Restaurant Review: TGI Fridays Melbourne Central (Take Two)

Malt Mileage reviewed TGI Fridays Melbourne Central last week, and we were disappointed with the service and food. TGI Fridays management read our review and invited Malt Mileage back to its Melbourne Central restaurant so that we could give it another go. I agreed to attend on a Saturday evening with Greta.

Overall, this second visit to TGI Fridays Melbourne Central was excellent. The service was professional, fast, friendly and basically flawless. Sebastian, who was in charge of our table, was very friendly and he made sure we got all our drinks, condiments and food quickly. The food was also very good, with great presentation and the most delicious crispy seasoned chips I have had in a very long time. The only negative of the night was that Greta's cut of meat had a thick layer of fat through the middle, but in any event she barely ate a third of it. Meanwhile, I ravaged my rare Angus rump in glee. 

TGI Fridays is a restaurant that offers American, Texan and Mexican style food. In keeping with that theme, the restaurant has a fantastic selection of bourbons and tequila alongside the usual suspects from Scotland. The TGI Fridays happy hour, from 4pm-7pm, is also great value and includes measures of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for $10. We did not have any Blue Label, but we enjoyed a large selection of cocktails and spirits.

We started the evening with Crispy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs. This Mexican inspired dish was a nice start to the meal because it was not too heavy and it offered a nice balance between the salty cheese, savoury meatballs and sweet tomato.

I ordered a rare 340gram Angus Rump. It was cooked very well, soft to the touch and nice and dark pink in the middle while being crispy and charred on the outside. The chips were delicious - crispy, fresh and well seasoned. The mushroom sauce was OK, but I think it could have benefited from having some more mushroom in the actual sauce. Overall, the steak was delicious, the chips were delicious but the mushroom sauce was a letdown. We asked for a selection of mustards, and we were quickly given a jar each of English mustard, French mustard and seeded mustard. The mains also came out quickly, 20 minutes after the starter.

Greta ordered the 300gram Rib Eye. It was also cooked nicely and the way she ordered it (medium-well). She tried her hardest, but she could only finish about a third of this. I think she was more interested in the cocktails, and she guzzled down three with no problems.

My Budweiser and Greta's first victim: Singapore Sling

Greta's second victim: Whisky Sour

Greta's third victim: Tequila Sunrise

The bar at TGI Fridays made great cocktails. All the cocktails were on the money with generous measures of spirit, and the staff even asked what kind of whisk(e)y we wanted in the Whisky Sour. Greta and I chose Baker's bourbon, and as the cocktail did not last long I could tell this was a good choice.

Booker's bourbon

I am not completely innocent in all this, as I enjoyed a measure of the fierce Booker's bourbon and Patron Anejo with lime. Nibble the lime and sip the tequila slowly - delicious. I was also impressed with the price of the cocktails and spirits at TGI Fridays.

In summary, we had a fantastic time at TGI Fridays Melbourne Central on this visit. The service was excellent. The food was very good, let down only by the cut of the rib eye and the mushroom sauce. My main, the rump, was delicious - the meat was cooked beautifully and the chips were crunchy. Not much else I really want, besides a nice bourbon and tequila (which I got!). The cocktails are very well made and the spirits are generally good value.

In the words of Arnie, I WILL BE BACK. That said, no dessert for us. Too full.

Restaurant Review: Gold Leaf, Sunshine

Gold Leaf operates a number of Chinese restaurants in and around Melbourne. The one closest to home, and a new family favourite, is the Gold Leaf in Sunshine. When we first entered the restaurant I felt as though I was somewhere in Asia on holiday - the Chinese newspapers in the entrance were fluttered by the wind as the poor little crustaceans sitting in water tanks soon became secondary to the grand display of gold and glass chandeliers. The ambiance at Gold Leaf is definitely authentic and it is the image of Chinese restaurants that I grew up with - that noisy, over the top but tired glamour, glitzy golden surrounding and the difficult to understand rude-in-a-funny-way Chinese waiter (though, admittedly, as a child I was more interested in crawling under tables than eating my san choi bow). If you want to experience the increasingly rare authentic Chinese that survives the flood of "modern" Asian on the market, visit Gold Leaf. 

