Reserve restaurant and Cellar, Maleny (Sunshine Coast, QLD)

(Degusted 8th August, 2011)

This restaurant stands proud in a two-storey older-style building, perched on the side of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland's hills in the town of Maleny. Literally 10 minutes up the road from the famous “Australia Zoo”, it's a pleasant 30 minute drive from the Mooloolaba / Maroochydore area – which puts it in easy reach of the seaside resort towns, and it's even a realistic possibility for those coming up from Brisbane for a day-trip (we've heard from locals however, that the return drive back to Brisbane on a Sunday afternoon can be a traffic nightmare).

View through the bar into the kitchen beyond.

We were welcomed into the character-filled dining room which boasted exposed beams, a slowly rolling coonara fireplace, and remarkably few other diners (it was a Monday night). Taking a seat near the fire was a good idea – it was probably 5 to 10 degrees cooler up in the hills than it was down on the coast and we were dressed like Southerners (as though it was the middle of summer).

We opted for the 5-course wine-matched degustation – we think it was a good choice, as we watched other diners ordering the same (or similar) meals a la carte as those which we were served; clearly the degustation was drawing from actual dishes you can order as stand-alone items.

Pumpkin velouette, pate and orange marmalade
(low light photo with phone camera)

First up was a pumpkin velouette* (soup), with a house-made chicken liver pate with orange marmalade on crispbread (* velouette translated = velvety sauce, which we've mentioned previously in a post regarding Poutine ingredients). The pumpkin "soup" was indeed velvety and creamy, had a good flavour but was nothing ground-breaking, same goes for the pate and marmalade – nice flavours and rustic. It was setting the scene for a degustation that was looking to be a good wholesome feed, and not overly exciting or inventive. Indeed, there were none of the popular "foams", “smears”, "soils" or "ash" in any of the dishes to come – This was a good thing and in keeping with the feel of the restaurant.. While we find these plate dressings interesting and have enjoyed them in previous degustations in some of Melbourne’s finer (3-hatted) restaurants, they aren't really necessary - and would have been completely out of place in a rustic setting such as this.

Seared Scallops with pancetta.

Next up were some seared Hervey Bay scallops wrapped in pancetta with a pile of salmon 'pearls' on top – each sitting on pillows of sweet-pea mash and a champagne & butter sauce. This was looking more like it! The scallops were cooked well, the pancetta was not too tough (it sometimes can be a bit chewy/crunchy) – together they worked well and the salty little "pops" of the salmon roe gave another layer of texture and taste to each mouthful.

The degustation plate gets three of these delicious morsels – the dish ordered a la carte had 5 on the plate.

Our next “matched wine” gave a hint of what might be next - the wine was a Shadowfax Chardonnay, which after sipping a bit we thought would go well with cheeses... Perhaps a cheesy tart, or a souffle might be next, we mused...

Twice-baked Moreton Bay Bug souffle.

We weren’t far off. It turned out to be a twice-baked Moreton Bay Bug souffle with Gruyere cheese (YUM!!) served with vinegar-soaked spinach knot and salmon roe. The souffle was simply beautiful – the cooked cheesy flavour on top reminding us of the good gooey cheese that comes out of a toasted cheese sandwich and goes crispy brown on the side.. As if we were kids again, we lopped of the light fluffy tops, to reveal the juicy bug filling in the bottom. Add a squeeze of lime and you're talking our language. Order this one again.

The theme of the plating of this dish (cylinders and circles) was a common element through all the remaining dishes.

A palate-cleansing house-made sorbet served next was delicious, and had us guessing what the ingredients actually were – we could pick up the watermelon flavour immediately, but it also had notes of dried fruit (think the caramely flavour from dates or saltanas). As it turns out, it was Watermelon and coconut – presumably young coconut, as it was very sweet.

The "main" meal was next – a slow-braised (12 hours!) piece of lamb shoulder, served on roast pumpkin pieces, and crowned with sauteed onions and a crust of macadamia, mustard and herbs. My mouth is watering thinking about it. The crust and the onions were delightful, and the lamb... Oh the lamb! It simply fell apart and melted in the mouth – devine. The jus was very thick, shiny, and with a rich velvety butteryness – so full of flavour – obviously a lot of time (and butter and calories) had gone into creating it – those many hours of reduction were worth it.

