Ozfiredancer

I didn't realise how quiet Caxton St is on Sundays - I suppose I never went there much before The Barracks opened, but there's so little happening... It needs more cafes and less pubs! So, we basically had the restaurant to ourselves, apart from a quiet family group down the back, and a young couple up the front. The interior is beautiful, but really not suited to dining through the day. It's quiet dark and broody, with leather booths and dark-stained wood tables. I'm sure it would be a kickarse bar on Friday/Saturday, and plan on checking it out soon.
The service was prompt (as you would hope!), and the bar list extensive. They had a fantastic range of spirits available, though the beer choices were reasonably limited, and the wine list is a work in progress. My partner went for Fat Yak on tap, and I had a Mirasloe [cocktail]. Actually, I had two and they were both lovely ^_^
We ordered the tapas platter to share, and at $40, was a delicious way to eat on a budget. We substituted the calamari for Fat Yak battered sweet corn fritters [YUM]. The housemade meatballs were smothered in a beautiful, smoky tomato chutney, and the corn fritters were crunchy and herb-y. Sadly, the kitchen was out of haloumi, so the chorizo/haloumi portion of the dish was a bit of a let down. I'm a big fan of chorizo, and it wasn't so great on its own.

It was lots of food, with friendly service and strange decor. My kinda place, and I think my next visit will be for Friday cocktails and pizza after work!

Husband and I stayed at Emporium Hotel last night for our minimoon/staycation [a beautiful hotel, by the by], and decided to have lunch at Depot in the Emporium complex. The service was slow, considering there were only a few tables occupied, but the waitstaff friendly, if not terribly efficient. I ordered a cocktail [Green Peace] and husband ordered from the reasonably-sized beer list. Our drinks took ages, and no water offered, but it was a lazy day for us so we weren't terribly bothered.
After we got our drinks [maybe 15mins later?], we ordered the Catalan-style flatbread with fetta and pumpkin dip, and a pizza to share - air-dried Wagyu with bocconcini and cherry tomatoes. The flatbread was buttery and flaky, and complemented the chunky dip very well. The pizza was a similar style of flatbread, but covered in herbs and the most delicious dried wagyu ever. It was easy, although not so quick, but I could understand this being a more interesting place to eat on a Friday/Saturday night, when I expect the restaurant to be a little more busy. I would imagine that the staff might be a little bit faster-moving then as well!

Average food with above-average costs and a pleasant atmosphere. I like it, but probably wouldn't recommend it unless I see what they're like for dinner.

When staying at the Emporium Hotel, we'd booked a package that included breakfast for two at Belle Epoque, a Parisian-styled restaurant neighbouring the hotel itself. I jumped at the chance for a hotel breakfast that wasn't actually a hotel breakfast, and didn't realise until afterward that I should have checked some of the reviews! Sadly, it wasn't looking terribly appealing all of a sudden - the majority of reviews I found complained of wanky pricing and haughty waitstaff. I certainly saw the wanky pricing come into play, but the waitstaff were all pleasantly friendly and very accommodating. Maybe it's different for dinner?

I ordered Le Vegetarien, while my husband stuck with Le Australien; both of which were absolutely spectacular. As a cheese-fiend, I demolished the goats-cheese omelette, potato and brie croquette and sourdough with gruyere. The dish came with the most luscious tomato relish I have ever had, and it worked well to break up the super-cheesyness of my meal. Le Australien was hearty, but nothing more than a fancy big breakfast. The bacon came in droves, and was double-smoked - I was even allowed to have a taste! Usually there's not enough bacon that my husband is willing to share any, so this was exciting. The freshly-squeezed juices were a great accompaniment [I had celery/apple/orange/carrot], and the coffee fabulous.

Yes, it was certainly more than I would usually pay for breakfast, but it was really lovely. The restaurant is pretty big, but not to the point of feeling cavernous, and I will reiterate that the waitstaff were great. I would probably suggest this for a more special-occasion brekky, maybe a brunch with the girls? I noticed they had champagne by the glass available, which would have been a welcome addition to my meal, were I not already suffering from a night of imbibing! I would also love to go back for coffee and cake from their adjoining patisserie, their tarts looked fantastic, but at $7.50 each, I couldn't justify it this morning.

