Grosvenor Hotel

We arrived shortly after 6pm and for a good three quarters of an hour we had the Bistro to ourselves and the waiter’s full attention.  We needed this attention.  The Bistro has an Italian flavour and lacking knowledge of the Italian language we found some of the expressions and words on the menu confusing.   The waiter who had memorised the daunting number of specials was able to explain what we needed to know.   It makes for secure dining when your waiter knows what the food is all about.

Bistro – Grosvenor Hotel

One of the group chose ‘Durum wheat fusilli, almond, chilly and parsley pesto from Trapani with pecorino pepato’ This was listed under pasta and that, of course, is what it was.

Durum wheat fusilli

My other companion and I ordered ‘Kid goat slowly roasted in wood fire oven with peas, potato and five herbs’.  This was much the better choice.  It was delicious and the meat just fell off the bones.

Kid goat slowly roasted in wood fire oven

My friend who had the pasta felt it was a little bland and wasn’t hot enough.  She believes that they served it early and kept it waiting.  When she mentioned that she would have liked it hotter it was explained that was how it should be – something to do with the cheese.  So if you like your pasta steaming hot this isn’t the dish for you.

There is an array of desserts.  Our table had ‘Tiramisu al Fruiti Di Bosco’ which tasted good but unlike your average Tiramisu but none the worse for that.

Tiramisu al Fruiti Di Bosco

And ‘Buffalo Panna Cotta with cantucci crumble, orange and vin santo syrup’,

Buffalo Panna Cotta

We shared a bottle of Merlot Çhurchview ‘Silverleaf’ Margaret River $26.00.  Very good drinking especially with the goat.

Seven o’clock appears to the magic hour for dining in St Kilda and when the clock hit seven the restaurant began to fill up.
The food was interesting with the goat being outstanding  for a cold winter’s night.

We plan to return and try the bar food menu.  It is opens for lunch so that could be an option.

The menus are available on line here and I suggest you have a look at it before you go.  That would have served us well.  We could have given more attention to the specials and with so much to ponder I missed an entree that I later wished I had tried ‘stuffed zucchini flowers with ricotta and pecorino pepato mousse, fregola salade’.

The wines on the wine list are all available in the drive through bottle store at $10.00 less than the wine menu price. So if you liked your choice you can grab a bottle on your way out, knock $10.00 off the price and drink more at home.

The menu identifies dishes that are gluten free and vegetarian.

Where:-
Grosvenor Hotel
10 Brighton Road
St Kilda East.
Phone: 9531 1542
Web: http://www.grosvenorhotel.com.au/

Opening Hours:-
The Bistro opens for dinner from 6pm
The Wine Bar is open all day from 12 noon.

Getting there:-
Tram : 67 tram stops out side
Car: There is a  parking space behind the hotel with the entrance off Grosvenor Street and street parking in the side streets – try Brunning Street

Related posts:

1. Lunch at Hotel Nest – Albert Park
2. Cricket Club Hotel South Melbourne – ideal eating on a cold night
3. Station Hotel, Napier Street, Footscray – lunch in their European-style dining room.

I  looked for Orange or was it Red or possibly Red Orange Cafe.  A cafe I remembered that served a great breakfast.  It appears to have gone.  It is always a bit sad when somewhere you remember has disappeared without any goodbye.  It is like a  sudden hole in the ground that you have to navigate around.

I navigated into the Prahran Market and wandered into the Market Square.  This turned out to be an ideal place to be on Sunday afternoon.

There is live music, relaxed families, people eating and people who are just enjoying the music.

I shop at the market and have written about it before see here.  But this is my first Sunday Lunch/breakfast experience.  I say breakfast because I  always order breakfast at this time of the day.

Mojito’s had a breakfast special; two eggs any style, three rashers of bacon and two slices of toast for $8.90. I ordered this with the eggs scrambled and my usual flat white.

The coffee was good.  The band played.  The sun shone.  People chattered. The waiter with an Irish accent brought a bottle of water. There was a constant movement of people coming and going.  My breakfast came.  The scrambled eggs were just right, bacon tasty and the toast thick and firmly toasted.

