Review - Strangers' Corridor

Thursday, 9th August 2012    

Strangers' Corridor/Members' Dining Room
Parliament House
Spring St
Melbourne

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Taste Rating: 8.0/10   Value Rating: 8/10

I have dined at Strangers' Corridor at Parliament House several times over the years. Each time, I have been privileged and fortunate to be able to use the Speaker's Dining Room, a separate room at one side of Strangers' Corridor that is reserved for use by Mr Speaker or Madame Speaker when Parliament is sitting. As before, I had invited guests to dine with me and was keen to show them this grand building.  

This time, however, there had been a change in restaurant management and this special room is no longer available for booking.   I was delighted when the fantastic  staff at Strangers Corridor "upgraded" my booking to the Members Dining Room, which is used by Members of Parliament when Parliament is sitting. And what a beautiful room it is - filled with stately old furniture, starched tablecloth, tableware with the Royal Crest of Parliament and a very dignified atmosphere. Special mention must be made of Ruwan Fernando, one of the friendly and professional staff.  Ruwan  provided impeccable service which could not be faulted. And thanks to him for organising our table for 10 people (two persons were unfortunately absent and missed out on this occasion).

I would advise making a booking. Check with the restaurant staff as to when Parliament is not sitting. This is when the restaurant is open to the members of the public. There is a sitting dates calendar on the Parliament of Victoria website.

Climbing up the famous steps of Parliament, we were hungry with anticipation. First, we went through security where our belongings were scanned and we each had to walk through a scanner. Having passed the security check, we each received a security pass. We then proceeded to the Vestibule, the grand entrance hall to Parliament which was completed in 1879. This is surrounded by columns on pedestals. On the floor is a mosaic of the Royal Crest encircled with a quotation "where no counsel is the people fail; but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety" Proverbs 11:14. 

The man at the reception counter swapped our security passes for stickers with a large red V. These stickers had to be placed on the front of our jackets. We then walked into Queen's Hall (Great Hall) which was completed in 1879. On the walls are portraits of ex-Premiers of Victoria. There is a marble statue of Queen Victoria which was erected in 1883.

We continued along the corridors (of Power) to Strangers' Corridor, then into the Members' Dining Room. The menu had five main dishes - one each of beef, vegetarian, duck, fish and pork. Victorian produce was well represented. To start, Ruwan filled little dishes with an olive oil made in Yarrawonga. The Rich Glen olive oil brand at the bottom of the dish was visible under the beautiful golden colour of the olive oil. The bread rolls were great on their own, with butter or dipped in the olive oil.

We ordered all the mains on the menu.

• Daube of Gippsland beef with thyme roasted baby onions & kaiserfleisch, minted peas.
• Tagine of Vegetables, preserved lemon Mograbieh cous cous, coriander salad, served with roti.
• Confit leg of free range Aylesbury Duck, braised red cabbage, Milawa tarragon whipped potato, marsala sauce. 
• Donnybrook Pasterello crusted Rockling, piperade capsicums, olives & chorizo, with steamed spring bay mussels and fennel salad.
• Mongolian barbecued Victorian Pork Cutlet, grilled eggplant, tamarind salsa, green leaves.

We also ordered sides of green salad and fries. As is common nowadays at the more expensive restaurants, mains and sides are separate on the menu. Instead of meat being served with a serve of salad or chips, you order the salad or chips separately. This keeps the price of the mains reasonable on the menu. The upside of this for the diner is that they can choose whether to have the side or not, instead of paying a higher price for parts of the dish which they may not consume. 

We finished ordering about 1 o'clock. We were getting slightly anxious when none of the dishes had appeared but need not have worried. About 20 minutes later, the mains were all delivered to our table with a  flourish. And the kitchen had excelled!

My order was the duck. It was tender and came off the bone easily. The slight saltiness of the duck contrasted with the bed of red cabbage which was cooked and reduced until it tasted sweet and "jammy".

I tried the tomato, potato and cous cous from the tagine of vegetables. These tasted fine and the person who ordered it said they would be happy to order this dish again. The roti that went with the tangine of vegetables was not as well received with two of the guys saying that it  too "doughy". It was not as flavoursome as Malaysian or Indian roti.

I also tried the pork. Pork is not my first choice in meats but this was one of the best I have tasted. The pork was beautifully cooked - lean, succulent with very little fat on the outer layer. The unanimous decision from both diners who ordered it, and from me - this dish was outstanding! 

