Saint James is a recent addition to Malvern Village from the team responsible for Hardpressed, From on High and Small Print Pizza. Named after Saint James park, home of Newcastle United, the mutually loved soccer team of Richard Donovan and Craig Tate, who partnered with Phil Gijbergs for this venture. Co-incidentally, the op-shop next door is also called St James, though of no relation....
Caffe La Via has been occupying its spot on Glenferrie Road since 1999. Known for sporting a Modern Australian menu with a Mediterranean slant, they've just undergone a renovation and a menu refresh. We began the night with some Aperol Spritz before tucking into some appetisers. [caption id="attachment_10823" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Battered Zucchini Flower Stuffed with Ricotta and Served with Mint Sauce ($4.50)[/caption] The zucchini flowers were encased in a light and crunchy batter and stuffed full of pillowy ricotta, the mint sauce the perfect foil for brightening each mouthful. [caption id="attachment_10818" align="aligncenter"...
Located right at the southern end of Glenferrie Road, Wa Modern has been serving contemporary Japanese food since July last year. They also has a special lunch menu, though the dinner menu, which is mainly designed for sharing, is still available during lunchtime. Filled with lots of fresh seafood and combined with coriander, avocado and a touch of Kewpie mayo, the Wa Roll was one of the nicer sushi rolls I've had in a while. I didn't try much of K's Spicy Chicken Ramen Salad, but she really enjoyed it...
For a long-awaited and much-needed catchup, Allium seemed like the perfect place. Having previously tried Livingroom, I was pleased to find the ambience was still very much like it was previously - nice but relaxed. K had the Aromatic Broth entree to start the meal. Unfortunately I didn't try too much of it because I was unwell, but it seemed clean and flavoursome. K did say it was very good. [caption id="attachment_6656" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Aromatic Broth, Prawns, Sorrel, Shiitake and Pork Crackling ($18)[/caption] For the main event I was tossing up...
Livingroom was a much more casual restaurant than I expected. The quaint space looked a bit like a converted house, with floorboards, paintings and mismatched tables and chairs. Normally it's open for lunch and dinner, but on weekends they offer (an all-day?) breakfast. I had previously looked up the online sample menu to pick what I wanted, but unfortunately the menu on the day was different. I was going to get a braised ox cheek dish but instead went for the special of the day. - Me: Pancetta-wrapped Leg of Chicken...