HOT: Fox Hotel, 351 Wellington St, Collingwood

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Jetsetting Joyce

The Fox Hotel is an old-school boozer which outwardly looks more ‘pub’ than ‘gastro-pub’. The venue is an eclectic conglomeration of sticky-carpet-esque spaces, including the high-stooled front bar, the dimly lit dining area, squishy couches, a small outdoor space and a separate pool room. There’s even a rooftop deck which I didn’t have a chance to explore.

However, what attracted me to the Fox Hotel was its reputation for food. Specifically, I’d read on Where’s the Beef that they had an extensive vegetarian menu, quite unusual for a pub. So it was a great destination for (vegetarian) Miss Kish and I to catch up.

As we sat down in the front bar to inspect the menu, Kish remarked “Wow, normally I have no trouble choosing something because there’s only ever two token vegetarian options. This is great!” And if you flip over the page, there’s a whole page for non-vegetarians as well. Very impressive.

We started out with five homemade mushroom and tofu gyozas with dipping sauce ($10). On its arrival I had my doubts – the gyozas looked a little emaciated. Well, looks can be deceiving, as these dumplings were juicy and wrapped in skins of good consistency. In fact I think if they’ve been plumped up with more filling the whole thing could have been too soggy, what with mushrooms generally sweating water when cooked.

For our mains we shared two generous plates – whole field mushroom lasagne with three cheeses and spinach served with chips and salad ($17) and marinated tofu steak with wasabi mayo and a black sesame crust with asian greens, sticky rice and a ginger soy sauce ($17).

I think of the two dishes the lasagne was more successful. It was a cheesy, oozy slab of mushroom, spinach and pasta sheets, an excellent retort to people who insist that they just can’t get full on vegetables. The accompanying salad was crisp and fresh and the chips were great for mopping up the cheese.

There was no hint of wasabi mayo in our tofu steak and the black sesame crust was more of a garnish than a crust. I also didn’t particularly like the sticky rice – it felt more like glugginess of overcooked rice than the elasticity of glutinous rice. Not a bad dish overall, but really outshone by the lasagne.

Though only a weeknight, the pub was full of diners and drinkers and a seemingly popular hangout with locals. Even if you’re not a local, I think that the Fox Hotel is well worth a special trip.

For a pub meal at the other end of the spectrum, check out my review of the meat-tastic Napier Hotel.

Fox Hotel, 351 Wellington St, Collingwood +

HOT Chat: Lee Elizabeth George of A Vintage Affair

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Jetsetting Joyce

As you’ve probably worked out by now, I am a huge fan of afternoon tea. Really, what’s not to like? A meal in between ‘proper’ meals consisting of dainty cakes, pastries and sandwiches taken with sips of tea or champagne.

Afternoon tea is partly about ambience too and that’s where A Vintage Affair caught my eye. Today’s HOT Chat is with Melburnian Lee Elizabeth George who has just started a vintage crockery hire and events management business so that your next wedding, hen’s day, baby shower or photo shoot can be touched with some old world charm. Thanks Lee!

Lee, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start A Vintage Affair?

I developed a passion for all things vintage while living in London. My idea of a perfect break was to catch the train to Paris for the weekend and hunt through the little antique stores and flea markets in Rue Charlot. I would spend the length of the channel tunnel trip listing to Charles Aznavour albums on my iPod and arrive at Gare Du Nord completely transformed.

Then on one of those glorious weekends a handsome young man proposed with a vintage emerald cocktail ring. The next thing I knew we were married and I was back in Melbourne!

I managed to smuggle home a small collection of crockery and trinkets, which I was lending out to friends for hen’s days, weddings and High Tea parties. Then once I started to get requests from friends of friends, the idea for A Vintage Affair was born.

Now, no matter how big our collection gets, it still feels like I’m lending out my personal collection to friends as I hand pick every piece and each one has a set of memories from the day it was discovered.

Where do you source your vintage stock from – and where do you store it all??

When we first started out, having lots of vintage crockery was the perfect excuse to buy lots of vintage furniture to store it in! Then as we grew, we began storing our collection in antique French wine crates which we also use to deliver the crockery to our customers.

As for finding it, that’s half the fun. Regional Victoria, especially the Central Highlands, is an amazing patchwork of beautiful small towns, all dotted with quaint little antique stores and markets. My weekends are now mostly spent treasure hunting with my husband. We have so much fun driving around the countryside, listening to Charles Aznavour.

Where do you turn for vintage inspiration?

I’ve always loved things that are unique, with beautiful features that transcend whatever practical purpose they may have been designed for. Whether it’s a 1966 250 SL Mercedes (navy blue with white-wall tyres)…. or the interior of the Plaza ballroom, anything that embodies a beautiful attention to detail that is all too rare these days. Life is too short to be practical.

I am inspired by old world charm – when women had time to frock up in beautiful clothes, wear red lipstick just to feel good, spend days planning a dinner party and entertain friends often, drinking champagne from fine crystal. I am inspired by being proud of your own style and making an effort to make everything you do beautiful. I love intricate details and paying attention to the small details.

