Irish Passion

When I think of the Irish my mind used to think of four leaf clovers, leprechaun and stew. But now when I think Irish my mind instantly says The Last Jar.

Close to the Victoria Market this Irish Pub sits on the corner inviting all those who are keen on Guinness and pints. Although I am not either one of those I was told about their story and how amazing their food was. Being an enthusiast of those 2 things there is nothing keeping me away from entering through the doors.

A dark bar is what strikes you first with the traditional Bar set up and men on stools catching up over a pint on a Friday afternoon. To the back is a day lite restaurant area decked with 1980's tables and vinyl chairs leaving for a very casual and now what we call retro decor.

On the specials are the Sweetbreads served on a glistening and silky pumpkin puree, roasted hazelnuts and pickled mushrooms.  Heavenly and a well balanced dish, that is almost plate licking worthy. The sweetbreads cooked perfectly and adds a caramelised richness into that perfect sweet pumpkin pure.

Out waiter told us that she cried when she had the chance to taste this dish because it was so good. If your waiter tells you that when she is explaining the specials to you, you should dive onto it and enjoy the pleasures.

The Guinness Welsh Rarebit smeared on house made toast with a grilled cheese is intense and rich. Share with a friend or be greedy and eat it on your own. Either way you must have this. I'm going back just for this.

A pot of mussels with fennel and chorizo sitting in a cider broth is a great light option. It's something that if you enjoy seafood will understand that it is a feel good moment getting into a bowl of fresh mussels that are all open and soaking in a light broth. The slight salt and spice captured from the specks of grilled chorizo and the freshness of fennel is always a perfect accompaniment.

The Scotch egg is so different to those that you usually enjoy. A soft egg surrounded by apple and celeriac coated in a golden crumb is sensational. It's crispy, flavoursome and encases a rich soft yolk.

 I have to say that I am overzealous about the Last Jar. The food is more than what you would expect from an Irish pub. It's taking food to the next level on keeping the Irish flavours alive but incorporating a more modern technique.

The thing that got me most excited is that they make as much as possible on site from scratch. From the butter that you spread on your in house made bread, of which it dense and on this day was a combination of a honey oat and white to the plates of unbelievable flavours.

I enjoyed everything on this one sitting and trust me I will be going back until I have eaten the entire menu.

There is true passion in this kitchen and it shows. When you sit and listen to your waiter express her excitement on the specials and through the explanation of the menu to the deliverance of your meals it really touches a spot in my heart.

This is why I live for the food industry, to find places like this.

The Last Jar

616 Elizabeth Street

Carlton North

9348 2957

A Pub with Sassiness, Sake & Grill. No Parma on this menu

A casual Japanese styled pub located in Collingwood is casual but yet stylish and is delivering some very succulent tapas styled dishes that leaves for an enjoyable evening with friends and family or a quaint evening for any couple.

Pabu Grill and Sake sets our evening with a warm welcome. A narrow dining front area leads to a quiet day lit room sectioned room. Mellow but up beat tunes set for a relaxed atmosphere not so loud that you can't have a conversation but not so quiet where you could almost hear the crickets.

Our waiter was friendly and inviting, allowing us to browse the large menu, but also giving a description on how the dishes are arranged and offering suggestions if we were stuck.

This evening is about freshness, crisp flavours married perfectly to enhance your palate which leaves you wanting more.

To begin the Buta Gyoza and Pabu Famous Watori Kari Maki. The gyoza was filled with a succulent, juicy pork inside a soft dumpling coating with a golden crisp base served with a spiced ponzu sauce. Now you know that I always have Gyoza and theres a reason why....... there awesome! There little gems of pleasure and I have to say that the flavours in this gyoza were well balanced and what was great was that they didn't fall apart like most do. You could enjoy each bite with out the pork dropping out or the dumpling break into pieces. Perfect and one of the best I think I have to say.

The Watori Kari maki sushi roll was filled with soft shell crab, avocado and cucumber with a scattered coating of toasted sesame and finished with a flying fish roe and mayo. Fresh and soft flavours combined to make for a delicate pleasure. Everything in this roll is supposed to be there, there is nothing out of place here. Crab is highlighted through each piece perfectly and freshened with the hints of avocado and cucumber with bursts of roe.

To follow was some Renkon chips and the Gyu Tataki. Renkon chips are a delightful pub dish if you are downing those sake's or beer's. Golden crisp lotus root chips are addictive and tasty.

