Almost regulars @ Charlie’s Bar

“Welcome to Charlie’s and the Mill. You know the drill. Drinks are flowing, crowd is growing, food is tasty, Barman’s not hasty. Drinks are divine, you’re feeling fine. Faces smiling, mobiles dialing. Sit back and relax, enjoy to the max. Time races past, it’s all gone too fast. Feet are fading, friends are waving. Memories of Fun, the nights all done” – Miche 2011

These are not my words, but the words that you read on the first page of the Charlie’s Bar menu. Any bar that has a knack for words is ok by me.

Charlie’s Bar has always been a favourite CDB bar of mine, but I have recently been venturing there more and more.

During Melbourne Food and Wine festival, I was lucky enough to get media tickets to the Snakes and Ladders event. This event saw us attend four bars all in close proximity to each other. Each bar prepared a signature cocktail and signature bar snack to go with it. After attending this event, I was reminded of my love of Charlie’s Bar.

So for those of you who have never been to Charlie’s, it is located beneath The Mill in Hardware lane.

For me it is such a stark contrast to the bustling, loud and often overwhelming atmosphere of Hardware lane. There are dark steps that take you down into a sleek, sexy cocktail lounge. There is a main area near the bar, then a number of private alcoves to find refuge while you enjoy the delicious drinks prepared by the knowledgeable and might I add handsome staff.

Each night has a different special at Charlie’s Bar and Thursday nights are two for one cocktails. This is of course inviting for those of us who are still students.

With a newfound love for gin, this particular evening, I took a liking to the Bramble. This cocktail is a delicious mix of gin, lemon juice, gomme and a touch of crème de mure. I do have to thank one of the bartenders for this recommendation. I told him I liked gin, and a few other flavours and he made me this.

While the two-for-one deal only includes a handful of cocktails, their list is very extensive and you are sure to find something to your liking.

Charlie’s Bar also offer a number of bar snacks made upstairs at The Mill. These include house made bread and dips, Oysters, olives, mini burgers and more similar items.

If you like cocktails and you like cocktail bars, I highly recommend you pay Charlie’s Bar a visit. If you do, kindly pass on that Amy says hi…

*Images Courtesy of Charlie’s Bar

Family Lunch @ Maha Bar and Grill, Melbourne

When my Aunty suggested lunch at Maha one afternoon, I obviously didn’t argue. Not knowing exactly what to expect, I was quite excited!

As you enter the restaurant and take the stairs downward, you enter a different world. The leather and wood fill your eyes and the incense fills your nose. It’s a transformation! The staff here only contributes to this, with divine service. A rare experience where the staff make you feel comfortable and relaxed and completely taken care of all at the one time.

Now to the menu… with only time for two courses, we opted to start with mains as we all have a bit of a sweet tooth.

The main affair…

With three of us, we managed to order nearly the whole main selection.

My aunty ordered the Tunisian brik Bangalow Pork Belly, Pork Popcorn, Lebanese Kimchi and Onion Mayo.

My sister, the non meat eater at the table ordered a slightly altered version of the New Zealand King Salmon, Crab Mafouf, Corn Custard, Sucuk and White Asparagus.

They were both absolutely blown away. In addition, my sister noted that the Smoked Eggplant, fenegreek, seeds and nuts with Gbejniet Cheese which we ordered on the side, was the best side dish she has ever eaten.

I went with the 12 hour roasted Mt. Leura Lamb Shoulder with pistachio and green olive tabouleh. It was accompanied with an almond pilaf and labne on the side.

The lamb was simply divine. The meat was tender and moist, with charred pieces on the edges, which exploded, with flavour in my mouth. The tabouleh added tart flavours and crunch, which balanced out the richness of the lamb perfectly. The Labne also added perfect contrast.

A sweet ending…

After a flawless main experience we eagerly received the dessert menu. My aunty admitted the Turkish Delight filled doughnuts with Olive oil Chocolate Mousse, Rosewater Honey and White chocolate Dust was what made this a must visit venue for her, so she ordered them.

She was not at all disappointed. While the doughnuts, she told me were absolutely beautiful, she could have easily just eaten the mousse on its own! A perfect ending to her meal.

My sister and I both ordered the Salted Caramel with Bitter Chocolate Ice Cream, Crunchy Cous Cous and roasted Peanut Foam.

While choosing a favorite dessert is impossible, this dish is most certainly up there. The rich creamy salted caramel paired with the ice cream was a sinfully delicious combination. The cous cous and the peanuts on top expertly provided crunch and contrast, while the peanut foam brought through the delicious peanut flavour to just top off the dish.

