MART 130

Brunching is one of our favourite things to do (so expect to see a few posts about brunch spots)...and MART130 is personally one of MY favourite spots. I've heard/read a lot about MART 130 previously...how it's a play on the word 'tram' spelled backwards, and how it's located at stop 130. It always sounded really interesting but it wasn't until my first visit (late last year) that I fell in love with the place.

a seat overlooking albert park on a warm, sunny day...perfect :)

the food : mart eggs (top L), corn fritters (top R), chai latte (bottom L), french toast (bottom R)

I've eaten all the above after 3 visits to MART 130. They were all yummy and the portions were incredibly generous (in my opinion). The mart eggs included eggs with chives, mushrooms and truffle oil - I love every ingredient separately, I love them together :) The corn fritters layered with crispy bacon, went really well with the salsa. Finally, french toast made from brioche with maple syrup topped with bacon...slurp! I have a rule with food - never mix sweet and salty together (e.g. no sweet drinks in the middle of my meal)...bacon with maple syrup is the only exception :)

strolling in Albert park and squealing over doggies :)

And after a hearty brunch, one can walk off some calories in the park...and if one is as fortunate as we were, one may run into a friendly dog-walker walking more than half a dozen of beautiful beautiful doggies!! So happy :)

The food is certainly of standard, the staff friendly...the location, I would give it 101% if I could. Not sure if I would still feel the same on a cold winter day...but you can be sure I will think of brunch at MART130 when the sun is out!

MART 130
107 Canterbury Rd
Middle Park, 3206
(03)9690 8831

-MM-

Cutler & Co.

Previous attempts to dine at Cutler & Co. were foiled by too huge a party (the restaurant requires a party of 8 people and more to go for the degustation menu and with various dietary requirements, we were not keen to do so). This time round, with a smaller party, we finally managed to reserve a table for four on thursday night (after forgoing friday night as it was fully booked). The occasion - celebration of mouse's special day.

I had been waiting for this! Being a fan of Cumulus Inc. - its more casual sister restaurant on flinders lane :)

The restaurant is bigger than I anticipated...spacious, which is not all that common for a fine dining restaurant (or any restaurants in melbourne for that matter). It was quite quiet when myself, mouse, sister & mum walked in at 7pm, but gradually filled up.

This is embarrassing...despite lugging along a SLR, the photos did not turn out so well. I better start learning to use that thing properly :(

Anyway...the food!!

very pretty lamps, and 2 types of bread - sourdough (L), rye (R)

I always look forward to the bread + accompaniments. A couple I sometimes day dream about - maze's (crown metropol) branch like bread with seaweed butter, yummy sweet potato dip at Number8 (crown).

Back to this post...the sourdough was yummy (crunchy on the outside, soft of the inside - the way I like it), but I unfortunately chose the latter which was too sour-y for my taste. I like their unusual butter knife :)

entrees : cured kingfish (top), poached chicken (L), oysters (R)

Fresh oysters, one of my weaknesses. 5 varieties were on offer hence we ordered one each to share among 3 of us. Can't go wrong :)

The cured kingfish  with octopus, avocado & pickled cucumber(a favourite for many) was a hit with mum and sisters. For me, it was certainly a very pretty dish which tasted nice...but somehow reminded me of sushi with the fish and avocado...hence not too exciting. The octopus was the best bit. I would like the cucumber more pickled. Maybe it's just me :P

The poached chicken (with foie gras parfait, quinoa & prune) was my favourite dish of the night even though it did not look as pretty with a huge pile of green covering most of the plate. The chicken was tasty, foie gras is always good, and there were crunchy bits which added a nice texture (sister thought they could be fried onion). Prune is not one of my favourite things but the combination worked.

mains : duck (top), wild barramundi (mid), john dory (bottom)

Mine was the slow roasted duck breast with confit of duck leg - duck breast was a little bit on the rare side for me, but the confit of leg was definitely yummy (sister ate a chunk of it).

Sister had the john dory which was cooked just right (from the small piece I tasted). 

Mouse and mum both had the wild barramundi with mushrooms, potato, fat hen & salsify. They both loved it, especially the super crunchy skin.

desserts : black sesame & apricot sorbet (top), chocolate ice cream sandwich (L), & petit fours (R)

Our desserts to share were plated separately for us, which was really nice of them. 

Mum and mouse shared the black sesame, apricot sorbet, yoghurt, thyme butter cream. I of course sneaked a taste and it was definitely my kind of dessert - the sorbet was refreshing (what I look for in a dessert after a huge meal), black sesame crisp was so fragrant, & I really like the thyme butter cream too! 

