Meal #61 – Cyprus

The Shakespeare-lovers of the group enjoyed the fact that the Cypriot restaurant was named after one the Bard’s greatest tragedies which, for the most part, is set on the troubled island. With inappropriate quotes from this play (such as “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is topping your white ewe” and “Your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs”) we set forth to enjoy this meal – the girls hoping that the Shakespearean theme didn’t extend to an Desdemona-like ending to the night.

Othello Greek Restaurant
6 Riverside Quay, Southbank
9699 5600

Cyprus is a small island with identity issues, is it Greek or Turkish? The answer to this question is that it’s both; and so is Othello Greek Restaurant, a Cypriot restaurant where the food is Greek and the entertainment was very, very Turkish!

Othello is a popular restaurant with a long queue of people waiting to get in, luckily we had remembered to book this week! A queue of waiting patrons was still there when we left too. There is a large, undercover, outside eating area that lets the diners enjoy the warm spring evening along the Yarra River. Unfortunately, this meant that we were also exposed to a bad cover band located on the boulevard outside the restaurant that serenaded us with the ‘best’ of soft rock all night – if the bass wasn’t turned up so high, they might of actually been bearable…

This week’s collection of cute Cypriot culinary critics were: Sai, Marty, Nick, Paul, Deb, Rami, Caroline, Priyanthi, Rick, and new-comers Susie and Nyk.

The Menu:

Skordado – Fresh garlic bread.

Cypriot Grill – Grilled chicken souvlaki, lamb cutlet, sieftalies (traditional Cypriot delicacy of pork & beef sausage, fresh parsley and herbs), pastourma (sausage mildly spiced) & loukaniko (Cypriot sausage) served with tzatziki.

Mixed Frill (for two) – Lamb cutlets, lamb and chicken souvlaki, sieftalies, pastourma & loukaniko served with Greek salad.

Kleftiko – Traditional dish of Spring lamb cooked slowly in its own juices served with Spunta potatoes.

Spanakopitta – Triangles of crispy pastry filled with spinach and Greek fetta cheese on a Modern Greek salad.

Moussaka Vegetarian – Oven baked eggplant, zucchini, potatoes in a béchamel sauce topped with tomato coulis & salad.

Smoked Salmon Salad – Mescalin lettuce, roasted red peppers, red onion, capers & smoked salmon tossed in a Neptune dressing.

Spaghetti Marinara – Fine selection of fresh seafood in a light tomato salsa & a hint of chilli.

Seasonal Vegetables – Lemon, olive oil & oregano drizzled with dressing.


The Meal:

The Cypriot Grill and the Mixed Grill (for two) were very similar, offering a great selection of different, traditional meat dishes. All the varieties of sausages were enjoyable (although the pastourma could have used some more spice), however most were served as a single slice or cut in half – giving these meals the feel of a sampling plate rather than a full grill.

The Klefiko was advertised as “The Chef’s Pride” and “This is a must.” This dish is a bowl of random lamb parts (including bones and cartilage) served in the oily juices of the lamb, with added lemon juice. Unfortunately, the natural flavours of the lamb were drowned out by the over-use of lemon which detracted from the wonderful tenderness of the meat. From the appearance and flavours of this dish, it is not hard to imagine a traditional Cypriot sheep-herder eating this dish for dinner.

The Smoked Salmon Salad had a list of specific vegetables that were to be included. This list was not followed. Although some additions were appreciated, such as the kalamatta olives, others were not, such as the cauliflower. The exotic sounding Neptune dressing ended up being a mix of lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar, which although not very sea-like worked well with the salmon and salad vegetables.

The Spanakopitta was a mixed bag, with one diner highly recommending it, while another was only moderately impressed by this dish.

The Moussaka Vegetarian was one of the highlights of the evening. By the time this dish was finished, the plate looked like it had been cleaned with a cloth (although we expect it was cleaned with a tongue…)

And yes someone (not naming names…but it was Marty) ordered a very un-Cypriot meal: Spaghetti Marinara! He was so ashamed of ordering an Italian dish, he wouldn’t let us take a photo it.

Overall:

Othello’s is a popular restaurant, and it’s easy to tell why. The food is reasonable, and is reasonably priced, especially for a restaurant in Southbank, at around $20 for a main; and the atmosphere is fun – especially with the belly dancer coming to each table for a personalized show. Just make sure you pre-book a table, otherwise you’ll be waiting in a queue with nothing to entertain you except the soft rock cover band on the boulevard.