A great match was the McLaren Vale Shiraz. Smmmoooooothe.

Slow-braised Lamb Shoulder, sauteed onions, macadamia and mustard crust.
(Hooray for flash photography!)

So, with that awe-inspiring lamb dish well and truly gone, last up was dessert – and we should note that at this point we were actually feeling quite satisfied – this was not a 'fancy tiny morsel' degustation – it was more of a set menu that gives a sample of all the chef's best offerings.

When the vanilla bean pannacotta and cinnamon beignets (choux pastry doughnuts) with caramel sauce came out, you could not wipe the smiles off our faces - kids in candy store… you get the idea.The pastry was so light and fluffy, yet had a slight chewiness to it; mixed with the caramel sauce that had a hint of saltiness, this was a light and delicious component to degust. The pannacotta had a tremendous hit of sweetness and vanilla flavour (vanilla is not plain!!). We wished there was more of the caramel sauce on the plate – but delightful the way it was.

Vanilla bean pannacotta and Cinnamon beignets with caramel sauce. Ooooohhhhhh yummm.

It was a good sized degustation, and we left feeling comfortably full. For us, the sign of a good degustation is one that serves up dishes that give you enough of a taste of the dish to tease you into wanting more. Apart from the first course, all these dishes did just that:  a few more scallops would have been devine, souffle was so more-ish; we loved the macadamia/mustard crust on the melt-in the mouth lamb; then the perfectly sized dessert still had us scraping the plates clean wanting more. As full as we felt after all this, we just didn't want the meal to end. That’s gotta tell you something.

A highly recommended from us – it would certainly be worth the drive up into the Maleny area hills, which if done during the day, would offer magnificent views over the Sunshine Coast. Given that it's not far from the Australia Zoo, we can imagine there would be lots of people visiting nearby. For our money, we’d go back and end the day with a lovely meal at Reserve in Maleny.

Rating:  Must go back!

Meh                      It’ll Do                   Nom(x3)                              Must go back!

Done and Degusted @ Reserve Restaurant & Cellar, Maleny

-Pumpkin Velouette with Pate & Marmalade
-Seared Hervey Bay Scallops wrapped in Pancetta
-Twice Baked Moreton Bay Bug and White Truffle Oil Soufflé
-Watermelon & Coconut sorbet
-Slow Braised Shoulder of Lamb, onion relish and mustard crust
-Vanilla pannacotta with cinnamon beignets and caramel sauce



In the Sunshine Coast area? You might like to grab some coffee and breakfast at the Chopping Block cafe in Buderim.






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Chopping Block Cafe, Buderim - Sunshine Coast, QLD

(Degusted 8th August, 2011)

One thing we've noticed about the seaside towns in the Sunshine Coast – especially Mooloolaba and  Maroochydore – is that there is a real shortage of cafés. Maybe it's because we're spoilt from the huge variety available in Melbourne, or maybe it's just the areas that we're visiting, but things in the caffeine dealing business seem really quiet around the Sunny Coast. Of note was that in Mooloolaba on a Sunday night, there was only a Gloria Jeans open (and there was about 30 people crowding around to get their coffee fix) – surprising that there's so few good, independent options in such a tourist-focused place.

As we drove out of the little town of Buderim after dinner at the Tavern the night before, we discussed how we thought we'd like to come back to this cute little town and check it out by day.

The main street of Buderim gives a really friendly, small-town community feel.  We found The Chopping Block Café by chance – it looked open and inviting, and – famished after our early morning beach-side run of foolish insanity – we stopped here for brunch.

Vegetarian

We degusted the Artichoke, pumpkin, basil and feta fritata and an asian-style chickpea salad. The fritata was unashamedly a pre-baked window-displayed item, which we were fully aware of. Originally we were just going to get the fritata part on it's own, but the waitress suggested getting it served up with salad. The salad had a lovely sesame dressing, snow peas, pak choy, julienned carrots and cashews – so there were a lot of different textures and good flavours going on. The fritata was good enough on its own, but made into a good meal with the salad.