I opted to share the chocolate ice cream sandwich, vanilla parfait, salted caramel with sister because I've read some really good things about it. It did fall below expectations for me. Don't get me wrong, it's a great dessert but I guess it was not 'wow!!'...and as I said, chocolate is not what I would usually pick. 

Over coffee, we were served very dense chocolate (I want to say...truffle?) topped with black salt. I did like it, but we were all too stuffed and left with one of them still on the table. 

My verdict - lived up to all the hype for sure :) Great ambience, attentive staff, yummy food. Would I go back? In a heartbeat (but I do need to earn some moolah first *sob*).

Cutler & Co.
55-57 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065
(03) 9419 4888

-MM-

Ma Brown Restaurant

Mouse is back on da blog (block)!

Thanks to my MM sister for up-keeping the blog for the past week while I regain my interest and love for blogging all things food! ^^ I certainly hope I am back to stay for a while - have been taking photos of food for the past few days! Hohoho.

Tonight's post features Ma Brown, a Chinese-Malaysian restaurant tucked away at Balwyn. It's a restaurant that you can't get to by public transport - need to drive, and thanks to San, we were all driven there this evening for the FOOD. We do love Ma Brown food, but it's so out of reach, we don't go there often.

Anyway, it's best that you call to reserve a seat AND food if you're planning on dining there, otherwise, it could be like a 2-hour wait. Slight exaggeration, but very slight. :D

Ma Brown's signature dish is...Spicy Quail. This is the dish that most people equate Ma Brown with and it is, to me and to everyone else - A MUST TRY.

YAAAAY QUAIL! (2 pieces = 1 quail)

Drooling yet? :P

The quail is really fantastic. The meat is juicy and tender and the sauce is yummy, spicy and fragrant. A bite of quail meat and the sauce with bits of chili is seriously yummy for the tummy. San thinks the quail is 'finger licking' and MM says it's 'good good' and also, she does not recommend licking your fingers because of germs.

By the way, I should mention that Alf is so in love with the quail that he could probably marry it or something. That's how good it is.

Another of my personal favorite is the Ma Po Tofu - an ordinary sort of dish by Chinese restaurant standards, but I like Ma Brown's variation.

Tofu in a dish

Their sauce is tangy and spicy, mixed with minced meat, mushrooms and mixed vegetables. They used button mushrooms for the dish, so I really like the big-ish bites of mushrooms with the soft tofu. It's really great when it's all hot and piping.

Alf also ordered another of their signatures, Beef Rendang.

Beef Rendang with beef

I really like the beef in the rendang - it's tender and soft and really well-cooked to complement the rendang sauce. I think their rendang is home-made and it's different from any other rendang I've tried before in Melbourne. I do think it could be more...hmmm...maybe a little bit more spicy? It could be more flavourful in my opinion, but I do like it. MM thinks it's ordinary though and San likes it.

For veggies, we had Stirfry Eggplant.

Eggplant: Blurry

Eggplant: Not so blurry closeup

Apologies for the blurry picture, didn't manage to get a good one. As far as eggplant goes, and I am not a big fan, thumbs up from me. Again their sauce is superior than most which makes the dish good. The eggplant is well-cooked in my opinion, and it's neither too mushy or too tough.

We also had Steamed Fish.

Fishy fish fish

Nothing super special about the way the fish is prepared but it is very good and very fresh fish - the fish meat is tender and soft. Yummy! I am a huge fan of steamed fish, though. :P

Overall, a good foodie experience - don't expect top service though. Because they are extremely busy and extremely understaffed, you may need a lot of patience for service. Or you could do what we did and helped ourselves to certain things like cutlery and napkins, or physically take the teapot to the counter for a tea refill. Haha. Make sure you have marginally a lot of time to spare for dinner at Ma Brown - definitely not somewhere for a quick meal.

The whole meal cost us approximately $AUD143.50, for 7 people. :)

But for the quail - it's worth the wait. Really. And remember - call to order how many quails you'll like, beforehand! For the record, the picture above shows 8 quails.

- Mouse (who is backkkk!)

p.s. check out MM sis's best of Hong Kong post below mine!