The drinks list is extensive - with 13 Mexican beers on the menu, and a HUGE list of boutique tequilas; as well as house wines and generic cocktails. Our drinks took a fair while to come out, by which time we had already received our entree of dips - guacamole, chilli con queso and frijole ($14.90). Compared to some Mexican that we have had in previous weeks, this was a HUGE serving of dips. I'm pretty sure we got a whole bag of corn chips on the plate, and the bowls of dip were overflowing. As we munched down on that, we watched other meals arriving and looked at each other in dismay. Nobody had told us that an entree is unnecessary when the mains are enough to feed two people!
When our mains came out, husband and I confirmed that to get through a full meal here, you have two choices: 1) fast for the 12 hours prior to your meal; or 2) smoke something [and lots of it] to otherwise induce the munchies. My beef burrito ($18.90) was the size of my face, and came smothered in fresh lettuce, homemade salsa and cheese, with rice and beans on the side. Husband's chicken fajitas ($26.90) could have easily fed the two of us. His plate of condiments was piled high with fresh vegetables, and came with a delicious salsa of tomatoes and jalapenos, as well as sour cream, guacamole etc. We each got halfway through our meals and conceded defeat - what was on our plates was clearly too much food for mere mortals like us! We went home nursing swollen bellies and a desire to return.

On the whole, value for money was excellent. The servings were generous to the point of being excessive, and all the produce was super fresh and delicious. The restaurant was practically empty when we arrived [at 6pm], and was close to flat out when we left about an hour later - reservations are definitely recommended on weekends! That said, as with most Mexican places I've been to, the service was slow, but certainly friendly. Not having been to Mexico, I can't comment on it's authenticity, but I will certainly say that it was a hell of a lot more tasty than cooking it at home ;o)

I've been a customer of Ed's for years now, and will not let anyone else touch my hair! Her salon is welcoming and friendly, and while busy, they ensure you are never forgotten. From the proper cafe coffees (from favourite The Java Lounge next door) to deliciously relaxing hair treatments, the experience is always wonderful.
Ed also took care of my wedding hairstyle earlier this year, as well as that of my husband (who has back-length hair) - we got so many compliments, and she matched the colour of my hair perfectly. I'll be a loyal customer for years to come.

It's a cool little place, with a teeny-tiny stage in the far corner of the room, a small scattering of tables inside and footpath dining. There's also a bar and a smoking area out the back with a pool table - it feels like being in someone's garage!

Food is cheap and cheerful - this is primarily a bar and live music venue, but the food is generous and reasonably tasty. My Thai beef salad [$14] was piled high on the plate, and the beef was tender - the onions were total overkill. I like onions as much as the next man, but the rest of the salad was entirely overpowered. My husband had the hamburger [$14.50], and to be honest, it didn't look as good as the haloumi burger at the table next to us [$14.50]. He said it was tasty enough, but it came with a round patty on a long turkish bread bun - it didn't exactly fit, and he felt they got a bit excited with the salad on it. The chips were frozen shoestring fries, but there were plenty of them!
Our friends had the Thai veg curry [$5], and again - it was tasty, but nothing to write home about. The pizzas [$10] were somewhat disappointing, with a store-bought base that ended up being stewed under the weight of so many toppings.

All of that said - we knew that we'd be getting what we paid for. The servings are generous, they're cheap as chips, and you'll have the opportunity to catch some free live music on any day of the week. The atmosphere is great, and it's pretty easy to meet some cool people. Seating for large groups is somewhat non-existent, unless you take over the footpath dining area!
They also have student/backpacker discounts on food and drinks, and special days.

I had recently read about Archive Beer Boutique + Bistro at West End, and after a brief perusal of the two page beer list, the husband and I decided that we would be stupid not to check it out. As avid beer drinkers [and hungry after not having brekky], this seemed too awesome... as if it were too good to be true.

Turns out that it was everything we expected and more! The space is reasonably small [it's under Uber], but so cleverly decked out. There's a sweet outdoor dining area, perfect for people watching, and a cosy interior for the cooler nights. The bar is made of hundreds of stacked old books; the pool table area has been wallpapered in newspaper; and there are sets of comfy old couches tucked away behind the bar. It looks like they've raided every op-shop for the coolest and most comfortable lounges ever.