The Gyu Tataki of seared porterhouse beef coated in toasted sesame, spring onion and red ginger nestled in wasabi mayo and a garlic, ginger and citrus sauce packed a punch of flavours. Slight hints of spice wakened the taste buds but not so much that it over loaded the taste from the beef. A well balanced flavoured dish fresh and vibrant ginger added a depth of flavour to the meat and balanced out the strong garlic notes in the sauce.

A dish that won my heart was the glorious Unagi Kabayaki. Normally when I order eel I receive about 4 - 6 small slices of which you have to battle the rest of the family for. Here, theres no problem about sharing. This large fillet of perfect mouth watering grilled eel is glazed with a sweet sauce and coated with sesame. It's tender and falls apart, the flavour is outstanding and this dish a lone is what's going to make me return. Unbelievable.

The Takayaki of Octopus pancake balls served with a Japanese mayo, spring onions, sesame and red ginger finished off with shredded bonito were tasty morsels. Soft pancakes delivered a octopus flavour and balanced with the sweet mayo and fresh ginger and spring onion. They were firmer than the ones I've had at other places which I liked a lot more. It was a much better texture and I think it helped hold the flavours it was delivering.

The last couple of dishes were also a highlight of our night and are a must have along with the Unagi when dining here.

First is the Yaki Buta. Pan fried juicy fall apart pork belly coated delicately in a light soy and served on a bed of herb soy tossed mixed salad and finished with fried leeks. All I can do is drool like Homer Simpson right now as I remember such succulence. Truly amazing flavours bought through the pork and fresh salad.

The other was the Piri Kara Maguro Maki. Fresh tuna rolls with fresh cucumber, avocado, seaweed and flying fish roe finished with what I found out was a special hot sauce that no one will ever know apart from the Chef and owner. Amazing is all i can say. Delightful bursts of fresh flavours and pops of heat from the tiniest drop of red sauce. Almost looking Christmassy when it arrives, it's looks are decieving. I was not expecting such boldness from this dish, it blew me out of the water and really bought amazement and a smile to my face when eating.

A finishing plate of Dessert Moriawase was the only way to conclude our evening. A dessert selection platter with green tea ice cream, black sesame ice cream, lemon and Japanese citrus ice cream and also a Cherry blossom and kuromame rice cake. A refreshing plate to finish with a friend if you're about to burst at the seams.
My favourite was the cherry blossom rice cake and the black sesame ice cream. But everything on this plate was a delight and was a great sampler of everything.

The night was filled with amazing flavours and the menu delivered everything that you would expect from a Izakaya. The host and owner Koha Ngugen has truly put his heart and soul into Pabu and is destined to continue delivering the very best Japanese styled tapas with beautiful refreshing sake, cocktails and beers to make for the perfect social evening.

We will be returning with friends in tow next time maybe to test out the set menu with matching sake to make for an even more fun filled evening.

It's moden, sassy and best of all enjoyable. What more could you ask for?

Pabu Grill & Sake

190 Smith Street

Collingwood

9419 6141

Fun in the Bun

Burgers have begun to be a vast growing craze through Melbourne. The famous 2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun will linger on in our minds whilst we crave a fresh burger full of juicy flavours. But it is not the infamous food chains I am wanting to recognise, it's the places who stand alone and present us with unique combinations like no other.

The Bottom End tucks away just a hop skip and a jump from Southern cross station on Little Collins. This dim lite pub is not to scare you with it's large flickering candles at the entrance or the darkness of which you sit, but sets a great mood for some amazing grub. Booth and table seating which extends across 2 rooms, leaves for a great catch up for after work bevies, or for you late night party goers on Friday and Saturday nights, perhaps a late night/ morning snack with it's doors being open til 1am on Fridays and 4 am on Saturdays.

I was bought to The Bottom End for a Burger Degustation organised through Agenda City (http://www.agendacity.com/), one of Melbourne growing daily email magazines, where they introduce the outstanding, vast growing establishments which they have sourced and tested for us. 

Who couldn't refuse though a Burger Degustation........ I don't think their would be too many hands raised if I was to ask round.

The Bottom end has recently been voted the Best New Hotel at the Bartender Awards, and rightfully so. This quirky stand alone menu of Cocktail's and Burgers should be more recognised for us Melbournians. It's full of great flavours and even better names to match, ones to make you smile whilst ordering it, or saying it proudly knowing your going to get the best damn cocktail ever.

So let us begin in a journey of scrumptious mouth watering burgers and matching cocktails.