The ambiance may seem a little tired, over the top and "fake", but that is the unique personality of some suburban Chinese restaurants in Melbourne. It is what I enjoy about them, because it makes them different to fine dining establishments. The noise is loud, though, because the restaurant itself is in a very large space.

We ordered a few of my favourite Chinese foods - dozens of oysters with XO sauce and traditional lobster made with ginger and shallots. The oysters were faultless, and the lobster was nicely cooked albeit too heavily marinated with corn flour which coated the shell a bit too much.

Another dish, wasabi prawns, included very large king prawns deep fried and slathered in sweet chili sauce and wasabi mayonaise. It is fatty, heavy and heart attack material... but my Dad loves it.

A habit of ours is to always ask the waiter that our food be cooked with less oil, because on previous visits the food has been far too greasy. If we ask them to reduce the oil in the cooking, however, we find that it is lovely.

I enjoy the authentic suburban Chinese restaurant personality of Gold Leaf - tired but glitzy in an almost tacky kind of way. I feel at home, comfortable and with the excellent quality of food I see no issues. It is the personality which I grew up with, and in a way I enjoy trying to speak over the loud Chinese family on the next table as I tuck into my delicious food. Now, time to fish out a copy of Dragon's Forever which I probably watched a billion times!

Gong Xi Far Cai!

Restaurant Review: TGI Friday's Melbourne Central

Greta and I often have dinner at TGI Friday’s in Southland and then watch a movie, so I was eager to try out the relatively new TGI Fridays at Melbourne Central with a couple of law school buddies of mine.

I won’t mince words. The whole experience at TGI Friday’s Melbourne Central was disappointing and we concluded that we will not return. We felt the service was lazy and borderline rude and the food was average. In our view the prices (for example, around $35 for a New York Strip steak) were expensive for what we got and for the same price or a few bucks more we could have received much better food and service at one of the many other steak houses we often frequent.

New York Strip Steak at TGI Friday's Melbourne Central

As you may know, TGI Fridays is a chain of restaurants with an American diner theme that offers mostly American, Texan and Mexican food. We arrived at TGI Friday’s Melbourne Central at about 6:15pm and we were seated in an almost empty restaurant. We decided to take advantage of the “happy hour” which includes measures of Johnnie Walker Blue for $10. Ten minutes after ordering, we were told there was no more Johnnie Walker Blue Label. We then ordered three New York Strips two with mushroom sauce and one with pepper sauce. When the steaks arrived the meat was done nicely but my cut (pictured) had a thick layer of fat on the side which marbled into the lean meat. The chips (or fries) were soggy and tasted stale, but upon telling the staff member he simply was not interested. “I’ll pass it onto the kitchen”, he replied while rolling his eyes with a dash of attitude. Then we asked for hot English mustard with our steaks. The mushroom sauce had one slither of mushroom and it had a gluggy texture that was almost flowery and it tasted nothing like mushroom so we did not want it. No hot English mustard was available. Seeded mustard perhaps? No. American mustard? Yes! It took about 30 minutes to arrive but finally came the American mustard which we reluctantly put on our cold steaks. When we finished, up came Mr Attitude to our table to take issue with the fact that we ate the chips that we complained about. He pointed in shock, “It’s all gone!”. Shock horror, we ate the chips after an hour of waiting for the staff to do nothing. We were still hungry afterwards so we had some cold cuts at a bar with whisky.

TGI Friday’s Melbourne Central struck us as one of those typical casual dining venues but at premium dining prices in our opinion. The food was average. The service was well below average. To be frank, if we are going to pay around $35 for a steak we would prefer to go somewhere else, pay the same price or a few bucks more, and get a super delicious steak, crispy chips and service with a smile!  At TGI Friday’s Melbourne Central we got an average steak, stale chips, unenjoyable sauce and service that was slow, unprofessional and borderline rude. 

Restaurant Review: Red Spice Road, QV

Red Spice Road has consistently been a favourite of ours for years, and for that reason we have decided to review the new(ish) restaurant located at QV.  

Nestled just off the street in the QV complex, the restaurant is picturesque and romantic at night. In keeping with this theme, unlike the other Red Spice Road (McKillop street) this restaurant offers a more intimate dining experience with the option of private (as opposed to communal as is the case at the McKillop street venue) dining in a smaller restaurant space. The staff are extremely friendly and overall we had a great night. 

