Snippet: Brown Bagels

Located just off Collins Street, Brown Bagels offers a delicious selection of bagels. 

All the menu items are under $10 which makes it particularly bang for your buck .There are a number of bagel and filling selections to choose from which means there are always options to suit your mood. The coffee is great too. Perfect for a mid-week lunch over coffee with colleagues.

The Roving Marrow @ The Astor

One of Melbourne’s buzziest food strips welcomes back a local icon as The Astor on Carlton’s Lygon Street reopens with an innovative new restaurant and bar concept. 

Within The Astor is The Roving Marrow dining room, which was formerly Percy’s Bar and Bistro run by four–time Carlton premiership player Peter ‘Percy’ Jones. The Roving Marrow is a significant part of The Astor’s transformation by restaurateur Darran Smith and head chef Hayden McMillan. The menu is produce-driven and features contemporary European cuisine with interactive, yum cha-style service. 

The result is a unique dining experience that aims to break down the formality of fine dining and bring the fun back to food. The menu is designed to share with a wide assortment of smaller dishes served via trolley and tray and more substantial mains, as well as cheese and dessert, à La Carte. 

The kitchen is in safe hands under the guidance of Head Chef Hayden McMillan. McMillan is a young gun of New Zealand’s epicurean scene, having previously worked with renowned New Zealand chefs Michael Meredith and Simon Wright and was made head chef of Auckland’s Tribeca restaurant very early in his career. Most recently McMillan returned from San Francisco where he headed up the Waiheke Island Yacht Club pop up for the America’s Cup.

The Astor’s interior is focused on preserving the hotel’s original character with a modern refresh. The atmosphere is moody courtesy of being grounded in dark wood with rich finishes in brass and mirror that are hardwearing and age gracefully.

We commenced our dinner with a number of delicious small dishes from the “yum cha” service. 

Our favourite entree, the shortrib dumplings in masterstock was flavoursome, well-seasoned and boasted rich flavours.  It was a perfectly executed, expertly balanced and intelligent dish. 

Yet another highlight was the dish of duck salad. The slices of duck breast were cooked to perfection with the beautifully crisp hazelnuts and caramelised brussel sprouts adding texture and the bits of bacon adding salinity. 

Continuing the trend of stunning dishes that preceded it, the dish of Flinders Island lamb rump, charcoal eggplant, ricotta and brie impressed. The lamp rump was cooked perfectly to a tender and juicy pink. The charcoal eggplant boasted a wonderful smokiness which paired exceptionally with the ricotta and brie. A wonderful finale to our savoury courses.

Our first dessert of Granny Smiths, butterscotch, buckwheat and cardamom was an interplay between interesting textures and seductive aromas.

The striking dessert of passionfruit, white chocolate, liquorice and coconut was an explosion of flavours. The layer of meringue was delicately thin and crisp and paired beautifully with the mellow and luxurious white chocolate. The tartness of the passionfruit produced a balanced dessert.

The Roving Marrow’s approach to food stands out from what is commonly available in upmarket restaurants. Thought-provoking but not pretentious, The Roving Marrow is a welcome addition to Melbourne’s food scene.

Location: 418 Lygon St, Carlton

Phone: (03) 9347 7419

Link: http://www.theastorcarlton.com.au/restaurant/

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of The Astor.

Snippet: Foxeys Hangout

Foxeys Hangout in Red Hill unashamedly serves simple dishes designed to pair with wines. 

And this makes sense when you realise the chef is also a qualified winemaker. The chefs menu gives you a wide range of dishes to taste for a reasonable $35 per person and this is the option we would recommend. The modern, light filled dining area is the perfect place to sample the vineyards various varieties of vino and laze the afternoon away.

Dassai Dinner @ Kumo Izakaya

Gastrology recently joined Australia's top Sake Master and Kumo Izakaya owner, Andre Bishop for an intimate dinner to enjoy the award winning cuisine from Kumo Izakaya and sake from Japan's most prestigious sake brewery - Dassai.

Standing proudly at the corner of Lygon and O'Connor Streets in Brunswick East, Kumo Izakaya and Sake Bar is a Japanese oasis which embraces the social izakaya-style side of Japanese eating and drinking. Offering a laid back environment for catching up with friends and family, Kumo Izakaya focuses on quality food designed to share all of which is served in stylish, modern Japanese surroundings.

Kumo Izakaya founder and owner Andre Bishop is one of Melbourne's quiet achievers in hospitality. Andre has been educating Australians about sake for 15 years and we thoroughly enjoyed learning all about sake from Australia's master of sake. 

Andre has also been at the forefront of Asian dinning and drinking culture, crafting many venues over the years including Robot Bar, Golden Monkey, Izakaya Chuji, Nihonshu Sake Bar and Kumo Izakaya. Andre's dedication to sake earned him the title of Sake Samurai from the Japanese Sake & Shochu Association in 2013.

Dassai is recognised as one of the world’s most prestigious sake. Japan Prime Minister Abe, presented President Obama with a bottle of Dassai 23 when they met recently this year. Dassai sake is renowned for its highly aromatic smooth sake that has won many people over to premium sake, many of whom have never tried sake before. Using tradition methods blended seamlessly with cutting edge technology, and the best sake rice Japan can produce, Dassai has a cult following in Japan and around the world.

