Honey it’s cold outside, welcome to CODA, oh yes, welcome!

With the abundance of great restaurants in Melbourne, you feel like a fool when you just can’t think of anywhere you’d like to go at a whim. But we were lucky enough to get a table on a Sunday for lunch at Coda in Flinders Lane. After trying a few times last week to get a table with no luck, I was so happy to stumble upon the best trick in the booking book…just call 20 minutes prior…success!

This was so worth it, lovely staff, cool decor, fantastic food, good sized portions, and as a bonus, lovely customers! I say this because we took along Tajan, and as you may well know, many IT restaurants of our town have been known to turn up their nose at not just a baby, but a baby and pram. It was so nice to be welcomed here.

We couldn’t quite put a finger on the style of food, but it definitely had a Viet influence mixed with a little French I’d say. Great for sharing and chatting, and as we dined with a couple who had just returned from their honeymoon, the exotic spiciness of our shared plates, swept us away.

What we devoured…

Coda Rolls - Spring rolls with Marrow

Sweet Potato and Swimmer Prawn Fritters - These will become famous, trust me!

Scallops - delicate and delicious

Cuttlefish - Because we could!

Prawn Sizzle - so tasty the prawns jump off the plate

Duck Curry - One word, delicious, but in more words, tantalisingly spiced up and juicy

Banana Souffle - From the chef that created Cosi’s gorgeous MiQui, how could this be anything but fab

Goats Cheese and Apple Fritters - Our tables favourite

All washed down with a lovely Rizzardi Prosecco…get this great fizz of fun at Cellardor.com.au for $29.26 a bottle.

Go there with a favourite couple who you haven’t seen for a while and enjoy the catch-up, and don’t forget the baby!! Coda is undoubtedly the best restaurant I’ve been too in ages.

Til next time, Chardanae

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Chardanae is out and about again, needing a Spanish pick-me-up

Don’t make the mistake of ordering just one! A shopping pick-me-up of the Spanish Chocolate kind.

MoVida – Hosier Lane Melbourne

Well I’m easing back into the adventure that is Melbourne dining, after an obvious absence, and should let you know that Sash and I now equal three.

Navigating Melbourne’s laneways is not as simple when you have a pram in tow, but of course , life isn’t meant to be easy, and how else is little Tajan’s food socialization to begin if she can’t experience the atmosphere of a cult restaurant. So bump, bobble, bump, bump went her little head in the pram as we strutted up the cobblestone lane intent on again tasting the best pudding in Melbourne. It had been 12 months, and oh how it was every bit as yummy as I remember.

Two glasses of Spanish Cava and the Dessert of the century – Chocolate Ganache Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice-cream and Nougat…Dark bitter chocolate pudding with a molten heart of oozing ganache, circled with home-made vanilla bean ice-cream, dobbled with chunks of sticky nougat. Not the soft kind, but the sticky, crunchy kind. Do I really need to say more?

Wash that down with a fun and bubbly glass of Agusti Torello Cava (get it at Cellardor.com.au for a tasty $38.17), and your afternoon break from shopping couldn’t be more perfect.

There’s so much more to say about MoVida but I’ll leave that for another day, today was to worship the magic and energy-giving properties of chocolate. I could say I need the energy because of the little one, but I really am just making excuses. Who needs an excuse to spoil oneself with a little molten-love?

Other notable chocolate puddings that deserve a mention :-

Cosi’s Mi qui

Max Brenners warm choc pudding

Til next time,

Chardanae

Chardanae appreciates the dong, dong, dong of the Balinese chimes

Warung Agus - 305 Victoria Street, West Melbourne

There’s something about the Balinese that stays with you long after you return from a trip. It’s not the smiles, although they are delightfully welcoming, its not the sunsets, although they are entrancingly mesmerising, its not the gentle background of chimes, although these carry you along on your travels like a magical heartbeat. What is it to me? You guessed it,  to me it’s the food, the exotic blends of herbs and spice that are too entrenched in the Balinese heritage to replicate.
I really enjoy a restaurant that is able to capture the delicate balance of herb and spice so simply and authentically, such as Warung Agus.
Look for the lush foliage growing on Victoria Street like an oasis bursting out of a sea of concrete. Then follow the gentle chimes to a delightfully simple restaurant decorated in authentic Balinese wares.
Before even tasting the food, the Balinese hospitality triggers you to already make a mental note to put this unobtrusive little treasure on the top of your favourite list.

