Category Archives: collingwood

HOT: Grace Darling Hotel, 114 Smith St, Collingwood‎

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There was a time when the grungy Grace Darling was the kind of pub which you’d cross the road to avoid. Now the pretty brick and stone building has been given a good clean-up and on a sunny day you’ll find the pub full of youngsters spilling out on the pavement tables and filling up the glamorous inside bar.

Grace Darling Hotel, 114 Smith St, Collingwood‎

So the crowd inside the pub’s atrium dining room was a bit unexpected – it seems to attract an older, quarter-acre block, class of diner. Maybe the youngsters go to the Grace Darling to drink, not to eat, which would be a shame as I think the food is good and the prices are reasonable.

Grace Darling Hotel, 114 Smith St, Collingwood‎

The kitchen is doing some interesting things with a traditional pub menu.  One of their staples is their fancy-pants version of the chicken parmigiana ($18), a terracotta ramekin containing a slow cooked chicken breast layered with prosciutto and parmesan crumbs. Not being much of a parma fan, I much preferred this gourmet version, although it was more of a winter meal and felt quite heavy in my stomach afterwards.

Grace Darling Hotel, 114 Smith St, Collingwood‎

Our other main was the daily special of pork chop with pecans, maple syrup, apple, pear and witloaf salad ($24.50). A gigantic pork chop was served on top of a mound of salad made of what seemed to be a dozen pieces of fruit. The salad was an inspired combination which delivered a contrasting crunch and sweetness to the juicy and tender meat. We really enjoyed this dish and it was definitely more suitable for a summer’s evening meal.

We originally had good intentions for dessert but the huge proportions of the meal left us much too full to contemplate the self-saucing chocolate pudding or hummingbird cake ($9 each). Never mind, we’ll be back to the Grace Darling.

You can also check out the review by The Age here.  Like gastropubs? Try The Court House and The Palace by Luke Mangan.

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HOT: Trippy Taco, 48 Smith St, Collingwood

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Trippy Taco 48 Smith St Collingwood

You want HOT? You got HOT!

At hippy Trippy Taco, you can get XXX HOT. Just pour some of the XXXtra HOT chilli sauce that’s provided at each table on top of your quesadilla, taco, taquito, burrito or nachos. It delivers nose-sniffling, mouth-numbing heat and is the perfect antidote for the drooping summer swelter.

Trippy Taco 48 Smith St Collingwood

Trippy Taco is a chilled out and kitsch Mexican cantina (think somberos, cacti etc) that serves up vegetarian, even gluten and dairy free, Mexican classics for late breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can take your food away or tuck your legs into one of the tiny school-desk sized tables and enjoy large plates of cheap, tasty and filling food washed down with a Mexican beer, tequila, house wine or BYO wine for $5 corkage.

In the interests of research and greedy appetites, two of us tried three dishes. The Original Trippy Taco was two fresh house made corn tortillas sagging with cheese, black beans, a salad of shredded lettuce, carrot, beetroot, sultanas and seeds and topped with salsa, avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime ($9). I thought the tortillas were a little too thick but as a result the dish was very filling.  I preferred the drier texture of the taquitos, which were three rolled-up crispy corn tortillas containing the same black bean filling and served with a side of guacamole, salsa, cheese, salad and lime ($9).

Trippy Taco 48 Smith St Collingwood

Trippy Taco 48 Smith St Collingwood

Our pick was the fat two-hander, the Tofu Asada Burrito – a large flour tortilla filled with cheese, spicy chargrilled tofu, salad, salsa, avocado and lime ($9). The chargrilled tofu turned the salsa into an almost smoky barbecue-like sauce and heating the burrito on the grill gaves one side of the tortilla a satisfying crispiness. Our only improvement would be to grill the whole package on both sides for extra crunch.

Trippy Taco 48 Smith St Collingwood

I had originally intended to dig into the sweets as well – the sweet corn tamale with icecream, banana and maple syrup ($9) or chocolate nutella taquitos ($8.50) would have been my picks. However, let me tell you now that two people do NOT need to be eating three plates of food at Trippy Taco. While all the dishes were delicious and spicy (we opted to douse everything with hot sauce), one item is more than enough for one person. Trust me, you’ll go home with a satisfied tummy and numb lips, all for under $10.

For other reviews of Trippy Taco, check out Tummyrumbles and Where’s the Beef?. In the area and you want more heat? Try Thai food at Mamanee or Korean fare at Goshen.

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HOT: Cibi, 45 Keele St, Collingwood

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Cibi 45 Keele St Collingwood

I have two friends who are a couple. J is Asian and would like nothing better than a bowl of rice or noodles for breakfast. B is Anglo and in the morning the most substantial thing he can deal with  is eggs and toast.

