mr_gimlet's Profile
Simon's Peiking Duck [Box Hill South, Melbourne]
Possibly the most famous duck specialist in Melbourne, Simon's Peiking [sic] is run by the eponymous duck nazi who used to be at Old Kingdom in Collingwood. After a short and unsuccessful retirement, he opened this Box Hill spot in an off the beaten track suburban strip.
You book your duck(s) in advance - two sittings, 6pm and 8pm - and don't even think about coming without a reservation. Duck is done Hong Kong style: first course of duck with pancakes, second course of duck meat with noodles, and third of duck soup. There's a menu as well if you want to top up your meal, but almost no-one bothers apart from the occasional side of greens.
A must do for Asian duck fans.
Cash only and BYO.
Quick review of San Telmo [Melbourne]
Fancied a bit of cow for lunch and so got around to trying San Telmo, an Argentinian place on the oh so hip Meyers Place off the Parliament end of Little Collins. We rodered some short ribs, sweetbreads, chorizo and a couple of salads.
The restaurant is dominated by a huge parillada (?) on which almost everything is cooked.
Really impressed by the flavour of all the dishes. The sausage was superb, and the meat very well cooked with great texture. Charcuterie looked average so I probably wouldn't order.
I thought it pretty well priced, but the larger steaks get expensive - but par for the course for a decent steak. Definitely worth a try if you're after a cowfest. WIne list looked good but I stayed dry as was driving.
Melbourne Recommendations
What's the booking lag like? It has always had that air of long waiting?
Romantic and Best Restaurants in Melbourne, Australia, May 21-29
Which of the restaurants on this Board that people have recommended previously did you like the sound of, and what was it you liked about them? Similarly, what didn't you like?
For the anniversary meal, what would make it 'special'?
Chickory in Australia
Yes, you're correct. Chicory is the English name. Endive is the French name for the same thing. Witlof is Dutch.
Royal Mail Hotel Winter vs Spring menu general question
I went in winter, I didn't feel the lack of anything. Celeriac, jerusalem artichoke, rhubarb. Didn't feel I missed anything.
Attica doesn't seem to change much through the year as I seem to have shared the menu with many others who have been
Need some help with Melbourne
This is a controversial one, because Indonesian tends to cater to students = cheap. So there are lots of recommended places, but they are probably at the value end of the spectrum - places like Nelayan and Coconut House in the CBD.
Of the more expensive places, Warung Angus in North Melbourne is well regarded - it is Javanese.
Adelaide review - lunch at Chianti Classico
Out of interest, what are the top 5 in Adelaide these days?
Group Dining in Sydney
There is Etch in the bottom of the Intercontinental, it's part of the Becasse group. There is also an OK steak place around the corner that deals well with large groups, and a good Japanese around the corner near the Sofitel.
You are very close to Rockpool Bar and Grill (and Spice Temple downstairs, but might be risky given the group makeup) - Rockpool has some larger rooms upstairs which could handle your group.
Then you have the cluster of places in and around the Rocks, where you start to get some views - Customs House does a lot of corporate stuff, but in general you pay for the view.
If you are railroaded into a view plus hotel type experience, the Shangri La is fine.
I think your main problem is the size, its a tough ask for most good restaurants to deal with this number at once.
Looking for southern Tassie recommendations
Bruny Island Cheese!
Yes to Garagistes, but as it is no bookings you need to be reasonably comfortable you will be able to get there at a sensible time after sightseeing.
Food trucks and Street Meat website/map
As Phil lives in Asia, I suspect that he understands the 'excitement over street food'.
As a regular Asian visitor, I think what is being said is that street food exists to feed people from nearby offices at lunch, or on the way home between their public transport stop and their apartment. No Thai family thinks, hey, I'll get a taxi across town to that great little duck noodle stall and have dinner there.
Moderately priced restaurant recommendations in Melbourne CBD
@gemuse, more impressed by Prahran than the Queen Vic Market? I live north of the river, so Preston is my local market and I don't know the southern ones much.
Moderately priced restaurant recommendations in Melbourne CBD
Your shortlist is good, and they would all fit what you're looking for. La Luna is great, don't worry about the TV connection. It's also BYO if you want to splash out at nearby Rathdowne Cellars.
A note on coffee in Melbourne in response to some previous criticism on this board of regular recommendations. Coffee places in Melbourne, especially in the CBD, sell coffee. They are not designed as places to have a leisurely breakfast, long conversations with staff or sit around for an hour chatting over a skinny decaf chai latte. Food, and most aspects of service, is incidental to their business. You need to accept this as a basis for your enjoyment of Melbourne coffee.
