Eat Like Ushi

For a nice meal in Apollo Bay the most prominent option is Chris's Beacon Point Restaurant. Unfortunately they were booked out so I stayed in town. The two remaining options were La Bimba and Vista. Both have good and bad reviews and it was a tough decision choosing between them. What drove me toward La Bimba in the end was two things - there are more La Bimba reviews and recommendations, the website for Vista leads to some Japanese website and also when I tried to call Vista to book they didn't answer. That seems enough reasons. Funnily on the night I walked past and the place looks nice, there is a good amount of seafood there including a (rather expensive sounding) $190 fresh seafood platter with mash (no fried food and no fries they advertised to me).

La Bimba has a nice location above the bakery and there is a view of the ocean albeit quite obstructed by trees.

- Farmer's plate $28 - Apollo Bay Bakery brioche (soft and buttery), pulled duck (soft and fatty with mild taste), cured beef (very strong flavour), local moderate strength blue cheese, chutney (may have been dates I think), beautifully spiced cauliflower and taramasalata (an odd tasting pink dip made from fish eggs);
- Pumpkin, tahini, almonds & parsley $12 - some of the best roast pumpkin I've eaten with firm skin and soft flesh and topped by flavours and textures;
- Snapper with chimmichuri $37 - a slightly plain but decently cooked fish;
- Blue eye, mussels, chorizo, green sauce $38 - a nice meaty fillet, well cooked with some small mussels, peas and salty sauce.

The food and cooking was very good overall and there's some other seafood items I'd like to try in the future - smoked eel, snapper tartare and the (slightly expensive) seafood paella for 2 for $79.

Approaching the co-op you are immediately met by the mural of an enormous octopus. As confronting as that is, it provides hope for the seafood held within.

My initial reason for visiting the co-op was to purchase some fresh seafood for dinner that evening. It's always a mystery about the variety, price and quality but if I could snare some nice lobster tails or other shell fish that would be great. My accommodation host also mentioned they did great fish and chips and the view made it worth staying there. So my lunch plans changed from fish and chips at the Apollo Bay Seafood Cafe to the co-op instead.

After wandering inside, I must admit a small bit of disappointment looking at the fresh fish counter. Admittedly it was 2pm so perhaps the best catch of the day had gone. There was surprisingly little local seafood with only flake, flathead, snapper and scallops. There were some queensland prawns (cooked in shell or raw deshelled) and a few cooked lobsters not advertised as local.

I didn't end up buying anything fresh but settled on fish and chips from the local selection. Interestingly the fish of the day was blue grenadier which I believe may be from frozen (and that's a bit disappointing).

The flake was well cooked with mild flavour. The snapper had a more distinctive bite and texture (as usual). The batter was very crisp, seasoned and welcomes some Skipping Girl white vinegar. Chips were adequate but could have been crunchier. I ordered 2 scallops and was given 3 (thanks!) which were heavily battered with good juicy scallops inside.

Next time I'd probably try the Apollo Bay Seafood Cafe as they are meant to have excellent fish and chips. The co-op is still a good option especially with a view and hopefully the local selection will be better earlier in the day.

After last month's traipse around Hobart for the local delicacy scallop pies (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/salamanca-bakehouse-hobart-01-2016) I was surprised and happy to discover Apollo Bay had its own reputed one.

After having dinner at La Bimba the previous evening and being introduced to the Bakery's smooth brioche, I was excited to return the next day for a scallop pie.

There's two types available - mornay and curry. Sticking to Hobart's tradition I tried the curry version for a high sticking price of $10. Although on the small side, the pie is excellent. Crisp pastry (would prefer a little thicker) with nice curry and 3 or 4 small but thick scallops with excellent strong flavour. It's expensive and not the most convenient to get to, but I dare say I liked it more than Hobart's offerings.

There's a huge stack of other pies to pick from as well as some bread (including a roasted pumpkin sourdough which I'm hoping may rival the outstanding tangy, spongy version occasionally sold at Crust Bakery in Fyshwick).

