist in mind. The wheels are designed smaller for more stop-start riding through city streets and are perfect for moving through Tokyo’s and Melbourne’s back alleys. The pared back frames are super-light and the colours are eye-catching. In fact, a Tokyo Bike is one of “50 things to improve Your life” according to the July 2011 edition of Monocle!

Four styles are available – the classic CS, Bisou step-through for the ladies (and enlightened gents), SS single speed and Sport for the speed demons. You are encouraged to test ride any of the bikes in streets around the store, hence the deliberate choice to have a shop off a main street.

The shop also has a neat curated collection of accessories, from Knog lights and locks, Gropes leather grips from the UK and Tokyo Bells.

Tokyo Bike Shop Melbourne, 5 Peel Street, Collingwood +61 3 9417 2845

Monday 11:30am-5:30pm
Tuesday closed
Wednesday 11:30am-5:30pm
Thursday11:30am-5:30pm
Friday 11:30am-5:30pm
Saturday 11:30am-5:30pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm

Benjamin, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your business SKAPA BILDA?

I have a degree in Painting from the National Art School in Sydney went there straight out of a country high school. I have worked as a props maker and spent time in the retail industry.

My partner, Kristina Sundstrom, and I started the business a couple of years ago while Kristina was completing a BA in Printmaking. Our business growth has been a wonderful organic process. There has been a blurring of the boundaries between design and art for quite awhile now, we definitely feel we have a foot in both camps. Within the design process we provide an artists perspective, which allows for a unique approach to design parameters and construction techniques.

We have been lucky enough to collaborate with other creatives in the design and art fields on a variety of projects, from a bespoke envelope to large scale installation. A big thank you to Christian Wagstaff for being the first to pluck us from obscurity!

What’s the story behind the business’ name?

Our business name is inspired by Kristina’s Swedish heritage. A rough translation is skapa = create and bilda = form. That’s what we do…..

You do some really creative things with paper. What is it about that material that draws you work with it?

Paper as an everyday object is fantastic, totally underrated. We draw on it, fold it, store information on it. I love collage and have always used paper in my art. Kristina has a strong affinity with paper ever since her childhood xmas card sweatshop days. Yes, she blames you mum and dad!

SKAPA BILDA utilises a variety of different papers from tissue, found and recycled, newspapers as well as the highest quality cotton rag papers from Japan and Germany (which will literally out last us!).

Paper carries the association of being fragile and ephemeral, however it is such a versatile medium. It is very malleable and has great structural properties and this allows us to push it into different applications. From embossing text to kilometres of hand spun paper thread, paper flowers, cardboard houses, to using old wallpapers and found lists/letters to create different layers and textures.

Why your focus on environmentally sustainable design? How does it constrain or enhance the design process for you?

To be environmentally and socially aware is a responsibility of everyone whatever field you are in. We try to support this notion through our daily work practice and as parameters for  design .

Every part of the design process we try to make accountable.

We do short runs, most of our work is made to order. Jobs are site specific enabling bespoke  problem solving ( less waste).

Because we do things in a small scale we try to source product and labour locally. We choose to do most of the work ourselves to provide for our clients a unique, high quality handcrafted object, made to last rather than a mass produced throw away item.

Environmental considerations are also inherent in our design and construction process. Finding the beauty in, and potential for off cuts, deleted lines, found objects is a regular starting point for many projects. Our lines of quilts, cushions and rope jewellery are all made of upcycled industry remnants. ‘not blowing strongly nor falling heavily’ recently exhibited at aRtECYCLE at the Incinerator Arts Complex is also an example.

Where can we find your work?

Our quilts are stocked at Mark Tuckey and online through Estralia. We also have a sculpture at Format Furniture.

We do a large variety of projects you may have seen a little piece of SKAPA BILDA in your home, at the office, in the post, at the races, on a bed, as a necklace. We also try to do two art exhibitions a year.

We also do lots of weddings, private and corporate functions… anything!

What websites, magazines, books and/or people do you turn to for design inspiration?

We’re going to list them:

Robert Rauschenberg and his combines.

Kurt Schwitters and Piet Mondrian – I admire how they lived their artistic lives and the beautiful way Mondrian’s work crossed over to design.

Bauhaus- how they merged art, industry and design.

Yayoi Kusama – she’s mad!

Eva Hesse – poetic

Rachel Whiteread – she cast a whole house out of cement!

Concrete and bricks in general…

Katie Marx- installation artist, nature lover

Georgie Kay and the team from Georgeous –  events extraordinaire.

Carmen Reid – Melbourne based installation artist

Lauren Brown –  conceptual artist based in Melbourne and Berlin.

Krista Mcrae – contemporary jeweller.

What advice would you give to people wanting to start their own business?

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, give up your day job and try not to work all the time

What are your next plans for SKAPA BILDA?

Focussing more on our retail ventures is main goal for us, promoting our quilts and exploring lines of jewellery and bags. We also look forward to future collaborations.

Finally, what are your tips for HOT places you like in and around Melbourne?

We’re currently building a studio and house in Malmsbury so most of our spare time is spent in the beautiful Macedon Shire. So head up the Calder and check out some favs:

A paddle of beer from Holgate Brewhouse.

Awarding winning vanilla slice from Bourkies Bakehouse in Woodend.

Piper Street is our new local in Kyneton.

The Sequoias in Malmsbury’s Botanical Gardens, designed by Dr Ferdinand von Mueller. (He also designed the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne)

When in Melbourne:

One of my favourite paintings which is usually on permanent display at the NGV ‘Moonrise’ by David Davies , oil on canvas, 1894.

The Bell Jar (656 Smith St, Collingwood +61 410 336 019), was a beacon of sanity we discovered last year while we did a three month job nearby. Great coffee and food, they are mean table tennis players as well.

Gills Diner (rear 360 Little Collins St, Melbourne +61 3 9670 7214) uses local produce and has an amazing interior.

My last event of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival for this year was to support a friend’s winery, Pyren Vineyard.

Pyren Vineyard is a small scale producer of cool climate wines in the Pyrenees. For their newest wine, a Shiraz/Cabernet blend, they invited twelve artists to produce an original piece of art under the theme ”Combinations of Two”. Each piece of art was then printed on the label of the wine, named Studio Ink, so that each dozen carton would have one of each design on the bottles.

