L is for Latvian

I must begin this post to say we had tried to go Lebanese a few weeks ago, but all to no avail as we couldn't get a car park within a bull's roar of East Brunswick, so bad luck Lebanon. Therefore, inspired by a Seinfeld episode in which Latvia was featured, we ventured to the Crimean, a thoughtfully renovated restaurant housed in the former Sir Robert Peel Hotel in North Melbourne. As the restaurant encompasses those countries encircling the Black Sea, Latvia itself is but one of those Russian republics featured.

Many people stagger OUT of restaurants, but on this occasion Mr X staggered INTO one. He had decided to wear a pair of shoes which had been hiding in the back of his wardrobe for a lengthy while, and unbeknowns to him (and mankind), they had developed leprosy during their enforced isolation! No kidding, his heels were literally falling apart as he walked, beginning with huge chunks being left behind on the car floor, followed by a leather trail a-la Hansel and Gretel along the footpath. It was extroadinary how both shoes basically exploded as he walked. Ms X saw the funny side of it while Mr X tried at least to appear sober as he entered the restaurant.

Once inside, we were shown to our table where Ms X ordered a wine and Mr X a Lasso pilsener from Slovenia (no breweries in Latvia apparently). A free Herring appertiser quickly appeared, followed by an entree of potato and quark vareniki for Ms X and chicken kiev croquettes for Mr X. Main course consisted of a Balkan filo pie full of zucchini, feta, dill, smoked tomato and honey sauce (guess who had that), and lamb meatballs with yoghurt sauce (for the other one). We also ordered a side plate of roast potatoes with paprika and kaskaval. very yummy and extremely filling, so much so that sweets were unbelievably eradicated from the menu on this occasion.

Whilst we my have taken a bit of political license with the Latvian side of things, it does crack a mention on their web-site and I'm sure I saw George Costanza dining in the corner with his Latvian hat on (he did kindly pose for me, as you can see). Waiting for the bill, Mr X attempted to sweep different sized chunks of leather under the table, and upon exiting he maintained excellent balance for someone who appeared to be walking on wafer-thin ice.

Scores:                           Mr X                        Ms X

Accessibility                    9                                9

Service                             8                                8

Ambience                        4                                6

Value for Money             5                                7

Food                                8                                 8

Total: 72

K is for KOREAN

We now have what we call our cult following. Those who ask when we see them 'what letter are you up to?' and of course, are more than keen to contribute their opinion for the next letter.
Ms X is thrilled to announce this blog entry's special follower goes to Queenie, her nail technician, from Nailz by Jade .  Queenie, we are sure will also get another mention when we get to V as I am sure Ms X will pick her brains for a recommendation then.
Why is Ms X mentioning Queenie now? Apart from doing a lovely manicure, It was she who steered Ms X to KOREAN sharing her knowledge and experiences of the Korean flavours, especially KIM CHI.

Now, let's get one thing straight. Korean is a lotta work and this workin' girl doesn't want to do  a whole lotta work in order to get fed by someone else. So with that said, it wasn't getting off to a great start!
Firstly, you have to be patient in finding the address. Shop H Healeys Lane, Melbourne. Hmm  thank goodness for Steve Jobs and google maps we eventually found not only Shinssi Hwaro but also Little Korea in a pocket of Melbourne that we didn't know existed!

The tables are all arranged with BBQs in the centre and flue over the top. There's not a lot of Korean-feel about the place however, given that we have both not been to Korea, we will cut them some slack on this.
With menus sorted, and food ordered, one doesn't know the routine however patience is a virtue and also an understanding that, relax and it will work out became the theme.
After several attempts to light up the thing ( they obviously didn't know about the ever ready bunny!) we got some action.

However- there was no action on this thing for our entree that arrived pronto.

Some fried dumplings and spicy fish cake with Kim Chi.....not a big fan of the old Kim Chi at all but we both loved the dumplings.

Ms X was still  worried that the BBQ wasn't heating up however she did know her place in regards to who had the balance-of-power and had to be resigned to sitting on her hands and practise that patience-thing.

