Madame Truffles

12-18 Yarra Place (St Ali Lane)

South Melbourne 3205

0430 017 480

www.madametruffles.com.au

Closing this Sunday.

As you enter this beautiful space you are instantly greeted by the warm and friendly faces of Bernadette and Simon. Immaculate and dressed to the nines, they are a couple so suave and cool that I thank my lucky stars I decided to wear my beautiful silk jacket(I'd hate for them to think I was daggy). Now what does a young and beautifully suave couple do in Melbourne? Open a pop up specialty truffle shop of course.

Like all brilliant ideas, the concept of Madame Truffles sprung up after 1 too many drinks. It was the sad realisation that Australians don't indulge or probably even know about the wonderful truffles Australia produces. Maybe it's the price that deems it inaccessible. After all even a small truffle is not cheap, however a small amount really does go a long way. So after a year of planning the doors opened at the start of July....but only for a month.

Even though it is their final weekend, Madame Truffles still has a wonderful selection available from Tasmania, Western Australia and New South Wales

Prices

TAS – $2.80/g      WA – $2.90/g       NSW – $3.30/g

"Price differences are based on quantity of harvest rather than quality as all truffles sold by Madame Truffles are graded extra or first class" Madame Truffles

Currently, they also have a beautiful NSW stunner weighing 153g. This beauty will set you back just over $500, but the bragging rights will be priceless.

The truffles are harvested fresh every week and it is the end of the season here is Australia, so after a month of selling to, and educating the Melburnian palate, Madame Truffles will be sadly closing their doors. Get in quick and get the last of their goodies, or just go in for a snoop at the amazing shop, with it's chandelier and hand printed wall paper its just seems a shame to have to bring it all down. If you've never seen or smelt a truffle then a stop here this weekend is a must. Each is so fragrant and different, you will instantly understand why the Europeans love them and be angered at yourself for not having discovered them sooner.

Au revoir Madame Truffles, till next year-I hope.

Gills Diner

360 Little Collins St
Melbourne, 3000

03 9670 7214

Lunch Mon-Fri noon-3pm

Dinner Mon-Sat 5.30pm-10pm

I had huge primary school flashbacks when I walked into Gills Diner, with the school chairs and blackboards, I half expected Sister Mary to come round the corner and tell me off-again. After I brushed off the remainder of my St Michael's post traumatic stress, I was able to absorb the simple and funky decor of this truck garage turned restaurant that is tucked away in the back of an alley. I love going to these hidden places, they always seem so on trend, make me feel so uber cool and so so Melbourne. Gills Diner is a prime example, located in Gills Alley just off Little Collins st in the CBD.

If you are a fan of Journal Canteen and Melbourne Supper Club, then no doubt Gills Diner is also on your wish list of places to eat. It definitely was on mine, as so far I have thoroughly enjoyed all the places that owner Con Christopoulos has opened. All except for one, this one.

I've written before about how much money and time I have spent at Supper Club, not only because of the experience but also the food, the rustic, true to flavour European food. At Gills Diner I was disappointed from the first bite right up to the last.

Antipasto all 3 dishes: Quail, Eel, Heirloom Carrots    $33

The Fifth Quater; Braised Tripe, Pigs Ear Terrine, Kataifi Pastry Wrapped Lambs Brain   $24

Barramundi w/ Corn fritters, Cous cous and Salsa Verde    $37

Gnocchi w/ Duck ragout and Jerusalem artichoke     $32

Looking up at the menu written up on the blackboards, I was excited by what I saw. A bit of pasta, a bit of offal, a bit of this, a bit of that. We ordered quickly and enjoyed our fresh baked bread while we waited. 

The quail was over cooked, the carrots were not seasoned, the eel was tasty however.

The tripe was chewy, the lambs brain was OK, the pigs ear terrine was kind of dull but the fried pigs ear pieces were fantastic.

The barramundi was muddy tasting and incredibly salty, the corn fritters were soggy.

The gnocchi was lovely and light, but the ragout just didn't work well. I told my hubby that it tasted like something I would have accidently made, when I stuff up a dish and I try to fix it by just adding and adding to it, but in the end the flavours end up cancelling each other out.

There were some good points, the service was friendly and knowledgeable, the bread is fantastic as they are linked to The Commercial Bakery just out the front. I will be popping in there to pick up a loaf for home. Two thumbs up for the predominantly all Victorian Wine list. BYO is also offered, but if you are going to dine here, catch a cab and try their selection. Lovely. 