At the launch of the wine, each guest was offered complimentary glasses of Studio Ink and the twelve artworks were displayed in full scale at the Hogan Gallery. The artists featured included Fleur Harris, Tomoro Takizawa, Riley Payne, Sarah Hankinson, Julia deVille, Jacqui Stockdale, Sarah Larnach, Danny Young, Andy Murphy, Polly Dedman, Nate Gamble and David Joy. They were all friends or related to the Joy family, which run Pyren, and the works on show at the Hogan Gallery ranged from naive colourful block prints to whimsical and delicate birds. This latter work by Melburnian Sarah Hankinson, as pictured on the left bottle, was my favourite .

The wine and the artworks, some of which are single pieces or limited edition prints, are all available for sale now.

Studio Ink, Hogan Gallery, 310 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9419 6126

The Fox Hotel is an old-school boozer which outwardly looks more ‘pub’ than ‘gastro-pub’. The venue is an eclectic conglomeration of sticky-carpet-esque spaces, including the high-stooled front bar, the dimly lit dining area, squishy couches, a small outdoor space and a separate pool room. There’s even a rooftop deck which I didn’t have a chance to explore.

However, what attracted me to the Fox Hotel was its reputation for food. Specifically, I’d read on Where’s the Beef that they had an extensive vegetarian menu, quite unusual for a pub. So it was a great destination for (vegetarian) Miss Kish and I to catch up.

As we sat down in the front bar to inspect the menu, Kish remarked “Wow, normally I have no trouble choosing something because there’s only ever two token vegetarian options. This is great!” And if you flip over the page, there’s a whole page for non-vegetarians as well. Very impressive.

We started out with five homemade mushroom and tofu gyozas with dipping sauce ($10). On its arrival I had my doubts – the gyozas looked a little emaciated. Well, looks can be deceiving, as these dumplings were juicy and wrapped in skins of good consistency. In fact I think if they’ve been plumped up with more filling the whole thing could have been too soggy, what with mushrooms generally sweating water when cooked.

For our mains we shared two generous plates – whole field mushroom lasagne with three cheeses and spinach served with chips and salad ($17) and marinated tofu steak with wasabi mayo and a black sesame crust with asian greens, sticky rice and a ginger soy sauce ($17).

I think of the two dishes the lasagne was more successful. It was a cheesy, oozy slab of mushroom, spinach and pasta sheets, an excellent retort to people who insist that they just can’t get full on vegetables. The accompanying salad was crisp and fresh and the chips were great for mopping up the cheese.

There was no hint of wasabi mayo in our tofu steak and the black sesame crust was more of a garnish than a crust. I also didn’t particularly like the sticky rice – it felt more like glugginess of overcooked rice than the elasticity of glutinous rice. Not a bad dish overall, but really outshone by the lasagne.

Though only a weeknight, the pub was full of diners and drinkers and a seemingly popular hangout with locals. Even if you’re not a local, I think that the Fox Hotel is well worth a special trip.

For a pub meal at the other end of the spectrum, check out my review of the meat-tastic Napier Hotel.

• Fox Hotel, 351 Wellington St, Collingwood +61 3 9416 4957

Afternoon tea is partly about ambience too and that’s where A Vintage Affair caught my eye. Today’s HOT Chat is with Melburnian Lee Elizabeth George who has just started a vintage crockery hire and events management business so that your next wedding, hen’s day, baby shower or photo shoot can be touched with some old world charm. Thanks Lee!

Lee, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start A Vintage Affair?

I developed a passion for all things vintage while living in London. My idea of a perfect break was to catch the train to Paris for the weekend and hunt through the little antique stores and flea markets in Rue Charlot. I would spend the length of the channel tunnel trip listing to Charles Aznavour albums on my iPod and arrive at Gare Du Nord completely transformed.

Then on one of those glorious weekends a handsome young man proposed with a vintage emerald cocktail ring. The next thing I knew we were married and I was back in Melbourne!

I managed to smuggle home a small collection of crockery and trinkets, which I was lending out to friends for hen’s days, weddings and High Tea parties. Then once I started to get requests from friends of friends, the idea for A Vintage Affair was born.

Now, no matter how big our collection gets, it still feels like I’m lending out my personal collection to friends as I hand pick every piece and each one has a set of memories from the day it was discovered.

Where do you source your vintage stock from – and where do you store it all??

When we first started out, having lots of vintage crockery was the perfect excuse to buy lots of vintage furniture to store it in! Then as we grew, we began storing our collection in antique French wine crates which we also use to deliver the crockery to our customers.

As for finding it, that’s half the fun. Regional Victoria, especially the Central Highlands, is an amazing patchwork of beautiful small towns, all dotted with quaint little antique stores and markets. My weekends are now mostly spent treasure hunting with my husband. We have so much fun driving around the countryside, listening to Charles Aznavour.

Where do you turn for vintage inspiration?

I’ve always loved things that are unique, with beautiful features that transcend whatever practical purpose they may have been designed for. Whether it’s a 1966 250 SL Mercedes (navy blue with white-wall tyres)…. or the interior of the Plaza ballroom, anything that embodies a beautiful attention to detail that is all too rare these days. Life is too short to be practical.

I am inspired by old world charm – when women had time to frock up in beautiful clothes, wear red lipstick just to feel good, spend days planning a dinner party and entertain friends often, drinking champagne from fine crystal.  I am inspired by being proud of your own style and making an effort to make everything you do beautiful.  I love intricate details and paying attention to the small details.

Most recently though, I have been hugely inspired by the incredible community of women running their own small businesses. To see the passion a baker puts into her exquisite cupcake flavours and intricate designs then to then turn that into a successful business is truly inspiring.  There are so many talented ladies producing beautiful work with such passion.

The internet is a constant source of inspiration for me and I am guilty of spending hours and hours scouring Australian and international sites for inspiration, seeing what beautiful and clever ideas event stylists, couture designers, bespoke stationers and caterers are producing , taking inspiration from colours, patterns and style.

What has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced in starting up your own business? What advice would you give to a small business owner?

No matter what you do, if you start your own business you will need to do a lot of hard work. That’s why it’s so important to love what you do – then it won’t feel like hard work.

So start by asking yourself what you love to do most. Then ask yourself how you can turn that into a profitable business. You’ll know you’ve found your true passion when you actually look forward to spending those extra hours working on it.

It is probably a great surprise to a lot of people that I managed to find a way to turn my passion for beautiful vintage pieces and buying hidden vintage treasures into a business.  I spent hours every day researching and developing the business which didn’t seem like work at all because I love every minute of it.

