Tasty tidbits, from fish and chips to duck parfait at IDES

Time for another blog amnesty post!  I wanted to share with you some westside and city dining highlights from the last couple of months.  First up:  IDES.

IDES is a pop-up dinner put together by mates and passionate chefs Peter Gunn and Lindsay Fush (second and third from the left above respectively), who met while working at the Royal Mail in Dunkeld.  Peter is now junior sous chef at Attica, while Lindsay is working at a local pub in Hamilton.  Late last year they formed their own catering business and then began to explore the idea of using their days off to host a pop-up tasting menu here in Melbourne.  You know how they say if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life?  These guys have obviously nailed it.

The menu is six courses of intricate yet playful food, a steal at $90.  It's at Tonik in Kensington, who provide drinks for purchase.  Sure, the space isn't nearly as classy as the food, but Peter and "Fushie" bring in all their own crockery and cutlery to enhance the experience of what's on the plate.

One thing I love is that with the exception of Raffaele Mastrovincenzo (front of house at Attica and wearing black in the photo above), the chefs do all the service, bringing out plates and chatting with you about their ingredients, technique and so on.

One of my faves was this exquisite duck liver parfait served with smoked salt, toasted black pepper and chervil, gorgeous heaped onto toasted bread.  I also loved a starter of an amazing, rich broth that was apparently only made with turnip, onion and mustard oil.

As of today, there are a mere 10 spots left for the next dinner on Monday, 23 September.  Book via the details above, and you can also check out the IDES Facebook page here.

Well, from the sensational to the...somewhat disappointing.  I was pretty stoked to hear that Dumplings Plus were opening a new branch at Highpoint.  If I'm stuck and starving, I'd prefer to have a choice like this rather than the usual food court suspects.

This wonton soup was spoiled, though, by absolute buckets of MSG.  Interesting exchange I had with a Chinese restaurateur recently, though - I said in my opinion restaurant X used too much MSG and he said, quite surprised, "You can taste MSG?"  I think it's like boar taint.  Some find it overpowering; others can't taste it at all.  Anyway, do try Dumplings Plus yourself - I'd go for the plain panfried dumplings next time.

What DOESN'T have a lot of MSG is this quite delicious beef pho from Green Leaf, Moonee Ponds.  We were so struck by its rich flavour yet lack of that particular "kapow" MSG denotes that we checked with the owner and there is only the tiniest pinch in a 20-litre stockpot.

Trying to convince a Footscray resident to go elsewhere for Vietnamese is like selling coal to Newcastle, but if Moonee Ponds is close to you, give Green Leaf a try.  Their prices are a bit dearer than Footscray or Sunshine but they have a lovely little story behind their business and their food is obviously made with care.  Their Facebook page is here.

Rockfish has changed owners and the word on the street is it's not the Rockfish we knew and loved.  I've been quite liking fish and chips from the very awesomely old-school Charles Street Fish and Chips in Seddon (67 Charles Street).

They have a really big range of fish, with ten choices including flathead, whiting, snapper, flounder and more.  Beer care of Seddon Wine Store.

With summer coming up, you could go and explore Point Cook Homestead.  It's quite odd to drive there, getting to the end of the glossy housing estates in Point Cook and suddenly being surrounded by fields and the odd horse, with the city hovering in the distance like a mirage.  The kids kept asking, "Are we in the country now?"  I didn't really know the answer.

You get the feeling they could do so much more with the space - there's a small but lovely old home that I think is mainly used for wedding photos, some empty stables, a herd of geese behind a gate and old farm machinery for the kids to play on.  The restaurant there is called Scrumpy Brown's and they do food that is not mindblowing but nice all the same.

Viz. this nice Caesar salad.  Lattes were pretty good too.

It's not far to scramble down to this lonely, lovely stretch of beach...

...and do some beachcombing.  (We put these back, of course.)  But do heed the warning signs of snakes - we nearly trod on a baby tiger!

The new Plough Hotel, Footscray

"Now stand up straight," I said, fussing other my kids like we were about to meet the in-laws for the first time.  "I want you on your best behaviour.  This place is a little bit posh."

We were at the doors of the newly gussied up Plough Hotel, where I'd been just a few nights earlier for a lovely launch party complete with oysters, bluegrass and freely-flowing Brunswick Bitter.  The refit is stunning, with glossy white tiles, luminescent bare bulbs and the visual pop of green succulents peeking out from shelves and tables.

The pub has been here since 1868.  I remember its former incarnation, windows daubed in fluoro paint that Candy the Clown was in attendance on Fridays.  We'd had a few good roasts there but it didn't really rock our world.

The Plough closed for what must have been a good year or two before opening under the stewardship of the team behind North Carlton's Kent Hotel.  Instead of Candy with her balloon animals, there's now Kelly Brothers cider and 2 Brothers Grizz amber ale on tap, plus Mountain Goat's steam ale and more.

