Restaurant Review: Brunelli Bar Restaurant Cafe

Location: 87 High St, Doncaster

Link: www.brunelli.com.au
Cuisine: Italian, cafe
Overall Impression: 5/10

For our more recent review of Brunelli, please click here!


Long weekends are great. That is, unless you have to study for an exam. I always thought I would leave the world of dreaded exams the moment I finished university and embarked into working life. Evidently this has sadly not been the case. Years later, I find myself cramming amongst salty crispy snacks and piles of legislation at my desk with my third cup of instant coffee wondering how I'll remember anything. I decided I needed to just get out of the house, at least for a little bit.
My best friend, Grace was lovely enough to keep me company.

my Cuppucino

It was 5pm when we arrived at Brunelli. All we wanted was some coffee but from the moment we arrived (although the place was empty), we got the sense they thought that we were there for dinner. Consequently it was awkward when we were presented with the dinner menu. We thought we might just order something to nibble on whilst sipping our coffees because we felt bad that we were not planning to stay for dinner.

Garlic Wood-fired foccacia

extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic & oregano

And it was very good foccacia. So good, I decided to have dinner there the next day and it was a simple but enjoyable meal.  We shared a few pizzas and they were all very nice. This place is casual and cosy. The service was prompt and friendly.

Restaurant Review: Sarti

Location: 6 Russell Pl, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9639 7822
Link: www.sartirestaurant.com.au
Cuisine: Italian
Overall Impression: 8/10

Having heard about Sarti from different reliable sources, we were excited that we finally had the opportunity to dine there. It was J's birthday a week ago so this was part of his birthday celebrations (the week after I baked him the giant red velvet cupcake) with me as his date. We made a booking for 8.30pm as we both weren't sure if we would be able to get out of work early that Friday night. I had only rung the day before for a booking. The restaurant was fully booked apart from after 8.30pm (just as well, as we could not have made any other time!).

The whole place was bustling. There were people having Friday night drinks at the bar and the restaurant area was filled with patrons. It's nice going out on a Friday night. The atmosphere is always so much more lively. We were promptly seated at our table by a very friendly waiter that took very good care of us the rest of the night.

We decided to spoil ourselves with the degustation option and it turned out to be an excellent decision.

Bread served with extra virgin olive oil 

We knew we needed to get a bottle as this was one of the few occasions J was not driving. [Don't worry, I wasn't driving either.] So, J decided to get a bottle of Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Shiraz which turned out to be a great choice - it was a very nice bottle of wine! Good job, hun! J wasn't sure about getting this particular bottle of wine because he has a theory that big wine companies that are particularly famous for their top of the range wines try and flog off drags with their cheaper range because they know it will still sell due to brand recognition. Fortunately, on this occassion, his theory did not apply.

First course: Wild duck and ‘provolone polpette’, pistacchio, aniseed myrtle

 Second course: Calabrian chilli crab, ‘n’duja’ crumble, ‘neo nati fritti’

Third course: Marsala glazed homemade sausages, whipped white polenta

Fourth course: Camel ‘carpaccio’, native pepper soil, toasted macadamia nut, bush tomato

And every dish was delectable. The entrees were hearty and rustic. The Camel was the only entrée that had more of a modern twist. I couldn't say Camel is now my favourite but it was definitely an enjoyable experience and if anyone could pull off serving raw camel, Sarti surely could and did.  Everything was seasoned perfectly, and had a lot of familiar flavours and struck a good balance on the plate.

My favourite entrée was the soft shell crab. It had just the right amount of spice for that little kick without overpowering the subtle flavours of the sweet crab flesh.

Fifth course: ‘Gnocchi al forno’, black leek, scallops, mussel, ‘cavolini di bruxell’

The gnocchi was simply amazing! The mussels were delicious. They were beautifully fresh and juicy and so were the scallops. Perfectly seared and perfectly cooked. And back to the gnocchi. Al dente, creamy and yet with a bit of bite. The gnocchi itself was perfectly seasoned (I could have eaten it by itself). And together with all the other elements of the dish, it was presented beautifully, maintaining an air of refinement on the palate and yet still tasted hearty and comforting.

 Sixth course: Braised veal cheeks, purple cauliflower cous cous, prociutto consommé, black rice

The flavours of this course came as a bit of a surprise to me. When I read it on the menu, I had imagined something with quite intense flavours, much like the Ox tongue and cheek I had at Maze. Instead, the Braised veal cheeks had very subtle flavours. The prosciutto consomme really brought the whole dish together, but it too, was crisp and clean. Everything had very subtle flavours but together, it was a marriage made in heaven.

Side dishes:
‘Patate mille erbe’and Mixed salad, ‘aceto della casa’

Soon it was time for dessert, we were excited to see what our desserts would be as we had told the waiter to surprise us. (That's another great thing about Sarti. Unlike a traditional degustation, if you are extremely picky, they let you decide every course! And ofcourse you can leave all the decisions in the capable hands of the chef if you prefer.