If you don't want to see the raw product of what you are about to eat then maybe this place is not for you. We had ordered the pork belly and our waiter placed down the ingredients in front of us. I guess now was not the time for Ms X to begin worrying about her heart, cholesterol or waistline, however seeing the raw fat on what you are about to consume can't get the picture of Rosemary Stanton and Biggest Loser's Michelle Bridges out of your head.  

They do have these natty scissors that they cut up the meat with, so Ms X did a bit of trimming before it had time to go to her heart and thighs! Our second dish  DAK BUL GO GI- was the chicken and that also looked mighty similar to the pork and tasted very similar- given the sauces were the same.Washing it down with a Korean beer- CASS, also added to the experience for Mr X.

For novelty effect, then the Korean BBQ had its moments.  For flavour, maybe not....... or maybe we needed Queenie with us to order perhaps!

All important scores:

Food                           She    5        He    4

Ambiance                  She    6        He     7

Service                      She     6       He      6

Accessibility              She    6       He      3

Value                         She     5       He      4

TOTAL: 52

"J" is for Jamaica

When I think of the Caribbean I always conjure up thoughts of fun, frivolity, being laid back and not worrying about anything in particular. So when it came to the letter "J" in our alphabet-eats saga, there were no second thoughts....and the Jamaican Kitchen in Fitzroy North was our destination. Even miserable weather wouldn't deter us, but when we got to the door at 6:00 and found it to be locked, I started to wonder if we'd made the right choice. However, the sight of someone strolling to the door in a very slow, Viv Richards type of gait was none-the-less encouraging, and when he opened the door and announced "Welcome to the Jamaican Kitchen" I just knew we would be in for a fun night.

Mr Cool then showed us to our table and magically produced two very home-made but brief menus that immediately caused us to raise our hands in the hope that Viv would translate some of the five entrees, five main courses and three desserts on offer. However, it didn't take us too long to realise that Viv was in fact not only the waiter, but also the cook, owner, barman and obviously the dishwasher and cleaner as well. Thankfully we were the only customers (or is that a bad thing?), so he was soon over to us explaining what plantain, soulful salad, finger lickin chicken, sassie's jerk chicken, simeon's special goat curry and vegie stew were all about. But he allayed all our fears and as a result we ordered the plantain (sort of like banana), finger lickin chicken, the jerk chicken and believe it or not....the goat!

Red Stripe beer was ordered to wash down the goat (just kidding...ha ha), and all the food arrived with little touches of Jamaica throughout. Nice. Viv even came over to check out how we were going, and after telling us his life story he said "I don't like this job......I luuvvvvvv it!" Rounding off the night of course is Mrs X's choice of sweets, with tonight's delicacy being coconut ice-cream. Once this was finished, we asked for the bill, and a few moments later our Calypso friend sauntered over to us, casually leant over our table and whispered in a very muffled tone "That will be $75". No bill. Nothing. And with no credit card facility, cash was the main man. Interesting.

And by this stage, the place had come alive with numerous customers arriving, which of course had both Mrs X and myself wondering how poor old Viv was going to cope, but I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem. He was Caribbean!

Scores:

Ambience (Mr X - 8 / Mrs X - 6)

Accessability (Mr X - 9 / Mrs X - 7)

Value (Mr X - 4 / Mrs X - 5)

Service (Mr X - 8 / Mrs X - 8)

Food (Mr X - 6 - Mrs X - 6)

TOTAL - 67

 

I ...............is for Indonesian!

Firstly, apologies to our local and international followers as we know we have been tardy in blogging our cuisine experiences. The reason? It's tricky trying to partake in 'Alphabet Eating' if you are footy followers and live in Melbourne. It's even trickier if the 2 of you barrack for opposing teams...... it limits your opportunities on a weekend to find a suitable date within a suitable proximity. Poor old "I' suffered. It was to be Iran however the tyranny of distance won out and so, INDONESIA got the nod.

Warung Agus is  delicious Indonesian food in West Melbourne, located in Victoria St, close to Victoria Market. The place already had many diners when we arrived and in no time there was not an empty table so that was a good sign!
A couple even got to sit in the authentic-looking-Balinese canopy-comfy-bed-like-structure that was in the window. Ms X was quite jealous that she didn't have a turn however it would have been difficult managing that peanut sauce whilst sitting in a showcase for all to observe.

