Thứ Sáu, 31 tháng 7, 2015

Dock 37 Bar and Kitchen @ Hilton South Wharf




Hilton Melbourne South Wharf has unveiled its stylish new restaurant and bar, Dock 37 Bar and Kitchen.






The 150-seat dining space embraces its riverside setting and complements the sea meets land concept. The result is a sophisticated and inviting dining room resplendent with warm timber walls, a striking suspended wine gantry in black steel, soaring ceilings, and full length windows maximising the South Wharf Promenade view.




Dock 37 Bar and Kitchen has a long bar with pull-up seating, communal tables and cosy couches to enjoy. The area is complete with a short and tailored menu full of bar-food classics available late into the night. A comprehensive selection of drinks are also offered from well-known classics to a tempting selection of custom-created cocktails, wine housed in the suspended gantry above the bar and dozens of beers on tap.




The menu is divided into user friendly sections with many dishes complemented with fresh produce from the hotel’s own rooftop garden. The garden is passionately tended to by Glenn, who has been with the hotel since its opening six years ago and has headed up the kitchen since 2011.




Smoked Duck Breast Served with a cabbage, citrus and celeriac slaw and a wasabi dressing





The slices of duck breast were cooked to perfection with the slightly tart cabbage, citrus and celeriac slaw allowing the rich flavour of the duck to transpire.  The accompanying wasabi dressing provided the crowning element to a wonderful dish.




Quinoa Salad - Popcorn-dusted goats’ cheese, roasted baby carrots, beetroot, kale and a pepian salsa





An enlivening salad of quinoa, popcorn-dusted goats’ cheese, roasted baby carrots, beetroot and kale all brought together with pepian salsa, the salad was a medley of exciting flavours and textures which will appeal to even the most carnivorous individuals.




400gm, grain fed, Victoria Rib eye w/ Red wine jus





We could not resist getting both our mains from the “Grill” section of the menu. Both our fish and beef were simple and beautifully cooked. Each served with our choice of sauce (there are more than 10 sauces to choose from, all made in house).




Whole Baby Barramundi w/ green chilli sauce





The Whole Baby Barramundi in particular impressed us. The quality of the barramundi was exemplary. The skin of the fish was perfectly seared to be very crisp while the flesh was delicate and moist. It was a dish that allowed the natural subtle sweetness of the fish to be enjoyed. 




Our dinner concluded with 2 well-conceived desserts that exhibited flawless flavour combinations and textural diversity. 




Walnut tart with blood peach foam and vanilla bean ice cream





The luxurious vanilla bean ice cream offset the accompanying rich bittersweet walnuts banana while the blood peach foam added a desirable touch of sweetness. Texturally, the crunchiness of the walnuts, silkiness of the ice cream and melt in the mouth foam ensured that each bite was as titillating as the last.




Chocolate brownie with hokey pokey, banana coulis and raspberry sorbet





The Chocolate brownie was similarly well devised. The decadent chocolate brownie was matched with velvety raspberry sorbet and harmonised with banana coulis - delicious!




Enviably positioned at the edge of Melbourne’s CBD on the banks of the Yarra River, Dock 37 at the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf offers an approachable and relaxed dining for all occasions and adds an exciting new element to the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf guest experience 










Location: 2 Convention Ctr Place, South Wharf, Melbourne


Phone: 9027 2122



Cuisine: International, Modern Australian







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Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Hilton South Wharf.

Snippet: State of Grace


State of Grace offers a compelling dining experience. 











The restaurant delivers on use of fresh produce and skilful execution of dishes. We loved each course we had over the course of our dinner. The duck we ordered for our mains was of particular note. Cooked to perfection - skin beautifully seared while the centre boasted a lovely pink.  





Our dessert of chocolate and banana was similarly well devised. While this restaurant is known for its delicious cocktails, the restaurant certainly gives its bar reputation a run for its money.  




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Thứ Năm, 30 tháng 7, 2015

AnestasiA Vodka Wonderlust Launch party


Images courtesy of Anthony.




Gastrology recently attended the AnestasiA Vodka White Wonderlust Launch Party at the beautiful Mon Bijou where guests were treated to hand crafted AnestasiA Vodka cocktails, canapes and Om Nom desserts.