I've often said that I don't really review restaurants, realistically I'm reviewing my own experience on that one night. Maybe a different night would be better, maybe lunch is the way to go...maybe. It's a shame really because considering it's pedigree, this place could and should be amazing,   it's other sister eateries are. Or maybe, just maybe, Gills Diner is in fact the Jan Brady of Con Christopoulos' food family.

 

Ratings out of 10
Food 3/10
Service 6/10

Atmosphere 6/10

Value 5/10

Gills Diner  5/10

Would I return? No

Delayed Pho

At the start of July I declared it 'Pho Month'. I had dreamt of being able to go and eat pho at least 2 times a week and being able to document my findings. My little one was finally on the mend and it seemed plausible that I would be able to follow through with my goal. Sadly she has once again taken unwell. 

A while ago I posted about Lolo being unable to eat dairy products as it makes her physically sick and causes her to have nasty psoriasis on her hands, knees, and around her neck. Unfortunately the Dr's believe that she may also be having adverse reactions to something found in cartoned soy milk. With her digestive system being in distress, it causes her immune system to drop and that in turn allows her to pick up every bug around. It has taken a month to get over one cold, and after 1 day at child care she has developed an upper respiratory infection, swollen tonsils and gastro. The last few weeks has consisted of 3 trips to the Dr's and 2 to the hospital. Still my little trooper smiles through her tummy cramps and sings through what has to be some awful pains. The good news though is that The Royal Children's is trying to get her case fast tracked at the Allergies clinic so we can pin point her triggers. It really doesn't matter what it is, as long as we know. The sooner we know, the quicker we can make her life easier and more importantly pain free,

I still intend to go off and enjoy my copious amounts of pho, after all, mum needs a break too, but what would normally have been squished into a month will need to be spread out for the rest of the year. I apologize to those of you who told me they were really looking forward to the reviews and wondering why I hadn't put up more recipes, have some patience, I promise you they will still come. Just a little more spread out that we had hoped.

Pho @ Song Huong

Song Huong Restaurant

71 Alfrieda st,

St Albans, 3021

Pho $8

I have frequented Song Huong a number of times. It's not far from home, there is always a seat and the pho is fantastic! I think it's the broth that does it for me. Meaty and fragrant also just the right amount of noodles and delicately sliced beef.
On this particular visit the only real downside was that the basil looked at bit wilted. Apart from that, they were generous with their serves and prompt with delivery. Apparently I also looked like I couldn't handle my heat because no chilli was brought out to me, obviously I asked for it politely but deep down I felt like screaming 'I'm Chilean there is nothing spicy there that I cannot handle-do your worst'!

The coffee here is also brilliant, just remember that you should order it early as you need to slowly let it drip into the sweet condensed milk. 

Song Huong, it's a bit of a hike, but they do make a damn good pho. 

7.5/10

  

PM24

24 Russell Street, 

Melbourne VIC 3000

03 9207 7424 

In 1991 Phillippe Mouchel arrived in Melbourne with nothing more than a dream in his heart and a croissant in his pocket. Actually that's not true. This talented and experienced chef was brought over by legendary Paul Bocuse to head the 'Paul Bocuse' restaurant which has since  sadly closed. But it did leave Melburnians with a taste for good french food.

Phillipe Mouchel has wandered since the closure of Paul Bocuse, in Australia and also back in Japan where he had worked prior, but after realising that Melbourne is awesome, he decided to resettle here. Starting with the Brasserie at Crown(closed) and now PM24, in an very odd alliance with the Press Club gang.

I love a restaurant with an open kitchen, I just love the theatre of it all.  At PM24 not only are you treated to a show by the chefs, but also by the Ferrari-red rotisserie, with various meats pirouetting in the flames. Firstly you get hit by the visuals, then the smell. OK I'm ready to eat.

Bread rolls with french butter and fromage blanc     -complimentary

Degustation Charcuterie with toasted sourdough     $25

Goat cheese soufflé w/ roasted beetroot and caramelised walnuts     $21.50

Charred octopus tentacles w/ eggplant  compote,sauce vierge and petite salade     $21.50

Pork Duo. Braided trotter, pork belly, lentils ragout and natural jus      $36

Rotisserie of the day. Lamb shoulder w/ roasted vegetables and jus     $37.50

Dessert degustation. Creme caramel, rum and berry sorbet, chocolate cake and pain d'epices
$19

Cheese. Roquefort, L'Artisan Mountain Man Washed Rind, Cantal Semi-Hard     $8 each