Entrees?       A serving of chicken satays and peanut sauce and Krupuk Udang (a basket of Indonesian shrimp crackers) and, you guessed it,peanut sauce! Although tasty, it perhaps lacked the depth of flavour that Mr X is used to when he dines at "Stevos" of Lockerbie.

Main courses of :Ayam Negara

 West Bali style chicken - Boneless chicken pieces
in coconut and candlenut gravy

and Mie Goreng Vegetarian stir-fried wheat noodles with vegetables with Ayam (Chicken)

They were both interesting flavours but lacking something.....

Maybe Mr and Ms X were looking for memories of the Magwar Grill from the Indonesia they remembered 31 years ago . The rain and cold wintry night instead of the feeling of humid heat didn't help. Maybe Ms X needed to have a hibiscus in her hair and a cheescloth dress sitting across from a younger Mr X suffering from sunburn and too many Bintangs. Maybe it was the absence of the all too familiar Indonesian percussion background music that can do your head in or was it the absence of  smiling happy Balinese staff replaced by efficient and business like replacements? 

Ah well, Warung Agus gave it their best shot but was it enough to draw you back? The jury is out I fear.
Food                 He 6     She  6
Ambiance          He 7     She  7
Service             He 7     She  7
Value                He 6     She  7
Accessibility      He 7     She  8         Total: 68

WARUNG AGUS, 305 VICTORIA STREET WEST MELBOURNE

H is for ........HUNGARY!

An overnight stay in Richmond coincided with the Hungarian Restaurant, the eighth locale in our ‘Alphabet Eats’ journey and also conveniently located in Bridge Road. Fortunately we had booked earlier in the week, as the place was full when we entered but then we were surprisingly shown to our table which seated four. A very quirky menu introduced us to many Hungarian sayings, as did the walls which surrounded us. Apparently ‘name days’ are very important to Hungarians, and today happened to be a day when, if your name was Justin, your received a free dessert.

We decided to break the rule of no alcohol, as we didn’t have to drive and the ‘home-made’ red wine certainly enticed Ms X, as it not only came out of a wooden barrel in the corner of the restaurant, but her was also uncommonly filled to the brim. Mr X went with the Hungarian brew called Dreher, which he immediately sampled and approved of. After some debate, it was decided to share a Hungarian version of nachos, which tasted ok but we both felt it wasn’t really a traditional dish.

So for main course we shared chicken and pork crepes, and a plate of Hungarian goulash. The crepes were delicious, the goulash what we probably imagined a goulash to be.

Ms X then had a jam pancake for dessert, at the same time finishing off her very tasty and well-chosen wine.

The owner’s obvious sense of humour continued when Mr X visited the toilet, a solitary outhouse way down the back of the yard at the rear of the premises. The wall was festooned with heaps of amusing trivia and fun facts. I’m sure these would have come in handy for the woman who was waiting to enter when Mr X emerged from the only toilet available! The service was efficient but somewhat speedy, as we were done and dusted in 90 minutes. However, it was definitely value for money, friendly and an enjoyable place to have dinner, whilst at the same time an opportunity to learn a little more about another international culture.

 "THE HUNGARIAN"   362 Bridge Road Richmond.

Food                 He 7     She  7
Ambiance          He 8     She  7
Service             He 8     She  6
Value                He 8     She  7
Accessibility      He 7     She  7         Total: 72

G is for..........................GERMANY

Gabon? The Gambia? Georgia? Ghana? Grenada? Guinea? Guinea-Bissau or Guyana?  All so hard to locate in cosmopolitan Melbourne.

As I pondered what it was to be I narrowed it down to three hopefuls.....Guatemala, mmm  think we might get confused with thinking we are up to M for Mexican. Greece was always possible but oh so predictable.

