Amarantha

And he didn't even try the parfait or the wagyu. He might die of sensory overload. Hell, so might we; we're going soon for sheol's birthday

After a discussion about how we should be saving for the wedding, we went to Cumulus again the other day - I think we might be addicted It was as good as any other time we've been - the highlight was the wagyu beef, which was perfectly cooked and perfectly teamed with the other elements on the plate. We asked him if he would be open between Christmas and New Year, and he said he hadn't decided yet. The Masters is Finance, and sheol is studying an MBA. Yes, we are insane Btw, a recent edition of Epicure mentioned that they would be reviewing Cumulus Inc this Tuesday the 26th.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it Recommending my favourite restaurants to people makes me nervous, because so often Murphy's law seems to kick in and it's not as good for them. But I suspect off nights are rare at Three, One, Two. I think you summed up well what makes A.McC.'s cooking so great. Some of his dishes look almost too fussy or overdone, until you start actually eating them and it becomes clear what all the different elements are there for. That cigar amuse bouche seems to be a bit of a trademark; it was offered to us both times we went, and I've seen it mentioned in other reviews also. As for us, we've been satisfying our A.McC. fetish lately by heading in to Cumulus Inc on a Saturday afternoon. If you sit at the bar (the food one, not the drinks one), you get to watch the food being cooked by the master himself, and his many chefs. We tried to be nonchalant and not get all fan-boy at him The first time we went, we had a liver parfait that I could happily eat every day until I die, and the second time, to our surprise and delight, the same parfait was included in the charcuterie selection that we ordered. Nothing I've ever eaten has made me wish harder for a cookbook than I'm wishing right now for one with this parfait in it. On the second visit, sheol ordered some boudin noir, which came not in a tube like the sausages we're used to, but baked onto a plate, and something about it was very evocative of that some parfait - a soft, airy texture and sweet-savoury indefinable flavour that writing this has made me crave all over again dammit! I think we had that same pork dish on our first Cumulus Inc visit that you had at Three, One, Two. I couldn't decide whether the crispy edge was very thin, well-rendered skin or very well-crisped fat with the skin removed. I'd honk on some more, but I have to go home. One day my lazy arse might actually write the blog posts I've been planning. So far I've done a Bar Lourinha review (yep, McConnells again) and some tasting notes for a wine, but I've been very lazy. And busy, I guess - doing a Masters and planning a wedding atm. I'm so excited that someone else appreciates the McConnells the way we do

I like 'em inna club sandwich We practically lived off those whilst our kitchen was being renovated and we only had a toaster and microwave for cooking. Ingredients varied, but usually included such things as chilli jam, relish, mustard, pastrami, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, beetroot and gherkins. Besides the capers, of course. Using three slices of bread per sandwich, the outer two toasted. Damn, now I'm craving one. It's been a while...

Damn! That sounds incredibly good. Shall add it to my restaurant wishlist

Omg, that's genius! I was looking at a mocktail book the other day to get ideas for future pregnancy drinks, and was lamenting the fact that they all seem really sweet. I guess it's difficult to replicate the classic simplicity of a martini or manhattan with non-alcoholic ingredients. But I do love a good Islay whisky, and I do love a good lapsang souchong. I shall have to experiment... For Campari fans, I remember getting some little bitters-and-soda bottles that were a non-alcoholic version of the little Campari-sodas. Can't remember what it was called, but if they do a version without the soda, that could be a useful mocktail ingredient. *edit* Looked it up; it's Sanbitter by San Pellegrino, but looks like it's only available in soda form. Still might be good inna cocktail, I guess

Hehe, I posted about Three, One, Two in the "Taxi-like" thread before I saw this post. We went there shortly after it opened, and again about a year later, and both times we were blown away. Top-quality cooking with excellent ingredients, but in a comfortable environment at reasonable prices. We both think it's probably the best restaurant in Melbourne. Come to think of it, it's been about a year since we were there last; perhaps it's time we went again Re: not eating out on Friday/Saturday nights, we do exactly the same. Usually we'll go on a Monday or Tuesday. This Monday - Bar Lourinha, to celebrate the end of this semester's exams

I don't know Taxi, but I'll second the recommendation for Three, One, Two, just because it's currently the best restaurant in Melbourne imo.

