All posts filed under: Reviews

Pinot Noir tasting at Meat Fish Wine

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Meat Fish Wine have just launched their Wine on Wednesdays evenings to showcase their extensive wine collection (they hold over 650 wines) and the We Know Melbourne team were lucky enough to attend the Pinot Noir evening last night. Set in the beautiful space of the Meat Fish Wine restaurant, the class was held in one of their private function rooms with views over Russell Street. Keeping the class to a small number of people (a maximum of 10 people), the evening was cosy and intimate with a fun, social feeling to the room. Gavin, the director of Operations of Apple & Pears was our wine teacher for the night and he started us off with a 2015 Bird in Hand Sparking Pinot Noir from Adelaide Hills (which was our favourite wine of the night). We didn’t even know that a sparkling Pinot Noir could exist, and that’s what Gavin wanted to show us – Pinot Noirs don’t always have to be that real masculine flavour that we’re used to, they can be a versatile …

Juniperlooza: all of the gin

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On the banks of the Yarra, sun shining in one of those ‘once a month’ beautiful Melbourne days, Pilgrim and Riverland Bars hosted a fun, laid-back festival affair – entirely dedicated to gin. I love gin, but I’m not what you would call a connoisseur – that’s what I really loved about Juniperlooza – you didn’t need to be going in, but, by the end of your experience you came out a little more cultured on the topic. Split across the two areas were 14 drink stands manned by local bars like the iconic Gin Palace, plus international, local and interstate gin distilleries – each with their own signature cocktail on offer, or, for those who wanted to keep it simple – the classic gin and tonic. The accessibility of chief distillers was a real highlight, listening as they proudly discussed their botanicals (one particular gin, from the West Winds Gin company – infused one of their navy-themed gins with Murray sea salt, one sip instantly made me crave seafood), the history of the term …

A Forking Good Time at Taste of Melbourne

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Last Thursday saw the kick-off of the annual restaurant festival Taste of Melbourne and we were there to sample the delights from Melbourne’s finest, as well as some notable chefs from abroad. Armed with empty stomachs, we headed straight to the South African Garden for a Masterclass with chef Benny Masekwameng, known not only for his culinary skills as Executive Chef for the Tsogo Sun Group,  but as one of the judges on the popular MasterChef South Africa. Chef Benny’s chosen recipe was a melting pot, borrowing flavours from across the globe. We were surprised to find that the hero of the dish was not the lamb chops or ratatouille, but a tie between the creamed spinach (the addition of peanut butter being key) and the crisp, deep fried mielepap cubes. Mielepap is Afrikaans for maize porridge, similar to polenta, and is a staple food of many South Africans. Next stop was Circa, the Prince for Cape Brim Ox Cheek, which (while being a bit on the small side of things) was cooked to perfection, …

A Foodie Battle | Ms Collins

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Last night we attended Good Food Month’s Battle of the Pans at Ms Collins. To kick of the night the two foodie giants, Daniel Wilson of Huxtable fame and Daniel Poyner, resident chef at Ms Collins were introduced, giving a short speech about what to expect. Wilson was to cook up dishes with a pan asian flavour and Poyner, more of a modern Australian touch. Upon looking at the menu, we already were anticipating which dishes we would give the tick to, but were secretly hoping that the chefs would surprise us. Each round was served with a battle card where we had to circle our favourite dish. First up of the ranks, Round 1. Wilson was serving up Pan fried prawn rice noodle roll w sesame ginger dressing & coriander and Poyner, Seared scallops w peas, fennel, lemon & guanicale. Normally not a fan of prawns, Wilson’s dish surprised us. The crispiness of the rice noodles wrapping the prawns gave it a fresh new taste, to the point where we were even chomping on …

Vegans Unite – Smith & Deli

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Vegetarian restaurants aren’t hard to come by if you know where to look in Melbourne, but if you’re searching for vegan restaurants it may be more like searching for a needle in a haystack. Enter Smith and Deli! From the same people that brought you Smith & Daughters, Smith and Deli offers up vegan eats that even the most hardcore carnivores will love. Get in line for a sandwich such as  the Buffalo the Vampire Slayer sandwich (buffalo tofu on a roll with celery, ranch), Godfather (a spicy pressed sandwich with pepperocini) Parmageddon, and Hail Seitan. Don’t be confused when your read meat on the menu, it’s not real  meat, but instead faux meat made with seitan. Not up for a sandwich? The food doesn’t just stop there. Choose from a selection of bagels, sweet treats, fresh produce and Noisette baked goods to take away. Open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm,  this New York Style deli brings in the crowds every lunch time and just goes to show that vegan food can be loved by …

