Restaurant Review: Fantastic Pub Fare

Last week I was in Melbourne for a few days, visiting my awesome kiddies and parents, and I had several yummy meals, including a family bbq at my mum’s (where I stay when I’m there), scrambled eggs for brekky at Geo’s Cafe (complete with champagne, because it’s always 3pm somewhere!), and lunch with my mum Kaye and good friend Linda, at Kelly’s Motor Club Hotel in Cranbourne.

I’d been to this pub once before, several years ago, and I don’t really remember what the food was like, so it can’t have been too memorable, but the pub itself is an historic icon in Cranbourne and has been owned by the same family (the Kellys, strangely enough!!!) since 1923.

I felt like a salad, so decided to have a Caesar – but there was the option of paying a bit extra for either chicken or salt & pepper calamari with it. I love calamari so thought that would be good, and was expecting really just a ‘garnish’ of a few pieces on top of my salad.

WELL, as you can see from the photo above, there was actually more calamari than salad! It is rare that you get such generous portions (the prices were very good – but then I tend to compare with Perth which is more expensive than Melbourne anyway). There was a substantial amount of salad to begin with (and the poached egg was cooked to perfection and actually still HOT, which is rare by the time it comes out to your table lol), which is not that obvious in the photo, but believe me this was a humungous meal. I couldn’t eat it all and ended up wrapping half of the calamari up in a serviette and taking it home – I had it cold in a bread roll with Greek yoghurt, for lunch the next day (yes, I am strange, but you already know this).

Kaye and Linda both had “Seniors meals”, which are smaller servings, priced accordingly, and include dessert. Kaye had the battered fish & chips, which as you can see is still a reasonable size, and Linda had porterhouse steak with mushroom sauce – and they made a gluten-free sauce for her, as she can’t eat wheat. They also brought out a special serving of gluten-free bread, without being asked for it, which Linda said it was delicious (often GF breads are pretty disgusting!).

Even though the fish and steak were smaller sized options, neither of the ladies could fit in their free dessert, which was a shame as the choice was a massive mixed berry cheesecake or a very large serving of chocolate mousse.

The menu choices were really great, so much choice that in fact it was really hard to decide what to have. Service was great and staff very friendly. We were all very impressed and I will definitely go back there.

Happy Fooding!

Pre-Christmas High Jinks!

I’m in Melbourne now, for Christmas with the family, and am more in party mode than cooking mode! Lots of socialising and catching up with people going on this week. I have cooked one meal for my mum and son, my delicious and sooooooo easy Beef Rendang, but apart from that I’ve been eating out or having a sandwich.

I’ve had a lovely lunch at Red Fire Lounge (see pic below of yummy calamari stirfry with hokkien noodles – the calamari was ultra-tender and it was a HUGE serving, no way could I eat it all), and a wonderful brunch in the sun at Barmah Park Winery, complete with champagne at 10.00 in the morning!! It is Christmas, after all, and I’m on holidays. In fact, my friend and I spent 3 hours there yackety-yacking, and the waitress asked if we’d then like to order lunch as well lol. I’ve eaten there before but never ordered from the breakfast menu, and it was divine. Sitting outside on the verandah, looking out at the vineyard – supremely relaxing and fun.

Mum and I have written our grocery shopping list for this weekend, and we’re pretty well organised, so it should be fairly stress-free. We will do most of our cooking and a lot of other preparation on Christmas Eve, so that on Christmas Day it’s all just a matter of throwing a few easy things together and slicing things up. Chilled out and relaxed, is the aim.

The Christmas ham is all ready to be hacked into, and I’m sure that will happen in the next day or so – after all, it’s so huge there will be more than enough for Christmas Day (along with roast turkey, rolled/stuffed pork and a myriad of vegies and salads….not to mention nibbles and dips beforehand and LOTS of desserts later on….let’s face it, it’s just one big food-fest ALL day!!).

So…whilst I might not be doing too much actual cooking this week, I’m certainly doing some fabulous eating!

Happy Christmas Fooding!

Another Greek Review…

I’ve been in Brisbane for 10 days, attending the wonderful Koala Conventions annual embroidery week –  loads of fun, fantastic stitching workshops, and LOTS of food! Last Tuesday night we went as a large group, to Kapsali Greek restaurant.

The food was a banquet organised specially for function groups, so large platters were brought out, first of dips, then hot treats like calamari and saganaki.

Between courses the waiters got up and did some Greek dancing, then they made all of us get up and have a go – in fact the whole restaurant pretty much joined in. Lots of fun.

Main course platters included lamb that just melted in the mouth, and delicious garlic potatoes. By then we were all so full because we had pigged out on the dips and cheese, so quite a bit was left on the platters. I hate to see food go to waste but we just couldn’t eat it all. As for dessert (baklava and fresh fruit) I couldn’t touch a thing.

A great night, lots of laughter and big garlic breath fumes in our room (I was sharing with my mum, who flew to Brisbane from Melbourne to join me for the embroidery week) afterwards!

I fly home to Perth today with mountains of washing to do, 2 new embroidery projects to complete (I did actually finish the 3rd one, which is the first time ever that I’ve been able to do that within the workshop week) and a lot of stuff to unpack. A wonderful 10 days was had by all.

Happy Fooding!

Mez – Greek Restaurant Review

Grilled Haloumi

Lots of garlic, tender chunks of mouthwatering meat, terrific presentation, HUGE portion sizes, great fast service, friendly staff and a $22 discount thanks to the Entertainment Card!

Grilled Calamari

That sums up my experience at Mez Greek restaurant in Northbridge. I have nothing negative to say about this place, which is right up there with George’s in Subiaco, my up-til-now favourite Greek place in Perth.

Lamb Kleftiko

Awesomely spectacular meal.

Happy Fooding!

Some More Meals….

Beetroot & Orange Cured Salmon

Food makes such a great topic for taking photos. Here are some of the meals enjoyed last week when I was away….totally scrumptious to look at and mostly to taste as well.

Chicken & Mushroom Pot Pie

The salmon and chicken dishes above were from Red Hill Brewery Cafe. I had the salmon (does that surprise you…) and it was divine BUT way too small – it was supposed to be a “light meal” but I was still very hungry after this tiny portion of just a few mouthfuls – more like a tapas plate than a meal for one. I tasted the chicken pie and it too was delicious. I had to have a cheese platter to fill me up (below) and this was mouthwateringly good – the cheese was a locally made camembert from Red Hill Cheese, that had been slightly warmed so it literally melted onto the warm fruit & nut bread.

Cheese Board

Later the same day, I went to The Bay in Mornington, for dinner – herbed calamari for me (I said no to chips and just had salad), and a chicken parma and arancini balls were enjoyed by others.

Then on Monday, before flying home, my son and I had lunch at one of my favourite pubs in the city, PJ O’Brien’s. It is supposed to be Irish but apart from Irish Stew, Beef & Guinness Pie and loads of Irish beer on tap, it’s really just normal pub fare. I love the atmosphere here and the food’s always great. I had a chicken caesar salad and it was out of this world, crispy bacon and a yummy poached egg, mmmmm delicious.

A lot of food was partaken of, in just a few days – apart from the 21st party, and the meals I’ve already told you about, I had fish from the local fish & chip shop twice (I usually don’t whinge about the differences between the states, but the grilled flake is sooooooo much better in Victoria, and way cheaper too). I’m in recovery mode now and made soup today to get back to healthy living….

Happy Fooding!