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HOT: The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia, Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton

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I lived in London for years and although I liked to visit the British Museum regularly I think I saw about 1/1000th of their vast collection. So I was quite excited to hear that a slice of the museum’s Middle East artefact collection was coming to Melbourne for the Melbourne Museum‘s winter exhibition for 2012, The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia.

My knowledge of ancient history is sketchy and I had to dig back into my primary school projects to remember where Mesopotamia actually was. It’s a region that’s now better known as Iraq and it’s inspiring to learn something positive about the region instead of hearing constant news of war and turmoil. While it can be hard to relate our existence to lives lived in thousands of years ago, we owe a lot to  Mesopotamia – the birthplace of writing, mathematics, astronomy and timekeeping.

The exhibition is split into three sections each exploring a different ancient civilisation – Sumer, Assyria and Babylon. Given the distance between Australia and the UK I was expecting displays of little household items and shards of pottery urns, so I was most impressed with the massive carved stone tablets that have been shipped over for us.

For me the carved stonework was also the most interesting because Melbourne Museum had layered over multimedia video over some the works, bringing to life scenes of battle and explaining how stories unfolded in each part the sculpture.

For families who are visiting the exhibition there are small plaques to engage kids as part of the Family Trail. Gilgamesh, the legendary hero of Mesopotamia, guides kids with questions to ponder and things to look out for in the display cabinets.  I actually think Gilgamesh pointed out some interesting points for adults too!

There are also a few touch-and-feel activities and you can purchase a Kids Audio Guide ($7) for a more multi-modal experience, but overall I think they could have included more ways to engage kids given a lot of the displays were static and required reading explanatory plaques.

And finally, who could resist a fluffy lion from the gift shop!

Giveaway! Thanks to the Melbourne Museum I have a double pass to The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment and the winner will be drawn next Friday 11 May. Good luck!

The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia, Melbourne Museum,  13 11 02

Daily, 4 May – 7 Oct 2012
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday evenings, until 9:00 PM
Adults $24, concession $16, children $14, school groups $10 per student

Thank you to Melbourne Museum for inviting me to view the exhibition. 


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HOT: Martha Ray’s, 85 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

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Who is Martha? And who is Ray? And why has a cafe set up shop in their house?

Martha Ray’s has transformed what seems like a wide corridor of a Victorian terrace house into a pared down cafe. There’s no sign, no hanging pictures and definitely no owls, bunnies or kitschy memorabilia adorning the white-washed walls. Furniture is an equally muted palate of warm timber and gun-metal steel.

With nothing about the place particularly eye-catching from the street front it’s easy to walk straight past. But Martha Ray’s equally pared back one-page menu is worth a stop.

For lunch they have exactly three sandwiches in addition to the all-day menu of exactly five dishes. I tried the braised pork belly with cabbage and apple slaw stuffed inside a baguette smeared with apple soubise, which is apparently a traditional French white onion sauce ($13).

Though I’ve not tried the meatball or chicken (vego artichoke on request) sandwiches I’m still going to award this pork belly roll the prize ribbon. At 1pm I snatched the last roll from under the nose of at least two other patrons who had been less quick and decisive with placing their orders. And I’m guessing the reason this sandwich sold out so quickly is because the pork was so meltingly tender that you basically could eat it without your dentures in. But better still the sandwich combines the meat with a few crisp shards of cracking, just enough to give each mouthful a snap, crackle and pop without jabbing your jaw with something sharp.

I also requested a half-serve of New England style corn chowder (full serve $11), a rib-sticking soup of sweet sauteed leeks, chunks of ladrons in a creamy potato and corn base. This will be a winner with the cold weather.

Other dishes on the menu include Casa Iberica black pudding, a breakfast roll on the go and fluffy omelettes spied at the next table. Coffee comes courtesy of Costa Noosa coffee while tea is from Storm in a Teacup.

Thanks for having me over Martha and Ray. I’ll be back – save me a pork belly roll please.

Martha Ray’s,
Mon – Fri:7:30 am-3:30 pm
Sat:8:00 am-3:30 pm


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HOT: Mister Close, Shop 13 Midtown Plaza, 246 Bourke St, Melbourne

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It’s not often that you can return to the same place for lunch every day and eat something different.

That’s the joy of Mister Close, a cafe that changes its menu daily ‘because staying the same bores us’. Hear hear!