The salad was vibrant, with tasty shavings of cheese. One of the diners pointed out that the fries had no grease and I realised this was true!

Overall, all eight of us were fully impressed with the food, the service and the beauty of the building. It was a privilege to walk through this grand building with its long history. To have a beautiful meal here was the icing on the cake. We left with good memories of this place.

<More photos will be uploaded soon>

Parliament House, Spring St, Melbourne

Flag above Parliament House, Tram

Roman style Columns

View from the steps of Parliament House

Mosaic of the Royal Crest in the Vestibule (1879)

encircled with a quotation from Proverbs 11:14

(Photo 13/08/2012)

Queen's Hall (1879).

Was known as Great Hall.

Strangers' Corridor Restaurant

Members Only

Olive Oil from Yarrawonga

Royal Crest on the Menu

 Olive Oil, Butter for Bread Rolls

Royal Crest on the Salt & Pepper Shakers

and on the wine glass

Daube of Gippsland beef

Tagine of Vegetables

Roti to go with the Tagine of Vegetables

Confit leg of free range Aylesbury Duck

Donnybrook Pasterello crusted Rockling

Mongolian barbecued Victorian Pork Cutlet

Fries served on a plate with the Royal Crest!

Green Salad, shaved Donnybrook pasterello,

red wine dressing

Chandeliers

Legislative Assembly Chamber (Lower House)

Legislative Assembly Chamber (Lower House)

Ceiling

Legislative Council Chamber (Upper House)

Ceiling

Legislative Council Chamber (Upper House)

Legislative Council Chamber (Upper House)

Chandelier made of brass and 2,000 pieces of Crystal

Library

Library

Library

Review - The Hardware Societe

Tues, 7th August 2012    

The Hardware Societe
118 -120 Hardware St
Melbourne

Cuisine: French, Spanish

Taste Rating: 7.5/10   Value Rating: 7.5/10

Dropping in at lunchtime, we found the place bustling as expected. One downside to eating here is that the cooking fumes waft over the interior. The aroma is appetising but it's not  so appealing to go back to work with intoxicating parfum sexy de la nourriture in your hair and clothes! Luckily, a little table outside near the entrance had just freed up. So we checked with the waitress and grabbed that table. 

The  Hardware Societe has a nice ambience. It's not due to any particular thing, just little touches that make it a pleasant place to be at. I liked sitting outside, under the verandah, near the curb, with a view of the quiet end of Hardware Lane. The small overhead heat lamps glowed like red rectangles (yes, I haven't forgotten the carbon footprint!). It was winter but comfortable enough where we were.

We didn't check out what specials they had that day but ordered straight off the regular lunch menu. Seared Scallops. Slow-cooked Lamb.

Before you know it, the two dishes were brought to our table. Rustic looking, comfort food in big white bowls. The cheerful waitress obligingly brought a couple of platters so the food could be shared. Again, nice touch - I liked the classic look of my cream-coloured platter with a simple scalloped edge. Also, the simple little table with a marble top on a black petal pedestal.

According to the menu, the scallops were cooked in a 'saffron bean broth, pistou, olive croute, Idiazabal ewes milk cheese'. Pistou is a sauce made of garlic, basil and olive oil which are pounded or ground in a mortar and pestle ('pistou' is 'pounded' in the language of Provence). Pistou is like pesto, except that pesto contains pine nuts. The pistou was served as a green mound on top of the scallops. The six scallops were juicy enough but there was a definite difference in taste between the ones with the seared marks (sweet and flavoursome) and the ones without (not as sweet and more bland). The beans looked like haricot or navy beans, the same beans in canned baked beans but larger, and cooked with a firmer texture (and without the tomato sauce!).  There were two slices of croute (toasted bread) with olive pieces baked in. Surprisingly, these slices were really hard and unappetising so I soaked one piece in the broth and it became slightly more palatable. Aside from that, I would order this dish again as it was not bad overall.

The slow cooked lamb had 'chermoula, israeli cous cous, hazelnuts, minted yoghurt'. Chermoula is a mix of spices, herbs, garlic, coriander, lemon juice, oil and a few other ingredients, with the mix and proportions varying depending on whether it is Moroccan, Algerian or Tunisian chermoula. I'm assuming the lamb has been marinated in chermoula, but am not sure what the gravy in this dish consists of. The flavours were nice, with the lamb tender, but we agreed that it tasted gamey. The Israeli cous cous are little balls of pasta, larger than semolina cous cous - they don't clump together and are rather fun to scoop up and eat. I'm not sure if I would order this dish again as I don't really like gamey meat but the meat could be different on another day.