What we ate
Casava crackers with warm peanut dipping sauce - actually don’t order these because they are so moorish that you’ll order more and won’t have an apetite for the lovely dishes to follow!
Avocado in coconut and mushroon sauce - there’s something about these flavours melding that I love.
Chicken in Sweet soy and shallots - the right blend of sticky sweetness and lemony tang that gives you a gentle kick.
Flathead in coconut and tamarind - smooth velvety coconut with the bite of tamarind - dreamy.
Lightly coconutted rice - fluffy and perfect

What we drank
Baggadinnie Run Verdelho - Baggadinnie really do this white grape variety well. The right amount of fruit balanced on a bed of florals. Get it at www.cellardor.com.au for a crisp $17.71 a bottle.

The price
What an extra lovely surprise to be full for under $80 for the both of us - unheard of!

A tad more than cheap and cheerful, rather like a staple.
If you like a little tang and spice, Warung Agus is oh so nice!!!

(Only open Thursday to Sunday nights)

See the Baddaginnie Range at www.Cellardor.com.au

Jane Cooper, Alexia and Matahiwi Estates, New Zealand

Have a listen to one of New Zealand’s most favoured female winemaker’s Jane Cooper, as she runs through her new range of Alexia wines with special mention of where Alexia fits in with the Matahiwi range.

CHECK OUT JANE’S ALEXIA WINES AT CELLARDOR.COM.AU

CHECK OUT JANE’S MATAHIWI RANGE AT CELLARDOR.COM.AU

 

 Jane Cooper Winemaker for Alexia and Matahiwi Estates, New Zealand: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Byron or Bust - Chardanae goes Far East - kind of!

Byron or Bust - Chardanae goes far East

Byron Bay has always been an enigma to me. I had visualised a Noosa-esque place minus the Bugga-boos, with a few more surfboards and baby’s in body-slings. I was actually not too far off the mark. Byron was more raw than I expected though, not so polished, and you were hard pressed finding people who thought wearing shoes was a practical idea.
Maybe this is a slight exaggeration, but I started to enjoy watching surfers changing in front of their cars, then waxing their boards before leaving their car keys under their front wheels. My thoughts turned towards pondering whether anyone has invented a pouch within wetsuits to keep keys?
Surely they have.

In Byron I found my mind wandering off pondering all sorts of practical things, but i guess that’s what you do when your head is still in the big smoke and reluctant to wind down. It didn’t take too long to let go though, and this place is the perfect location to do it.

Where we stayed :- Byron Bathers
The rooms are large, well appointed and modern, and the owner’s Paul and Sam are only too willing to make your stay fantastic.
The breakfast provided is huge, and they easily accommodated our gluten free request, plus they threw in a bottle of Grant Burge Sparkling for a romantic touch. We love Grant Burge, get it at Cellardor for only $26.09 a bottle.
We stayed here for 5 days, and although the weather was a bit touch and go, there was a lovely pool and DVD’s to pass the time if you can’t be bothered walking the 2 minutes to town!
Most importantly one must mention the great comfy King size bed! We are often dissapointed that beds away from our own are never as comfortable, there were no issues to that effect at Byron Bathers. This B & B is kids, smoke and pet free, which adds to the relaxation. There is also wireless internet.
We were new to the B & B scene, and after staying here may widen our usual narrow mided ways that always lead us down the traditional hotel scene. You will not be disappointed if you choose Byron Bathers, in fact you will be the opposite - absolutely delighted!

Where we ate :-
Pacific Dining Room at the Beach Hotel
The Van Handels latest venture, with prime positioning overlooking the main beach of Byron Town.
When we dined here we were informed that it was the first night of their new menu (3 dishes had been added), but were not informed until we had waited for our mains for an hour, that that was the reason for the wait. They happily gave us another entrée that had been made by mistake - while we were waiting hungrily, we longingly looked on as the table next to us received 3 dishes that they didn’t order. The attentive waiter must have seen our let-down-puppy faces and gave us one of them while we continued to wait for our mains with apologies.
We were however curiously charged for the entrée that was given ‘with our compliments’.

The menu here made no sense to me. There seemed to be no cohesion between all of the dishes. The menu itself read ‘to be shared’ but didn’t really translate to dishes that were presented as such. So we went against advisement and ordered the chicken broth with dumplings by 2, which was delicious. This was served in little cups on a stand, and was a rich dark brodo with morsels of chicken mince, garlic chips and ginger. Just what we needed to warm up.

