Hellenic Republic

434 Lygon Street
Brunswick East
9381 1222 (must book)

Hellenic Republic located on the non-Italian end of Lygon Street is what you would hope to find in a modern Greek eatery. Owned by the now even more famous George Calombaris this is the low key sister to his 'hatted' Press Club. We have been to Hellenic Republic many times before and walked away full and satisfied by their service and food, and this was no different. We had to make a lunch booking as they were fully booked on a Saturday night. As we walked in we were happy to see George on their communal table discussing business, great to see that even on a break from shooting Master Chef he was interested in the goings on at Hellenic Republic.

As we sat down, we were quickly served their 'orgasmic' taramosalata (cod roe dip) with fresh pita bread, we kindly advised the waitress that we had not ordered yet although this was going to be our number ONE choice. Minutes later we were served olives and pickled octopus, and were told that Ari had organised this.

Throughout our meal we would go on to wonder whether this was the same Ari that used to manage the wonderful Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons at Crown (our fav restaurant but yes, we are yet to review this), I was confused wondering why would he leave GAS for Hellenic Republic. Back home I had to 'google' Ari, it did in fact turn out to be The Age Good Food Guide's Service Excellence Award winner Ari Vlassopoulos. Ari had been poached by George to join the Press Club, for him to remember us from GAS is amazing and once again shows why Ari is one of the best in the business.

The taramosalata was once again perfect, lacked a little bit of salt today, but with fresh pita bread there is no better way to start a Greek meal, the olives were meaty and juicy the way olives should be. Pickled octopus is not something I would have ordered but the tentacles were meaty, a great dish with wine.

One of the day's specials were fried prawns wrapped with angel hair. The prawns were large and so fresh, the aioli like sauce finished it off. After all the complimentary food from Ari we were not wanting anything too over filling so we order the lamb ribs and Greek salad. The way George prepares the salad here and at the Press Club Bar is fresh and crisp, we have started making our Greek salads like him. The ribs just fell off the bone, finger licking stuff. It was well 'caramelized', you could not fault the execution or delivery.

The kitchen is such a well oiled machine, every time we visit Hellenic Republic we are still amazed at the massive open grill that never seems to stop producing and the spit roast out the back that seems to be able to cook three yes three lamb spits at once.

By this time we were well fed and needed to be in the city to watch a movie, but there was sill time for dessert, always time for dessert, right? We could not fit in any sugary sweetness so we opted for the fresh watermelon salad with feta and almond flakes, not being of Greek descent we were not 100% sure about feta and watermelon, but once again George knows best, the salty feta made the watermelon even sweeter. The next day when I was at the local super market and at the cheese fridge, I picked up a piece of feta and would you believe it they suggest that you serve it with watermelon, who would have known.

We will definitely be returning to Hellenic Republic and the first thing we would do is to say 'hi' to Ari, and maybe ask for another plate of the taramosalata.

Ramen Ya

Shop 25G Melbourne GPO
350 Bourke St
Melbourne
9654 5838

After reviewing Ajisen Ramen only a month ago, we thought we would branch out and try the much talked about Ramen Ya, located at GPO and right next door to the wonderful Kenzan. Ramen Ya is very much its own restaurant, with the small menu consisting of 4 ramen noodles, a handful of bento boxes and some rice dishes and gyoza.

Since then, we have been there a handful of times now, for both lunch and dinner. Their specialty as the name suggest is Ramen 'yah'... pardon the comedic touch, but you too may find yourself doing this after having their intense pork flavoured tonkotsu soup.

As you wait for your meal, you are invited to partake in the ancient art of origami (paper folding), we managed to create a bunny.

The seafood gyoza were standard size, but very dense though the filling was light. I normally like my gyoza with a crispy base.

But Ramen was what we were there for, at $10 a serve this is a cheap healthy lunch or great dinner alternative to your pasta dish. The charshu (many variables on the spelling) is much thicker then Ajisen Ramen and we felt the fat helped enhance the flavour, you get 3 slices in a standard serve, but like Ajisen we recommend you ask for extra charshu for a few extra dollars. The ramen noodles are thick and tasty, but it's the soup that one comes to Ramen Ya for, the pork bone based soup is authentic and amazing.

Ramen Ya is packed at lunch time, so best to come early. They also have a happy hour for dinner (meal only) which entitles you to a 35% discount on your meal, but best to check with the restaurant on hours.

We heard from the wait staff that they are thinking of converting to a fine dining menu for dinner in the future. Let's hope this does not take off, we don't want to come across mean spirited but we do have Ramen Ya cravings at all times of the day... night and day.

First Taste Soup

104 Hopkins Street
Footscray
9689 4274

When one thinks of Footscray immediately the image of a busy market and great tasting Pho appears in your mind. With three locations in Melbourne already (in Footscray, Springvale and Box Hill), First Taste Soup tries to change these views with their great herbal soups and Clay Pot rice. This place is one of our firm favourites for a cheap and tasty meal.

First Taste Soup offers herbal soups like Buddha's Favourite Soup and Stewed Black Chicken soup which are cooked in their own pots. In Chinese tradition this is one of the healthiest ways of cooking and drinking soup, the Chinese believe that soup heals and is good for your health. The soup we had was Watercrest Stewed with Duck's Kidney - don't let the name put you off, this was very tasty and brought back memories of how mum would cook it at home.

As mentioned above, First Taste Soup also serve noodle soups and clay pot rice, like many other Chinese restaurants the menu is long and caters for all appetites and cravings.

We usually both order a clay pot rice (allow 15-20mins). These range in price from $8 to $9.50 and are excellent value. The one below is chicken and mushroom, the chicken was tender and marinated in a sweet sauce, this soaked through to the rice. The addition of chinese sausage added so much flavour to the dish (although those who have never eaten these may find them fatty).