To begin we start with the enchanting martini glass with "A Fucking Marvellous". Raspberry Vodka, Creme de Mure, Berry puree and Lemon juice. I must say this was a great kick off to our evening. Berrylicious flavours, smooth and nourishing. The hint of essence from the fresh mint leaf left for a pretty marvellous cocktail and would be the favourite of the evening.

This cocktail highlighted the Bingle Burger. A potato chip crumbed chicken pattie, red eye mayo and shredded lettuce.  This tender juicy chicken patty was prefect with it's golden crumbed coating crispy and delicious. The red eye mayo is not what you first believe it would be. I thought, chilli that would give this massive intensity but this is incorrect. Their is no real heat at all just creamy goodness.  Coming from the south and similar to their Red eye Gravy this mayo was smooth and added kicks of sherry vinegar, coffee and  a mild chilli sauce. This burger may seem simple, but their is something that really  connects to you while you devour bite after bite. Is it the golden crispy coating or the fact that the chicken is so juicy and falls apart, or is it the bun that holds it together?

Second round and we are presented with "A single Mother" a tremendous blend of Southern Comfort, Red wine, Ginger beer, Orange and nutmeg. Similar to the Spanish Sangria but has kicks of spices shining through. The touch of ginger beer is what won me over. I can see myself sitting on the back porch with a pitcher of this.

Together with a Classic Cheesy Bacon burger which had layers of Grilled beef pattie, Gruyere and Monterey Jack cheese, Bacon, Pickle, Tomato, lettuce and fry sauce just oozes delicious within itself.  This smokey grilled flavours enhanced the cheesy goodness. The fry sauce of a combination of tomato sauce and mayo finished off this burger perfectly. A hit with the crowd, and a combination of 2 meats and two cheeses is destined to be the perfect burger.

Third round and headed for the half way mark was a can of tomatoes...... actually no I lie. A "Signature Bloody Mary" served over ice in a can with all the trimmings. I am not to fond of the Bloody Mary, and the Bottom End's concoction truly embraced that kick of spice in it. If you are a Bloody Mary fan then you will enjoy one of their alternate choices from a Bloody Caesar (Vodka & Clamato), Bloody South East Asian (Vodka & Tom Yum), Bloody Mexican (Tequila & Chipotle) or a Bloody Beefy (Bourbon & BBQ Sauce).

The Plato's Burger  of spiced Lamb pattie, Taramasalata, Saganaki, Lettuce, Tomato, Tzatziki and cucumber was a towering all Greek inspired bun of joy. Fresh flavours combined with tender juicy lamb was delicious and the hint of taramasalata (fish roe from cod or carp) highlighted the true Greek style and of course the saganaki added the salty cheese goodness that it required.

A pot of Kirin Beer refreshed our palates for the fourth burger, although our stomachs are beginning to balloon out after eating 3 burgers already. But deep breaths and a slight stand up to shake all that food down we embrace the recently featured in 'the Age' burger. The Famous Mitsubishi burger. No we are not eating a car, but it is a Japanese inspired delight. I have never had anything like this before and hopefully this will remain to be only available here at the Bottom End.

A Katsu chicken pattie, Wakame and Wabasbi Mayo was rather enjoyable. I'm not too sure what the Katsu crust was but looking through some things, I could only suggest that perhaps it was a rice crust, but none the less it was once again a golden crisp coating of a tender chicken pattie, topped with cured seaweed and creamy Japanese mayo. A unique flavour within itself and truly like no other I have tasted. Now you may think it strange that seaweed lies beneath 2 soft buns and on top of a chicken pattie, but it works. You truly can't knock it until you try it, and if you are a fan of the Japanese flavours then give it a whirl.

To finish the evening we head for the last and final burger accompanied by a shot of heart warming Rye Whiskey. The Williamsburger of tender grilled Wagyu beef pattie, Double yellow cheese, pickle, lettuce, ketchup and mustard. Yes you are thinking the right thing, is this the well respected similarity to a Big Mac? Well the smells surly do take you bake to that burger we have all had but I must admit, the freshness of this burger does taste so much different than the food chains. The wagyu beef brings out so much more tender meaty flavours and made for a fantastic finisher to the evening.

This was a fantastic night to try their inspiring American menu, of which still continue to have more delicious treats that have not yet been ventured. So it is without question that I will be back to get my hands on things like the Mexico City Cheese Burger or the Chicken Five -o or even just some good old Buffalo wings.

