A birthday treat

Because my beloved is super, awesome, cool and knows I like all things related to food, day spas and surprises, he whisked me away to Daylesford to celebrate my 30th birthday weekend. I was pampered all weekend long (it was like 48 hours straight of eating, drinking, massage and sleep - I kid you not!) and thought I'd share some of the food highlights.

We arrived just in time for dinner at Kazuki's on Friday evening. The restaurant aims to team the owner's Japanese heritage with locally sourced produce. The meal was lovely. We started with the light and refreshing Yasai no moriawase (literal translation: a shitload of yummy stuff on a plate) and moved onto spatchcock and pork belly mains. There were liberal pourings of sake, which took me straight back to Japan and got me all excited about our forthcoming trip.

Yasai no moriawase (please excuse the poor lighting!)

The food was great, but just not quite special enough to make us stay for dessert. I can't quite put my finger on it - flavours were subtle and well thought out and the ambiance and service were excellent. Maybe we were just in the mood for more hearty, winter cuisine on such a cold night...I just don't know. For me, Kazuki's doesn't quite match other local, similarly priced establishments like Mercato or Darmagi, but is still definitely worth a visit.

Our next eating highlight was courtesy of Wombat Hill House, which I've blogged about previously. My beloved and I don't like to order the same dish, but neither of us were able to fathom foregoing the breakfast pizza, so we agreed to be "different" by ordering one with bacon and one without (genius, right?!).

As usual, outstanding food and a great, relaxed feel!



Our afternoon snack was courtesy of the Chocolate Mill - vanilla ice-cream topped with beautifully tempered, dark spiced chocolate. Umm.... yum!!

Because we weren't full enough, dinner was booked at Darmagi. I must have driven past Darmagi fifty times since its establishment (it's been there for well over two years!), but had never noticed the minimalist eatery nestled in the heart of Hepburn Springs. As soon as we walked into the place, we were treated like old friends. I have never dined anywhere where I felt as genuinely welcomed as at Darmagi. Not only were the waiters delightful, but the kitchen staff were open to a chat too (thanks to a very cool open kitchen set up).

At a dollar a pop, my beloved couldn't go past half a dozen oysters to start. I went for some absolutely beautiful prosciutto. Both were incredible (even if the hairy arm in the above turns you off, take my word on that!).

Mains were stunning - beautifully refined comfort food - a lamb ragout pasta for me and a slow cooked beef cheek for my beloved (the latter unfortunately was not captured on film).

Dessert came in the form of tiramisu. My beloved has a pretty high tiramisu benchmark. He reckons he's never had any tiramisu (even in Italy!) that comes close to that made by my mum (my non-Italian mum, I should add). This dish was as close to tira-perfection as either of us have had and was washed down by more grappas than I'd like to admit.

Darmagi was well and truly the dining highlight of our time away. The food was sensational, the restaurant flawless and the staff simply outstanding. What more could a girl ask for to kick off her third decade?

30 before 30: #29 - visit a winery

Escaping to the Yarra Valley (one of Australia's premier wine regions for those who aren't local) for a day or more is something I often think about, but rarely do. Silly really, because the trip there takes little more than  45 minutes. More importantly though, there's something about those rolling hills and perfectly straight lines of vines that has an instant relaxing effect (my beloved likes to think it's my rather OCD need for symmetry. I prefer to think that it's because I'm getting closer to nature...whatevs!).

Fellow blogger, Miss C and I decided to head to the region with our obliging other halves at rather late notice on the weekend. I was delighted to learn that the Yarra Valley Farmers' Market coincided with our visit. Yering Station is a very picturesque location for such a market and the produce did not disappoint - beautiful cheeses, breads, meat, fresh produce and lots of ready-made things to sample and buy.

After a market wander and cup of coffee, we made our way over to Zonzo - the main event for the day. We were seated right in front of the roaring fire, complete with bovine adornment.

A bottle of Sangiovese came as we admired the view of gnarled vines outside, complemented beautifully by the rustic, but elegant interior decor. 

We opted to share all dishes and started with a couple of deep fried morsels.

Arancini    15

Carciofi Fritti (crumbed artichoke hearts drizzled with vincotto)    13

Both starters were excellent - crunchy and comforting. However, the real stand out of the day for me was the pizza. This was the best pizza I've eaten in a very long time. Maybe even since Italy!

