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. 

St Judes Wine Cellar- Fitzroy

389-391 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
www.stjudescellars.com.au

Like any good Melbournian, I am an avid reader of the Age's Epicure, and will sometimes even visit the lovely looking restaurants that grace the hallowed pages, particularly if they are on my side of the river.

I was recently in dire need of treating my significant other to a fancy meal. Based on our mutual love of vino and the Epicure's recommendation, I decided to give St Jude's Wine Cellar a test drive.

St Jude's has been around since March 2008, and isn't really the new kid on the block anymore. There are many reviews out there, some good and some not so good. What really caught my attention was the concept of mixed business, bar/cellar/restaurant and the industrial looking warehouse fit out had also caught my eye when walking past some time ago. I managed to score a 7.30 reservation on a saturday night. It was on.

Despite being seated a little close to the door, my first impression of the space was wow. Firstly, its huge. The dim lighting contrasts magnificently with the cool polished concreate floors, and caged wine racks which house the cellar componant of the venue. I was errily reminded of the Japanese restaurant Industria, which Patrick Bateman visits with his girlfriend and her hipster friends in American Psycho.

I found the service to be friendly and professional. We were guided through the wine list, and took the recommendation of the St Jude's Pinot Noir. Regarding wine, you can either chose from the menu, or brouse the cellar and add $15 corckage. Brousing the cellar was quite fun and found the Somilier to be very knowledgeable and helpful. I didn't feel like I was being sold something that was out of my price range or not sure about.


The menu offers five enrte's, four mains and a range of sides, speicals and deserts. There was also a good balance of vegetain options. I opted for the Butternut pumpkin raviolo with sage butter, almonds and mustard fruit. My guest chose the duck breast with red wine jus. We also had a side of braised red cabbage and marmalaide.

Both meals were perfect winter selections. Hitting the right balance of richness and winter warmth. Considering that we had both picked reasonably safe main options, the braised cabbage offered a little quirky twist to the meal. Although, it was a ridiculously large serve. Very few people need to eat that much cabbage in one sitting.

With mains from $32+ and wines starting in the same region, there is the potential to rack up quite a tab. It might not be suitable for a casual mid-week meal, considering that we went out with seeking a little romance and something with a few frills on the side, St Jude's was a good choice. I felt well looked after, and was willing to pay the not so small cheque.

I would recommend St Judes and offer 16/20 on this occasion.