So Germany it would be as we carnivores were always up for some schnitzel. Off we went to MUTTIS ( a colloquialism for Mother’s Kitchen in Austrian-German) found at 118 Elgin St Carlton. From the moment we arrived, the staff were friendly and welcoming however Mr X always maintains that there can be too much cheerfulness at times. Having eaten in Germany itself  we were prepared for a lot of wood and things on walls. Mr X in fact didn't know what country Ms X had chosen until he read the menu. "Not authentic!!" I hear you cry but relax, this is a modern contemporary version and so cuckoo clocks and traditional dress were not necessary to get us in the mood. The lone large print of a German village on the wall did the job.
We decided to share an entree of Pork & Wild Fig Terrine - slow cooked, wrapped in speck, with polish pickle, radish salad, home made walnut & apple rye bread. We had taken 2 mouthfuls when our happy-happy wait staff checked in on us "How's the terrine?" Mr X was being tested early. The bread was still warm and the terrine was delicious. Glad we shared it as the serve was very generous.

As we waited for our mains to arrive, we watched the table beside us get served a huge leg of pork surrounded by crackling. Oh how the Germans and Austrians love their beasts.
Of course by this time it was time for the happy-happys to check in on us again and true to form, they told us that they were sorry that there was not enough room in their ovens for all the beasts that had been ordered that night (not just by us!) Lovely service Ms X acknowledged however Mr X was less than impressed as he hadn't even digested the terrine let alone start pining for the mains!

Ms X's Muttis Pork Schnitzel kipfler parsley potato, brown butter, garden greens, preiselbeer relish, lemon and M X's Slow Cooked Pork Belly with golden crackling, braised red wine cabbage, caramelized apple, and rahm kartoffeln didn't disappoint one bit.
The meals melted in our mouths.The accompaniments also complimented the dishes.  Mr X had to help out Ms X with eating hers and of course the happy-happys were very pleased to hear that we too, were happy when they checked in with us. Mr X had of course ordered his mandatory side dish of fries and they too were worthy of mentioning. They were beer battered and served with lemon aioli.... yummo.
So, dessert? Of course Ms X was going to partake as that is why she had off loaded some of her schnitzel. she had been reminiscing about former strudels, both here and abroad. If there was one piece of feedback for the happy-happys it would be about their strudel.

"Don't get me wrong, it was good but it could have been an even greater dish if the apple had been cooked a little more and diced, not sliced, Ms X said in a Matt Preston whisper. However, she just couldn't bear to pass that info on as they checked in yet again. Why take those smiles off their faces!

Food                 He 8   She  8
Ambiance        He 6    She  7
Service             He 7    She  9
Value               He  7   She  8
Accessibility    He  6   She  7   Total: 73

PS.  The place was full so make sure you book, and let's face it, Carlton is never going to bring good scores for accessibility!

F is for ...............FRANCE

Mother's Day was the scene for our latest culinary escapade, where the letter "F" led us to France Soir in Toorak Road, South Yarra.

Due to the important occasion we were forced to book in for a 3:00 ‘linner’ session, and a car park directly out the front afforded us a minimal drenching as we entered a very crowded and obviously popular venue. Peering out from behind the bar was the obvious owner who greeted us in a very suave and irresistible French accent, and a similarly fluent waiter then showed us to our table.

Champagne was immediately ordered by the femme fetale, a kronenburg by la pere and the next ten minutes was spent eating the fabulously fresh French bread, which garcon promptly replenished as soon as we'd scoffed the first basket! It was then agreed that the soup of the day was to be had by all..... soupe de morue aux pommes de terre et poireaux, which translates into cod soup with leek and potatoes.

Main course consisted of three steak au poivres, which included a scotch fillet in peppercorn sauce, a scotch fillet with a mushroom sauce and a further scotch fillet with a red wine sauce.

However, when Mr X requested his to be extremely well done, the waiter laconically replied, "I will tell the chef, and then I will run from the kitchen!"

It was also unanimously agreed that three courses were the order of the day today, with the chocolate mousse in the glass cabinet alluringly catching Mr X’s discerning eye. But the waiter’s eyebrows were once again raised when Mr X asked for double whipped cream with the mousse…… "But the mousse does not come with any cream Monsieur". "Well, I’d like some please" was his uncompromising response!"

Tarte Tatin (apple tart) was ordered by the ladies and duly arrived with the mousse. However, Mr X wasn’t quite finished with the mind games with the waiter, as he quickly polished off the cream and promptly ordered another serve  It’s safe to say he has NO French blood flowing through his veins!