I think I’ve just found the perfect place for them to have their breakfast dates. At Japanese-styled cafe Cibi, those who sit in B’s camp can order a Western style breakfast of the eggs and toast variety. On Saturday mornings those who lean towards more of J’s style can be served a traditional Japanese breakfast. For $14.50 you receive a substantial feed of rice, a piece of grilled salmon (they also have a vegetarian option), slices of egg omelette, pickled vegetables, Japanese potato salad and a large bowl of miso soup complete with hand hewn wooden soup ladle. Paired with a pot of Japanese green tea, it’s a healthy and hearty start to the day.

Cibi 45 Keele St Collingwood

Cibi 45 Keele St Collingwood

The Western/Eastern pairings continue with the delicious baked goods made by the owner’s wife. On one side of the counter, beautiful frangipani tarts laden with juicy berries. On the other side, green tea (matcha) muffins hiding a smear of red bean paste inside ($3.50). These unusual muffins were so moist and moreish – I had one straight out of the oven and then took another one home.

Cibi 45 Keele St Collingwood

Cibi 45 Keele St Collingwood

The space’s simple and refined aesthetic  is also a combination of Japanese elegance and Western warehouse chic. There’s a general friendliness and ease about the place. A large blackboard rests on one wall where customers scrawl their notes to Cibi and each other, and across it the Cibi staff have said ‘Thank you for everyone for hanging out at Cibi‘. Awww.

Each of the mismatched mid-century chairs has been restored by the owner Zenta, a trained architect, and sourced from a combination of junk shops and Zenta’s contacts in Denmark. I love the organic shape of the communal table which takes centre stage in the light-filled room and the way in which it echoes the waves of the traditional Japanese wood block print hanging on the white-washed wall.

Cibi 45 Keele St Collingwood

For the curious observer there are many nooks and crannies filled with interesting objects like vases and old books, and a whole section of Cibi is devoted to the display and sale of goods imported from Japan, from ceramics to fabrics to kitchenware. I particularly loved the pastel porcelain of the rice bowls by Masahiro Mori.

Finally, I also had an interesting chat with one of the waiters, Leo Greenfield. When he’s not working at Cibi, Leo is a recent VCA visual arts graduate who majored in sculpture and has a side project publishing his sketches of Australian street fashion at The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even. Go check it out!

Cibi on Urbanspoon

HOT: 84 Smith Street, 84 Smith St, Collingwood

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I love to catch up on my window-shopping at 84 Smith Street. This vintage collectables and furniture shop has a constant rotation of eye-catching items in its storefront, from a plastic drinks-serving robot to mid-century Danish dining chairs to old-fashioned metal filing cabinets. Wendy Dracoulis and her husband only sell pieces that they like and they source their products from everywhere and anywhere.

While the furniture is always droolworthy in the store, on my most recent visit, these smaller items caught my eye:

84 Smith Street Collingwood

A huge industrial lamp and other cool anodised lamp shades.

84 Smith Street Collingwood

A butcher’s meat labels ($2 each). I loved these but couldn’t think of a use for them – any ideas? There were also some old-fashioned price tags on sticks which probably came from the same source.

84 Smith Street Collingwood

The store has a penchant for taxidermy, including lots of stuffed birds and a pair of hugely tall peacocks which presided over the windows for a while.

84 Smith Street Collingwood

If any of my wedding guests are out there reading this, please note that while we don’t have a gift registry we would very much appreciate this white orbit lamp ($120) *grin* It will go very nicely with our reproduction Le Corbusier chaise lounge and provide us of many happy memories of your generosity!

For other vintage stores in the area, check out Lost and Found Market, Angelucci and Industria (202 Gertude St Fitzroy).

NOT: Cavallero, 300 Smith St, Collingwood

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Cavallero Smith Street Collingwood

As regular readers will know, I’m a going-out-for-breakfast skeptic. I toast my own granola, soak my own bircher, bake my own bread and flip some pretty awesome pancakes (the trick is to separate the eggs). I get the weekend papers delivered to my doorstep and I have a large sunny balcony in which to read them.

I admit that my early-morning cooking exploits and fortunate living arrangements make me a minority, but it means that on the rare occasions that I do go out for breakfast, I expect something beyond what I could rustle up from my store cupboard ingredients.

Sadly, Cavallero did not deliver.  I was so disappointed – its wrought iron entrance, airy warehouse ceiling, funky moose-head on the wall, 50s diner booths and constant bustle of cool locals had me itching to try the venue ever since I moved to the neighbourhood.

