Lunch

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Moke – Flinders, Mornington Peninsula – Sunday 23 March 2025 – Lunch

Flinders is my favourite town on the Mornington Peninsula. Outside of Portsea and Sorrento, it also seems to be the most expensive, attracting some of the galleries, restaurants, and other necessities of the wealthy. Mere mortals visit. Catherine and I visit often.

With Donna Maria “moving” (changing names, locations, and cuisines) we need a new go-to fine diner in Flinders. Having missed out on trying Moke with Downesy and Lisa a few times, Catherine and I booked well ahead to secure a table on this bright Sunday, at the start of what has ultimately been a very pleasant Autumn.

When Downesy and Lisa have a favourite we pay extra attention. They are globetrotting youngsters (well, younger than me!) who target both insanely good value fine diners, and insanely popular treats from NYC to Cape Town, to where they live in London. I’ve written about two recent meals with them at Polperro and Septime. If I’d organised myself better, on their recommendation we could have tried Pipis before it got so popular!

As we walk up to the restaurant it seems unassuming; a restaurant tucked away secretly in full view of the main drag, albeit at the top of the street. Inside it is warm and inviting. There is already a large table filling up towards the back, but at the front we are for a few moments alone on a comfortable table facing into the restaurant from the front window.

Moke does a tasting menu, running from snacks to dessert, for a very reasonable price. The modern Australian offerings utilise local produce, and are executed with skill by the kitchen, and presented beautifully.

Take the flathead surrounded by a shiny chickpea butter sauce, kaffir lime providing a punch of acid to cut through, and cuttlefish adding interest to the texture. Nothing detracts from the lightness of treatment to the flathead. It is a superb fish course.

The agnolotti is in a similar vein. Looking misleadingly simple, as pasta often can, anyone who has battled with its making knows this must be a specialty of the kitchen when enjoying the first bite to the last. Dressed in a light olive oil Hollandaise, and filled with potato, it is the right portion to leave me wanting more, but equally satisfied. Catherine’s gluten intolerance is also skilfully handled, but I have a few pangs of jealousy when figs feature in her alternative to my pasta.

Leaving room for dessert is a must but before that we have the main savoury course. Presented with pork served two ways, both fillet and shoulder, cauliflower puree, and a gorgeous jus, this is my type of finale. The side of herbed carrots gives some reprieve from the delightful richness of the other elements.

Earlier, snacks were more focussed on flavour than colour. I loved the salted fish croquette, which is saying something because it is hard for me to go past an ox tongue tartlet, and the raw fish taco was tremendous too.

Picking up the presentation game on the dessert, but not losing the flavour profile, is the smoked almond and Bosc pear cake, with generous dollops of pear puree and vanilla cream. Earlier the quince sorbet walks the balance between simple refresher, and something more interesting in itself.

Drinks wise, we liked our waitperson’s disclosure that Moke is looking to be part of the movement bringing back the pre-meal cocktail. It strikes me that the cocktail should be considered at all times through the course of the meal (and day, though perhaps wait until midday). I started off with a barrel-aged Negroni which is a novelty treat for a Negroni lover, and Catherine with classic cosmopolitan.

When it comes to wine, I think there is some work that could be done, but I respect Moke has restricted hours, and wine by the glass lists are fraught for small operators. In saying that, there is enough interest in the wines offered, particularly in the three reds, to keep me involved. The Beaujolais in particular acting as a standout. It is a bit of a secret that Gamay is a wonderfully underrated varietal. Not to mention the Pommery Champagne is a bit of a steal in relative terms.

Through the meal we got to know that the wife and husband combination in ownership is a big reason there is a homely vibe to Moke. The husband, Michael Cole, is humble but certainly carries a good conversation once engaged, and his wife runs the show on the floor, which was high quality, especially on the Peninsula. It’s a reminder of other couple run restaurants, and a reminder that there is still decent value to be had around the Peninsula so the hour long drive shouldn’t put anyone off.