------

Ma Brown Restaurant
Shop 6, 188-190 Belmore Road
Balwyn 3103
Phone: (03) 9816 3755

NOBU Melbourne

Most of us would have heard of Nobu. It is a chain of restaurants started in the US, a collaboration between Robert De Niro and Nobu Matsuhisa, a chef known for his fusion cuisine - traditional Japanese dishes with a twist, incorporating South American (Peruvian and Argentinian) ingredients. Nobu's flagship Manhattan restaurant is apparently a renowned hang-out for A-list stars...a place for star-spotting :)

Well, we can't expect to run into Paris Hilton in Nobu Melbourne, but Grant Hackett and his wife was there on CC's birthday :)

So anyway, with all the hype, CC decided that she would like to have her birthday dinner (this was last year) there...and that was our first visit to Nobu.

I have to say...while going through a few websites in my research for the restaurant's address and menu, more than 90% of the reviews were negative (I am NOT exaggerating) and most of them complained about the service...many had good things to say about the food (nevertheless, some weren't impressed by the food either).

I will go through the food first, and then you will get my honest opinion :)

So...first visit was on CC's birthday last year.


started with edamame $6

I don't know if they actually charged us because I wouldn't order this...the waitress sort of just brought it along I think...because we started with edamame the 2nd visit as well. Anyway, some of the items are no longer on their menu so I can't quote the price for some of them!

So basically, in Nobu, you order a whole bunch of stuff and everyone shares. There are no entrees or mains (or anything filling for that matter...but wait, I'll get to that)

The cold dishes :


prawn cocktail...we did not like the bitter leaves


yellowtail sashimi with jalapenos


I LOVE this...but I can't find it on their online menu...don't tell me they took it off! It is one of the few reasons I would go back to Nobu :(


beef tataki - also can't find it on their online menu...maybe it is known as another name...reason no.2 for my revisit :)

Sushi - very standard, nothing special at all


scallop & smelt egg $14, eel & cucmber $13

Hot dishes :


2 pieces - gone in one mouthful $4.50


fresh soft shell crab karaage $20


the famed black cod with miso $42 - melts in your mouth...all of us love it!


this is a cold dish...which we ordered at the end because we were not full at all and this was the only thing they had with noodles in it...and even then, only a few strands...mostly made up of something that tasted like archichoke to me (I haven't eaten much archichoke in my life)...didn't like it

Dessert :


wam chocolate satandagi with almond ice cream $18 - not too memorable


mochi no youna $15 - interesting dessert with 'miso sponge'...I thought it would be weird to mix something salty with sweets, but turned out to be yummy!

There are a few things I really like there, so when mum and little sis came to Melbourne, sis & I brought them there for the must-trys :)...and hence my 2nd visit.

Unfortunately, being hopeless at directions, we got lost after finding the carpark to Crown closed (which was where I intended to park) I drove into some tunnel that took me goodness-knows-where, and we had to navigate our way back to crown AND continue hunting for parking. Finally we made it to Nobu, incredibly late for our booking...and we had to give up the table in less than an hour. Needless to say, it was a very rushed dinner...which spoilt the experience.

Again, we started with edamame ...and my 'must haves'

1. yellowtail sashimi with jalapenos - no good photo this time all the photos are a bit blurry this time round

2. beef tataki



3. black cod with miso



New things we tried :


mushrooms cooked in sake - I love mushrooms...but the taste of the alcohol was too overwhelming


seasonal vegetables with spicy garlic sauce $18 - erm...like any old chinatown restaurant, just much smaller serving...I would never order this but mum insisted on vegetables


beef gyoza ~$37 - they have a whole range of different beef, I remember the wagyu one was $72...this was not bad, different from other gyozas I've had


prawn tempura with sauces - unimpressive...even the bowl is not up to standard...tsk tsk


scallop sashimi - I really like this...I think I just like the freshness of sashimi...mmm...only thing, it wasn't cold enough for me


soft shell crab sushi $20 - it was good, little sis loved it :)

So, my take on Nobu Melbourne?

Generally, they do have a few things that make me want to go back - i.e. miso cod, yellowtail sashimi, beef tataki...unless I can find them somewhere else. Otherwise, there are options elsewhere for the similar things e.g. soft shell crab roll - nice but is it worth $20 for 6 pieces?? (I don't think so) Ambience? I wasn't impressed...when I was describing it to my mum, I went 'the tables are like the ones at the hawker centres (in penang)'...as in the design :) Many people complained about the snap-apart chopsticks...and the lousy service...I guess in short, paying fine-dining price when the restaurant doesn't present itself that way. I have no huge complaints about the service...it was good on CC's birthday and all the rush the 2nd time was my fault mostly (sigh)...maybe wasn't as attentive as most fine-dining restaurants.

Another thing, the portions are really small so either be prepared to pay a lot, or eat something else before or after...haha. Actually, be prepared to pay a lot and still not feel full...We paid about $350 for 4 the 2nd time and still had room for desserts, a cheese platter and drinks somewhere else.