Anthony attended the event on behalf of Gastrology and captured these stunning moments from the event where most were dressed to impress in white.



























Snippet: Little Cupcakes


Serving some of the cutest cupcakes around, Little Cupcakes has become a bit of a frequent haunt for us when we're feeling like a sweet treat. 











They are a little smaller than your usual cupcake and a little dearer too in comparison but the flavours on offer are delicious. Their red velvet cupcake is our all time favourite. Fluffy, light and moist with the most decadent cream cheese topping. 







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Ex-Ramsay Chef creates new school British classics for Hooked Fish and Chipper




Raymond Good has been bringing sustainable and healthy options to Melbourne’s fish and chip scene since he opened up his first Hooked on Chapel St in 2006. Now he is bringing the classics.




Neale White of Flinders Lane’s lauded Papa Goose and ex-chef of Gordon Ramsay has teamed up with Good to craft a new winter menu inspired by classic British comfort food. 





The menu now features warming classics such as minted smashed peas, smoked fish croquettes, panko crumbed prawns in a basket (a la quintessential British 70’s pub food; 'scampi in a basket’), and a crowd favourite, fish and scallop pie. 





With the new menu comes a sea-change of sorts with a relaunch as Hooked – Fish & Chipper, a nod to Ray’s British heritage and his uncle Johnny’s ‘chippy’ by the English seaside where Ray spent his summers as a little nipper.





Warm, flavoursome, comforting and delicious - these dishes are ‘new school British classics’ unique to the booming fish and chip scene and unique to Melbourne.




Grilled blue grenadier, rice and salad





Available for both dine in and take away, daily fish specials (e.g. certified-sustainable blue grenadier, snapper, salmon and barramundi) are sourced from the market and cooked fresh to order, while the store’s famous potato chips are hand cut by the kitchen. 




Fish and Scallop Pie 





The hand cut chips were addictively good - beautifully crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The scallop pie was full of flavour and boasted buttery crumbly pastry while the minted pea mash was wonderfully seasoned.




English Sticky Date Pudding 





​T​he sticky date pudding was wonderfully ​light and fluffy​. It was​​ ​an​ exemplary ​​​execution of the classic dessert​. D​ecadently coated in copious amounts of ​rich butterscotch sauce, it was an absolute treat.




What Hooked does, it does well. The new winter menu inspired by classic British comfort food is a welcome addition to loyal punters and fresh foodies.





Locations: Prahran, Fitzroy, Hawthorn








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Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Hooked Fish and Chipper.

Thứ Tư, 29 tháng 7, 2015

Upcoming Event: MIFF Culinary Cinema - FOODIES (TASTING SESSION) this Saturday | Giveaway: Melbourne International Film Festival double pass!




At the Melbourne International Film Festival, experience the festival buzz, immerse yourself in the year’s most extraordinary contemporary cinema, and revel in rarely seen repertoire.




Look out for the Culinary program, featuring 5 films, the selection is more enticing than ever, a fine art of feasting with the eyes! Tickets for #MIFF2015 are on sale now at miff.com.au.





An exciting film from this program in particular is FOODIES which is about an eclectic group of jet-setting food bloggers who travel the world in search of the tastiest haute cuisine. The ticket price for this session includes a special culinary experience, designed by Peter Rowland Catering!





Book your tickets here!








Giveaway: Win a double pass! 




Gastrology have teamed up with MIFF to giveaway 2 double passes to the following 2 delicious films from this program:





Cooking Up a Tribute (Tues 11th August) – An in-depth and often surprising survey of the peoples and rich culinary traditions of the South American continent, it offers a humane and richly detailed portrait of a world we so often understand solely through its food. 


Good Things Await (Sun 9th August) – Shot in lyrical widescreen images and scored to beautiful choral sounds from Oscar-nominated composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, director Phie Ambo's film is a richly cinematic meditation on an idealist devoted to the Earth's future. 





How to enter 





All you have to do, is: 





Send us an email answering:




  1. “What is your favourite culinary film and why?” 