Once you have found your passion, if you can start out small with a business model that is scalable. Wherever possible, avoid the need for large amounts of up-front capital. There is no more certain way to take the fun out of your passion project than the pressure to make it to grow at an unrealistic rate just so you can pay your overheads. It’s much more fun to gradually scale up as you become more successful, enjoying every little step forward, constantly refining as you go.

What are your next plans for A Vintage Affair?

Our range is constantly growing and we are now catering for larger events and boutique weddings.  We are also refining the complete High Tea Experience, including beautiful bespoke invitations, catering, accessories, styling, beautiful cupcakes and of course the vintage crockery hire which is proving very popular for Hens Days and Baby Showers.

Most importantly, our expansion requires more stock so we will be able to justify a few European buying trips!

Where are your favourite places to visit or things to do in Melbourne, vintage-y or otherwise?

Madame Brussels (Level 3, 59-63 Bourke St Melbourne +61 3 9662 2775‎) – for Pimms and lemonade on a summer evening

Siglo (Level 2, 161 Spring St, Melbourne +61 3 9654 6631‎)  for a late night wine with rooftop vistas – you could definitely be in Europe with that view

The Max Hotel (32 Commercial Rd, Prahran +61 3 9529 1006) – for a little taste of France.

Cavallero (300 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9417 1377) and Min Lokal (422 George St, Fitzroy +61 3 9417 0333) – for coffee, baked eggs and people watching.

Botanical Gardens (South Yarra)- for a springtime picnic and stroll

Brunswick Street, Gertrude St, Smith St – for a lazy afternoon exploring the shops and people watching.

Cupcakes are serious business.

And as a blogger who writes a lot about food, I take cupcake tasting very seriously :–)

Hence I jumped at the chance to taste test and provide my feedback on some of Sugadeaux’s new cupcake flavours. About 30 food bloggers and customers of Sugadeaux gathered at Provenance Food & Wine and started off the evening with bubbles and canapes, including a crystal-clear consomme with prawn and crunchy apple, pork rillette on cured beetroot and a porcini, shiitake and enoki broth with dangling enoki garnishes.

We then settled down at a long table with our score sheets and cups of palate-cleansing coffee and tea.

Eight flavours were tasted overall, from the lightest to the heaviest, just like wine-tasting. Each cupcake was split into four so in effect we only ate two cupcakes each – but it felt like a lot more. There’s a reason cupcakes are made in a petite size and should only be devoured in single serves!

If you’re hungry, be warned about the upcoming cupcake parade!

1. Elderflower

I thought this vanilla cupcake was just butter and sugar on more butter and sugar, yet a little bit bland for my liking – not one of my favourites.

2. Wattleseed Macadamia

I liked the idea of using native Australian flavours in a cupcake. The speckled look of the sponge was very appealing though ended up being a little dry, and I liked the roasted wattleseed flavour. The salted macadamias sprinkled on top were a great flavour balance for the sweet and creamy frosting. This is a flavour which will definitely be added to the new menu.

3. Lychee Jasmine

I loved the very moist sponge of this very pretty jasmine-scented cupcake and even though I’m not a fan of super-sweet frosting, the sweetness in this case suited the lychee flavour.

4. Sour Gummy

I was prejudiced against this cupcake from the start. I really don’t like those sour lollies and I don’t think sour is a flavour that belongs in a cupcake. And when it came out, the icing was a fluorescent orange with a little gummy worm poking out of it – a bit rude don’t you think? This cupcake really seemed to divide the group – some people absolutely loved it, some people didn’t. Not surprisingly, it was the least popular flavour of the night.

5. Butter toffee

I’m not a fan of toffee but I was a fan of this cupcake. A super-moist chocolate cake topped with a toffee-studded icing. 90% of the tasters liked this flavour and it was one of the outright winners.

6. Choc cherry

In primary school I won the grade Nutbush competition and the prize was a Cherry Ripe. I proceeded to devour it…and then went home feeling very ill. I’ve avoided Cherry Ripes ever since. Unfortunately, this cupcake was very reminiscent of Cherry Ripe – a quite artificial maraschino cherry flavoured icing coated in chocolate ganache on top of chocolate cake. With my childhood memories, it was never going to make the cut for me.

7. Strawberry Choc Balsamic

I loved the adult combination of strawberry and balsamic vinegar, although in fact the icing was more cherry than strawberry for me and I would have loved more balsamic to cut through the sweetness. I loved the look of the marbled icing too.

8. Mexican chocolate

My favourite – a chocolate sponge with a subtly spiced cinnamon piped frosting and a hit of smoked  chilli leaving a slight lingering burn in my mouth. Rich and sophisticated. Apparently the majority of tasters agreed with me and it’s made the cut!

And to make the night just a little more sweet, a little take home gift – shards of butter toffee flavoured with vanilla bourbon and French fleur de sel sea salt. Dangerously moreish.

Thanks to Jess from Sugadeaux for inviting me to the cupcake tasting.

Sugadeaux Cupcake Tasting, Provenance Food & Wine, 288 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 8415 0700

Occasionally I have readers tipping me off about places to go and I recently received an email suggesting that I try  The Bell Jar.

So one cold, blustery afternoon I decided to trek up the nether-regions of Smith St (I rarely go past Johnston Street) to have a look. The cafe is quite hard to miss because it’s not really in a strip of shops, nor does it have a particularly noticeable frontage. I peeked through the window and thought that maybe they just did sandwiches for lunch (which I didn’t really fancy), but the whitewashed terrace house interior looked cosy and welcoming, so I decided to step inside and take the risk of eating stuff with bread.

I’m so glad I did, because it turns out that they have quite an extensive menu of breakfasty things, lunchy things, sandwiches and sweets, from what I could tell all made on premises. I settled myself in the back room, with the huge communal table and a striking autumnal floral feature which I’m going to pinch as an idea for my own house.

I decided on the corn cakes of the day, which came with smoked salmon ($14). I asked whether they could do a vegetarian option, maybe with some avocado instead, and the friendly waitress said no problem. The young chef then came out with a plate a two thick corn cakes, piled with a vibrant avocado salsa and topped with a fresh salad. For some reason I thought the dish had an almost Vietnamese scent to it, maybe because of the cucumber and red onion, but that freshness contrasted perfectly with the smooth avocado and unexpected pops of sweetness from the pomegranate seeds. I told the chef that he should keep it on the menu permanently! He said that in fact the toppings for the corn cakes, along with the ricotta hot cakes, change every few days or so, to give him a chance to experiment.

As for the corn cakes, personally I prefer them with more corn and less batter, but they were by no means a bad version, especially smothered with that to-die-for topping.

