Hare & Grace

So what can I say? When I read about some of the wacky combinations that Hare & Grace were whipping up in their restaurant, I knew at once that I had to try these quirky flavors out for myself! Amazingly enough, the fates were in my favor the day I decided to go as when I called Hare & Grace up, they said that they had a table just ready for me!

Starting from the top of the steps, I began my descent down towards the entrance and finally into the wonderland that was Hare & Grace. The interior had a very rustic feel to it with twigs and branches lining the ceiling and this made the restaurant look as though it had tree roots penetrating through it's roof. Because of these branches, it looked like we were standing underneath a gigantic tree in a rabbit hole and additionally, standing up at the front desk, in his own little jar was an adorable hare statue that reminded me of the White Rabbit, making the place seem very Alice in Wonderland-esque! 

The restaurant was split up into two spaces, the Dining Room and the Minibar and we were seated in the Dining Room. As expected from a fine dining restaurant, the service was impeccable and the friendly waiter kindly explained to us all the different parts of the menu so that it was easier to make our decision. The menu was definitely vague and only listed 4 to 5 ingredients at most so his help was definitely appreciated by me. 

While we were waiting for our composite dish to arrive, a basket (that was reminiscent of a bird's nest) containing bread was brought out along with the most perfectly formed quenelle of butter I have ever seen! Just looking at it sitting proudly on that slab of stone, I remember being so impressed and it actually tasted just as good as it looked. It was soft, creamy and worked perfectly with the bread and sea salt.

Seared Scallops with 'licorice', grapefruit ketchup and shaved pork neck - $22

When our composite dish came out, I had trouble containing my excitement and not digging into it immediately as it was actually the reason why I wanted to try Hare & Grace in the first place. Not being a fan of licorice, I was kind of skeptical as to how they would make all the elements on the plate work together as they were all so vastly different! Online reviews however, that I had read about this dish had all being really positive so I was very eager to see how they would pull this off. The scallops were cooked beautifully and had a delightfully crisp outside and translucent centre. Eating the scallops alone would've been perfect enough for me but with the addition of the ketchup and licorice, the dish became even more flavoursome and had a real punch to it. All in all, the different and interesting flavors actually complemented each other so well in this particular composite and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the dish. 

Otway Ranges Pork Belly with mussels, clams, cereals, burnt leek and ham bouillon - $39

For my principal dish, I ordered the pork belly as I'm a massive fan of pork belly and when I saw that the dish included my favourite types of shellfish in it as well, I knew I couldn't say no. While the pork belly was indeed enjoyable, I wished the crackling could've had more of a crunch to it when I bit down as I prefer my crackling crisp but besides that, the meat of pork belly was so mouthwatering and not overly fatty which I really liked. I generally don't mind eating leek but unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to finish the burnt leek in this dish, it just tasted so oily to me and I really wasn't a fan of the burnt taste that it had. Other than those small setbacks though, the rest of the dish was delicious and I found myself wanting more of the shellfish after I finished off my last piece. 

Sticks 'N' Stones Apricot Sorbet with chocolate, pistachio, cinnamon and rosewater curd - $15

Now it's time for dessert! How magnificent does this dessert look? It was a combination of beautiful apricot sorbet encased in squid ink with frozen chocolate ganache chunks, rosewater curd, pistachio crumbs, squid ink and cinnamon sticks. This dish was an absolute stunner both visually and taste wise. I'm so glad that Hare & Grace decided to switch out the wasabi ice cream for the apricot sorbet in this dish as I'm definitely not too fond of wasabi and the sorbet was really refreshing! While I did enjoy the squid ink (Movida has forever changed my outlook on squid ink and turned me into a devout follow), the best part of this dish was the frozen ganache, it wasn't overly rich and was just the perfect amount of chocolatey goodness for me. On the whole, I really liked this dessert and now I'm just further convinced that you can never go wrong with squid ink.