Artichoke, pumpkin, basil and feta fritata, with asian-style salad

Eggs and trimmings

We also tried the green eggs (scrambled eggs with pesto), which comes with spinach leaves, grilled tomato and sourdough. We supplemented this with some sides – chorizo, and smoked salmon. The Chorizo was good – nice and spicy, and the amount was quite generous – and would have been enough for two to share.

Green Eggs and no ham.. The yummy spicy Chorizo and
smoked salmon made this really quite filling.

Interior shots. A pretty cruisy place,
-tables and chairs on the footpath complete the look.

Drinks

We had the straight-up orange, and a mixture of orange, pineapple and ginger juices. All juices were freshly squeezed and were of generous proportions. The espresso could easily have come from one of the better cafés in Melbourne: commendable, given the lack of coffee shops around this area -  we had expected the quality might be a bit "hit and miss", but it wasn't to be... If I had to be picky in 'Master Chef' style, I'd say it was a fraction watery and there were some residual grinds in my cup, but neither of these would be a deal-breaker - It was good coffee!!

An espresso of which this place should be proud.

Overall, we think this is a good enough place to eat - and on our visit the coffee was great. That said, we don't normally judge on price or value - but on this occasion we must note that we've read reviews on this place and surrounding places in which those reviewers thought the Chopping block was a bit too pricey. For us it was not a bargain, but nothing more than we expected.



Rating:  Nom(x1)

Meh                      It’ll Do                   Nom(x3)                              Must go back!

Done and Degusted @ The Chopping Block Cafe, Buderim

-Green Eggs, with sides of Chorizo and smoked Salmon

-Artichoke & pumpkin fritata

-Asian style chickpea salad

-Orange juice (freshly squeezed)

-Orange, Pineapple and Ginger juice (freshly squeezed)

-Espresso

Address: 70 Burnett Street,
Buderim QLD

Cuisine: Modern Australian   Seats: 60

Price: Main $8.50 to $18.50,   

Phone: (07) 5476 6411  Fax: (07) 5450 1451 

In the area for dinner? There are steaks available with some amazing views, at the Buderim Tavern - Check it out here

Buderim Tavern - Sunshine Coast, QLD

(Degusted 7th Aug, 2011)

Up in the hills, just a 10 or so minute drive inland from Maroochydore, you can reach this lovely little town of Buderim. By day you can get some pretty good views over the southern end of sunshine coast, and cooling breezes make it a pleasant place to be. To capture those views, the Buderim Tavern is perfectly poised (for Victorians, think of The Wheeler’s Hill Hotel). The tavern is predominantly what we'd call a steakhouse or grill. There is no table service as such – orders for drinks and food being made at the bar or the kitchen servery. There is an open plan dining area with windows all along to capture the views– although being night time, we only had the twinkling lights of the urban sprawl below. 

(We came back to Buderim the following day for brunch and took some photos from nearby to the Tavern to see what this view was like during the day. Not bad at all!)

For starters, we went for the Szechuan calamari, which was not really peppery at all – there was a little bit of spice in the crumb on the thin strips of calamari, but nothing like what we expected of a "Szechuan" flavour. Good finger-food nonetheless, but not up to the flavours we expected.

Szechuan Calamari

There were a number of steaks available – rib eyes, rumps, wagyu – ranging from 180 to 600 grams. Several choices of sauce – mushroom, peppercorn, dianne – but we went with the red wine jus, wanting to let the steak shine..

Ordering the wagyu medium-rare, we expected it super-tender and a little red – unfortunately, in our opinion, the meat was taken to a little past medium, which was a shame for such a good piece of meat.. I think most people going to a place like this would be happy with the cooking, but for us it was a bit of a waste of such a good steak -let down by the over-cooking.  The chips that came with the steak looked great, and were good enough, but we've had better (could have been crispier on the outside). The salad that comes with all steaks is a small ceasar salad, which had really nice bacon pieces (mmmm bacon). At our table was our young nephew (a salad-dodger extraordinaire) who demolished his ceasar salad on this occasion – enough said.