There are other choices in the Prahran Market Square for Sunday Midday eating.  Cafe Egnaro serves focaccia and Prides

Cafe Egnaro

The Beangreen Vegetarian Cafe has salads of various combinations with chick peas and there are interesting looking fritters.

Beangreen Vegetarian Cafe

It was so pleasant and relaxing I was loath to leave but my glass of wine in the city called.
Mojito can also be accessed from Commercial Road.   The food is described as Mediterranean, Australian and Italian and they also have wood fired pizza.    I can only speak for their breakfasts.  It was the scrambled eggs that won me over.  So often they can be watery.

Where:
Market Place Prahran Market

Mojito Cafe and Bar 169 Commercial Road, South Yarra
Phone: 9826 6544

Mojito can also be accessed from Commercial Road.

Opening Hours:- Mojito
Every day from 8am for breakfast
Thursday Friday and Saturday until about 9.00pm for dinner.

Getting there:-
Tram 72  from the CBD
Tram 78 runs from Richmond to St Kilda along Church & Chapel Streets

Related posts:

1. Prahran Market –the food lovers market in South Yarra
2. Red Star Cafe right opposite The South Melbourne Market, Clarendon Street
3. Cakes and coffee at the Special Cake Shop – Chapel Street, Prahran

Pictures of last years market in the early evening  The Market is from 5 to 10pm

This year the market runs for another three Thursdays – March, 10th, 17th, 24th

My first visit this year will be on Thursday, that is 10th March – I’ll report back.

Getting there:
Trams 96 and 16 to St Kilda – Follow the smell of food. Last year the food was wonderful.

Opening Hours:-
5pm to 10 pm

Related posts:

1. St Kilda Night Market 2011–hang-out there during the last Thursdays in March.
2. St Kilda Beach Night Market – Thursdays
3. The Esplanade Market, St Kilda is worth a visit

The smell of food cooking leads you to the Suzuki Night Market.   The smell is delicious with the main ingredient being the aroma of barbecuing.  This is strange because when you get into the market there is an incredible selection foods – a chance to eat your way around the world with food from many countries.

This market is held every Wednesday until 2nd of March on the Queen Victoria Market site. It  has  been operating on this site for a number of years and has built up a strong following.

In the unusual weather we are having this summer the evening I went was the first sunny Wednesday for a few weeks.  Not that rain really matters because most of the stalls are under cover. The market opens at 5.30pm and this is the scene at 5.45pm with the crowd  flowing in.  In the fine weather this is where the entertainment is.

There are a numerous stalls but with the stomach-rumbling smells that meet you on Elizabeth Street most people head to the food section.  There are two food areas both on the right of the walkways.  This gives you some an idea of the fare on offer.

Nepalese food – Chicken Sekuwa

African curries

Australian eating – Ostrich Burgers – Croc Burgers – Roo Burgers

Korean tornado potatoes – these were a hit with queues waiting to be served

.

Beautiful cup cakes to finish you eating experience.

Prices are good for the food – mostly $10.00 or under with the Korean Tornado Potato at $5.00

Food is not the only interest.  There are numerous stalls of clothing,  jewelry, crafts and an area for tarot reading, massage, reflexology – all good things for the spirit.

Hair Sticks

coconut watches

Locally designed clothes

While all this is happening there is entertainment.  Check the web site here for further information on who is performing.

Where:-
Suzuki Night Market
Queen Victoria Market
Corner of Elizabeth and Queen Streets

Hours:-
5.30pm to 10.00pm
Every Wednesday until March 2nd
Further information

Getting There:-
Tram: Any tram that goes up Elizabeth Street or the Free City Circle and get off at Queen Victoria Market
Train; Get off at Melbourne Central

Web site:-

http://www.qvm.com.au/snm/snm_home.aspx

Related posts:

1. Prahran Market –the food lovers market in South Yarra
2. St Kilda Night Market Thursday 10th March 2011 -O’Donnell Gardens
3. St Kilda Beach Night Market – Thursdays

Zum Zum serves Middle Eastern food and more particularly Lebanese.  It is a few weeks since I have had Lebanese food and after lunch at Zum Zum I won’t leave it so long between indulging again.

We arrived about noon for lunch and grabbed a table that was outside and partly shaded, sipped a wine while we thought of food.