Meal #60 – Greece

Greece is the home of philosophy, democracy and some wonderfully mythic sagas. This meal, as all who attended agreed, was the stuff of legends.

White Village Greek Tavern
582 Glen Huntly Rd
Elsternwick

White Village Greek Tavern is a busy restaurant that is decorated with the highest levels of Greek décor – blue and white paint and bouzoukis on the walls…classy! There is no set menu; instead the waiters just keep coming with Greek dish after Greek dish, and for $36 a head it is truly a banquet fit for any Greek hero. However, as the food arrived so quickly, and was so tasty, and because we were so hungry – we forgot to take photos of the dishes. This weeks gorgeous gang of Greek gastronomes were Paul, Deb, Ross, Sai, Rami and Caroline.

The meal started with fresh bread served with three different dips – tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber), taramosalata (fish roe) and an eggplant dip. This was quickly followed by a huge plate pilled with whole fried whitebait; another plate with a large slice of fried cheese; a plate with a dolma (stuffed vine leaves) for everyone; and a dish of diced marinated red capsicum. I think that was all that was served as entrée – I was too busy stuffing my face to take any notes. Of the lot, the fried whitebait was the standout dish, not only were the fish succulent and tasty, but there was so much served Port Philip Bay must be severely depleted of these species!

For the main course we were served up plates of grilled fish, prawns, calamari, lamb, chicken, lamb skewers and Greek green salad with fetta. The highlight of the mains was the tender lamb skewers which literally melted in your mouth.

If you’re a strict vegetarian, this restaurant isn’t for you, however for vegequarians and carnivores this is the restaurant for you. Being located in Elsternwick, the waiters are also used to dealing with Jewish dietary restrictions and were served extra grilled fish for those not eating the prawns. At $36 a head, this feast was worth every penny!

Meal #58 – Italy

Waiters Restaurant is a Melbourne institution and has been around since 1947. Back then you needed a secret password to get up the stairs! It is also the location of the famous siege where 30 diners were taken hostage – newspaper clippings of this event are proudly displayed on the wall near the entrance.

Waiters Restaurant
(aka The Italian Waiters Club)
20 Meyers Place, Melbourne City

To get to the Waiters Restaurant you have to leave the bright lights of Bourke Street, turn into a side lane, go through an unmarked doorway, up a suspicious looking set of stairs, open the door…and there you are. It looked just like it would have in the 1960’s with plastic-covered tabletops, no menus, just a simple chalkboard advertising the day’s specials (but without the prices!). However, the diners don’t mind. The restaurant was full of people from every walk of life, from students to professionals to those of semi-fame – Myf Warhurst (from ‘Spicks and Specks’ and formerly from Triple J) was eating at the next table over from us!

This week’s intrepid Italian ingestors where Marty, Sai, Rami, Caroline, Deb, Paul and Nick.

Mains:

Tuna Salad
Rabbit Cacciuture
Grilled Sardines
Penne Puttanesca
Saltimboca
Marinara
Chicken Al Vino

Drinks:

Red wine – lots of it! Drunk from water glasses

Desserts:

Tiramisu
Tarufo

The Meal:

The tuna salad was served with warm tuna on top of a green salad consisting of lettuce, cucumber, tomato and asparagus. Unfortunately the tasty dressing was very oily which detracted from the natural flavours of the vegetables.

The rabbit dish was very good, but when pushed to describe his meal, the diner could only come up with “bony, slurpy, bouncy, messy, tasty” – which sounds like a great night out if you ask me!

The grilled sardines were split down the belly and spread out on the plate exposing both fillets. However the bones had not been removed and made eating the fish difficult. The sardines unfortunately were quiet bland, with a tinny flavour, thankfully they were served with a lovely salad.

The penne puttanesca was an oily dish which had a nice mixed flavour of olive oil and chilli. However, it was too much as a main dish and would have been better as a shared side dish.

The saltimbocca is a veal and prosciutto dish that was served with asparagus and potatoes. Unfortunately, although the potatoes where delicious everything else was dull and the serving was too small given the price.

The marinara was also a disappointment with salt needing to be added to give it flavour. This seafood content of this dish was unbalanced with too many scallops and not enough prawns.

The Chicken Al Vino was probably the highlight of the mains. It was a tasty dish served in a white wine sauce with vegetables as a side.

Both desserts sampled were of great quality. The fresh cream of the tiramisu was refreshing and offered a wonderful counterbalance to the coffee flavours; while the tartufo was any chocolate-lovers fantasy, with the candied cherry in the middle a welcomed surprise.

