louisianaturra

[louisianaturra]

Carlton wine room, Carlton

It was my mum’s bday. She loves this place. I do too. It wasn’t that long ago that I was here and had every intention of reviewing it, however too much time passed. So I was happy that we were returning, another chance to critique this well renowned establishment.

Walking in, it’s bustling. Mind you it’s only 6pm, and it’s already busy. Like I said ‘well renowned establishment’. The host was quick to greet us at the door and tell us where our table was. The walls are white, black lights and wooden stools. Nothing offensive here. Classic, clean. We were led upstairs to another section that has round booths, sounds trashy but again it’s classic, kind of New York style.

Our waiter was personable, lovely and attentive. My partner and I arrived a little later than others, however she was quick to serve us a glass of champagne to match the table. Good guess. I love champagne. Carlton wine room is all about sharing. The food is prepared to be enjoyed and dissected by all at the table. I know it sounds bossy, but I usually take charge at places like this. People get overwhelmed and worry about who will like what. I just order as varied as possible to include everyones taste preferences. Most people appreciate it, others may get annoyed. Oh well. We ordered some oysters, Tasmanian. Good, some a little frozen, but of quality. We then ordered an anchovy on fried bread with whipped ricotta and pickled cucumber. We had one vego, the waiter offered to replace the anchovy with a mushroom. My sister in law said it was delicious. Ours was a beautiful starter, thin crispy bread with a subtle mix of salty, sweet and sour. Lovely.

Next was the eggplant dish, this was bursting with flavour. Mint, chilli, currents, with a creamy finish however had texture. The other dish was the asparagus, with an avocado sauce and salmon roe. The roe bursts little salt pop rocks into your mouth, and the avocado balances the dish nicely. I would have preferred less roe, a little overpowering.

The next dish was an obvious favourite, so much so that my partner and brother agreed to order another after the main. This was the stracciatella with pickled mushrooms and chive oil. I cannot describe the decadence of this dish, to look at yuk. To eat, an absolute delight. Look past the frog swamp, grab a potato focaccia( hand made, light and fluffy) and dig in. You won’t regret it.

By this point I had a few Awericanos and a Chardonnay. I decided to order some sparkling, the waiter brought me the champagne from earlier… I didn’t realise until 3 glasses in… whoops. This was also when I realised that we had been waiting over 30mins for our mains…

Our mains were pork and chicken. The pork was served in a mustard style sauce, it was good, however I am a terrible judge of pork. It reminds me of human.. too graphic? Sorry. The chicken had big chunks of bacon, mushroom and a lovely red wine jus. The chicken was cooked perfectly, juicy and well seasoned. There was also a side of grilled zucchini and ricotta. A lovely palate cleanser.

My sister in law ordered the rigatoni with smoked ricotta, tomato and basil. Before it was ordered I very politely said to the waiter that last time we ordered this the pasta was under cooked and cold. She looked at me sarcastically and said ‘okay I’ll tell the chef to COOK the food this time’. I realise it may have come across as snooty, however I wasn’t being an arsehole and her response was uncalled for. Give me shit behind my back instead. Mind you this wasn’t our original waiter. Figures. When the dish came out, the pasta was al dented however it was cold again… disappointing.

The dessert is worth ordering. I never ever think twice about ordering a rum baba. Seems old school and out of fashion. The Carlton wine rooms rum baba deserves an award. For The booziest rum baba in town. They present it as a slice of cake, rather than the original muffin shape. It also works perfectly as a share dish, everyone just grabs a spoon and digs in to the booze soaked sponge. An absolute triumph.

The Carlton wine room is a great night out. The service is impeccable, the food is well priced and appears to be served with love and passion. There were some gaps, however the positives override any issues. I highly recommend the rum baba, but be warned, if you are driving… you may blow over the legal limit. Take a taxi.

#restaurant review #foodcritic #lovefood

[louisianaturra]

Angus and Bon, Prahran

I’ve been craving a quality steak for some time, and had been recommended by friends to try Angus and Bon. Located on Greville St, a niche and trendy part of Prahran. A friend and I had booked the early bird special at 6pm, I would like to say that I eat at a respectable hour, but covid has ruined my dinner time slots. The earlier the better.

Angus and Bon is dark and masculine, with leather and wood being the main feature. It doesn’t feel tacky or over the top, it feels appropriate. We booked seats at the bar, however were placed at a high round table near the window. The wait staff were attentive, making sure we were seen to early, however not appearing to hover. The wine menu was extensive however not overpriced. We ordered a bottle of bubbles, which in retrospect a glass would have sufficed, in order to get a glass of red to go with my main… regrets regrets.

We ordered two starters, sourdough bread with smoked ricotta butter and the corn and manchego croquettes. The butter was whipped to perfection, it felt light and was full of flavour. The croquettes were good, but I feel as though croquettes are croquettes… they always taste good enough? Both were reasonably priced.

I then ordered the 200 gm eye fillet, Medium rare with a bearnaise sauce. The fillet was cut in half with its perfect hue of red in the middle. The meat melted in your mouth (it’s always gross saying that out loud… flesh being chomped and digested). For $54 I was not disappointed in the quality of the cut. The Bearnaise sauce was a frothy consistency, not the usual thick and heavy sauce I’m used to. It still worked though.

We then ordered a side of mashed potato and salad greens. We weren’t sure whether we should get one each or share, we decided to share. Luckily as the servings were very generous. The mashed potato was drizzling in butter and had the perfect amount of ‘lumps’, which created necessary texture. It was seasoned well. You could just order this and your life would be complete. It was the epitome of comfort food.