I decided to stay on for something sweet. There were quite a few options available, from cake to Anzac biscuits, but I could sniff something chocolately coming out of the oven so asked for that instead. So, for $5, a plate of still-warm oozing chocolate brownie with a hint of coffee, served with a tiny doll’s jug of chantilly cream. I could have eaten a whole baking tray of it!

By this time, the rain had really started bucketing down outside and I didn’t have an umbrella. The staff offered to lend me an umbrella that I could just return ‘whenever’, which just goes to show the trust and care they show their customers. I opted to sit in the front window to wait for the rain to subside as I was feeling particularly contented and relaxed, just ‘being’, at The Bell Jar.

I very much hope that The Bell Jar continues to do well in it’s slightly out-of-the-way locale. The food is prepared fresh, there is an obvious care in using good quality ingredients and the atmosphere is welcoming. It’s the perfect little neighbourhood cafe.

For other fabulous cafes in Collingwood, try Proud Mary and Cibi.

• The Bell Jar, 656 Smith St, Collingwood +61 410 336 019

They recently featured a series of Neighbourhood Guides and I contributed Fitzroy. You can read all about what I had to say about my local stomping ground here.

If you can also read the neighbourhood guides for other cool suburbs of Melbourne: East St Kilda, Collingwood, Brunswick and Windsor.

Across the road from Peko Peko and sandwiched between the excellent Wabi Sabi Salon and yet-to-be-reviewed Tokushima is the cute Wood Spoon Kitchen. I was convinced to eat at this restaurant after the excellent rating given to it by Fat Feminist Foodie.

The space is not overtly Japanese, with touches accenting the brick walls in the form of framed washi prints and old travel posters. The huge wooden communal tables are very on-trend and lend a casualness to the dining experience.

In her review, Fat Feminist Foodie raved about the agedashi tofu and said ‘If you eat one thing this year, make it this!‘. So, to start, a bowl of lightly fried silken tofu with a dark soy broth ($8.90), which isn’t what I’d normally expect with this dish as in my experience it comes with a light broth and flying bonito flakes. Nevertheless, this version was a very good example of agedashi tofu.

We also tried the neat line-up of gyoza ($10.50) which were nothing too special and I found the wrapping a little thick.

If you’re hungry, I highly recommend the Onigiri Set which comes with three adorable triangular rice balls of varying flavours, a small bowl of edamame and picked vegetables on the side ($16.50). From the list of ten options I selected Gomoku (Japanese style chicken with 5 vegetables including lotus and beancurd), the Ebi-Salad (prawn with minced onion, Japanese and black pepper) and sweet potato with black sesame and sweet soy, and I’d recommend them in that order.

Not realising the groan-worthy sizing of the Onigiri Set, we had also ordered a sukiyaki beef and tofu ($16.90) and a small bowl of rice ($3.20). Wood Spoon Kitchen‘s version of this classic dish was home-cooked deliciousness – lots of tender meat, gently cooked sweet onion slices and cubes of flavoursome tofu, far removed from the bland blocks you buy at the supermarket.

The service was a bit scatty on the Friday night that we ate there, but the food was so good and reasonably priced that I would definitely return for more.

• Wood Spoon Kitchen, 88 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9416 0588

I’ve previously blogged about the fantastic range of dried goods and produce available at Friends of the Earth, but last week was the first time I sampled some of the vegan/vegetarian food served in the laidback cafe.

During the week you can get a mixed salad plate which has a bit of everything heaped on it, much like the selection offered at The Tofu Shop International in Richmond. However, on Sundays they do a pie and salad plate for $9.50 where you get to choose a hot-out-of-the-oven vegan pie – on my visit, a choice between a shiitake pie, curry pie, thai style pie and mexican pie – plus a heap of mixed salad as a side accompaniment.

After much discussion with the staff about which was the best pie, I settled on the shiitake pie – basically because it was described as ‘very meaty’ and because I’m a fan of mushrooms.

I defy anyone, vegetarian or carnivorous, to not be impressed by this pie.

The outstanding pastry, presumably made without eggs and butter, was light and flaky to the point of wispiness on the top. The filling contained mashed potato and what looked like hunks of braised beef – I’m never seen shiitake turned into mock meat before! It wasn’t overly ‘mushroomy’ in aroma and I actually considered taking it home to RM to see whether he could distinguish the ingredients, as he is a meat-eater and generally dislikes a dish comprising only mushrooms.

As for the salads, they were good but didn’t blow me away in the same way as the pie. They all tasted fresh and healthy, which is what I was aiming for.

I accompanied my meal with a pot of Byron Bay soy chai ($3.50) which I found to be a little watery as I like my chai thickly fragrant. It wasn’t bad, just not rave-worthy.

Unlike the pie! I cannot emphasise enough – go and check out Friends of the Earth on a Sunday. With the sun streaming through the windows, a friendly vibe and healthy food, it’s a great place to relax on a weekend.

For more healthy eats in the area (but not on Sundays) try Las Vegan.

• Friends of the Earth Melbourne, 312 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066‎  +61 3 9417 4382‎

I’d been meaning to visit Las Vegan Bakery & Cafe ever since they were awarded 2009 Victorian Vegetarian Restaurant of the Year by Vegetarian Network Victoria. I’m not sure how many other restaurants were in contention, but it’s a pretty impressive title nonetheless.

Las Vegan is a small little colourful cafe filled with the kind of paraphernalia you’d expect to see in a low-key vegan cafe – mismatched furniture, smiling Buddha statues, indoor plants and loads of eco-warrior pamphlets.

As its name suggests, everything in the cafe is free of meat and dairy, so don’t be fooled by the Thai ‘chicken’ burger, their most popular dish. I decided to go for their house specialty, the Nirvana lentil burger ($9). This comprised a giant tower of house-made sesame burger buns smeared with vegan mayonnaise and salsa, fresh lettuce, tomato and cucumber and a filling patty of lentils, barley, biodynamic rice and roasted ground nuts.  It was tasty and fresh, although I’m not sure why they bothered accompanying it with a few pitiful shreds of lettuce – if you’re going to give me salad, do it properly please.

You can wash down your meal with the all-you-can-drink soy-chai tea, a bargain at $3.50, although I didn’t try it this time.

Just note that the cafe is open later on Thursday and Friday nights but not on weekends, which is a shame because I’m sure many of Collingwood/Fitzroy’s city-desk-job residents would enjoy chilling out with some healthy food at Las Vegan.