The cafe is actually quite hard to find due to its uninspiring shopping centre corridor location, but that just means that once you do find it (enter from Swanston Street) it’s a lovely oasis away from the CBD madness. That’s not to say that it’s not busy – in fact, there was a bit of a fight for tables during a weekday lunchtime as office workers and shoppers-on-the-go have discovered its charms. Fortunately tables turn quickly and they also do a steady trade in takeaway (in biodegradable containers, no less).


The cafe fitout features wood panels, piles of National Geographic magazines, globes and chalkboard walls. Why? It’s the story behind the cafe – Mr Close was the geography teacher of the two owners who met in Year 8 of Trinity Grammar School and like Mr Close they want to take their customers on a journey around the world with their food.

Mister Close opens for breakfast with an interesting selection of eggy, bready and grainy things before seguing at 10:30am into a lunch menu of salad, soup, sandwiches and hot dishes.

Being a cold wintery day we gravitated towards the hot food. R chose the fragrant Indian masala lentils with potato and peas which came served with some charred flat bread and a ramekin of yoghurt and declared it ‘exactly what she felt like’ ($15.50).

E also loved her crusty seeded loaf sandwiching poached chicken, avocado, brie and rocket ($12) and said that it was a marked improvement of the terrible ham and cheese toasties for which she was sometimes forced to pay $9 at her office food court.

My chicken, bacon, mushroom pie was full of meaty filling though a little heavy-handed on the pastry for my liking ($15.50). Maybe the traditional English pork-pie style pastry would have been less dry with the accompanying sour cream (which I didn’t touch as I don’t like sour cream)?

For dessert we shared the prettiest sweet I could find in the cabinet – a crusty on the inside, gooey on the inside hazelnut meringue capped off with a swirl of cream cheese icing ($5).

Coffee comes courtesy of Campos beans and they obviously take their coffee seriously, just look at that scientific contraption!

All in all R, E and I were most delighted with our experience at Mister Close. Somewhere in the centre of town that services reasonably priced, tasty food in cute surroundings deserves all their success.

Mister Close, +
Monday-Friday 7am to 4pm
Sat 9am to 4pm
CLOSED SUNDAY


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HOT: Creperie Le Triskel, 32 Hardware Lane, Melbourne

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Sometimes a simple lunch is all I need. Somewhere quiet for me to sit with a drink, something wheat-based to satisfy afternoon hunger pangs and a touch of sweetness at the end.

Creperie Le Triskel is a cute café serving traditional Brittany crepes in Hardware Lane. The outside tables are framed by falling Autumn leaves while the inside décor is a-jumble in a cosy kind of way, with small wooden tables and a windowside bench / makeshift French library with what looks like traveller’s hand-me-downs.

The café is staffed by cheery students who have laughing rambling conversations in French and French music plays in the background. Squint and you can almost imagine yourself in a student café in the cobblestoned Marais.

The menu is divided between galettes, buckwheat pancakes with savoury toppings, then crepes, wheat pancakes with sweet fillings. Actually there are also baguettes and sandwiches but my suggestion is when in a creperie, eat crepes.

The crepes are freshly made, meaning the Swiss Gruyere in my La Korikan galette had transformed into a cheesy molten lava in amongst the mushrooms, spinach and bechamel wrapped in the thin crepe ($11). It came with a neat side salad – fresh leaves dressed with olive oil and two slices of baguette.

I followed that with a French chestnut paste crepe ($4.50) which had a slightly thicker and chewier texture that I preferred.

While I stuck to tap water the drinks list includes French sirops (cordial), pear cider and wine as well as ‘le bol cafe au lait’ – a milky latte served in a bowl just like in France.

If Creperie Le Triskel doesn’t give you enough of Gallic hit, try the pastel sugar palace called La Belle Miette next door which sells the most French of sweets, macarons.

For more crepes in the CBD, try Roule Galette and Harajuku Crepes.

Creperie Le Triskel, +


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HOT: Phat Brats, 320 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

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I may be a food snob about some things. But when a gourmet hot dog joint opens around the corner, who am I to turn my nose up at a sausage in a bun?

in one of the slew of ‘dude food’ places that have opened up in Melbourne recently and as its name suggests it specialises in sausages. Not piggy-pink BBQ snags but locally made spicy chorizo, lamb and rosemary and chilli dogs for discerning hot dog eaters.

The interior is fairly spartan and functional – a counter where you place your order, an open flame grill for the sizzling snags and wipe-down tables and wood-topped stools.

