Myrtille Bistro, Crow's Nest - Review

I don't usually write reviews for the blog these days, but Mr P. and I were so happy with our lunch at Myrtille (French for blueberry) that I just had to write one!  I know many of you lovely readers are not from this area, but you can get a feel for this charming place.  Hubby and I headed off to Toowoomba for a weekend break, he to attend a building designers' awards night, and both of us to enjoy my post-birthday lunch. 

‘Twas a very foggy, rainy, grey day when we headed out to Crow’s Nest for lunch.  Thank goodness Mr P. had booked, ‘cos lots of folks were being turned away, as the place was hopping.  The bistro is in a historical 1906 building which has been renovated beautifully; the restaurant has dark blue (blueberry like the name) walls with lovely lights and lots of glass doors and high windows.  A bar runs along one side; there are tables inside and out, and don’t forget the pâtisserie next door! 

'there's a clock on the wall' la la la ...

walking by ...

We ate: parmesan gougère with truffled egg and scallops for me, and hubby had housemade baguette with garlic thyme butter.  Both were excellent, and I was very happy to have a wee bit of the 500 gram (1 lb) truffle from the Granite Belt. The eggs were creamy, the scallops were sweet, and his bread and butter was generous.  We both chose the beef cheeks en daube, which was melt in your mouth, pull-apart with a spoon (yes they gave us a spoon too for the saucy bits). The Paris mash was divinely creamy and buttery and delicious, though I have to say the greens didn’t do anything for me.  I thought they were a bit too crunchy, though hubby thought they were fine.  I guess the dark green stuff was kale - the devil’s work :-) - so I left that to its own devices after a chew on its evil, green heart. Even though we were full, dessert was on the cards so I had an affogato with Frangelico, and I stole a few big spoonfuls of his (our) white chocolate mousse with blueberries, and passionfruit and sponge, oh and a wonderful birthday sparkler for moi! 

Service was wonderful, prompt, efficient and warm.  The atmosphere was lovely, the décor was sophisticated, and the food Frenchy and fabulous.  And the menu changes regularly according to the produce available.  (The toilets are interesting with a plethora of choices, as I said to hubby when he went off after me. At least the urinal was in a cubicle, thank heavens!) And they offered me a doggy bag for my uneaten beef, which was much appreciated.  In fact, several diners were given them, so clearly the serves are generous.  Well worth the road trip to get there, foodie people.  And you can do a wee bit of shopping in the lovely stores also in the building.  One of them had a gorgeous and wonderfully warm fireplace going.  Crow's Nest is one of the High Country Hamlets after all, so it gets cold!

baguette with garlic thyme butter

parmesan gougere, truffled eggs and scallops

beef cheek en daube

looking to the bar

moi, Mr P. and a birthday sparkler

affogato with Frangelico

white chocolate mousse, passionfruit,
sponge and blueberries (pre-sparkler)

exterior and sign

lovely old building

looking up and out

on Pipeline Road

Myrtille Bistro: Nolan's Block, 1 Thallon Street, New England Highway, Crow's Nest QLD

Ph: 07 4698 4164

email: hello.myrtillebistro@gmail.com

Green Beans With Olive Oil

Mr P. and I have always called this dish Greek beans, but here in the book called Zaitoun by Yasmin Khan it is Fasolia Bi Zait, a Palestinian recipe.  The book is subtitled Recipes and stories from the Palestinian kitchen.  I love the recipes here, so you'll be seeing a few more of them over the coming weeks, my virtual friends.  

