Mister Jennings, Melbourne - 10 December 2014

Paul Jennings was one of my favourite authors growing up (remember that hilarious TV series from your childhood, Round the Twist?). Paul Jennings also happens to be a childhood favourite of Ryan Flaherty (ex Fat Duck, El Bulli and Estelle). Mister Jennings, a new(ish) restaurant in Richmond that was opened in July 2014, is named after his favourite childhood author and school teacher. The restaurant is small with a casual, relaxed dining room that seats around 36 guests. My colleague and I are here to enjoy a nice relaxed meal after a long day of meetings with clients.

The menu contains a number of small starters, entrees, mains, sides and desserts, which are designed to be shared (this seems to be the latest trend at restaurants now). There is also a 5 course tasting menu for $80 per diner, which we opted to have, since I didn't have a clue which dishes to try.  May as well let the chef decide what he thinks is best.

Boudin blanc / dagwood dog

The meal starts with chef Flaherty's cheeky take on a boudin blanc, dressed like as a Dagwood Dog. The chicken mousse could have been smoother and the batter crispier, but this was a fun, enjoyable snack to kick off proceedings. The boudin blanc was sprinkled with paprika salt for smokiness and served with a nice, tangy house ketchup.

Crab, salmorejo, chilli, black pepper

My eyes were immediately drawn to the vibrant orange of the salmorejo.  The salmorejo was a delicious mix of refreshing, tangy tomatoes, chilli  and black peppers. Underneath a mustard leaf was a mound of hand picked crab. The crab's sweet, delicate flavour were enhanced with lemon juice and mayonnaise. Overall, this was an excellent dish with light, refreshing, clean flavours that complement each other.

Frozen kangaroo, wasabi, nashi

Mister Jenning's signature dish is the frozen kangaroo, a feast for the eyes. The loin of the kangaroo was frozen and sliced thinly like a carpaccio so that the roo melted from the warmth of the mouth, creating an interesting contrast of temperatures. There were also a medley of flavours and textures from freeze dried raspberries, wasabi avocado mousse, pickled onions, jelly made from veal jus and crisp batons of nashi pears, all of which worked well with the gamey kangaroo. Whilst this was a very interesting dish that clearly had a lot of thought behind it, I actually found the flavours in this dish to be the least memorable of all the courses. 

Mulloway, sesame, spring greens

The mulloway with sesame sauce and spring greens was my favourite course of the night. The mulloway was excellently cooked with moist, soft flakes of meat. The sesame sauce, which was made with a mix of toasted sesame, tofu and vinegar, was the star of this dish. It reminded me of Asian style sesame salad dressing, albeit a more refined and balanced version. The sweetness, nuttiness and slight acidity in the sauce worked wonders with the mulloway. The spring greens, which included broad beans, peas, asparagus, beans and nasturtium, added freshness to the dish.

Sirloin, pan juices

Going from modern to classic, the final savoury dish was a French bistro classic, steak and chips. The sirloin was cooked medium- rare, with a blushing pink centre and a lovely caramelised crust; the steak was juicy, well seasoned and served with its pan juices. There was a selection of mustards, but the meat was flavoursome on its own so it didn't really need them.

Baby gem salad, chips

The steak was served with a baby gem lettuce salad and hand cut chips. The baby gem lettuce salad was fresh, with all the leaves being nice and crispy and mixed with a buttermilk dressing. The chips had a crisp exterior and fluffy potato inside.  

Chocolate, cardamon, crunch

For desserts, we were presented with two different desserts to share. The first were the three C's being: chocolate, cardamon and crunch. This was not exactly the prettiest dessert, but it was pretty darn tasty, especially for a chocolate lover like myself. Basically this was a dessert with chocolate in different forms: biscuits, powder, ganache, soil, mousse and finished with a warm, rich dark chocolate sauce. There were bursts of citrus through the chocolate biscuit and the creamy yet light chocolate mousse had a mix of hot and cold sensations. A brilliant dessert!