Overall, a very pleasant lunch in a cafe with a good vibe. Being in a quiet, neat lane gives it that little bit extra ambience. I didn't have time today for the 54% dark callebaut hot chocolate drink but I'm going to redress this asap!

Hardware Lane.

The Hardware Societe is on the right.

Lunch Menu Page 1

Seared Scallops

Slow-cooked Lamb

Nice quiet lane for a curbside meal

Like the simple cream-coloured platter

with scalloped edge

Menu Page 2 - Beverages

Mini Market in the Cafe

Heat lamp for outside dining

The Hardware Societe

Review - Corean House

Fri, 3rd August 2012    

Corean House
Shop 5, 551 Little Lonsdale Street
(Healeys Lane entrance)
Melbourne

Cuisine: Korean

Taste Rating: 7.5/10   Value Rating: 7.5/10

I asked my hairdresser why Corean is spelt with a 'C' and not a 'K'. He tells me that C is the French way of spelling and K is the English way.  He is Korean (or Corean) so he should know. I had thought it was so the restaurant listing would have an alphabetical advantage. One little mystery solved!

I last went to Corean House on 1s July 2011. Since then, it has reopened under new management and now has a lunch time buffet. Twelve of us went to try out the buffet one fine Friday in winter. The place was fairly busy, more so than last year during my lunch there , coincidentally also on a Friday. The entrance to this restaurant is in quiet Healeys Lane.

The buffet had about ten main dishes and four side dishes. There were two pots of soup,   two trays of leafy greens and two trays of fruit (this is sounding like Noah's Ark!). Dessert was one Korean sweet.  So, not a large buffet, but quite adequate for a quick lunch. And the price was a reasonable $11.95 per head.

I was happy with the quality of the food. The main dishes included Potato Noodles with Mixed Vegetables, Beef Bulgogi, Fried Chicken wings marinated in Soy Sauce, Fried Spicy Pork, Chicken Teriyaki, Gyozas and Fried Rice.  Plain steamed rice was sitting in a pot next to the two pots of soup.

There was an eye-brow raising dish of tiny Beef Patties, Chips and Vegetables - a nod to Western taste or a trendy Korean dish? Closely followed by Sausages with Vegetables, which looked like footy frank type sausages. Again, maybe this is a popular Korean dish.

I tried all the main dishes except for the sausages. I like the potato noodles, beef bulgogi, fried chicken wings and yes, I liked the beef patties too. Someone commented that the beef patties did not have the texture of beef burgers that they are used to.  These were softer than normal minced patties but still tasted good enough that I had a second serve.  The gyozas appeared at the buffet table about mid-way through our meal. They looked really promising  but on biting in, I found the gyoza skin strangely dry and not the usual soft moist texture.

The side dishes were kim chi, white kim chi, pickled radish and edamame.

The one sweet at the buffet was a mochi-like glutinous rice flour ball with a red bean filling, cut in half. Unusually, this was served "fridge-cold". It comes down to different expectations and taste. Someone commented it "was stone, frozen, cold". But I like these little mochi balls although I would have preferred them at room temperature. I went back for a second serve but the tray was bare. A staff member noticed and went to get a refill but we had to leave before he returned.

The restaurant was well appointed and clean. The staff were friendly and patiently did their best to answer questions even though English was not their first language. The buffet was kept replenished with food while we were there.

Overall, nice food for a reasonable price. I would go back again for the buffet, especially with a group. Corean House has hit on the right strategy with the buffet as this has brought a buzz to lunch time at this restaurant.

Healeys Lane

- Corean House is on the left

Corean House

Buffet Table

Potato Noodles with Mixed Vegetables

Beef Bulgogi

Fried Chicken Wings marinated in Soy Sauce

Chicken Teriyaki

Fried Spicy Pork

Beef Patties, Chips, Vegetables

Sausages with Vegetables

Gyozas

Leafy Salad

Leafy Salad

Watermelon, Pears, Edamame, Mochi

Side Dishes

- Kim Chi, White Kim Chi, Pickled Radish

Side Dishes

- Kim Chi, White Kim Chi, Pickled Radish

Steel Chopsticks. Drinks cost extra.