The wine was a generous pour.

There is a special lunch menu with very reasonable prices and we chose from that. I photographed it.  I hope you are able to check it out from this image.

We chose Silver beet rolls with chickpeas, rice, tomatoes and spices to share.  These are something like dolmates but more flavoursome than the ones I am used to.

Silver beet rolls with chickpeas, rice, tomato and spices

For mains we made an individual selection.

Fatteh – warm chickpea salad mixed with yogurt & tahini sauce

Lahmi B ajeen – filo pastry stuffed with lamb pinenuts and pomegranate essence

Both of us agreed that we liked our selection and we would order them again.  Perhaps that is unlikely as the menu is so interesting at another lunch we would probably try something different.

Zum Zum is definitely a place to return for lunch although too much of this delicious Lebanese influenced food and you could start to have withdrawal symptoms. And it is great value for money.

Inside dining

I haven’t tried dinner at Zum Zum but someone may be able to comment on that.

Where:-
Cafe Zum Zum
645 Rathdowne St
Carlton North 3054 VIC

Phone 9348 0455

Getting there:-
Tram 96 to East Brunswick.
It runs along Nicholson Street. Get off at Newry Road and walk left, through to Rathdowne Street.

Parking:-
There is two hour parking in the surrounding streets

Related posts:

1. Rocco Pantaleo – La Porchetta North Carlton
2. Motorbikes at La Porchetta Carlton North
3. “Little Italy” – Lygon Street – Carlton

Georgios has been there forever.  That is probably too grand a statement but I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t there.   During the years I have known it, it has remained the same and become an Armadale icon if not a Melbourne icon.  The decor is rather like a sophisticated cafe and doesn’t appear to have changed either over the years.  It is pleasant and relaxing and always buzzing. It’s a great place to meet friends – everyone knows it or if they don’t they can find it easily – the corner of High Street and Glenferrie Road opposite the Malvern Town Hall.

I worked in Armadale a couple of years ago and once a month we had a breakfast meeting in Georgios.  After a while we thought the food had gone off and we found other places. Thinking back I believe we needed a reason to explore other places – we wanted change.  Georgios had stayed the same.

Recently a friend said she was meeting her friend there and she would give me a report if I was interested.  I jumped at her offer.  “Yes please”, I said.    “I want to know: is the food still good?  Did you enjoy it?  What about service?  And why did you choose Georgios?

This is what my friend e-mailed to me.

“The reason we chose Giorgio’s is because it is well known which makes it a great meeting place. The atmosphere was humming without being too loud and the service was flawless.

The outside tables were not in use as it had been raining but you could imagine on a summer’s day they would all be full of life.

I had the warm spicy tea.

Then for my meal I had “avocado toast”  It was delicious. Two slices of honey and sesame toast with sliced avocado, topped with tomato and crispy bacon and a side of rocket and feta.

My friend had the egg-white omelette. This was on rye bread and the omelette was filled with feta and chopped tomatoes.  For an egg-white omelette she said it was very tasty. This came with a grilled tomato on the side”.

Giorgios has a dining area, a large outdoor terrace, wine bar, private function room and a semi-enclosed fully heated outdoor area.

Where:_
Georgios
1235 High Street, Armadale – on the corner of Glenferrie Road
Phone 9822 4664
Opening Hours:- every day from 7.00am to 1.00am

Getting there:-
Tram N0 6 to Glen Iris goes down High Street. Get off at the corner of High and Glenferrie.

Related posts:

1. Browsing High Street, Armadale & eating at Crust
2. Cakes and coffee at the Special Cake Shop – Chapel Street, Prahran
3. Red Star Cafe right opposite The South Melbourne Market, Clarendon Street

In fact now I think about I only buy it at the Market. I still pop into Noisette’s on Bay Street, Port Melbourne for coffee and cake but I buy their bread at the South Melbourne Market.  It seems a very odd thing to do when I think about it.  But of course I have an excuse to buy cheese and other deli items while I’m in the South Melbourne Market.

My fruit loaf on my charming ‘marine’ chopping board – sourced in New Zealand

I’m not sure why they cover it in flour.  It’s not ideal if you are wearing  Melbourne black.  I take great care to bang off the flour before I slice it.

