Frank-ly speaking, in Hobart…

This weekend I headed to Hobart for probably about the 12th time for a very dear friends engagement party. I LOVE our little friend Tasmania across the water, hence why I am always so happy to go back. Things over there are slower, less cluttered and more beautiful… And the produce is top notch, so it is heaven for a foodie.

Whenever I head over, I like to investigate what’s new in the ‘Bart… And Frank Restaurant and Bar caught my eye. Cleverly located right near Elizabeth pier, with an ocean view, this is a very cool and suave establishment with a bar vibe and gorgeous South American food.

We started with a few small share options. The sopaipillas were little pieces of fried pumpkin bread dipped in this zesty relish- a steal at $2.50. The flavours were incredible in the daily tortilla, featuring prawn and chorizo. And I absolutely adored my scallop empanada- seriously, in Tasmania, you can never go wrong with scallops (I backed this up much later in the night with a 2am scallop pie purchase from the 24 hour bakery at Salamanca, any Hobart locals will know the joy of a late night pie!)

Our mains were just as delicious. The beef and lamb mole with green rice was tender, spicy and flavoursome. The charcoal grilled hanger steak was cooked to absolute perfection, drool worthyingly tender and melt in the mouth, served with a zesty salsa verde. But the real absolute winner was our veggie dish, charred sweet potato with goats curd, muddled almonds, garlic and coriander. This was absolutely gorgeous, one of the most scrumptious veggie sides I have had. Both flavour-wise and texturally, this dish was exciting and the perfect side to our more meaty mains.

The only thing that let Frank done was its dessert… Frankly, it left us disappointed and was a real shame after such a winning dinner. We both immediately strayed towards the charred banana with almond and salted caramel ice cream. I’m a salted caramel fiend, and will order it whenever it is on the menu. This was $12, reasonable enough, except when it came out with half a banana. Seriously, $12 for half a banana? And sadly, to disappoint us further, it was not served with salted caramel ice cream, but vanilla. There was nothing salty about it. Such a shame- I’m not a harsh critic but this was something I could whip up a much better version of in my own kitchen. I asked the waiter why the ice cream was vanilla and he assured me he would follow it up with the chef but I heard nothing more of it.

So overall, a pretty wow-worthy foodie experience at Frank, hindered only by a lazy dessert. I would definitely recommend visiting this restaurant for entrees and mains, but maybe finish your night up at Honey Badger Dessert Cafe in Salamanca- much more bang for your buck! (Post on that to come!)

I hope you had a delicious day!

Foodie Melbourne

Trying the Hellenic Palate at Bahari, Richmond

This week I finally got around to trying Bahari in Richmond. It’s been on my radar for a while from seeing posts on Instagram, and also because one of the owner and chefs is Philip Vakos of Masterchef season 2 fame, and as much as I try to hide it, I am still a massive Masterchef geek!

Bahari is a lovely little restaurant on Swan St, Richmond, and it has a homely feel from the minute you step into it. I haven’t yet visited Greece (heading there in a couple of months) but for me Bahari had the same feel as some of the restaurants I have visited in Europe. The hospitality is welcoming and makes you feel as though you are being welcomed into someone’s home. The brick floors and white walls give it a European feel, and the menu is simple and unassuming but delicious. There is no foodie jargon on the menu, the description of the food are simple but it is traditional Greek food done well, or ‘Gringlish’ as they market themselves.

We worked our way through some of the small plates to share, and found that there was no way we could fit any more food in!

We started with the eggplant dip, which was a huge serve of delicious dip with warm pieces of pita bread.

Next, we had the prawns kataifi, tender prawns wrapped in crispy, crunchy kataifi pastry. Messy to eat but delicious, and good to look at too.

My favourite dish was the chargrilled octopus. It was exactly the way octopus should be, tender and melt in your mouth, and the smoky flavour gave it a beautiful seasoning! I would definitely head back just to eat more of this!

And of course, as a cheese fiend, there was no going past the saganaki cheese. Whoever thought to fry cheese was an absolute genius, right? I could eat stuff like this all day, clogged arteries or not.

All this food, and we didn’t actually get onto the large plates to try some of the slow roasted lamb shoulder, or pulled pork. I guess I will have to go back again to blog about the mains… It is a hard life for a foodie!

Overall, Bahari was a gorgeous dining experience. It’s a humble little restaurant with a homely vibe and genuinely friendly service by people who love what they do. The food is excellent value for money, and in this harsh winter, may actually transport you just for a second to Greece!

Have a delicious day,

Foodie Melbourne.

Check out the new Stray Neighbor in Preston

I was invited to check out Stray Neighbor as a guest of Stray Neighbor and Curated Control PR. All opinions are my own. 

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the opening night of the hottest new Northside spot, Stray Neighbor. I’ve been watching this white brick building transform for a while now, and have been keen to see what was coming. What has arrived is the perfect drinking and eating spot on the other side of Bell St, right where it’s needed most. The owners describe this place as a local place created by locals, and the relaxed Preston vibe is all over the bar and restaurant but with a little sophistication and finesse also!

The huge, beautifully designed warehouse space boasts three areas- a cool, suave bar area which would be perfect for pre dinner drinks, a refined dining space perfect for a date, a very cool boothed area with a pool table for hanging with your mates. It really has everything, including what this foodie needs most- quality eats!

I only had a small taste of the menu in canapé version at the launch, but it was enough to excite me about heading back there for a proper sit down meal. The chef hails from Jacques Reymond and has designed a beautiful menu of both small and large plates to share. Highlights for me were the leek and Gruyere croquettes (I am a croquette FIEND, loved them!!), the chicken liver parfait and the amazing beetroot, goats curd and sesame tuile.

So next time you are looking for somewhere to stray to in the Preston area, I highly recommend Stray Neighbor for drinks, dinner or a long night relaxing, playing pool and drinking quality beer and wine.

Don’t forget to check out the gorgeous little doggie beer taps, modeled on the owner and friends and families pups! Definitely impressed this dog lover.

Have a delicious day,

Foodie Melbourne.