Fatto Bar and Cantina

** Before I start this post I just wanted to say thank you for coming back and reading my blog. I have had a long, unplanned hiatus for a number of reasons which I won't bore you with but I am very excited to get back into regular blogging.  There are a couple of restaurants I visited last year that I will be reviewing but rest assured that I will be making sure my comments and data are still relevant.** 

Fatto Bar and Cantina
100 St Kilda Rd
Southbank

What do you think about pre-theatre menus?  I am not a fan as I often feel like they are rushed and don't represent good value for money.

Last year my sisters and I went to a concert at Hamer Hall so we booked Fatto Bar and Cantina for dinner, which is located next to the concert venue. To ensure we were finished on time we went with their pre-theatre menu. The set menu was 2 courses (with choices) for $45 per person. I don't think that was an unreasonable price however the meal had a few issues.

The menu is split into Small Dishes, Medium Dishes and To Finish. We all chose from the first two selections.

From the 'small dishes' or entree section I selected the Bruschetta with Broccoli Rabe, Bagna Cauda and Chilli. 

This was not very successful. It was served cold and would have been better warm. It was also very cold as if it had just come out of the refrigerator and would have benefited from being brought to room temperature at least.

J had the Whipped Ricotta, Poached Nectarine, Pistachio, Pane Carasau.  She was underwhelmed and felt the different elements didn't really work well.

K chose the Seared Tuna, Zucchini Noodles, Pine Nuts, Vincotto, Nasturtium which she enjoyed.  

For main J and I had the Roasted Beetroot Risotto, Goats Curd, Walnuts, Chervil.  This was quite tasty and visually very beautiful although I don't think it photographed well!

K again went with the seafood option and chose well -  King Salmon, Zucchini, Salsa Verde, Hazelnuts, Orange Zest.

We shared the Roquette, Fennel, Pear and Pecorino salad which was nice.

Overall this meal was nice but it didn't wow me and I wouldn't rush back to Fatto despite the convenient location.

Pinot Grigio

I think if we'd arrived early, ordered one of their pizzas, (which by all accounts are traditional and delicious), to enjoy with our wine my overall impression of Fatto would have been very different. 


So, are you a fan of the pre-theatre set menu?  Any recommendations to change my mind?

Yak Italian Kitchen

Yak Italian Kitchen & Bar
150 Flinders Lane
Melbourne 3000

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Express Restaurant lunches are a great way to try a new restaurant (or visit an old favourite) on a budget. For $40 you get the choice of 2 courses, a glass of wine and coffee.

I generally like to try a new restaurant and so I met a friend at Yak Italian, on the corner of Russell Street and Flinders Lane. I have been past this corner many times but never really noticed this restaurant.  

To begin we were served warm bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and olives.  How gorgeous is the crockery! The speckled gold plates and bowls are beautiful.

My friend and I ordered the same items so unfortunately I don't have a variety of meals to show.  In the battle between what I want to eat versus what would be good for the blog post, the want won this time.

Handmade potato gnocchi served with a rich meat ragu

For entree I had the Gnocchi of the day.  It was divine.  The gnocchi were light and fluffy and very moreish.  The sauce was ok and to be honest not what I imagine when I read the words rich meat ragu but the gnocchi was really the star of the dish.

The other entree option was a Caprese salad.

Pan seared fish fillet served with a seasonal vegetables salad

For main, I ordered the Fish of the day.  The pan seared barramundi came with a selection of seasonal vegetables and fennel foam.  It was beautifully presented and the fish was cooked perfectly.  The vegetables were interesting, the fennel strands were quite crisp and the fennel foam was very tasty and perfectly complemented the dish.  

The serves weren't large but they were perfect for lunch.

I enjoyed a class of Little Vespa Pinot Grigio from the King Valley with my meal.

The alternative main option was Veal Ossobuco Milanese served with chargrilled buckwheat polenta.  I did like the sound of this however it was a really hot day so I decided to go with the lighter fish option.  I did not apply this logic to the entree because gnocchi!

Good coffee finished our meal.

For those with a sweet tooth the dessert offerings were Italian style doughnuts filled with pistachio ice cream, baked orange and cinnamon or Tart of the day.

Yak presents tasty, interesting food.  I'm glad I finally 'discovered' it.      

 

T'Gallant

T'Gallant
1385 Mornington Flinders Road
Main Ridge 3928


My birthday falls in early January and if things work out the way I like I spend it on the Mornington Peninsula.  This year I was lucky to have all my family join me for a week in Mt Martha and on my actual birthday we had a big family lunch at the beautiful T'Gallant winery in Main Ridge.

As we numbered 18 we had the $40 set menu in the Spuntino Bar.  The staff were very helpful in accommodating dietary requirements - one of my nieces is coeliac and the other follows a vegan diet. When I booked I chose to be inside and this worked well as it was a very windy day.

Our lunch began with wine tasting at the Cellar Door.  The wines we tasted were beautiful and again the staff were great, advising my vegan niece which wines she could taste. I had no idea that some wines use eggs in their production!  From the cellar door we moved into lunch.

 Our set menu began with an antipasto platter.

Antipasto - bread/dip/cheese/olives

I loved the cheese but I am not sure what type it was. The waitress wasn't sure either and despite her attempts to find out it remains a mystery. 

T'Gallant is known as the home of Pinot Gris and as that is one of my favourites I was pretty happy. This 'Imogen' Pinot Gris is their original Pinot Gris from 20 years ago and it was lovely. I can see why it lasted the distance!  Some of our group enjoyed the 'Romeo' (see first photo) which is a really interesting blend of Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Shiraz with a touch of Rutherglen Muscat!

 

 

Our main course was pizza, salad and roasted potatoes. The menu describes the pizza as "Roman style fragrant 'pizza rustica' on a board from our wood-fired oven".

Margherita -tomato/mozzarella/basil and Funghi - mushroom/gorgonzola/parsley

Kitchen garden salad and Italian style roasted potatoes/garlic/aromatic herbs

Salsiccia - salami/tomato pesto/pecorino and Vegetarian with fresh rocket leaves

All the pizzas were delicious but the vegetarian pizza with the fresh rocket was my favourite. There was no danger of going home hungry.  We could (and did) order more pizza and salad.

A chocolate brownie and coffees finished off our meal. The brownies were fudgy and decadent, just as brownies should be.

Classic chocolate ganache brownie

To close I thought I'd share this photo taken by my niece.  I love the way the beautiful vineyard and outside diners are framed by the window.