L-R: Pizza con Melanzane; Pizza con Porcini; Pizza con Bresaola    23 each

The base was thin and a perfect balance of crispy, but maintained that requisite chewy "thang" that all good pizza must have.

My personal favourite was the Pizza con Bresaola (nearest below), which was topped with slightly salty, finely sliced Wagyu, basil, buffalo mozzarella and olive oil.

Because no dinner lunch is complete without dessert and I have a deep passion for all things ricotta (I swear, my love affair with the stuff knows no bounds!) a ricotta calzone was ordered.

Calzone alla Ricotta (foreground); Calzone alla Fragola (background)    14

After early morning wine tasting, followed by a bottle of wine, it was clearly time to slip next door to Train Track winery and get stuck into a bit more vino, right?! When in the Yarra Valley...

All in all, a fantastic day out with even better friends. Zonzo: we will be returning!

30 before 30: #12 - spend time in Daylesford

Howdy bloggerinos. I may have taken a short spell of absence from the blogging world, but fear not, I have been slowly but surely working my way through my 30 before 30 list (only roughly a month to go - eeek!).

A few weeks ago, my beloved and I headed off to our favourite part of regional Victoria - Daylesford (and surrounds). We love this part of the world so much, that a year prior, decided to get married there. It seemed fitting that one year on we would return to celebrate the anniversary of this momentous occasion.

Our eatery of choice for a relaxed Sunday lunch was Mercato @ Daylesford - a contemporary, yet homely eatery only a short walk down the street from Daylesford's weekly Sunday market. We were early to arrive and snapped some pictures of an empty restaurant, which very quickly filled.

The meal was, without a doubt, one of the best I've had all year. I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Eye fillet of aged Kyneton Black Angus beef, sauteed mushrooms, kale, horseradish infused potato puree, caramelised shallots, cabernet sauce       42.50

Roasted breast of duck, truffle polenta, Swiss chard, pear salad, red currant jus     39.50

Roasted Brussels spouts, crisp Istra pancetta, hazelnuts      8.50

To round out the meal, we couldn't go past a date pudding, made all the more irresistible by the idea of ginger beer sorbet. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the combination of flavours in this dessert may be as close as I'm ever going to get to dessert Nirvana. My only regret? That I didn't insist on one of these all for myself!

Steamed date pudding, ginger beer sorbet, apple, salted caramel sauce      16.50

Suffice it to say: YUM!

After our delicious lunch we drove to Lake Daylesford and waddled our way around the Lake.

Now that we've done it twice, I'm going to proclaim that this walk is now an annual tradition. We even stopped on our way round (as we had a year prior) to take some shots of our favourite tree (oh yes, we have a favourite tree...we are *that* couple).

It gained preferred status, due to the rainbow of autumnal colours it bore on our wedding day. It was mainly a cherry colour all over this year, but still very pretty.

All up, a wonderful lunch and an even better husband. I'm one lucky gal!

30 before 30: #3 - travel out of the state

A rather delayed post to demonstrate my achievement of another of my 30 before 30 goals - traveling interstate. So delayed, in fact, that I have traveled interstate twice since my last post. However, today I'm only going to talk about one of those adventures - our brief trip to Sydney to visit family.

As a Melbournian, some degree of Sydney-loathing is requisite. Obviously, we are more cultured, sporty, edgy and cool than our northern cousins. Oh, and did I mention that our CBD vaguely makes sense? 
WARNING: naughty words ahead. Proceed with caution!

Joking aside, Sydney turned it on for us and I was able to somewhat reluctantly forget its foibles...at least temporarily... (no seriously, I jest - you guys up north are just as awesome as us). The weather was perfect in every way and a nice break from the heatwave going on in the south of the country. We enjoyed some time being tourists in the CBD, which naturally involved taking snaps of iconic landmarks. 

Another fantastic experience was our day trip to the Blue Mountains with family. If the weather had been slightly cooler and we were sans toddlers, I would have loved to have ticked off another of my 30 before 30 goals - hiking - but it was not to be. Instead, we did some shorter walks to popular lookout spots and enjoyed this vast and colourful landscape.

A final highlight of our brief stay (of only 2 nights) was our meal at Sailors Thai in the CBD. A fabulous view of the water, a cool casual vibe, great food and icy cold beers. I was one happy camper! 

