wingster

Reviews

Restaurants, Japanese, Seafood, Sushi, Vegetarian

Overall 7.2 15

7.8 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 7 Service 9 Value 8

It was with great excitement that we approached our first evening at the "New" Ocha in its larger, more contemporary abode (just around the corner from me, yay!). While the new venue is great, we left a little sad and longing for the undeniably daggy but intimate, hand-made scale of Old Ocha.

The room looks good, but the painted concrete floor hard on the ears and cold on a winter's night. The tables are cheek-by-jowel. The service is attentive but the night we were there (a freezing Wedensday) it had a tinge of urgent desparation. The view into the kitchen is appealing, but we saw too many dishes sit "in the window" for too long, emerging looking tired and wilted.

Worst of all, and I implore Ocha to address this, was the "8 pm changeover". At 5 to minutes to 8, half the restaurant took to their feet and made their way out the door, which opened, and closed, and opened, and closed, bringing a gale of freezing night air with it. That was bad enough, but at 8 pm, the replacement patrons began to arrive. By 8.05 pm we had 18 people (we head-counted) wrapped around the wall next to us, looking at us, our food, their tables being reset. It was like eating in a train station.

The food varied from great to just good. At old Ocha everything was super-great. The waiter brought my selection of Oysters done three ways, started to explain each preparation to me, and then, peering uncertainly at one, whisked it away and replaced it. The original had been served with a granita which, sitting in the window, had melted into a soup. Really not nice.

My serving of Sukiyaki had also sat far too long and the broth was overly salted. Other dishes just didn't have the "wow" we were have come to expect of Ocha.
Overall, it felt like the organic beauty Ocha had been replaced by a large mechanism, churning people and dishes in and out.

I will certainly give it another go, and I would not put others off trying it. I hope I can replace this review with an absolutely glowing one in the not too distant future (if I can get a booking this year....!).

Sep 10, 2010

Cafe Vue, Melbourne

Cafes, French, Licensed, Outdoor Dining, Serves Breakfast

Overall 8.8 2

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 9

Shannon Bennett's empire continues to expand with this latest venture in the business precinct of St Kilda Rd near the corner of Toorak Rd. We arrived late for a quick lunch and so the frenetic pace I expect we may have experienced earlier in the day had slowed to a mellow one: having said that we were still lucky to score a table, book!

The decor was pleasing and eclectic, service was top notch, and the menu a surprise, ranging from $9 baguettes up to more substantial fare in the mid teens, and even more in meal offerings in the low $20s. I enjoyed a small but perfectly crafted pastrami baguette and spectacular coffee (no skinny milk here though). I will certainly return when time and appetitive permit something more relaxed and adventurous.

Mar 29, 2010

Oanh's Kitchen, Kew

Restaurants, Vietnamese, BYO, Licensed

Overall 5.5 2

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.5 Below Average

Food 8 Ambience 6 Service 1 Value 3

I've loved Oanh's for years and have recommended it to friends many times, its delicate take on Asian cuisine, civilised atmosphere and excellent service placing it well above other offerings in the inner Eastern suburbs. The last few visits have, however, been a little disappointing, something felt like it had changed. My most recent outing was almost disastrous, and involved possibly the worst service I have ever received in Melbourne.

On a very quiet Tuesday night we were almost at war with our waitress for attention and information. When our meal finally arrived, almost 50 minutes after ordering in a near-empty restaurant, it almost made up for the bad taste in our mouths, but not quite. Sorry Oanh’s, I just don’t want to be made to feel like I am an annoying imposition on some girl’s night, let alone impudent when I dare ask for a glass of wine or a menu and, at your prices, I shouldn’t.

Mar 29, 2010

Auntie's Dumplings, Carnegie

Cafes, Chinese, BYO, Licensed

Overall 5.8 4

3.8 Below Average

Food 9 Ambience 3 Service 1 Value 2

Laminex tables, bright lights, eccentric service, barely washed glassware, why would you come to Aunties? Why? The food, ah yes, the food will bring you here. Big plates of wonderful dumplings, noodles, rice dishes and more will be plopped on your table, and you will enjoy, and go home with change in your pocket. Order up and ask for a take away container to enjoy the rest tomorrow. Really top quality tucker.