  2. Which session you would like to win.



The best 2 entries, as judged by the Gastrology team, will each win a double passes to either Cooking Up a Tribute (Tues 11th August)  or Good Things Await (Sun 9th August) at MIFF this year.





The competition will run from now to 5:00pm Monday 3 August 2015 (winner to be announced on this post on Wednesday 5 August 2015). 








The fine print: 


Only entries made using a valid email address are eligible. Your email address will not be published. This competition is a game is of skill not chance. This giveaway is open to readers in Australia only. Prize is not transferable or exchangeable or redeemable for cash. The Promoter is not responsible for prizes once they have been dispatched to the winner. The image of the prize is purely representative and the actual prize is subject to change. 





*****



[5/08/2015] Announcement: Winners of the Blog Giveaway: Melbourne International Film Festival double pass



Thank you to everyone who entered!



The 2 winners are…


I Haas
C Paul

… Congratulations, the winners have been contacted via email.







Competition Now Closed. 



Snippet: Chilli India


Venturing out for a weekday lunch, Chilli India appeared to be just the place to escape the cold Melbourne winter. 










Unfortunately, Chilli India was disappointing. The food was mediocre and really did not offer anything to differentiate itself from below average food court fare. We would not recommend visiting as there are so many places offering much higher quality food for comparable prices.



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Thứ Ba, 28 tháng 7, 2015

Bababoi Kitchen & Bar




One of the few restaurants in Melbourne to serve Peranakan or Nyonya cuisine, Bababoi stands out from the crowd with offerings that really pack a flavour punch.




The Nyonya cuisine is a Malaysian cuisine which combines Chinese, Malay and other influences into a unique blend resulting in dishes that are tangy, aromatic, spicy and herbal.





The menu is extensive with something to suit everyone - From well-known crowd pleasers like their 5 spice marinated chicken to authentic Nyonya dishes like the Ayam buah keluak which is not served anywhere else in Melbourne. 





The food boasts beautiful flavour courtesy of the house made rempah (a blend of fresh spices which are ground together) that are meticulously prepared.




Lobak 





Our dinner commenced with a plate of Lobak from their “Something Light” section of the menu. The Lobak is a mixture of ground up lean pork, water chestnuts and herbs wrapped in a beancurd skin which has been steamed and then pan fried until crisp. The crispy beancurd exterior, juicy interior and salty-sweet chilli sauce makes for an excellent appetiser. 




Tamarind pulled pork (a.k.a. babi assam)





A dish of pulled pork with hints of tangy tamarind, the dish displayed a depth and complexity in flavour and had a lovely hint of tangy sweetness that complemented the overall savouriness of the dish. 




Nyonya chicken curry (a.k.a. ayam kapitan)





This classic Malaysian chicken curry was a stand out. Boasting creamy coconut and aromatic kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass, it was wonderfully hearty. We enjoyed the richness of the curry and the generous use of spices which showcased the customary punchy flavours exhibited by Malaysian curries generally.  Together with steamed rice, it was an addictive and comforting dish.




Chocolate chicken (a.k.a. Ayam buah keluak)





The chocolate chicken was yet another highlight. Particularly enjoyable for its robust and fragrant nutty flavour. Each morsel was cooked to the point where the meat simply melted in our mouths. The flavours from the herbs and spices were unique and very enjoyable.




The Jewellery box - Earl grey pannacotta topped with black tapioca pearls





The visually attractive pannacotta was a wonderful creation of melt in your mouth pannacotta and perfectly chewy tapioca pearls. Absolutely delectable, this dessert was a masterclass in textural balance and great use of flavour. The pannacotta was textured perfectly. A welcome departure from the mundane dessert items usually found, this dessert offered its own unique characteristics. 




Bababoi celebrates the fusion style of Nyonya cuisine, with distinctive blend of Chinese and Malay techniques, flavours and spices. If you like your South East Asian flavours rich and gutsy, you cannot go wrong here.









Location: Shop 2, 60 Siddeley Street, Docklands

Phone: 0490 029 968

Link: http://www.bababoikitchenandbar.com/

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Malaysian





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Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of MATRADE's Malaysian Kitchen Program.