The scores will reveal what everyone thought about the afternoon, but it was somewhat soured when the bill revealed an item that literally jumped out from the tray and grabbed us by the throat. Namely, two glasses of champagne that cost $56! However, we were somewhat comforted by the fact that it was their Mother’s day special. Phew  Hate to think what it normally costs.

Food                       He:  8      She:   9
Ambiance:              He   8      She    7
Value for money     He   6      She    7
Accessibility           He   9      She    7
Service                   He   8      She    8           Total  77

E is for .............ETHIOPIA

The western suburbs of Melbourne is home to many diverse cuisines so it was only natural that our   alphabet eating adventure was going to lead us into its heart- Footscray which was home to

SHEBELLE BAR and RESTAURANT.

The menu gave lots of options, rich in lamb, fish and chicken dishes and manyvegetarian options. We opted for:                                                      1. Chicken Harrisa chicken with  harrisa sauce cooked different herbs

       2. Lamb-tibsLamb meat marinated with different Ethiopian spices, cooked with olive oil                                                                                                      3. GomenSpinach cooked with herbs, garlic and olive oil
Now this was accompanied by Injera  a yeast-risen flatbread with a unique, slightly spongy texture. Mr X wasn't a big fan of the Injera, likening it to 'wettex' however Ms X said its weight-less-ness gave her the feeling it was calorie-free?? (Too late now to find out!)

With African music creating the mood, the owner's small daughter entertaining and men at the bar meeting for a drink after work on a Friday night, there was much contributing to the ambiance. Even the chef coming out to say 'hello' was a personable touch. Without an understanding of the size of the dishes, assistance with the menu was also appreciated with the waitress crossing off a dish telling us it was too much!The food was plentiful and flavoursome full of fresh herbs but be warned- you will need a doggy-bag.

SCORES:

Ambiance:            Mr X      7              Ms X   7

Accessibility:         Mr X     7              Ms X   9

Service:                Mr X      5             Ms X    8

 Food:                  Mr X      8             Ms X    7

Value:                   Mr X     8              Ms X   8

TOTAL:  74

D is for Denmark

When it comes to restaurants in Melbourne, we have so many to choose from we are second to none in the world. However, when it comes to countries staring with "D", those choices are somewhat limited. In fact, limited to three.....Domenican Republic, Djibouti and Denmark (although Deutschland was suggested by a friend!). An internet search later and it soon became obvious there was no choice at all. The only "D" in Melbourne is in fact Denmark House, and their ultra modern restaurant called Dansk.

Located in Little Bourke Street, the restaurant is accessed by a stubborn elevator located beside Chaplins (private) bar and restaurant. No-one to greet us, we ventured to the kitchen itself where a polite young waiter showed us to our lavishly furnished table (Ms X loved the candle holder). Being Ms X's birthday, two glasses of wine and a Carlsberg were ordered, as was the entree which proved to be delicious. Accompanied by Junior Ms X, the three of us shared two SMORREBRODS (open sandwich ) , a sumptuous paneret fiskefillet med remoulade reger og caviar (crumbed fish with remoulade, prawns and caviar), and flaeskesteg med redkal og agurkesalat (roast pork with red cabbage and cucumber salad), both served on a type of pumpernickel bread. We could all have easily had the fiskefillet again as a mains.

Mr X then requested a Tuborg beer, just as four young Danes sat down at the table behind us. The beer finally arrived after a second prompting and the main course was delivered shortly after. All three of us ordered the same thing, dampet snapper filet med smor sauce, rejer, purlog og nye kartofler (steamed snapper with a butter sauce, prawns, chives and new season kipfler potatoes).

Interestingly enough, each plate came with an over-abundance of asparagus tips. They must be cheap in Denmark. In the words of judge Manu, on 'My Kitchen Rules'- it needed a sauce!

Once the meals were over, Ms X senior and Ms X junior paid the obligatory trip to the restrooms, only to emerge with an angelic radiance and an air of Aesop hand wash that stunk the room out. They also mentioned the incense sticks. A bit different to the Bangladeshi restaurant where we shook hands with the cook from the urinal.

Upon leaving the restaurant, we were intrigued with a photo of the one and only Priness Mary, who had graced the Dansk with her presence only 3 short months ago. Lovely lady but awful handwriting.

