Making Cocktails and a Little Mischief @ 1806, Melbourne

Many of you already know that my beautiful big sister is getting married soon. You might not know that along with the other three bridesmaids I was given the task of the hen’s night.

A scary and exiting task this was…How do you make a night fun, and in the theme of a hen’s night when you are under strict orders that there will be no strippers, no games and nothing the bride would feel uncomfortable doing? Well…you simply ignore these orders! (I did agree to no strippers I will tell you now…sorry for those playing at home).

Anyway, I am a good bridesmaid and won’t share too many secrets from the evening. I will however tell you how we started our night…

1806, a cocktail bar on Exhibition Street in Melbourne has come to be a little favourite of mine. After randomly attending a Murder Mystery night there with a group of girl friends last year, I discovered that this little bar has old school class and seriously good cocktails. The espresso martini here is insane…and we all know how much I like espresso martinis.

So when I was planning my sister’s hen’s night I thought 1806 could be a nice start to the evening. It was then that I found out that they run cocktail making classes downstairs in ‘The Understudy’. I was sold.

5pm rolled around last Saturday night and 11 of us took refuge from the heat and the sun in the darkened 1806.

We headed downstairs into the little bar to find four cocktail making stations all ready for our arrival…even a station for the beautifully pregnant (and therefore mocktail making) bridesmaid.

Our Cocktail making tools

After a little cocktail history we were taught a little math’s behind the perfect cocktail – this was seen to come in handy in the second part of the session.

Then to the cocktails…we watched and listened and make a few cheeky comments here and there and then attempted to replicate what we saw before us. It was a Caprioska, a combination of vodka, lime, sugar syrup and ice. I have to say, we made some delicious cocktails!

I'm busy muddling my limes

After a little chat and sip on our Caprioska we were called back for round two.

This time we were given the choice of spirits, juices, sweeteners and fresh fruits. Each group had to come up with a cocktail, name it and present it to the group.

Delicious Fresh Fruit

My group consisting of myself, the Hen and another bridesmaid decided we wanted to win! We created a combination of vodka, orange – vanilla liqueur, orange bitters some sugar syrup, muddled raspberries and ice. We named this little baby a Little Red Corvette.

Little Red Corvette

In a taste off, it came down to two teams. In the end, our little vixen won!  I am not willing to accept that this may have been completely due to the hen being in my group. I like to think we are amazing cocktail creators. I hope you agree!

The session was a fun and interactive way to get our evening started. The hen was very happy.

After once again enjoying our delicious creations, we said farewell to 1806 for the evening feeling very light headed and quite pleased with ourselves.

Burgers and a Hangover @ Huxtaburger, Collingwood

 

Obviously I have heard a lot about Huxtaburger…who hasn’t and I have wanted to go for a long time now. I love burgers, I really do.

Knowing that its unlikely you’ll get a table, I always struggled with finding an appropriate time to go. This was until my mum was down for the weekend. We were doing a food styling and photography workshop together, and lets be honest, I was really hung over.

Sitting it class it was coming up to lunchtime and my mind was wandering. When I am hung over it usually wanders to food. So my mind said…I’m hung over…I want a burger…I’m close to Huxtaburger…mum loves burgers.

Class finished, I told mum the plan and we were off.

As expected it was packed. After ordering our burgers we managed to snag a spot at the bar inside and we were pretty happy. We watched as the procession line of burgers was being made in amazing time. Bun…bun…cheese…pattie…bun…bun…cheese…pattie. Repeat!

Our burgers arrived in nearly no time at all.

Mum ordered the Bills – beef pattie, mustard, mayo, tomato sauce, tomato, cheese, lettuce pickles, bacon, egg, pineapple and beetroot ($10). We also ordered small chips to share ($2.5)

Bills Burger and Small Chips

Mum was very happy as she munched away on her burger. A very messy task however I did notice.

A lover of simple burgers I ordered the Huxtaburger – beef pattie, mustard, mayo, tomato sauce, tomato, cheese, lettuce pickles ($8).

Huxtaburger

My burger was fantastic. The beef was moist and delicious and slightly pink in the centre. The tart flavour of the pickles and the mustard was the perfect combination. It was juicy a little greasy and a little bit messy. Everything a burger should be. I also liked the sizes of the burgers. They are smaller than the usual burger meaning you wont feel too full after eating one. It’s an old school burger and it’s good, it’s really good.

The chips were also very good. Regular frozen crinkle cut chips…nothings fancy, but cooked perfectly and very very salty.

I left feeling satisfied and my hangover was very appreciative.

Gossip, Forced Chivalry and Sandwiches @ Earl Canteen, Melbourne

 

Ok I realize it is ridiculous that it has taken me this long to get to Earl Canteen, and there is probably not much else left to say about these sandwiches, but hey, I’m going to tell you about my visit anyway.

So, it was Tuesday, I had summer school for my Masters and it was about 1000 degrees outside. What better excuse to get together with a girl friend, eat some awesome sandwiches and have a bit of a gossip session.

When I arrived, my friend (who is an Earl regular) had already had a chat to the wonderful waiter and nabbed us the next available table. I had to laugh when a couple of suits tried to take our table and our waiter went and spoke to them quickly alerting them to the fact that “this table is for the lovely ladies behind you”. Sometimes chivalry needs a little helping hand when there are sandwiches involved.