My trip down the rabbit hole was definitely an interesting and mouthwatering one! The entree and dessert were truly unforgettable dishes and I definitely want to come back here again to sample some of their other quirky sounding desserts. Overall I thought Hare & Grace's dishes were bold, innovative and had a molecular gastronomy touch to them which really made them stand out in my mind and made me feel as though I was eating food from an entirely different land. If you're looking for a memorable experience with quality food and want a place with an enchanted ambiance to share with someone, look no further than this wonderland hidden in the CBD! 

Hare & Grace

Location:

525 Collins St  Melbourne VIC 3000

Contact: (03) 9629 6755

Opening Hours:

Mini Bar

Coffee

Mon - Fri - 11:30am - late

Bar snacks and meals

Mon - Fri - 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Mon - Fri - 5:30pm - late

Dining Room

Lunch

Mon - Fri - 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Dinner

Mon - Fri - 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Mon - Fri - 6:00pm - late

Closed on Saturdays and Sundays

Pricing: $$$$

Have you tried squid ink before? Have you read Alice in Wonderland?

PM 24

While I've heard of Phillipe Mouchel's French fine dining restaurant before, I never expected our impromptu decision to eat out would eventually lead us there last Friday night. Originally aiming for a spot at Chin Chin's, our group arrived there at 10pm, hoping that there would be a spot for us but alas, we had no such luck. We were told we would have to wait for another hour and a half and so we begrudgingly left as we were way too hungry to wait around for that long. We decided to walk around and see where luck would take us and thankfully it led us straight into the warm arms of PM 24. Upon seeing the sign, I was extremely excited and insisted that we had to go in and try it out and thankfully they had a table just ready for us!

A sign from heaven, it literally started raining after we arrived

The interior had a very intimate and romantic feel to it thanks to the dimmed lighting and candles and oh boy, that service was absolutely exceptional. Our waiter had a rather heavy French accent but he more than made up for that as he was so attentive and accommodating!  Nothing makes you appreciate a dining experience more than having impeccable service and PM 24 really hit the mark for me with it's lovely staff. 

Look how fluffy the bread was!

 With the helpful assistance of our waiter, we all decided on our entree and mains. For the entree, I decided to try the snails as I've never tried them before and my friend (who had recently been to France) said she absolutely loved them and that I should give them a go. While we were waiting for our food to arrive, we were served freshly baked bread with butter. I love love love the smell of fresh bread and when I pulled that bread apart, the smell was intoxicating. I've got to say, I've been served plenty of bread in my life time, but PM 24's bread was hands down the best I've ever had. Combined with their silky smooth butter, everyone just dug into their bread and collective sighs of contentment were heard from all round the table. 

Burgundy style snails served in garlic and parsley butter with mouillettes - $16.50 for 1/2 dozen

Before long our entree came out and I was filled with mixed feelings of anticipation and fear. I have a horrible fear of anything slimy and just bugs in general, so I was rather reluctant to try this dish out but since my friend had recommended it I decided to take the plunge and go for it anyway. The verdict? I should have stuck with my gut instinct and skipped out on it. The snails were really tasteless and rubbery in texture and I found the garlic and parsley butter that went with it to be really overwhelming in flavour. I suppose it was to make up for the lack of flavour in the snails but nothing about that dish impressed me and every time I chewed I could not stop thinking about the fact that I was chewing on a snail. If there was anything that let me down during my dining experience at PM 24, this dish would've been it.

Confit duck leg with leek salad, tamarind jus and sweet potato mousseline - $32.00

Luckily our mains came out really quickly and they blew away any thoughts or after tastes remaining from the entree! My duck leg was absolutely superb, the meat was so wonderfully tender, juicy and was practically falling off the bone. Combined with the tamarind jus and the leek salad, the dish had a very Asian spin to it which I really enjoyed. While I appreciate a good duck, the part that really won me over and had me picking this dish was the sweet potato mousseline. I love sweet potato and the sweet potato in the dish did not disappoint at all. It was SO smooth and creamy, I actually could not stop eating it or forcing my friends to try it out. The only quip I had with the dish overall though was that there wasn't enough duck! Not that I'm complaining about having too much sweet potato left over but I wish there could've been more of that crispy yet tender duck to go with it. 