Our ‘with compliments’ was a salad of boiled carrots, on sheeps yoghurt with smoked almonds and parsley. This dish actually tasted just like it sounds. Nothing really stood out in this simple dish.
For main I had the quail which was crusted with some spices and served with Lyonnaise sausage and white beans. This was tasty in a rustic, hearty way. Sash had the Pork twice cooked with spelt grains. His comment was that it was “nicely cooked but not memorable”.

The green beans were fantastic, especially if you felt a cold coming on from sitting in the window! Heaps of lemony, capery garlic smothered these fresh green beans.

What was truly memorable was the Banana Pudding. The menu stated allow 20 mins, so after the wait for our mains, we took no chances and ordered straight away. Oh, it was like a soft creamy sponge of warm delicate banana, smothered in a home made banana ice-cream. Truly Delicious, and left you feeling dizzy with satisfaction. Make sure you order 2 though. Although it is quite large, you will feel cheated if your partner has more than you!

To be fair, we were uncomfortable  from the start. They sat us in one of the front tables next to the window which would have been lovely if it was a summers day, but our night was cold and windy, and the windows were very drafty, and the little roof heater did little to accommodate our needs.

What we drank :- Gruner Veltliner. Not many wines by the glass which was disappointing.  Of course we have a great range of this fine grape variety that is very much coming into vogue. Try our range at Cellardor.

Orion Curry House - Byron
Cute little eat-in curry eatery, which had great fresh curry’s for the price, served with saffron rice. Not much of a curry eater myself, I found myself craving the flavours.  I have previously read some bad reviews but i didn’t think it a bad option if you wanted a quick bite in a cute atmosphere close to the water.
We tried vegetable Pakora, Lamb Korma, Chicken Korma, Fish Curry, Raita, Cheese Naan, Garlic Naan. Opt for the bottled water rather than tap.

Orient Express - Fletcher St Byron
Home made in Byron Yum Cha. We love our Yum Cha, and this cute little place the beach end of Fletcher St was not your traditional little dumplings, but more substantial dishes that were fresh and tasty.

The Balcony - Byron
Tapas in the cozy couches on the balcony. Very relaxed, and quite fun. Probably my favourite food this trip.

Harvest Café - 18-20 Old Pacific Hwy, Newrybar
Very Maggie-Beer-esque. Lunch in this quaint little town is a must. Wander through the antique stores all afternoon.

Forget about the shopping in Byron, head straight for Bangalow. The most divine little boutique town where you can spend a day exploring the shops and surrounds. A definite.

Where we relaxed :-
Apart from the numerous walks we chose to have a treatment at the Buddha Gardens Day Spa in the Arts District Precinct, Gordon St.
They have a plunge pool located in a gorgeous Balinese garden setting with a waterfall.
This was gloriously warm on a cold day.
We had the romance package in the Orchid room comprising of a body scrub, rose petal bath, massage, and champagne and fruit platter. It was lovely but a bit chilly. All of this open air romance is not so romantic when you are shivering.

Browse more wines at www.Cellardor.com.au

Romance or fun? Chardanae goes Cantonese at Seamstress, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Seamstress Bar and Restaurant

113 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Yes, it was a very special occasion, and Chardanae thought she would be clever by booking a surprise Monday night dinner for her birthday-boy husband.

With Sash believing I had booked this weeks ago for a 7 o’clock dinner, as 6 pm approached on the day, I was frantically searching Google for Melbourne restaurants open on Monday night that offered a little more than stir-fry on ‘special’ fried rice. I started to break a sweat because my fine hubbie would be walking through the door any second. What about Cantonese? Tap, tap, tap…

“Yes, of course madam we are open 7 days a week”, said the lovely voice over the phone, “Great, see you at seven!” I quickly retorted and slammed down the phone as Sash opened the door.

Down a cold, gusty Lonsdale Street we walked until we approached Seamstress in all of it’s Asian, kookie, silken, pyjamas-hanging-off-the-ceiling type glory.

Seamstress is over four precarious levels, with the cocktail bar on the top, so take note, a mid-heel is a more sensible option if you plan on indulging in a few. Otherwise opt to stay in the underground Sweat-Shop Bar where the staff are so ridiculously good-looking that it really doesn’t matter what you drink, you won’t remember the taste anyway.

The Restaurant is on the middle level and curiously the kitchen is on the ground level. A bit of a night-mare for the staff I suspect, maybe that’s how the bosses ensure their staff remain so healthy and gorgeous-looking.

What we drank - a tangy mocktail that was everything I asked for…”you know something refreshing, with no orange, and a little bit of spritz!” From what my taste-buds could decifer, I was given a limey, coconutty, glass of spritzy fun. Sash decided on the Pimms, and then for our meal went onto enjoy the floral elegance of the CAVE DE TURCKHEIM Tradition Gewurztraminer from Alsace, get it at your Cellardor of course for only $28.22 a bottle .

