I came here last Friday night with a friend who highly recommended we try their set tapas menu which is $40 each.

First to come out was gazpacho which came out in a small glass and served very cold. I’ve honestly never tried gaspacho and I wasn’t too keen on it. I absolutely love tomato sauce but I found the gaspacho to be very strong tasting and for me overpowering.

The next entree items included anchovy tapanade on bread and a vegetable torte. Both of these were nice but I thought the vegetable torte was a bit bland. Entree also included grilled trevally with a tomato confit sauce. The fish was lovely although I’m allergic to some white fish so I ate mine with a bit of trepidation.

The mains included grilled chicken skewers, chorizo corn and sofrito and grilled artichoke with romenesco which was like a sundried tomato dip underneath.

I’ve had tapas once before in Sydney and I have to say it much more enjoyable and flavoursome than what I had at Basque. I’ve been to Movida before in Melbourne and that is to die for so it’s unfair to compare Movida with Basque but I just felt there wasn’t great value for money and I wasn’t a fan of a lot of the choices and felt some dishes were just plain boring and bland.

Overall I’d rate it 13 out of 20 so while it’s not terrible, I think there is room for improvement and a better tapas set menu.

Basque Tapas & Wine
159 Chapel St
Windsor 3181 VIC
Phone: (03) 9533 7044

The set tapas menu is $40 each or $50 with two glasses of wine

We ordered a spanish wine while we waited for our table to be free

Gazpacho, Anchovy tapenade on bread and vegetable frittata

Artichoke with sundried tomato dip underneath and grilled chicken skewers

Grilled trevally fish with a tomato sauce on top

Chorizo corn and sofrito

Technorati Tags: basque, spanish restaurant, melbourne restaurant, spanish melbourne, tapas, spanish dining

The latest chain craze to hit Melbourne is San Churro!

San Churro is a Spanish chocolate store selling everything chocolate from traditional thick Spanish hot chocolates to churro’s (Spanish donuts which are long crispy donuts that you dunk in hot melted chocolate), handmade gourmet chocolates and chocolate ice cream.

I tried a hot chocolate after dinner on Chapel St. The store is located down the Windsor end of Chapel and it was great to have a hot drink on a cold night - I can’t believe how freezing it already is down there. We also ordered a cookie which was a chocolate and chilli cookie with lime icing filling. The chilli wasn’t too overpowering and it’s the first time I’ve tried chilli chocolate and now it won’t be the last. It’s an interesting but surprisingly nice combination.

I really hope they open up a San Churro on the Gold Coast - hey maybe they’ll put one in at Robina town centre or Pac Fair. But I doubt it seems to take forever for great chains to come to the GC (Grill’d can you hear me?)

San Churro
Chapel St, Windsor
150 Chapel Street
Windsor VIC 3181
Phone: 03 9529 7559

This photo was actually taken outside the Acland St store in St Kilda - They’re everywhere in Melbourne!

This is also outside the St Kilda store

Inside the Chapel Street store

The handmade chocolates which are around $1.90 each

Our hot chocolates with the chilli and chocolate cookie with lime icing filling

Technorati Tags: san churro, spanish hot chocolate, spanish chocolate, chilli chocolate

Eating with a conscience, ethical eating, or eating to improve your karma - all this is possible at Lentil as Anything which is a vegan restaurant in St Kilda, Melbourne where you decide how much the meal was worth.

Lentil as Anything is non for profit and as mentioned, vegan so that means no animal products.

The website says Lentil has ‘provided unique training and educational opportunities for marginalised people who are struggling to find a place in mainstream institutions. Currently, it provides a place forover a hundred new migrants, refugees, people with disabilities and long-term unemployed to build confidence, gain skills and receive assistance with access to legal, health, housing and education services.’

Lentil as Anything
41 Blessington street (corner Acland st & Barkley st)
open hours: 7days, 12-10pm every day
Tel: 9534- 5833
Website: www.lentilasanything.com

You can dine inside our out at Lentil as Anything

The sign inside: We rely on your generosity

One of the vegan meals - potatoes, peas, roti (front right) with brown rice and yoghurt

My meal - potato, beans, a slice of a massive zucchini, roti bread, yoghurt and brown rice

The kitchen which is in the middle of the small dining area.

