Pioneer Homestead Mt Tambourine Qld

Introduction: Their banner proclaims they make the best pies!
Ambience: A sort of pub style indoor/outdoor place in an huge old mansion fairly typical of touristy country towns with a wine tasting area attached.
Service: Don't come for the service. It is friendly and helpful but very unprofessional They were apologetic when I pointed out we had three knives and one fork for the two of us they helpfully brought two more forks. They said it was against health regulations to serve tap water, there sad lack of salt and pepper shakers
Food: Sea perch fillet in light beer batter with thick crisp chips and salad was a huge and very good dish and the beef pie with mushroom filled with chunks of meat worthy of the acclaim.
Wine: Naturally they sell their own - not to my taste but very inexpensive
Price: Less than you'd expect $40 for two
Score: 13/20

Zen

Introduction: This multiaward winning (best Chinese restaurant in Australia 2003, best in Qld and so on) is one of a bevy of restaurants at Conrads, Jupitor Casino at Broadbeach
Ambience: This clearly sophisticated venue is only a little diminished by the racket emanating from the piano bar next door
Service: Very attentive
Food: An almost fat free crispy skin duck was a little tough but beautifully spiced. Sweet and sour battered pork fillets with peppers , pineapple and onion, a classical dish, had a excellent sauce - not too thick nor too acid nor too sweet. We only had two dishes!
Wine: Expensive limited list. A modest range by the glass at about $10
Price:Range is from modest to fearsome eg Lobster $201/kgm, Coral trout $191/kgm, Abalone similar. Soups range from about $9 to $178 however a reasonable meal could run out at about $90 for two courses for two
Comments: Somewhat mystified by the odd prices. I very much enjoyed my meal here.
Score: 16/20

The Lazy Lobster

Introduction:This Gold Coast (Labrador) sister of a Sydney restaurant of the same name claims to have the freshest of lobsters and half price lunches, not including lobsters tho, every day.
Ambience: Another typical waters edge informal eatery
Service: Efficient
Food: The entrees of scallops, Moreton Bay bugs and BBQ octopus were all very good size and very tasty dishes. Lobster Thermidor ($59) could have passed for Mornay! however the lobster itself was excellent.
The Creme Brullee with ice cream was very acceptable.
Wine: BYO at dinner only! A small list reasonably priced
Price: $60 will buy you an excellent lunch
Comments: Excellent products reasonably presented. Nothing fancy
though.
Score: 13.5/20

Omeros Bros

Introduction: Every person I spoke tp recommended this place as rhe absolute best sea food restaurant on the Gold Coast
Ambience: Great site on the waters edge at Marina Mirage, informal feeling with well appointed and well spaced tables
Service: Keen to please tho it took a considerable time a simple request for bread to be delivered
Food: Mussels in a red wine sauce were huge, delicately prepared and could not have been better. Top marks. Whiting fillets in light beer batter were about as good as you can expect from fish and chips. The lobster Mornay ($99) served on a massive bed of somewhat dry fried rice, with a large handfull of parsley plumped on the middle of the dish was tender sweet and obviously very very fresh. That it lacked in presentation wa unfortunate but there could be no complaints about the lobster
Wine: Inexpensive modest range
Price: Modest by Melbourne standards about $80 for 2 if you avoid the lobster
Comments: Despite the heaps of awards this restaurant has won there is still room for a lot of improvement
Score: 14.5/20

Attica

I revisited Attica yesterday in reaction to the wholesome praise being heaped upon it recently. Age food writers seem to be spell bound and Gourmet Traveller chose chef Ben Shewry as best 'new talent' of the year 'tho he doesn't seem very new to me having been at Attica for 3 or 4 years now And Ed Charles had something of a rave review on his site (http://www.tomatom.com/)
So is Attica set for a stellar rise - I don't think so.
The degustation menu is in the general style of Interlude, Fenix and Vue de Monde. The number of dishes is less but the serves are bigger
The venue is something of a noise trap with bare walls, stone floor and reasonable height ceilings but it's pleasant enough.
the service was exemplary, the wines reasonably priced - we had a 2006 Villa Wolf Pinot Gris ($38) and the presentation of the food tops
BUT
These were complicated dishes with many ingredients, often in amounts too tiny to savour, barely a mouthful of anything. There were a profusion of textures but the tastes did not titivate the taste buds. the only exception was the venison which was cooked to juicy perfection.
For me Attica has a long way to go before it justifies the recent reviews! Here are some pictures The food does really look good It's not that the Emperor has no clothes it's just that there not quite regal - yet!