Overall:

The Waiters Restaurant is a laid back place that has the feel of family owned and run restaurant. Although not exorbitant (mains are between $17-$25), for what you’re served, the prices are probably $5 too expensive; but the history and reputation of this restaurant lets them charge what they like.

Oh, and if you’re interested, Myf ordered the Tortellini Bologna and seemed to enjoy it.

Meal #57- Sicily

Despite the many different regions of Italy, and the huge Italian population of Melbourne, it’s quite difficult to find a restaurant that specializes in regional fare. So it was that Nick, Naomi, Sai, Caroline, Rami and Marty approached Northcote, heady with anticipation at discovering the delights of a kucina siciliana.

Café Bedda

High St

Northcote

The journey to Café Bedda was fraught with difficulty. Not only could we not locate the restaurant, just missing it in our extensive sweeps of High St, but as we finally neared our destination, some other people were enjoying their own High St drive-bys; people with eggs. By the time we found the thriving Café Bedda, we were egg splattered and frustrated, and really looking forward to a decent meal. The Café itself is a narrow, bustling space, with a promisingly large number of people crammed in to enjoy the notorious fare.

The menu concentrates quite heavily on pizzas, and we chose to share a few foccacia. These were essentially an excellent pizza bread base, liberally doused in olive oil, Sicilian sea salt and either garlic and herb, or anchovy. A delicious and filling side dish.

As a group we sampled some of the Assaggi (small dishes). The baccala fritters (potato, cod and parsley croquettes) delivered a satisfying saltiness, without overpowering. However, they also featured cod bones, too small to dig out of the soft fritters, but too large to be eaten without a little discomfort. The marinated olives were a hit, served warm with roasted garlic and generous amounts of bread.

Delving into the Secondi (main) course, pasta was a common theme, although a surprising let down. The Pennette Norma, tossed with tomato, grilled eggplant, and basil was fine, if a little oily. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to write complaint letters over, either. The Spaghetti Puttanesca con pesce spada was a bigger disappointment. The traditional Putanesca sauce of tomato, capers, green olives, chilli and anchovies was sadly bland and the addition of sword fish, rather than uplifting the dish, instead clashed with the subtle flavours.

It was a pleasure to order from the rotating specials board, which features Sicialian cuisines as they become available. We enjoyed the Capretto al forno- a stew of tender goat meat perfectly complemented by the scattered herbs throughout the rich tomato sauce. An accompanying serve of rosemary polenta was a little wet, but the flavours were well matched.

All in all, our visit to Café Bedda was a bit of a let down, but that was likely coloured by our unpleasant journey and difficulties in meeting dietary restrictions. The stand out dishes were fantastic, and well worth the price, and certainly many reviews of Bedda are more than complimentary. The prices are a little steep, but the ingredients are high quality, and the service is friendly and attentive, the serving staff displaying an excellent knowledge of the foods, including the specials. A return visit focusing on their pizzas and seasonal fare might well produce a different dining experience.

Meal #56: Spain

Ah, Spain. Land of tapas, red wine and men who can dance. Yes, yes, there was that little inquisition thing. And that whole brutal conquest of other lands. And that messy revolution. But the important things, the main embodiments of Spain, are tapas, red wine, and men who can dance. With tastebuds dancing, Sai, Naomi, Nick, Caroline, Rami, Paul and Deb tripped lightly into the Spanish Quarter of Melbourne. Ole!

Colmao Flamenco
60 Johnston St
Fitzroy

Dimly illuminated by candlelight, Colmao Flamenco presents an intimate venue on a Sunday night. White clothed tables nestle neatly, offset against the dark wooden bar. Flamenco dancers whirled amongst other neatly framed, quintessential images of Espana. Hungrily, we eyed the chalk board specials, and nibbled on marinated green olives as we made our orders.

The Menu:

Sopa de Marisco - seafood soup
Menestra - medley of vegetables
Bistec en salsa de cafe - steak in coffee sauce
Pollo Madrileno - Chicken fillets in onion, capsicum, mushroom, tomato, white wine.

Albondigas Colmao - Meatballs braised in chef's special sauce with rice
Chocolate con churros - Spanish donuts with hot chocolate sauce

The Meal:

Following last week’s sampling of Basque/ Spanish tapas, our expectations were high. While, as a group we decided to graduate to full Spanish meals, some diners chose to continue the Spanish tradition of sharing their meals.