Cavallero Smith Street Collingwood

Nevertheless, at breakfast we’re talking a menu with zero innovation. Out of our table of four, three of us didn’t even order from the breakfast menu because there was nothing that caught our fancy (muesli, eggs, eggs, eggs and eggs). Instead, we opted for toasted sandwiches. Toasted sandwiches, people! The kind that any 5 year old can make with bread, ham and cheese (even if they may not use Istra ham and Heidi Farm gruyere).  I don’t need to be paying $8.50 for that. My eggplant kasundi sandwich didn’t even have toasted bread, and contained a fridge-cold filling. The fourth person of our party did succumb to the eggs (baked), which was quote ‘nothing special’.

Cavallero Smith Street Collingwood

Cavallero Smith Street Collingwood

The one redeeming part of the experience – the coffee was good…although they initially forgot the order.

I really wanted to like Cavallero but I can’t really recommend it over other, better breakfast options in the vicinity such as Gluttony It’s a Sin, Proud Mary and Birdman Eating. I like the space a lot and the lunch/dinner menu seems to offer more interesting choices, so I may give it another try just to be fair. But for the moment, my breakfast experience leaves it a NOT.

Cavallero on Urbanspoon

NOT: Authentic Thai Taste, 92-94 Johnston St, Collingwood

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Thai Taste Collingwood Johnston St

Authentic Thai Taste is renowned for being one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne – the full house of Thai people on a weeknight is evidence of that. So where did we go wrong?

We’ve had two attempts at weekday takeway from Authentic Thai Taste now and neither of the experiences have really encouraged me to recommend it.

The first time: RM ordered chicken satays (4 sticks for $6.60), Cashew Pag ($9.90) and Panang Duck Curry ($15.90) and requested the dishes to be hot. Given our previous experience with ‘Thai hot’ at Mamanee Thai, we even readied ourselves with glasses of milk to temper the chilli burn.

Then…nothing. And it’s not because we’re chilli-mongers – honestly, not even a hint of heat in any of the dishes.  Evidently ‘hot’ when requested by a Westerner still means ‘just spicy enough to be served to a Thai toddler’.  RM even suspected that they had written up the bill with some sort of secret code telling the kitchen that he was a ‘gweilo’.

Other than the disappointing lack of heat, the dishes were only a little above average Thai – the curries were ok but the chicken satays were extremely stringy and overcooked.

The second time: We ordered a seafood pad thai ($11.90) and a red curry with chicken ($11.90), both requested at ‘Thai hot’. We were slightly concerned when we were told that the red curry had been pre-made, so they would just chuck some fresh chilli in it  and that they would just add a heap of chilli flakes to the pad thai as well. I’m not sure whether that’s usual practice but talk of ‘pre-made’ didn’t give us any confidence in the quality of the food we’d be receiving. Anyway, the red curry was pretty good, but the pad thai was disappointing – the chilli flakes and the unevenly wok-fried rice noodles gave the dish an unpleasant charred flavour. Neither of the dishes had the wow factor of the pad thai or penang beef curry from Mamanee Thai.

We’re determined to find out why Authentic Thai Taste continues to get rave reviews, so we’re going to give it one last chance by dining in and hoping that there are different dishes on the menu.  The Thai people of Melbourne can’t all be wrong…

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HOT: Wabi Sabi Salon, 94 Smith St, Collingwood

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wabi sabi salon smith street collingwood

What happens when you gather two bloggers together on a blind friend date? You get three cameras, two iphones and lots of chat about writing, coding and stats.

But this post isn’t about the first meeting of Miss Kish and Jetsetting Joyce – it’s about the fantastical world of Wabi Sabi Salon. ‘Wabi Sabi‘ is the name of a Japanese  aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. That’s an apt description for the random and quirky design aesthetic for this small Japanese restaurant. Everywhere we turned we wanted to take pictures, from the dangling red lanterns, secluded private dining area to the kitsch and colourful toilets (complete with kabuki opera music and a lifelike poster of tattooed torsos to enhance the toilet-going mood).

Wabi Sabi Salon 94 Smith St Collingwood

The food coming from the tiny back kitchen was authentic, flavoursome and beautifully presented on mismatched Japanese crockery. To start we shared slices of eggpland and zucchini bathed in an unusual sticky sauce (ankake sauce) presented in the mid-section of a scoop-out eggplant ($11). For mains Miss Kish had the Tofu Dango (it sounds like a dance step), a  colourful boat of fried tofu balls, sweet potato, lotus root and veges served in a thick seaweed stock ($23). I devoured a whole tempura flounder ($26) – literally, complete with crunchy fried bones. The flounder was topped with sweet potato, fried lotus root and two dipping sauces – lime mayonnaise and ginger soy – and was one of the most satisfying fish dishes I’ve eaten in a while, on par with the whole fish served at Longrain and Cookie.

