Adventures in Melbourne with Monique & Tony

Back at the start of January this year, Monique and Tony managed to sneak away for a week to make a food and wine pilgrimage to Victoria. To follow will be a multiple part blog entry where Monique will tell you all about where they visited. Where appropriate, you will find location details of the places at which they ate and drank - just in case you are planning a trip down south yourself!

DAY ONE

Monk Bodhi Dharma Coffee & Tea House

After landing in Melbourne, the first stop was at Monk Bodhi Dharma (www.monkbodhidharma.com.au - 202 Carlisle St, Balaclava, VIC 3183) for coffee and to assimilate to the Melbournian feel. This quirky little cafe was tucked down a laneway, but quite easy to sniff out! A specialist coffee and tea house, 'The Monk' aims to serve sustainable food and drink which is both nourishing and healing.

 

 

Meet the man behind the roaster

Coffee Gets closer

 

Loam Restaurant

Before making our trip to Victoria, I spent several hours honing the perfect list of places for Tony and I to dine at while we were there. With some great tips from some of our customers and with my now dog-eared copy of The Age Good Food Guide in tow, I made inquiries and bookings at a few places. The first restaurant we visited was Loam (650 Andersons Rd, Drysdale, VIC 3222) which was awarded Best New Country Restaurant in the Age Good Food Guide for 2011.

For us, visiting Loam wasn't just about seeing how the Victorians do it - it was much more. In many ways there are similarities between Lochiel and Loam. Both run by a husband and wife team, both with a big focus on sourcing local produce while using contemporary cooking techniques and both out of the city. As we drove from Melbourne's CBD out to Drysdale, the anticipation built. Leaving behind the concrete and skyscrapers and seeing the grassy fields unfold before us reminded us of the drive from Sydney to the beautiful Hawkesbury.

Our dining experience at Loam was very good. Focused and friendly service with some great presentation of dishes meant that it was one of the highlights of our trip.

The last minute picking of herbs before service - yep, been there before!

To begin, smear some smoked miso on a radish and take a bite!

Blue Cheese and Curd Granita

 

HuTong Dumpling Bar

Both Tony and I are more than partial to a good serve of authentic Chinese dumplings, so, when we found ourselves in need of some comfort-food, we asked a few locals where to go. Several recommendations later, we found ourselves at HuTong Dumpling Bar (14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne, VIC 3000). After dining at Loam for lunch (a five hour experience where we soaked up all we could), we were in real need of something simple. The atmosphere at HuTong was relaxed, with a happily noisy atmosphere. You could see the chefs in action as they prepared and cooked their dishes and you could really see why this place is so popular!

Be sure to stay tuned for a blog entry detailing DAY TWO of Monique and Tony's trip!

 

Chefs in action and diners in their element

Chilli Dumplings