The Dassai 23 was outstanding. With its rice milling of 23% which is the highest milling of all commercial sake, we were impressed by its gorgeous aroma of melons and peaches, and elegant long finish. It paired exceptionally well with our selection of sashimi. 

The sashimi plate featured a variety of sliced raw fish. Each slice of fish had an enjoyably firm yet soft texture. Of particular note were the plump, sweet scallops. It is clear that Kumo Izakaya are using only the freshest, highest quality seafood.

The Dassai 39 was notable for its smooth and mellow taste married with its refreshing finish. 

We enjoyed pairing this sake with the pork belly butakushi skewers with miso onion salsa. The Dassai 39 echoed the umami of the pork belly and its slight acidity cut through the richness of the pork fat.

Our dinner at Kumo ended of a festive note with a tasting of Dassai 50 sparkling. Unpasteurized, and naturally carbonated, the Dassai was fruity and refreshing. We loved its complex balance between sweet and dry tastes.

We loved pairing the Dassai 50 sparkling with the plump scallops which were perfectly seared and bursting with natural flavour. The scallop’s natural flavour was further enhanced by the restrained sweetness of the Dassai 50 sparkling.

At Kumo Izakaya, food and sake pairing is a key focus. We loved tasting through three sake from the Dassai portfolio whilst enjoying Kumo Izakaya’s award winning Japanese cuisine.

Location: 152 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

Phone: 03 9388 1505

Link: http://www.kumoizakaya.com.au/

Cuisine: Japanese, Wine Bar, Tapas

Exploring the Greek Cuisine with George Calombaris + David Tsirekas

The bustling Hellenic Republic forms part of The Press Club Group, a burgeoning conglomerate of restaurants. Apart from the association with celebrity chef George Calombaris, these restaurants, have at least one other feature in common – their almighty banquets which give diners the opportunity to indulge in mammoth quantities of delicious food. 

Gastrology recently joined David Tsirekas and George Calombaris at Hellenic Republic where the pair took guests on a journey exploring Greek Cuisine.

The Greek inspired dinner featured Travis McAuley and Hellenic’s two head chef’s, Alex Xinis and Arron Lynch alongside David Tsirekas and George Calombaris. The result (as expected) was a mouth-watering banquet gastronomical proportions.

Tarama churros, lathalemono - David Tsirekas

The Tarama churros were addictively good. The rigid-edged doughnuts had a nice outer crunch and were appreciatively not drenched in oil. 

Ouzo cured ocean trout, Jerusalem artichoke, Cucumber - Aaron Lynch

The cured salmon which was wonderfully complemented Jerusalem artichoke was a vibrant dish which showcased fresh flavours that were light and appetising. 

Smoked bone marrow, beetroot, feta, horseradish - George Calombaris

The Smoked bone marrow was a well formulated dish of bold and vibrant flavour combinations showcased the culinary potential of Greek cuisine. The luscious bone marrow paired exceptionally well with the creamy feta and slightly tart beetroot and earthy horseradish to produce perfectly balanced flavours. 

Kefalograviera saganaki - Alex Xinis

One of Hellenic Republic’s signature dishes and understandably so. The marriage of salty pan-seared Kefalograviera - a robust sheep milk cheese originating from Greece - with sweet caramelised figs was an unbeatable combination. With the added textural kick from the chewiness of the cheese, this dish was a highly addictive appetiser.

Sheftalies, tahini, yoghurt, caper leaves - Travis McAuley

The Sheftalie was amazingly rich in flavour and was perfectly counterbalanced by the tartness of the yoghurt and the freshness of the caper leaves. 

Seafood kokoretsi, skordalia - David Tsirekas

The eye catching Seafood kokoretsi’s  combination of the crispy kataifi pastry and the fresh tender seafood was a textural delight.

Tartare of tuna with all its frills, prawn crackers - George Calombaris

The tuna was decadently spiked with a tart mixture and served with refreshing herbs. It was a pleasant and innovative variant of the classic tuna tartare. 

Melizanosalata - Alex Xinis

A celebration of eggplant which made use of the differing textures of eggplants. Most notable was the melitzanoslata dip which boasted a beautiful smokiness which was further enhanced by the ample use of garlic.

Duck and quince - David Tsirekas

The slices of duck breast were cooked to perfection, allowing the rich flavour of the duck to transpire.  The sweet and sticky quince provided the crowning element of luxuriousness to a wonderful dish.

Wagyu tongue and flat iron kalamaki - Travie McAuley

The skewers were sufficiently seasoned and flavoursome, and boasted a lovely outer charring.

Lahanosalata  - Aaron Lynch

Aaron Lynch’s take on the Lahanosalata, a traditional, classic winter salad in Greece was outstanding. Full of flavour and robust textures, it was a delicious accompaniment to the proteins. 

Touloumba, warm rosewater custard, honeyed walnuts - David Tsikeras

“Magnamopolous” - Greek yoghurt ice cream, caramelia, mastic, fruit - George Calombaris

Our dinner concluded on a decadently sweet end with a duo of desserts. The Touloumba was traditional and heart-warming while the “Magnamopolous” was a modern take on the humble ice cream stick. Both were superbly made and absolutely moreish.  

An exciting night featuring 5 outstanding chefs, the evening was certainly a memorable journey through the exciting paradigms of Greek cuisine. 

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Made Establishment.