For Greta's birthday we chose the $79 banquet, which consists of 10 different dishes. Every dish was delicious and generously sized, and by the end of the night the seams on our clothes were almost bursting. The idea of this post is to provide pictures of each of the 10 dishes provided by the $79 banquet... if only this blog had scratch and sniff!

The first dishes to arrive at our table were the Steamed Bao of Shredded Duck, Crispy Shallot and Coriander (top left), Betel Leaf with Smoked Chicken, Avocado, Shallot and Lemongrass (top right), Scallop and Corn Puree Cucumber, Green Chilli and Soya Beans (bottom left) and the Oysters with Smoked Pork Belly, Sesame, Green Onion and Soy (bottom right). 

My mouth was salivating by the time these dishes came, and they did not last very long as our chatter soon became the sound of chewing. Greta's favourite were the oysters, while I most enjoyed the scallops. Every dish was lovely. 

The second lot of dishes to reach our table were the Prawn, Pomelo and Coconut Salad with Roasted Chilli Peppers (top left), Pork Belly with Apple Slaw Chilli Caramel and Black Vinegar (bottom left) and steamed rice (right). 

Again, these dishes were delicious! The salad set the taste buds burning with its chilli rich flavour, and the pork belly was very lean with only a thin layer of fat under the crackling. Perfect. One thing I dislike about pork belly is that at some restaurants its fat content exceeds its meat content, but at Red Spice Road the pork belly was mostly lean pork meat and it literally melted in my mouth with the sweet sauce. 

The third lot of dishes to make it to our table were the Rockling Jungle Curry with Snake Beans, Cauliflower and Crispy Shallots (bottom right), Wagyu Shin slow cooked with Five Spice with Mushrooms and Smoked Eggplant Nam Prik (top) and Goat slow-cooked with Chilli, Tamarind, Tumeric and Sweet Potato (bottom left). 

By this stage the rice was no longer wanted. We were stuffed to the brim and forced fed ourselves only a small portion of each of these dishes. The rockling, goat and wagyu were all cooked beautifully and super soft. All three dishes were beautiful but I had to save room for dessert, and I am glad I did! 

The final dish to put a big smile on our faces was the Passionfruit Cream with Basil Seeds, Coco de Nata, Lychee, Coconut Ice Cream and Sesame Tuille. 

We finished every bit of this dessert, and in fact I wanted to lick my plate clean. We could not finish the mains and left a lot, but the dessert was simply too irresistible.

I washed down all the food with a bottle of Cavalier Brown Ale - a dark ale with mostly coffee and dark chocolate on the palate which faded into a slightly bitter and yeasty finish.

We both loved the food at Red Spice Road QV. That said, we prefer the ambiance of the other Red Spice Road (if, of course, we are in the mood for communal dining). 

Bar Review: Cure Bar & Eatery

Ambiance: ★★★★

Staff knowledge: ★★★★★★
Service: ★★★★★★
Spirits diversity: N/A
Value: ★★★★★
Whisky diversity: ★★★★
Food: N/A ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★

Overall impression

Cure Bar is possibly the friendliest bar in Melbourne. When I visited on a week night it was full and buzzing with energy and happy faces sipping whisky, wine and beer. It offers a lovely décor and an ambiance that is inviting and welcoming, and strikes a great balance between the rustic suburban bar feel and the more glitzy city based bar environment. Cure bar is one of those places that I would not hesitate visiting alone, with my partner or a large group. It is that type of bar; just a great place to sip a drink.  

Ambiance

The main feature I look for in a bar is its “ambiance”. How does it “feel” when I am there? This does not just mean being surrounded by pretty shiny things, but space, room, friendly people, the “vibe”, lighting, noise etc. Sometimes a bar can be too glitzy with the most uncomfortable seating, while others can be too noisy and cramped. Cure Bar strikes a great balance between homely comfort and some inner city bar décor to create a comfortable, welcoming, and very nice environment in which to enjoy whisky, wine, beer… whatever really. It has very comfortable cushioned seats with tables by candle light and bar stools along the bar.