This is a lovely book, full of stories from local Palestinian women, and complemented by beautiful, and colourful photos.  The author travelled over several years to Israel, and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.  She visited local communities, cooked with the women, and ate at the restaurants.  She decided to bring all these food experiences together in this interesting and informative book.  (BTW, zaitoun means olive in English.)   

tasty green beans with spiced potatoes

Serves 4:

ingredients:


400g. (14 oz) green beans

2 tbs olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped or sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 small red chillies, finely chopped (optional)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp ground cummin

1/2 tsp ground allspice

400g. (14 oz) tin of diced tomatoes

1 fresh tomato, diced

1/2 cup of water

a dash of red or white wine - maybe 1/4 cup

1 tsp white sugar

a dozen grinds of black pepper

¾ - 1 tsp of sea salt

more EV olive oil to drizzle over the top


Method:


First trim your beans - i.e. - cut off the top and tail, then cut each bean into three pieces

Now boil or steam them for about twenty minutes till crisp-tender (as the Americans say)

Drain and put aside while you make the sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large frypan, tip in the onions and let them cook for about fifteen minutes on a gentle heat, stirring now and then

Stir in the garlic, chillies and spices, and cook for a few minutes more

Add the tinned and fresh tomatoes, water, wine, sugar, pepper and salt

Give the mixture a good stir, cover and let simmer on a low heat for ten minutes - check it now and then; and add a wee bit more water if it starts to look too dry

Add the beans to the sauce, and stir them in gently

Check for seasoning, drizzle over the olive oil and serve - as a side for 4 people, or as a main for 2 or 3 with some spicy potato wedges


Notes:

If you like your beans very tender, by all means go ahead and cook till they're as tender as you wish

I think this amount of sauce would happily accommodate another 50-100 grams of beans, so if you're feeling hungry ...

trim, top and tail your beans

Mr P. is posing for this shot, but I actually did all the gritty bean work:-)

steam your beans till tender - as you please

get Mr P. to stir the onions and garlic, etc

sauce cooked down and  beans added

all ready - with spiced spuds in the background

delicious - hot or room temp.

Confession time - I did adapt this recipe slightly by adding oregano and a fresh tomato.  I also felt it needed a bit of wine, and the red chillies that Mr P. always adds to his Greek beans!  Delicious!

colourful cover caught my eye

This is a book after my own heart; full of personal stories, interesting recipes, great photos, and providing lots of inspiration.  It is divided into five chapters: Mazzeh/Salads/Soups/Mains/Desserts.  Each recipe has a little story, a list of ingredients and straightforward directions.  Yasmin tells us how to make each dish very clearly, so that even a novice cook should be able to follow along.  I am really enjoying this book, and have sent off for some spices so I can make more of these recipes.  Do you know how hard it is to buy za'atar at the moment? :-) 

artwork © Sherry's Pickings

Ming Ming's Kitchen - Review

I've been waiting to do a full review of Ming Ming's, since their soft opening in early February.  They started with a limited menu for a few weeks, in order to find their feet.  Then along came 'Rona, the dreaded virus which came along uninvited, and insists on hanging at the party.  They are currently, like many cafés and restaurants, doing takeaway only, till we can all start going out again.  I am really looking forward to that day!  

So I decided to do a review now, 'cos who knows when 'Rona will be sent packing?  (Don't you love all the viral virus jokes and songs and memes?  I reckon the Bohemian Rhapsody one is fantastic.)  And we really need to support local businesses, to make sure they're still around when life returns to normal.  Mr P. and I are doing our best, by getting takeaway dinners and coffees from various establishments.  Gotta spread the joy, and the dinero:-)

   

hi there Mr. Waiter!

Mr P. and I headed there for dinner a few days after the soft opening.  We chose to sit inside the long and narrow space.  We joked to the charming and friendly waitress that she must keep very fit running in and out of the restaurant to the outdoor tables.  She handed us paper menus, advising us that they were working with the soft menu for a few weeks to see what people liked, and what worked for them.  

  

veg. spring rolls $10

Who doesn't love a spring roll?  These were quite large, so it was fairly generous, even though there were only two.  I found the pastry a wee bit doughy and the filling a bit bland, but they were still fresh and tasty, and a generous size.  We would have them again.  (And we did!)

stir-fried veg with rice $17

Mr P. went for the stir-fried veggies, which were sadly ... like rocks!  I don't mind firm veg, but these were very hard, and basically not cooked.  Not a winner, I'm afraid.  He liked the sauce that came with the dish though, and would have liked a bit more of it.  Mr P. does love his sauce, just like those celebrity chefs you see on the telly.  You know who I mean...