• Las Vegan Bakery & Cafe, 22 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9415 9001

There are heaps of trendy places for breakfast in Collingwood (check out Gluttony It’s a Sin, Proud Mary and Cibi)…and Mezina isn’t one of them.

It looks trendy on the outside – it’s housed inside the ground floor of the refurbished Collingwood post office with a touch of a Middle Eastern vibe in the decor and with high benches facing the passing parade of Smith Street. But really it’s a bog-standard cafeteria with pretensions of coolness.

On the day I visited the vast space was practically empty and the staff seemed to care more about chatting to themselves than serving customers. In the whole time I was there, dirty plates with congealed egg sat uncleared at the next table – gross.

It does have one thing going for it. If you want to start the day with a no-fuss and filling breakfast, Mezina’s breakfast bowl is the way to go. Check out the overflowing heap of oat, seed and dried fruit muesli, honey-tinged yoghurt and cinnamon poached fruit or fresh fruit salad for the bargain price of $7.50.

The rest of the breakfast menu is your standard litany of eggs and toast and is pretty uninspiring. Personally I won’t be returning to Mezina unless I run out of muesli at home.

• Mezina Cafe, 176 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 8415 0955

Fitzroy/Collingwood seems to be the hotbed of social enterprise businesses in Melbourne (see my review of restaurant Charcoal Lane), and in late 2009 another one opened around the corner from me – The Social Studio.

The Social Studio is a non-profit fashion studio space staffed by approximately 20 young members of Melbourne’s refugee community and overseen by the lovely artist Grace McQuilten. I think the value and purpose of The Social Studio is best articulated on their website:

The main barriers faced by newly arrived members of the community are unemployment, isolation and difficulties accessing education and training. The Social Studio addresses these problems in four ways: creating jobs; providing education; encouraging community engagement and social inclusion.

In the studio Grace and her team teach the basics of design, sewing, cutting, pattern-making and fitting using excess fabrics gathered from local industry. The studies are accredited towards TAFE certificate training in clothing production and design, plus the students’ one-off products – from dresses to tops to bags to jewellery – are on sale at the front of the colourful store (notice the eco-friendly name-stamped cardboard coathangers) and online via Etsy.

The Social Studio also offers regular events and workshops. On Saturdays they hold a Re-Mixed workshop where for only $30 you can learn to rework an existing garment from 10am-1pm. On Wednesday evenings they conduct talks called The Quick Unpick ($10 for first talk, $5 thereafter, includes a drink) where you can hear a leading designer discuss their work, ideas and background.

On your visit also take the time to check out the cosy cafe at the back of the studio that serves a pared down breakfast/lunch menu and Social Roasting Company‘s fair trade coffee, the product of another social enterprise business focusing on the long-term unemployed.

On Grace’s recommendation I tried the French toast with fruit and honey, a modest description for a generous pile of soft eggy Turkish bread (I’ve never had French toast done using Turkish bread before – delicious!), peach slices and dried apricots, all drizzled with honey. It was sweet and filling and a bargain for $8.

Having volunteered in refugee organisations before and being exposed to some harrowing stories, I strongly believe that any business that encourages refugees in Australia (particularly young people) to learn, participate, engage, dream and work should be supported. Remember that all the revenue raised from the sale of the clothing, workshops, events and cafe go back into funding the primary project – so get yourself and your friends down to the The Social Studio soon.

• The Social Studio, 128 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9417 2143

So the crowd inside the pub’s atrium dining room was a bit unexpected – it seems to attract an older, quarter-acre block, class of diner. Maybe the youngsters go to the Grace Darling to drink, not to eat, which would be a shame as I think the food is good and the prices are reasonable.

The kitchen is doing some interesting things with a traditional pub menu.  One of their staples is their fancy-pants version of the chicken parmigiana ($18), a terracotta ramekin containing a slow cooked chicken breast layered with prosciutto and parmesan crumbs. Not being much of a parma fan, I much preferred this gourmet version, although it was more of a winter meal and felt quite heavy in my stomach afterwards.

Our other main was the daily special of pork chop with pecans, maple syrup, apple, pear and witloaf salad ($24.50). A gigantic pork chop was served on top of a mound of salad made of what seemed to be a dozen pieces of fruit. The salad was an inspired combination which delivered a contrasting crunch and sweetness to the juicy and tender meat. We really enjoyed this dish and it was definitely more suitable for a summer’s evening meal.

We originally had good intentions for dessert but the huge proportions of the meal left us much too full to contemplate the self-saucing chocolate pudding or hummingbird cake ($9 each). Never mind, we’ll be back to the Grace Darling.

You can also check out the review by The Age here.  Like gastropubs? Try The Court House and The Palace by Luke Mangan.

• Grace Darling Hotel, 114 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9416 0055‎

You want HOT? You got HOT!

At hippy Trippy Taco, you can get XXX HOT. Just pour some of the XXXtra HOT chilli sauce that’s provided at each table on top of your quesadilla, taco, taquito, burrito or nachos. It delivers nose-sniffling, mouth-numbing heat and is the perfect antidote for the drooping summer swelter.

Trippy Taco is a chilled out and kitsch Mexican cantina (think somberos, cacti etc) that serves up vegetarian, even gluten and dairy free, Mexican classics for late breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can take your food away or tuck your legs into one of the tiny school-desk sized tables and enjoy large plates of cheap, tasty and filling food washed down with a Mexican beer, tequila, house wine or BYO wine for $5 corkage.

In the interests of research and greedy appetites, two of us tried three dishes. The Original Trippy Taco was two fresh house made corn tortillas sagging with cheese, black beans, a salad of shredded lettuce, carrot, beetroot, sultanas and seeds and topped with salsa, avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime ($9). I thought the tortillas were a little too thick but as a result the dish was very filling.  I preferred the drier texture of the taquitos, which were three rolled-up crispy corn tortillas containing the same black bean filling and served with a side of guacamole, salsa, cheese, salad and lime ($9).

Our pick was the fat two-hander, the Tofu Asada Burrito – a large flour tortilla filled with cheese, spicy chargrilled tofu, salad, salsa, avocado and lime ($9). The chargrilled tofu turned the salsa into an almost smoky barbecue-like sauce and heating the burrito on the grill gaves one side of the tortilla a satisfying crispiness. Our only improvement would be to grill the whole package on both sides for extra crunch.