If I could have licked the bowl I would have!

Maha, is a transformation. A time machine into another world where we all eat like kings! I cannot recommend it more highly. I am eagerly awaiting my return visit to sample the banquet menu.

For more information:

Maha Bar and Grill

21 Bond St
Melbourne 3000

(03) 9629 5900

http://www.mahabg.com.au/

Eight course Degustation @ Ezard, Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Never having had a degustation dinning experience before, my boyfriend and I thought we would start big! Ezard are known as one of the best in Melbourne so we thought why not!

Ezard is one of the many restaurants found on Flinders Lane. Following the small ‘Ezard’ sign we took the stone stairs downwards. As we got to the door, a dark stylish room greeted us, with quiet chatter filling the air. The long thin restaurant features seating all down the left hand side with a walkway out to the kitchen along the right. We were greeted by a friendly waitress who seated us at a cozy table for two.

Already having decided on the degustation menu, we told the waitress we would be having two degustation menus with matched wines. We waited excitedly for the evening’s events with a glass of sparkling.

Now, about to eat an 8-course fine dinning degustation, the bread should not really excite. Yet at Ezard, it is a little difficult to not be impressed. Fresh sourdough is served with Ezards own parmesan, garlic and rosemary infused oil and three different dipping herbs. This oil was amazing, some of the most beautifully flavoured dipping oils I have ever tasted. The dipping herbs were, according to the waitress a taste of the flavours on the menu. They were sugar and garlic, Szechuan pepper and finally nori and bonito. The garlic and sugar started with a sweet sensation and followed with a powerful kick of garlic and heat. This was a fun and exciting taste sensation to kick off the evening.

Anyway, I should get to the menu! For each course, we were given information and descriptions of both the food and the matching wine, with details of why they were paired together.

The first course, a Japanese Inspired Osyter Shooter was paired with a  2010 Sake. Never having tried oysters or sake I was a little hesitant. The oyster came in a sake broth and was followed with a green tea nori roll. No fault of the restaurant, I did find out I’m not a fan of either oysters or Sake! My boyfriend however who is said it was delicious.

The second course, Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi, bonito pannacotta, sticky soy, horseradish aioli and wasabi foam and was served with a beautiful and light NV Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, Reims, Champagne. This dish was beautifully delicate and expertly executed. The sashimi was like butter and the wasabi foam was intense in flavour. The champagne was a divine match.

To follow was the Steamed Blue Swimmer Crab Dumpling with Soy butter, Crispy taro and Mint Salad. This was served with a 2009 grace gris de kashu, Katsunuma, Japan, a beautiful white wine. This dumpling was definitely one of my favorite dishes. It was a perfectly cooked steamed dumplings packed with strong crab flavours topped with a crisp contrast and an amazing sauce. I wanted this one to go on for much longer!!

The fourth course was Crispy Fried White Polenta with sautéed mushrooms, peas, poached egg, shaved black truffle and soft herbs. This was served with a 10 year old henriques & Henriques Sercial Madeira, Portugal. This dish was delicious. The polenta was crisp and the mushrooms matched perfectly. It was served in a strong broth to bring out the flavours. The wine match was exciting, as I had never had dry Madeira before. I would love to taste another dry Madeira having experienced it here.

Course five was the Steamed Mulloway, sesame noodles, shimeju mushrooms, fried chilli sambal, plum wine dressing. This was served with a 2009 bass phillip gamay from Gippsland Victoria. I do have to admit, this was the least stand out dish for me. The fish was cooked beautifully as expected and the flavours were all complementary, but as a big fish eater it wasn’t as different as many of the other dishes I tasted.

Course six was Five Spiced Bangalow Sweet Pork Belly with yellow bean and peanut dressing, and apple slaw salad. This was served with a 2008 Felsina Berargenga Chianti Classico from Tuscany. As someone who thought I didn’t like pork, I was looking forward to trying this dish. I am officially a port convert. It was delicious and tender and the sauce that accompanied it was so creamy.

For ‘main’ we had the choice of either a roast duck or a wagyu beef steak. I chose the Chinese Roast Duck, Green Chilli and Oyster Sauce dressing with Coconut Rice and Asian Greens. This was served with the classic combination a 2008 by Farr Farrside Pinot Noir from Geelong Victoria. While I may sound like a broken record, this was again delicious. The coconut rice was creamy and cooked to perfection and the duck was tender and flavoursome and the dressing accompanied the dish wonderfully.

