Bar Fred - 797 Nicholson St, North Carlton

Is it possible to go wrong with a $5 pizza?

bad photography due to very dim hipster lighting

I'm sure it is possible to go wrong with $5 pizza, you could be ordering a domino's pizza. But at Bar Fred, the pizza is good, and the beer is cold. The beer is likely to be $10, but it will probably be huge. 

I like Bar Fred, it's within stumbling distance from home, its not going to cost you a fortune, there is no eftpos, which assures this and they play good music. They even play whole albums.  

My first few times here were grand. Got a seat at the bar, the friendly bar tender made suggestions on the drinks, some witty banter was exchanged and a great time was had. On my most recent visit, my encounter was less than pleasant. Now I know everyone has bad days, but there are lines that once crossed are hard to come back from. It went a little like this....

Me: Hi, I'd like to order two pizza's, this one and that one. And two honey wheat beers. 

Bar chick: fine, where are you sitting. 

Me: on the left had side, at the back. 

Bar chick: there is no honey wheat beer left

Me: OK, I'll pick something else.

Bar chick: raises her hand and slaps the bar loudly. The guy standing next to me so stunned be stands to attention and says "what the fuck".

Me: I'll just pay for the pizza then.

I have been mulling this over for a day or so now, and I'm going to go with, it is never OK to be that rude to patrons. Even if you are a hipster. If this was my first experience at Bar Fred, I would never go back. 

A Birthday of glorious food...

This years birthday was a celebration filled with good friends, to many drinks and great food. I have come out the other end a year older, a few kilos heavier, and with a few memories for the vault. Thanks to those who made it one to remember! 

I'll start with Yum Cha at Yum Cha Cafe.

I am my no means a Yum Cha expert. I don't really know the rules, but we had a nice lunch. We felt obliged to pick whatever was on offer, and ended up with a few too many fried selections. But we ate until we were full to our eyeballs, and had some very yummy dumplings (prawn, pork and prawn, duck and pork). 

The main event was duck. Sweet sweet peaking duck. 

My only birthday request as a peaking duck, at The Old Kingdom on Smith Street, Collingwood. We were served by the duck master, who slices a peaking duck like a surgeon. The man has magic hands. I ate until I was in a food coma. It was by far the most enjoyable duck session I have had, mainly because there was more than enough food to fill our tummies, but I also enjoyed being told off for not rolling my pancakes properly. I will return to the Old Kingdom time and time again. 

A duck should always be washed down with a glass of Pinot, and we did so with a bottle of Le Chat Noir 2008. It was rich and smooth, with pronounced cherry flavours and strong tannin. 

To round out the decadence, a cheese platter tops me off nicely. All essentials can be found at Maria's Coffee House and Deli on Nicholson St, North Carlton. You will probably not get the most friendly service in the world, but you will get the most amazing prosciutto you have ever eaten. Maria's has all essentials you could possibly need. Including wine. 

Maria's has quite a nice international selection, but I chose an old favorite, Trentham Estate Pinot. Its affordable, and very drinkable. 

In summary, as far as 20 something birthdays goes, this one was 10/10. 

Glorious Food

Long time no blog...

It has been a really long time since I made a post. But that doesn't mean that I stopped eating! Far from it, its the best time of year for eating, and believe me, I've done well. I got really busy finding a new place to live, moving into the new house, starting a new job, surviving christmas and starting a new year! 

So as well as my memory serves me, I will attempt to wrap up of the places I have been and the things I have seen....

The move has bought me within walking distance to Banda Parte` Pizza. I have read some mixed reviews, but I have to say, I really enjoyed eating here. Good selection of beers and interesting pizza toppings. I'm looking forward to going back. 

Continuing along the beer trail, have had a meal and a drink at the Empress Hotel. I know many locals love the Empress, and thats fair enough, but I just don't like eating here. Have had a few meals here over the years and I'll pretty much do anyting to avoid eating here again. Fish and chips were greasy and the chicken burger was dry. I don't want to overly critique pub food, but there are better pub meals around. Bulmers on tap is a winner though!

Had a totally different kind of pub experience at the North Fitzroy Star. Nuzzled in the quiet end of St Georges Road, the Star caters to a quieter, more middle aged crowd, and its seasonal menu reflects this. I had a beautiful pasta with a glass of pinot and a salmon salad with baby herbs. Its not cheap here, but the food is really well thought out, and the quality is easy to see. I like the warm cozy feeling of this place, and despite not being middle aged, I will be back!

Further down the road, I stopped in at the Commercial Hotel for a pre xmas drink and a bite to eat with friends. I'm not sure if this place has changed hands, but it seems a bit different to  a few years ago. Different vibe? I don't know. But I like it here. The menu is pretty standard pub grub, but pub grub done well. I really liked the fish and chips here, and the porterhouse was done just right. I was very embarassed to ask for my medium steak to be done a little more (I never do this), and the guy who I suspect was the owner was so nice about it. I even got new chips. I really appreciated not being made to feel like I was troubling them. Two thumbs up to the Commercail. 

The pub tour continues to the Fitzroy Pinnacle. I'm going to say: good place to drink, poor place to eat. I had an eggplant parma, and it was honestly the most horrid thing I have had the displeasure of paying to eat. It was undercooked, chewy, and greasy. HOWEVER, I love the beer garden here, its small, cozy and the music is good. 