Out of their nine specialty sausages I’ve had the wagyu beef ($7.90), cheesy smoked kransky ($8.90) and pork and sage ($8.90).

The beef sausage was fat and juicy, served in a soft brioche-like bun (comes in classic or seeded) with a zigzag of tomato sauce and mild mustard. Simple and satisfying, you couldn’t ask for anything more.

I enjoyed the melted cheese squirting out of my kransky but was a bit bemused by the German potato salad and dill pickles sitting atop the bread roll, rather than as I expected, on the side. The whole construction made the meal messier than necessary and in the end I just scraped the salad aside to eat afterwards.

My favourite so far has been the pork and sage teamed with the sweetness of braised apple and red cabbage, some crunchy shaved fennel and aioli. It even came with crackling bits (though they weren’t crunchy at all).

I highly recommend completing your meal with possibly the best fries I’ve had in Melbourne ($3 as a side, $5 whole serve). I don’t know what they do with their potatoes and beer batter but they are the closest thing I’ve had to Heston Blumenthal’s triple-cooked chips in a fast food joint! Just note that they are not as good takeaway, though still very moreish with home made seasoning. You can get the fries with cheese or as chilli fries but I say why gild the lily? I don’t think you even need to dip them in gravy, tomato sauce, bbq sauce or aioli (extra 80c).

For more excellent fast food in the area, try Huxtaburger.

, +


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HOT: Esposito, 162 Elgin St, Carlton

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In a recent article in the New York Times, a journo went in search of a fun Melbourne weekend for $100.

The author noted that while I am privileged to live the most livable city in the world, Melbourne is also one of the world’s most expensive cities  (Japan, Switzerland, then Australia rank highly. Gulp.).

Which is why it’s always good to be able to spot a bargain in this town. And in the article the writer noted that we have some great bargains when it comes to food.

While there’s always the option of cheap Vietnamese and eating sandwiches perched on a milk crate from a laneway cafe, you can also dine at high-end restaurants for a more wallet-friendly price if you know where to look.

For instance, at Maurice Esposito’s eponymous seafood restaurant you can enjoy two lunch courses for $30 when main courses are easily pushing $30+. So one weekday afternoon Gourmet Chick and I set off past the grungy end of Johnston Street towards leafy Carlton and pushed open the door to the elegant, white linen-ed restaurant for a lunch date.

Unlike many lunch set menus, the ‘Loaves and Fishes’ lunch deal allows you to choose two dishes from the full menu, though serving sizes are smaller than the normal a la carte plates. Also while Esposito is predominantly a (sustainable) seafood restaurant, there are non-seafood dishes for those not tempted by the fruits of the sea. But when in Rome…

To start, a red wine poached duck egg, house-made brioche, pancetta, crushed white beans and peas (normally $23). It was artfully presented and the molten egg yolk provided a silken contrast to the crispy pancetta.

The mud crab fritter was a bit of a throwback to early noughties dining, with a foamy almond soup and a swirl of sweet corn custard surrounding large scoops of juicy crab meat and garnished with baby shizo leaves  ($26). While the crab was fresh and delicately flavoured it was marred by my prejudice against the foam – in this case a lukewarm, sudsy froth tasting faintly of nothing.

From the mains, the seared rock flathead received an involuntary ‘wow’ when it arrived and the flavours were just as impressive, with sweet flakes of fish paired with chunks of braised octopus and a garnish of broccoli puree and creamed potato ($38).

We also tried the spaghettini of the sea, a flavoursome pasta marinara (with prawns only as part of the Loaves & Fishes offer). However, given the other dishes’ painstaking presentation we were somewhat taken aback by the careless toss of pasta and the prawns slopped onto the plate.

All in all, I was happy to sit in lovely surroundings and enjoy a fine-dining experience for $30. But over four dishes I found the food to be variable, with taste and presentation veering in the scale from ok to excellent – this doesn’t encourage me to return to Esposito for a meal at non-bargain prices.

On a final note, the one aspect that was consistent was the welcoming attitude of the maitre d’ for whom nothing was too much trouble – rearranging furniture, making menu suggestions, making sure he wasn’t disturbing us mid-conversation and working promptly and efficiently. A consummate service professional.

To enjoy a cheap lunch at other fine-dining restaurants, try Shoya, No. 35 or Taxi Dining Room or

Esposito, +


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HOT: La Belle Miette, 30 Hardware Lane, Melbourne

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La Belle Miette is an adorable French patisserie that looks like it just dropped out of the set of Sofia Coppola’s movie Marie Antoinette.

