Here are some selected hits and misses from there.
Restaurant: Irish Times (City)
Review Title: There is Better
The promise of a good parma and a Kilkenny brought us in, but the reality of what was served... well!
Complete meal was
Complete meal was
1) the Parma itself, that was a battered and fried sheet of newspaper, cooked to a texture beyond rubber with blackened edges. Any thinner and the chef would have slipped it out into the restaurant under the door. Parma also had that 'just out of the box/ frozen food service' non-quality about it.
Cheese and ham were also melted and almost burnt, and no tomato sauce!
2) French fries - yep... food service / food court straight out of the McCains bag.
3) 'Side Salad' - err.. well some limp lettuce anyway.
Service? See BH's review. When you pay backpackers to do service, you get disinterested kids more interested in hairstyles than service destroying your business.
Highlight of the night was when the staffer asked if our food was all right... from the comfort of his position behind the bar, 20m away... Now thats service with a "who gives a rats toss bag" attitude.
For a better Parma, go to the Spread Eagle in Richmond... something not only to write home about, but you should also to write to your Aunty in Adelaide, and Grandma in Springvale Cemetery as well.
Cheese and ham were also melted and almost burnt, and no tomato sauce!
2) French fries - yep... food service / food court straight out of the McCains bag.
3) 'Side Salad' - err.. well some limp lettuce anyway.
Service? See BH's review. When you pay backpackers to do service, you get disinterested kids more interested in hairstyles than service destroying your business.
Highlight of the night was when the staffer asked if our food was all right... from the comfort of his position behind the bar, 20m away... Now thats service with a "who gives a rats toss bag" attitude.
For a better Parma, go to the Spread Eagle in Richmond... something not only to write home about, but you should also to write to your Aunty in Adelaide, and Grandma in Springvale Cemetery as well.
No Return!
Restaurant: The Red Hummingbird (City)
Review Title: The Red Bank Balance
Its a bar.
It has no beer on tap.
A night of drinks there and your bar tab would be approaching the cost of a manned mission to the moon.
It has hipster dufus clients like these guys in the image.If your not pretentious, you will feel out of place.What else do you need to know?
Avoid.
Restaurant: Motorino (South Kingsville)
Review Title: We Love Motorino
Motorino is truly great... A neat little pizza place that is both urban-cool and kid-friendly all at once.
Pizzas are well prepared and offer different tastes to the usual fare. Flavours are balanced and not over-done (unlike other places that load on the spices or herbs with a dump truck).
Staff are great, both with service and also with the kids about the place.
Who would have thought that such a great spot could be found in South Kingy!
Tell your friends, and tell your not so friends!... On second thought, don't tell anyone. It would ruin the charm.
UPDATE: Went back to Motorino after a break and they still make the best pizzas in Melbourne!!
Key point to note it that they are very accommodating.
... If you don't want chilli (or garlic etc) in the sauce -- they can do it.
... If you want a different pasta -- they can do it.
Try the tiger prawns and pasta - cooked to perfection. Excellent prawns. Also the Tasmanian mussels were superb, but its a special, so get there now (winter 2011).
Finally ...DESERT PIZZAS!! Absolutely beautiful. Share one and enjoy.
PS... AFL Premiership Footballer Mick Martyn was also enjoying a family dinner too.
Review Title: We Love Motorino
Motorino is truly great... A neat little pizza place that is both urban-cool and kid-friendly all at once.
Pizzas are well prepared and offer different tastes to the usual fare. Flavours are balanced and not over-done (unlike other places that load on the spices or herbs with a dump truck).
Staff are great, both with service and also with the kids about the place.
Who would have thought that such a great spot could be found in South Kingy!
Tell your friends, and tell your not so friends!... On second thought, don't tell anyone. It would ruin the charm.
UPDATE: Went back to Motorino after a break and they still make the best pizzas in Melbourne!!
Key point to note it that they are very accommodating.
... If you don't want chilli (or garlic etc) in the sauce -- they can do it.
... If you want a different pasta -- they can do it.
Try the tiger prawns and pasta - cooked to perfection. Excellent prawns. Also the Tasmanian mussels were superb, but its a special, so get there now (winter 2011).
Finally ...DESERT PIZZAS!! Absolutely beautiful. Share one and enjoy.
PS... AFL Premiership Footballer Mick Martyn was also enjoying a family dinner too.