Mochi

- glutinous rice flour ball with red bean filling

Review - Coconut House

Thu, 2nd August 2012    


Coconut House
449 Elizabeth Street  (Shop 1)
441 Elizabeth Street  (Shop 2)
Melbourne

Cuisine: Malaysian, Asian


Taste Rating: 7.5/10   Value Rating: 8/10

Coconut House or Houses? There are two Coconut House restaurants in Elizabeth Street and they are 4 doors apart. One is at 449 Elizabeth St and the other is at 441 Elizabeth Street. The shop at 449 has a kitchen, the one at 441 does not. Presumably this second shop was opened to cater for the overflow of customers from the first shop.  Food is cooked at 449 and carried by the wait staff in a covered box along the street to 441! Check out one of the photos and see if you can spot this. 

Coconut House does take bookings for lunch. This is surprising for a small place which is packed at lunchtime, and has a quick turnover of customers. If you want to be sure of getting a table at lunch time, I suggest you make a booking. We arrived  449 Eliabeth St with a booking for lunch. You peruse the menu at the table but need to go to the counter to order and pay.

I ordered the House Laksa Special. And was very satisfied with the big bowl of creamy, flavoursome laksa soup with just the right amount of thickness in the soup. I don't like laksa soup which is too thick or too thin (Why does this remind me of Goldilocks?!) The laksa had a  good mix of ingredients - stuffed bean curd skin, fried tofu, prawns and chicken. It had yellow noodles and vermicelli. Good meal! 

The others ordered Nasi Lemak Hot and Spicy Crispy Chicken Ribs, Ban Mee and Chicken Rice with Braised Egg. Everyone was satisfied with their meals.

I had a taste of the Chicken Chop. The crispy tasty batter was what made the Chicken Chop extra nice. I would be happy to order this dish or any dish with this chicken chop.  The feedback from the person who ordered it is that this fried chicken was less oily than they were expecting it to be.

I didn't try the Ban Mee so am unable to comment first hand. It had lean pork slices, pork balls, noodles and green vegies. The feedback is that it was not bad and although it was not as nice as the one at Singapore Chom Chom (for those who remember this place), it was still a good Ban Mee.  The soup was okay but did not have not enough flavour depth, and was rather too oily from the pork balls.

I tried a piece of chicken from the Chicken Rice dish. The meat was tender and the flavour was about average. The feedback from the person who ordered this dish is that "the rice is too soft and  this spoils the meal". Aside from the rice, they were satisfied with the rest of this dish. The chilli sauce had mild spiciness.

Overall, good flavours, good value and a good variety in the menu. I would be happy to return and try the other dishes at Coconut House. There are six other types of laksas on the menu to check out!

Coconut House @ 449 Elizabeth St

Kitchen on the right

House Curry Laksa

House Curry Laksa

Nasi Lemak Hot & Spicy Crispy Chicken Ribs 

Ban Mee

Chicken Rice

Sign above Kitchen @449 Elizabeth St

 The second shop @ 441 Elizabeth St

Wait Staff carrying a covered tray

at the doorway

Menu - Snacks

Menu

- Hainanese Chicken Rice with Braised Egg

Menu - House Laksa Special

Menu - Laksas

Menu

- Nasi Lemak Hot & Spicy Crispy Chicken Ribs 

 Menu

Crowdfunding - one way to Fund your Venture

Hi Everyone,

Need funds to outfit your new coffee shop? Want to finance your music career beyond singing in the shower? Have a movie to finance but didn't get a grant? Want to support a philantropic cause?

Now there is crowdfunding.   Crowdfunding lets you source contributions from the public for your project. In return, you offer rewards to  your contributors rather than equity or profit share. You might give them products once your venture is up and running. For example, 20 coffees for a $50 contribution, a DVD for a $30 contribution, or tickets to the launch.

Crowdfunding can be thought of as an offshoot of crowdsourcing. Both had their start several years ago but are becoming more mainstream now. With more people becoming Internet-literate, there is greater confidence in sourcing ideas and funds via the Net from strangers.

Here is a good article that explains crowdfunding and its pros and cons.

And an interesting real life story of crowdfunding.

There are websites to help you collect your pledges, such as this small Australian company based in Melbourne and Sydney called Pozible (nice name for your dream venture!). They take a small cut of the funds.

Crowdfunding is still in its infancy in the legal framework. As with anything involving commerce, it is always wise to remember caveat venditor (Let the Seller Beware) and caveat emptor (Let the Buyer Beware).  So do your homework before plunging in.

Cheers,