"Bistro or dining room?" said the lovely waiter, and soon we were lolling languidly in a booth in the bistro.  Apparently the dining room has the same menu but is just a little more formal.  I bet its big north-facing windows let in lots of lovely light all day.

The Plough has a menu that, on the face of it, could be that of any true-blue country pub - burger, fish and chips and even bangers and mash.

$11.50

But dig a little deeper and that burger has a veal pattie and roasted garlic aioli, and the fish and chips is flathead with local beers that change weekly, apparently.  This was the kids' menu fish and chips and the fish was indeed a lovely flattie tail.  It went down a treat.

$11.50

LOVED this kids' burger, the pattie so mild and sweet in flavour, with proper bread.  The Plough has just started getting bread from Sourdough Kitchen.  I'm definitely keen to try this munchkin's bigger sister!

$11.50

Kids' chicken parma which also got two thumbs up.  The chips are "roughed up" on the outside, making them crunchy all over and eminently stealable.

$22

Great bangers and mash - quality pork and fennel snags with peas and pancetta lardons, in an intense, delicious gravy.  The sausages were denoted as "Benalla", but our waiter just said they were from that area - I'd love to know more, if they're from a particular butcher or from a particular breed.  There was a slight hiccup in this dish's first incarnation on the table in that the sausages were a touch pink.  The friendly staff dealt with it with aplomb though.  Being open for less than a week, this was nothing more than a minor mishap on the kitchen's behalf, and I also think the friendly yet professional way it was handled was telling as to the Plough's integrity and commitment to real hospitality.

Tucking into ice cream with strawberry "sauce" (actually coulis - yum!), my 5-year-old said, "Mum, I thought you said this place was posh?  Where is the posh bit?"  And indeed, I had read the Plough all wrong.  It's classy and it's gorgeous, but it's also down to earth - and downright good.  Welcome to the neighbourhood and I look forward to many more ciders to come.

The Plough Hotel

Cnr Geelong Road and Barkly Street, Footscray
Phone:  9687 2878

Pizza non pazza at La Cannella

"I'd like to book a table for eight, please - five kids in total."

"Great!  We'll put you in the back room, upstairs."

Cue visions of a cobwebbed seclusion room for breeders and their spawn.  I imagined having to traverse this lovely neighbourhood bistro to "the back room", dragging my snotty children as diners looked on like smug business class passengers do as you stumble through to economy, head bowed.  What awaited us "upstairs"?  Boxes of napkins for seats and the only music the tinkle of a flushing toilet below?

Imagine my delight when this is what I discovered La Cannella meant by "the upstairs back room".

The stairs in question are only two or three and mean that your group can have relative seclusion, meaning that if you have kids with you, you may actually find dinner a relaxing experience.

This little pizzeria is tucked away in a gorgeous part of Kensington, nestled among big old trees.  They're open Wednesday to Sunday evenings (live music Sundays from 4 pm!)

Now, not only will the lovely staff bring the kids unbreakable cups, allow them to play with the animals in the old fireplace (not as Victorian as it sounds) and ply them with colouring books, as well as delicious pizza, the big drawcard here is the "make your own pizza" activity for kids.

Littlies get a mini ball of dough and pizza tray and can then squish, squeeze, stretch and smoosh to their heart's content...

Roast garlic focaccia, $8.50

...while parents can high five it over the table while reaching for a piece of this awesome foccaccia, each piece studded with a juicy, caramelised garlic clove.

The "kids - we get it" approach continues with kids' pizzas for $8.50 each, with anything you want on them.  Saffron only wants pesto and artichoke?  You got it.  Ham and cheese, hold the tears?  No sweat.  (No Aussie tinned pineapple though!)

Melanzano (eggplant, passata, ricotta, pesto), $19

Grown-up pizzas are generously sized.  With six out of twelve pizzas vegetarian and gluten-free bases available, there's something for everyone.  This eggplant number got the thumbs up.

Rustica (scamorza, caramelised onion, potato, rosemary), $19

At first I found the chunky potato on my "Rustica" odd, as I had been expecting thinly sliced, but combined with silky sweet onion and a top-notch base, it won me over in the end.  I'd love to check out their recent special, the Yabbie Dabba Do, with yabbies, marscapone and chives.

Savoy cabbage salad, $8.50

Big love for this clean and refreshing shaved Savoy cabbage salad with parmesan, lemon, pepper and mint - gorgeous!

Fish of the day, $25

La Cannella also do daily-changing mains like slow-roasted pork belly, veal saltimbocca and gnocchi, perhaps baked with blue cheese.  This blue grenadier was delicate, fresh and lovely.

Dinner done, the kids' dough creations are returned to them, dusted in cinnamon and icing sugar!