The shop is beautiful to behold, a tiny jewel box awash with candy pastels, embossed and beribboned packaging in the windows and fine china cups (my quick snapshot doesn’t do it justice). You can almost expect court ladies in huge silk dresses to come swishing down the brick path of Hardware Lane to their favourite tea salon.

La Belle Miette specialise in macarons and the counter holds a rainbow of them, ranging in traditional flavours such as chocolate to more avant-garde ingredients such as cherry blossom and sake. They are $2.50 each but I recommend buying 6, 12, 18 or more, just so you can take your macarons out of the shop tucked neatly into the most delightfully Baroque gift boxes. Plus once you try one you’ll want more!

Are these the best macarons in Melbourne? Hard to say – but they are very, very good. We tried a range of six and found them to be admirably consistent in quality. Biscuits with the most delicate eggshell surface and a moist (but not sticky) interior, a consistent rise with even ‘feet’ at the base, no air pockets inside and a balanced proportion of biscuit to ganache in every bite. Our picks were the French Earl Grey (presumably fragranced with the Mariages Freres tea which they serve on site), the punchy salted caramel and classically elegant pistachio.

One more reason to visit La Belle Miette? I applaud anyone who forgoes corporate life to follow their passion and La Belle Miette is the joint work of yet another ex-lawyer getting out of the rat race. There seems to be a quite a trend of that happening (such as Helados Jauja, Famish’d and St Ali)!

Where are your favourite macarons in Melbourne?

La Belle Miette,

Mon – Thu:10:00 am-6:00 pm
Fri:10:00 am-9:00 pm
Sat:10:00 am-5:00 pm
Sun:11:00 am-4:00 pm


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NOT: Madame K’s Vegetarian, 327 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

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This is a post about the competition between a reigning champ vs the newcomer.

Madame K’s Vegetarian is a new vegetarian restaurant in Fitzroy with an Asian bent (Asian being anything from the Indian subcontinent to the Japanese archipelago). Unfortunately, it is situated almost across the road from Vegie Bar, a long-time Fitzroy favourite which is also a vegetarian restaurant with a strong Asian flavour.

Everyone likes to support the underdog. So even though Vegie Bar was spilling out customers onto its footpath tables, we entered the empty Madame K’s for lunch to give them a chance.

The decor was quite lovely – dark wood furniture, a few porcelain and wooden knick knacks and a beautiful modern interpretation of a typically Chinese wallpaper. I was also enamoured of the large lights built from Thai basket fishing traps.

After standing uncertainly at the door for a bit we walked inside tentatively going ‘hello? hello? hello?’ until I spotted someone in the back of the kitchen. ‘Are you open?’ I said and instead of looking overjoyed at having a customer I received a sullen affirmative. Hmmm. Maybe I was interrupting her napkin-folding duties.

A and I perused the menu on starters, soups, salads and main meals and after waiting for a bit the waitress returned to take our order – Madame K’s pancakes ($11.90), Steamed wontons ($6.90) from the entrée menu and a Thai mushroom and eggplant salad ($14.90).

The food was all presented well but fell flat in terms of taste. The pancakes were ok, thin wheaten wraps encasing mock soy duck with a drizzle of sweet sauce. The wontons were full of juicy mushrooms but encased in a too-thick skin and the morsels were lifted only by the kick of chilli in the soy sauce.

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A described the salad as a bunch of chopped raw vegetables doused with that commercial sweet chilli sauce you see everywhere.

Undeterred by our lacklustre choices and frankly, still hungry, I went to find the waitress (since she seemed to have no conception of table service) and ordered a black sticky rice dessert with coconut ice cream and lychees ($10.90). Again, full marks for presentation but nothing special when it came to taste. The sticky rice possibly wasn’t glutinous enough but I quite liked the grainy texture.

While I try not to make direct comparisons when writing reviews it can’t be helped in this case. Madame K’s competitor is right across the road and it serves tastier, cheaper food in livelier surroundings. Reigning champ 1, newcomer 0.

Reliable vegetarian food blog Where’s the Beef seems to have had a better time, so maybe they chose better? For other vegetarian food options in Fitzroy, try Yong Green Food.

