La Cassolette, CBD

Situated just by the Yarra River across from Crown Casino... 

Complimentary starter

Crab Salad and Quinoa Taboule - $16

Seared Scallops & Creamy Sauce - $25

Flambéed with cognac or ricard at your table, served with homemade mash potatoes, parmesan and green salad

Cooked right at the table -- awesome!

Amazing final product!

Yum.

More, please. *hic*

Scotch Fillet Black Angus 200g with Blue Cheese Sauce - $25

Ratatouille - $8

Fish Casserole & Aioli Sauce - $22

Banana Panna Cotta with Berry Coulis - $12

Pear Chocolate Fondant - $12

SOOO GOOD.

Thank you Mickael and team for being such wonderful hosts!

Without sounding too ungrateful, I generally prefer not to attend too many invites these days as I have found 2013 to be a seriously tiring year for me what with all the constant and heavy work/social life commitments. Also the main reason why I'm not actually very ambitious when it comes to blogging. I have no ambition to be at a certain ranking or hit any numbers at all. I don't intentionally set out to get opportunities or change certain things about this blog even though I've been advised it would "make me better" as my plate is full enough and I don't want anything to get in the way of spending time with the people I care about. If it happens, it happens. I'm really not fussed. Blogging, to me, is still a hobby or creative outlet more than anything. It's fun. That said, I have truly appreciated the fact that I do get so many fun opportunities that comes my way, despite this "not caring" or defiant attitude.

Even though I was having a blast, I did get really worn out last year so I'm hoping to take things much easier this year. On the other hand, these invites were also a good opportunity for me to take friends or family out for a free meal to catchup, especially if I haven't seen them in a while. Which is what I have been doing. Sort of killing two birds with one stone, really. Also, I really do enjoy the fact that with opportunities from blogging, I can always share these gifts I'm receiving with others as well. Trust me, I would've normally just stayed home and rest if I couldn't share the experiences with others and use it as a time for us to bond...

...which was exactly what I did when I was invited to dine at La Cassolette last year and brought my good mates Josh and Aaron along. 

The location was tricky, I must say. But, it was actually closer than people think and had a stunning view of Crown Casino and the Yarra River. I was greeted by a friendly and cheerful Frenchman by the name of Mickael at the door. As soon as we sat down, he brought over some sparkling water, white wine and cured meats to kick off as we looked through the menu. What a great start, I thought.

Our first dish was the crab and quinoa taboule -- which my friends and I thought was a GREAT starter. Such an interesting combo of flavour and texture and golly were they generous with the crab or what. Definitely signature dish worthy. Another specialty here was the flambéed dishes, which were cooked right at the table. Amazing! The scallops were utterly divine and again, I noticed how generous they were with them as well. Theatrics and flavour. I like. 

We enjoyed the rest of the meal that evening as well. Fish casserole was so fresh and perfectly seasoned. Steak was juicy and tender but the only suggestion I would make is that they should probably let it rest a little longer before putting it on the plate as the plate got rather wet from the liquid that was released during the meal. Otherwise, it was still really tasty. To finish, banana pannacotta probably wasn't my favourite flavour but was still well made and the chocolate fondant was seriously fantastic. I'm not a dessert person but I could inhale the whole thing to myself.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable meal from start to finish. The staff and host were incredibly hospitable to us. Besides that, getting to hear more about Mickael's background in the food scene, his food aspirations and also his inspirations behind La Cassolette really made my respect his vision for the restaurant even more. I liked how he shared about his experience of dining in various establishments in Melbourne, from Indian to French, dine in or takeaway, cheap to expensive to give him ideas about the identity he wishes to portray. It was also interesting how he mentioned that he was getting such portions in so many places in Melbourne that he almost found it "offensive". It was an interesting point of view and I respected him for it.

To sum up, I think La Cassolette is a great place for delicious French food that is value for money. My friends and I enjoyed every dish that evening and can totally see ourselves coming back too. Great work to the team and I wish you all the best with La Cassolette. Look forward to seeing everyone there again soon.

