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.

Hotel Lincoln

MoVida Aqui’s ex-manager, Iain Ling has taken over historic Carlton pub, Hotel Lincoln. While the iconic pub’s architectural features have remained the same, the food offerings have been revamped. 

Having assembled a dream team with Lachlan Cameron (Supernormal, MoVida Aqui) running the kitchen, Emma Ramos (Le Bon Ton, The Everleigh) behind the bar and Paul Guiney (most recently floor manager for Brooks) running the floor, Ling has breathed new life into the Lincoln with a menu that pushes pub boundaries.

We were pleased to indulge in a specially curated dinner featuring some of their most popular dishes.

Spanner crab, corn crackers

Atop the perfectly crisp corn crackers lay soft shreds of beautifully sweet spanner crab.  We loved this delicate start to our dinner. 

Coffee-cured trout with radish and nashi pear

The cured trout was delicious. A wonderful mélange of flavours, the cured ocean trout slices boasted a distinct coffee taste and aroma. We loved the addition of radish and nashi pear which added a delightful freshness to the dish.

Beetroot, pickled green tomato, farro, goats’ cheese

We were particularly pleased with this dish of perfectly balanced flavours. Luxurious goat’s cheese paired beautifully with the slight acidity from the beetroot and pickled green tomato which brought a lovely tanginess that cut through the creaminess of the cheese while the farro added a lovely textural element. It all came together beautifully.

From left: Triple cooked chips; Brussel sprouts, nduja, slow cooked egg

Lamb shoulder, pickled fennel, rocket

The lamb shoulder was superbly slow roasted and was incredibly tender and went very well with the well-conceived side dishes.

Chocolate & beetroot pudding, crème anglaise

The desserts at the Lincoln were similarly well devised. Our dessert of Chocolate & beetroot pudding was well made with gooey chocolate centre and a slightly crisp cake exterior. The classic combination of citrus (in the form of dehydrated orange zests) further enhanced the dark chocolate flavours while the addition of beetroot in the constituent batter ensured the pudding was beautifully moist.

Having earned a nomination for ‘People’s Choice’ at the Time Out Melbourne Pub Awards, our recent visit has certainly helped us understand why. The Lincoln is reaching exciting new heights that go above and beyond what you would expect. 

Location: 91 Cardigan Street, Carlton

Phone: 03 9347 4666

Link: http://hotellincoln.com.au/

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Hotel Lincoln.

Chai Carlton

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

A simple shopfront just off Swanston Street, sandwiched between Lincoln and Argyle Square is home to one of the most authentic tasting Malaysian street-food experiences in Melbourne.

Chai Carlton is a neighbourhood gem which channels the spirit of Malaysian hawker-style eating centres in Kuala Lumpur, where locals gather to catch up and share tasty hawker favourites.

The menu features a wide array of options and as co-owner Cindy explains, “Choose whatever you like - it’s all good!” And it’s true, you can’t really go wrong here.

From top (clockwise): Tofu Bakar, Mamak Rojak, Kampung Sardine, Lobak, Cripsy “Ichi Kabin” Chicken Wings

Our dinner commenced with a few plates from their “Jonker Street Favourites” menu section. Each item was full of flavour and meticulously prepared. Of particular note was the Lobak. 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. Another crowd pleaser was the rojak which took us to the streets of Malaysia. A textural spicy hot salad with vegetable and delicious gravy - nothing short of yum! 

Yam Gravy Crispy Pork with rice

The wonderfully crisp morsels of pork were slathered with the most delicious yam gravy. This dish was comfort food at its best. The fluffy rice was the perfect canvas for the rich flavours. 

Assam Laksa

One of the few places in Melbourne delivering an authentic Assam Laksa, Chai Carlton’s take is a real treat. For the uninitiated, Assam Laksa is a spicy and sour fish-based soup from Malaysia. It was a fiery treat which was notable for its use of high quality sardines and the interplay between salinity, heat and acidity.

Beef rendang nasi lemak

The beef rendang was decadent. The full-bodied, pungent rendang gravy paired beautifully with melt-in-your-mouth morsels of beef. 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 fluffy coconut rice, crispy anchovies and sambal, it was an addictive and comforting dish.

