Cugini Restaurant

AJ and I rarely venture across the Tasman bridge except for journeys to the airport. However, Bellerive is home not only to cricket matches and the odd football game. It is home to Cugini, a intimate Italian restaurant that is adjacent to the Bellerive yacht club.

The menu is extensive covering pizza, pasta, mains and desserts. There is a decent range of quality Australian and Italian wines and beers. Modern furniture and casual dining are some ways to visualise the experience within your minds eye. Friendly staff who know their menu and specials well add to the enjoyment of your dinner.

I decided on pasta with a creamy gnocchi dish and AJ set her aim on a pepperoni pizza.

The gnocchi was bite sized and enveloped in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce with tender chicken and soft mushrooms.

The pizza had a crispy base and just slightly thick for my liking. The sauce was rich, the pepperoni spicy and amplified by fresh chilli slices adorning the dish.

Next came dessert: I decided to sample the tiramisu and AJ picked the donut.

The tiramisu was slightly sweet which sent the coffee flavour to the background. Some palettes may enjoy this but I thought it detracted slightly from the usually tiramisu experience. The donut was beautifully soft with a crisp sugared crust. Inside was a buttery peanut ice cream and marinated raspberries. A lashing of rich chocolate sauce sealed the deal with this dish.

Cugini really delivers by taking their diners through some traditional Italian fare with modern flavours and fresh ingredients. There were plenty of other menu choices which appealed so we'll be back to visit this eastern shore eatery soon!

Mosskito

For years this Melbourne restaurant has been praised for their large portion sizes - a favourite with parents and kids and even those wanting to get in a load of food before a night on the town.

So AJ and I dined at Mosskito in Clifton Hill. I wanted something Melbourne eateries do best: the chicken Parma. AJ went for an open Souvalaki.

Size-wise: Great big plates equalled big
quantities of food. Salad occupied about a 20% portion, chips about 35% but the focus was on the protein on both plates.

Chips: both plates had some crunchy well cooked chips but they were ruined somewhat by being over salted.

Parma: A good tomato sauce, low on onion, well-seasoned and rich tomato flavour. A decent amount but not so much to make the crumb coating soggy. The cheese was plentiful. The chicken itself was moist but slightly over. All in all - a decent sized Parma that was well cooked. However, if size was the selling point I don't know what all the fuss is about.

Souvlaki: AJ enjoyed the mixed meats of lamb and chicken. The chicken was moist and took on the flavour of the grilled capsicum and onion that it was prepared with. The lamb had a slight lemoney overtone which was refreshing. The accompanying pita bread and tzatziki were both good also. Big portion sizes were reflected well on this plate.

The venue is quite large so can get rather noisy but the staff are generally attentive and know their menu well. Overall it is a good place to get a big feed but to describe the menu I think 'bistro style food of the 80s-90s'.

Fresh on Charles

I'm an omnivore and proud. But this doesn't mean I can't appreciate vegetarian cuisine - especially at breakfast. So on a trip to Launceston; AJ, Mr T, aXs and I all started our day at Fresh on Charles.

The hive was buzzing, obviously a testament to its popularity among the Launceston CBD locals. 

It is dark but somewhat offset by a skylit kitchen. The furniture is 70's retro style and the decor is eclectic. 

Onto the food; beautifully prepared - well seasoned and as their name suggests very fresh. 

AJ had a muesli-type contraption with grated apple, berries and yoghurt. 

I tried a poached egg, mushroom and vegetable fritter combination. 

The meals were very good but I spotted a vegetable scone on their counter which I had to sample - which was excellent - moist and flavour packed served with a rich butter and chutney.

We ordered some fresh juices and coffees which all were great. Service was attentive, the only complaint was our table was a bit small but in fairness we didn't book and they did their best to get our party a table in amongst the buzz.

Check them out when you're next in L'ton, but as Mr T said 'Just don't go expecting bacon'.

Farm Vigano

Tucked away amongst the back-streets of South Morang is a beautiful manor restaurant; Farm Vigano. The grounds are immaculately kept and the wider surroundings instantly take you away from the suburbs. 

The menu is a mix of traditional italian share plates or pizzas. 

I decided to sample two of the pizza offerings with my 'diner in crime' Mr P. We opted for the Pizza con proscuitto and the Pizza con gamberi.


The base; both pizza had a light and crisp woodfired base that had just the right amount of chew to retain the rich tomato sauce.

The toppings; the freshness of ingredients is emphasised - beautiful clean and bold flavours. Simple and delicious.

The only criticism of the dining experience at Farm Vigano was the service which was a little slow. Seated immediately, but no drink orders for at least 20 minutes and then after the meals were delivered no return table service.

So go for the food, go for the views - but when you're paying decent prices for a pizza just hope you get waited on. 

Crumb Street Kitchen

 This restaurant is more than just fake grass, make-shift tables and the feeling of walking into someone's backyard. 

It is simple, delicious, tender, smokey and flavour packed meats expertly prepared by a team who have a passion for the American style of slow cooked and smoked barbecue.

The proposition is simple - you ask for your meat; brisket or pulled pork and you put it in a

sandwich. It is simple supermarket style bread, no-fuss dinnerware (paper plates and plastic

cutlery) but it is flavour, flavour, flavour.

Add some great sauces and a can of your favourite chilled beverage and you have yourself a great injection of barbecue to make any day fantastic.

Just be sure to be there quick - my last few visits to the Crumb Street Kitchen facebook indicate that the average sell-out time is about 2 hours!

Pigeon Hole

Visiting this little cafe has been something that has eluded me for quite some time. 

Generally, on Sundays where AJ and I aren't working we'll make an effort to try breakfast somewhere - but this cafe isn't open on a Sunday! So, luckily we decided Saturday at Pigeon Hole with Samwise would be the thing to do to break the fast.

The aromas of freshly baked sourdough and roasted coffee beans fill the air as you enter the rather pokey shop front. It's a tight setup but there is sufficient space for a bigger party if you get there early enough. An eclectic selection of furniture and decorations makes the cafes a very pleasant environment.

We sampled three dishes from the breakfast selection - the yoghurt and muesli, the croque monsieur and the baked beans. Accompanied by a cup of some superbly made coffee - Pigeon Hole really does make a good place to start your day. All dishes feature fresh and seasonal ingredients provide some real joy to each mouthful.

Laduree

Pierre Herme is known for bringing the macaron to the wider world. His chain of Laduree outlets sell special teas, preserves and of course the colourful bite-sized mouthfuls of joy we all now know.

The presentation of macarons from the Westfield outlet in Sydney CBD is fantastic. We asked for just 6 (they were $3.20 each) and had the choice of different boxes which were beautifully decorated. A great gift idea for foodie friends or even for those who may want to try something french (apparently the outlet has its macarons flown in from France - but I later discovered they are made elsewhere in Europe). 

The flavour - well, this is where i am quite critical. The flavours were good, but not great. Not $3.20 great. The sheer quantity of macaron-makers out there makes it easy to become a connoisseur and while my palate may not be 'right', these certaintly didn't live up to their 'world-changing' reputation. 

Sure, I could be wrong, and I probably am - the lady in front of me bought $300 worth!