I had originally intended to dig into the sweets as well – the sweet corn tamale with icecream, banana and maple syrup ($9) or chocolate nutella taquitos ($8.50) would have been my picks. However, let me tell you now that two people do NOT need to be eating three plates of food at Trippy Taco. While all the dishes were delicious and spicy (we opted to douse everything with hot sauce), one item is more than enough for one person. Trust me, you’ll go home with a satisfied tummy and numb lips, all for under $10.

For other reviews of Trippy Taco, check out Tummyrumbles and Where’s the Beef?. In the area and you want more heat? Try Thai food at Mamanee or Korean fare at Goshen.

• Trippy Taco, 48 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9415 7711

I have two friends who are a couple. J is Asian and would like nothing better than a bowl of rice or noodles for breakfast. B is Anglo and in the morning the most substantial thing he can deal with  is eggs and toast.

I think I’ve just found the perfect place for them to have their breakfast dates. At Japanese-styled cafe Cibi, those who sit in B’s camp can order a Western style breakfast of the eggs and toast variety. On Saturday mornings those who lean towards more of J’s style can be served a traditional Japanese breakfast. For $14.50 you receive a substantial feed of rice, a piece of grilled salmon (they also have a vegetarian option), slices of egg omelette, pickled vegetables, Japanese potato salad and a large bowl of miso soup complete with hand hewn wooden soup ladle. Paired with a pot of Japanese green tea, it’s a healthy and hearty start to the day.

The Western/Eastern pairings continue with the delicious baked goods made by the owner’s wife. On one side of the counter, beautiful frangipani tarts laden with juicy berries. On the other side, green tea (matcha) muffins hiding a smear of red bean paste inside ($3.50). These unusual muffins were so moist and moreish – I had one straight out of the oven and then took another one home.

The space’s simple and refined aesthetic  is also a combination of Japanese elegance and Western warehouse chic. There’s a general friendliness and ease about the place. A large blackboard rests on one wall where customers scrawl their notes to Cibi and each other, and across it the Cibi staff have said ‘Thank you for everyone for hanging out at Cibi‘. Awww.

Each of the mismatched mid-century chairs has been restored by the owner Zenta, a trained architect, and sourced from a combination of junk shops and Zenta’s contacts in Denmark. I love the organic shape of the communal table which takes centre stage in the light-filled room and the way in which it echoes the waves of the traditional Japanese wood block print hanging on the white-washed wall.

For the curious observer there are many nooks and crannies filled with interesting objects like vases and old books, and a whole section of Cibi is devoted to the display and sale of goods imported from Japan, from ceramics to fabrics to kitchenware. I particularly loved the pastel porcelain of the rice bowls by Masahiro Mori.

Finally, I also had an interesting chat with one of the waiters, Leo Greenfield. When he’s not working at Cibi, Leo is a recent VCA visual arts graduate who majored in sculpture and has a side project publishing his sketches of Australian street fashion at The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even. Go check it out!

• Cibi, 45 Keele St, Collingwood +61 3 9077 3941

While the furniture is always droolworthy in the store, on my most recent visit, these smaller items caught my eye:

A huge industrial lamp and other cool anodised lamp shades.

A butcher’s meat labels ($2 each). I loved these but couldn’t think of a use for them – any ideas? There were also some old-fashioned price tags on sticks which probably came from the same source.

The store has a penchant for taxidermy, including lots of stuffed birds and a pair of hugely tall peacocks which presided over the windows for a while.

If any of my wedding guests are out there reading this, please note that while we don’t have a gift registry we would very much appreciate this white orbit lamp ($120) *grin* It will go very nicely with our reproduction Le Corbusier chaise lounge and provide us of many happy memories of your generosity!

For other vintage stores in the area, check out Lost and Found Market, Angelucci and Industria (202 Gertude St Fitzroy).

• 84 Smith Street, 84 Smith St, Collingwood +61 7 9078 6669
  

As regular readers will know, I’m a going-out-for-breakfast skeptic. I toast my own granola, soak my own bircher, bake my own bread and flip some pretty awesome pancakes (the trick is to separate the eggs). I get the weekend papers delivered to my doorstep and I have a large sunny balcony in which to read them.

I admit that my early-morning cooking exploits and fortunate living arrangements make me a minority, but it means that on the rare occasions that I do go out for breakfast, I expect something beyond what I could rustle up from my store cupboard ingredients.

Sadly, Cavallero did not deliver.  I was so disappointed – its wrought iron entrance, airy warehouse ceiling, funky moose-head on the wall, 50s diner booths and constant bustle of cool locals had me itching to try the venue ever since I moved to the neighbourhood.

Nevertheless, at breakfast we’re talking a menu with zero innovation. Out of our table of four, three of us didn’t even order from the breakfast menu because there was nothing that caught our fancy (muesli, eggs, eggs, eggs and eggs). Instead, we opted for toasted sandwiches. Toasted sandwiches, people! The kind that any 5 year old can make with bread, ham and cheese (even if they may not use Istra ham and Heidi Farm gruyere).  I don’t need to be paying $8.50 for that. My eggplant kasundi sandwich didn’t even have toasted bread, and contained a fridge-cold filling. The fourth person of our party did succumb to the eggs (baked), which was quote ‘nothing special’.

The one redeeming part of the experience – the coffee was good…although they initially forgot the order.

I really wanted to like Cavallero but I can’t really recommend it over other, better breakfast options in the vicinity such as Gluttony It’s a Sin, Proud Mary and Birdman Eating. I like the space a lot and the lunch/dinner menu seems to offer more interesting choices, so I may give it another try just to be fair. But for the moment, my breakfast experience leaves it a NOT.

• Cavallero, 300 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9417 1377

Authentic Thai Taste is renowned for being one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne – the full house of Thai people on a weeknight is evidence of that. So where did we go wrong?

We’ve had two attempts at weekday takeway from Authentic Thai Taste now and neither of the experiences have really encouraged me to recommend it.

The first time: RM ordered chicken satays (4 sticks for $6.60), Cashew Pag ($9.90) and Panang Duck Curry ($15.90) and requested the dishes to be hot. Given our previous experience with ‘Thai hot’ at Mamanee Thai, we even readied ourselves with glasses of milk to temper the chilli burn.

Then…nothing. And it’s not because we’re chilli-mongers – honestly, not even a hint of heat in any of the dishes.  Evidently ‘hot’ when requested by a Westerner still means ‘just spicy enough to be served to a Thai toddler’.  RM even suspected that they had written up the bill with some sort of secret code telling the kitchen that he was a ‘gweilo’.