So we took our seat, next to the kitchen. Aside from the fact that the toaster, which was preparing all the delicious bread, was making us sweat even more, we had a cool view of the sandwiches.

Chefs at work

The menu, put in front of us was really not needed for me. After following Earl Canteen on twitter for a long time now I knew I had to try to chicken and chips. I waited patiently while my friend decided which option she was after today.

Menu

My Chicken and Chips sandwich, which was roast free-range chicken, crushed peas, candied bacon, potato crisps on ciabatta bread ($13), was placed in front of me and I was a little excited.

Chicken and Chips

Ok so this is not the kind of sandwich that you should be eating every day but it is also the kind of sandwich to break the rules for. Tasty chicken, salty bacon, a little green from the peas and crunch from the chips…I mean it can’t really get much better than that.

My friend ordered the Harissa Lamb on this particular occasion which consisted of Slow cooked harissa rubbed lamb, quince, hung yoghurt, green beans and almonds on ciabatta ($15).

Harissa Lamb

She loved her meal as well, commenting on the fact that the almonds gave it a really nice crunch.

These sandwiches almost feel like delicious meals placed between two pieces of bread, and I have to say that is more than ok by me. I also have to say I liked the sizes of the Earl sandwiches. They are a good lunch portion and won’t leave you feeling full for hours.

They are an experience in themselves and if you haven’t been, your missing out.

A sneaky preview @ Rose Diner and Bar, Port Melbourne

I was lucky enough to attend a sneak preview of Rose Diner and Bar this week. The staff were smiling, the paint freshly dried and the chefs were ready to go.

Ash and Steed, the lovely gentlemen behind the venture were relaxed and smiling. “This is what we do, its hospitality” they told us. The hard part of refitting the now beautiful Rose Diner was over and the show was about to start.

As Tom and Winter behind the bar mixed us up a few drinks we had a look around to get a feel of the place.

Its light, its relaxing and its beautiful. Wooden tables, and a wooden bar are highlighted with mint green features, exposed brick and thoughtful touches.

The menu, created by chef Stephen Drake is about good produce and simple classic dishes executed well. He was after a sense of nostalgia. Entrees like the prawn cocktail and vol-au-vents and mains like a steak Diane or a leek and Gruyere quiche really achieve this. There is even a corned beef sandwich available.

When it came to ordering, the four of us decided that the more dishes and sharing involved the better.

For appetizers we started with oysters ($3.5), Welsh rarebit croquettes with pickled tomato and raisins ($9) some Fried green olives ($7) a coronation chicken vol-au-vent and a crayfish vol-au-vent.

These were outstanding. The olives were crisp and warm and packed a real flavour. The salty olive came through underneath the batter. I can see myself ordering these every time I visit.

The Croquettes burst with rich cheesy flavour, which was matched perfectly with the refreshing and sweet tomato and raisin accompaniment. The vol-au-vents, while fun could have had a bit more flavour to them for me.

On to entrees.

We went with the Red spanner crab, warm Nicola potato, crab bisque and quail egg  ($19) and the Pan-roasted Hervey Bay Scallops with pickled green chilli and mint ($17).

Again they was delicious; and served on the cutest plates. Their love of the Country Woman’s Association shone through in the crockery choices.

The spanner crab dish was creamy and delicate at the same time. The potato and the tiny eggs were the perfect combination to the crab. The Scallops packed a punch. Fresh scallops, combined with the heat from the chilli made it a great dish.

Now, we may have over ordered a little of the mains, but it seemed a shame not to order big!

We had the Steak Diane with brandy mustard and shallot ($25), the Char-grilled salt bush lamb, lemon and thyme, roasted peppers and slow cooked garlic ($29) and the Pan-roasted snapper with clams, braised lettuce, bacon and white ale ($26).

To accompany we ordered the salad of Fresh peas, basil, mint, parsley, shallots lemon and quinoa ($14), the Heirloom tomatoes, cucumber dried oregano, red onion and crouton ($9) and the Hand-cup chips ($6).

The portion sizes were very generous and we were very happy diners. Forks were going this way and that trying everything.

The lamb and the snapper were both cooked beautifully. With the lamb pink and the snapper falling apart with the fork. The salads added fresh crisp highlights to the meals and I would highly recommend them. The fresh peas with the herbs was a lovely mix.

However for us, the Steak Diane was the stand out. It was just beautiful. Tender and flavoursome, thinking about it now is literally making my mouth water. The sauce made it beautifully moist and the light salad leaves were a lovely accompaniment.

While dessert was not necessary we couldn’t say no. We opted to, once again share, the Peach Melba, the Valrhona chocolate filled doughnuts and Mum’s Trifle.

The doughnuts were HUGE and there were five of them, I would highly recommend sharing them. They are rich and decedent and I don’t know anyone who could easily eat all five. I am not a huge fan of sponge or custard so it was no surprise that the trifle wasn’t my favourite, but according to those who do like trifle, it was a good one. The Peach Melba was delicious. Rich ice cream with peaches and sorbet all drizzled in coulis was a divine combination. I would highly recommend it.

We left feeling very full and happy. There are about ten other things I want to try on the menu and I know for a fact my mum would be in foodie heaven here, so I will be back. Most likely many a time.

Little Rose opens this Saturday February 4th. Seriously excited about jaffles, milkshakes and coffee. Will be heading there for a weekend brunch soon.