Where have I been lately??

~  Restaurant Reviews ~

We are so lucky to be here in Melbourne with so many incredible restaurants. It seems every week there is a new one coming up to try and it makes it so hard! Do we go to the new, untested one? Or stick to our old favourites? 

It's always tough when deciding where to eat is left up to you, I know I'm usually the one that the girls expect to come up with the suggestions- I'm always worried it will be a disaster! We have been to a some nice places the last few weeks so thought I'd write a little about them to make any upcoming restaurant ideas easier! 

Some of them are my absolute favourites and others are just new ones that we've tried. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on them or any good ones that I haven't mentioned that I might like to try so feel free to leave comments or email me with suggestions! I love hearing feedback! 

jade.a.hunter@hotmail.com

FOG

I had to start with my absolute favourite restaurant. FOG is on Greville st in Prahran and is known best for pre drinks before heading to Boutique on a Friday night. The menu is modern mexican fusion and even renowned chef Marco Pierre White is known to love a meal there while he was Melbourne filming for MasterChef. It's great for vegetarians as well, with several tasty dishes to choose from. They offer either a tapas style menu or you can order larger mains as well. I had my recent birthday dinner there and even my friends who hadn't been before were impressed with the food, the service and also the atmosphere. FOG is a great place to go for drinks as it has two bars as well as a big courtyard, with plenty of tables and even an open fire to warm you up in winter! It's perfect for any occasion and they have recently started up a Sunday session with a band so busy souls can relax and unwind at the end of a big weekend. My favourite cocktail is called a Honey Press, absolutely delicious and sweet! 

http://www.fog.com.au/

Golden Fields

I'd heard a few great reviews about Golden Fields on Fitzroy st in St Kilda so decided to stop by during the week and see what the fuss was about. It's another restaurant that must be 'too cool' to be able to book- I'd heard on weekends there can be up to 2 hours wait for a table! Luckily for us we managed to get something right away. 

Now I've heard great things about their lobster rolls and a few other dishes but being that I'm a vegetarian unfortunately can't vouch for that myself. We just told the waitress to bring out all the vegetarian options tapas style for us. The food certainly didn't disappoint! The standout was a pink grapefruit salad with asparagus and there was a delicious rice noodle salad as well. 

The layout was great, with a option of either sitting at the bar or at a table, the only thing I wouldn't rush back for was the service, which was a bit inconsistent. One waitress in particular was almost rude in the way she neglected to serve us, although once we moved to an outside table to enjoy our dessert the waiter was absolutely lovely! Maybe because my cheeky dinner companion had given them a big tip already! The desserts were amazing, a perfect way to end a lovely meal, the baked meringue was incredible. Overall it was good just for a small, quiet dinner but I don't think I'd go on a weekend when they are too busy or rely on it for a special occasion. 

http://goldenfields.com.au/

Rococo

I know some friends who swear by this restaurant on Acland street in St Kilda. I have been about four times now and just don't get what the fuss is about. I hate writing something that's not positive but I just cant come up with much else to say about it. I went with a group of girls this week for an early dinner, again we ate tapas style. Of the vegetarian dishes I tried the arancini balls were the best but there wasn't anything else worth mentioning. To be honest the service wasn't very good, drinks took longer to arrive than the food did and we had to remind the waiter several times about drinks orders. When I first walked in I was waiting to be served so I could find out where the girls were sitting (as we'd booked a table) and it's no exaggeration at all to say that two staff walked straight past me and not only that, there were another two just standing at the bar right in front of me just chatting to each other. They had definitely seen me waiting and even made eye contact! It took somebody else to come and ask me if I'd been looked after yet! I'm not one to ever complain and I know how busy it can get in a restaurant and that the staff all have their own lives but I've honestly never had such appalling service ever. It didn't help that the time I'd been previously they had completely forgotten to put one of the meals through for my friend, so it never arrived. Average food and appalling service, I should have learnt my lesson already but next time I will definitely put my foot down and refuse to go. There is no point wasting your time on mediocre in Melbourne, not when there are so many amazing places to dine. 

http://www.rococo.net.au/

Woods of Windsor

This was a fun night! I'd organised a surprise dinner for my beautiful best friends 21st birthday. She thought it was just the two of us and had no idea there was a table full of her nearest and dearest waiting at the restaurant. I'll say it again Mel- This is why you can't keep being late for everything! haha. Its just on Chapel st and the decor is gorgeous and very intimate, with candles around and a very cozy feel. The tables were quite small so not the best place for a large dinner but we were just happy enough to get a table that could fit us all. The food menu was amazing, everybody absolutely loved their food and considering it is known for their 'game' meat (which I didn't know when I booked- Mel and I are both vegos), there was enough vegetarian options to keep us happy as well! The drinks list was impressive and the cocktails were delicious! (this was pre detox) I'd definitely go back for cocktails or a light meal, it was a great atmosphere (aside from being a little smokey) and perfect for girls drinks or even for a first date it would be nice! **hint hint guys!

http://www.thewoodsofwindsor.com/

Two Buoys

As my parents still live down on the Peninsula the girls and I often go down to stay and enjoy the beach, the bushwalks and being spoilt by mum! We were down last weekend for the Portsea Polo shenannigans and made sure we did our traditional stop off at Two Buoys. Even when I used to live down in Dromana, Two Buoys was one of my favourite places to go, but now that I don't get down there as much I appreciate it even more! We love sitting at the front bench, overlooking the water and watching life go by as we enjoy the tasty cocktails and tapas that they have. It's so relaxing! They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just found out that they even get their coffee from one of my favourite places in South Melbourne which I have written a post about- St Ali's (we all have our wicked side- August 2012). I must have consistent taste in coffee! The salads are amazing and fresh and the flatbreads are the best I've ever had. Do yourself a favour and try the pumpkin, honey and blue cheese one! The other thing to mention is the incredible service. Even though they get so busy over summer, completely run off their feet the staff are friendly, helpful and attentive. I also love that they use local produce where possible and have a lot of the local wines as well. I must admit that we usually end up there at least twice each time we come down, for dinner and drinks and then again for breakfast or lunch the next day! Definitely worth trying the next time you're down the Peninsula. 

http://www.twobuoys.com.au/