To start with, I was so happy that they brought out that basket with beautiful baked on premises bread rolls with the lovely french butter and fromage blanc(yum), because the chacuterie board was lacking. The chicken live parfait was flavoursome, but there was only a few measly slices of the meat on the board. In fact most of the dish seemed to be made up by the sourdough toast. The Goats cheese soufflé was fantastic, it was light just the way it should be, and the beetroot and caramelised walnuts were a fantastic accompaniment. The charred octopus tentacles on the other hand were a real let down. There was a imbalance on the plate. Too much garnish and not enough octopus, so unfortunately what was meant to have been the star of the dish seemed to have taken a back seat to the garnish. The addition of the Parmesan shavings seemed out of place and added nothing.
The Pork Duo was great! The stuffed trotter was perfectly cooked along side the pork belly with  a tiny fried quail egg on top, all on a bed of lentils. Pork and lentils so classically french, non? Oui! Loved it. But then there was the Lamb shoulder, we had so been looking forward to anything off the rotisserie. However it was quite chewy and fatty. Thankfully the vegetables and the jus that came with it were first class and were quickly polished off, leaving the second rate lamb behind.
Hubby is not a sweets kinda guy so always goes for the cheese platter. There was a choice of 6 on the menu, so by french standards it was a limited amount. However they were wonderful, and with them was some prune compote, lavosh and thinly sliced fruit bread. I chose the dessert degustation and I do not regret it. Sitting on a slate tile was 4 servings of goodness. A lush creme caramel, a scoop each of berry and rum sorbet, a super rich slice of chocolate cake with a biscuit base and a piece of  pain d'epices, which translate to spiced bread(all the time in France was not wasted) and is much like a french gingerbread. Every spoonful was amazing, decadent almost sinful and because I am a trooper I finished all of it, in fact the only reason I didn't lick the plate was because I knew my husband would die of embarrassment.
Regarding the drinks, their wine menu is about 20 pages long with an amazing selection of Australian and French wines of the utmost quality. However you will also find a few wines from some new kids on the block. I chose (out of sheer curiosity) a Japanese wine called Kayagatake by Grace. What a fantastic fruity red. We swiftly ordered the carafe, and I am currently trying to find where I can buy some for home.

The service is great, I am going as far as saying that it was some of, if not the best service I've received in a restaurant in Australia. Prompt, attentive, knowledgeable and friendly without being overbearing.The staff managed to be omnipresent with plates being cleared and glasses refilled at the wink of an eye. Excellent.
The venue itself seems at first quite industrial with it's whitewashed walls, hanging lights and ever so high ceilings yet it still manages to be beautiful and oh so french.  You can hear the murmur of the other tables, but it still felt intimate.
Even with what were major hiccups on the night which were quickly sorted, there were so many good points to this meal, that is truly unfortunate that there were a couple of short comings. On another eve it may have been perfect and I am keen to find out if this is the case so I will definitely be back. I will recommend this place to all the francophiles out there and those of you who are after some lovely french bistro style food, great service, nice wine and without a scary stripy topped mime in site! Bon appetit!

Ratings out of 10
Food 6.5/10
Service 8/10

Atmosphere 7/10

Value 6.5/10

PM24  7/10

Would I return? Yes

The hunt for Phở

I love pho! From the 1st time I ever tried it at a Vietnamese restaurant in Footscray many, many moons ago. So fragrant, so fresh, so enticing. Back then your pho came with a little boiled quail egg and some cashews, the texture was great. Times have changed and most places have taken the cheaper route and omitted them, but they are forgiven as the broth always makes me feel good.

Have a cold? Have some pho. Feeling hot? Have some pho.Got a hangover? Have some pho. It's your child's 1st birthday? Have some pho. You get the idea. 
I always get excited when after you've ordered, they bring out the plate with bean shoots, Vietnamese mint, basil, fresh chilli and a quarter of a lemon. That means that my giant bowl of goodness will be out soon. I always think 'I can't finish that!', and I can't. Never have, probably never will, but I always give it a red hot go.

When my now hubby first made the move to come and live with me in Australia, he took me to Rockpool, I took him out for Pho! The photo above is what was left from that eventful day. Ever since, he too has been hooked on the stuff.

So in honour of the meal that I could happily have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and brunch and supper.... I have declared July to be  Pho month! I will hit my favorite places and hopefully discover some new ones along the way. And maybe, just maybe, I will find what I hope to be Melbourne's best Pho(in my eyes anyway).