What we ate – We started with the Tailor’s Dumplings Special which was 5 delicate serves of pork and Tatsoi balls of happiness. We also tried the Scallops with crumbled Pork Belly which were cooked to perfection. Entrée’s were a great size and ranged from $10 to $18

For mains Sash chose the Red Duck Curry, because we can’t resist a good duck curry. Seamstress’ is a little more rustic than others we have tried, rustic in the form of unpulverised bits of exotics floating around in the thick sauce. The flavour was full and vibrant with LOTS of chilli. Now I didn’t really want to mention the other main…however…if I whisper don’t “order the Spatchcock”, please heed the warning. In all fairness, I need to go back and give this another go as it sounded so good on the menu, Spatchcock stuffed with Sticky Rice in a ginger and prune broth, but I think the apprentice chef at the Spatchcock Station must have had a retardardation of his taste-buds, because what I received was nothing short of boiled baby chick in dish-water! Now in this predicament not knowing if the dish was supposed to taste this way, I perservered in eating half of the dish until Sash noticed that my face was drooping further and further down with every dribble of the broth dripping off my fork. Not one to EVER complain about a meal I quietly mentioned to our snappy waiter that I think something could be wrong with my dish. He was happy to remove the dish from our bill, no questions asked, which was a thankful response.

Oooo, after that upsetting halt to our experience we decided that the meal needed redeeming with a fine dessert. We crossed our fingers and chose the Banana Springrolls, with Goats Cheese Sorbet, Yum, Yum, in my Tum!! No problems in the dessert department at all.

The little hiccup with the Spatchcock did not turn me off Seamstress though, and Sash had a lovely birthday-boy treat.

Seamstress is romantic and fun, and you can have a very different experience on each of the cosy levels, making this a must-try destination for a date, or don’t be shy to get a small group of your favourite friends together to enjoy the wares.

Give it a go and tell me what you think,

Til next time, Chardanae on location 

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A little piece of Malaysia in Port Melbourne, Omah’s, Melbourne

Shouldn’t be only Port Melbourne’s best kept secret!

Omahs

138 Rouse Street, Port Melbourne, 3207

Maybe it’s the sentimentality of my honeymoon in Penang, or maybe it’s just the appreciation that Malaysian food is without doubt the most fabulous blend of spices and exoticness on offer for my tastebuds, but the rapturous symphony of Malay, Chinese and Indian is hard to beat. I love Malaysian food, and until I stumbled across Omahs in Port Melbourne, Chinta Ria was the only place I could really relax and satisfy my hunger for hawker food.

Omrahs is different though. The price is similarly very reasonable, but the flavours offer me more. Yes Omrah does take me back to Malaysia. The décor is simple, the staff are lovely, and nothing is there to detract from the romance of every bite. Add to this a wine list that is adequate and reasonably priced, and you have a perfect Sunday dinner restaurant that is not too fussy, but oh so right!

And one more fantastic additive – Omrahs delivers. Oh glory days. This food is so more interesting than our usual Thai take-out. I loved it so much that I asked the nice manager for 200 take-away pamphlets and proceeded to put them in every letter box in our apartment block.

What did we eat?

Oh the flavours, Nyonya Fish – a delicate ‘fish of the day’ in a sweet and spicy, all-at-the-same-time sauce with high notes of tamarind. BK Duck – succulent duck breasts wading on a sauce made of chilli puree, tomato and ginger. Coconut rice which I really had to mention because this coconut rice was cooked to perfection, no sign of stickiness or glugguness, this was dry and perfectly separated. Fried Ice-cream, well you don’t really need this, but how often do we have the opportunity? It was like a tasty little donut with a cold vanilla heart drowning in chocolate sauce and chopped fresh strawberries.

Oh save me.

What did we drink?

2007 Hewitson ‘Gunmetal’ Riesling (Eden Valley, SA)– lovely notes of citrus, lime and minerals, which was a harmonious blend with the spices of our food. We LOVE Hewitson’s wines at www.Cellardor.com.au and browse the range, or just enjoy the Riesling like we did at home for a spicy $19 a bottle .

Enjoy this restaurant with the whole family, or as an easy 3^rd or 4^th date with someone who tantalizes you,

Til next time,

Chardanae on location

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Chardanae misses her grandma’s cooking, Pelican Restaurant, St Kilda, Melbourne

Pelican

16 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

Okay, okay it’s an oldie but a goodie!!

