26 Mar

Walking through to the end of a little alley just next to the Shell station I came to this little oasis of food and coffee. The Vertue of the Coffee Drink is in such a random location that it's almost like finding goodies in an Easter egg hunt. The front counter has a cabinet full of sweet treats such as cookie sandwiches from Butterbing Cookies, scrolls by Kwak Scrolls, doughnuts from Matt Forbes, pastries from Noisette. Vertue also doubles as a retailer, having coffee beans and other equipment...

13:55 / Cafe / Carlton / Food / Modern Australian / The Vertue of the Coffee Drink
27 Feb

Translating to 'The People's House', Popol Nah brings us Latin American food in a casual atmosphere. The menu is divided into chicos (small plates), carnes (larger meat plates), and intermedios (in between). It's designed for sharing, though you could order dishes for yourself if so desired - most people on our table did. [caption id="attachment_7352" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Bolinhos de Bacalhau - Fried Cod and Potato Croquettes, Aioli $10[/caption] [caption id="attachment_7353" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Chicharron - Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Lime, Salsa Verde $8[/caption] I was keen to try a couple of different...

21:09 / Carlton / Food / Latin American / Popol Nah / Restaurants
25 Feb

Compared to the multitude of Italian restaurants on Lygon St, the frontage of Il Gambero is relatively quite dark and unassuming, but upon walking in we were surprised at the clean, modern and airy space inside. [caption id="attachment_7268" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Entree Special - Truffle Oil, Porcini, Pancetta Aranchini $14[/caption] The entree special immediately caught my eye. The perfectly crispy shell enclosed the fragrance of truffles, and mushroom, pancetta, and rice. The restrained dab of aioli on top gave just the right amount of moisture to the complement rice. [caption id="attachment_7267" align="aligncenter"...

20:13 / Carlton / Food / Il Gambero on the Park / Italian / Restaurants
27 Nov

Nestled inconspicuously on leafy corner of Rathdowne St, La Luna Bistro has been serving contemporary Australian cuisine with a Mediterranean influence for over a decade. Chef and owner Adrian Richardson utilises produce from local suppliers to create dishes that showcase their ingredients. Though quiet when we arrived for lunch, the unpretentious and bistro-like restaurant was soon bustling with activity. We started with some house-made bread that had just come out of the oven. The bread had a lovely crust and the multigrain was packed with all sorts of seeds. [caption...

14:20 / Carlton North / Food / La Luna Bistro / Modern Australian / Restaurants
01 Oct

Earlier this year, Cantina Napoletana became Gemma Simply Italian. In accordance with its namesake, owner Alessandro Bollino sought to serve simple, authentic and not too expensive Italian food. The pasta menu is straightforward, with a choice of either gnocchi or fettucini and the list of sauces listed underneath. Today I had the Zucca e Striscie di Gambetto San Daniele with fettuccini (pumpkin, strips of Gambetto San Daniele prosciutto, baby spinach and pine nuts). I found it to be a bit too creamy from the pumpkin and the pasta itself...

21:45 / Carlton / Food / Gemma Simply Italian / Italian / Restaurants
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