I just ask Mouse and San to describe Nobu in 3 words :

Mouse : miso black cod

MM : about the restaurant! not the food!

Mouse : well, that's all it is to me *shrugs*

finee...

San : won't feel full

haha...

Well, I have to go up to 4 words - poor value for money

There you go :)

-MM-

Nobu Melbourne
Crown Melbourne Australia
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank
VIC 3006
03 9696 6566

Manchester Lane

Decided to write about something more recent. Too many places we've been to (but to be honest, haven't been as deligently taking photos as before) and happened to click on the Manchester Lane folder first, so this shall be it!



Named after the lane it is situated on, this bar-restaurant is known for its live music. Different bands play all the time (check their website for details) so check ahead to make sure you go on a day when the music suits you :) Damien Leith (Australian Idol 2006) had a gig lined-up there and I do quite like him, but the tickets cost more than 100 bucks :( Usually, there is no entry fee if you dine there...otherwise, it will cost $5-$10 (depending on who's playing) if you are just there for drinks and the music.

Anyway, we were there celebrating CC and Mad's new jobs (thanks girls for the wonderful night :D) It is really quite dim in there so pardon the poor quality of the photos.

Digressing...I remember I was once sitting on the upper tier and it was even dimmer with one flickering candle on the table. I was so annoyed by it and blew it out eventually. Is it just me? I really hate flickering candles...and really, I prefer to be able to see what I am eating. (It was ok though, this time round, because we were sitting very near to the stage...therefore, sometimes the music was a touch too loud)

I do apologise for the ant-like fonts on the photos...they looked so big on PS!! As you gather, I don't use PS much...takes too much time...but hey, it is the holidays! I'll take note when I use PS again in the future.

Let's work our way through starting from the entrees :)


pot of bread $6.50


bread out of the pot

This is easily the most memorable course for me that night. We were all hungry because it was a late dinner, hence CC & Mad placed 2 orders for 'pot of bread'...san & I were saying that the restaurant should serve us bread anyway (as most restaurants do) and how dare they charge $6.50 for each order of bread. However, when it came, the presentation alone won me over (I am easily impressed like that...haha) And oh-so yummy! Crispy crust and so so soft on the inside. I will gladly pay the $6.50 for it :)

Oh...I just found their dinner menu online so I will label the food as accurately as possible! As you can tell, I was totally clueless when I was labelling them with PS...:P

More entrees...


flame-grilled japanese scallops $16.00
with creamed leek & saffron butter crème, with porcini mushroom dust


lemon & aniseed myrtle dusted calamari $15.00
with rocket leaves & sumac lemon aiol

The mains...


roast free range chicken $29.50
roasted field mushroom scented with rosemary & kipfler potato puree finished with café de paris butter & deglazing Jus


crispy skin atlantic salmon fillet $32.00
roasted pumpkin & carrot puree with steamed beans (whoops! they looked like asparagus to me!) wrapped in parma ham (and that looked like bacon :P) finished with sauce jacqueline


eye fillet of beef $34.00
served on roasted vegetables & slow-braised garlic, with semi-cured vine-ripened tomato & beef jus


roasted high country loin of pork $33.00
with fondant potato, sautéed spinach & caramelised apple

...included the mouth-watering descriptions to make up for the not-so-perfect photos :)...

I had the chicken...the meat was too tough...I reckon that is always the problem with chicken. Sis (aka mouse) thought that the fish was a bit over-cooked. In summary, the mains were quite average, and frankly (in my opinion) a bit pricey for the restaurant...but I guess you would be paying for the entertainment as well. *shrugs*

Drinks...

Some of us had wine, but didn't take a good picture, and I didn't have it so I don't know much about it :P

I had



Funny I used to hate beer. I like pure blonde because it is so light! Another favourite is hoegaarden (on tap). Anyway...other drinks...





Finally...


cheese...no prizes for guessing who ordered this... ~$12.00

The cheese, for me, is 2nd best (after the bread)...because I love the biscuit/bread thing (or, 'sesame and poppy seed lavosh')


the chocolate pyramid $15.00
layers of crunchy chocolate, caramel, chocolate mousse & marshmallow encased in a rich chocolate shell served with berry champagne sauce

Besides the food, there is of course, the music. We managed to squeeze in a bit of dancing as well :)



I have a soft spot for guys who play the piano ;)

-MM-

Manchester Lane
music-restaurant-bar
36 Manchester Lane
Melbourne, Victoria, 3000
03 9663 0630