Jimmy Grants and Gelato Messina

Jimmy Grants:

Pita ($2.50) with Taramosalata Dip ($5.00)

Steamed Jimmy Dimmy ($5.00)

Slightly hipster soft drinks (not complaining)

Grain Salad ($8.00)

The Bonegilla ($8.50)

Combo chicken + lamb, mustard aioli, chips, onions, parsley

YUM ATTACKKKKK

The Patris ($9.50)

Prawns, attiki honey, mayo, cucumber, mint, coriander

The Bonegilla... Dissected 

Gelato Messina:

Messina's most famous ice cream cake?

I like how they display their ice cream in ginormous spheres

Just towards the end of last year, I caught with Shellie, April, Kat and Ling (along with their hubbies and kids) over a souvlaki and ice cream run on a nice, sunny Sunday afternoon. Perfect. 

It was my second visit to Jimmy Grants and I do declare that that place is AWESOME. The souvlakis were a home run each time. First, I love how the pita bread is crusty on the outside, yet soft and pillowy on the inside. Delish. Plus, the grilled meat is done perfectly and paired with an incredible aioli. Could not fault it one bit and I was just surprised by how much I liked it the first time. Then, surprised again by how spot on it was the second time too. Plus, the fact that it's under $10 just makes it such an awesome value. Not the biggest souvas around, but I liked that it gives you room to order the side dishes or perhaps share a second souva with your friends ;). Oh and also, you HAVE to order the Jimmys Dimmys -- hands down most awesome dimmys in town! Uber thin skin and I love the incredibly soft texture and vibrant flavour of the filling. Surprising that the best dimmys is from a Greek restaurant, but respectably so. On the other hand, I don't think I enjoyed the famous grain salad as much as others did.

After a lovely lunch with the gang, we took a short stroll one block down to the newly opened Gelato Messina. I remember having the famous gelato chain in Sydney in 2011 for the first time. It was at The Star casino, I had the blood orange sorbet and it was great. I liked the interior of their new Melbourne branch. Shellie and I shared the Jack Daniel Smoked Chocolate Ice Cream and also the French Apple Pie. Put it this way, I loooove a boozy dessert. I'll be honest, I like them really boozy. The ones that you feel can almost knock you out. Let's just say that the JD flavoured ice cream almost took me there. French Apple Pie was so delicious too. Is it really the best ice cream in town, I don't know. I think I enjoyed Messina not so much for the ice cream, but because I had a fantastic lunch prior with awesome company. But truthfully speaking, that's how ice cream is meant to be enjoyed, isn't it?

Once again, I just cannot get enough of the food scene in the Fitzroy area. There's so much to eat and experience whether you're going for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper. Grabbing a souvlaki lunch at Jimmy Grants followed by dessert at Messina. WICKED. And I recommend people do the same too. Otherwise, my other favourite thing to do at night in the area is to grab dinner at Vegie Bar before heading to have awesome n2 Gelato for dessert.

Sun Mei Chinese Restaurant Using Delivery Hero

Note: All photos taken with my iPhone 4s

Orange Duck in Batter - $17.50

BBQ Pork with Plum Sauce & Veg - $12.90

Fish Fillet with Salt and Pepper - $17.50

Combination Beancurd & Veg - $14.90

Beef with Noodles & Veg - $12.90

Louisa from Delivery Hero Australia contacted me one evening to ask if I wanted to collaborate with her on a Chinese New Year collaboration she's working on on their website. 

Everyone who knows me understands that Chinese New Year is, without a doubt, the most important time of the year for me ever since I was born. I'll be honest, I was a little hesitant about taking part initially as things have been quite busy for me recently. However, I went for it anyway because I love sharing my Chinese New Year memories and traditions with other people. I was asked a number of questions regarding the holiday, which I was more than glad to answer. Just the thought of this significant holiday immediately brings a smile to my face.

Louisa then gave me a voucher to spend on their website. My friends and I had plans to stay in on Friday night to catch the Federer and Nadal Australian Open tennis match (epic!) so I couldn't have thought of a better time to use it. I was right.