Most recently though, I have been hugely inspired by the incredible community of women running their own small businesses. To see the passion a baker puts into her exquisite cupcake flavours and intricate designs then to then turn that into a successful business is truly inspiring. There are so many talented ladies producing beautiful work with such passion.

The internet is a constant source of inspiration for me and I am guilty of spending hours and hours scouring Australian and international sites for inspiration, seeing what beautiful and clever ideas event stylists, couture designers, bespoke stationers and caterers are producing , taking inspiration from colours, patterns and style.

What has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced in starting up your own business? What advice would you give to a small business owner?

No matter what you do, if you start your own business you will need to do a lot of hard work. That’s why it’s so important to love what you do – then it won’t feel like hard work.

So start by asking yourself what you love to do most. Then ask yourself how you can turn that into a profitable business. You’ll know you’ve found your true passion when you actually look forward to spending those extra hours working on it.

It is probably a great surprise to a lot of people that I managed to find a way to turn my passion for beautiful vintage pieces and buying hidden vintage treasures into a business. I spent hours every day researching and developing the business which didn’t seem like work at all because I love every minute of it.

Once you have found your passion, if you can start out small with a business model that is scalable. Wherever possible, avoid the need for large amounts of up-front capital. There is no more certain way to take the fun out of your passion project than the pressure to make it to grow at an unrealistic rate just so you can pay your overheads. It’s much more fun to gradually scale up as you become more successful, enjoying every little step forward, constantly refining as you go.

What are your next plans for A Vintage Affair?

Our range is constantly growing and we are now catering for larger events and boutique weddings. We are also refining the complete High Tea Experience, including beautiful bespoke invitations, catering, accessories, styling, beautiful cupcakes and of course the vintage crockery hire which is proving very popular for Hens Days and Baby Showers.

Most importantly, our expansion requires more stock so we will be able to justify a few European buying trips!

Where are your favourite places to visit or things to do in Melbourne, vintage-y or otherwise?

Madame Brussels (Level 3, 59-63 Bourke St Melbourne +‎) – for Pimms and lemonade on a summer evening

Siglo (Level 2, 161 Spring St, Melbourne +‎) for a late night wine with rooftop vistas – you could definitely be in Europe with that view

The Max Hotel (32 Commercial Rd, Prahran +) – for a little taste of France.

Cavallero (300 Smith St, Collingwood +) and Min Lokal (422 George St, Fitzroy +) – for coffee, baked eggs and people watching.

Botanical Gardens (South Yarra)- for a springtime picnic and stroll

Brunswick Street, Gertrude St, Smith St – for a lazy afternoon exploring the shops and people watching.

HOT: Sugadeaux Cupcake Tasting, Provenance Food & Wine, 288 Smith St, Collingwood

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Jetsetting Joyce

Cupcakes are serious business.

And as a blogger who writes a lot about food, I take cupcake tasting very seriously :–)

Hence I jumped at the chance to taste test and provide my feedback on some of Sugadeaux’s new cupcake flavours. About 30 food bloggers and customers of Sugadeaux gathered at Provenance Food & Wine and started off the evening with bubbles and canapes, including a crystal-clear consomme with prawn and crunchy apple, pork rillette on cured beetroot and a porcini, shiitake and enoki broth with dangling enoki garnishes.

We then settled down at a long table with our score sheets and cups of palate-cleansing coffee and tea.

Eight flavours were tasted overall, from the lightest to the heaviest, just like wine-tasting. Each cupcake was split into four so in effect we only ate two cupcakes each – but it felt like a lot more. There’s a reason cupcakes are made in a petite size and should only be devoured in single serves!

If you’re hungry, be warned about the upcoming cupcake parade!

1. Elderflower

I thought this vanilla cupcake was just butter and sugar on more butter and sugar, yet a little bit bland for my liking – not one of my favourites.

2. Wattleseed Macadamia

I liked the idea of using native Australian flavours in a cupcake. The speckled look of the sponge was very appealing though ended up being a little dry, and I liked the roasted wattleseed flavour. The salted macadamias sprinkled on top were a great flavour balance for the sweet and creamy frosting. This is a flavour which will definitely be added to the new menu.

3. Lychee Jasmine

I loved the very moist sponge of this very pretty jasmine-scented cupcake and even though I’m not a fan of super-sweet frosting, the sweetness in this case suited the lychee flavour.

4. Sour Gummy

I was prejudiced against this cupcake from the start. I really don’t like those sour lollies and I don’t think sour is a flavour that belongs in a cupcake. And when it came out, the icing was a fluorescent orange with a little gummy worm poking out of it – a bit rude don’t you think? This cupcake really seemed to divide the group – some people absolutely loved it, some people didn’t. Not surprisingly, it was the least popular flavour of the night.

5. Butter toffee

I’m not a fan of toffee but I was a fan of this cupcake. A super-moist chocolate cake topped with a toffee-studded icing. 90% of the tasters liked this flavour and it was one of the outright winners.

