eating out

Vue de Monde: express lunch

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Lui Bar

I love a lunch deal. So when I heard that Vue de Monde was doing a $60 1 hour express lunch that ended in November, I hurriedly booked in a lunch date with I-Hua and Maz.

Maz and I cleverly scheduled a day off work, while I-Hua snuck out for a long lunch. We weren’t aware of exactly how long a lunch it was going to be. One hour stretched into two hours… which extended to three hours. (Sorry, I-Hua’s company!)

We were a bit early for our table, so we were directed up to the Lui Bar via the snazzy nightclub style elevator. At the Lui Bar, we spread out on their couches, admired the view, and decided that: nope, 1pm was definitely not too early for a negroni. Not too early at all.

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True South Brewery

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We must have over a hundred bottles of beer sitting at home. No, we’re not total boozers in this house – it’s due to Alastair and Bro’s homebrew hobby that’s been going strong for over a year. I indulge them in their hobby, even though the big fermenting thingy (technical term) took up residence in the laundry over winter and there are boxes and boxes of beer bottles all over the garage.

As to be expected, they’ve both become much more interested in beer due to their hobby. So when Alastair and I spent a weekend on the Mornington Peninsula, I made sure to include a couple of brewery visits. And on the way home, we stopped for lunch at True South Brewery in Black Rock.

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WLG – Wellington pop up restaurant

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WLG

Have you heard about the Wellington pop up restaurant? In Melbourne for two weeks only, it’s a little taste of Wellington, New Zealand, in the form of a three course meal. As soon as the tickets were released, I pounced on them and booked a table. Why was I so keen? Well, as long time readers of this blog will know, Alastair, Bro and I all grew up in Wellington. Yes, I am a kiwi (ex-kiwi?) and I still have a soft spot for my old hometown.

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Agraba

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Where I grew up, the weather was pretty stable. It was shit, but it was stable. When it rained (and it did often), it rained for days – pelting, horizontal rain. When it was windy (and it almost always was), it was a strong, bitterly cold wind that would turn umbellas inside out in an instant. When it was cold (and yes, it normally was) it would be cold for the whole week.

8 years in Melbourne, and I still think the weather here is insane. Hot sunny days suddenly transform to torrential rain in the space of an hour. One day it’s 30 degrees, the next it’s barely nudging 15. How is one meant to plan for such unsettled weather?? Should I leave the house in sandals, or do I need gumboots? Do I need tights, or will I be sweltering by the end of the day? AAARGH.

Maz, Daz and I caught up recently at Agraba on a Friday night. When I booked a table, I noticed that Agraba had both inside and outside seating. It was a gorgeous day on Friday, and I was tempted to request an outside table. And then I remembered – this is Melbourne.

Lo and behold, by the time I got home from work, the rain had started. Good thing I hadn’t chosen the outside table!

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Taxi Dining Room: bento lunch

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Taxi

Disclosure: I dined courtesy of Taxi and Little Big Marketing.

The other weekend I was invited to Taxi to experience their bento lunch. I’m sure Taxi needs no introduction! It’s a very slick restaurant, and I loved the splashes of aqua/turquoise (one of my favourite colours) amongst all the steel and shiny surfaces. Though of course, the best part must be the floor to ceiling windows that make the most of the views out to the Yarra and the city.

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Tao Tao House

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Sometimes the best planned ideas go awry. I often talk about my insane love for egg tarts (I’ve even baked my own before!) and I had plans for an egg tart tasting. A group of egg tart lovers would buy an assortment of egg tarts, get together, and then we’d EAT THEM ALL. After some chatting back and forth, it was decided that we have lunch beforehand at Tao Tao House, thanks to an excellent suggestion made by Allan.

However, unexpectedly several people had to drop out, causing us to cancel the egg tart tasting. Boo hoo! At least we kept the plans to go to Tao Tao House for yum cha.

Tao Tao House opened early this year on Glenferrie Road and is run by a father and son team, Jason and Eric Au. Jason Au was once the head dim sum chef at Flower Drum for nearly 20 years, and more recently worked at Donnie’s Golden Dragon Palace for 5 years. Impressive resume!

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La Petanque

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How did people decide on places to eat and activities to do before the internet? When I started planning our Mornington Peninsula weekend a couple of days before heading down there, I looked at blogs, websites, checked out menus, and I even made restaurant bookings online.

One place I booked was La Petanque, located in Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula. It’s a casual, southern French style restaurant seating 60 that’s located in a rustic wooden building with rose and herb gardens leading to the entrance. Inside, it’s all wooden floors, wooden ceiling beams, tables with white tablecloths and large windows.

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Brunetti

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Disclosure: My visit was courtesy of Brunetti and Food Pampering

Brunetti is a total Melbourne institution. The first shop opened in Carlton in 1985 (though the current family took over in 1991) and it is now a mini empire, having expanded to several more locations in Melbourne, as well as Singapore and Dubai. The Carlton shop spans three shop fronts, and seems to be constantly packed. It’s a big, loud, busy joint with a huge selection of cakes, pastries and other baked goods.

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A weekend away: Mornington Peninsula

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I’m an awesome trip planner. And I’m really good at choosing places to eat.

Hah – modest much? During our weekend away in the Mornington Peninsula, Alastair heard these two statements a lot. Perhaps I blew my own trumpet once too often when my normally patient husband replied, “Yes, and you have no trouble talking yourself up either.”

But the fact of the matter is: it was a great weekend. And I planned it. Surely that’s worth being proud of? Toot toot!
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