From the duck leg going clockwise: Rotisserie chicken with lechefrite sauteed potatos and natural jus -$35.00

Hopkins River Black Angus Beef (Scotch Fillet 300g) with beef jus, Bearnaise and pommes frites - $37.00

Fish of the day (Grenadier fillet) - $37.50

The other mains were just as scrumptious as the duck and out of the three, my favourite was the fish of day that F had. I can't quite remember what the components of the dish were but it was divine, as all the other mains were! What PM 24 had in taste though, it didn't quite have in presentation.The presentation of the other mains were somewhat lacking when compared to the duck (which was quite lovely) and my godness, the presentation of that scotch fillet! K's face was actually so comical when they bought it out as it literally was just a fillet sitting in jus, the look on his face was just "you have got to be kidding me, that's it?". But thankfully for him, they soon bought out the Bearnaise and pomme frites and K demolished his dish just like everyone else did. 

K's Scotch fillet, how depressing does it look on the plate?

After those fantastic mains, I knew I had to have some of their desserts especially since I could see all the previous beautiful desserts coming out from their kitchen. After much deliberation, we settled on the crème brûlée and the chocolate soufflé, two of my top 5 favourite desserts! 

Tahiti vanilla crème brûlée with Grand Marnier - $16.00

My inner pyromaniac literally squealed with joy when they brought this out, how awesome does it look and that wasn't even the best part! When the fire finally died down, I eagerly cracked the crisp caramel layer on top and dug into the crème brûlée.  Everything and I really mean everything, was done right. From the perfectly thin and crisp caramel on top to the light and creamy vanilla custard underneath that melted in my mouth, I was legitimately in food heaven and even though it was meant to be a shared dish, I'm pretty sure I ate 80% of it.

Chocolate soufflé with coffee ice cream - $17.50

The soufflé was so incredibly fluffy and soft and when we dipped our spoons into its center  a river of chocolate flowed out from the center and oozed it's way down to the bottom of the ramekin. It was pure chocolate indulgence and every bite felt so good but oh so bad at the same time. If I had to choose between this and the crème brûlée though, I would probably still go for the crème brûlée because as good as it was, the soufflé was quite rich and even though it had ice cream to accompany it I know I would've passed out from sweetness overload if I had to eat the soufflé by itself. That being said though, it was honestly so delicious and the coffee ice cream that went with it had the perfect balance of sweet and bitter.

The chefs putting the finishing touches on the plates 

If you couldn't tell already by my crazed raving, PM 24 was an absolute pleasure to dine at and I would  definitely without a doubt come back here again. I find that the service at fine dining restaurants can be somewhat snobbish sometimes but PM 24 was nothing like that at all, it was welcoming, hearty and had such a homely feel to it. Honestly, even with that lackluster entree, PM 24 has still managed to convert me into a devout follower and that's really saying something. I highly recommend this place to anyone and if you're ever looking for way to impress someone, then take them on a date here. The food is phenomenal, authentic and worth every single dime, a huge thank you to Phillipe Mouchel for knocking our socks off!

PM 24

Location:

24 Russell St  Melbourne VIC 3000

Contact: (03) 9207 7424

Opening Hours:

Lunch

Sunday to Friday - 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Dinner

7 days - 6:00pm - late

Pricing: $$$$

 

What are your favourite desserts? Do you think presentation is important?

Big Boy BBQ

Miss M So it's been a pretty big week for K and I, we've both been swamped with assignments, assessments and work but today, we finally got to take some time off and eat to our heart's content. As I've been craving ribs all week and K has yet to try the ribs at Big Boy's, we decided to give Hardware Lane's Big Boy's BBQ a spin. 