Crispy skinned salmon with green mango and chili lime dressing   28

Dry red curry stir friend with pork fillet, wild ginger, green peppercorns and apple eggplants   27

30 before 30: #19 - splurge on a fancy meal out

I did something very cruel to one of my oldest, dearest friends last month - I was the decoy for her surprise 30th birthday party. The ruse to lure her into a bar where at least 30 of her friends were lying in wait involved the promise of tapas (oh yes, clearly I chose my friends based on their love of food from a very young age!). More specifically, these tapas had to be from none other than MoVida Bar de Tapas. Upon realising that there would be no tapas at her surprise party, I was quick to reassure her that a girly date at MoVida would, in fact, be her birthday present from me (albeit at a later date). Dare I say it, her relief was palpable!

More than a month after the big day, we set out to enjoy our much anticipated meal. Being a hot night, we both settled on beers - Alhumbra Negra for me (one of the most delicious cerzevas I have ever tried!) and Moritz lager for her. We requested a banquet style dining experience to minimise decision making on our parts.

Two dishes stood out as particular highlights for me - jamones, served with pan Catalan (i.e. beautiful aged ham, served with toasted bread, rubbed with garlic, tomato and drizzled with olive oil); and "Cecina" (air-dried wagyu beef with a poached egg and truffle foam). Both dishes took me straight back to Spain in terms of their flavours.

Unfortunately, my excitement at being transported back to Europe, coupled with the dim lighting in the restaurant meant that these outstanding dishes weren't captured on film. Here are a couple of grainy photos I did manage.

We finished our meal at MoVida with a serving of churros and a cheese platter. To say we were stuffed is probably an understatement.

It is clear to see why MoVida has a near cult-like following in Melbourne. The atmosphere is buzzing and the food is simply excellent.

Stuff I'm loving

Howdy blogsters. Long time no talky. Happy new year to all of you. Well, Christmas/January have been exceedingly busy, but heaps of fun. I'm pleased to report that the BMI is on its way down...albeit veeerrrry slowly (and, to be fair, this did not occur until late January when the bulk of the eating and drinking ceased). The family made it through the silly season with sufficient silliness and lots of catching up with new and old friends. During this time I've made some new discoveries, which I'm excited to share with you.

1. A new local!

The Glen Iris/Ashburton area is filling up with young families fast and there is a real demand for good quality, relaxed, family-friendly breakfast options. The Resident Cafe has been newly renovated and fits the bill perfectly. The coffees are outstanding - really made with care; and provenance and flavour are both emphasised in terms of the food. For avid cyclists, the cafe is right on the bike path and you will feel at home if you're into lycra (I personally have never understood why amateur male cyclists feel the need to wear fabric that shows everything - someone care to enlighten me?). I have frequented the Resident three times in the last month and have been impressed each time. My only (very minor) gripe is that the service could be a wee bit faster and more attentive.

Fennel, orange and raisin toast 7.5  |  Brioche bun, bacon, vintage cheddar, zucchini pickles & BBQ sauce 7.5

2. Fromager d'Affinois with Trentham Tucker Fig and Ginger crispbread

Umm, yes. More. Now. That is all.

Both available from Leo's supermarkets in Melbourne.

3. Klops (and other Polish comfort foods)

My nana was the best cook in the universe (that's a fact, not a subjective opinion!). Her repertoire was small, but what she could make was extraordinary. To this day, I still have people asking me to cook her schnitzels, her apple cake, her chicken soup...the list goes on. One of her famed dishes was her meatloaf ("klops" in Polish). I have been experimenting with flavours to try to emulate her klops and, while I'm not even close, I'm pretty happy with some of my efforts.

I've also made a kugel (an Eastern European, Jewish cake made with egg noodles, grated apples and lots of spice). Next on the list: Cholent.

4. January dining specials

A big thank you to everyone who went away in January and caused Melbourne's restaurants to offer fabulous deals to fill seats. Famed chef, Gary Meighan's Melbourne eatery, Fenix, was one such establishment which slashed prices (50% off!) in the first month of the year. My beloved and I shared a wonderful meal at Fenix - three starters, two mains, a side, two desserts and a few drinks each. The price? $90-something. We will be back for food cooked with a lot of heart and soul.

L-R: Humous w. braised sweet & sour chickpeas  |  Southern style fried chicken wings w. chilli, caramel and lime sour cream  |  Spanner crab crostini w. avocado mousse