Quick and easy dinner at Cumulus Inc.

Ahh Cumulus Inc., you never dissappoint.  Popped in for late dinner on a Friday night, exhausted from a long day at work and interstate travel and there you are, a warm welcoming hug of good yummy food.

Started with the “kitchen charcuterie selection“,  a gorgeous selection of cured meats beautifully garnished with pickled veggies and sauces.

And finished with “slow roast chicken, almond cream, pancetta & heirloom carrots” with a serve of “new season potatoes, red wine shallots & sage” on the side.  The wonderfully salty smoky pancetta with perfectly cooked moist chicken is a total winner.

Can’t wait to revisit soon!

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Homage to Paul Bocuse at l’Auberge du Pont de Collonges

We were in Lyon, and had to pay our respects to the legendary Paul Bocuse by visiting his restaurant Auberge du Pont de Collonges.   I knew what I was in for when I made the booking, which was a restaurant and menu that had not changed since 1975.   And yep, it was exactly what I got.  Rich, luxurious, scrumptious and excessive food!

Since I’d gone all the way there, and the chances of returning are fairly slim, I’d decided to go all out and have the Menu Grande Tradition Classique.  Seven courses, which included a whole Bress chicken and dessert trays that you could select anything from.  Just a small piece of advice if you ever go there: make sure you’re hungry!

Before we started, we had the customary amuse bouche which was a lovely bisque.

First course was “scallop of foie gras, pan-cooked, verjus sauce“.  The foie gras was beautifully seared on the outside and soft inside, and it was served with crispy potato lattice on top and a sweet sticky sauce.

Next up we had the famous “Truffle soup V.G.E.” which was a dish created for the French President in 1975. A dish that has been around for over 35 years must be good to stand the test of time.  I’d expected a thick soup under that puff pastry but it was actually a clear soup with veges and truffle.  Be warned: a bowl of this soup was $82 euros!

The “filet of sole with noodles, à la Fernand Point” was devine!  Lovely soft and sweet sole with a creamy white sauce (which had been lightly grilled to give it that browned taste) with noodles.

We then had a palate cleanser which I thought was worthy of mention: “Beaujolais winemaker’s sherbet“.  It was like icy red wine – really powerful and unexpected.

Next we were served a whole “Bresse chicken truffled cooked in a bladder“.  It’s quite scary looking (a chicken in a bladder that’s puffed up from the steam whilst cooking) but really delicious!  The chicken was carved up and served with a creamy sauce filled with morel mushrooms, and a side of rice and spring vegetables.

After that we moved on to a “selection of fresh and matured cheeses from La Mère Richard“.  We were presented with a cart full of cheeses of various varieties and could select any that we wanted!  Divine!

And then came the “delicacies and temptations”, which again involved a cart full of desserts that we could choose from.  I went for the fruit, crepe and cream options whilst my boyfriend went for the sweetest items in the cart.

 

Last item for us was the “fantasies & chocolates” which was a beautiful stand of chocolates and treats.  Note the figurine on top of the stand (it’s a mini Paul Bocuse!).

Overall, it was quite an experience.  Very old school formal, classic dishes, excessive surrounds, immaculate service, luxurious feel throughout the whole experience.   If you have the means and time, definitely do it.  Being a lover of all things French, especially the food, this was a chance to live and breathe French gastronomy.

Moon Under Water

Within the Andrew McConnell’s Builders Arms Hotel, there exists a little dining room called Moon Under Water.   Whilst in the same building, this is distinctly different from the bar and bistro.  For one thing, the menu is a set menu every night at a fixed price.  Another is that it’s blindingly white in the dining room – I felt like if I had worn an all white outfit, I would have disappeared into the room itself.  But we are not here to talk about the color of the room but the food, which was brilliant.  The menu we had that night was perfect for me as jamon, scallops and chicken are some of my favorite things!

We started with deliciously savory cheese biscuits.   I’m a big fan of cheese biscuits, such as Phillipa’s Parmesan Sables so this was a similar treat.

We were then presented with some grilled peppers, and bread, butter and pickles.  I love surprise peppers, but unfortunately for me, I didn’t get any that were tongue numbing.

The Rottness Island scallops, cucumber and fennel was a beautifully light dish with flavors and textures that married very nicely together.

The shaved jamon, fresh curd, grilled and raw zucchini was a huge surprise to me.  It was light, it was fresh, the texture was amazing and it tasted fantastic.  Who knew you could make the humble zucchini taste so upmarket?

I love a good roast chook and the roast chicken, celery, leeks and hazelnuts dish was amazing.  The chicken was cooked so perfectly (moist and tender) and the accompaniments matched it beautifully.

I like light fruity desserts, so the white peach, lemon cream, blueberries was a great way to end the meal.   The peach was poached, and served along with the cream and fruit were soft fluffy pieces of cake.  Very nice.

Lastly before departing, we were presented with caramel filled chocolate cups.  It was a rich mouthful to end the dinner with.

Don’t expect big pub/bistro type meals here – it’s all light and fine.  Perhaps they change their menu when the weather cools down, but this was what we had in early January.  I think it’s good value for money, and would definitely go again.

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Papa Goose: great “modern British fare”

Went to Papa Goose as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Express Lunch.   Been wanting to try Papa Goose since visiting Loose Goose (the upstairs bar) a few months ago as the restaurant looks good and the menu sounded enticing as it was touted as “modern british fare”.   The food was as good as expected and the atmosphere/service was great.

We went for entree and main, and both had the panfried sardines with salad, which was very pretty to look at and tasted quite good but for a slight lack of salt.  The salad consisted of flat leaf parsley, pickled purple cabbage and orange.

For mains, my girlfriend had the skate with capers and spinach with a butter sauce whilst I had the chicken sausage with potato puree and asparagus.  The chicken sausage was excellent – smoky flavour, perfectly cooked moist chicken wrapped in crispy chicken skin.

Overall, I got to sample good cooking at a very lovely restaurant.  Will I go back again to try the rest of the menu?  Definitely.

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