Jaggery cake, apricots, double cream

The other dessert was a modern take on the classic afternoon tea favourite, sponge cake, jam and cream. The jaggery cake, a microwave sponge cake a la Ferran Adria of El Bulli, was soft, fluffy billows of sponge. The cake was topped with a dollop of double cream, the perfect companion to a soft sponge, and a sprinkling of fennel powder, which gave the dessert a pleasant anniseed undertone. Underneath the cake was a thick apricot jam, which provided additional sweetness and tang to the dessert. Both desserts were excellent, but the jaggery cake was my favourite by a whisker.

Yo-yo biscuits

A final bite was presented to us in the form of mini yo-yo biscuits. These were crumbly and melted in the mouth with a buttery, custard finish. 

Verdict
Highlight: Mulloway, sesame, spring greens.
Lowlight: No complimentary bread and butter.
Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Mister Jennings. Whilst the food was  quite innovative, the flavours were mostly spot on. The stiffness found at some other fine dining establishments in Melbourne was noticeably absent. The staff were warm, friendly, personable  and knowledgable. This is definitely a place that I would recommend to anyone looking for a great meal with a bit cheekiness thrown in.
8/10 (Excellent)

Mister Jennings

Address: 142 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC 3121
Contact no: (03) 9078 0113
Website: http://misterjennings.com.au/

Vue de Monde, Melbourne - 9 December 2014

Vue de Monde is a restaurant that has been on my wish list for a long, long time. I finally ticked this restaurant off my culinary bucket list during my work trip to Melbourne in December.

Shannon Bennet is a chef that has a significant reputation and one of the most respected in Australia. He's worked for some of the world's greatest chefs in Alain Ducasse, Albert Roux and Marco Pierre-White. His restaurant, Vue de Monde, is considered one of the best restaurants in the country. So my meal at Vue de Monde came with expectations as high as its lofty location, 55 levels above the city. 

The dining room boasts an impressive 360 degree view of the city, it was like being in an observation tower in any major city around the world. The view only got better as the night wore on, initially as the sun sets and then when the bright city lights were switched on.  

The space is surprisingly actually quite understated; gone are the the white table cloths usually found at fine dining establishments. There is a native / colonial theme with wide kangaroo skin covered tables with leather and fur armchairs, generously spaced around the room.

There is a lot of theatre when one dines at Vue de Monde. Diners are able to look right into the sleek open kitchen, which sets the stage for the chefs, and many of the dishes are presented, finished, or served at the table by the chefs. 

There are two dining options on offer a four course a la carte menu or the gastronomes menu (or degustation).  The degustation menu can be anywhere from a 6 course menu (for $210) all the way up to a 10 course menu (for $250, the most expensive in the country for the time being until The Fat Duck opens next month). My intention was to have best experience possible, so I went for the 10 course menu (because... YOLO).

The 10 course menu started out with a myriad of small bites before moving onto the main menu. Interestingly heavier courses appear early in the menu while lighter courses round out the savouries. 

The food displayed an evolution from Vue de Monde's classical French roots to a more contemporary menu, focusing on local produce and native ingredients like wallaby and saltbush. 

Snacks (clockwise from top-left): BBQ lamb hearts; Potato crisps, macadamia puree; Salt cured wallaby; Smoked eel, white chocolate, caviar; Oyster; Duck tongue, mountain pepper; Pine smoked salmon pearls

Several small bites were laid out onto the table in rapid fire succession. I must say that this was easily one of the most dramatic starts to a meal. Each of these bites were very tasty too.

There were salt and vinegar potato crisps served with a macadamia puree and cubes of compressed apple. I would be very happy with a bagful of these chips to munch on in the lounge room!

Next to arrive was a thin ribbon of salt cured wallaby that was brought out to the table on a heated slab of pink salt and rolled up with chopsticks by a waiter. The wallaby was amazing, so soft and melting away in the mouth.