Every beach (actually every city) needs an ice cream/gelato place. That one in Apollo Bay is Dooley's (aka The Ice Cream Tub). There's two things that are quite intimidating about the place when you walk in - one is the queue (not as large as Messina for example, but considering the relative market population) and the other is the enormous number of awards hanging on the walls.

The flavours that tend to win the awards are chestnut, licorice, lemon curd, vanilla, coconut passionfruit and many more.

I couldn't imagine licorice appealing so much so I tried a small sample. It's creamy and lightly flavoured and unexpectedly pleasant. Having said that I don't think I could handle an entire scoop.

What I do settle on is chestnut (a smooth mild flavour) and lemon curd (essentially a potent lovely lemon cheesecake flavour). What is distinctive is how extraordinarily creamy the ice creams are, but I suppose that's the key difference in fat content between ice cream and what I usually buy in gelato. It's incredible and some of the best ice cream I've had. Overall I think I prefer gelato in being more dense and discrete but this ice cream makes it a tough call.

They unfortunately didn't have pistachio that day so I'll have to take a raincheck on that.

I'd read many great reviews about Belle's, moreso from essential Melbourne eats for 2015. As much as I go through chicken phases (whether it be Nando's, local roasts from various shops and supermarkets, the occasional KFC) I must admit that in recent years chicken doesn't excite me like other meats. It may be my own shift to slow cuts and there really isn't any slow cooking chickens (if you exclude the brining, smoking and ridiculous low heats of Heston).

Belle's may have garnered a little more interest for me when I heard a girl I know may have been dating the family member of whoever started up Belle's (maybe her name is Belle?).

There was an initial decision to eat a leftovers home lunch, but this changed by the coincidence of driving along Gertrude Street at lunchtime and so it began.

- Cardamom lemonade $6 - housemade tart lemonade with a mild hint of cardamom. Refreshing;
- Fried oysters with pickled fennel & ranch $18 - small crisp oysters but losing the ocean flavour I enjoy them so much for;
- Dark meat (drumstick & thigh) with 3 bean salad, red peppers & dill $18 - great meat, extraordinarily crispy batter coating with nice flavour. The salad was a little bland compared to the spice of the batters;
- Tenders with old bay fries $16 - very soft chicken pieces with a slightly softer batter. Good fries with a similar spice mix.

I'm not sure what the spice coating is but I'd think it contains salt, pepper, milk powder (or some kind of cheese powder which is the aftertaste I had) and paprika. I'm sure there's another 20 spices in it that I can't discern. 

I ordered medium heat which was quite minimal. Housemade hot sauce provided quite a kick of vinegar and a definite extra bit of chilli. To me it seemed similar to Nando's periperi but less thick. It wasn't unpleasantly hot but I didn't think I needed it for the fries nor chicken, but others who like dipping things may disagree.

Thanks for redeeming my faith in chicken.

Next time I would order dark meat with old bay fries and an extra wing or tender. I might try hot instead to medium to see how well I handle it.

03-2016

I was in the area for a housewarming and the icing on the cake was the thought of the opportunity to return to Belle's. On this occasion the new items tried were the special of Mac & Cheese (very thick, cheesy with distinct bacon taste and not overly rich) and Wings with Pickles (wings had great flavour and crunchy coatings and the pickles were nice too but probably a bit too much considering the dishes come with 4 pickles already).

I also had the dark meat with fries and it reinforced my preference for fries over another side (although if dining alone, another/additional side may be necessary to offset the salty heavy flavours) and also how much I like the dark meat's combination of crisp seasoning but also chunks of pure meat (which the wings don't have). Both are great but I'd probably give the edge to the dark meat, as 4 wings seemed like potentially too much flavouring. I also went for medium again and so will need the upgrade to hot as I felt barely any heat at all.

Iced tea had a sweet strong peppermint flavour and I enjoyed it more than the cardamom lemonade from last visit.

This trip reaffirmed my thoughts of Belle's having some of my favourite (and the best) chicken I've eaten anywhere.