Finally, we came to dessert. It was a Bittersweet Chocolate Torte, five spiced cumquats and praline ice cream and this was served with a 1982 toro albala don gran reserva pedro ximenez from Montilla-Moriles, Spain. The chocolate torte was rich and delicious, and the praline ice cream was the perfect combination. The cumquats however were very tart and strong and ill admit, a little too much for my liking.

All in all, the food here is incredible, the flavours are expertly matched and they are executed with skill and flare. The degustation experience allowed us to try a vast array of tastes that Ezard has to offer and we were not disappointed. I do have to say that eight matched wines were a little too much for me. Next time I try a degustation I would opt for no matching wine. Having said that the matches were perfect, unexpected and exciting and I’m glad I get to experience them all.

I would highly recommend Ezard for either the degustation or their standard menu.

For more information:

Ezard

187 Flinders Lane,

Melbourne, VIC, 3000

(03) 9639 6811

www.ezard.com.au/

A Birthday Celebration @ Gingerboy, Crossley Street, Melbourne

Now I must admit I have been a bad blogger and left this write up for a few month. Yet…I feel it is still important to share my lovely evening at Gingerboy!

So…back in April, the day after my boyfriend’s birthday, I treated him to a night out at Gingerboy, another fine dining experience tucked away in the laneway world that is Melbourne CBD.

As we arrived we entered the small buzzing venue and headed upstairs for a glass of champagne to start off the evening. The service here was delightful, they know who we were and never miss a beat. After enjoying the relaxed darkened cocktail bar on the top level we headed downstairs to our table, which was situated among the busy dinning room.

This venue is not your standard fine dining, the room is busy and loud and filled with excitement. The tables are close together and the room is dark and moody. This makes perfect sense when you know that Gingerboy serves Asian street/hawker style food, with Thai, Chinese and other Asian influences running through the flavours.

The menu is also different, it is split up into snacks and street foods and then shared dishes. While it can be quite daunting as to how much and what to order the wait staff are fully aware of this and are offering help before asked. Here they suggest four small and one large dish for two people or two small and two large. A make your own adventure street banquet!!

Opting for four small and one large dish to share, we were looking forward to tasting a large variety of flavours.

First of the small tastes were the famous Son in Law Eggs served with chilli jam and asian herbs. Having heard a lot about this dish I was quite excited! The waiter informed me that the egg must be placed in your mouth whole to avoid it exploding…wow! This was definitely an experience, the crisp outer of the egg burst to release a whole soft-boiled egg into your mouth at one time. Not a huge fan of soft-boiled eggs, it wasn’t my favorite dish of the evening. It was however a fun experience!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then had the coconut-marinated kingfish served with peanut tamarind dressing and rice noodles. This was outstanding. The sashimi was like butter and the sauce was creamy and rich. The noodles created crunch and texture and completed the taste.

Then we had the pork and chive dumplings with Sichuan chilli dressing. Wow did these pack a punch! The chilli hit you straight in the face. The filling was flavoursome and tender and the combination was great.

My standout favorite small food, was the last to come and it was the Spiced wagu beef with broken rice, smoked tomatoes and lettuce cups. This twist on san choi bao was amazing! The beef was juicy and so flavoursome. The lettuce provided crisp and fresh relief from the intense flavours and richness from the beef. I could not stop talking about these.

After entrée we were keenly awaiting what main would bring. Our Nonya Chicken Curry with Kifler Potatoes and rice crackers served with Coconut Rice was divine! It was by far the best curry I have ever tasted. Cooked in coconut cream, the curry was strong in flavour and spice and rich and creamy in texture. The chicken was perfectly tender and the rice crackers again gave texture contrast and crunch. To top this meal off was the delicious coconut rice, which accompanied it. It was sticky and creamy and yum. There is no better way to describe it.

When I thought I had experienced all the taste sensations I could for one evening, dessert arrived. We ordered the Spiced pear crumble with citrus custard and vanilla bean ice cream to share. Think crumble melted into creamy custard and then spice from the chilli flakes speckling the top and that’s what this was. It was so much more creamy than your standard crumble and the hit of chilli was quite fun! It was delicious as well as exciting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all Gingerboy provided not only a night of amazing food, but a night of fun, new experiences and taste sensations I could never have imagined!

I am dying to go back and try all the other creations they are whipping up.

 

For more information

Gingerboy

27/29 Crossley Street

Melbourne Vic 3000

(03) 9662 4200

www.gingerboy.com.au/