How else can you truly enjoy the vibrancy of Fitzroy St, St Kilda, but by sitting near the sun, and enjoying fine fresh meze at decent prices?

Enter Pelican stage right!

I hadn’t been there for about 12 months and one sunny day in September I was passing through St Kilda and did a quick u-turn when I felt my tummy rumble just at exactly the same time as I passed Pelican.

Maybe it was the aroma of home made fresh tomato sauce that reminded me of my Grandma, or was it the saganaki in the air?

Who knows, but Pelican never fails to impress for a no-fuss fun place to hang when the sun’s out.

What we ate?

Oysters natural, BBQ’s butteflied prawns, char-grilled octopus, saganaki, and please don’t forget the patates!

What we drank?

Pierre Sparr Alsace One, the zesty and aromatic drop suggested by our waiter, and boy was it a perfect marriage. A beautiful light white, that masterfully allows its subtlety to persist and radiate. Get it at www.cellardor.com.au , for a saucy, spicy price, only $23.25 a bottle.

Enjoy over a pow-wow with your long-lost best friend!

As always, til next time,

Chardanae on location 

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Chardanae takes a trip to the ocean, Donovans, St Kilda Foreshore, Melbourne

Donovans

40 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda Foreshore, Victoria

I had had a rough couple of days and really needed to unwind. I find there’s nothing more soothing than the lapping of water on the shore, and a nice view to boot.

Destination Donovans, St Kilda.

It’s like an opulent beach house, with a fine dining feel. Don’t think you can eat here in your beachwear though, a dress code seems like it does apply. Once seated, a wave of calm came over me, and my mind was easily diverted to not the issues of the day, but to all the really important things like what should I eat!

Oysters anyone? Yes, please, and maybe the duck. Of course our eyes were way much bigger than our stomaches, but we did leave with a hazy, lazy smile.

What did we eat?

Oysters Natural, a mix of Tasmanian Pacific and South Australian Smoky Bay coz we wanted a taste-off. Both equally wonderful. Clean and fresh taste of the sea. Roasted whole duck for two with chick pea flour pancakes and endive and watercress salad - make sure you are hungry.

What did we drink?

Mount Horrocks Riesling, Clare Valley, SA. Citrus blossom and spice it is known for. Perfect for the oysters but we were enjoying it so much we thought it an unusual but lovely match for the duck too!

www.cellardor.com.au price $24.13 a bottle. So enjoyable, but award-winning so be quick for this one.

What a lazy way to get happy. The meal served its purpose, and although our wallet was a little lighter for the experience, Donovans shouldn’t be reserved for only special occasions.

Always striving for calm,

Chardanae on location

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Cellardor.com.au tries Cho Gao-Asian Beer Cafe, Melbourne Central Complex, Melbourne

“You just don’t go out and have prawns and duck for that price…you just don’t!!”

Cho Gao – Asian Beer Café

311 Level 3 Melbourne Central

It’s the end of October and the nights are starting to get balmy. Once again we found ourselves wandering through the hustle and bustle of Melbourne peak hour, when we stumbled across a kitch kind of Asian sanctuary.

It’s hard to put a finger on how these guys want to present themselves, but the smell of linseed oil on the Jakartan teak furniture permeates the medium-easy beats of pop house on the speakers.

The balcony is sensational overlooking the museum, and there’s so much room, no need to just swing one cat, but go for a few. Friday nights sets a cracking pace with a late night DJ, and there’s a vibe of anticipation of somewhere that’s easy to be, with no pretence.

Cho Gao also has an extensive cocktail offering, but the value of the wines is hard to beat.

What we ate?

With prices this good, it’s easy to over-indulge. Jumbo prawns, reminiscent of Thailand, Duck pancakes (my favourite), lemongrass mussels, san choy bao, salt and pepper quail (don’t miss this), pad thai, red duck curry, and snake beans. Our most expensive dish was $16.50!!

What we drank?

Bollinger Special Cuvee (Champagne, FRANCE), because the food was so cheap, we felt we had to indulge! Such a classy juxtaposition, that was so much fun in contrast to the hawker style food.

Give yourself a mini-treat and buy a case of the 375ml half-bottles at www.cellardor.com.au for only $60.38 per bottle, or go the full hog for $99.41 for the 750ml bottles.

In short, it is what it is, and doesn’t propose to be anything more. Food that is cheap, fast and full of flavour, with a little bit of fun. Go with a group of your loudest friends and make some noise!

As Always,

Chardanae

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