Dessert pizza, $9.50

...leaving surprisingly non-frazzled parents to enjoy ZEE BEST dessert pizza with luscious poached pears and a scandalous amount of molten dark chocolate.  Fifty shades of yum.

Coffee roasted by Flemington's STREAT (formerly the Social Roasting Company) tops off a dinner that has managed to please everyone - parents, kids and, in our child-centred world, the oft-forgotten other diners.  With genuine, switched-on service, La Cannella make it seem almost easy.

Thanks for the lovely company, M, B, C, E and F!

La Cannella (Facebook)

43 Epsom Road, Kensington

Phone:  9939 7241

Open:  Wed-Sat from 5.30 pm, Sundays from 4 pm


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The Bank, Yarraville

Big things are brewing at Yarraville's The Bank.  This gorgeous heritage building occupies a top-notch spot in the Village and recent developments are very exciting.

Owner Bernard Mondon has assembled a dream team of sorts, with James Kummrow emigrating from Dunkeld's Royal Mail Hotel, which scored a coveted three hats in the most recent Age Good Food Guide.  In addition, great steak pedigree is virtually in the bag by Conall Flay, ex-The Station, coming on board.

The wine list's currently in development with the help of Sommelier Jeremy Shiells of the Royal Mail.  Winter comes through in all its cosy root veg glory on the menu - think seared scallops with smoked beetroot puree and silverbeet, or slow-cooked pork belly with pear puree and baby turnips.

Roasted Jerusalem artichoke veloute, sunflower seeds, golden raisins $12

Jerusalem artichokes are a somewhat intriguing vegetable that are neither artichoke nor from Jerusalem. They're a knobbly kind of tuber looking not unlike ginger.  This veloute (a roux-thickened soup) was so luxurious, rich and buttery.  Loved the inspired addition of swollen golden raisins that popped like sweet beads in the mouth, plus the occasional crunch of tiny toasted sunflower seeds.

Leek, mushroom, goats cheese and hazelnut terrine, $15

The menu proper is light on vegetarian options, but a specials board offered a few gems.  Here, a fat mushroom was surrounded by creamy goats cheese, with round leek sections forming the final border.  While the veloute had turned a humble tuber into something magical, to me this was the sum of its parts.  On this chilly night, my friend said she had serious food envy of my warm, snuggly soup.

Can we just pause a minute and check out the prices?!  Honestly, I could have stopped right here and been down $12.  We're talking very generous serves.  Now, maybe that's my fault because the section we chose from is called "Market Harvest" rather than "Entrees", but make sure you come hungry or otherwise, stomach rapidly filling, you may approach mains with apprehension rather than anticipation.

Roasted free range chicken, bacon and sage stuffing, onions, carrots $28

...Sorry, what was I saying?  Full?  Oh - um - I meant famished!  Now, ordering chicken breast might seem like a bit of a castrato effort but this is one spunky bird.  The skin was golden, the white flesh incredibly juicy, and on top popped sweet puffed grains which added snap and crackle.  Melty-soft mini onions complemented stuffing rich with bacon, while baby carrots offered innocent sweetness.  Delicious.

Cone Bay W.A. barramundi fillet, olive oil crushed potato, watercress, lemon $29

This is very special fish.  Just off tiny Turtle Island off the pristine, remote WA coast, barramundi are raised in vast ocean pens for six months before harvest.  Go on the virtual tour on the website to see what best practice looks like (never thought I'd daydream about working on a fish farm!)  This is one fish I wouldn't feel guilty about eating, and the flavour was totally no compromise - delicate petals of mild white flesh.

Quinoa and caramelised cauliflower $7

Continuing the generous theme, The Bank's mains don't really need sides, but anything "caramelised" demands investigation in my book.  Loved this combo of nutty, al dente quinoa and cauli florets just kissed with crispness.

Chef James kindly did up this super-purty sampler of sweet nothings.  Apparently his dad had told him, "Don't you go getting too fancy," so the triple cream cheesecake in the middle is his mum's recipe...  Well, at least right up until Mum puts it in the trusty springform!  This was just delish, the gorgeous house-made lime juice jelly cutting through the luscious cream cheese crème.  On the right was a milk chocolate parfait, which in this world of 85% cocoa or nothing was a ballsy, retro move, but one that paid off in spades.  Coffee was the secret ingredient that balanced the sweetness while salted caramel added more deep, dark flavour notes to bounce off.  Carrot cake on the left was quite lovely but got overshadowed by her two more flamboyant plate mates.

"No more," we cried, and a great short mac with Syndicate coffee (from Richmond) was a satisfying final chord.

Finer dining destinations are thin on the ground in the west, so this new, "up-town" direction for The Bank is both a smart and a very welcome move.  The Station Hotel is my all-time happy place, and like The Station, The Bank offers top-notch fare alongside down-to-earth western suburbs hospitality.

The Bank Food & Wine

13 Ballarat Street, Yarraville

Phone:  9362 7222


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