San Telmo – Melbourne
Posted: April 5, 2012 Filed under: Argentinian | Tags: Argentinian, Assado, Food, Latin America, travel, vacation 1 Comment »San Telmo is known to many as one of the oldest suburbs in Argentina. One that is very popular with tourists seeking a real Buenos Aires experience by walking the cobblestone streets while observing the antique stores that line the way. San Telmo, Melbourne, is known to many ‘in the know Melbournians’ as a new and exciting restaurant, which is churning out customers night after night, serving up excellent Argentinian fare. Due to my recent trip to the South of America, I like to think of myself as an adequate judge of this cuisine, and I tell you, the crew here are doing a bang up job.
Could Argentinian be a new food trend to take Melbourne by storm?
Located on Meyers Place in Melbourne’s city, San Telmo could be considered just a number in the scheme of top restaurants in this part of the city. Open for breakfast Monday to Friday from 8am through to lunch and dinner till late and from 9am till late on the weekends, you can rest easy that you will find a time that suits. A pleasant entrance, which isn’t too fancy, one would have no idea of the treasures inside.
The restaurant is a large space that spans from the formal entrance in Meyers Place through to the parallel lane way of Windsor Place. The above photo displays the open kitchen where you can sit and watch these guys boil while cooking many different pieces of meat. The floor is lined with black and white tiles around the kitchen and changes to dark red carpet for the majority of the restaurant. Staff in serious work aprons, cow hide along the wall, with a massive display of wines and thick leather place mats lining the tables are some of the interesting features you may notice upon arrival.
Empanadas are a very popular snack to get you through the day while touring Argentina and will often find their way to becoming an entree before any lunch or dinner. We ordered both varieties of Empanadas on offer – firstly, beef, egg and olives. The other was provolone, mozzarella, basil and capsicum ($6.00each). To my surprise, these were heavily fried, which is interesting because I only remember eating baked ones during my travels. Nevertheless, they were a delicious treat to begin the feast and can be easily divided in half using a knife or the hands god gave you.
Humitas – fried corn, polenta and chipotle mayonnaise ($12.00). I like to think of polenta chips as the newer and cooler version of french fries and for some odd reason I convince myself they are healthier. They are, right? Delicately crunchy with a hot soft gooey inside, each bite was heaven. I may have overdressed the polenta sticks in the light mayo provided – it tasted so damn good it had to happen.
Ceviche is a common dish found in many South American destinations, from my experience, namely Peru. It usually consists of raw fish dressed in a tangy or spicy sauce and served cold. We ordered the white fish, chilli, sweet potato and ginger ceviche ($16.00). Very soft, bite sized pieces of cold fish were used, small enough to be fully coated in the superb dressing.
Provoleta – grilled provolone cheese ($12.00). Provoleta or saganaki? Are these one and the same or are they cousins? – one from Arg and the other from Greece. I am not going to debate backgrounds, I’d much rather just say: – Intense. The only word I can think of to describe how good this starter is. Squish that lemon juice all over and slice this warm piece of dairy up as well as you can out of the dark ceramic serving dish. We shared between three and that was perfect.
You will order a Chorizo Argentino – pork sausage ($14.00). It is a hefty price tag to pay for a single snag but once you sink your teeth into the pre-cut slices of juicy meat you will easily forget finances. Might I mention this is best suited for two people (three at a massive stretch) and once you have one slice, you are drooling for more. I found this to be a little oily in hindsight but considering how quickly this dish was chommed, it is amazing that any neurons had time to process a conclusion.
Zanahorias – Burnt carrots, thyme and goat’s cheese ($12.00). These soft, buttery carrots were a pleasant side to the upcoming meats. Might I mention the excellent use of melted goat’s cheese rather than the standard solid cubes you will find with breakfast.