The soup was ordered with some trepidation; a soup which doesn’t specify its ingredients, simply stating ‘seafood’, does have a certain air of mystery surrounding it. But we needn’t have worried. Prawns, mussels and portions of succulent fish clustered like treasure in the tomato and garlicky soup, creating a delicious meal reminiscent of a light, subtle bouillabaisse.

With a similar tomato base and presented in a simple clay pot, the menestra also cut a fine figure. Chunks of root vegetables nestled in a richer, heavier, more developed tomato sauce. The happy exclamations of the diner as he soaked up the stew with slices from the well stocked bread basket were keen advertisement for this dish.

Bravely ordered from the chalkboard, the tantalizing ‘steak in coffee sauce’ wafted a mouth-watering, WAKE UP odour of espresso in its wake. The thick steak is skilfully cooked to specification, our medium steak beautifully browned, but tender and pink within. Luscious juices mingled with the thick, bitter coffee sauce; the texture of the meat almost melts in the mouth, before the sharpness of the coffee jolts the tastebuds.

A dish perfect for sharing was the Pollo Madrileno. Strips of delicately battered chicken presented abed a generous portion of salad. The chicken was lightly fried to preserve the texture and taste of the meat, and the simple flour coating served to enhance, rather than smother the flavour.

It’s a mistake to compare dishes between restaurants; sadly, Colmao’s meatballs failed in comparison to the delicious offerings at Basque. Where Basque’s meatballs were complex and herb laden in flavour, the Colmao version were overly bread based, and the simple pork flavour seemed underwhelming. The chef’s special sauce was unable lift this dish. A single blemish on Colmao’s copybook.

Most turned down offers of dessert; however one determined diner, in a quest to sample every chocolate con churros in Melbourne, delved in and was pleasantly rewarded. While not so thick and dark as previous samplings, Colmao’s sports a rich chocolate flavour, and a texture of liquid velvet. The churros were well cooked; light and crunchy, not too oily. Presented in an unusual ring shape, and dusted with cinnamon sugar, this beats the chocolate con churros on offer around the corner hands down.

Overall:

While the first impression of Colmao Flamenco may be a little conservative and upmarket, the warmth of the restaurant is soon apparent. Service is impeccable, our waiter frequently topping up our complementary olives and bread, and eager to elaborate on menu descriptions. Prices are a little steeper than some of our previous ventures, main starting around $20, but they are in line with other Spanish venues in the area. Corkage is a friendly flat fee, and, while we were the only diners of the evening, it isn’t hard to imagine the venue bustling with noisy, happy diners, wine flowing and their tastebuds dancing.

Meal #54: France

French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking. Unfortunately the male members of our “Cuisine Team” are rarely, if ever, refined or elegant. Thankfully the gracious airs of our female companions helped to cover this fact up as we ventured into the world of fine French dining.

Bistro Vite
Ground floor 3C
Southgate Complex
Southbank

The design and lay-out of Bistro Vite is inspired by traditional Parisian cafés, and its location, on the promenade terrace of Southgate, is the perfect setting – reminiscent of the cafés that line the Seine.

The menu offers the adventurous diner all the ‘interesting’ dishes you would expect from a French restaurant; including snails (escargot), ox check, lamb brain, and twice cooked pork belly. However, our fancy flock of French food fanciers, Helen, Caroline, Rami, Paul, Deb and Sai, were a bit more conservative with their meal choices, although we couldn’t go to a French restaurant without trying the snails!

Entrées:

Escargot, stuffed & baked in button mushrooms, with a lavender & champagne butter sauce.

Crispy quail with wild roquette leaves dressed with stringy bark honey & saffron pear chutney.

Mains:

Wagyu steak with frites (French fries) and Café Paris sauce

Vegetarian Tasting Plate consisting of goats cheese panna cotta with pickled beetroot, shallot tarte tartin & lavender garlic mushrooms.

Pan fried gnocchi, with baby beets, persian fetta & tarragon dressing.

Flathead tails and frites (French fries), with tarter sauce and lemon

The Meal:

When the only complaint you can come up with about a restaurant is that the waiter’s French accent was too strong, you know you’ve hit a winner!


The escargot was received favourably. The snails were served inside the mushrooms – removing and possibility of a messy shell removal.

Although the quail was designed as an entrée, it was ordered as a main. This was a wise move as this delicious dish was certainly big enough.

The Wagyu steak was tender and juicy. Although questions were raised about whether it was really a Wagyu steak, or an inferior variety – however, when the steak is the size of a dinner plate and it is served with half a kilogram of French fries, who’s really going to complain?