Wabi Sabi Salon 94 Smith St Collingwood

wabi sabi salon smith street collingwood

We couldn’t resist dessert so decided to share a home-made green tea cheesecake with black sesame icecream ($12). The fluffy cheesecake was the love child of a sturdy New York baked cheesecake and a girly souffle-like Japanese cheese cake. Black sesame icecream is in my Top 3 ice cream flavours and Wabi Sabi Salon‘s version didn’t disappoint – the icy cool chased down by the roasted sesame aftertaste was particularly delightful.

Wabi Sabi Salon 94 Smith St Collingwood

Finally, Wabi Sabi Salon is participating in Street Smart’s fundraising campaign, which runs from 9 November – 24 December 2009. Street Smart is a homeless charity and since 2003 they have partnered with restaurants to ask diners to make a small donation to Street Smart. Basically, every table is asked to add $2 or more to their bill and 100% of the donations are distributed directly to charity recipients. Find the full list of restaurants participating in 2009 here.

Thanks to Miss Kish for her wonderful photos! If you’d like to read Miss Kish‘s take on Wabi Sabi Salon and see more of her fab photos, click here.

Update 11 January 2010: A new Japanese Day Spa has now opened above Wabi Sabi Salon. Chanoyu is inspired by a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony Room and offers massages, facials and beauty treatments using Pola’s Sakura Veil and Aglaira products. It’s open Monday – Saturday 10a-8pm by appointment only (Anne Nguyen ).

Wabi Sabi Salon on Urbanspoon

HOT Alert: Week of 9 November 2009

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Jetsetting Joyce’s diary for this week.

Mon – blank

Tuesday – blank

Wednesday – blank

Thursday – blank

Friday – blank

Of course not! This week I’m searching for Beethoven, time travelling with Eric Bana, discussing acoustic folk pop with Anita George, going on a blind date with my new blog crush Miss Kish, listening to some stimulating and interesting talks at TEDx Melbourne and saying hi to the lovely Thread Den ladies at the Thread Den Market.

This week’s little slice of Melbourne is this amusing graffiti that I spotted recently. Any idea where it’s located?

P1020715

And finally, for those heading up north, you can now find out what’s HOT or NOT in Brisbane with BNE: HOT OR NOT. You’ll find some of the content from MEL: HOT OR NOT there, as well as all new Brisbane-based content from the funky CazM, along with a rotation of guest bloggers. Check it out and let us know what you think!

HOT: Proud Mary, Cnr Stanley and Oxford Sts, Collingwood

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proud mary collingwood stanley oxford street coffee

Lena: Do you really not drink coffee?????

Jetsetting Joyce: Um, that’s right. I’m not a true Melburnian. Can you and James please come to Proud Mary with me? It’s reputed to have the best coffee in Melbourne and I’d really appreciate your expert coffee-drinking opinion.

James: Sure. I have been coffeeing a bit at Brother Baba Budan and St Ali lately, the two other challengers to the Melbourne coffee throne, so will be interesting to compare them to the $40,000 God Machine.

proud mary melbourne collingwood coffee oxford stanley street

Evidently the word had got around the coffee drinkers of Melbourne, as 9am on a Saturday morning found Proud Mary (named after a Creedance Clearwater song) pumping after only the fourth day of opening. So let’s get to the key question first – how good is the coffee? James and Lena both agreed that their house blend espresso, Columbian roast siphon and Guatamalan long machiato (made with one of only 250 Synesso coffee machines in the world) was some of the best coffee in Melbourne – smooth, no bitterness and with a beautiful crema. Proud Mary also serves coffee made using a rare Clover coffee maker, a machine handbuilt by Stanford engineers. From my point of view the coffee smelled gorgeously rich and was extremely photogenic!

Proud Mary's coffee stanley oxford street collingwood

Proud Mary's coffee stanley oxford street collingwood

Fortunately for me, Proud Mary also caters for discerning tea drinkers. Somage Fine Foods provides Proud Mary with Chamellia organic imported teas and naturally I gravitated towards the most expensive tea – a hand-picked shiny Lumbini golden tip tea from Sri Lanka which sells for a whopping $350 a kilo.