Mar 29, 2010

Commoner, The, Fitzroy

Restaurants, English, Good For Groups, Good Wine List, Has Bar

Overall 6.7 8

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 10 Service 10 Value 9

What's not to love? After two years of driving past and wanting to go, we finally did, and were well rewarded. I could go on about the eclectic, granny's-sideboard-drawer vibe of the place, the stripped back menu plumped up with a selection of dishes inspired by the market's best produce that day, the slick but down to earth waiting staff (how we loved our man's argyle socks and braces), the moderate pricing, the small but carefully selected wine list, the exotic mix of ingredients and flavours, the orgasmic experience of dessert; but why bother.... just go, and go now.

Mar 21, 2010

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Displaying: 1 - 10 of 27 reviews

Ocha, Hawthorn

Restaurants, Japanese, Seafood, Sushi, Vegetarian

Overall 7.2 15

7.8 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 7 Service 9 Value 8

Sep 10, 2010

Cafe Vue, Melbourne

Cafes, French, Licensed, Outdoor Dining, Serves Breakfast

Overall 8.8 2

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 9

Mar 29, 2010

Oanh's Kitchen, Kew

Restaurants, Vietnamese, BYO, Licensed

Overall 5.5 2

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.5 Below Average

Food 8 Ambience 6 Service 1 Value 3

Mar 29, 2010

Auntie's Dumplings, Carnegie

Cafes, Chinese, BYO, Licensed

Overall 5.8 4

3.8 Below Average

Food 9 Ambience 3 Service 1 Value 2

Mar 29, 2010

Commoner, The, Fitzroy

Restaurants, English, Good For Groups, Good Wine List, Has Bar

Overall 6.7 8

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 10 Service 10 Value 9

Mar 21, 2010

Eleonore's At Chateau Yering, Yering

Restaurants, European, International, Vegetarian, Fine Dining

Overall 6.6 10

7.3 Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 8 Service 6 Value 6

It was with a dose of trepidation that we booked to dine on Christmas Day at Elenore's. Limited by choice due to the day, and wanting a special venue during our 4 day Christmas getaway in the Yarra Valley, we were aware of mixed reviews and an inkling of a venue stuck in the 1990s, despite the re-awarding of a Hat by the AGFG this year.

First impressions were mixed: we were greeting very cheerily at the door and shown to our table in a highly ornate room which did feel a bit like one was stepping into 1992, all period charm and big decor in burgundy, golds and greens: it sort of fitted Christmas perfectly and indeed the Christmas decorations were really quite beautiful in this setting but on another day might have felt over the top and approaching dated.

Pleasant views of distant mountains could be seen through large windows at the end of the room, and the atmosphere was very, well, Christmasy! It was a happy place to be. We felt cautious when we saw other's meals coming out, again, flashback 1992: overly fussed displays on ridiculously large plates, and a slight feeling of a “function menu”, without much certainty we made our selections from the Christmas day menu (3 choices per course), ordered a glass of French bubble and relaxed: how bad could it be? We were not cooking Christmas lunch! Yay.

Well, our caution was entirely unwarranted. Every course was delicious. Yes, the presentation needed to be deconstructed and plated onto something smaller than a playing field, but the flavours and the food preparation were generally of an extremely high standard. We chose wines for each course from their by-the-glass selection, a Pinot was disappointing, but others were appropriate if not exciting.

The service was definitely country: everyone tried hard but it was clear that the waiting staff were not formally trained. For us this actually took the edge of the formal atmosphere and made it all rather charming and homely on Christmas day and gave us a bit of a giggle, although I recognise it might not seem so on another special occasion after a special trip made out from the city.

The let down to the food experience were two amuse bouche served pre-entrée and dessert: someone had taken an extremely heavy hand with gelatine giving both a texture like rubber, and flavours that did not work in any way at all. Urk.

Happily, the amuse bouche chef was not let loose on the other courses and they each exceeded our expectations. We had an absolutely lovely Christmas lunch and enjoyed the comradeship of other diners as well as the staff.

As the afternoon wore on the sight of kitchen staff running, not just walking quickly, around the glass perimeter of the dining room (the room is like a conservatory with glass on 3 sides) was a little alarming, especially as at times they looked like an emergency was taking place, but I suspect it was just the harried looks of staff trying hard to meet needs across a number of venues at Chateau Yering that day.

So, all in all, highly recommended for Christmas, I have no idea how it would be on another occasion, but I’d be prepared to give it another go.

Jan 09, 2010

Maris, Malvern

Restaurants, European, Modern Australian, Vegetarian, BYO

Overall 7.6 13

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 7 Service 9 Value 8

Loved it. Top rate service, inspired food. The room is ok, it is a bit noisy and the lighting is spartan (looks better in daylight) but heck, who cares when you are experiencing the culinary equivalent of a Shakespearean play: witty, thought-provoking, complex, multi-textured, compelling, challenging and thrilling.