Although the vegetarian tasting plate appeared to have servings that appeared a bit small for the price, all three dishes were highly praised, especially the mushrooms.

The gnocchi dish was one of the highlights of the meal with the dressing highlighting the flavours of all the other ingredients.

Finally, the French fish ‘n chips was also greatly enjoyed; the tasty batter and tender fish lifting high above what you’d normal get from your corner shop.

Overall:

Although Bistro Vite isn’t cheap (the average main being over $20) it is significantly better priced than most French restaurants. Nevertheless, the food was great and its Parisian ambience and wonderful setting, near the shores of the Yarra River along Southgate’s promenade terrace, makes this restaurant an ideal place to eat – especially if you plan to go to a play or concert in the nearby Arts Complex.

Meal #50: The Netherlands

A faovurite destination of travellers from across the globe, the Netherlands is a fairy-tale world of windmills, tulip fields and legalised pot. Presumably though, there’s more on the national menu than the “herbal” cookies…

Hans Brinker
Russell St (Back End of QV Building)
Melbourne CBD

Part of the still comparatively new QV shopping complex that swallowed a city block and the down-town skate park a few years ago, Hans Brinker is a small eatery dedicated to a staple of Dutch cuisine – the pancake.

It is named for fictional hero Hans Brinker, better known to Australians as the little Dutch boy who saved Holland from being flooded by putting his finger in a leaking dyke. Surely that’s up there with Belgium’s pissing prince for most ridiculous piece of folklore ever, but nonetheless he’s a popular character.

The pancake house that bears his name is a compact, tidy eatery that also sells Dutch food products (including spekulaas, Dutch “spiced cookies”, which are actually more innocent than they sound). Its walls are adorned with pictures of classically Dutch images like windmills and canals, but the place itself was an example of multiculturalism in action – when we were there both the staff and clientele appeared to be exclusively Chinese. Our own team of reviewers this week was a small but varied bunch, including Nick, Naomi, Rami, Caroline and Sai.

The meal

The menu is mostly, as you would expect, full of pancakes. These come in two varieties, pannekoeks – large crepes that can be either 10 or 12 inches across and are served with savoury toppings - and poffertjes – small fluffy pikelets with sweet toppings. You can also get a “Frying Dutchman” burger, which establishes its Dutch credentials by coming with Edam cheese.

We had-
“Hans Brinker” 12” pannekoek, with smoked ham, button mushroom, corn, tomato mozzarella;
“New York” 10” pannekoek, with gourmet sausage, tomato, mozzarella, mushroom;
Beef krokets;
“Dutch combo” meal with frikandel (Dutch sausage), krokets, chips and salad;
Patat met (chips with mayo).
Followed by-
“Amsterdam berry dream” poffertjes with mixed berries;
“Silk chocolate” poffertjes.

The pannekoeks were served flat on the plate, with the filling on top, like a pancake pizza. The 12” Hans Brinker was billed as some kind of monster crepe that would overstep the most ravenous hunger. “You will enjoy,” the menu assured us, “113 bites.” Actually, it was a pretty light meal. The New York pancake didn’t sound very Dutch, and didn’t taste very Dutch, but New York did used to be called New Amsterdam so we let it pass.

Something that is extremely dutch is the kroket. These are a deep fried snack, with a soft meat filling on the inside and a crispy crumbed exterior. The Hans Brinker menu informed us that “each year, 300 million krokets are sold in the Netherlands, making it the second most popular snack in the country.”

It didn’t however mention what the most popular snack is. Maybe chips, which you can get at Hans Brinker with a range of sauces imported from the Netherlands, including a range of mayonnaises, satay and Dutch curry ketchup. We enjoyed them with the Remia Frittesauss (Dutch mayo). The most extravagant meal on offer was the Dutch combo, which included both krokets and chips, as well as some very tasty Dutch sausages.

Dessert was back to pancakes. The dessert poffertjes were enjoyable but, as with their savoury predecessors, a bit light on topping. More berries or a more generous helping of chocolate sauce would have lifted the tone.

The Verdict

Quaint would be the word to describe this place. The staff were friendly but the service was a bit haphazard, with things coming out at different times and the “coffee in a bowl” that one drowsy diner craved never coming out at all. The food itself was mostly good, though both savouries and sweets were less substantial than they sounded on the menu and we left a bit hungry. No matter. QV is also the home of our favourite post-80-meals filling station – Max Brenner!