Wagyu - sides of ceasar salad, chips and optional mushrooms.
Red Wine Jus (as with other sauces) served on the side.

The other main we degusted was a spiced lamb rump with sweet potato, roast tomato and broccolini. Again, the lamb was a little over-done, though still pink in the centre. In this dish, there was plenty of meat served up, almost too much for one person. Some might say that’s a good thing!  It was an okay dish – nothing incredibly fancy, but certainly good enough to be on the menu in this style of restaurant.

Spiced lamb rump w/sweet potato, tomato and broccolini.

For the price and the style of restaurant, the food was good enough and will probably keep the carnivores happy, as long as they’re not too fussy about the cooking. If you like it “well done” you’d be in heaven here...

Rating:  It'll Do

Meh                      It’ll Do                   Nom(x3)                              Must go back!

Done and Degusted @ Buderim Tavern

Szechuan calamari

Wagyu rump with red wine jus, chips and ceasar salad.

Spiced lamb rump, sweet potatoe, broccolini and tomato

 
(note that the address says Maroochydore, it's definitely in Buderim!)

In the area? You might like to grab some coffee and breakfast at the Chopping Block.

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Photo ban in Melbourne restaurants?

So it appears from popular media that some Melbourne restaurants - including the likes of Grossi Florentino's - are hesitant about patrons taking photos of their food.  We guess that if they were to allow picture taking, then every dish they send over the pass would have to be perfect....
Think that through... Yeah, exactly my point... So then, what do the good restaurants have to fear?
We can understand that patrons need to be considerate of others, and flash-photography or staging plates and making a fuss over picture taking is not nice for anyone nearby trying to have a quiet romantic meal. That said, mobile phones on silent being used to take a quick snap of a plate are no more intrusive for others at nearby tables than the "fb check-in" process, or a quick call to a mate, or heaven forbid the singing of "happy birthday" to someone...

Photography in a clothes store? That's a whole different story, and depends on the intention of the photo. Being cynical, shops probably don't want you sending photos of you trying on clothes to your friends, in case your friends might actually tell you the truth about how large your posterior looks in that dress (and perhaps you won't buy it).
In terms of protection of intellectual property, it is understandable that many clothes shops don't want you to copy their designs - which for a good tailor is quite easy to do from a photograph (visit Hoi An in Vietnam and pop into any of the many tailors to see this process in action). The shops say this, and then put out full-colour glossy photos of their best designs in fashion magazines.. Hypocrisy much? Accepting this line of argument that you might 'copy' the item, the big issue then becomes: if you buy the clothes, are you obliged to NEVER have your photo taken in those clothes, and never allow a tailor to see those clothes, in case they make a copy? We would argue "No", because your purchase of the item entitles you to its fair use.

And so we come back to the food. Purchase of the meal should entitle you to enjoy it in any way you see fit. Eating it, smelling it, looking at it, smearing it all over your hairy uncle's back, should you so desire. How long you look at it, how slowly you chew it, whether you expose it to film or a CCD, should not matter. To copy a dish would require the recipe - a list of all the ingredients, which can only be determined by taste and smell (admittedly it helps to be able to see the dish for the dead give-away items on the plate, too). A photo tells a thousand words, true, but to be able to copy a good dish you really need to taste and smell it. I'll spell out that glaringly obvious next ridiculous step of logic to avoid copying dishes: perhaps then nobody should be allowed to taste any of the dishes in a restaurant, because this is the one way that the ingredients might be copied.... Come on, guys.


JustDegusting will continue to snap away, and be sure that if any restaurant objects, we will - in no uncertain terms - make it known through our blog and review web sites that the pic ban is in place at that eatery, perhaps because food quality is not consistently up to par.
Could we be forced into a first ever walk-out?!!  Now THAT would be an interesting story!

The Future of grocery shopping?

OK, so this is obviously not a restaurant review,
so this post may be a bit out of trend from the rest of this blog

- we hope you dont mind the diversion...