The combination of smoked eel, white chocolate and caviar may sound odd, but it worked really well. The soft, smoky eel was coated with a thin, crisp toffee like white chocolate layer and topped with salty caviar. The sweet and savoury flavour combination was nice as was the contrast in different textures.

A single Bateman Bay oyster was impeccably fresh, briney and served simply with finger lime.

The duck tongue were slightly chewy and coated in a delicious, sweet glaze and mountain pepper gave the tongue some kick. 

Smoked salmon roe was served with a tarragon butter emulsion and a variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables (radish, turnip,beans, broad beans) for dipping. The smokiness in the roe was quite subtle but I did enjoy the salty bursts of flavour from the roe and the smooth, nutty butter emulsion.         

My favourite of the snacks were the BBQ lamb hearts, which were char grilled and perfectly tender and medium rare inside. The lamb hearts were served with pineapple jam.  

The sun sets over the city

 

Barramundi, potato, chicken, caviar

The first course of the degustation was a Northern Territory line caught barramundi cooked over a BBQ. The barramundi was well cooked and took on a delicate smoky flavour of the BBQ. The fish itself was solid without being spectacular. For me, the best parts were the things around the fish. A ribbon of potato was rolled and filled with a soft, creamy chicken mousse and topped with caviar. The barramundi was served with a sauce of chicken reduction, apple vinegar and butter. 

Flinders Island lamb, olive, Australian anchovies, sunflower

The Flinders Island lamb, served as 2 different cuts, was one of my favourite courses of this meal. The highlight was the rack of lamb, which was cooked beautifully rare and pink in the centre. The meat was wonderfully tender, juicy and full of flavour. Less impressive, but still delicious was the leg. The lamb was served with an amazing hazelnut puree, olive, anchovies, mustard foam and a disc of apple to cut through the rich flavours in this dish.

Blackmore Wagyu, smoked bone marrow, saltbush

The David Blackmore Wagyu tenderloin served on a bone with bone marrow was by far and away my favourite course of the evening. The sauteed cubes of wagyu tenderloin were tender and so delicious (probably the "beefiest" tasting cow that I have ever had!). If that wasn't enough, wagyu fat was rendered down and shaved over the top like Parmesan cheese to enhance the beefiness of the dish. The pear, cherries, saltbush and macadamia all added another dimension to this meaty yet beautiful dish.

Liquid nitrogen is poured over wood sorrel

 

Cucumber, wood sorrel

Now that the heavier dishes have been served, a palate cleanser was brought out. A little bowl containing an array of flowers, wood sorrel and herbs was laid out in front of me and liquid nitrogen was poured over the top. A wooden pestle was place on the table and this is where the fun starts. I was instructed to grind up the herbs til they formed a fine powder. A quenelle of cucumber sorbet was then served on top to complete the palate cleanser.

This was an incredible palate cleanser, one of the best I have ever had in a restaurant! The cucumber sorbet was ridiculously refreshing and the flavours were so light, clean and zesty. And it was fun!

Duck, yolk, pear, truffle

Next was a duck yolk covered by slices of pear and served with fried bread crisps, mint and truffle paste. The slow cooked duck yolk was rich and oozing, perfect for dipping into with the crisps (who doesn't love enjoy eggs and soldiers?!) The pear and mint both helped cut through the richness of the dish. 

The one thing that was missing from this dish was the truffle flavour. I couldn't taste any truffle flavour in the paste. This dish was crying out for fresh truffles to be shaved over the top. But unfortunately this was not offered (on most nights, fresh truffle can be added to the menu for an extra $60). I would not have hesitated to pay the extra for the truffles but as I looked around the dining room, it seemed like Vue de Monde didn't have any fresh truffles in their pantry that day. 

House churned butter

 

Sourdough bread and butter

Sourdough bread and butter was served in the middle of the menu rather than at the start.  Butter is churned daily in-house and I could really taste the cultures in this butter. It was smooth, creamy and had a nice sourness. The sourdough was served warm and had a nice crust, perfect for spreading the butter onto. 

