Good Service

by

Patsy’s – Melbourne, City – Saturday 8 January 2022 – Dinner

Would I have done this ten years ago? Most probably not. There are two main reasons: quality; and perception. Back then the quality was nowhere near as good, and the perception was bad.

So as Catherine, my toddler Sydney, and I, walk into Patsy’s, why is dining at a vegetarian restaurant no longer a faux pas. Why are we comfortable (actually excited), and why do we have reasonable expectations?

Personally, my main reason is because some of the best dishes I’ve had in recent months are vegetarian, and over the years I’ve had many experiences where those dishes have been extremely good. Catherine is excited because she really likes the sister restaurant in Flinders, Donna Maria, which does quality Italian (but is not vegetarian).

Patsy’s is on the big round-about close to Queen Vic Market on Franklin Street. It is filled with vintage furniture, simple quaint decoration, and a white and green courtyard backdrop. Instantly I feel comfortable.

It’s not a big place, and sells itself as a wine bar too, with that friendly but professional enoteca type service. There’s no place for stuffiness, and that includes the customers.

On the menu there are a range of options, with the modern sharing style format. We decide to share the snack “Pinzimonio di Verdure”, which consists of various preserved vegetables with a hazelnut and olive bagna cauda, which is a traditional dipping sauce made of oil, butter, anchovies and garlic. It is a nice, fresh beginning.

A lot more decadent, the “Zlikrofi” is two Slovenian potato and chickpea dumplings, sitting in a sweet wine and rich shallot sauce. By the end I had ‘vinegar cheeks’ but was loving it; the firmness of the dumpling perfect for my taste.

We are certainly not big eaters, and mains were substantial as we had the Boudin de betterave along with two sides. The Burgundian beetroot sausage is an absolute full flavoured winner. With Cafe de Paris emulsion, and wrapped in vine leaves, it is just delicious. Some would say you better’ave it!

Kipfler potato mash, with its gorgeous smokiness, is a terrific addition. As is a collection of different chargrilled beans with ajo blanco, which is a Spanish soup (in this case more a sauce) made with bread, almonds, garlic, water and olive oil. This is a beautiful array of vegetarian cuisine.

While we are completely content, we are going to order dessert no matter what. At this stage we’ve really enjoyed the wine too. The native grape of Santorini is rare to find by the glass so we both indulged in a glass of Assyrtika (by Gaia Thalassitis), and by now I am onto the less complex, but deliciously juicy Xinomavro red which is also Grecian.

Dessert is curiously presented, but pretty, with the Fragole con Zabaione perfect after a substantial meal. Marinated strawberries, and strawberry ice cream, are served under the Italian combination of egg yolks, sugar and sweet wine.

Even at an early dinner, there is a great vibe here, and staff are atuned to it. We have a growing banter with the waitstaff and enjoy learning more about this culturally diverse restaurant in its early days. Vegetarian is no longer a restriction, and offerings like Patsy’s continue to make a case for its beauty. I even got to have a sausage!

Patsy’s
213 Franklin Street, Melbourne
Phone – 03 9328 7667
Bookings – OpenTable
Instagram

by

Nomad Restaurant – Melbourne, City – Dinner – Tuesday 30 November 2021

As if travelling back in time ten years, Flinders Lane is yet again one of the coolest restaurant strips in the world. Multiple high profile openings, and the buzz to deafen the most serious hype.

Tonight I didn’t even realise until we booked our parking, that we were going to the old Ezard dining room. This basement oasis of turn of this century dining excellence is once again a hot ticket. It is Tuesday night and this illustrious, completely restyled venue, is very busy. We’ve waited 16 minutes after our 8pm booking, with no drink, so this Nomad place better be worth it. Having been recently pushed out of early restaurant bookings, we held our nerve, and our judgement.

I noticed the kitchen is now mainly at the back of the long rectangular room, with a larder at the front. It’s dark and minimalist, and seems a bit tight to walk along the pathways but staff are quick to step aside. Tonight we are thankful to have one of the experienced Sydney sister venue staff as our wairperson. While she leaves Melbourne to go back to Sydney soon, we certainly noticed all staff are well trained on the menu, waiting etiquette and have a friendly persona. The speed, and depth of explanation about the gluten free options on the menu, were very impressive.

We began with some rock oysters and the wood roasted plant escabeche. The oysters were delicious and the flavour profile in the escabeche was diverse, even if the nature of a marinated dish means a soft texture.

The combination of baked ricotta, Ortiz anchovies, and wood roasted peppers, worked so well I was imagining tapas in San Sebastian. Smoked mussels, piment d’espelette, and a pure garlic puree called toum were superb, only topped by the perfect accompanying hash brown. It may not be an exaggeration to say that pure garlic might be the toum-stone for your date, but here we felt it wore off reasonably quickly.

For our main dish, Murray cod is presented skin side up to keep the crispy texture, topped with saffron butter, and sided by spring vegetables and vine leaves. Cod is an outstanding fish, with its meatiness and depth of flavour, not to mention its versatility. On that front, my Gamay by Sentio in the King Valley was a decent red match, while Catherine’s Mulline Geelong Chardonnay was a natural winner. The Roman beans as a side were more of a hit with Catherine, but I did like trying a side that was a bit different, even if I got a few chewier ones.

Earlier I’d tried the versatile Sutton Grange Fiano and was not disappointed. Catherine had the “gin drink” to start as her cocktail, and it was terrific, but we almost went mad with staff trying to remember the song that talks about “the whisky drink”. It is Tub Thumping by Chubawumba!

This is the dessert split for gluten free diners. The actual presentation of this signature is much prettier normally.

The olive oil ice cream sandwich is already signature, and we got a separated gluten free version where I got most of the gluten part, and half of the creamy ice cream. Down the road at a restaurant where Coda now resides is where I tried my first olive oil ice cream 13 years ago, and maybe that is the best way to summarise the impact Flinders Lane dining has had on me.

In one triangle on Flinders Lane we had been to three venues in barely over a month. This has to be one of the great times to dine out between Swanston and Russell. Inventive, risky, but surefooted, and focussed, Nomad is making its mark.

Nomad
187 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
https://nomad.melbourne/
+02 9280 3395
eat@nomad.melbourne