Ooo, thanks for the tip We will be honeymooning in Tasmania early next year, so we shall have to check that out. *dreams of Tasmanian sheep cheese*

Not having any blended scotch, I made some Rob Roys with the mixingest scotch I had, which was an 18yo Glenfiddich. It worked quite well

I've seen dried anchovies in asian groceries iirc, dunno about the market. Market does have tiny chillies.

I must correct my post #5 above (about Holy Goat) - it wasn't the Veloute that I had, it was the La Luna. I now have a log of Veloute, but I haven't tried it yet. I also have some Ossau Iraty and some truffled brie. For lunch I intend to finish off the Comte Gruyere...

sheol didn't like blue for the longest time, then one day he happened to try one he liked and he hasn't looked back. Sadly, I'm not sure which one it was. It was definitely a King Island Dairy offering, but they have so many. Perhaps the Roaring Forties? For myself, I'd try her on Blue Castello. Its sweet-and-creamy-ness really takes the edge off the blueness.

Single malt with a little dark chocolate, usually. Occasionally Cognac. Would do Armagnac if I had any; sometimes have Armagnac or Calvados to end a good restaurant meal.

Just back from lunch. Bratwurst and kransky on stoemp, accompanied by: Franziskaner Hefe Weizen Light, citrussy - hoegaardeny. My fiance wasn't a fan; he said the taste and smell reminded him of pinetarsol. I could kinda see where he got that, but I wasn't getting it. Biere du Boucanier A fine example of rich, dark Belgian-ness. Sweet, fruity, malty, heady. Also had a sip or two of my fiance's Grimbergen Dubbel - smooth attack, followed by a marvellous nutty toastiness. *edit to correct typos - that'll teach me to psot drnuk*

I think I might die if I stopped eating cheese. Possibly my favourite recent cheese was Holy Goat's Veloute. It was still very young, when I got it, and I tried to let it age a bit, really I did. But I couldn't resist So it was mostly light and chalky (in a good way), and utterly addictive. The small amount of it that did mature was creamy and sticky (in a good way), and utterly addictive. I can't recall any specific flavour notes, I just remember sincerely enjoying it. I've never met a cheese I didn't like, but my favourite eating cheeses include pretty much every blue ever made (particularly Valdeon & Roquefort), various washed-rind and white-mould thingys, and a few harder cheeses such as Comte Gruyere and truffled pecorino. As a rule, if it's runny, sticky, mouldy or smelly, I'm all over it like white on rice. And (thank you, Will Studd) raw milk does make a difference. A wonderful, wonderful difference For cooking, I'm very fond of buffalo mozzarella (yep, in that salad with the tomato and basil) and parmesan. Btw, thanks for reminding me I have to send in an order to Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder. *finds recent offer letter*

Ooo, ta; I shall keep an eye on the site *prepares to pounce for download*

Wow. Shinboners is envious of me. That's a deviation from the normal state of world affairs Seriously dude, you're an inspiration