Now this is going to be a harsh comment, but I feel it’s warranted ..the back of the restaurant sat a pair of parents with too many children. This cheapened the restaurant, made it appear as though it was a bistro. It was off putting, as I said, harsh. But I don’t care, if I’m spending $54 bucks on a steak I don’t want a side of Rugrats.

Angus and Bon is worth a night out, I highly recommend giving it a go. It’s a classy meal without the price tag. Then if you are up for it, go and grab a cocktail at Jono’s piano bar across the way for fun and entertainment. I can guarantee no children have been sighted.

#restaurant review #food #foodcritic #steakdinner

[louisianaturra]

Loti- St Kilda, Melbourne

My friend and I thought it would be a good idea to try the new restaurant on the esplanade for a bite to eat. They boast a different and much needed upscale restaurant in the area, to which I agree. Upon arrival, the staff appeared excited, due to only being open 10 weeks. They noted a few times that they were short of staff and were actively looking, this however didn’t appear to affect the service. The set up is okay, it’s clean with peach couches and white walls. Aesthetically pleasing… enough.

We ordered a few dishes to share noticing that the prices seemed okay for the style, an open kitchen with a ‘luxury’ menu. That was until our starters came out… I cannot deny that Loti has their flavours down pat. The chefs know what they are doing here. My issue was with the portions. I ordered the scampi, which came out on a large plate with two tiny servings. Unfortunately I did not take a photo to emphasise the hilarious serving size. We actually laughed out loud when the waiter placed it on the table, I even looked over his shoulder hoping that was my friends’ serve and mine was still on its way. I couldn’t figure out if we ordered scampi or a widgety grub. My friend had ordered natural oysters, which came out with three options of sauces in small bottles. It was cute, but kind of unnecessary.. she did note however that they were creamy oysters, worth purchasing.

I then ordered the kale , kholrabi and black garlic taco… it came out on a black napkin that was placed in a bowl, the napkin was arranged in a way that gave the perception that you were getting more. Once i noticed the taco, we laughed out loud once again. The reason they place it with a napkin is to distract you from the ridiculousness of the serving size. It wasn’t a taco, it was a taco for a child, better yet a taco for a doll. It was a mini taco, about the size of a small lychee, not even kidding. For $14, I was hoping for something more than a literal bite. I would hate to add insult to injury, but it was also unfortunately incredibly bland. We then shared a raviolo with a beetroot and cod filling with trout roe surrounding the singular piece of pasta. The roe was overwhelming and took over the flavour of the lovely creamy pasta filling. The main was a fair size for the price, beef rump with peas and broad beans in a horseradish and yoghurt sauce. This was a nice piece of beef, cooked well.

The waiter asked us if we wanted dessert, we decided not to as we were underwhelmed and disappointed with the menu. There is scope for this place to do well as they have the potential, but they need to understand their audience with the local community. Loti need to shift their focus from their ‘over the top presentation’, as this means nothing if your portions are even too small for Kate Moss. I would however recommend you go here for some champagne and oysters. If you do want to have a giggle with your friends, please order the pretentious miniature taco.

#restaurant review #st kilda #eating out

[louisianaturra]

Templo- Hobart, Tasmania

This little eatery was recommended on every Hobart restaurant ‘must eat’ list online, so my partner and I booked a table on a short getaway in September. Templo is nestled in amongst a small neighbourhood, very quiet. You exit your Uber wondering if you have the right place. Soon you see the next time slot patrons waiting hungrily out front, wishing the previous bookings to hurry the hell up. It’s cold… it’s Tasmania. Once inside it seats only about 20, my partner was hoping we didn’t end up on the communal table (his worst nightmare). To his luck, we were seated at the bar with another couple, who we acknowledged but did not share intimate conversation. Now I must advise that this was over a month ago and I left this restaurant rather plastered, so my memory of the food is hazy… but what I do remember is that we had a fantastic night. The staff were personable and energetic, I have to admit I insulted one of them in my drunken stupor, however she took it on the chin like a professional.

First and foremost, the wine. We had an in depth discussion surrounding what to drink prior to food being served. I believed that I was too snobby to drink Pet Nat, however was quickly persuaded to buy a bottle of rose, no regrets, I’m not a wine snob after all. The first course that came out was the gnocco fritto, this was a strange dish. It was essentially a large piece of gnocco deep fried with a type of mortadella placed on top. The flavours were basic, however surprisingly clean so it worked as a starter, to open the palate to more flavourful dishes. The next course was a piece of toast (sounds boring, but let me finish) with Gruyère cheese, honey and shallots on top. This was simply spectacular, I cannot describe the decadence of this small piece of heaven. I would suggest you go based on this, however Templo changes their menu on what’s in season. There was a puréed dish with hazelnuts that was simple but full of texture and flavour (see this is where it gets hazy, the pet nat was flowing). The main was a beautiful piece of white fish that was cooked so perfectly that it melted in your mouth, I remember actively placing my knife and fork down several times to make it last longer. The dessert was a semi Freddo with freeze dried pieces of mandarin, an inventive and delicious way to round out a meal. Once the patrons had finished, there seemed to be a mad rush to leave (something we noticed in Tasmania). My partner and I are the types to hang around and continue drinking till the staff kick us out. They let us stay until they closed, offensive conversation or not.

Templo is a beautiful restaurant. The food is delicious, new and lively. It states that it is Italian, I would consider it a more modern deconstructed version. If you want an intimate setting, great food with social staff I would highly recommend popping into Templo when visiting beautiful Hobart.

#tasmania #hobart #restaurant review