Seventh course: ‘Pistacchio panna cotta’, caramel salted popcorn

This was delectable. I savoured every moreish morsel. The perfect melt-in-your-mouth panna cotta with a lovely pistachio scent and flavour contrasted beautifully with the saltiness and crunch of the popcorn. It was such a beautifully balanced dessert and it had the perfect level of sweetness so every element of the dish was clearly present with every mouthful.

Eighth course: ‘Amarena gelato’, frozen liquid biscuit, cherry gel & hazelnuts

This was also a beautiful dessert. It was sweeter than the panna cotta and was much more indulgent. The biscuit was so short and quickly crumbled and melted in my mouth. And the gelato was smacked with cherry infused flavours. It was a great end to an excellent meal.

Sarti offers one of the better value degustations in Melbourne. At $90 a head, it delivers on all fronts - excellent service, food and great ambience. I cannot wait to go back.

Restaurant Review: Yuki Japanese Restaurant

Location: 1901-1903 Malvern Rd, Malvern East

Phone: 03 9885 7833
Cuisine: "Japanese" 

Overall Impression: 5/10*

In contrast to the amazing dining experience we had had at Sarti the night before, we had an awkward one at Yuki (pronounced Yucky, ok, no it is not) Japanese Restaurant in Malvern. Clearly J and I like to mix it up a bit. And you know what? It was actually a pretty enjoyable night out, apart from the food, that is.

But yes. From the moment we arrived we noticed how empty the restaurant was. It had been such an effort making a booking for the restaurant. I had rung several times and had been told that they were booked out for about a month so we actually booked a month in advance. Needless to say, it was extremely weird to see the restaurant looking quite so empty.

Neither of us had actually heard of this restaurant until J decided to have a go at buying a voucher advertised by Deals. It was advertised as follows:
Spectacular Japanese Banquet! Pay only $29 for TWO PEOPLE for amazing ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT Japanese Banquet including Sushi, Gyoza, Tempura, Yaki Udon, Chicken Katsu, Desserts and much more! Normally $80 from Yuki in East Malvern

From the kindness of his heart, my dear J decided to buy the voucher and take me along for a Japanese treat. When he had first bought it, we were both excited at the thought of reminiscing the time we had both spent in Japan.  

It turned out, however, that the ad for the "Japanese" banquet was both misleading and deceptive. It was neither Japanese and not was it amazing.

Prior to going to the restaurant, we had actually been reading horrendous reviews of the restaurant. No one seemed to have anything good to say about Yuki. So, we were slightly apprehensive at the thought of dining there. All in all, it was not nearly as bad as the reviews had suggested. That is not to say that either of us will ever be returning, merely that the food was in fact edible although not Japanese.

The "tempura prawns and vegetables" were deep fried prawns and vegetables that you would expect from your local fish and chip shop. You know what? It's probably not worth going into detail about the food. Suffice to say, it was not very good. But it was very much edible run of the mill food court level "Japanese" food served by non-Japanese.

Now, for the positives.

Yes, there were some.

It *is* in fact all-you-can-eat. The waitstaff were extremely attentive in making sure we always had food on the table. Although they frequently mixed orders up, they tried their very best to provide the best level of care. We received every single dish we had ordered. The unagi (eel) was actually very nice.

As the meal costs J $29 and included sake (pictured above) and fed the both of us with more than ample portions of food, it was fair. I would not however had been too pleased if that meal had cost $80. My advice is to use up your voucher soon if you still have it. It is really not that bad, but do it with a sense of urgency because it is unlikely that Yuki will be around for very much longer.

*The overall impression score is based on using a voucher. My understanding is that if a voucher had not been used, more dishes would have been available and the full price per person would be $40.

Restaurant Review: Plume Chinese Restaurant

Location: 546 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster
Phone: (03) 9840 1122
Link: www.plume.com.au
Cuisine: Chinese

Overall Impression: 5/10

My mum loves yumcha. She loves being able to have a variety of little dishes to snack on over some Chinese tea. So she was thrilled that my sister decided to take us all out for a lazy Sunday brunch at Plume. Dinner at Plume is a much more formal affair. I have attended a Chinese wedding banquet at Plume and remember being very impressed at the quality of the dishes they had on offer, but I digress.

The yumcha experience (as is the case with most yumcha experiences) was fairly informal. The restaurant was bustling and packed with patrons. I found the dishes above average. The egg tart was especially good. But Plume does charge a premium for their service. The bill for the three of us came up to about $150. So, I'm not sure if the particularly good egg tart was worth it.

All in all, good but all things considered, pricey for what it offers.

Restaurant Review: Mountain Goat Brewery

Location: Corner North St & Clarke St Richmond
Link: www.goatbeer.com.au
Cuisine: Beer, pizzas, beer and more beer

Ever wondered how beer is made? On top of serving premium beer and delicious pizzas, Mountain Goat Brewery runs free tours.

The bar:

The pizzas were delectable - Thin and crispy crusted and simply delicious. Overall Impression: 7/10

Delicious beer and great pizzas. What more could you ask for? The tour of the factory was a good experience. It is no wonder this place has gained such a cult following.