Technorati Tags: lentil as anything, vegan restaurant, st kilda, restaurant review, vegan food

Yum Cha is one of my absolute favourite weekend destinations. It’s particuarly good for brunch and I find it works wonders when you’ve got a hangover.

From memory Top One opens around 12pm. It’s best to book here because it’s always packed - and the restaurant is pretty big! Located at the Australia Fair shopping centre in the food court it’s a welcome addition to the Gold Coast dining scene and I think the best yum cha on the Gold Coast.

When we arrived we were given a number and had to wait around 10 minutes for a spare table - and this was at approximately 2pm so definately book if you hope to get in earlier and especially if you’re going with a group.

There are so many staff working at this restaurant that you don’t have to jump up and down to get someone’s attention. The yum cha girls are friendly and thankfully, not pushy unlike many other’s I’ve been to. You can also order off the menu if you aren’t into yum cha or want some additions such as fried rice.

If you’ve never been to yum cha then basically the way it works is that you get an A5 sized piece of cardboard which sits on your table. The piece of card is divided up into different priced sections. The yum cha trolleys are pushed around the restaurant and they explain and show you each dish so you can choose what you want to have. Don’t feel guilty at not ordering anything from the trolley - just wait until the next one comes around which will have a different selection.

Once you choose your item they will stamp your piece of cardboard under the appropriate price depending on what you ordered. At the end you take the piece of cardboard up to the cashier.

Some more hints: If you order chinese tea and you’ve run out of water, simply turn the lid upside down or leave it off the teapot. This signals to the waitstaff to refill your pot. Also ask for soy sauce and chilli sauce to give your dim sims some kick.

Inside the Top One Seafood Chinese Restaurant

Yum Cha selections - chinese broccoli, turnip cakes (on left, the square shape) and from memory seafood dumplings

One of the yum cha trolleys bustles past with custard tart desserts

More yum cha goodies - prawn fried dumplings on the right and some other steamed dumplings in the middle

The live seafood tanks. Personally I couldn’t bear to have a live fish or lobster brought to my table

Technorati Tags: chinese restaurant, top one chinese, southport, restaurant review, gold coast restaurants, seafood restaurant, chinese restaurant review

We came to the Robina Tavern one Saturday night a few weeks ago as it was recommended by the friends we went there with.

I have never been here and to be honest first impressions didn’t really strike me well - blue neon lights illuminated the oddly shaped triangular building and it all looked very dated and 80’s. Inside is slightly better though the neon love affair doesn’t end - there’s a neon palm tree outside on the deck.

Anyway our table ordered 3 parmagiana’s which were aroudn $17 each. You have a choice of it coming with mash or chips, one of us ordered the chicken burger which was around $16 and someone ordered the steak and mash for around $23.

The parmagiana had plenty of cheese and sauce and the mash was honestly divine. The vegetbales however should have been cooked longer as I bit into a carrot which was still frozen on the inside. It’s a great winter meal.

The steak had good reports as did the chicken burger though with crispy turkish bread it looked rather hard to eat.

Overall it’s a good family friendly pub. As it was a cold night however there was no one keen to sit outside on the balcony and the inside dining area is very small - we almost left because we couldn’t find a table but a group were leaving just as we were about to walk out the door.

Robina Tavern
Pub/Club/Tavern/Bar

Cnr Cheltenham Drv & Ron Penhaligon Way
Robina, 4226

Phone: 07 5593 2600

The Robina Tavern - The look is a bit tired and very 80’s with all the neon

The chicken parmagiana was around $17

The chicken burger was approx $16

Inside the tavern - there is a large deck area but as it was a cold night. Everyone wanted to sit inside - try to book as there’s very limited seating inside. The neon palm tree can be seen in the background - enough with the tacky neon!

The Steak and mash meal was approx $23

Technorati Tags: robina tavern, tavern review, restaurant review, gold coast restaurants, gold coast pub, robina