Moke is no joke, utilises yokes, as good as the woke, the food is bespoke, superb for this bloke.

Moke
https://www.mokedining.com.au
60 Cook St, Flinders VIC 3929, Australia
Dinner Thu-Sun; Lunch Sat-Sun
Email hello@mokedining.com.au
Phone 0458 418 524

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Cafe Paci – Newtown, Sydney – Saturday 25 January 2025 – Lunch

One of our superpowers when it comes to restaurants is taking recommendations. When combined with personal research, it is hard to go wrong, especially in a town like Sydney. Taking recommendations is not blind, and filtering them is, similar to research, the most important part.

I have a handful of friends, and acquaintences, who I intently listen to when offering thoughts on their restaurant experiences. After many years, there are many others I know when to follow their advice, or divert. It is often a matter of understanding what is important to the person offering advice, and finding those who align with your preferences.

Introspectively, I know that people do not listen to my advice when it comes to value for money. I’m someone who gets asked once or twice a year by some people for a special occasion; not where the best burger joint is (though I am interested if you know!)

On a three night holiday in Sydney there are a plethora of options, and the stars aligned when I noticed a friend had loved Cafe Paci, and their meal was around the time I flicked through the Australian Gourmet Traveller restaurant guide, and saw it had taken out their top spot in NSW. The way it was described was compelling, and the offerings were not necessarily what I have become used to with the winners in the AGT guide. I was curious.

Catherine, Sydney, and I, headed to Newtown by train, getting off at Macdonald, which is a stroll to Cafe Paci and the vibrant neighbourhood that is Newtown. The thin rectangular restaurant with tables down the right, and a long inviting bar down the left, doesn’t scream fine dining, but it does announce itself as smart casual and contemporary. It is comfortable, not luxurious; a short stay, not resort accommodation.

When we start with a wine it comes out immediately, poured by the waitperson who served us. It’s a nice touch, and the service style, a balance of relaxed and professional, continues along this path for the entirety of our meal. We are made to feel at home in a way a wine bar often does, especially when any stuffiness or pomp is removed.

The menu is diverse, though not outrageously, and narrowing down our selections is a delicate pursuit. To begin, Catherine opts for the devilled egg with trout roe; I with the rye taco with ox tongue and sauerkraut. My ox tongue snack is outstanding, and Catherine’s devilled egg is nostalgic (and filling).

Snapper ceviche is dotted with nectarine and radish that requires a keen eye to decipher between. The flavour matches the presentation, along with the Garganuda Soave. Moving through to glasses of the Marsanne blend from the Loire Valley, and the Rasa Sal Vine Vale Semillon (SA), we are served the Skull Island king prawns. They’re not cheap, but there is a generous serve of utterly beautiful large prawns split in two, with lashings of black pepper butter and lime.

Next, Black Angus steak frites comes with sauce Diane. Intuitively I know what Diane is, but if you asked me to explain its history and ingredients I would have no clue. In simple terms it is a mushroom cream sauce with plenty of pepper, and originally served with venison (and containing truffles rather than mushrooms). There’s a bit of a nod to the old school here, and it is coolly executed. An Emilia-Romagna Sangiovese washes it down, and a leafy salad with a sweet vinaigrette cuts through the richness.

At this stage of proceedings we are more than satisfied, but dessert beckons. It’s yet another mild surprise in a meal that has presented fairly straightforward and delicious food, but always elevated an aspect, whether it be presentation, flavour, execution, or a bit of all three. Here it is the trickles of caramel that add a burst of the sweetness we yearn for, with amaretto ice cream and peach granita balancing each other wonderfully.

The whole experience had been a pleasure. The final surprise was the bill, which in my book is value for money, but I’m not always the greatest judge!

Cafe Paci
https://www.cafepaci.com.au
131 King Street, Newtown, Sydney
Dinner Mon-Sat 5.30pm to 10pm; Lunch on Saturday
Email: info@cafepaci.com.au
Tel: 0402392189