Other than the disappointing lack of heat, the dishes were only a little above average Thai – the curries were ok but the chicken satays were extremely stringy and overcooked.

The second time: We ordered a seafood pad thai ($11.90) and a red curry with chicken ($11.90), both requested at ‘Thai hot’. We were slightly concerned when we were told that the red curry had been pre-made, so they would just chuck some fresh chilli in it  and that they would just add a heap of chilli flakes to the pad thai as well. I’m not sure whether that’s usual practice but talk of ‘pre-made’ didn’t give us any confidence in the quality of the food we’d be receiving. Anyway, the red curry was pretty good, but the pad thai was disappointing – the chilli flakes and the unevenly wok-fried rice noodles gave the dish an unpleasant charred flavour. Neither of the dishes had the wow factor of the pad thai or penang beef curry from Mamanee Thai.

We’re determined to find out why Authentic Thai Taste continues to get rave reviews, so we’re going to give it one last chance by dining in and hoping that there are different dishes on the menu.  The Thai people of Melbourne can’t all be wrong…

• Authentic Thai Taste, 92-94 Johnston St, Collingwood +61 3 9495 6694

What happens when you gather two bloggers together on a blind friend date? You get three cameras, two iphones and lots of chat about writing, coding and stats.

But this post isn’t about the first meeting of Miss Kish and Jetsetting Joyce – it’s about the fantastical world of Wabi Sabi Salon. ‘Wabi Sabi‘ is the name of a Japanese  aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. That’s an apt description for the random and quirky design aesthetic for this small Japanese restaurant. Everywhere we turned we wanted to take pictures, from the dangling red lanterns, secluded private dining area to the kitsch and colourful toilets (complete with kabuki opera music and a lifelike poster of tattooed torsos to enhance the toilet-going mood).

The food coming from the tiny back kitchen was authentic, flavoursome and beautifully presented on mismatched Japanese crockery. To start we shared slices of eggpland and zucchini bathed in an unusual sticky sauce (ankake sauce) presented in the mid-section of a scoop-out eggplant ($11). For mains Miss Kish had the Tofu Dango (it sounds like a dance step), a  colourful boat of fried tofu balls, sweet potato, lotus root and veges served in a thick seaweed stock ($23). I devoured a whole tempura flounder ($26) – literally, complete with crunchy fried bones. The flounder was topped with sweet potato, fried lotus root and two dipping sauces – lime mayonnaise and ginger soy – and was one of the most satisfying fish dishes I’ve eaten in a while, on par with the whole fish served at Longrain and Cookie.

We couldn’t resist dessert so decided to share a home-made green tea cheesecake with black sesame icecream ($12). The fluffy cheesecake was the love child of a sturdy New York baked cheesecake and a girly souffle-like Japanese cheese cake. Black sesame icecream is in my Top 3 ice cream flavours and Wabi Sabi Salon‘s version didn’t disappoint – the icy cool chased down by the roasted sesame aftertaste was particularly delightful.

Finally, Wabi Sabi Salon is participating in Street Smart’s fundraising campaign, which runs from 9 November – 24 December 2009. Street Smart is a homeless charity and since 2003 they have partnered with restaurants to ask diners to make a small donation to Street Smart. Basically, every table is asked to add $2 or more to their bill and 100% of the donations are distributed directly to charity recipients. Find the full list of restaurants participating in 2009 here.

Thanks to Miss Kish for her wonderful photos! If you’d like to read Miss Kish‘s take on Wabi Sabi Salon and see more of her fab photos, click here.

Update 11 January 2010: A new Japanese Day Spa has now opened above Wabi Sabi Salon. Chanoyu is inspired by a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony Room and offers massages, facials and beauty treatments using Pola’s Sakura Veil and Aglaira products. It’s open Monday – Saturday 10a-8pm by appointment only (Anne Nguyen 0432 214 851).

• Wabi Sabi Salon, 94 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9417 6119

Mon – blank

Tuesday – blank

Wednesday – blank

Thursday – blank

Friday – blank

Of course not! This week I’m searching for Beethoven, time travelling with Eric Bana, discussing acoustic folk pop with Anita George, going on a blind date with my new blog crush Miss Kish, listening to some stimulating and interesting talks at TEDx Melbourne and saying hi to the lovely Thread Den ladies at the Thread Den Market.

This week’s little slice of Melbourne is this amusing graffiti that I spotted recently. Any idea where it’s located?

And finally, for those heading up north, you can now find out what’s HOT or NOT in Brisbane with BNE: HOT OR NOT. You’ll find some of the content from MEL: HOT OR NOT there, as well as all new Brisbane-based content from the funky CazM, along with a rotation of guest bloggers. Check it out and let us know what you think!

]]> http://www.melhotornot.com/hot-alert-week-9-november-2009/feed/ 0 http://www.melhotornot.com/proud-marys-cnr-stanley-oxford-sts-collingwood/ http://www.melhotornot.com/proud-marys-cnr-stanley-oxford-sts-collingwood/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:40:43 +0000 Jetsetting Joyce http://www.melhotornot.com/?p=3285

Lena: Do you really not drink coffee?????

Jetsetting Joyce: Um, that’s right. I’m not a true Melburnian. Can you and James please come to Proud Mary with me? It’s reputed to have the best coffee in Melbourne and I’d really appreciate your expert coffee-drinking opinion.

James: Sure. I have been coffeeing a bit at Brother Baba Budan and St Ali lately, the two other challengers to the Melbourne coffee throne, so will be interesting to compare them to the $40,000 God Machine.

Evidently the word had got around the coffee drinkers of Melbourne, as 9am on a Saturday morning found Proud Mary (named after a Creedance Clearwater song) pumping after only the fourth day of opening. So let’s get to the key question first – how good is the coffee? James and Lena both agreed that their house blend espresso, Columbian roast siphon and Guatamalan long machiato (made with one of only 250 Synesso coffee machines in the world) was some of the best coffee in Melbourne – smooth, no bitterness and with a beautiful crema. Proud Mary also serves coffee made using a rare Clover coffee maker, a machine handbuilt by Stanford engineers. From my point of view the coffee smelled gorgeously rich and was extremely photogenic!

Fortunately for me, Proud Mary also caters for discerning tea drinkers. Somage Fine Foods provides Proud Mary with Chamellia organic imported teas and naturally I gravitated towards the most expensive tea – a hand-picked shiny Lumbini golden tip tea from Sri Lanka which sells for a whopping $350 a kilo.