The food took a little over an hour to arrive, which was fine. We knew it would normally take as long anyway. We were so excited like little children when the delivery man rang the bell that we could've given him a big fat hug to say thanks. The anticipation of food delivery is quite fun, actually.

The battered duck with a side of orange sauce was definitely new to us. A Chinese version of the famous French dish: duck a l'orange. BBQ pork dish wasn't great as some of the veg was a tad bitter and I found it to be too saucy. Battered fish was crunchy and delicious, the clear fav of the night. If I knew the sauce for the beancurd dish was going to be so similar to the BBQ pork, I might've opted for something else to get more variety. Noodles were a bit thick and floury but I can't help it because these are the only noodles I order from a Chinese restaurant.

Foodwise, it wasn't great. Highly expected anyway, so no disappointments from our end. People who order Chinese takeaway (or most other takeaway cuisine, for that matter) don't actually expect it to be the best things we've ever eaten. In fact, more often than not, our motivation is quite the opposite. You want something quick. And bad for you. Because we rarely do this to ourselves anyway. Just don't order this for your Chinese Mum and Dad and you'll be fine.

At the end of the day? You wonder to yourself why you would get Chinese takeaway when it isn't really Chinese food and you know that it's going to leave you with a slight feeling of regret. The answer is because it's so bad that it's good. It's so good that it's bad. Plus, you get a certain satisfaction from it that simply cannot, cannot be replaced with anything else but Chinese takeaway. Sometimes, it really is the perfect thing to have for a night in with friends. 

Hope you're all as excited about the Tennis Finals as I am! Chinese New Year is next weekend and I've already started being very busy, busy, busy with all the prep for it. Lots of work but I know it's going to be worth it. Can't wait to blog about it after!

Happy Australia Day and Chinese New Year to all of you celebrating!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Winston received a voucher to spend on the Delivery Hero Website. All opinions are honest and based on own personal experience at the time.

Rose and Raspberry Filo Tartlets

Filo pastry makes the most amazing tart shells. It's ultra crisp yet holds its shape really well. Plus, I love the loud crunch you hear when people start biting into these babies.

My friend Grace was generous enough to invite about 15 of us over to her place for hotpot dinner one night. I decided to make these Rose and Raspberry Filo Tartlets as a little "thank you".

These tartlets are so easy to make and way easier to inhale. Such a delicious and light dessert. And what I like most is that the hint of rosewater in the custard is such a nice surprise. No one saw it coming when they bit into it but it works so well, especially with the fresh raspberries.

So, I highly recommend that you give this recipe a go, while we still have so much fresh raspberries available. Warning: these babies will go quick (too tasty and easy to eat) so be sure to make more.

Rose and Raspberry Filo Tartlets Recipe

(makes 24 tarts, adapted from this video recipe by Sorted Food)

Ingredients:

1 pack of filo pastry

80g butter (melted)

500ml milk

5 egg yolks

100g caster sugar

45g plain flour

1 tsp rose water

1 punnet of fresh raspberries

Handful of pistachios

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Blitz the pistachios in a mini food processor or chop it finely with a knife.

2. Handle one filo pastry at a time. Use the tip of the knife to draw 10cm squares on the sheet (so that it can be removed easily later). Brush the entire sheet of filo pastry with melted butter.

3. Remove 4 squares and place them on top of one another in a muffin tin. Make sure you offset each square slightly as you layer them (for extra crunch). You don't want neat stacks. Place them in a cupcake tin. Repeat for the remaining holes in the tin.

4. Bake in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool on a wire rack. Repeat steps 1 to 4 to bake another batch.

5. Heat the milk in a pot until bubbles start to form on the sides of the pot. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, rose water and flour thoroughly in a separate bowl.

6. Pour a third of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Whisk. Add the remaining hot milk into the egg mixture. Whisk.

7. Pour mixture back into the pot and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly until start to thicken and coat the back of the spoon. Pour into heatproof bowl/tray and allow to cool for 1 hour.

8. Once tartlet shells and custard is cooled, spoon the custard into all the tartlet shells. You can give the custard a quick stir with the spoon if you see a layer of skin forming at the top.

9. Garnish each tartlet with fresh raspberries and pistachio crumbs.