 

Marron, marzipan, brown butter

Next was a seemingly simple dish of Western Australian marron tails, a brown butter emulsion and marzipan. I was encouraged to pick the marron up with my fingers, and to dip it into the emulsion.  The marron, which had a tarragon leaf inside, was quite simply, perfectly cooked. The marron was sweet, succulent and had a beautiful bouncy texture. The addictive brown butter emulsion was nutty and the marzipan added texture and sweetness to the dish that complimented the marron.

Ox tongue, beetroot, bone marrow

Next was ox tongue, beetroot and bone marrow, with frozen creme fraiche added at the table to finish the dish. I was instructed to drag a little bit of the deep red ox tongue and beetroot mixture into the creme fraiche powder but not to mix it all together. The ox tongue was enjoyable, really soft and melting in the mouth albeit a little salty. I love beetroot and I thought its earthiness and sweetness worked well with the ox tongue. The creme fraiche was interesting.  Not only did it help balance the richness of the dish, it provided a nice temperature contrast as it melted on the tongue.  

Kingfish, kale, buttermilk

Unfortunately I did not enjoy the kingfish, kale, buttermilk course. Kingfish, which was diced into small cubes, had an unusually chewy texture, like gummy bears. The buttermilk sauce and rocket oil weren't anything to write home about either. The kale was enjoyable however. It was smoky and delightfully crispy.

Veal sweetbreads, milk skin, leek

The final savoury course was veal sweetbreads, something that I love to eat at fine dining restaurants. The sweetbreads were paired with milk skin, corn, kohlrabi, leek and brown butter. Unfortunately the cooking of the sweetbreads was inconsistent. While one of the sweetbreads was soft and creamy, the other was overcooked and chewy. Otherwise this was a enjoyable dish without being mind blowing.

Celery, coconut, lemon

For pre-dessert, was a popsicle of coconut sorbet wrapped with frozen celery. The coconut sorbet was nice and refreshing. The celery, while a neat idea, was chewy and stringy. 

Mango, chamomile, lime

The first dessert was a BBQ mango cheek, topped with mango sorbet, camomile, coconut and lime. I am not sure about a BBQ mango cheek in a $250 degustation menu, this dessert still has me scatching my head. At this price point, I would expect something either more technical or a mango so good that it is able to stand up on its own. Unfortunately it was neither. The BBQ mango was interesting with its jam like and sticky texture, but I've had more flavourful mangoes before. The other mango element, the sorbet, was quite good, but again a dessert course in a $250 degustation should be more than just a mango sorbet. The chamomile provided floral notes to the dessert, the coconut added texture and the lime added acidity; I didn't think any of these other elements were able to elevate this dessert.    

Chocolate souffle

To be honest, I was a bit disheartened by the last 4 courses or so by the time the famous Vue de Monde chocolate souffle arrived. Luckily the meal was able to end on a high. This was one of the best souffles that I have had! It was ridiculously light like fluffs of cloud yet so chocolaty at the same time. Never have I had a souffle so airy and so decadent, it didn't seem possible. The souffle was topped with the same frozen creme fraiche from an earlier course.

Petit fours

The petit fours continued with the Australian theme. There were a white chocolate olive oil shell and white chocolate coated pork crackling (hidden among real sea shells), Bourbon orange jellies, eucalyptus ice cream and chocolate mousse lamington. My favourite was the lamington.

Take home pack for the next day

The meal was over 3.5 hours and well past midnight by the time I left the restaurant. I was presented with a morning after pack (what a nice touch!), which consisted of a mini brioche loaf, bircher muesli, honey, chocolate cookies and breakfast tea blend from Vue de Monde's tea sommelier, Charlie.