There are, of course, your frequently found 'boutique' beers - James Squire, Little Creatures and Beez Neez, but given the range of beautiful Australian microbreweries, we would have been stupid to settle for something so easy. Thankfully, with the help of the ultra-knowledgeable bar manager, Sam, the husband and I discovered some beautiful boozes!
I ordered the Bridge Road 'Celtic' Red Ale [$7], while the husband went for the Wicked Elf Pilsner [$9] as we waited for our dip plate to share [$10]. The bread was super-fresh and lightly toasted, and came with hommous, pesto and a beetroot dip. It was all good, except the beetroot dip was... well, liquid. It was like beetroot froth that had settled. Delicious, but bizarre!
As our main was prepared, more beer was ordered - I had a Fusion 'Prime' Ale [$6], and husband had the Pikes Oakbank Pilsner [$6]. We ended up choosing the mixed grill for our main [$60], and realised when it arrived that the breads were a stupid idea.
The plate was piled high with beautifully cooked meats - eye fillet steak, grilled chorizo, lamb cutlets and grilled striped bass. We were expecting to get chicken skewers, but the chef was kind enough to explain that the chicken was not so great, so substituted some chilli prawn skewers instead.
The eye fillet was cooked to perfection, although sliced a bit clumsily; the fish was tender and juicy and got a big thumbs up from the husband. The lamb cutlets were a tad overcooked for our order of medium rare, but still tender and nicely seasoned; while the chorizo was well-sourced - finally, a spicy chorizo in a Brissy restaurant! The late addition of prawn skewers also got a thumbs up from the husband, although I was bummed we ended up with that... I'm one of those [apparent] freaks who just doesn't dig seafood, so I was quite looking forward to some chicken. Still, the red meat was enough to sate my hunger, and we sadly left quite a lot on the plate. The side of green salad and chips were barely touched, and it was decided that we would attempt this meal again at dinner - after not eating all day.
After lunch, we caught up with a friend and played some pool while continuing to amble through the beer list. It's about this time that I start getting hazy with the names - I know I tried a couple of darks (my favourite was the 3 Ravens Dark Smoke Beer at $7), but I basically relied on the knowledge of the bartender. They also had a big list of all tasting notes for the beers, which came in super-handy. A few games of pool and a couple more schooners later, we headed home - excited about this new find and already champing at the bit to return.

The service was greatly friendly, and as mentioned, Sam the barman was a great help in working our way through the extensive beer list. They were out of a few brands, which was a bummer, but it's not like we could exactly complain... they weren't short on replacements! While yes, the meal was expensive, it was worth every cent. The meats were beautifully cooked, and it all came out quite quickly. But the main drawcard for me - affordable boutique beers. The prices varied from $5-$9, with another 4 at $13. There was even a small reserve selection, ranging up to a $50 750ml bottle of Bridge Road Imperial Porter!
All in all - I am totally looking forward to going back. The service, the atmosphere, the beer and the food was all fantastic. The wine list was small and somewhat boring, but you'd be mad to bother with wine at all at this place! I also noticed that they do breakfast until midday. A small list, but reasonably priced - and I'm now contemplating what might be the perfect breakfast beer ;o)

We opted for Mundo Churrasco in Bardon, having wanted to try it for a while. Churrasco is a Brazilian BBQ joint, with an almost yum-cha experience. By that, I mean dudes walk around with swords of meat and carve it at the table for you. Genius! Each person eating has a cube - one side painted red, the opposite, green. You flip the cube to green and they'll bring around all sorts of beautifully BBQ'd meat to the table; when flipped to red, they stop (in theory).

The service was hilariously friendly (the maître d' shook our hands when introducing himself), and there was a hum of activity as we were seated... there was practically a staff member for each customer. Once we decided to go for the Churrasco lunch, our sides appeared in a moment; the names of which were rattled off so quickly we had to refer to the menu again. It's all you can eat of everything, but be wise - save room for the meat! Don't fill up on the delicious cassava chips, or potato salad. It's a trap!
Although we had lunch here on a public holiday [which means the same price as dinner - $34.50], we were only charged for a weekday lunch [$22.50] and they had put on the full dinner menu. Confusing, but delicious. And cheap. Along with extra sides (like the little cheese breads), this meant we were lucky enough to try out almost all cuts of meat that they have available.
The chicken came around first, and was juicy and had a great crisp to the outside. There were four different cuts of beef on offer - a couple of them heavily salted and a bit too well-done, but all delicious. The sausage was a bit disappointing... it was way too coarse for my liking, but still nicely seasoned. The standout - the pork (which doesn't appear on any menu). It was sweet and tender, with those awesome crackly-crunchy bits setting off explosions as I chewed. Heaven! And within moments of me mentioning that I should have worn looser pants, the grilled pineapple came around. I had envisioned caramelised pineapple, so when it came out practically fresh, I was a bit let down. But still, it was juicy and I'm a sucker for pineapple.
The sword-carrying carvers didn't appear to take much notice of the coloured cubes, so it got a bit annoying saying 'no' as often as we had to. The extra salsa we requested was brought over promptly, and our drinks refreshed efficiently by our smiling waitress. The beers were cheap [$5.50 for a full-strength local], and they've got a few different kinds of Cachaca. A Caipirinha is only $8.90, too!

We'll definitely be returning - I know of a few carnivorous types who would dig this place. It's definitely a bit expensive for lunch on a weekend, when you don't get the full menu, but I could imagine it doing well on a Friday/Saturday night. The decor is great, but I'd take a cardigan if eating there on a cold night - it's not fully enclosed, and could get a bit chilly.