Har Mee - Prawn noodles

The Har Mee was delightful. The soup was complex and aromatic and was served with generous amounts of noodles, vegetables, fish cakes, pork, and garnished with the requisite components, egg and prawns. We adored the wonderful chilli kick from the soup.

Fried Kuey Teow

The fried kuey teow was wonderfully authentic. Long and thick ribbons of flat rice noodles were cooked with an assortment of ingredients - shrimps, fish cake, Chinese sausage and egg – all of which possessed a beautiful wok caramelisation. The dish had the perfect amount of heat and boasted a great depth of flavour.

Top: Sago gula Melaka

Bottom (from left): Bubur cha cha, Yu Tiow with House Kaya

The desserts were lovely. The bubur cha cha was a decadent and textural dessert of sweet potato and taro immersed in fragrant pandan flavoured coconut soup sweetened with palm sugar. The Sago Pudding was yet another scrumptious dessert with beautifully balanced flavours. We appreciated the slight saltiness of the coconut milk which took the dessert to the next level. The house kaya on the other hand was also well made and went perfectly with the crisp Yu Tiow (a form of Chinese doughnut).

Chai Carlton brings delicious Hawker-oriented Malaysian fare to the table. Simple favourites are featured alongside lesser known options - but all stay true to the hawker spirit by focusing on authentic flavours at bargain prices. We will definitely be back. 

Location: 127 Pelham Street, Carlton

Phone: 03 9347 7448

Link: http://www.chaicarlton.com/

Cuisine: Asian, Malaysian, Chinese

Colombian Sundays @ Piqueos

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Piqueos.

A restaurant inspired by travels to Peru and Argentina, Piqueos delights with a menu of regional and street dishes that best represent these two countries.

Recently, Colombian dishes have started making their debut at Piqueos on Sundays. While the rest of the week the restaurant focuses on Peruvian and Argentinean cuisine, Sundays are an opportunity for passionate Colombian head chef Juanito Berbeo (Juan) to cook the food he was brought up with. 

Our poison on this occasion were Pisco Sour cocktails, a typical of South American drink made with pisco (the base liquor) lemon juice, syrup, ice, egg white, and bitters. We adored this heady, frothy mixture of sweet and sour.

Our lunch started with a selection of delicious Colombian piqueos, small appetizers which made up a light first course for our meal.

Colombian empanadas

These delicious fritters were beautiful. They were each filled with an amalgamation of tender beef, rice, smashed peas and egg. The outer crust which was made with masarepa, the precooked cornmeal that is used to make arepas were perfectly crisp. We enjoyed paring each bite of the empanada with the various dipping sauces. 

Cebiche - chargrilled octopus, scallop, leche de Tigre

The cebiche was beautifully presented and tasted even better than it looked. It was a wonderful mélange of different textures, natural sweetness and acidity. Tidbits of fresh cured scallops were embellished with juicy chargrilled octopus and corn; pockets of herbs added the final touch to an enlivening combination of ingredients. 

Lechona - 10 hour slow roasted pig filled with pork, rice and spice

The lechona was addictively good. In South America and in Colombia, Sundays are all about families and this often means sitting down and sharing a Lechona - much like the one we indulged in pictured above. A pork dish, made from a whole pig stuffed with pork meat, rice, split peas and spice which is then roasted for 12+ hours, this dish is comfort food at its best. It’s got it all - crackling, tender meat and amazing flavour.

Yuca frita Hand cut yuca chips

Piqeuos’ cassava chips were a welcome deviation from the potato chip norm.

Manjar blanco

A Peruvian and Argentinian influenced dessert of mocha and pisco mousse, maqui berry and peanut crumble was a delightfully sweet end to our visit. 

Sundays at Piqeous are an opportunity to taste Juan’s delicious Colombian heritage amongst other delicious Piqueos staples. 

Location: 298 Rathdowne St  Carlton North,

Phone: 03 9349 2777

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

Cuisine: Peruvian, Argentinian, Colombian, Wine Bar, Latin American, Barbecue