Monday, October 22, 2012

The Table Restaurant, St Kilda


Daisy, Julie and I
LOL at Mr GG's photo bomb at the right hahaha...
Photo creds to Julie (Gourmet Getaways)! 

The past few months for me has been seriously fantastic. I'm sure that most bloggers would agree that one of the best things about what we do is getting the chance to meet other amazing people in the community. Every single person I've been fortunate enough to meet so far has been nothing short of friendly, encouraging and just downright cool to hang out with. 

This was no exception when Daisy and I finally got the chance to catch up with Julie (of Gourmet Getaways), during her recent weekend trip to Melbourne. I was particularly excited about this get-together because I've gotten to know Julie for quite sometime now and she's one of the kindest people I've gotten to know through this blog!

Also, I was really glad to finally dine at The Table Restaurant because I seriously could NOT stop thinking about this place after Yasmeen first told me about it when we caught up a few weeks back. It was a great afternoon spent. We had a nice looong lunch (about 3.5 hrs or longer lol) and just couldn't stop chatting away. It was also really great to have Brett (Julie's husband), Rachel & Scott (Julie's friends) and Ricky (Daisy's partner) there that day........

..........Yep. I was was the 7th Wheel that afternoon hahahah....... Not my first time, my friend... ANYWAY.


2010 Poggiotondo, Rosato (Rose) Toscana, Italy -- $42.00

Nice! Really light and smooth, makes for a great "day time" wine. Good choice by Julie. 


House Made Warm Blue & White Corn Tortillas with Three Salsa's & Guacamole -- $18.50

This was absolutely SMASHING!! The salsas were all so fresh and vibrant, I almost felt like the flavours were dancing off my palates. 



But the BEST thing about these were those darn homemade tortillas. Hot dang... They were AMAZING. Thick, crunchy and piping hot. Perfect for scooping up the salsas without breaking.

They were very similar to the homemade chinese prawn crackers I grew up with, where it's made almost like a biscuit dough at first, before it's sliced up then fried. Brett actually saw them making it when they walked in too, how cool. Seriously good. We ordered an extra bowl as soon as we finished the first one. Please order this.


BEST!!!



Poached Scampi in Agave and Tequila with Avocado Panna Cotta & Radish -- $8.00

GREAT. Scampis were delicious and had so much flavour from the poaching liquid, while retaining the natural sweetness of the crustacean. Everything else came together beautifully, loved this so much.


Confit Duck with Smoked Chipotle, Roasted Tomato & Savoy Cabbage -- $6.50

DELICOUS. So moist, flavourful. Everything married together beautifully, once again.


Braised Beef Cheek in Mole & Fried Plantain with White Bean Puree & Coriander -- $6.50


Awesome! It really was. Nice finish from the coriander too.


Masa Harina Battered Pinky Snapper, Avocado Puree & Pico de Gallo -- $6.00

Seriously good. Great quality dish and leaves you wanting more. Ohhh and the sauce... Another winner of a dish. YUM.



Salmon with Flaked Quinoa Crumble, Agave & Chipotle Glaze, Crème Fraîche Parfait -- $15.00


Amazing! I could eat the chipotle and crème fraîche all day long and the salmon bits were perfectly crunchy and chewy. Delish~


Roasted Duck Breast, Duck Rillettes Tostada, Agave Cabbage, Date & Tequila Puree -- $36.00

Omg can you see how the duck is so delicately pink and glistening? The duck breasts were honestly cooked to perfection, not one second too early or too late. Also, the agave cabbage was a creative and delicious idea. Generous portions too!


Crispy Pork Belly, Scallop, White Bean & Manchego Sopes, Quinoa, Mango & Jalapeno Puree -- $37.50

Flippin' awesome! We were saying how we loved that for once, they gave us a huge slab of pork belly, instead of a few measly slices (as many places do). They were great. Skin was slightly charred, just the way I like it.



BEST part was pairing the pork with the sweet, sticky, yummy Mango & Jalapeno puree. Another innovative feat on their part. I so preferred this 10 folds over the usual pork and apple puree combo. BEST.

Those scallops melted with cheese in a biscuit case things were cute too.



Patzcuaro Hot Chocolate with Milagro Anejo, Bahlrona Chocolate Fondant & Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream -- $19.00

Strictly for adults only. Rich, hot chocolate spiked with tequila... WAHEYYYY!


Cardamom Spiced Pana Cotta with Tequile & Agave Poached Figs, Hazelnut Tortilla -- $17.00

GREAT!! I always prefer my panna cottas like these, in semi-liquid form. Can't stand the overly stiff, waxy and rubbery ones with too much gelatin. This was perfect, like an almost set custard with great flavours. Moreish and hard to put our spoons down.


Fried Corn & Coconut Tamale with Coconut Ice Cream with Wild Berry Compote & Blood Orange Consomme -- $16.50

YUM! The crispy fried corn tamale was nicely paired with the ice cream (in great ratio too, I thought). Refreshing compote and consomme too.


I couldn't believe that ALL those amazing food was prepared by that single chef in this tiny, open kitchen. RESPECT!!!


Capping off an excellent meal...
Photo creds to Julie (Gourmet Getaways)! 

Overall, GREAT Modern Mexican food experience (lots of agave, tequila and chipotle in the cooking woo-hoo). I truly enjoyed each and every dish we had that day. There was nothing I liked more than the other, they were ALL top notch. Unique, different, perfectly executed and very, very well thought out. Even down to the idea and ingredients they used (just read the description of each dish). There were a lot of things you wouldn't get anywhere else, like quinoa crumble, jalapeno puree, scampi in agave & tequila, manchego sopes, etc etc... 

Anyhoo, this place is more on the pricey end but if you actually look at how much effort went into each and every single component of the dish, it's really worth it. For me, I don't mind paying a little extra for meals that are different and interesting, like this. Once in a blue moon, anyway. 

Also, the food was WAY more sophisticated than the decor gave it credit for. I'll be honest, when I first walked in, I did find it to look a biiiiiit tacky haha... But man, the food really knocked it out of the park. One of the best meals I've had in a long time and it's been awhile since I walked away from a restaurant with this feeling. Will DEFINITELY be back for more.

Though, thing that boggles me is why tacos in Melbourne are all so damn expensive. $6.00-$7.00 for something smaller than the palm of my hand. Seems like it's the same everywhere else. Granted, the tacos here were all absolute winners in their own right and so delicious I'd happily order them all again. Not even surprised if some may say this is the best Mexican in Melbourne.

Wanna thank Julie, Daisy and everyone else again for their fantastic company! I really had an unforgettable time with you both and I'm so glad that Food Blogging brought us all together. Definitely look forward to the next time we get to eat together again.

If you like, do check out Julie's post on The Table Restaurant: here. Her photos are incredible!

Till next time... Peace!

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