Just to throw it out there, I have a fetish for ribs. They are fun to eat, are generally extremely flavoursome and just a top notch dish to put smiles on every face. Tira de Asado – Beef short ribs ($28.00) These ticked all my boxes as I chewed the bones dry of the salty but carefully charred little treasures. A decent size serve, cut up to share, is great to put in the middle. My accompanying Chommer did not agree with my view of these treats with the comment “they have fantastic flavour but there is little meat and are thus predominantly fat and bone.”
Something inside bellows that you have to put some greens on the table. So we followed our thoughts and ordered Pimientos con heuvos – Grilled capsicum, with egg, beans and olives ($10.00). Very self-explanatory salad with a perfectly poached egg on top just in case you haven’t had enough protein in the meal.
We probably didn’t need to order any more, but we did any way and, before we knew it, the Asado especial del dia – 8 hour slow cooked lamb ($39.00) was perched on our table. This dish is only available after 6:00pm due to the lengthy cooking time and results in amazing, tender pieces of lamb that melt in your mouth (aka no teeth required for this succulent meat). Brilliant! – mind you there are still those fatty pieces which always accompany lamb.
You don’t always have to order dessert, you don’t, control yourself…..We will have one Flan de dulce de leche please. The Flan with caramel and salted peanuts ($14.00). A sweet end to a meal is always a good end to a meal. This perfectly sized, soft creamy option was a winner and ideal to share. A couple of mouthfuls is all you need. If you are a Where’s Wally expert, I’m sure you undoubtedly saw the problem with the above photo. (Don’t tell anyone, but someone couldn’t wait for the photo to be taken – a bite is missing from the rear end)
The standard of food and drink in Buenos Aires, Argentina was exceptional to say the least (of course, granted you know where to dine). During my short visit last year, we ate meat every night till the sweats came on and drank amazing red wines well into the early morning (probably too often). San Telmo is your more local alternative if you can’t get to Argentina in the near future. Besides the pricing, I found this place to be a very authentic Argentinian Bistro that includes a variety of Argentinian wines such as Malbec, which brought back some cherished memories of South America. Make a booking, aim to go with four people or more and don’t be scared to try it all because ‘La comida es rica! (the food is delicious!)
The Important Details…
Cuisine: Argentinian
Noise: Yep, plenty
Bookings: Yes, via phone and website
Suitable for: Over 18+ crowd
Dress: Casual – smart
Price: $65 per person
My View: Pricy authentic Argentinian well worth seeking
Address: 14 Meyers Place, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9650 5526
Website: http://www.santelmo.com.au/main/index
Colonel Tan’s – Prahran
Posted: April 1, 2012 Filed under: Asian, Thai | Tags: Chapel street food, cookie, restaurants, revolver club, street frontage, travel, vacation 1 Comment »The chommer: Have you been to Colonel Tan’s yet?
Random: Have I been to Cairns?
The chommer: No, have you eaten at the groovy Thai restaurant inside the club at Revolver.
Random: In Revolver? There is a Thai restaurant there? Bullsh*t!
The Chommer: You don’t have to believe me, but there is. It’s pretty bloody good too.
You will notice there is no real street frontage on Chapel Street and don’t consider yourself silly if you walk past the entrance on your first visit. I am a regular here and I still drive past the building many times, forgetting where to enter from. Combined with the fact that I am a terrible driver, and an even worse navigator – maybe I’m not the best one to listen to on directions. When you arrive, you will know you are here when you see the large menu on the side of the small entrance, a massive security guard out front and quite possibly the steepest stairs you have ever seen or managed.
For any one that has been to Revolver before, the inside is completely different to what you may remember what it was like on Saturday and Sunday nights (and mornings). The floor is clean from beer and other stickiness, you can breathe more easily and the temperature is cool, meaning you won’t be sweating (unless of course the chilli does it to you). There are sophisticated adults and sometimes children as part of the regular clientele. Assorted retro tables and chairs (similar to Galleon) with a large assortment of low couches are your options when eating. Note: I would request the tables – My intestines digest significantly better when I am sitting at a table during my meals. Many will never come to grips that Colonel Tan’s and Revolver are one and the same with alternating masks, depending on the occasion.
