Eat. @ La Flaneur - Dinner Service

5 Church St, Hawthorn 3122 ph (03) 9853 8587

I have always loved my coffee and the brunching and lunching at Le Flaneur.  I was very excited when I was invited to try the recently started dinner service on Friday and Saturday nights. Hubby and I were ready for another date night after the fun but noisy school holidays, and we were somewhat excited, to say the least, at the chance to try something new at a place we already knew well.  What we found was a beautifully prepared meal with some interesting twists to classic French dishes.  

The dinner menu at Le Flaneur offers 3 entrees, 2 mains and 2 desserts, and changes every second week.  I think this is a great way to do a dinner service as the chefs get to conjure their magic with fresh, in-season ingredients, and it kind of gives someone like me a chance to try different foods, as I'm someone who would go back and have the same dish over and over again if I liked it the first time!

I started with the House cured salmon, blinis, creme fraiche and salmon roe ($17).  This dish looked gorgeous and I enjoyed the lovely salmon perched atop the perfectly cooked blinis, which were slightly crunchy on the outside, and warm and soft on the inside.  The creme fraiche and roe added interesting textural components to the dish.

Hubby is quite the self confessed mussels connoisseur  so it was no surprise he ordered the Mussels Marinieres, served with crispy sourdough bread ($17).   I'm not a huge fan of  mussels but these were good sized and the sauce was divine.

For the main meal I ordered the Duck Breast, served with wheat polenta, apricot reduction and broccolini ($27).   I really enjoyed the perfectly duck meat, and that crispy duck skin with the salty bite was to die for.  A really lovely dish, and if this was on a regular menu I would order it every time!

Hubby had the Poached Ocean Trout, bouillabaisse, rouille jelly and shellfish ($29).  The fish was beautifully poached and the bouillabaisse and rouille jelly were full of flavour.  And yes, more mussels for Hubby!

The 2 dessert choices were quite heavy and I would have love to have had something a bit lighter as an option.  However both looked really tempting and we couldn't resist ordering one of each to share! (Piggies!)  The Carrot Cake served with orange blossom creme fraiche ($12) was delightful, and the decorative and delicious toffee shard really brings the flavours together.  For the price it was a very generous serve.

The Chocolate Fondant flavoured with raspberries and Tonka beans ($13) was a decadent end to our meal.  Unfortunately the centre was not as flowing as we would've liked but the flavour was beautiful and the raspberries gave a lighter balance to the richer chocolate.  The 2 dessert choices were quite heavy and I would have love to have had something a bit lighter as an option.  

We dined as guests of Le Flaneur on this occasion, but couldn't believe how well priced the dishes were, for the amazing quality of food that were offered.  A main meal at my local bistro costs easily upwards of $30 for most dishes and are obviously nowhere near the standard of meals at Le Flaneur.   We thought the standard of food and services here were comparable to some of the meals we've had in more "acclaimed" establishments charging upwards of $100 a head in the CBD and inner city.  

What's a visit to Le Flaneur without a cup of my favourite mocha?

I have always found the dishes at Le Flaneur to be adventurous yet delicate and immaculately prepared, with a dash of whimsy and surprise.   The dinner service did not disappoint and we were delighted to have spent a wonderful evening in cosy surroundings, with gorgeous food and attentive service.  Highly recommended, do try them out before the delicious secret is out and bookings become scarce!

What's cuter than a coffee inspired door handle?

A tamper for a door knob!

Disclaimer : Hubby and I dined as guests of Le Flaneur.  We thank Tony for the kind invitation. 

Eat. @ Station St Trading Company

166 Station St, Port Melbourne 3207 (03) 9646 6663

Nestled in a quiet corner on Station St in Port Melbourne, Station St Trading Co is the new venture from the people behind Coin Laundry, one of my favourite places to eat.  It's a snug little place loved by locals, and when we walked in the little shop was filled with lovely smells from all the breakfast-cooking and coffee brewing.  A friendly smile from the staff who found a little spot for Bubs and I only added to the welcoming atmosphere.

I started with a perfect mocha ($3.5), with the obligatory latte art of course.  

Bubs is quite a good eater now, and we shared the Station St Breakfast Stack ($17.5), of smashed avo, bacon, spinach, mushrooms and beetroot relish, with poached eggs on pumpkin loaf.  What more could one ask for really?  Special mention goes to the crispy bacon on skewers, or as Bubs called it "bacon lolly-pop!"

The sitting space in the shop is quite limited and I wouldn't bring the pram or stroller, although the seating outside is very pram/children/pet friendly, and would be lovely on a sunny day.  There are even blankets for the colder days.  This side of town is quite a bit of a hike for us, but coupling this with a visit to the beach for a bit of boat spotting, then a little wander through South Melbourne is quite a nice day out for us.  I found out later that they serve Lune croissants so I will definitely be back to try them out at our next visit!

Toilets - yes, a little "out-house" out the back, no room to change babies though.

Highchair - No

Eat. @ A Little Bird Told Me

29 Little Latrobe St, Melbourne CBD 3000

A Little Bird told me a secret, about a little place called A Little Bird Told Me.  

Awesome coffee in a little shop near RMIT.  Lines of people waiting to get their daily fix of great coffee tells the story in itself.  My mocha ($5) was beautiful and delicate.