Staff knowledge

The staff at Cure Bar are among the friendliest you can find, and have excellent knowledge about all things whisky. Their passion for whisky is reflected in their preservation of “rare finds” which are lined around the bar, and this includes an Old Malt Cask Port Ellen etc.

Service

The service is quick and efficient, and the servings are generous and measured. The staff have an interest in what customers think about the whisky, so the bar has an almost club-like feel. 

Whisky diversity

The whisky list is not endless, but it is enough for a whisky drinker to enjoy. It has quite a few expressions from Campeltown, the forgotten whisky region of Scotland. I relished in a Port Ellen while there and will return very soon for some more whisky.

Value

There are a few bars in Melbourne that offer good value, and Cure Bar is among them. As I have said, their servings are generous and measured and their prices are good. You can find a list of their whiskies on the Cure Bar website: http://cure-bar.com

Next time you are in Carlton, be sure to visit Cure Bar. Saluti!

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

On Tuesday 11 June 2013 I had the opportunity to attend a tasting of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") as a guest. My sincere thanks to SMWS for the very kind invitation and for their wonderful hospitality on the night.

SMWS? 

The SMWS is an organisation that mainly:

• buys casks from distilleries and bottles its own whisky; 
• allows people to join its "society" and become members; 
• conducts tastings which can be enjoyed by the public or members at a reduced rate; and 
• sells its bottled whisky to members. 

Therefore in addition to being a "society" for whisky lovers SMWS also bottles and sells its own whisky. This makes it an "independent bottler" of whisky with a twist; the twist being that these expressions are not widely available on the market and appear, at least from what I can tell, fairly exclusive and, to be honest, a little too expensive in my view.

The Tasting: What happened on the night?

The tasting was held at Southbank, Melbourne. The night began with a very warm and friendly group of people meeting over a complimentary beer or wine. The conversation flowed and it was easy to mingle into the group; a mingling that became easier as the night wore on and whiskies consumed reached six! The night involved tasting five SMWS whiskies "blind" in progression over the course of a three course (and delicious, I might add) meal. It was lots of fun. The chatting was fueled by the need to guess the whisky, and then without warning its identity would be revealed and the room would fill with the familiar sound of "ahhhhhh"; a sound which would eventually fade as the group's attention eagerly turned to the next whisky!

Whisky 0 was served at the start, with the intention to fire up everybody's taste buds and allow a comparison between this commercially available whisky and SMWS bottlings. It was later revealed that this whisky was the excellent Glenlivet 12 Year Old (which reinforced that SMWS bottlings are at cask strength and not "cut down");

Whisky 1 was a 12 year old Arran, SMWS 121.57;

Whisky 2 was an 8 year old Ardmore, SMWS 66.39;

Whisky 3 was a 28 year old Glenfarclas, SMWS 1.169;

Whisky 4 was a 16 year old Ben Nevis, SMWS 78.40;

Whisky 5 was a 21 Year Old Laphroaig, SMWS 29.129;

The common theme I identified in all these whiskies was that while they were all excellent, they were, for lack of a better word, "intense". There was very little subtlety about them, and while they certainly offered fireworks I found that some were heavily dominated by a particular characteristic (for example, big sweet sherry notes). This intensity had more to do with what I felt was a prominent characteristic (sherry, peat or the interaction between the two for example) rather than the alcohol level of the whiskies, being at cask strength.

I enjoyed all the whiskies very much, though it was not quite love at first taste!  

The Waiting Room, Crown

Ambiance: ★★★★★★
Staff knowledge: ★★★★★
Service: ★★★★★★
Spirits diversity: ★★★★
Value: ★★★★
Whisky diversity: ★★★★★
Food (dessert): ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★

The Waiting Room is a bar nestled within the opulent surrounds of the Crown hotel lobby, with black marble and a magnificent chandelier illuminating the intimate environment. It is partitioned from the lobby, but also has a beautiful inside area with tables and seats.

Ambiance 

The ambiance is fantastic. It is opulent and beautiful, but also very casual; a place where you can go for a quiet drink and cake. We went on a Saturday night, and it was busy but not cramped. The tables are placed with good space between them so it is not noisy at all and there is lots of personal space.

Staff knowledge and service 

Service is top notch. We were greeted by a well mannered staff member who helped us navigate the menu and the bar was knowledgeable about spirits and cocktails.