Restaurant: Bettenay's (Williamstown)
Review Title: Modern Pub Meal, Same Old Pub Patrons
We had heard so much that was good about Bettenay's that we had to visit. Another good sign was that when we walked past a few times it always looked very full. Finally we went in for dinner.
...and another busy night we found, but also we learnt a busy restaurant is not always the best.
-1- The service level was at a low standard. The poor kids worked very hard, but they were just too short staffed to cover all that activity. C'mon Manager... Man-up!
-2- For the sort of quality pub meal they aim for (cost, presentation, decor, menu), the system is a shambles... order meals, drinks etc at the bar, pay first, or later, self serve on the cutlery and water... what a mess!
-3- It was a very noisy restaurant, both from the 'free-range kids' running about squealing and carrying on (with the parents blissfully ignoring screams and sitting back enjoying a red... really - please parents, teach them some manners when in the presence of others!!), and it was also noisy from the bar patrons watching the footy.
-4- The big opening to the bar not only let in the noise, but also allowed some (very drunk) patrons in to roam about to 'meet and greet'... not the best way to have a quiet dinner. The staff were too busy to do much about it too.
-5- Entry to the dinning area via the bar also knocks off some of the 'quality' to the experience. The side doors are locked 'because of the cold weather'. Hmmm...
On the positive side, it is very kid friendly, which is fantastic... paper on the tables and crayons (if you can find them) and even a welcoming drawing of a little-un on the table when we arrived.
The food is also quite good, but we had expected better. It is now reasonable modern pub grub at the higher end of the scale, but not really 100% value for the price.
Return... maybe, but only because its a local to us... but not any time soon. Did not like.
UPDATE: Went back again... and still dont like it.
1. Parma is a decent size, but overall it is way to salty... same too for the pizzas. SALT, SALT, SALT!!!
2. Make sure you DO NOT GO on a Friday, or during a football game... the drunks leave the bar to go to the smoking area THROUGH THE DINING AREA and bump every chair on the way through... like a human pin-ball game. A dumb way to set out your venue!
No Return!
Review Title: Modern Pub Meal, Same Old Pub Patrons
We had heard so much that was good about Bettenay's that we had to visit. Another good sign was that when we walked past a few times it always looked very full. Finally we went in for dinner.
...and another busy night we found, but also we learnt a busy restaurant is not always the best.
-1- The service level was at a low standard. The poor kids worked very hard, but they were just too short staffed to cover all that activity. C'mon Manager... Man-up!
-2- For the sort of quality pub meal they aim for (cost, presentation, decor, menu), the system is a shambles... order meals, drinks etc at the bar, pay first, or later, self serve on the cutlery and water... what a mess!
-3- It was a very noisy restaurant, both from the 'free-range kids' running about squealing and carrying on (with the parents blissfully ignoring screams and sitting back enjoying a red... really - please parents, teach them some manners when in the presence of others!!), and it was also noisy from the bar patrons watching the footy.
-4- The big opening to the bar not only let in the noise, but also allowed some (very drunk) patrons in to roam about to 'meet and greet'... not the best way to have a quiet dinner. The staff were too busy to do much about it too.
-5- Entry to the dinning area via the bar also knocks off some of the 'quality' to the experience. The side doors are locked 'because of the cold weather'. Hmmm...
On the positive side, it is very kid friendly, which is fantastic... paper on the tables and crayons (if you can find them) and even a welcoming drawing of a little-un on the table when we arrived.
The food is also quite good, but we had expected better. It is now reasonable modern pub grub at the higher end of the scale, but not really 100% value for the price.
Return... maybe, but only because its a local to us... but not any time soon. Did not like.
UPDATE: Went back again... and still dont like it.
1. Parma is a decent size, but overall it is way to salty... same too for the pizzas. SALT, SALT, SALT!!!
2. Make sure you DO NOT GO on a Friday, or during a football game... the drunks leave the bar to go to the smoking area THROUGH THE DINING AREA and bump every chair on the way through... like a human pin-ball game. A dumb way to set out your venue!
No Return!
Restaurant: Shira Nui (Glen Waverley)
Review Title: γγΎγγ!!! (Omakase!!!)
I normally write a reasonably long review... in this case though... here it is
- Go there
- Have the Omakase service at the counter
- Enjoy!
Review Title: γγΎγγ!!! (Omakase!!!)
I normally write a reasonably long review... in this case though... here it is
- Go there
- Have the Omakase service at the counter
- Enjoy!
(forget about the price... it is well worth it!!!)
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