I'm starting to like it around here. Maybe it's the cheap produce at the markets or the cheap ethnic variety of restaurants around. I kinda like the new place I'm living in too if I'm honest. I don't think I'd heard of Seddon (let alone ever been there) up until a couple of weeks ago. It's a pleasant area with quite a lot of cafes within a small proximity and somewhere I can see hipster-ing up in the near future (some are there already).

Mixed in there is a well rated Japanese place. After my recent return to Samurai (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/samurai-melbourne-01-2016) some extra cheap Japanese food wouldn't go astray. Since I had to pickup nearby dry cleaning (the reason I visited Seddon for the first time) lunch was a good idea.

- Agedashi tofu (with ground ginger & daikon in sweet dashi) $9 - the winter warmer and pleaser is very nice here. The tofu has a crisp outside and the dashi is extremely strong;
- Tonkatsu (panko-coated home-made deep fried pork with spiced sauce) $11 - nice and crunchy although a little small for the price;
- Shabu-shabu udon (chicken salad with shabu-shabu style sesame dressing) $15 - I'll admit I thought it would be a hot dish and didn't read the description properly. The chicken was ok, minimally on the dry side and the dressing quite savoury;
- Soupless soba (sesame-fried fried, niku-beef & egg) $15 - I do like cold soba noodles with sesame dressing generally. This had much less sesame flavour but instead the specks of pink ginger really made it delicious. I liked it a lot.

I'll definitely be back for some cheapish Japanese fare. I don't think the sashimi smash will live up to legendary chirashi at Ume Nomiya on Gertrude Street (any hipsters heard of that place?) but I can dream. Additionally kara age, tempura and takoyaki staples will need to also be tested.

I knew that Konjo sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. Even the tribal orange coloured sign looked familiar. It wasn't after the meal when the host said there was a branch in Collingwood did it make sense. I'm sure I've been once on Smith Street.

Considering the much more well known Lalibela is next door, it's a curious question why I ended up in Konjo. Two reasons - I needed to use credit card that day (and Lalibela is cash only) and I had read Konjo had a buffet for around $15 per head. In the end Konjo didn't have a buffet. Looking now at the website the buffet is only Friday and Saturday lunches but the a la carte isn't much more expensive anyway.

As three of us were eating, we ordered three dishes which were served together. The injera is dark and so extra sour. It isn't for the faint hearted or those very new to Ethiopian cuisine. Indeed once when I bought a pack of 5 (for $5!!) from Flemington Road I couldn't eat them all due to sour overload (and they don't keep long at home before mould or drying out in the fridge). However for a once off meal, the extra tang really does bind the flavours of the dishes together.

- Beyeinatu (6 vegetable sampler) $14 - a colourful assortment of split peas, lentils and vegetables. None were individually great (often I find one of the vegie dishes supreme) but a good combination for variety;
- Lamb misto $14 - half lamb kai wot (spicy stew in onions, garlic and berbere which I liked more) and half lamb alicha (non-spicy stew with potatoes, carrots cooked in turmeric, onions & garlic);
- Doro Wot (single piece of chicken marinated in lemon, simmered in onion, garlic & spice blend with a hard boiled egg) $16 - they told me this was hot and having made it from scratch before I can attest that it can be fiery. However this version was very mild and sweet which was unexpected. I think I do prefer the hotter more savoury version.

I did like the extra tangy injera and will next time request that at all Ethiopian places. Overall I have liked the stews at Lalibela and The Abyssinian better previously.

Next time I would order the beyeinatu (for vegetables and contrast) and the lamb kai wot or try the half/half (beef tibs and rare kitfo) or the fried lamb derek tibs. It's a communal eating experience so there should be opportunity to order several types. Otherwise there's always the buffet option!

I'll be honest and say that going to Urban Pantry in the final weeks wasn't on my agenda. I really wanted to go to X.O to eat their ribs, but unfortunately they were closed for the holiday period and coincidentally the owner Ken was there finalising their Chinese New Year menu.