So that said, your Melbourne shortlist of coffee should probably start with League of Honest Coffee (part of Padre) and Brother Baba Budan (part of Seven Seeds) for roaster-owned establishments. Then add on countless others depending on your preference in style. Many locals will recommend Pellegrini, avoid their coffee like the plague as they haven't changed since 1960. You might enjoy some pasta, cake and granita there though, just not the coffee.
If you can travel a bit further out of the CBD on a coffee pilgrimage, Auction Rooms in North Melbourne, Three Bags Full in Abbotsford and Proud Mary just off Smith Street come into play. You also have the Seven Seeds original on the edge of the CBD near the Uni, and Padre in both South Melbourne and East Brunswick. These places will have a bit more time to chat with you outside rush hours if you want to learn more about the Melbourne coffee scene, whilst the CBD ones are busy most of the time.
With Europhile leanings, you might also enjoy Boire on Smith Street (French) and Anada on Gertrude Street (Andalucian). Both are quite well priced.
I think there was a recent thread on craft beer, the place in Fed Square was recommended to me, and Mrs Parmas has a formidable selection. It's getting more common in many pubs though, and small breweries like Three Ravens regularly appear around town.
Great food at a moderate price in Sydney
No, I meant the bar - it is expensive, and most Sydney eaters will be going there for a quick meal. It gets very expensive very quickly.
Great food at a moderate price in Sydney
You're broad problem is that you are staying in one of the most expensive parts of the worlds most expensive cities. Anything withing walking distance has to cover its rent - it either does this by charging a lot of money for its meals, or by going for high turnover of tables (which is why Asian so often pops up in this Board).
I wouldn't recommend Rockpool B&G given your preferences on price and food.
I would suggest you don't underestimate the quality of Asian in Australia. Having never eaten in LA I can't comment on their Asian food, but both Thai and regional Chinese food are outstanding in Sydney.
Melbourne - mid range dinner
Ooh, good call. Beer DeLuxe in FedSq is a brilliant beer list as well, but I haven't eaten there.
Melbourne - mid range dinner
Nah, nothing to write home about. The best beer ranges are at Josie Bones, where the food is offal based, and Mrs Parmas, a parma specialist. So probably not suitable.
If you fancy Asian, then Chin Chin is another sunday possibility.
Anything in Darwin?
Isn't Hanuman in Darwin? BTG, just hit the market and eat al fresco. Too hot for restaurants!
Dinner recs in North UK/West Scotland
A visitor who has heard of Vindolanda! Most British people haven't heard of it. It's fantastic.
There is a pub in the Good Pub Guide a ten minute or so drive from the site, it overlooks the wall including a walking section and does a good lunch.
Three nights in York, with a 6 year old
Maybe, though your request might not make it all the way through to the chef. Lots of other yummy things on their menu, maybe a fish-fragrant eggplant instead of beans?
Three nights in York, with a 6 year old
Anything with preserved vegetables probably originated in the western part of China, particularly Sichuan or Hunan. Sichuan was one of the first sources of salt in the world, and so vegetables were preserved in salt and exported around China. Your dish of minced pork with green beans typically starts with a frying of finely chopped preserved vegetables with the pork.
Three nights in York, with a 6 year old
Red Chilli is definitely not 'blanded out'. It is predominantly Sichuan and their 'lamb boiled in water' could fell a water buffalo.
Restaurants that take reservations in Melbourne
I struggled in the CBD last year - Cumulus especially
Restaurants that take reservations in Melbourne
St Kilda is a pleasant area of Melbourne and worth a look. It's close to being our only real beach so you can take a walk along the beach, have a look around and then have lunch.
Between st pancras and heathrow....lunch? [London]
Hmm, I have been having error messages when I try and reply to threads on Firefox. Now fixed with Chrome.
That would make a 2pm at Ledbury a bit tight on scoffing and drinking, but doable if you are prepared to factor in the risk on travel time to the airport.
Your problem is timing, you are supposed to be at check-in 3 hrs prior for a US flight because of all the fluffing around with security, which would make it 1630. Might be worth checking this as it depends on your status and how busy LHR is.
As someone said, Hinds Head isn't a goer. Most pubs will shut their kitchens for the afternoon as there isn't enough business to justify opening. However, the Royal Oak Paley Street isn't one of them - close to Maidenhead and very easy motorway access to LHR, I reckon you could make this one work.