Pickadeli stocks breads from other famous bakers like Irrewarra and Phillippas but I can’t go past Noisette’s Fruit Sourdough toasted with morning coffee; large chunks of fig and apricot set off by currants, sultanas and orange peel.

I’m not the only one who likes it because I have been there about midday and found that they have sold out.  Of course for any market you need to be there early in the morning to get the selection.   South Melbourne Market is no different.

What:-
My Favourite fruit bread:

Where:-
Pickadeli South Melbourne Market:
At the end of the market near the car ramp and the light rail

Getting there:-
Tram:
96 (Light Rail) from Bourke Street, and get off at the South Melbourne stop. The market is about 2 minutes away.
112 Tram from Collins Street, get off on the corner of Clarendon and York Street.
Driving:
Melway:       Map 1C Ref E11
There is parking on top of the South Melbourne Market and some parking in the neighbouring street ( alot of street parking is Permit only, so watch out for that)

Related posts:

1. Red Star Cafe right opposite The South Melbourne Market, Clarendon Street
2. Prahran Market –the food lovers market in South Yarra
3. Urban Art – Frank Malerba – South Melbourne

The  Antalya Restaurant serving Turkish food at 233 Sydney Road Coburg is the genuine article  The Turkish food is as good as you would get it in Turkey.  I have this on the authority of a fellow diner who had recently returned from Turkey.  The place felt authentic. It felt comfortable and had an edge of homeliness.

It is a friendly place with Turkish memorabilia on the walls – mostly from the Antalya region.  The staff is friendly and you are welcomed in rather as if you are entering someone’s home.

The menu is not extensive and I see this as an advantage.  Each dish can be prepared and it doesn’t have to rely on ingredients from another dish.   One of our party lives in the area and dines there often. He directed the ordering.

To start  we shared a couple of plates of the mixed dips.  The bread was exceptional and the standard selection of dips were very good.

These were followed by shaved lamb as for doner kebab, served with yoghurt and a salad.  The lamb was delicious – the best I have tasted.

Potato Salad an up-market and tangy version of the often bland mixture.

Tabouli that was crisp and I swear was made just before it was served.  It is one of my favourite salads and I usually make do with the supermarket version – this one was a real treat.

Spinach and feta pizza this Turkish pizza is not what you would recognised as a pizza.  It was a filling of spinach and feta wrapped inside a dough, flattened and baked.   A little greasy but good.

We left to have coffee and desert elsewhere.  These are flavours that stick in my mind a couple of days later- the lamb, tabouli and the potato salad.

My only complaint is that the white table clothes are covered in plastic. So while you are sitting there your arms sort of sticks to it.   Easy of course to wipe and it keeps the laundry bills to a minimum.  That is a very minor complaint.

Where:-

Antalya Restaurant, 233 Sydney Road, Coburg.  It is on the corner of Reynard Street.

It is B Y O.

Opening Hours:-

It is closed all day Tuesdays

Wednesday it opens from 5.30 until late

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday it opens 11.30 until late

Related posts:

1. Green Field -cheap and cheerful Vietnamese, Sydney Road, Brunswick
2. Gattica Restaurant, St Kilda East, is all about atmosphere
3. Local Pub – Bay Street, Port Melbourne

Over the years Prahran cafes and food outlets have come and gone but not  the Special Cake Shop.  It  just keeps on keeping on.  It was opened in the mid 1950s by a Greek Immigrant and then bought in 1976 by its current owner George Seherlis.

The Special Cake shop is in one of these charming old buildings that are fast disappearing from along Chapel Street

The shop has stayed the same.  The inside, which hasn’t changed since I have been buying from it,  looks a bit retro but I think it is one of those places that fashion has gone the full circle and is back with it.

The inside is divided into two parts with a wide opening between them.  As you enter there is seating to the left, the retail counter to your right and the kitchen straight ahead.    The windows are full of cakes and biscuits.  They are not all Greek cakes.   You can get an English sponge roll and lamingtons.  There are some wonderful double chocolate biscuits.

I’m told that they are still making coffee in their 1960’s coffee machine.    I haven’t checked this out.  I have had coffee there.  It was good but not the best I have had.