My meal at Vue de Monde was mostly enjoyable but ultimately, Vue de Monde didn't meet my lofty expectations. At the hefty price tag of $250, I was expecting to be "wowed" by the food from start to finish and for the service to be exceptional. This was not quite the case. Don't get me wrong there were some really quite exceptional courses like the Blackmore wagyu, but the latter part of the the menu wasn't able to keep up with the standard set by the earlier courses (except for the chocolate souffle).  

I was also underwhelmed by the service given the restaurant's status. The service felt rehearsed, it was as if the staff were just "going through the motions". The usual things that you expect fine from a dining restaurant (like topping up water and changing cutlery) were all there, but that was it. The service did not "go above and beyond"; the interactions felt awkward at times and unwarm. This might have been an isolated incident as Vue de Monde is normally known for their service.  

Verdict
Highlight: The David Blackmore wagyu beef course was exceptional. 
Lowlight: The kingfish, kale, buttermilk course lost me.
Overall: Vue de Monde is certainly one of the flashiest restaurants in Australia, albeit one that carries a hefty price tag. There were some exceptional courses as well as some less impressive ones. The service was below par during my visit 7.5/10 (Great)

Vue de Monde

Address: Rialto, Level 55/525 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact no: (03) 9691 3888
Website: http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/

The Town Mouse, Melbourne - 8 December 2014

I was in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago with 2 other colleagues for a business trip. The only time we got to relax was after our client meetings, so we decided we should reward ourselves with a nice meal after a hard day's of work. The task of deciding where to eat invariably falls to me (not surprisingly being a food blogger). The first venue that I have chosen was the always-popular, one-hatted restaurant, Town Mouse in Carlton.     

Town Mouse is all about good, fine-dining quality food served in a casual, relaxed atmosphere; much like places such as Saint Crispin and Mister Jennings. The decor inside is casual with black tiled walls, timber furnishings and bar stools (not ideal if you have a bad back).  And the service is warm, attentive and unpretentious (who wants stiff service when you're tired after a long day any way?).
 

The menu, developed by head chef, Dave Verheul, is modern, seasonal and produce driven. It is divided into snacks, raw items, vegetables, meat & fish and desserts. The food is designed to be shared, which was fine with us, as this meant we got to sample a variety of dishes.
    

House made sourdough bread, sesame butter

The complimentary sourdough bread was very good. The bread had an excellent crust, and a nice, slightly chewy texture. The sesame butter was addictive with toasty, nutty notes to go with the creaminess and sourness of the butter.

Goat's cheese profiterole, caraway, thyme & our honey ($3.50 each)

The goat's cheese profiteroles were the first snack to arrive at our table. We were totally smitten with these profiteroles, which were so crisp thanks to a bit of dehydration and filled with the most amazing goat's cheese mousse. The profiteroles were dusted with caraway and thyme and stuck to the plate with honey from Town Mouse's own on-site beehive. These profiteroles are a must order!

Milk curd, fried bread, broccoli, chicken and lavender jus ($9)

The fried bread were essentially large croutons, which were covered with a blanket of raw broccoli florets. The chicken and lavender jus was quite salty, which was thankfully balanced out by the milk curd. This snack wasn't bad, just wasn't anything particularly special.

Shaved calamari, oyster cream, dill and fermented apple juice ($15)

Our waiter convinced us that we should order the shaved calamari dish, as it has featured on the menu from day one. Calamari was cooked sous vide and shaved into strips of firm, slippery rice noodles. Completing this "pretty as a picture" dish were dabs of oyster cream, dill oil, fermented apple juice and cucumber. All the components were mixed together to yield a clever dish that was filled with clean, refreshing flavours and a great balance of textures.
 

Heirloom kales, slow cooked egg, quinoa, comte foam and mustard ($20)

The heirloom kales were served as a pile of crispy, kale leaves with a slow cooked egg hidden underneath, comte foam, quinoa and mustard. The perfectly runny egg yolk was mixed with the comte foam and mustard to create a rich, decadent sauce to coat the kale leaves. This was absolutely delicious and one of my favourite dishes of the night.
 

