Parlour Wine Room

When we got to Parlour, the first question my colleague asked me was ‘did you order the burger?’ I’ve got a bit of a reputation for always picking the burger, but in this case it was completely justified. Whilst not part of the $16 lunch specials (a meal and glass of wine/beer included), the Parlour Burger was excellent value for $18, served with shoestring fries in the cutest little pot. The burger itself was very tasty, with the patty cooked to be just a touch pink (perfect), and a great charring on the outside. The beef was coarse but not too coarse, and I particularly enjoyed the slathering of cheese on top. What made this burger stand out was the onion ring smack bang in the middle. Yep. Hello deep-fried oniony goodness (none of this reconstituted business, thank you very much). And the bacon – that was pretty great too. Not to mention that the tomato was thoughtfully sandwiched in between the patty and lettuce, so that it didn’t make the soft brioche bun soggy. I probably shouldn’t have, but I finished all of the shoestring fries – gosh they were good, with a perfect amount of crispy outside and soft inside. No criticisms here at all.

Parlour Wine Room, 16 Kendall Lane, Acton ACT  http://www.parlour.net.au/

Paul

I’m not generally one to shy away from a good sweet, and seeing Paul on Kagurazaka-dori, it’s pretty hard to just walk past. Their window display is just a sample of the baked goods heaven inside, and I was drawn in by the promise of a good canelle. I had my first canelle in Paris at a street stall on the Champ-Elysees and have been smitten ever since, so was keen to see how this French patisserie in Tokyo compared to the real deal. The outside was lovely and crisp, with a slight burnt flavour, but not overpoweringly so. The inside has the good stuff – a custardy cake that is spongy and soft but thick, with a distinctive milky flavour. It was small, but it passed the test. Next up was the apple danish – this was a real winner, with crisp, flaky pastry and glazed, soft apple pieces inside. The lady initially got the order wrong, but happily swapped for the apple turnover she’d given me for the danish. Both of the sweets had great flavour and texture, and I was disappointed not to have stomach space for more.

Paul, Kagurazaka Terrace 1F, 5-1-4 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo Japan  http://paul-inter-release.fo-02.naxeo.net/

Bobo’s Diner

I have blogged many times about the need for a good, hearty burger, and that was exactly what I felt like when I met my colleagues at Bobo’s Diner in Frankston. They decided to share a plate of ribs, but I was sucked in by the promise of beef, cheese, lettuce and Bobo’s burger sauce that was ‘the original’. The food came out quickly and whilst the filling of my burger huddled like an island amid the sea of bun, once I got to that filling it was oh so good. The patty was wonderfully thick and packed full of ground beef (definitely not beef mince). The cheese and burger sauce added a huge amount of flavour and I actually did really like the soft but slightly crisped bun. The chips were tasty but nothing to write home about – they needed sauce and whilst the mustard on the table was tempting, I went for plain old tomato instead. My colleagues enjoyed the flavour of the ribs but were disappointed that there wasn’t more meat on them. The diner is open until late, and the staff happily let us work away as we ate.

Bobo’s Diner, 435 Nepean Highway, Frankston VIC                                          http://www.bobosdiner.com.au/

National Press Club

I was lucky enough to attend a function at the National Press Club which included lunch (my favourite kind of function!). Often catered menus can be uninspiring – meals made ready to serve in large quantities sometimes favour simplicity over flavour. Not here. The savoury course was a roast chicken breast with fois gras, mushrooms, puy lentils, Mount Majura truffles and a cognac vinagrette, served with a rocket and parmesan salad. Yeah. That’s right. The chicken portion was still on the bone and was quite large, resting on top of the bed of lentils. Cutting in to the chicken, the meat was really juicy and tender, but the real highlight of the dish was the lentils – I’m assuming that they absorbed most of the cognac and truffle flavour, because they were to die for (believe me, this is not something I commonly say about lentils). The rocket paired with parmesan added a nice amount of bite. Dessert was banoffee pie with peanut brittle scattered over the top and a whole heap of cream. The serving was really decadent and I couldn’t finish it all, but the caramel and banana inside were gooey perfection. Definitely not your typical catered lunch.

National Press Club of Australia, 16 National Circuit, Barton ACT, http://www.npc.org.au/

Lotte Hotel

Flashback post from where I would rather be… I do love a good high tea, and after the amazing one at Raffles in Singapore, I was keen to see what Seoul had to offer. Quite a few places have an afternoon tea, but the Lotte Hotel one sounded just right for us, so off we went on a weekday afternoon. We were pretty gobsmacked on arrival to see that our table was seated right by a window overlooking… a waterfall. Yep, it was a seriously beautiful view both outside and in, with high ceilings and chandeliers creating a classy setting in The Lounge itself too, which was only enhanced by the string quartet that played throughout the afternoon. I chose earl grey as my Ronnefeldt tea, but we were both surprised to see that the tiered tray only came with one of everything, so we had to slice things in half. The savoury sandwiches were rolls, including a quid ink one with salmon, a seed one with crab and a brioche with beef, and they were probably the best savouries I’ve had at a high tea anywhere. Other highlights included the opera cake, orange and poppyseed cake, and strawberry custard tart. Completely luxurious and decadent.

The Lounge, Lotte Hotel, Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul          http://www.lottehotel.com/seoul/en/dining/dining.asp?type=BL&seq=8

Zu Zu Zu

Newtown is known for its Thai food, but sometimes you just want ramen. Zu Zu Zu appears to have opened recently and was there in time to meet my ramen craving. I was curious about their black sesame broth, something I haven’t tried before, so ordered that along with gyoza and edamame to share. The edamame were served hot and salted – we devoured them happily. The gyoza were excellent too – pan-fried with a herbed pork filling, although perhaps slightly on the small side. The ramen came out in a giant bowl and the broth had an interesting colour. On first sip, I was a bit surprised – yes, the black sesame flavour was there, but it lacked the complexity and depth of your usual ramen broth. I still enjoyed it, but would probably stick to the tonkotsu next time. Having said that, the teriyaki chicken inside was to die for – perfectly tender and slathered in an amazing teriyaki sauce. The ramen themselves were quite thin and didn’t seem housemade (please correct me if you know differently?), but the tamago was (as always) the best bit. I couldn’t finish my bowl, but I did enjoy the meal overall.

Zu Zu Zu, 191 King Street, Newtown NSW, no website

Eighty Twenty

I adore those beautiful spring weekend mornings when you can feel the sun shining on your face! My friend and I enjoyed one such morning sitting outside at Eighty Twenty. Another friend had recommended trying one of the acai bowls – acai isn’t my favourite flavour, but with the delicious-sounding toppings I gave the “O” bowl, one of three options, a go. Our food came out quickly, although not at the same time, and I admired the neat presentation of the strawberries, bananas, granola and toasted coconut on top. The concept reminded me of Local Press’ smoothie bowl, with a dairy-free acai blend beneath the fruit and granola. Winning combination! The granola was the rock star of this meal – crisp, sweet and full of oats, almonds and other delicious things, every mouthful was a delight. The acai blend was lovely and refreshing, with bits of ice and banana to thicken it up. I also really loved the fresh banana and strawberry – this, combined with the icy acai and the crispy granola meant the dish ticked all the flavour an texture boxes. The portion size was just right for brunch and for $14 it was reasonable value. I can’t wait to try the other two!

Eighty Twenty, 18 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, http://www.eightytwentyfood.com.au/