All the tea comes with precise instructions for brewing – for the Lumbini golden tip it’s 180 seconds with water at 80-90 degrees. You can have your tea served at your table with a timer, but I opted to have it brewed using the Japanese siphon from Hario. The friendly and knowledgeable barista and owner Nolan Hirste (a bit of a celebrity in Melbourne coffee-drinking circles apparently) talked me through the process of siphoning. Basically, siphoning uses vapour pressure and vacuum to create a clean, crisp, rich and smooth flavour because the heated water bubbles up to to the tea leaves/coffee grounds instead of having water poured on top of it, and then the vacuum in the bottom chamber draws the water back down through a strainer. In the 50s it was the most common method of making coffee, but when espresso came along the Western world kind of forgot about it. It’s still quite prevalent in Japan, where 30% of the coffee is brewed using siphons.

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

At the end of an almost scientific process, my delicate Reidel glass (love it!) of golden-hued tea was almost savoury in flavour – in fact it reminded me of the dried scallops used in Chinese cooking. Nolan said that next time I should try one of the teas which tasted like chicken broth!

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

As for the food – all I can say is that I’m a breakfast-sceptic and Proud Mary may just convert me. From savoury to sweet, everything by chef Kane was fresh, colourful and flavoursome. Between us we tried the potato hash topped with a properly jiggly poached egg, crisp bacon, grilled asparagus and a creamy sauce, an unusual semolina custard with vincotto caramelised peaches and toasted hazelnuts baked to almost a fluffy pudding, a tumble of scrambled eggs spiced with red pepper relish, with chorizo, grilled haloumi and rocket on the side,  plus some of the best hotcakes I’ve ever eaten, served with spiced pears, maple syrup, ricotta and a sprinking of almonds.

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary collingwood stanley oxford streets coffee

Proud Mary, I’m so happy that you’ve arrived into my hood. I’ve already got my eye on my next breakfast – muffins here I come! (Note cash only).

Update 8 November 2009: The food at Proud Mary was so good that I went to bed anticipating my Sunday breakfast. It didn’t disappoint the second time either – my toast with crushed avocado, roasted tomatoes and rocket was vibrantly coloured and took me back to summers in Italy, but the highlight was my fresh-out-the-oven strawberry muffin. Queue up everybody, because these intensely moist muffins (buttermilk?) were baked just to the point of golden and were of chiffon-cake lightness. Simply put, the best goddam muffins I’ve ever had.

proud mary's melbourne coffee stanley oxford street collingwood

For other breakfast options in the area, try Birdman Eating, Monsieur Truffe and .

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Proud Mary on Urbanspoon

HOT: Friends of the Earth, 312 Smith St, Collingwood

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friends of the earth 312 Smith St, Collingwood

Like a Depression-era wife, my cupboards are slowly accumulating a mountain of used jars, plastic containers and paper bags. It’s all for a good cause though – I’m a Friend of the Earth.

Friends of the Earth Melbourne is a cafe, bookstore, clothing store and food co-op rolled into one hippie-smelling establishment. The lunch plates of vegetarian food are very popular and the organic fruit and vegetable selection is comparable in price to Queen Victoria Market. The best thing is their large range of bulk foods, where you bring your own containers (or take a used one from their collection) and fill them up with any quantity of food and household products which are sold by weight.

My personal recommendations:

  • organic chamomile tea. If you compare the jar of normal chamomile tea and the organic stuff, you can smell the difference – the organic tea is much more fragrant. RM and I have a cup of tea most nights to promote calm sleep and the tea’s distinctive sedative effect is quite incredible. I also like the organic peppermint tea.
  • dried goods. I make my own granola and Friends of the Earth has the cheapest organic rolled oats I’ve found ($4.55/kg). To make up the rest of the granola I use pepitas ($16.10/kg), dried organic apricots ($15.40/kg), organic sultanas ($11.90/kg), shredded coconut ($6.08/kg) and a combination of nuts. I also buy all my seeds, lentils, dried beans, rice and sugars from Friends of the Earth.
  • liquids. The granola is finished off with organic honey ($12/kg). I also recommend the organic coconut butter for cooking ($23.66), as well as the hulled tahini for making hommus. When my pantry stocks run low I’ll be trying out the soy sauces, vinegars and oils, particularly the Mount Zero olive oil and Spiral Foods organic tamari.
  • cleaning products. I decant the dishwashing liquid (5.28/kg) and handwash into pretty glass bottles from IKEA. We also use the environmentally friendly dishwashing powder, laundry powder, (nice smelling) laundry liquid, general all-purpose cleaner plus copious amounts of bicarb soda ($2.20/kg) and white vinegar ($1.27/kg).

For all my other bulk food/organic food needs, I head straight across the road to Organic Wholefoods.