The platters and burgers that you could order Big Boy's was surprisingly empty when we got there so we were seated at a table almost immediately. I was expecting the place to look more like an American diner, but Big Boy's just kept it simple and stuck with a blue, white and red color scheme. For once in our lives, we already knew which platter we wanted and ordered the Wings 'N Ribs as it was the only platter that included ribs and didn't have a suggested serving size of 3 or higher. Seeing as the platter was very meat loaded, K and I decided to have the lightly spiced crunchy chips and house salad as sides to the platter and our future selves really thanked us for that decision later on.

While waiting for our food to be served, I had a bit of a squiz around the restaurant and saw this up on one of the walls. I thought it was a good idea overall as it provided an explanation of what a barbeque really was and in addition answered any frequently asked questions (of course that meant people would have to read the wall and ain't nobody got time for that... except us). Our drinks were served in red plastic cups, which K and I thought was a super cute idea and very American party-esque. Too bad we decided to practice self control that day and only drink water out of them instead of drinking to our deaths with soft drinks. Big Boy's really stuck to their motto of "Slow Food...Fast" as in no time at all our mouth watering platter came out. 

Wings 'N Ribs:  Regular wings and half a rack of Kansas City style dry rubbed pork with lightly spiced crunchy chips and house salad with lettuce, tomato, feta, cucumber and olives - $35.00 + $4.00 (for the upgrade to dry rubbed pork ribs)

Now that platter may look small and burnt, but let me assure you it was completely the opposite of that. Everything was cooked to perfection and by the time K and I were done with it,we were completely satisfied. The pork ribs were so incredibly soft and succulent which admittedly I was a little worried about as they were black when they came out. I loved the fact that because the meat had being smoked at a low temperature for 16 hours or so they weren't scorching hot when they came in. They were just the right temperature for us to dig in straight away when they came out. The ribs were served on a bed of white bread (which K and I didn't touch as we didn't want to get full from bread and have no room for ribs) and also had a side of pickles. They were absolutely delicious, flavoursome and in addition, had a lot of meat attached to the bone which made me rejoice as I always get annoyed about ribs being more bone than meat. 

The army of sauces 

While the ribs were already quite flavoursome, there was also an army of sauces on the table which we could drown our sides in, in my case I drowned both my meat and sides in sauce as they were so delectable. While they all had their merits, my favourite sauce of the bunch would have to be the Hot Boy Spicy BBQ sauce, there's nothing I love more than being able to add a little bit of spice to my food. It really added to the wings which I  found to be really juicy, soft and just as good as the ribs. K and I were actually saddened that there were only 4 wings in our platter and tried to eat tactically so we could balance out the wings with the amount of ribs. The sides proved to be a good decision on our part as the chips were perfectly crunchy, seasoned and went really well with the meat. The salad was somewhat plain and would generally not wow anyone on it's own but however in this case it provided some freshness to our heavy meal and was greatly appreciated by K and I.

The t-shirts available for sale, our favourite one was the one on the right

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Big Boy's BBQ and by the time we were done my appetite was completely sated which I was pretty bummed about as I was really looking forward to trying out their peanut butter cream pie with chocolate ganache. There's always a next time though and for me, the taste of those smokey ribs and the sound of that dessert is more than enough to pull me back. Just a side note, Big Boy's also sold t-shirts! K and I were thoroughly amused with the "Ribbed for your Pleasure" one so we thought we'd take a photo and include it here as well for some giggles. That being said, you guys should definitely give Big Boy's a spin! You get so much value for your money and honestly who could say no to ribs?

Big Boy BBQ

Location:

27-31 Hardware Ln  Melbourne VIC 3000

Contact:

(03) 9670 9388

Opening Hours:

Sun - Weds 12pm - 9pm

Thurs - Sat 12pm -10pm

Pricing: $$

Do you like to eat ribs? What's your favourite place to eat ribs at?