Yeah, the servings are not huge, so if you want a parma and chips to fill your plate try The Angel Hotel across the road, they'll fix you up. But, if you want a dining experience that will leave you marvelling at the creative genius in the kitchen, come to Maris. I am a complete convert. (Note: my partner does not like fish and did comment that there was a fair bit of that on the menu and he did not have a vast number of choices: my response "so, learn to like fish" - he loved his eye fillet steak on a bed of pured spinach the colour of emeralds.... swoon).

Nov 09, 2009

Pickled Sisters Cafe, The, Wahgunyah

Cafes, Modern Australian, Licensed, Restaurant Bookings, American Express

Overall 9.3 1

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 9 Service 9 Value 9

Hungry and hot in the Rutherglen midday sun we drove into Pickled Sisters and found immediate relief: a welcome smile, a shady table on a generous deck surrounded by blooming roses (or air-conditioned indoor comfort if we'd preferred) and a glass of ice cold water, followed promptly by a menu which hit the spot entirely: whether looking for something light to a full three course meal, the “Sisters” could provide. Paradise found.

From a wide range of delicious sounding treats, many with local origins, we selected the large house platter. At $30 I was concerned it might not stretch to cover two hungry travellers, but should not have been, we were filled to the brim: local smoked trout, spectacular liver and trout pates, rare roast beef, a wonderful selection of pickles and other condiments, two gorgeous and perfectly ripe cheeses, terrine, asparagus, pickled walnuts (yum), fresh beetroot, salad greens and more, all to be mopped up with generous chunks of fluffy yet substantial bread and local olive oil.

Our nominated Cascade Light was not available so we settled for a bottle of ice cold sparkling water, and sat back to enjoy the peaceful ambience of this little corner of one of Victoria's wine growing regions. The vineyard itself is unremarkable: don't expect views over rolling vine-covered slopes, and the building is humble, but this lively cafe featuring thoughtfully combined and perfectly prepared produce from the region, backed up by savvy professional service, is a must for any visit to Rutherglen or surrounds.

Nov 09, 2009

Carringbush Dining Room, The, Abbotsford

Restaurants, European, Mediterranean, Modern Australian, Vegetarian

Overall 7.8 1

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

7.8 Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 6 Service 8 Value 7

We ended up at the Carringbush by default: a very busy Wednesday night with every pup dinning room we'd tried in Richmond full to overflowing. The Carringbush, by contrast, had room to spare. We quickly discovered why, with meals at city restaurant prices (aournd $32+ a plate) it was more than we wanted to spend after heading out for a quick pub meal with 11 year old in tow.

But it was getting late, we were hungry and we were there. By the end of the night we had certainly spent more than we had wanted to, but the results were astounding. Each meal was absolutely superb, and easily justified the menu prices. Two different steaks and beef cheek were ordered (as I noted we were after hearty pub fare) and each meal was flawless: superbly presented, magnificent ingredients, cooked to perfection.

Even menu adjustments requested for the 11 yo (this is a very grown up menu) were carried out to the letter. So, we have a kitchen producing amazing, restaurant calibre meals: only problem is the Carringbush doesn not "read" as a destination warranting this level of gastronomic achievement. We still felt we were in a pub (and not a gastro pub, a pub), and should have been paying $26 for a nicely cooked steak. The match does not sit easily. Thus, we assume, the sparsely populated room on a very busy night elsewhere (the Royston and Kingston Hotels (front bar) dining rooms had, by contrast, no room at the inn.

I frankly reckon the kitchen staff is wasted here, or they have to invest in a refit and create a better space deserving of the tucker.

Oct 29, 2009

Lulo Restaurante, Hawthorn

Restaurants, Spanish, Tapas, Good for Brunch, Good for Business Dining

Overall 5.2 14

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 9 Service 8 Value 8

Lulo has absolutely hit its straps in the last eight months or so: earlier reviews no longer apply. I have eaten here twice in the past month and at least two other times in the last eight and all have been absolutely delightful and devoid of any negatives whatsoever. Early last year I ate there and had a poorer experience so can appreciate some earlier comments.

Today, you can venture down Glenferrie Road with confidence, past the mediocre and the underwhelming, and settle into this cosy corner where the service is informed and slick, the menu seasonal and creative, and the crowd mellow: it's all good. (I can taste the pork belly now). By the way, don’t expect a touristy Spanish restaurant in the style of many found in Fiztroy, it’s much more sophisticated and cosmopolitan (leave the sombreros at home amigo).

Sep 22, 2009