Spirits and whisky diversity 

The menu boasts a variety of spirits, from Scotch to grappa. It has a good selection of whisky, and in particular Scotch and American whiskey. However, not all their whiskies are listed on the menu. When I approached the bar I saw many whiskies that were not on the menu, including whiskies from the Elements of Islay range. They also offer a Port Ellen! The bartender confirmed that not all their spirits are listed on the menu. My advice would be to go to the very well stocked bar and have a look to see if you can find something you want to try.

I had a Sazerac Rye. Greta is a big help, as sometimes when I am off inspecting the bar she will "surprise" me with a whisky so I can blind taste it, rate it etc and then when the bill comes... I know what it is.

Value 

The price of the spirits and dessert, considering the opulent surroundings and lovely ambiance, was excellent. The servings are generous and measured, and that is always a big positive!

Food

We had a lovely dessert after a big dinner at Jimbo & Rex at Crown. It is a very well made "Opera" with edible gold and a blueberry  Greta tucked into it while I was distracted by the range of spirits on the menu and at the bar!

Overall 

Greta gives this bar full marks, a 10/10 in her book. As for me, well, I give it an excellent five stars. The Waiting Room at Crown is a bar you should visit for a casual drink and dessert in the opulent surrounds of Crown. As an added bonus, we saw a very well known Irish singer stride past our table!

Melbourne Supper Club

 

Ambience: ★★★★★★

Staff knowledge: ★★★★

Service: ★★★★

Spirits diversity: ★★★★★

Whisky diversity: ★★★★

Food: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★

The Melbourne Supper Club, a Melbourne spirit tasting institution, has been offering the best crème brulee in town for many years. With its classy interior and leather lounges, and its romantic rooftop overlooking Victorian Parliament, it is perfect for any occasion.

The bar staff are extremely knowledgeable, and have the time to answer questions in what must be a very busy and hectic environment. That is particularly impressive. The bar staff can take orders, make cocktails, serve drinks, answer questions about drinks and smile all at the same time. Brilliant!

The drinks list is very large! The Supper Club offers spirits from many countries, from Scotch to Italian grappa. It has lots of whisky on offer, but it is perhaps a little overpriced (though it is a first rate bar so this is reasonable). I can always count on a nice selection of armagnac and American whiskey at the Supper Club... and I always get it in a correct glass! 

The food is not bad, but not great either. But did I mention the sensational crème brulee? The best I’ve had.

Overall, this is a great place to taste whisky or other spirits because it is a large bar with quiet places and though it is popular it is not cramped. I recommend arriving early, though. Say, before 9pm. 

Best Bars in Bali (for spirit tasting)

Bali offers an incredibly good culinary experience that includes access to excellent quality spirits at reasonable prices. Scattered throughout Bali are restaurants and bars that put the finest establishments in Melbourne to shame, so in this post I want to share with you my favourite five bars in Bali for spirit tasting (especially whisky and cognac). All these bars are part of multinational hotel chains or are market leaders in their own right, which means top notch service and quality (it also means you can trust that you are getting the spirit that you are paying for!). These bars have reasonable prices and a good selection of spirits in a vibrant and opulent environment that makes the tasting experience that much more enjoyable!

POTATO HEAD BEACH CLUB, SEMINYAK

The Potato Head Beach Club is located in Seminkyak, Bali. It is beautifully designed, with a carefully constructed tunnel of mosaic style French doors on the entry and a bar overlooking a pool. It has a good selection of spirits, and it is reasonably priced. 

KU DE TA, SEMINYAK 

Ku De Ta is located in the Oberoi, and it is a spectacular bar that is directly on the beach. I remember sipping slowly on a Scotch while lying back on a soft couch and looking out to the setting sun while energetic music played in the background. Magic!

HARD ROCK CAFE, KUTA 

The Hard Rock Cafe in Bali is located on the same street as Beachwalk, the new shopping area bustling with hungry and thirsty tourists! You know what that means - good places to eat and drink! The Hard Rock Cafe is an excellent place to have a dram in the early evening, though it gets a little busy later in the night.

If you do decide to visit Bali, I hope you have the chance to enjoy some of the expressions these establishments have on offer.