Canapés: Grilled ox tongue, little gem and green sauce My fiance found the leaf a tad bitter, but I'm fond of bitterness. I found it cut at the start by a burst of sweet mint, and then balanced by the savoury chewiness of the ox tongue Goat's curd, shallot and mint on toast This was perfect. The textures and flavours of a thin toast slice smeared with goat curd, a little pile of soft, sweet, brown onion strips and the heavenly mint sauce that tied it all together - all different and wonderfully complementary. Young carrots and aioli The sharp attack of raw garlic soon melds with the sweet, slightly crunchy carrots. Made the most of fresh ingredients in such a simple form. Matched with: NV Mumm Cordon Rouge Champagne, Reims, France Appetiser: Crispy pig's tail and shallot vinegar I've been wanting to try pig's tail ever since I read Jennifer McLagan's Cooking on the Bone. Even got a couple in the freezer that we picked up at QVM, but haven't got around to cooking yet. It was pretty much everything I expected, sticky and softly chewy, with crunchy crumbs, and the vinegar to cut the richness. On smaller tails, you could even eat the cartilage from between the bones; on larger ones, it was a bit harder to get at. Matched with: 2003 Tyrrell's Single Vineyard HVD Semillon, Hunter Valley, NSW Entrée: Bone marrow and parsley salad This dish is so famous probably nothing more needs to be said I've had it once before, during Offal Night at the Homestead. Fergus's had more marrow, less toast and a leafier salad. I would have liked a little more toast, but it was still wonderful. Matched with: 2006 Serge Dagueneau et Filles Pouilly Fumé, Loire Valley, France Main course I: Ox heart served with chips and horseradish This was presented in a nouvelle cuisine style, with a couple of strips of heart, two chips and a smear of horseradish on a large plate. The heart was surprising, something like a cross between steak and liver, but with a kind of raw-vegetable crunchiness as well, belying its floppy appearance. This was another perfect balance of flavour and texture, and my fiance's favourite dish of the night. Matched with: 2005 Hochkirch Maximus Pinot Noir, Henty, Victoria Main course II: Pot roasted half pig's head for two This was my favourite of the night, and the opposite of nouvelle cuisine, being simply half a pig's head served onna plate for sharing. I was heartbroken when I got too full to finish it. But I did get a damn good taste of everything before admitting defeat - eye, ear, snout, tongue, cheek and other meat, and shallot-and parsley stuffing. I am totally going to do this at home. Matched with: 2005 Jasper Hill 'Cornella' Grenache, Heathcote, Victoria Dessert: Dr Henderson ice cream This is flavoured with Fernet Branca and Creme de Menthe. My fiance's first comment was "Grown-up ice cream." Suprisingly, he didn't find it too bitter, but the same can't be said of the gentian liqueur that accompanied it, so I drank his. Matched with: Salers Liqueur de Gentiane, Auvergne, France The MC brought out his microphone from time to time for a chat with Fergus, who is a total funny bugger and talks just like he writes, with a cheeky grin to accompany his cheeky jokes I had expected tart, sweet or tarry wines to accompany such fare, but was surprised by the serious umami component in most of the wines we had. Somehow it just worked. I don't claim to have even a basic wine knowledge, so I shall leave the wine commentary at that before I embarrass myself. Being that we don't usually eat so richly, or drink so much, or stay up so late, we're both a little green this morning. But, oh, it was so, so worth it

I seem to recall saying something similar when I got the festival guide in the paper. Everything I see/read makes me want stuff I can't have. *prays to the gods of lotto*

I would have thought, with our anally paranoid food standards, that Australian law would require disclosure of colouring ingredients. But the two bottles I checked in bottle shops in the last few days mentioned nothing at all about colouring (or any other ingredients apart from the % alcohol content). The same is true of a bottle I emptied on the weekend, which would have been bought between 1 and 2 years ago. So I'm afraid I can't confirm which version is being or has been sold in Australia, sorry. Pity, because I'd like to know myself...

Anyone going to "Nose to Tail with the Hendersons" at Number 8 next week? I cannot express in words how excited I am about this. I don't think I've ever looked forward to a meal as much as I am this one Anyone have plans to partake in other Melb Food&Wine/Taste of Slow offerings?

Two of the absolute top restaurants in Melbourne, in our opinion. We've been to Movida twice and Lourinha only once, but every time we had plenty of those take-one-bite-and-omg-i-never-want-this-dish-to-end moments.

Amarantha, do you think this is the one you mean? haven't tried it, I'll be in City tonight so may have a look. ← Yep, that looks like it

Ooo, I love Polly. Used to live just around the corner, but haven't been there for years. Never had a cocktail there, but they were responsible for my love of beer, as it was the first place I tried Chimay. Must get back there...