Almost everyone buys groceries (except those who still live with their parents), and many of us get annoyed with waiting for a plane, train or bus.. So why not shop while you wait in a "virtual" Woolies or Coles- kind of on-line, but offline, on your smartphone...
I guess that while the prices could be "down, down", the target market - the tech savvy in the community- are mostly Gen Y'ers who may actually prefer to txt their mum to remind her 2 grb a 6pk of rdBll cans, thx.


Anyhow, check out this video (and keep your eyes peeled for what looks like a sad-face created with fish at around the 1 minute mark)..
http://youtu.be/nJVoYsBym88?t=30s


Would it work? Would you use this if it came to a train station near you?  Leave a comment below or tweet @justdegusting    It would be tempting for us - but would prefer if they had immediate delivery of refreshments!!








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The Boathouse on the Maribyrnong

(Degusted 16^th July, 2011)

We've degusted out in the West a little more than usual lately, and we were impressed with some of the offerings out this way. The food at the Boathouse in Moonee Ponds is one such example. Only a few kilometers out of the CBD, this is another of Gary Mehigan's restaurants –  a sister to Fenix in Richmond. Apart from the pop-cultural link to the owner, The Boathouse has a lot of things going for it – prime placement on the banks of the Maribyrnong river which affords it some pleasant views – and a welcoming, open-plan space inside supplemented by a nice outdoor deck space, which one could imagine would be delightful in summer.

Fish Pie. Served on a thick, chunky wooden board.
This was 'food presentation 101'

The lunch menu has a predominance of pizza options – and these are some serious contenders. The pizzas are the thin-crust, sparse topping type – the authentic kind of pizzas one would expect in Italy.. There are a number of other cafe-style meals to choose from, and you can be pretty sure that with Gary calling the shots, these are not going to be your ordinary “run of the mill” bar snacks.

Service... or lack of.

The service to our table was pretty slack – we were offered water and glasses to start with, but that aquatic refreshment was never topped up, despite draining the reservoir after one round... In addition to this, we had to flag down the waiter every time we wanted anything – there was never any pro-active offers of assistance from them. Disappointing to say the least - and the place was not even full.

Eggplant chips are a must-try.

Food... Excuse me while I stuff my face...

We started off with the famed Eggplant chips- (they looked more like croquettes)- and they were a great balance of crispy fried exterior and that slightly gooey cooked eggplant texture inside. Yum.

When the mains came out, the first impression was that the presentation of the food was terrific. The fish pie looked beautiful and tasted every bit as good as it looked, and most importantly, not too “fishy”. 

The burger and chips – ordered by a friend – was a stand-out for presentation; oozing an old-world rustic charm.  The pizzas looked good – yet they were oozing as well (perhaps a little bit too liberal with the olive oil?). We had the pizza with lamb, mint and and mushy peas – and were more than pleased with it. The pictures speak for themselves, but suffice it to say that the promise of thin, traditional-style pizzas was upheld with aplomb.

How is this for presentation - Burger and chips
- food envy much?

Lamb, Pea and Mint pizza. A little oily perhaps,
but otherwise an unexpected triumph.

Drinks.. stay true to the bean

Hot chocolate looked good, but tasted, ummm.....
a bit like muddy water drawn from the Maribyrnong.

The Soy hot chocolate was – in a word -  a failure. Served in a low-slung “cappucino cup” it looked the part, but really didn't come through with the goods in terms of flavour.

The espresso was, on the other hand, an absolute delight. This shorty was obviously made with good coffee, by a barista who knew what they were doing – the right grind, the right temperature water -  it was all over “just right”. Stick to coffees here we reckon.

An excellent little shorty. Not good, GREAT.

Views of the river from the dining area.

One can imagine that The Boathouse would make a great function venue – especially during summer – when you can take advantage of the outdoor decking to soak up the rays and the views..

There's plenty of parking around the football oval – just bear in mind that the area can be crowded by footy families if there is a game on... then again, why not park your car around the nearby Aberfeldie or Fairbain parks and stroll to The Boathouse along the banks of the river. Very pleasant.