I usually buy and head for home. The Baklava is good – solid hearty Baklava with lots of nuts. Great  for desert.

A few years ago they introduced a spinach and feta scone  – if you think of  ’scone’ in an English sense you’ll look for the wrong thing. This scone is about the size of a saucer and oozes spinach, onion and feta. They are usually in the window but you can buy them warm from the pie-warmer or if you arrive at the right time – late morning – they are warm from the oven.

This scone is my weakness.  Every few weeks I begin to crave one and I need to have my fix.

The Special Cake Shop is a friendly place with family members working there.  They are always helpful, pleasant and quick.  Many of the customers are regulars and appear to be friends.  It would be easy  to fit into this companionable vibe. They also serve pies, sausage rolls, filled rolls and gourmet sandwiches.

Where:-
Special Cakes, 207 Chapel Street, Prahran Phone 9510 7689

Opening hours:-
Open every day from 7.00am to 6.00pm

Getting there:
Tram No 78 runs along Chapel Street to Richmond.  Tram 6 to Glen Iris leaves from the CBD, get off at the corner of High Street and Chapel Street and walk North.

Trains the Sandringham Line to either Prahran Station or Windsor Station

Related posts:

1. Trash, Treasure or vintage? It is hard to decide in Womango, 47 Chapel Street, Windsor/Prahran.
2. Railway antiques, restored furniture, coffee and cakes at the Albert Park Station.
3. Prahran Market Square, Mojito Cafe and Bar for Sunday Brunch/Lunch

I think it is best on Saturday.  The produce seems to be fresher as if it was whisked from the soil or picked from the tree that very morning.   It is also the day when the market is flooded with locals doing their weekly shopping – a great ambiance that is unique to this market.

Shopping  before the Saturday crowds.

It’s good to be there early on Saturday and miss some of the crowd but on the other hand from about 10.30 onwards the place is full of free nibbles – you can lunch your way around the stalls eating a bit here and there.  If you watch the shoppers you can see them sampling and snacking as they weave from stall to stall.

This is a produce market.    There is a hardware stall but it is about food: fruit and veg, meat fish and poultry, delicatessens, coffee, flowers and a very popular organic stall (Ripe the Organic Grocer), selling everything including wine and cakes made with organic ingredients. It is not a market for clothes and bric-a-brac.

A good place to start is Cleo’s.  It has an entrance off Commercial Road and a window full of bread.  You can wander through the delicatessen and straight into the market.

From Cleo’s I head to stall 108,  MJ Mow Gourmet Potatoes.  Every variety of potato is available including the increasingly popular kipfler and one I had never heard of before,  Purple Congo.  This is good to mash and because of its colour good to use as a decoration.    There is a flier available that  lists 17 varieties of potatoes and  their different uses.  It is fun to experiment and I do but I love my old favourite the King Edward.

Stall 116 is Damian Pike the Wild Mushroom Specialist.  Wild mushrooms are those that come up in  a field after rain and have the best taste ever.  There not always available – it doesn’t always rain.  The stall is interesting not only because of the selection of mushrooms but for unusual seasonal items like flat peaches from China which they say they stock.  I have never seen them but I believe they exist!

You can grab good coffee or dine on something more substantial in the Market Square which is partly covered and has a play ground for the kids.

Coffee in the Market Square.

Information:-

Damian Pike Wild Mushroom specialist Phone 0411 438 465

MJ Mow Gourmet Potatoes  Phone 0417 382 354

Market Web site

Address:-

163 Commercial Road, South Yarra

Opening Hours:-
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday – dawn to 5pm
Friday Dawn to 6pm
Sunday 10am to 3.00pm

Closed:-

Monday and Wednesday

Getting there:-

Tram:- 72 and get off at Stop 30

Train:- Take the Sandringham Line to Prahran Station and walk to Commercial Road.  It’s about 2 minutes walk

Related posts:

1. Prahran Market Square, Mojito Cafe and Bar for Sunday Brunch/Lunch
2. Red Star Cafe right opposite The South Melbourne Market, Clarendon Street
3. Cakes and coffee at the Special Cake Shop – Chapel Street, Prahran