Madame K’s Vegetarian,  +
Seven days 12pm-10pm (closed between 4pm-5pm)


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HOT: Jellystone Cafe,179 Albion St, Brunswick

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If you’re looking for a break from the bustle of Sydney Road, take a turn into Albion Street and look out for Jellystone, a cafe that’s taken over a heritage-listed bluestone house.

Just inside the gate is the front courtyard with shaded tables then push open the narrow door to admire the counter filled with loads of homemade goodies. Further inside is a cosy rabbit warren of small and shared tables dotted with parents, students and workmates finding their nooks by the open fireplace or peeping from behind beautiful leadlight windows.

The breakfast and lunch menus are extensive and reasonably priced and will make decision-making even more difficult given the additional premade offerings in the front counter. I chose the Middle Eastern eggs ($16) – two creamy-yolked poached eggs atop sourdough, rocket, sweet beetroot relish and with a healthy handful of crunchy and very spicy dukkah. I’m guessing that I unknowingly chose the most popular dish on the menu (for good reason) as the waitress gave me a knowing ‘a-ha’ when I placed my order.

For dessert the lemon and pistachio cake is a must-try. A very moist cake generously studded with nuts and topped with a praline of crystallised sugar and more pistachios, it’s a delicious bargain at $5.50.

The coffee is from Atomica and should be excellent given that Jellystone is owned by Atomica‘s former head barista.

For other excellent lunch eats in Brunswick, try Lux Foundry and Tom Phat.

Jellystone Cafe, +61 3 9386 7750

Monday to Friday 7am-4pm; Saturday, Sunday 8.30am-4pm


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HOT: Simon’s Peiking Duck, 197b Middleborough Rd, Box Hill South

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Simon’s Peiking Duck is one of those suburban food destinations that draws inner-city types out of their cobblestone alleyways and power-steering down the freeway.

Many of them have followed Simon Lay from his kitchen at Old Kingdom in Collingwood out to the lower reaches of Box Hill, all in the hope of finding the most perfect Peking Duck in Melbourne.

You will need to book a table (there are two sittings, 6pm and 8pm) and order your duck at least a day in advance, with my recommendation being a duck between 2-3 people. We had half a duck each and were very full in the end…but not so full we couldn’t be tempted by some retro Anglo-Chinese desserts.

When you arrive don’t bother looking at the menu in great detail – there’s Choice A ($55) or Choice B ($63). Both of them involve duck with pancakes and duck stir-fried, but my recommendation is to go with Choice B, which gives you a choice of noodles for the stir-fry and a duck soup to finish. For just over $30 a head and BYO corkage of $2 per person it’s a bargain.

Simon is a showman of the hyperactive Japanese game-show host variety. He first announces his bow-tied presence to us by throwing paper-thin pancakes at our waiting plates.

He then instructs ‘3 o’clock, spring onion, cucumber, meat, sauce, 6 o’clock, 9’oclock’ as he shows us the precise method of folding the duck meat and various accoutrements into neat packages.


At the centre of the restaurant he wields a knife and deftly carves duck for show (the rest are carved in the kitchen, they sell around 80 ducks a night), flirting outrageously with me while I take photos, telling me I look like a Chinese movie star etc etc.

The Peking Duck is certainly excellent. A thin crisp skin, not too much fat hiding underneath, juicy meat and home-made tissue-thin pancakes so unlike the floury store-bought varieties. I could just keep eating those pancakes all night.

However, the duck needed been divided to other courses. We had deliciously slick handmade noodles with shredded duck, shiitake mushrooms and what I presume to be a healthy dose of MSG given our duck-meat breath and slightly tickly throats the next morning.

The soup that traditionally ends the meal I have never been a fan of in any establishment, so I can’t comment on whether Simon’s version is worth an extra bowl or not.

Dessert is rarely the strong suit of a Chinese restaurant but we couldn’t go past deep-fried ice-cream and a phallic banana split. They were of average quality and really we could have done without the calories.

While the duck is excellent at Simon’s Peiking Duck, be aware that it is not a great venue for a romantic date. The stark lighting is unflattering, the atmosphere is noisy and festive, you’ll need to suck at duck bones with oily fingers and payment is cash only, potentially leaving you red-faced as you split the bill with your date when you discover you didn’t bring enough cash with you.

But if you’re after duck that’s finger lickin’ good, head out to Box Hill.

Simon’s Peiking Duck, +
Tues-Fri Noon-2.30pm 
Sun-Thur 5-10.30pm
Fri, Sat 5-11.30pm 


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