Changing the flavour, I sat down at Mezza Lebansese Bar and Grill for a falafel. MY god this place is busy! The lamb is amazing, and the salads were fresh. Great balance of vegetarian and meet dishes. I get the impression that a lot of people make this a regular dining spot along Lygon. 

The work Christmas lunch was held at the Langham Hotel in South Bank. It was AMAZING. This place is the ultimate buffet. You can pretty much eat anything you feel like, and as much as you can handel. I treated myself to half a dozen oysters, half a dozen + prawns, crayfish and yabby. And thats juat to start. The cheese was phenominal. Cheddar, french brie, fetta, quince paste. Then there is a carvery and a curry bar. The highlight is without doubt the dessert fridge. Small portion of tiramisu, chocolate fountain or pudding. 

I can't pass up an evening at The Old Kingdom on Smith Street. A festive duck dinner with family was a great way to wish eachother a happy christmas. 1 duck, 4 people. It was epic. I am never happier than when I have a pecking duck pancake in my hands. This little gem is also BYO, so you can pick the finest pinot your budget can stretch too. More food was consumed than would be medically remommended, all at $25 a head. 

The most tradgic place I've eaten at, possibly ever, was Soul Mamma, in St Kilda. NEVER GO THERE. Dam, it was bad. Got there early, close to 6, and was told that without a booking, we roughly had 45 minutes to eat and vacate. I can respect that other people may have booked our table, but the place was empty. It was rude, and unncessary and over priced. The food was sub par, and there are better veggie places to ear. By miles. *REPEAT* Do not go there. 

In addition to the festive food and pubs, I have payed a visit to cafe Fig. I'm not sure if its north Fitzoy or north Carlton, but its not bad. Its the only cafe in walking distance of my house, and the breakfast was pretty good. They serve fair trade coffee and are reasonably priced. Nothing stand out, but a good place to read the paper and ease into a weekend. 

Had a coffee or two at Julios on Miller street in North Fitzroy. I believe that they serve genovese coffee, and serve it well. However, I recomend that you skip the food and stick with the baked goods. Had a terribly bland breakfast, and saw some hidiously sloppy baked eggs sered t a friend. I suspect this place is popular with the school Mum crown on weekdays.

I also made my annual summer pilgrimage to Mildura for xmas. I may be bias here, but for a small town, Mildura can turn it on in the food departmet. My plans for a day trip to Trentham Estate were foiled by 46 degree heat, however, I managed to squeeze in a meal at the Pizza Cafe. I can't go home without squeezing in a talian pizza with olives. Its my thing. And I suspect I'm not alone here.

There were more more dinner between october and Januarary, many of them were old favs, its been sweet. Here's to 2010.

Black Ruby, Carlton North

344 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North

My Sunday brunch is scared. I want eggs, I want bacon, and I want coffee. Good coffee. I tend not call in on a lot of places when it comes it this meal. I like to know what I'm getting. I can laugh off a sub par midweek meal. I can even try to forgive and forget a less than impressive Saturday night dinner, but screw up my Sunday brekkie, and you are no friend of mine.

I would like to introduce you to my friend Black Ruby. She is located on lovely Rathdowne Street in North Carlton. Her breakfast menu isn't going to blow your mind, there is nothing overly adventurous, but everything seems so nice. The french toast comes with caramelised banana, the big breakfast comes with a lamb chop. The bread is house made. You get the picture.

Now, I  mentioned earlier that I don't like to step to far out of the square, so today I ordered poached eggs on toast, with tomato relish, avocado and crisp bacon. With a Bloody Mary. The Man in Black ordered the big brekkie, lamb chop and all. While the eggs were fab, the Bloody Mary was not. No celery, no Mary. No worcestershire, no Mary. Take these things away, and you really have is spicy tomato juice with vodka. And that will just give you a tummy ache.

Like most places on Rathdowne St, there is a bit of a snobby under tone to Black Ruby. The cutlery is heavy, the fit out is dark wood, and the linen is crisp. Not your most casual of Cafe's. But is really is quite beautiful.

On a Sunny Sunday, I give Black Ruby 13/20 and recommend that you get the paper and a window seat and make yourself comfortable.

Little Zephyr- North Carlton

563 Nicholson Street, North Carlton

www.littlezephyr.com

On a very cold Tuesday night, my boyfriend and I decided to head down Nicholson Street to find a bite to eat. Our favorite mexican joint had recently closed, so we were a little lost for ideas. Luckily, we stumbled upon Little Zephyr.

The restaurant is one of those little places which is instantly welcoming. The polished wooden floors and the soft lighting make for a warm atmosphere. Not to over done, a perfect place for a quiet dinner for two.

The wine list offered a nice selection of mostly Australian wines with a few international selection's. We took the waitresses suggestion of a Richmond Plains Pinot Noir from New Zealand ($40). As for the food, the menu offers quite a few options. There a plenty of Mezze (little bundles of joy) options for sharing and a solid range of mains and salads. I went for the special of Risotto with baby spinach, roasted pine nut and feta. My guest chose the Atlantic Salmon filet topped with lemon garlic and prawn sauce.

The meals were wonderful and the service was friendly. With Bistro Flor just a few doors down, Little Zephyr stacks up to the local competition, and raises the bar. For a mid week meal, our selections were a little pricy, but you could easily choose cheaper.

Overall, Little Zephyr comes highly recommended. 16/20