Scores:        Ambiance       HE: 5 SHE: 7

                    Food             HE: 5 SHE: 4
                    Service:         HE: 6 SHE: 8
                    Accessability  HE: 8 SHE: 8
                    Value:            HE: 4 SHE: 3

A total of 58 now puts it last.

C is for Czech Republic!

What do Ivana Trump, Ivan Lendal, Peter Korda, Hana Mandlikova and Jana Novotna all have in common? In which kingdom did Good King Wenceslas IV rule? In which country does a person who is counting on their fingers, also include their toes: so they have 20 fingers?
The Czech Republic!

So, with all these interesting facts filling our heads it was only fitting that we included the Czech Republic in our alphabeteating adventure- at Koliba

Johnstone Street Collingwood is always going to be tricky on a Friday night but Mr X has the required skills so he's always going to be in that driver's seat and again, he didn't disappoint with a park close by. This time like Santa 'making a list and checking it twice', he checked that parking sign several times to ensure we would not be contibuting to the council bank account again!

Decor....hmm........ gloomy, dark wood, 70s. Undeterred, a pleasant Czech waitress appeared with menus, very extensive menu items listed.

Ms X, who had been the organiser for "C" had already previewed the menu and knew it was to be heavy, heavy heavy so had chosen to eat yoghurt for lunch.
Mr X chose the Ďábelské pikantní topinky (spicy minced beef with cheese on toast- what a surprise!)
Ms X senior and Ms X Jr shared an entree of Utopenec s cibulí a chlebem (sausage with marinated capsicum and onion) Mr X LOVED his whilst the Ms Xs just were't ready for the cold temperature of the Czech snag.

The 'X' family just love things wrapped up- preferably in pastry however when in a Czech Replican restaraunt, then chances are it's going to be wrapped in a POTATO PANCAKE of course. So, chicken wrapped in potato pancake or pork, you guessed it, wrapped in a potato pancake were ordered. Now, if you are looking for a green vegetable side dish, forget it.
There were 3 side dish options- mashed potato, fried potatoes or potato salad. Ms X snr announced the potato salad was delicious despite literally feeling all those spuds attaching themslves to her ankles, her arms, her thighs, her chin..get the picture.

Random comments:  "Despite an extensive czech beer list Feb Fast was maintained by everyone drinking water"
"The pleasant blonde waitress did all the work whilst the brunette one sat on a bench surfing the internet on a laptop"
"The chef appeared in the doorway with an itchy groin that he chose to attend to."

Ms X opted to leave a large portion of her potato feast as she had spied something on the menu that she knew that the Czechs and Slovakians would excel at...

After all their obsession with potatoes, you just gotta forgive the Czechs cos they know how to nail a streudel.

The all important scores:
                      Food       HE: 7 She: 5          Ambience     He: 4 She:4
                      Service    He: 6 She: 8           Accessibility He: 6 She:9
                      Value       He: 7 She: 7
Total score: 63 which places second behind Bangladesh.


(Ms X thinks there needs to be a recount for poor old Afghanistan which was unlucky to have to go first)

B is for Bangladesh

One down and 25 to go. Ms X began with an Afghan corker, so there was always going to be pressure on Mr X to come up with a BBBBBBeeeeautiful follow-up. So off to 199 Brunswick Road, Fitzroy, to the home of the Bangla Sweets and Curry Cafe for a tradional Bangladeshi banquet for three....yes, that's right...three. We were accompanied by Mr & Ms's X's gourmet-experienced daughter of 23 years to cast her expert eyes over our latest gastronomical choice.

Being probably Mr X's priority as far as starting the night off properly is concerned, parking accessibility turned out to be both good and bad. Initially good, as he managed to find a spot directly opposite the restaurant, so he had an unusually vibrant gait as he bounded across the road and entered the cafe. There we were met by a waitress who was big on smiles but short on English, but we did manage to find a table and peruse the extensive menu. Prices were very reasonable, water was brought to our table immediately and we knew the drought had broken as our glasses were constantly kept filled to the brim throughout the night (although both beer glasses were as flat as the naan bread).

We decided to order three entrees and three main courses to share. Entrees were Samosas (spiced potatoes and green peas in puff pastry), Vegetable Pakora (spinach, potato & onion fritters spiced and deep fried) and Barra Kabab (lamb cutlets marinated with spices and cooked in a clay oven). Everyone agreed that the entrees were delicious, especialy the cutlets. they were indeed a hit.