The carrot cake ($5) by Matt Forbes is one of the best I've ever had.  Moist, sweet but not too sweet, fragrant but not too spicy, topped with little piped dollops of cream cheese frosting sprinkled with nuts and peel.  Perfect with my morning coffee.

Beautifully simple and modern little shop, large communal tables and counter seats.  Friendly staff helped me find a place for Bubs and I.  Just be careful as the cool 3 legged chairs can be difficult to navigate for a toddler.  I will no doubt be back for more coffee and to try the other baked goodies.

Eat. @ The Foodrinkery

22 Banksia St, Burwood VIC 3125 (03) 9808 2468

Hi there!  It's been a while since I've blogged as I've been busy dealing with a whole lot of stuff in my non-blogging life, but I'm baaaaack!  I've been to The Foodrinkery on numerous occasions now but hadn't blogged about it because I had to sort out and process so many photos I have of their yummy food and of course I've been extremely lazy busy! Apologies in advance for how many photos this post contains but their goodies are all so yummy and photogenic!  The Foodrinkery is one of my favourite places to visit on this side of town, true to its name it's a great place for fantastic food and drink, and unlike inner suburbs there aren't many cafes of this quality out Burwood way!

Coffees and mochas ($3.5)  are always delicious and more often than not adorned with beautiful latte art.

Hubby's favourite here is the Lamb Meatballs Ciabatta ($11.5).  A "manly" serve of lamb meatballs with tomato sugo, cheesy bechamel sauce in a toasted ciabatta which we think was a special at one stage but had become a regular menu item probably due to its popularity.

I've loved most of the dishes here, but must say their Croque Madame ($9) is a firm favourite.  Pretty reasonably priced too I must add.

Just look at that ham and bechamel deliciousness, not to mention the perfectly poached egg.  

A fresh baguette with poached chicken, apple, celery, walnuts and home made herb mayo ($10.5) is a simple lunch option that always goes down well.

Baked Beans with ratatouille and sour dough ($12) and poached egg (+$2) is a meal that the kids like to share.  A very comforting dish for a hearty breakfast or lunch.

For something light I've tried their Coconut tapioca, citrus fruit, finger lime and ginger ($6) which is perfect for a light meal, or healthy breakast!

My favourite sweet here is the Brioche toast served with their lemon curd and toasted almonds ($8).  Oh the buttery brioche and the tangy lemon curd are so to-die-for!

The young ones are well catered for with their own menu of "Kids and Little People Stuff".  Bubs loves the Boiled Eggs and Brioche Soldiers ($8), dipping those butter soldiers into the runny egg being great entertainment as well as yummy for the tummy!

In summer the kids like to have frozen pops ($2.5) in a variety of flavours.  Here's one in Blood orange.

There are also some excellent specials that we've tried on past visits.  My favourite would be this awesome lemon cheesecake milkshake ($6) that I've had to fight the kids for!

There was a delicious sausage roll with tomato relish on another visit.

I'm a sucker for good cupcakes and there are often some at the counter to finish off the meal.  This one was a very chocolatey chocolate cupcake.

On nice days you can dine in the courtyard, which is always fantastic for families like us, where dining with 3 littlies can mean chaos and noise which is always less stressful when you're outdoors.  Then if they behave well the park next door is an excellent treat and an great way for them to burn off some of that endless energy whilst Hubby and I recover from the comfort of a park bench.

All in all, a lovely local cafe with friendly staff, great food and drink, that caters for big and little people.  Big tick from this family!

Toilets - yes

Highchairs - yes

Eat. @ MoVida Bakery

3 Tivoli Rd, South Yarra 3141 ph (03) 9041 4345

Fresh off my visit to MoVida, I headed down to South Yarra on a spectacular Melbourne autumn day with Bubs, and tried out the goodies at MoVida's Bakery outpost.  

It's a small place on a side street off the busier section of Toorak Road, but it's by no means quiet; and boy, do the baked goods pack a bang.

I started off with an excellent mocha with beautiful latte art. 

Then it's onto the gorgeous donuts I have read so much about.  Don't judge me, but I bypassed the savoury (there were sausage rolls and ham, cheese and tomato filled croissants), and my breakfast was made up entirely of sweet stuff.  Starting with a luscious donut with lemon curd filling. ($3.5), two of my favourite things rolled into one.  What's not to like I say!

Then it's onto the MoVida Portuguese tart ($4).  The tarts are bigger than the ones I'm used to and has quite a substantial yet smooth and creamy custard filling.  I was full by the end of it, definitely worth the $4 considering the much smaller ones you get for the same size elsewhere.

I wasn't about to leave empty handed!  A tray of donuts to go for the family, including a strawberry and rhubarb one.  All the donuts are delicious, but my favourite is still the lemon curd one, as I love the citrus tang offsetting the sweet sugar coated dough.

Having said that the salted caramel made quite an impression on the kids.  Look at the glorious oozy caramel!

And I couldn't go past the good old fashioned caramel slice ($4).  This one came with a surprise component - the salted popping candy sprinkled on top.  What a combo!  Absolutely loved it!

The shop itself isn't big, but plenty of families with prams came in and out the busy door grabbing baked goods and coffee to eat and drink out the front.  I can definitely see us doing a quick drop-by to buy takeaway donut treats in the future!

Highchair - No