The feature of the dining room is the large island bar that stretches from the rear of the club along side diners at Tan’s. The fence/cage-like structure that falls from the roof is used to display many spirits on offer and is very different and effective. The drinks list is comprised of an assortment of red and white wines predominantly sourced from Australian wineries, a page worth of cocktails and a very generous list of bottled beers, of which many are imported.
The Leffe Blonde beer ($8.50) imported from Belgium went down a treat with the Thai flavours to come. The colonel describes this beer as a ‘cherry popper ale and an old friend’. Our conclusion was a beer that is hoppy, light and you can taste the yeast.
To begin the meal for the evening, we had the pork and prawn donuts with chilli jam ($12.50). To be honest, I have never had donuts presented in a savoury manner, double skewered, heavily deep fried and served with a chilli relish. I hate to be highly critical, but these were not an amazing starter. The taste was good but everything deep fried usually is, so they were obviously eaten.
I did make sure that I ordered a dish that I knew I had a strong love affair with. The sweet potato and cashew dumplings with chilli soy ($12.50) are to die for. Even though the Colonel recently revamped the menu by including a handful of additional dishes, he made sure that he kept the classics. The chewy skin, combined with the soft warm potato makes for an amazing different version of the dumpling. Once you coat it with the sauce – it’s food bliss. Only issue – we were two – and given three. These most certainly are signature classics and a must order when you go to Tan’s. .
Thai beef salad with lettuce, basil and red onion ($ escapes me – sorry). The salad part of this dish made use of very uninteresting vegetables. It was saved by the tender slices of lightly cooked beef which were very delicious. The photo looks as though they were stingy with the beef, my eyes agreed at the time it was served. Surprisingly, there were quite a few of those slices hidden between the lettuce.
Fat duck noodles ($16.50). Another classic, which I order each time I visit here – these should never be taken off the menu. The shavings of duck, combined with the soft oyster based dressing and my absolute favourite flat rice noodles make for a top combination. I would recommend dividing this between two or three people with another main for sure.
To be as bold to say that the Thai Green chicken curry with rice and salted egg ($15.50) is one of the best curries that I have ever had, is a potentially controversial statement. Well, it’s definitely up there in my favourites. Basil, tender chicken pieces and just enough chilli to give a little kick make for excellent solids. Unquestionably, the smooth, sweet, coconut sauce is where the money’s at. The portion isn’t large, to be fair neither is the price tag or maybe I’m just saying it because this leaves you wanting more.
Colonel Tan’s is proudly created by Karen Batson, the lady who is responsible for the amazing cheffing that occurs at Toff in Town and Cookie inside Curtin House on Swanston Street. Clearly, you will see that the Asian/Thai influence has run consistently through each of her beloved children and shines out of the Colonel Tan’s menu. Colonel Tan’s is a great casual restaurant, serving up the people’s favourite dishes in a semi-hipster bar environment. Not to mention, that this is a much more financially friendly Thai alternative in Melbourne. You may not see the Tan name winning three chef hats any time soon but you will always see many happy faces eating and drinking in the heart of Prahran.
The Important Details…
Cuisine: Thai
Noise: Reasonably loud and atmospheric range of music (often played by a DJ)
Bookings: Yes, via phone
Suitable for: 18+ generally (Children allowed if accompanied)
Dress: Casual
Price: Roughly $30 – $40 per head
Tips: Tuesday night is trivia night, students receive 20% off the bill when they present their student card, and those living in the Prahran post code 3181 receive 50% off the bill (excluding alcohol) on Thursdays
My view: Cheap, cheerful and generally very yummy
Address: 229 Chapel Street, Prahran (Revolver upstairs)
Phone: (03) 9521 5985
Website: http://www.coloneltans.com.au/