The Bottom end stays true to the American cuisine and brings as some bold and tasty flavours. the atmosphere is superb and sets a great Pub Diner feel with it's eclectic style.

It leaves for a great social gathering, with booze, burgers and music I don't think I could think of any other way to enjoy those evenings out with friends.

The Bottom End

579 Little Collins Street

Melbourne

9629 3001

Good food is wise medicine

There is nothing better to catch up with friends for a bit of brunch in the Saturday's sun in the court yard of Porgie and Mr jones to celebrate Paul's birthday.

Banana Bread

Never being here before but had entered my wish list and was truly up to expctations. This unique cafe is housed to individual rooms for both small and large gatherings, a grassed dining area and pebbled court yard. A quirky layout and welcoming staff truly made the start of our day perfect.

Greatful that on this occasion we did not need to wait for a table, as on weekends it has been said that the line is down the street due to it's amazing breakfasts we settled and ordered the first round of coffee.

What a coffee! smooth bodied blend and served at perfect temperature, it has landed on the top 5 best coffee places on my list. The consistency of there coffee is to be acknowledged as when ordering a second (even branching out to the large size) the coffee was perfect and well balanced.The kitchen is 

Deck seating

With the kitchen open until 3pm and a wide selection of breakfast, small dishes and mains there is something for each and everyone. Paul's choice of banana bread served with mascarpone, berries and pistachios was the eye catcher from all our dishes. A sneak taste while he wasn't looking I was in banana heaven. Not only was it light and moist this dish was something amazing and truly the highlight of the Birthday boys day.

Not to say that my P M & J breakfast was anything to complain about. Perfect poached eggs served on thick crusty bread and accompanied by smashed avocado, slow roasted tomato, bacon and roasted thyme mushrooms, was pretty darn tasty. Of course to top it off though a side dish of hollandaise sauce made it even better. The only thing I would have to say which was a little down fall was the amount of lemon juice in the avocado. It was a little over powering and unfortunately for once who is not a citrus fan like myself would find it slightly disappointing, however not so much that it would ruin your entire meal.

P M & J Breakfast

As we ventured into the late afternoon at Porgie & Mr Jones, time seemed to get away from us being in such a relaxed atmosphere and with good friends we realised that dinner was only a short couple of hours away.

For somewhere a little closer to home for dinner I made reservations over at Half Moon. For a surprise party of 12, this was no problem to arrange on a Saturday night in there small dining area.

Ribs

Another enjoyable atmosphere although slightly loud from the parties and music from either side, you would have to expect this in it's pub environment. But decked out with it's clothed tables, which were spacious and made you feel welcomed rather than feel like a sardine in a can we had a fantastic beginning to the night.

Staff were attentive and welcoming which is always nice when you have such a large party. Happy to arrange some share platters of chicken & chive gyoza, Charcuterie plate (cured meats, pate served with corn bread and brioche) and the Nicola rose pizza (rosemary & potato pizza). It was a great start to he evening.

If you ever go to Half Moon all I can say is for Main - HAVE THE RIBS! Tender pork which has been rubbed with a fantastic spice which almost whacks you in the face with intense smokeyness and hint of chilli. With it's accompaniment coleslaw which allowed you to cool down and had a fantastic flavour similar to an asian slaw with fresh corriander or mint. It truly made the dish of the night for me.

Dessert was in the cards to finish off the night of course, you have to arrange to sing happy birthday to the birthday boy when your out in a restaurant...... who doesn't?

Gooey chocolate pudding

For a chocoholic there is nothing else to have but the Gooey chocolate pudding with honeycomb ice cream. Perfectly cooked and intense in richness, it was my match made in heaven to complete my night. If you were not a fan of chocolate like I am I would suggest to go for the panna cotta. Although still chocolate, it is silk smooth and very mellow. I must say though that looking around the table there was not one disappointed face during desserts. 

As the night continued we did have to begin to yell rather than talk to each other due to the function room being used and the bar area filling up, which was a little bit of a let down although you can't expect it to remain quiet when your out on a Saturday night in a pub. However in saying that we did seem to loose attentiveness from our waiter, but I am unsure whether that was due to the demand at the bar, labour cut backs or because we had ordered desserts and felt they couldn't get much more sales from us.

Over all the night as well as the day was eventful and delicious which is always a good thing to have especially for a Birthday. Both places that were visited are recommended for eateries and both places we shall be returning in the future.

And to Paul..... I wish you all the happiness in the world for your Birthday.

Hip Hip Hooray!