Slow roasted red cabbage, prune, parmesan and red apple ($15)

The slow roasted red cabbage is perhaps the most famous dish at Town Mouse. And for good reason. A massive hunk of red cabbage is cooked sous vide and slow roasted. The red cabbage was perfectly cooked. The leaves were tender, juicy and cooked with a good amount of butter. The cabbage was filled with lots of caramelised prunes and red apple, which were so good with the bitterness of the red cabbage. The cabbage was finished with a thick blanket of finely shaved parmesan cheese for extra bite. This was easily the highlight of the night for me and it was refreshing to see a venue give their vegetables as much attention and care as their proteins (if not more)!

Smoked pork jowl, hispi cabbage, hazelnut and sour pear ($24)

The smoked pork jowl was "melt in the mouth" soft and fatty. But it was also very, very smoky, which I didn't mind because I do enjoy smoked foods. The pork jowl was sitting in a slick of hazelnut sauce, and topped with fresh, crisp hispi cabbage leaves, and slices of sour pear.

Skate wing, globe artichoke cream, broad bean, oyster, fennel and bay leaf ($23)

The skate wing was the lowlight of the evening. The skate was dry, overcooked and not all that enjoyable. The skate wing came with sauces of globe artichoke cream and oyster cream, neither of which were able to lift the unexciting skate wing. There was also a huddle of shaved fennel, broad beans an bay leaf served on the side. 
 

Snapper, wood grilled broccoli, clam, capers, olive oil ($34)

The snapper was nice without being spectacular, but cooked noticeably better than the skate wing. The highlight this dish were the wood grilled broccoli, another expertly cooked vegetable. The charred broccoli was nice and smoky and had an enjoyable, crunchy texture. The dish also contained some delicious crumbed bits of broccoli florets, clams and capers.

Red currant, strawberry, lychee and macadamia tart ($16)

This tart was a recent addition to the menu and was a big hit at our table. A tart of red currant, strawberry, macadamia and white chocolate was topped with the most incredible lychee sorbet. This was a light, refreshing and fruity number that I would not hesitate to order again!

Almond parfait, fennel, licorice, chocolate and toasted meringue ($15)

Fennel and licorice desserts seem to be latest craze at Mod Oz restaurants and Town Mouse has also joined the party. This dessert consisted of an almond parfait sandwiched between two sheets of toasted meringue, slices of confit fennel, chocolate crumbs and dabs of licorice. I hated licorice growing up, but when used in moderation, aniseed can be a nice supporting flavour, as was the case with this delicious almond parfait. It was an interesting dessert with good use of different flavours and textures; but probably not one that I would be rushing back for.   

Lime posset, green apple, white chocolate, dill and matcha ($15)

The lime posset was an excellent course and my favourite dessert of the night. It was light and refreshing, like a palate cleanser. A slice of lemon posset was topped with green apple foam - a beautiful combination of tart, tangy flavours. The posset was sandwiched by 2 thin sheets of sugar, and also contained matcha green tea, white chocolate and dill to add additional depth to this dessert.



Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at The Town Mouse. The food was amazing and reasonably priced, with the highlights being the vegetables (which may come as a surprise to some). The service was excellent - the staff were friendly, attentive as well as being knowledgable without being pretentious or overbearing. And I loved the vibe at Town Mouse - a cool, relaxed dining space with a buzzing atmosphere.
               

Verdict
Highlight: The slow roasted red cabbage is probably the best cabbage dish you will find anywhere! 
Lowlight: The skate wing was an underwhelming course for me. 
Verdict: Town Mouse represents a new age of dining, where good, fine dining quality food is being served in a more casual, relaxed environment. These are the sorts of venues that Sydney needs more of. 7.5/10 (Great)



The Town Mouse

Address: 312 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3053
Contact no: (03) 9347 3312
Website: http://www.thetownmouse.com.au/