So the predicament for Wednesday dining came around. It had been a quite exhausting few days and so going to Braddon seemed too much effort. I remember 3 separate occasions of trying to go to Urban Pantry and always realising it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Since then they'd also closed down, renovated and re-opened and friends had been for brunch commenting how nice it was overall. It seemed an easy decision.

Seating was easy even though a reasonably large 21st birthday was happening outside.

- Tasmanian Rock Oysters natural $3.5 each - since I was going to Hobart a few days later this was appropriate. They were small and fine but nowhere near the quality of the ones eaten a few days later;
- Duck Pappardelle (wild mushroom ragout, baked lemon ricotta, pistachio crumble) $32 - quite a subtle sauce with nicely cooked pasta and thick shreds of duck;
- Seafood Lasagna (sand lobster, Crystal Bay prawns, barramundi, crustacea butter, saffron, concasse tomato) $32 - a beautifully presented dish although to be honest I expected something that closer resembled a classic lasagna. The flavours were also much milder than expected with bits of seafood amongst soft (should it be al dente?) pasta;
- Caprese (heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, cucumber ribbons, buffalo mozzarella, EVOO, red wine vinegar) $14 - a simple fresh salad for contrast.

Overall I was a little disappointed. My dining partner on the other hand thought the food was excellent. It could be because I tend to like powerful flavours. The dishes are quite expensive, but with a 2-for-1 main offer from the Entertainment Book, it comes right down. I would go back (with the voucher) but now that I don't live in Canberra anymore, there are places I like more to go preferentially.

I'll have to remind myself to take a photo of the menu for ONA next time, being one of the few places I haven't done this and not having an online menu available.

During the intense few days of packing up and moving, there were several trips to the Salvo's required. Although not the same part of Fyshwick, going to ONA made sense to our drained brains. I distinctly remember the surprisingly outstanding breakfast there on my first visit (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/ona-coffee-house-canberra-03-2014) and a still good but not so memorable visit mid-2015. The last Canberra brunch hurrah would include Local Press and The Cupping Room and so ONA would complete the golden trifecta.

The shakes (and also coffee from what I hear) aren't as good as in their sister The Cupping Room but the shake was adequate this day. A thickish chocolate milk with cream and toasted almonds.

- Smoked cod, kimchi eggs, slaw and flat bread - strong varying flavours served with a thin bread rather than the standard sourdough;
- Pork belly roti, poached eggs, potato salad - beautiful pork with a thin roti (I do like it thicker generally) and eggs that seemed poached then fried (haven't seen that before).

A very good meal overall bringing them back into my Canberra brunch stratosphere. Though I think I overall prefer LP and TCR overall (and they are more convenient locations).

I remember they promoted wholefoods and all things good for you. I also vaguely remember the last (and only other) time I was there over 1.5 years ago they sold quite a few products on the benches which were now gone.

I ended up at Maple & Clove more by coincidence, with the final nights in Canberra being spent at the lovely 5* Hotel Realm whilst the apartment was being cleaned. It's a nice area with the patrons tending to be business people and the standard mothers with prams.

Choc almond smoothie (almond milk, dates, banana, activated almonds, coffee & cocoa) $9 kicked things off. The dates didn't make the drink overly sweet and there was a nice blend of flavours and grainy texture. I do wonder if activating nuts makes a discernible difference to either taste or health benefits.

- Maple Whole Waffle (wholemeal spelt, zucchini & sweet corn waffles served with smoked King salmon, confit tomato & slow cooked egg) $20 - an interesting waffle that was certainly different to usual. It had a strong corn flavour which I always enjoy;
- Sweet potato hashbrown (with gypsy ham, scrambled egg, dukkah, rocket & mint) $18 - I can't resist a good hashing of potatoes. This one was fine but nothing that particularly excited me.

It's a small menu and I do prefer other cafes in Canberra so this was more a meal of convenience than anything else.

The meals seemed a little small compared to the standard (or maybe I'm just greedy). Wholefoods are always more expensive I suppose but the quality is meant to be better? Maybe I'm just reminded of Wholefoods in NYC and London which was always a nice place to wander through and dream of spending that much on groceries...