Main courses consisted of Chicken Tikka Masala (chicken tikka cooked in a special sauce with onion and capsicum). Gosht Shahi Korma (tender pieces of lamb cooked in cashew nuts and mixed spices) & Beef Madras (tender pieces of beef cooked in South Indian style, flavoured with coconut and curry leaf). Again, the main courses were delicious but very filling, especially as we balanced them with special fried rice ccoked with green peas and two serves of garlic Naan bread. In fact, there was so much food we had to order doggie bags for each main.

The modestly furnished restaurant indeed served up a sumptuous variety of dishes, however it was when Ms X ventured to the toilet (nearly taking a wrong turn and potentially sharing a dodgy vindaloo with the head chef), that the evening took a dramatic twist, especially with the parking ambience. Gazing inadvertently out the window, he noticed two young girls inspecting his car over the road, who subsequently produced a camera which then generated a parking ticket! Rushing out, he asked them what they were doing and was abruptly told to re-read the sign. And yes, he was parked illegally but was most annoyed at the highly ambiguous, confusing and deviously worded sign that was simply put there by a greedy council to fool motorists and generate revenue. He kept muttering that the $61 fine could have paid for a cab for the night! A disappointing end to an otherwise very enjoyable night.

SCORES:                 Ambience           He 5 She 4

                                  Service               He 8 She 8
                                  Accessibility        He 3 She 5

                                  Value for Money He 8 She 8
                                  Food                   He 8 She 8

TOTAL SCORE: 65

If only the Bangladeshi's could play cricket as well as they can cook!

Now what does that sign mean to you?

A is for Afghanistan!

Their first foray into dining by the alphabet according to the country of origin took place in Burke Road Camberwell at "AFGHAN VILLAGE".

Originally Ms X had "The Abyssinian" on the radar however they were having an extended summer holiday and were closed until the end of January......so, off to Afghanistan it was.

Parking outside the door is always the goal of Mr X and he can NEVER understand or accept that this is not always possible. After several Chevy Chase "Big Ben kids" circuits of the block, he reluctantly placed the car in the only available spot which still allowed them the benefits of walking to the restaraunt, not catching a taxi!

With memories of the 'Kite Runner' in their heads, they were pleasantly surprised by the decor, colourful surrounds and chairs! Despite visions of sitting on a carpet square, the crisp white tablecloths and tables and chairs may not have been the most authentic but were appreciated by Ms X's sore back.

They both felt very proud as they watched at least half a dozen diners get turned away..... got to get extra points for that.

Glancing around the establishment Ms X commented on the rather large photo of a young girl that was featured on the main wall. It was one of those photos where the eyes followed you and watched what you were doing. It also kept reminding Ms X of Sally Field and "Not without my Daughter".

Mr X initially chose the dips and bread as an entree however with subtle persuasion and a reminder of all the 'chip and dip' moments over the last month, the two shared an entree of lamb filled dumplings covered in a curry and yoghurt sauce.


Next came their main courses of mixed kebabs on a sizzle plate complete with sizzling salad and naan bread, as well as chicken korma curry (Afghan style) with rice pilaf which they again shared.
Both dishes proved to be very tasty and left them with no room for dessert

Mr X says:         The jury's out if I'd go back there. We need to experience more alphabetical restaurants for a comparison.

Ms X says:       I'd like to go back there with a group and preferably when the shops are open as it was an interesting shopping strip. But I know that's a topic for another research projec
THE ALL IMPORTANT SCORES:

• Ambience
  HE 5, SHE 7
• Accessibility (a fancy word for parking)
  HE 5, SHE 6
• Value for money
  HE 5, SHE 7
• Service
  HE 6, SHE 8
• Food
  HE 5, SHE 6
  Adding up the combined scores, the AFGHAN VILLAGE came out with 60 out of a possible 100 points for overall experience. And no, this is NOT an off shoot of Four Weddings.

Afghan Village: 923 Burke Rd., Camberwell



Postscript: Crisis averted as Ms X regained her appetite for coffee and dessert and stopped off at Max Brenners on the way home.