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