My Flame (Caulfield) 06/2010

Unfortunately My Flame is about to flicker out to be replaced with a Thai restaurant. The decor was dull, with a few indifferent indigenous art works
and a basin for the orthodox but the food was lovely and the service enthusiastic. As the best Kosher restaurant around the Melbourne suburbs this is a pity. We had a very satisfying dinner there last Sunday. They put on a $55/head Moroccan influenced set menu that I’d be happy with at any of the starred restaurants in the AGF. Flavours were delicate, interesting and blended well with the main ingredient. There was plenty to eat too. Here are some pic’s of the dishes.

Bread sticks

Lentil soup
A fish patty
Sea bass
A Moroccan palate cleanser
Shaslik
and dessert.
Score 14.5/20

Canvas (East Hawthorn) 06/2010

As soon as we opened the door to the staircase leading up to this first floor restaurant we were hit by a wave of noise and it was only a quarter past seven! Whilst, no doubt, this meant that everyone was having fun I considered it a very mixed sign. I need not have worried. It is quite noisy but we managed to hear and talk comfortably through the night.

They offer an a la carte menu or a $75 banquet of dishes to share. We always like to have as much variety as possible so the banquet was the way we chose to go. It began with bread, ducka, a tomato tasting powder and olive oil followed by a small cup of Moroccan soup.
Thick and creamy in texture it was very rich with a light cumin flavour. The head chef, Pierre, was born in Algeria and trained in France and the French influence was evident in this soup. After a short pause, in quick succession, the main dishes were brought to the table. It took only a few moments for the table to be filled to overflowing as dish after dish and tagine
after tagine arrived. A crisp, light pastry pie filled with moist chicken was delicately seasoned was the first course
after which there was no order as everything was on the table. Several fish dishes were the least impressive. Baked whole snapper filleted with preserved with lemon, paprika and olives did not appeal to me but the goat tagine with quince gruyere and Cinnamon Bourek
was superb, tender and tasty, accompanied by some marrow it was the best I've ever eaten. Not far behind were the lamb tagine with ginger, peas, broad beans and mint.

Two other sea food dishes, that we both liked better were Moroccan seafood tagine
and Sardine fritters with tomato and chermoula.There were also a variety of side dishes including taboule, Algerian salad, spiced potato and mint

and several more dishes that are all gently and tastefully spiced giving balance without offense. A meal prepared by a talented chef that everyone can find plenty to please with both vegetarian and meat dishes aplenty


Finally the dessert. This was quite nice, very sweet and quite an Arabic/Nth African collection but after this huge meal I could have done without it!
Here's the menu, off their web site.

SHARED TABLE BANQUET $70 per person $75 per person includes dessert OR A LA CARTE STARTERS Freshly shucked oysters served natural or hot with chermoula and chickpeas $3.50 ea Moroccan seafood tagine GF $24 Sardine fritters with tomato and chermoula $22 Roast Quail with duck sausage and egg bourek $26 Slow cooked Pork with scallops, braised onions and saffron tagine GF $28 Smoked Ocean Trout with cracked wheat and raisin $24 Prawns with chickpeas, cuttlefish and coriander GF $28 MAIN COURSES Baked whole filleted Snapper with preserved lemon, paprika and olives $38 Lamb tagine with ginger, peas, broad beans and mint GF $34 Chicken tagine with chickpeas, cheese and herb dumplings $32 Goat with quince, gruyere and cinnamon bourek $36 John Dory and Prawn tagine with spiced sausage GF $38 Chicken Bastilla with moroccan salad and cinnamon $32 Rabbit and Seafood paella with cracked wheat and pancetta $38 Couscous Royale with lamb sauasge, chicken and braised lamb shoulder $36 Vegetable Couscous with raisin jam $28 SIDES AND SALADS Salad of grilled Capsicum with cumin, feta and cayenne pepper GF $10 Algerian salad with olives and anchovies GF $10 Baby Lettuce with cinnamon dressing GF $10 Roquette and cracked wheat tabouleh $10 Green Beans with tomatoes, feta and olives GF $10 Spiced potatoes and mint $10 Couscous with sultanas and ghee $10