All the tea comes with precise instructions for brewing – for the Lumbini golden tip it’s 180 seconds with water at 80-90 degrees. You can have your tea served at your table with a timer, but I opted to have it brewed using the Japanese siphon from Hario. The friendly and knowledgeable barista and owner Nolan Hirste (a bit of a celebrity in Melbourne coffee-drinking circles apparently) talked me through the process of siphoning. Basically, siphoning uses vapour pressure and vacuum to create a clean, crisp, rich and smooth flavour because the heated water bubbles up to to the tea leaves/coffee grounds instead of having water poured on top of it, and then the vacuum in the bottom chamber draws the water back down through a strainer. In the 50s it was the most common method of making coffee, but when espresso came along the Western world kind of forgot about it. It’s still quite prevalent in Japan, where 30% of the coffee is brewed using siphons.

At the end of an almost scientific process, my delicate Reidel glass (love it!) of golden-hued tea was almost savoury in flavour – in fact it reminded me of the dried scallops used in Chinese cooking. Nolan said that next time I should try one of the teas which tasted like chicken broth!

As for the food – all I can say is that I’m a breakfast-sceptic and Proud Mary may just convert me. From savoury to sweet, everything by chef Kane was fresh, colourful and flavoursome. Between us we tried the potato hash topped with a properly jiggly poached egg, crisp bacon, grilled asparagus and a creamy sauce, an unusual semolina custard with vincotto caramelised peaches and toasted hazelnuts baked to almost a fluffy pudding, a tumble of scrambled eggs spiced with red pepper relish, with chorizo, grilled haloumi and rocket on the side,  plus some of the best hotcakes I’ve ever eaten, served with spiced pears, maple syrup, ricotta and a sprinking of almonds.

Proud Mary, I’m so happy that you’ve arrived into my hood. I’ve already got my eye on my next breakfast – muffins here I come! (Note cash only).

Update 8 November 2009: The food at Proud Mary was so good that I went to bed anticipating my Sunday breakfast. It didn’t disappoint the second time either – my toast with crushed avocado, roasted tomatoes and rocket was vibrantly coloured and took me back to summers in Italy, but the highlight was my fresh-out-the-oven strawberry muffin. Queue up everybody, because these intensely moist muffins (buttermilk?) were baked just to the point of golden and were of chiffon-cake lightness. Simply put, the best goddam muffins I’ve ever had.

For other breakfast options in the area, try Birdman Eating, Monsieur Truffe and Cibi.

• Proud Mary, Cnr Stanley and Oxford Sts, Collingwood

Like a Depression-era wife, my cupboards are slowly accumulating a mountain of used jars, plastic containers and paper bags. It’s all for a good cause though – I’m a Friend of the Earth.

Friends of the Earth Melbourne is a cafe, bookstore, clothing store and food co-op rolled into one hippie-smelling establishment. The lunch plates of vegetarian food are very popular and the organic fruit and vegetable selection is comparable in price to Queen Victoria Market. The best thing is their large range of bulk foods, where you bring your own containers (or take a used one from their collection) and fill them up with any quantity of food and household products which are sold by weight.

My personal recommendations:

• organic chamomile tea. If you compare the jar of normal chamomile tea and the organic stuff, you can smell the difference – the organic tea is much more fragrant. RM and I have a cup of tea most nights to promote calm sleep and the tea’s distinctive sedative effect is quite incredible. I also like the organic peppermint tea.
• dried goods. I make my own granola and Friends of the Earth has the cheapest organic rolled oats I’ve found ($4.55/kg). To make up the rest of the granola I use pepitas ($16.10/kg), dried organic apricots ($15.40/kg), organic sultanas ($11.90/kg), shredded coconut ($6.08/kg) and a combination of nuts. I also buy all my seeds, lentils, dried beans, rice and sugars from Friends of the Earth.
• liquids. The granola is finished off with organic honey ($12/kg). I also recommend the organic coconut butter for cooking ($23.66), as well as the hulled tahini for making hommus. When my pantry stocks run low I’ll be trying out the soy sauces, vinegars and oils, particularly the Mount Zero olive oil and Spiral Foods organic tamari.
• cleaning products. I decant the dishwashing liquid (5.28/kg) and handwash into pretty glass bottles from IKEA. We also use the environmentally friendly dishwashing powder, laundry powder, (nice smelling) laundry liquid, general all-purpose cleaner plus copious amounts of bicarb soda ($2.20/kg) and white vinegar ($1.27/kg).

For all my other bulk food/organic food needs, I head straight across the road to Organic Wholefoods.

• Friends of the Earth Melbourne, 312 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066‎  +61 3 9417 4382‎

“I love Thai food” RM gasped. “Me too” I replied, nose streaming.

Regular readers will know that I have an aversion to Anglofied Asian food (check out my review of the insipid Patee Thai). Fortunately, Mamanee is run by Thai people so when I requested that our food be ‘Thai hot’ they knew exactly what I meant. Although the cashier did look at us dubiously and asked “Have you been here before? Are you sure you want it that hot? Even I think it’s too hot.” and as he handed us our takeaway containers he parted with a solicitous “Let me know how you go.”

We started off with some pork spring rolls dipped in a light vinegar ($6.60 for 5 rolls). I tend to avoid food like spring rolls and samosas as they are generally greasy, refried and full of crappy leftovers, but these rolls were fresh and properly crisp. Then we uncovered our prawn pad thai flecked with chilli seeds ($15.50) and the red curry tofu with rice  bathed in a layer of bright red chilli oil ($13.50). Yeehah!

The pad thai was gutsy, full of the pungent flavour of shrimp paste with noodles that were just the right consistency of chewiness. The tofu curry was a little bland, could have done with more fish sauce/salt. And yes, they were both very hot. Not unbearably, unpleasantly so – more of a spreading heat all around our mouths that inhibited our ability to eat quickly and which had to be counterbalanced with regular sips of milk and panting for air. About a 7 on a heat scale of 1 to 10 (10 being RM’s experience with deathly Sichuanese food).

We’re excited to find a proper Thai restaurant so close to our house and we’ll certainly be back for more ‘Thai hot’ food. Eating hot curry is about as close to an adrenalin sport as I get.

Update 18 October 2009: I keep all my promises. The next weekend we returned for more ‘Thai hot’ food (served with milk, natch). This time, I recommend the richly flavoured Penang beef curry.

• Mamanee Thai Restaurant, 324 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9419 0538

• Metrosketchuals, Melbourne Fringe Festival, The Glasshouse Hotel, 51 Gipps St, Collingwood 3066 +61 3 9419 4748