Homage to Alain Passasd's egg with a W.A. Truffle from Peche his Paris restaurant

A Almond cream, shaved squid, kinkawooka mussels and clams, candied olives, red gaspachio jelly! Smoked ocean trout, cured kingfish, pickled melon and and cucumber, lemonade fruit, soy vinaigrettte

Butter poached sea bass, spring onion, oyster sauce, oyster fritters, chive flowers, prawn paper

The worst photo but the best taste! Rare seared NZ venison, caramelised pumpkin,air dried quince, black pudding crumbs and beetroot

pear in tea, carrot and sauternes (not really tho) custard, pear cider, pop rocks

My original review follows but I would now increase the mark to 14.75/20

Introduction: Set in a former bank on Glenferie Rd a few doors from Hotham. Food is strongly Thai influenced
Ambience: White linen table cloths and serviettes, unrushed comfortable atmosphere
Service: Quietly efficient
Food: Menu is divided into Appetisers about $6, Pear in tea, carrot and sauterne custard, pear

The Dessert a taste tease gone in a bite cider, pop rocks

Entrees about $12, Mains about $27, Desserts about$12 and some small sweet things to go with coffee $2.5 up to $12
The hand picked crab remoulade was a delicate and tasty appetiser. we also had the baby barramundi entree which was dominated by coriander and a sweet chilli sauce. For mains the beef cheek in alovely red wine sauce was outstanding but the side salad of smoked eggplant, rice, mushroom and a lightly boiled egg was inedible and tasted only of ?preserved lemon or lime juice and coriander. The pressed lamb shoulder was very good but a little dry. Grandma's chocolate cake also failed to inspire any special feelings and, surprisingly there was no ice cream available.
Wine: Fully licenced - no BYO. A very small selection. By the glass $7 the Long Gully Pinot noir was OK and the Sally's Hill shiraz excellent
Price: About $100 for two.
Comments: If you like Thai and you live around there give it a try
Score: 13.5/20

Orita's

Introduction: Fusion food - Japanese modern at 34 Jackson St, Toorak
Ambience: A plethora of young Japanese waiters and plain setting give Orita's a distinctly Japanese feel
Service: Confused and error prone. The manager did well acknowledging. apologising and doing a reasonable job of repairing the errors
Food: I had the Signature Omakase (Degustation) Menu ($68) upgraded from the fish to to the Lobster main course ($97). The half lobster tail came from a very small lobster and was not quite as good as I'd hoped a little dry and hard. All the other dishes were excellent. Beautifully presented and tasty. The marinated salmon, topped by a small ring of onion containing a colourful delicate edible flower was enhanced when combined with the light vinagrette lettuce. The stewed beef spare rib with a fine potato salad was very good as was the delicate sushi. Perhaps the best was the small cup of carrot soup- I have no idea how they did it but it was devine.
The crispy garlic fried rice was very acceptable and the dessert, a peanut mousse was interesting but not outstanding. Of the other dishes we tried the tempura was unsurpassable, there was a a Japanese prawn rice, a bit like a porridge, well worth trying. The pigeon, which turned out to be half a pigeon ($30) was extremely tasty but rather a small serve. Other desserts- mint chocolate mousse and the tempura icecream were not notable.
Wine: We drank some basic cocktails - G&T cheap at $6 and Mt Adam Pinot Noir (60) which I found indifferent. You can bring your own.
Price: Around $90/ head
Comments: After closing for 6 months for refurbishment there is little change to see in the main body of the restaurant. The food is as good as ever. Chef Hikaru Orita is innovative and interesting. If I gave out hats he'd get one
Score: 15.5/20