Score: 14.5/20

Dinners

We've been so busy we've hardly had time to eat at home and not had time to write up the pleasing, and the disappointing, experiences of the last month or so. We've revisited a lot of our former favourites with mixed feelings and been to a few new places that We have not yet written about. What follows is a compendium of meals. One meal at home, others at Innocent Bystander/Giant Steps, Belle Videre, Bacash, Jaques Reymond, Matteos, and MoMo Restaurant

Dinner at Home

Not the usual by any means.
Following an accidental meeting with Daman Shrivastav, an accomplished Indian chef who teaches at Box Hill TAFE, we arranged to subsidize a dozen guests for an experimental Indian/French dinner.
After four dozen oysters and several rounds of canapes, with some lubricating champagne
we entered the dining room to eat.
In good restaurant tradition an amuse bouche was served first with a conventionally Indian fermented premium lager. Served by Daman's colleague, Manou,
who was somewhat better dressed than I was, each course came in good time. A rocket and ginger consomme with a dry Fino Sherry

was the first course. Unique, but not something I'd want to serve, a sort of gastronomic peculiarity.
Things became more interesting with a Tandoori duck liver pate, petit pappadum, shaved black truffle and micro salad.

Could it have been the 2008 Dopff Gewurtztraminer? I don't know BUT I could not really distinguish the tandoori taste in the pate and I could neither taste nor smell the truffles though I could see some little black specs. It looked good, it was rich and smooth and had a great feel in the mouth but it was not quite 'as advertised'.
Fortunately my taste returned with the next dish, an assiette de fruit de mer. This wild barramundi roulade, seared prawns, confit of salmon, char grilled squid tubes with cumin and saffron infused beurre blanc missed out in only one , unfortunately common area.
The salmon was over cooked. Even The Hill Chardonnay could not correct for that, nor did it help me focus the camera.
An apple and sage palate cleanser before the main course went down well at this point. The main course was a trilogy of lamb: Braised in red wine jus, parcelled in marinated cabbage, pomegranite and labna and roasted, tikka style, with korma sauce served with pomme fondant filled with goat cheese mousseline, wilted spinach and buttered asparagus. A lot on one plate.
The Black Chook sparkling shiraz was an excellent accompniment to this multi-national dish which best summed up the spirit of the night.
A chocolate and orange souffle with chai ice cream was another winner. Chai makes a great ice cream. perhaps it was our oven that kept the souffle a little lower than it might have been.
The accompanying Stanton and Killeen muscat was very sweet. I loved it.
It is incredible that Daman made all this in our kitchen. He arrived about midday and left a little after 1.00 am and had the help of only one girl for the cooking. Everything was prepared on the spot and he brought it all except the champagne, oysters and chocolates and some cheeses. A remarkable achievement. The final cheese platewith, would you believe it, Indian theme chocolates, (PG recommended!) found us very full. That must have been the reason no one was keen to touch the chocolate.
One more red - Turkey Flat a blend of Barossa shiraz, grenache and mourverde ended a night of eating and drinking which, if not for the wine, would be remembered for many years.
Score: Not markable but remarkable.

Bacash 05/10

It is not very fair to judge a restaurant to harshly, nor too flatteringly, on the basis of a single visit though one often gets a pretty good idea. MoMo disappointed but a subsequent visit, by friends who found it indifferent when we were there had a much better experience. the spicing and seasoning were more delicate and the whole meal much better. at Bacash the shoe was on the other foot as colleagues reported a poor experience. The restaurant acknowledged that they had had a bad night. Since I often recommend them we hastened to check out if this was just a blip or had things gone awry there.
the place has not changed. A little cramped, full on Friday night, service, which is occassionally patchy under pressure, was good.
after an offering from the kitchen of a gently seasoned lightly grilled mussel with a little corn, tomato and herbs
we went on to entrees. I tried the duck neck sausage filled with chicken and sweetbread served with bourghol, pancetta and pickled basic pears, which i forgot to photograph. It was quite good but i didn't notice the sweetbread Which I particularly enjoy. Gravalax, Tasmanian Atlantic salmon, cured with dill, and pepper, served with celleriacremoulade and grissini were simple and unexciting.
less classical was an interpretation of Waldorf salad with brussel sprout leaves, roasted walnuts brioche crumbed quail egg, gorgonzola, pear and apple foam.
The best looking entree, a deconstructed tuna pie might have been good but for the pastry being undercooked.
Side dishes were large and tasty.
Brussel sprouts with chestnuts and bacon