The other dish was Quail on rice with extra Chinese sausage (add additional $2), the quail is consistently tender and tasty and the sauce does not overpower the quail.

One of the things that people most look forward to with clay pot rice is the rice crackling at the bottom of the pot, and this is hard to achieve as you don't want to burn the rice. Once burnt the whole pot will smell of burnt rice and mere seconds can make the difference between bad and good crackling. The crackling can be eaten on its own or some people like adding some water to it, absorbing all the remaining flavour and oil turning it into a nice soup.

As you can see, First Taste Soup gets it spot on. The crackling is crispy without being overburnt.

First Taste Soup is a great place to go to if you don't feel like pho or generic China Town food, the place is so cheap (less then $10 a meal) and with the effort that goes into each dish this place is packed with Chinese people and some smart Aussies. A must try.

The Baths Sorrento

3278 Point Nepean Road
Sorrento
5984 1500

After a wonderful and unforgettable morning dolphin swim we were ready to unwind and relax under the afternoon sun. The Baths of Sorrento are located right on the sand with uninterrupted views of the ocean.

The Baths are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu is exactly what you would expect: burgers, foccacias, fish and chips etc. And with such views, the kitchen seems to only do what they need to. We would have preferred a little more attention to detail with the food.

We ordered some dips to start. The day's dips included bacon and spring onion, spicy carrot, and egg plant served with what they called Turkish bread. The dips were well made and very tasty but we would have actually preferred proper Turkish bread, as we were given toasted white bread.

We went for a light salad and toasted trout faccacia (we asked for no capers, but were told these were all pre made). The salad consisted of fresh figs (hard to find in Melbourne cafes), walnuts, rocket and shaved reggiano, the rocket was a bit old and was bitter.

The smoked trout faccacia was very dry and with it being pre made it meant when the kitchen toasted this up, the trout actually cooked all the way through, not what smoked trout should be.

The bar has a dangerous size cocktail rightly named the 'world's largest'. See the size in comparison to a standard pot of beer!

All in all The Baths of Sorrento are packed during the summer months with the influx of Melbournians, the restaurant does simple food which will never win any culinary awards nor would they need to with such beautiful views of the water. Sadly The Baths is one of those restaurants that sits back on their 'view' and does not try to have their food do the talking.

Montalto Winery and Restaurant

33 Shoreham Road
Red Hill South
5989 8412

Staying in Sorrento for the weekend we thought we would book one of the Mornington Peninsula's finest restaurants, with Montalto awarded a Chef's Hat in the last three editions of the Age Good Food Guide. Being one of the first people in the restaurant, we were made to feel welcome and this allowed time for us to take some nice shots of the winery.

The meal began with a complimentary serve of sweet potato soup, we had to refrain from finishing the shot of soup as we had a big dinner ahead of us. Bread is baked fresh on site with 3 varieties on offer, sour dough, olive and seeded served with their very own olive oil.

The restaurant's menu is small, consisting of about 8 entrees and 8 mains. There are no specials, instead the kitchen tailors the menu on a nightly basis according to what fresh produce the restaurant can source. More restaurants should do this.

The smoked salmon with spanner crab meat has to rate as one of the top 5 dishes we have had, this was a big piece for salmon which was very well priced at $22, the crab was flavoursome and complimented the salmon to a tee. The spicy tabbouleh wrapped with cucumber was a slight negative, but this did not take away from how well the salmon was cooked.

Wagyu is a meat that continues to gain popularity among Melbourne restaurateurs. Being such a delicate cut, Montalto offered it carpaccio style, and served with white and green asparagus it was very light in texture and flavor. These two entrees were great displays of what the kitchen are capable of dishing up.

Whenever there is duck on the menu we always seem to put our hands up to try it, rightly so, duck is one of those great meats that has such great flavor. Montalto cooked it confit style with shredded duck flavoured with spring onion and mushroom. The skin on the breast was crispy and the meat just cooked and slightly pink. The accompanying shredded duck was amazing, the flavors were intense yet light. We found this main course at $42 to be reasonably priced, given the generous serving size.

I love my meat but as I didn't feel like a steak, I instead opted for the lamb, like the duck this was cooked perfectly pink, it lacked just a bit of seasoning. It rested on a bed of beans and carrot, with a simple broth.

We still managed to find room for dessert, a panna cotta with raspberry and Red Hill honey jelly. Reading the menu description, we were expecting 3 seperate elements, so were delighted with the layered dessert. The jelly was rich in flavor while the panna cotta was creamy and very smooth. When eaten in a full scoop the mix of flavors makes this a must have dessert.

Montalto does not try to over-do anything when it comes to the kitchen, their flavors are light and intense, with the chef allowing the food to speak for themselves. The ingredients are fresh and local and as a result, the flavours are intense.

On the Saturday we were there the restaurant was full and the kitchen did not look overwhelmed at all, the wait staff were attentive but we would have liked someone to go through their wines with us, over looking their massive vineyard I am sure every table would have enjoyed a bottle of their famous Pinot Noir with their meal.

Montalto definitely deserves their one hat rating, and with the meal we enjoyed we believe they deserve another hat next year.

Montalto is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday from Boxing Day to Australia Day, and lunch daily and dinner Friday and Saturday the rest of the year. You can also choose to experience a picnic at Montalto, where for $70 pp the restaurant kitchen will prepare a 3 course meal for you to enjoy in your own secluded picnic spot on the grounds of the vineyard, all set with linen, crockery, cutlery and glassware. Bookings are a must.