Bogan Bombshell

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On Friday night we were welcomed into what felt like Janeen from Clarinda’s lounge room where she told us of her exploits from scrubbing bathrooms as a Sanitation Engineer – with her secret weapon BAM, through an ill-fated attempt at burlesque dancing (where she ‘couldn’t get them out’) to finally playing the role a phone sex operator – all to raise money for her McDonalds Preston manager husband, Johnno’s bail.  Hares and Hyenas was the perfect setting for this show, it felt intimate and personal. At one stage a lucky door prize was drawn, and the winner awarded a family-sized Aero bar which was then passed around the audience, everyone sharing chocolate to the aptly named song ‘An Aero Comes Along’ – definitely a fun vibe, unpretentious and all-inclusive. Susie McCann brought a huge amount of energy to one-woman role of Janeen, and the songs were pretty darn catchy to boot – the tunes of some of your old favorites, matched with witty, ironic bogan pride lyrics. Ultimately a winning combo. If you are a …

Fitzroy’s 127 Brunswick Street

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Opening just in time for summer, 127 Brunswick Street is the newest dining spot on the ever popular Brunswick Street. Taking over the old man’s pub, the Old Colonial Inn, the newly revamped 5 story venue, 127 Brunswick Street is the works of Vince Sofo and Paul Adamo, owners of St Kilda’s Esplanade Hotel. Exploring the venue this week, there’s several spots from which to choose to dine or drink. There’s Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya on the bottom floor, Village People Hawker Food Hall on the next floor up, and Upside Rooftop and Bar, of course on the top floor. Each has their indoor and outdoor dining space, making them the perfect place to enjoy dinner on a balmy summer’s evening. We opted for Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya after a couple of wines at Upside Rooftop. We had heard such positive reviews of Ichi Ni (in St Kilda) so are our expectations were high, and we’ve got to say that it lived up to all the hype. Offering up a tapas-style menu, we had difficulty trying to pick …

Toko Melbourne

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Toko Melbourne opened last month, bringing some of Sydney’s finest dining to Melbourne. The Japanese Izakaya style restaurant/bar is a sleek, contemporary space situated on Greville Street, in amongst other Japanese eateries,  Aka Tombo and Mizu. Having been long-term lovers of Toko Sydney, we couldn’t wait to see if the Melbourne location would compare. Toko Melbourne makes it the fourth venture for restaurant founder Matt Yazbek and the freshness of the space and delicious flavours it delivers reflects this. The restaurant features an open kitchen where you can watch the sushi masters at work, a cocktail bar, outdoor drinking area plus the choice of regular table seating or tradition ground level seating on tatami floor mats. The menu is filled with dishes to share including seafood, skewers on the Robata grill, the fresher flavours of sashimi or tempura dishes. Some of the dishes we tried were the crispy soft-shell crab with wasabi mayonaise; smoked miso king salmon, house pickled ginger; wagyu beef gyoza, white soy mustard, shiso; and the sliced kingfish, yuzu and chives (our favourite …

Fringe Festival Review: A Star is Bored

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A Star is Bored was anything but boring. In fact, it had all the energy of a one-man mini Broadway show in loud flanno PJs with fabulous hair. Kicking off with a hilarious showreel, where Nick parodies everything from Broadway and primetime crime to teen horror movies, we were taken on his journey from the ill-matched mean streets of Reservoir through an all-consuming Foxtel addiction, his never-give-up-efforts to make it big in reality television (including a super-funny ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ parody) to his final destination – when it all came together in a shower of glitter – set to Sesame Street. Nick Eynaud’s vocal range was incredible – his catchy but well written songs adapted to the tune of popular hits from the last few decades, my personal favourite.. set to Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights was perfectly timed and came out of left field for maximum effect.  I simply can’t recommend this show enough, especially if you are a fan of pop culture and musical theatre, ironic references to the desperation and depravity of soul-selling reality television and the narcissistic belief …

Gravity Floatation Centre

Our Gravity Float Experience

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Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to exist in a world without gravity? Last week, we got to experience the true feeling of weightlessness with the latest relaxation trend – floatation therapy, at the Gravity Float Centre. If you’re scratching your head, confused about exactly what is floatation therapy, then you’re in the same boat (no pun intended) as we were. Floatation therapy dates back to the 1950s when medical practitioner and neuropsychiatrist , John Lily wanted to test the effects of sensory deprivation. Since then floatation therapy has been used widely for stress, anxiety and muscle relaxation. Gravity Float Centre is located in Northcote (right opposite Welcome to Thornbury), and their centre is focused on providing the ultimate relaxation therapy. Their range of  organic skincare products, herbal teas and zen waiting room are the perfect complement to your therapy. After you have filled out the usual registration forms, you are led into your private Gravity Float room (there’s 6 of them in the centre) and a staff member runs you through what …