To sum up:

The food was great, as was the coffee. Our hot chocolate was average, and the service was a bit slow (especially considering the dining room was only about 60% full). Location and setting is as good or better than you can expect for a quiet cafe/ restaurant. 

Child-friendly, but no "play area" inside, but a really good playground right outside though - with slides, shade sails etc !

             Out this side of town? you might also like Nosh @ Newport

Rating:  Nom (x1) 
out of the ranking:
Meh                      It’ll Do                   Nom(x3)                              Must go back!

Done and Degusted @ The Boathouse (in Moonee Ponds)

Eggplant chips

Lamb, mushy pea and mint leaf Pizza

Fish pie

Espresso

Soy hot chocolate

The Boathouse
3 The Boulevard,
Moonee Ponds

(03) 9375 2456

PS:

home-made cupcakes,
not actually available at the boathouse...

If we may say so ourselves, the stand-out were the cup cakes... Actually, the Degusters baked themselves and brought along for our friend's birthday, for which the waiter was happy enough to provide a plate for us to serve them on.. 

Cheers, A.M.   :-) 

Fenix restaurant - functioning great

(Degusted 22^nd July, 2011)

When it was discovered that one of The Degusters was heading off to Fenix for a function, it was with some excitement... There are mixed reviews about Fenix on the internet - some seem to love, and others to loathe - the sometimes 'arty' way that food is plated, or has been re-interpreted.
This riverside eatery on Melbourne's outskirts seems to have become more and more popular for people to try – presumably for the pop cultural value – as many will have watched Fenix owner Gary Mehigan as he judges, comments and gives “master classes” on the TV show MasterChef. For The Degusters, this was the second Mehigan restaurant in as many weeks – having degusted at The Boathouse on the Maribyrnong river out in Moonee Ponds the week before. Unlike the Boathouse with lovely views over the Maribyrnong, the promise of views over the Yarra River were unfortunately not met on our visit to Fenix –  but such is often the case with fading light when dining on a cold and dark winter's evening...

Scallops with leek and bacon.

A good dish with delicate flavours

The Harvey Bay half-shell scallops w/ leek and bacon were – as you would expect – perfectly cooked, and most importantly, tasted good. The flavour of the leek and bacon was quite mild, and the bacon was not overly salty – together they were probably just right to accompany the delicate flavours of the scallops.  If we (as kitchen hacks) were going to make the dish ourselves we'd probably have gone for a more of a salty bacon flavour, rather than the mild 'ham' flavour– but then you'd probably risk losing the flavour of the scallops, which ultimately is what this dish is all about.

The main was a Lamb done two ways (shank and rack), with moroccan spices (or 'ras el hanout' according to the menu), baby carrots and artichoke puree. The lamb was simply delicious, the jus gras was perfect, linking all plated elements together with the meat. The artichoke puree seemed to be a little too sweet, but that -like our bacon preferences - was personal taste and the sweetness in no way detracted from the enjoyment of the dish overall.

Lamb two ways, with artichoke puree

Raspberry soufflé with rosewater coulis

Last up was the Raspberry soufflé with rosewater coulis – the soufflé itself was so very light and fluffy – with a strong tartiness of raspberry that really packed a punch. The coulis helped to balance it out though, and overall this dessert left us with a smile on our face.

Though it was cold and dark outside, the quality of the food shone through. Overall, to put out dishes of this quality for a catered event is impressive, and on this basis we would have to give it a “highly recommended” for anyone considering this place for a function or a wedding. We will still need to get back and test out the a la carte dining to see what the sit-down service is like for the punters off the street - or perhaps we'll even manage to do a Sunday lunchtime degustation to take advantage of the view... We just need a good excuse to get out there and no other concurrent better offers to get in the way. Stay tuned!

Rating:  Nom(x3)

 Out of the ranking:
Meh                      It’ll Do                   Nom(x3)                              Must go back!

Done and Degusted @ Fenix

Harvey Bay half-shell scallops w/ leek and bacon

Lamb two ways, ras el hanout, baby carrots and artichoke puree

Raspberry souffle with rosewater coulis.