Bacash

Introduction: Recently elevated to one hat by the Age Good Food Guide this South Yarra restaurant deserves to thrive
Ambience: Walls decorated with a couple of Ala Wolf-Tasker's striking works, and some pleasant still life works (for sale), provide a comfortable environment
Service: Very attentive
Food: Michael Bacash's signature entree Garfish and prawn Nori rolls ($19) stuffed with prawn salmon, King prawns and garfish, the head and tail of which decorate the dish, is outstanding with most delicate flavour imparted by the careful addition of ginger, garlic and coriander. The roast pumpkin and goat cheese Agnolotti ($15) are much stronger but also exellently flavoured with sage and a rich garlic brown butter. Mains: The grain fed Filet Mignon ($35) seved as ordered, very rare, was tender and extremely tasty with its port wine juice served with mushroom, onion and potato Dauphin (incorporating cheese). The fish of the day, founder, was surprisingly succulent A handsome bowl of fries and a garden salad completed the meal.
Wine: An adequate list by the glass or bottle but clearly not their specialty
Price: At the upper end of prices but, in my view, worth a visit
Comments: I have no hesitation in recommending Bacash for a very good dinner. A revisit did not quite live up to expectations.The two tiny stuffed Zuchini flowers were disgracefully expensive at $17. The spaghettii Marinara ordinary. The pork belly also a small serve very nice as was the sweatbread entree. The home made icecream less than ordinary but the sticky date souffle really excellent. A patchy dinner - only 15/20!
Score: 16/20

Lynch's

Introduction: Fine dining
Ambience: The feeling is of old and refined. The odd conglomeration of prints, autographed photograhs, paintings and pictures on the walls reminded me of a teenagers bedroom!
Service: Attentative, informed and faultless
Food: This was outstanding. We had a crab tortollino with prawns and a mushroom rissotto wrapped in spinach for entrees both - two excellent tasty dishes. The cornbeef and mashed potato was made into a fabulous meal by the accompanying light, creamy mustard sauce. the roast duck was cooked to perfection. The soufle dessert was also as good as it gets!
Wine: By the glass our waiter advised us to prefer the Seville Pinot Noir which was a good choice. Surprisingly he later offered us a good size taste of the Geelong Pinot that he had guided us away from and another sample of a most excellent shiraz. Both confirmed his judgemen.
Price: Expensive. Our bill with coffee was over $200
Comments: A worthy winner of the Michelin award for overall excellence in 2003
Regretably the high standard was not maintained at a second visit 9 months later
The atmosphere of the place is unchanged and it was really nice to enjoy a quiet meal in their upstairs room.
Unfortunately the service was exceptionally slow and our young waitress seemed somewhat distressed.
Oysters Kilpatrick ($48) were small, the bacon overcooked and all together unimpressve. This was an unfortunate start to an otherwise impressive meal
the entree of Goat cheese souffle on a bed of grilled eggplant was excellent as was was the Chef's special roast pheasant in a wonderful jus. The potato that came with it was barely cooked and woody in the middle. The King George whiting fish and chips had a fine batter and the chips were crisp. A side dish of Caesar salad was also very good The raspberry Souffle dessert had excellent texture tho it might have been a little too sweet for some
Wine by the glass is very reasonable Scotchman Hill Pinot Grigio and Scotchman Hill sav blanc were both acceptable at about $8/glass
Score: 7 /20 second visit 15/20