6. Choc cherry

In primary school I won the grade Nutbush competition and the prize was a Cherry Ripe. I proceeded to devour it…and then went home feeling very ill. I’ve avoided Cherry Ripes ever since. Unfortunately, this cupcake was very reminiscent of Cherry Ripe – a quite artificial maraschino cherry flavoured icing coated in chocolate ganache on top of chocolate cake. With my childhood memories, it was never going to make the cut for me.

7. Strawberry Choc Balsamic

I loved the adult combination of strawberry and balsamic vinegar, although in fact the icing was more cherry than strawberry for me and I would have loved more balsamic to cut through the sweetness. I loved the look of the marbled icing too.

8. Mexican chocolate

My favourite – a chocolate sponge with a subtly spiced cinnamon piped frosting and a hit of smoked chilli leaving a slight lingering burn in my mouth. Rich and sophisticated. Apparently the majority of tasters agreed with me and it’s made the cut!

And to make the night just a little more sweet, a little take home gift – shards of butter toffee flavoured with vanilla bourbon and French fleur de sel sea salt. Dangerously moreish.

Thanks to Jess from Sugadeaux for inviting me to the cupcake tasting.

Sugadeaux Cupcake Tasting, Provenance Food & Wine, 288 Smith St, Collingwood +

HOT: The Bell Jar, 656 Smith St, Collingwood

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Jetsetting Joyce

Occasionally I have readers tipping me off about places to go and I recently received an email suggesting that I try The Bell Jar.

So one cold, blustery afternoon I decided to trek up the nether-regions of Smith St (I rarely go past Johnston Street) to have a look. The cafe is quite hard to miss because it’s not really in a strip of shops, nor does it have a particularly noticeable frontage. I peeked through the window and thought that maybe they just did sandwiches for lunch (which I didn’t really fancy), but the whitewashed terrace house interior looked cosy and welcoming, so I decided to step inside and take the risk of eating stuff with bread.

I’m so glad I did, because it turns out that they have quite an extensive menu of breakfasty things, lunchy things, sandwiches and sweets, from what I could tell all made on premises. I settled myself in the back room, with the huge communal table and a striking autumnal floral feature which I’m going to pinch as an idea for my own house.

I decided on the corn cakes of the day, which came with smoked salmon ($14). I asked whether they could do a vegetarian option, maybe with some avocado instead, and the friendly waitress said no problem. The young chef then came out with a plate a two thick corn cakes, piled with a vibrant avocado salsa and topped with a fresh salad. For some reason I thought the dish had an almost Vietnamese scent to it, maybe because of the cucumber and red onion, but that freshness contrasted perfectly with the smooth avocado and unexpected pops of sweetness from the pomegranate seeds. I told the chef that he should keep it on the menu permanently! He said that in fact the toppings for the corn cakes, along with the ricotta hot cakes, change every few days or so, to give him a chance to experiment.

As for the corn cakes, personally I prefer them with more corn and less batter, but they were by no means a bad version, especially smothered with that to-die-for topping.

I decided to stay on for something sweet. There were quite a few options available, from cake to Anzac biscuits, but I could sniff something chocolately coming out of the oven so asked for that instead. So, for $5, a plate of still-warm oozing chocolate brownie with a hint of coffee, served with a tiny doll’s jug of chantilly cream. I could have eaten a whole baking tray of it!

By this time, the rain had really started bucketing down outside and I didn’t have an umbrella. The staff offered to lend me an umbrella that I could just return ‘whenever’, which just goes to show the trust and care they show their customers. I opted to sit in the front window to wait for the rain to subside as I was feeling particularly contented and relaxed, just ‘being’, at The Bell Jar.

I very much hope that The Bell Jar continues to do well in it’s slightly out-of-the-way locale. The food is prepared fresh, there is an obvious care in using good quality ingredients and the atmosphere is welcoming. It’s the perfect little neighbourhood cafe.

For other fabulous cafes in Collingwood, try Proud Mary and Cibi.

The Bell Jar, 656 Smith St, Collingwood +

Melbourne Neighbourhood Guides

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Jetsetting Joyce

agenda printscreen Today I’m pointing you to a guest post that I wrote for the free daily enewsletter The Agenda, which delivers the best of what’s new, unknown or inexcusably under-appreciated in and around Melbourne (they also have a Sydney version).

They recently featured a series of Neighbourhood Guides and I contributed Fitzroy. You can read all about what I had to say about my local stomping ground here.

If you can also read the neighbourhood guides for other cool suburbs of Melbourne: East St Kilda, Collingwood, Brunswick and Windsor.

HOT: Wood Spoon Kitchen, 88 Smith St, Collingwood

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Jetsetting Joyce

I just can’t get enough of Japanese food, and it seems the residents of Smith Street feel the same way.

Across the road from Peko Peko and sandwiched between the excellent Wabi Sabi Salon and yet-to-be-reviewed Tokushima is the cute Wood Spoon Kitchen. I was convinced to eat at this restaurant after the excellent rating given to it by Fat Feminist Foodie.