Horoki Casual Dining Bar

Location: 19 Liverpool Street, Melbourne
Tel: 9663 2227

TASTES OF THE WANDERER

Don't be fooled by the Japanese name. Horoki, whilst staffed by Japanese (read: not Chinese/Malaysians/people from Hong Kong PRETENDING to be Japanese) defies being pidgeon-holed. It draws influence from as far away as Italy and Spain, as well as more regional sources like China. Chef Kenji Higuchi does a brilliant job of fusing these flavours together in a harmonious blend that justifies repeated visits to this tiny city restaurant.

The drinks list is very reasonably priced and Asian beer is well represented including favourites such as Tsingtao, Asahi and Tiger. However these are all just distractions to the main event which is the food of Kenji Higuchi. I ordered the Daikon Salad with Sashimi ($13.50) and the Baby Octopus Roast in Garlic Butter ($13.50). Both were excellent, although the Daikon Salad was a real standout. A large dish was liberally filled with cos lettuce, cherry tomatoes and topped with julienne of fresh daikon then julienne of deep fried daikon and seaweed. Around the edges were laid gleaming tiles of tuna, swordfish and salmon sashimi, all liberally covered with tobiko. The dressing was appeared to be a balsamic vinaigrette. The contrast in textures between the fresh and fried daikon was fantastic, whilst the lashings of tobiko eliminated any need for soya sauce with the fish. All in all, a brilliantly conceived and executed dish.



The Baby Octopus was served in a clay dish bubbling with garlic butter. It would not have been out of place in a Spanish restaurant. However, the dish was marred slightly by the chewiness of the octopus, which can probably be attributed to overcooking but this is only a small complaint.



In addition, we had the smoked salmon nigiri, which was served after having had a blow torch run over the surface, leaving a nice charcoal flavour to the sushi. In my opinion, the freshness of the fish and the quality of the cooking put this sushi up there with Shira Nui, the undoubted king of sushi in Melbourne.

My dining companions had the soft shell crab, swordfish tataki and steak tartare, and all received similar rave reviews.

As my dining companion (who had been here on previous ocassions) very astutely pointed out, it is hard to make a bad choice at Horoki. I will definitely be making a return to this very fine restaurant.


Rating: 18/20

100 Mile Cafe

Location: Level 3 Melbourne Central, 211 La Trobe St
Tel: 9654 0808
Website: http://www.100milecafe.com.au

CHAMPIONING LOCAL PRODUCE

Sustainable living is gaining increasing importance nowadays, and it was only a matter of time before this translated into sustainable produce making an appearance in restaurants. The 100 Mile Cafe eschews half-measures in this regard, sourcing their produce entirely within a 100 mile radius of Melbourne. Many would regard this as something of a handicap, but the 100 Mile Cafe manages to pull it off with style and panache.

We had to wait for about 20 minutes for a table despite a booking, which did not give me a positive first impression of the restaurant. However, the food more than compensated for the initial wait. For starters we shared woodfired bread covered with Mont Morency mushrooms. It was a rustic pita type bread generously covered with mushrooms. The flavour from the mushrooms was intense, with just enough salt and a slightly meaty taste. Fantastic.

Not so fantastic was the half-hour wait until the rest of our entrees arrived. I had the eel mille-feuille ($17) and I must say, it was worth the wait. 3 big chunks of gently roasted eel were sandwiched between two layers of golden puff pastry. The eel was sweet and succulent whilst the puff pastry was nice and crispy. On the side was a salad of endives with apple and sultanas, with an artful line of what I took to be sweetened balsamic vinegar separating the eel from the vegetables. The combined sweetness of the apple, sultanas and balasamic matched the eel perfectly. Overall a very well-thought out dish and competently executed.

My dining companions had the house smoked duck sushi ($5 / piece). Whilst this wasn't cheap, the quality of the local produce and the cooking was reflected by the speed at which the sushi was devoured. The duck itself was gently smoked and then covered with a light glaze of teriyaki. A simple and elegant combination that was very comptently executed.

Unfortunately, it was another half-hour before the mains arrived. This was disappointingly slow service from a restaurant that otherwise had everything going for it. The ambience was smart but not too stifling, with the polished wooden rafters lending a slightly rustic charm to the restaurant. The food was good and the service was polite and attentive. A shame about the long wait between courses.

For mains I had the King George Whiting tempura style. 4 small golden fillets of whiting arrived buried under a mound of capsicum, ladies finger and pumpkin. Accompanying it was a small bowl of tentsuyu sauce. The fish was well-cooked, with a light coating of crispy batter coddling the sweet whiting. The batter perfectly preserved the juiciness and texture of the fish, allowing the freshness of the produce to shine through.

The braised ox cheek my dining companions had also garnered significant praise.

Given the length of the wait between courses, we did not bother with dessert. Despite the tempting menu, it did not justify a further half hour wait.


Rating: 16/20

The food was great and deserved a higher mark, too bad the service did not match it.

Colmao Flamenco

Location: 60 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
Tel: 9417 4131
Website: http://www.colmaoflamenco.com/
BYO Wine - Corkage $5

CHURROS FROM THE HEAVENS

Undoubtedly any Spanish restaurant in Melbourne will draw comparisons to Frank Camorra's Movida. Colmao does not disappoint.

The food is simple, honest Spanish fare - no tricked up foams or dry ice here. The menu is extensive, with numerous shared entrees, and mains including game, seafood and of course, paella. Hidden in the back of the menu is a list of attractively priced set menus. We ended up going with Set Menu III. Coming in at $43, it was more expensive than the tapas degustation at Movida, so expectations were high.

For this price we received 4 types of tapas, paella, and churros. The tapas was particularly noteworthy. Arriving in close succession were:
Chorizo sausages with aioli
Button mushrooms cooked in a claypot with white wine, garlic and rosemary
Fried spinach tossed with garlic, sultanas and lemon wedges
Potato wedges with a spicy salsa
Meatballs with a tomato based sauce

The chorizo sausages were particularly well done, with the juicy pieces of chorizo having just the right balance of saltiness and heat from the paprika. The creamy aioli complemented this dish nicely. As for the spinach, after a couple of tenative mouthfuls I found myself pleasantly surprized - and this is coming from someone that usually doesn't like spinach. The creaminess of the spinach matched well with the garlic, and the sultanas provided a great counterpoint to the savoury flavours. Don't forget to add a squeeze of lemon - the sweet, sour, salty combination really works for this dish.

Next up was a VERY generous serving of paella mixta. A wagon-wheel sized pan of paella studded with king prawns, mussels, calamari and chicken was placed in front of us. The serving size was for 4, but could easily have served 6. The paella itself was good, and I would have been happy to get it in any other restaurant. However, it did not live up to the standard of the tapas . The paella had a gummy consistency that suggested overcooking, and taste wise could have used a touch more salt.

Paella for 2 pictured below.


As for dessert, the churros were magnificent. Crisp golden twists of pastry that were still soft and fluffy on the inside. These doughnuts were served piping hot and dusted with cinnamon and served with a dark chocolate sauce. Sweet, but not too cloying. They were without a doubt the best churros I've ever had. An excellent finish to a great meal.

Rating: 15/20

It would have scored higher but for the slow service. In addition, the waiters, whilst well-meaning and polite were forgetful and sometimes inattentive. However, having said that the service did pick up towards the end of the meal.