Benito's

Introduction: Could not resist trying this restaurant after a very nice article in the Age
Ambience: Feels like an Italian wine bar
Service: Amiable and unhurried
Food: The chicken liver parfait ($7.50) is exquisite and would not be out of place across the road at Vue de Monde. The small antipasto ($16.50), quite a good size, with eggplant, tomato cheese, calamari, sausage peppers and meat was an honest dish of consistant good quality. The duck sausage on a bed of mash is a strange main course ($25.00) and not much to my taste. The pot roast rabbit was tender succulent and very tasty ($25.00), The veal saltimbucca was also excellently prepared ($25.00) The marinara made from fresh ingredients was another good dish. The desserts, of which there were only two choices by the time we got to them, were unusually good. The two flavours of semi-frodo, pear and passoinfruit were exceptional and the chocolate parfait really nice ($6.50) eac.
Wine: We had a 2004 Mornington Peninsula pinot noir - Massala by Kooyong ($35.00) I'd try something else if we return. There is a modest range of Italian and local wines at reasonable prices
Price: Good value
Comments: There is a fairly limited dinner menu which means it will be quite a while before I return. I have no complaints about the food some of which was quite excellent and well worth the visit.
Score: 14.5/20

Morri's Place

Introduction: Formerly Cafe Renzi, after several changes of owner, this 1121 High St Armadale restaurant seems to be thriving.
Ambience: Gave me a feeling of an unpretentious 'good restaurant'
Service: Efficient, informed uniformed young staff
Food: The Oysters Alaska - stuffed with smoked salmon and crab meat with grilled Mornay sauce ($19.50 for 6) were fabulous. The oxtail and beef cheek ragu with baby turnips, shallots on a bed of crushed chats was filling and tasty, the meat cooked beautifully 'till it was falling off the bone. Crispy skin roast duck with prunes, blood oranges and armangac served with lightly cooked peas in the pod, young carrots and broccoli was also a handsome well prepared serve but sounded a lot fancier than it was
Wine: Licenced or what I rarely resist - BYO corkage $5
Price: Entrees about $12 Mains $21 to about $27 Desserts $10.50
Comments: Cuisine bourgeoise no doubt tasty substantial and sustaining
Score: 13.5/20

Radii

Introduction: A unique elegant restaurant set on 5 levels at the Park Hyatt
Ambience: Sophisticated breathes quality
Service: Unobtrusive suits the venu
Food: The starters are excellent. we had Chilli flour dusted cuttlefis, Wood roasted herb bread and Prosciuto, olives and reggianno parmesan - all excellent
The Shellfish soup with blue swimmer crab fritte and rouille was very tasty but for those who can afford the cholesterol the Chicken liver parfait with Pedro Ximenez jelly was to drool over
Unfortunately the main courses were not that fantastic. I felt the slow cooked pork scotch filllet needed a few more hours although the crackling and the quince paste that accompanied it were excellent. The ocean trout was not distiguished.
Desserts looked good but again were not really special The liquorice sorbet most interesting and the panacotta laced with cognac (I think) was also quite good
Wine: A very pleasant Punt Road Pinot Noir at $50 went well with our meal
Price: On the expensive side Around $75 plus wine
Comments: I found the quality of the meal somewhat uneven but this is a fine venu and a good place to take a visitor
Score: /16/20

Sails on the Bay

Introduction: Recently enlarged. Well spaced tables mostly fronting what can best be called a bay window present an attractive view over the water lapping at the sand. Strollers and joggers make for a constantly variable distraction
Ambience: Hanging bits of supposedly sail cloth off the ceiling creates little effect on the generally quiet agreeable and comfortabe atmosphere
Service: Unobtrusive
Food: the Ravioli stuffed with prawns and scallops in a Champgne and chive sauce is an outstanding taste however the sauce was a little on the gluggy side of perfect. The deep sea blue eye in a puff pastry shell was also excellent but again the cream sauce was too heavy. The roast duck and the duck Italian style differed only in what they were served with. The polenta with sage rosemary and onion stuffing accompanied by roast garlic and buttered brocholini in a light jus was very good and the vahronna icecream not to be missed.
Wine: Moderately priced with a reasonable range by the glass. I am not impressed when wine by the glass is poured without the bottle being sighted. In this instance the pinot we were first served had passed its use by date by some time. It was promptly repalced with a frsh glass
Price: Around $50 per head
Comments: Close to being very good
Score:14 /20