Bacash is known best as a fish restaurant although they do serve meat and poultry. We were happy to have grilled flounder, which was not on the menu, which we asked for at the time we made the reservation.


Presentation was quite plain. It was excellent, with the delicate flavour undisturbed by dressing it's only deficiency was that it was quite small.
We finished the meal with a variety of house made ice cream which were all smooth, creamy and individually tasty.Mains are $42, entrees about $20 oysters about $23 or $42/dozen.
Despite several deficiencies we enjoyed our dinner. We felt it was not quite as good as it used to be and it is a bit expensive.
Score: 14.5/20

Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander 05/10

This is an extremely successful multifunction venue on the main street, (336 Maroondah Hwy), in the heart of Healesville. Purpose built this great barn of a place is divided by a large glass wall into a wine making section
and a retail section which includes a wine tasting area, a cheese maturing room and counter a patisserie and bakery
and a pizzeria and a cafe with particularly good coffee which they roast.
Apart from the menu, and a little booklet describing their history and philosophy, there are black boards


and a mirror filled with quotes, perhaps graffitti, to inform about dishes or simply to amuse. An odd assortment of chairs and sofas provide seating at various size simple unadorned tables. Staff all seem to be very young energetic and enthusiastic. Packed on weekends it has great atmosphere and this is well supported by the food. A salt cod brandade
with house smoked sourdough bread displayed their excellent artisanal bread with a fine brandade. A thin crust rosemary, roast garlic and buffalo mozarella pizza was a simple, well made, though slightly singed,
and pleasing It's very good cafe food
and doesn't pretend to be anything else. Their quite extensive menu is available on the I'net, as is their substantial wine list.
Score 14/20

Belle Videre

Belle Videre.
Saturday night the choice at this Yarra Valley restaurant is have the five course set menu or go some where else. What's more you can't get the menu beforehand because they don't quite know what they are going to have!
What they do say is that there will be plenty to eat. Of course at night it could not live up to its name but it is warm and comfortable with an open fire at one end of the large L shaped room and an open kitchen.
It's a bit of a performance. Everyone has to be seated at 8.00. No staggered entries here. After an amuse bouche of a half fig on whitlof,
chef and part owner Gary Cooper, far left, brings out the staff and has them introduce themselves and their function in the restaurant.
After that it's down to work. First course a less than classical Ribollita (can you have a classical peasant dish?)
with Borlotti beans, cabbage chicken broth and pancetta. it was a satisfying country soup. A leg of lamb marinated with lime, garlic and brown sugar was roasted at the fire place and chefs came to the table and carved it on to our plates. Served with rosemary, mayonnaise, anchovy and capers.
The initial couple of slices were not much but they came around offering a second helping which virtually everyone in the restaurant accepted. A hunters purse goat capretto in tomato and garlic wrapped in sour cream pastry with broad beans was quite benign. The meat flavours modified by the pastry making a great pie. Grilled garlic rubbed sourdough with creamed tete de Moine and bitter greens was not very unusual. The normally hard yellow cheese was now a soft creamy white.
Others may have liked it. Neither of us did.
Finally a twice baked chestnut and frangelico souffle with caramel chestnuts, sabayon and double cream was very good though the souffle did not rise as high as I would have liked and was little heavy.
An interesting night for $99 plus drinks, if you are in the vicinity.
Score: 14.5/20.