grilled chicken thigh fillet with rice $18

This grilled chicken thigh fillet was pleasant enough, if not terribly exciting.  The chicken was tender, and the rice was a nicely fluffy accompaniment.  But the veggies were a bit too crunchy for me, and I felt it needed more flavour.  I could easily eat this another time, but I'd like to try other dishes before I ate this one again.  

the Specials board  (on the faux brick wallpaper)

About a month later, Mr P. and I decided to hit Ming Ming's again (just before the lockdown).  We sat outside this time, as it was still warm of an evening.  In fact, it's still warm at night, another month on, even though we are halfway through autumn:-)  We both went for the specials this time.  Even though neither of us usually eats pork, hubby decided he loved pancakes enough to handle the pork aspect.

steamed pancakes $18

They were crispy, they were herby and porky; and the mushrooms added good flavour.  (Don't ask me what the translucent squid-like objects are though).  Overall, Mr P. gives the pancakes the thumbs up.  Oh yes, he tells me they were rice paper sheets, not squid:-)  And he really liked this dish, he tells me.  Though once again, he wishes there had been another sauce to go with this, as well as the dipping sauce.  I have to say I found this dish a bit confusing.  Why were there rice paper sheets on the bottom?  Why were the steamed pancakes apparently fried?  A conundrum, my friends, a veritable conundrum.  But then again, I am no expert when it comes to Vietnamese food, so perhaps this is a famous dish...

wasabi prawns Special $29

I loved these tempura prawns, with pickles and mayo.  The prawns were crunchy-coated, tender inside, delicious mouthfuls.  I loved it, and have had this dish a couple of times since.  I believe this will be on their full menu when the time is right - post-virus.  Yay!  I do love me a Japanese repast (even tho' this is a Vietnamese restaurant), so I was very happy to have this flavoursome dish.

lemon lime & bitters $6

sparkling wine $11

For Mr P.'s birthday last week, we had Ming Ming's lunch delivered.  I had the shredded chicken salad ($16) - oops, sorry no photo.  It was zingy; it was fresh, with lots of herbs, cabbage, lime and chilli.  A healthy and pleasant lunch.  Hubby had veggie rice paper rolls ($8), and spring rolls ($10).  Friend K had wagyu beef salad ($19), while friend J had the chicken salad too.  It's okay to have two visitors during the lockdown, so no worries there, folks.  Plus they are hubby's employees, and it was a work day.

a looooong way to the kitchen

Overall impression:  fabulous and friendly service.  The food doesn't always hit the mark, for the Pickings' fussy and fusty palates.  But on the whole, the food is tasty and enjoyable. Perhaps they're trying not to offend Aussie taste buds, but we would love a wee bit more flavour, and a bit more ... adventure.  


Postscript:  Mr P. and I decided to have takeaways tonight.  We enjoyed wasabi prawns (again!), spring rolls and lemongrass beef rice paper rolls, which hubby loved.  

another friendly and charming waiter

spring rolls $10

lemongrass beef rice paper rolls $10

Fresh and herby.  Mr P. really liked these.  Full of herbs, and bean sprouts, and cucumber.  Another enjoyable repast tonight.  

looking a wee bit lonely out the front during the virus crisis 

Food: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Value: 8/10


1 MacGregor St., Wilston 4051
Ph 07 3356 1112



 

Alcove Café and Deli Wilston - Review

To be honest, I'm not feeling the blog love at the moment.  What I mean is that it somehow seems incongruous and superfluous, but there will be good times ahead, so I'm going to 'Keep Calm and Carry on' as they said on those ubiquitous wartime posters.  We can still enjoy takeaways from our fave places, like this one.  (And when did takeaways become pickups?!)  We all need to support our local businesses, otherwise when all this is but a bad dream, we won't have anywhere to sit and relax, and eat good food and drink great coffee...

rustic exterior

We actually had brunch here a few months ago with a friend up from Sydney.  We all enjoyed our meals, and the friendly service, so we were happy to head here again last week (before the social distancing and isolation came into effect).  Braving the COVID-19 fears, Mr P. and I went out for a quick lunch.  It was early lunchtime, it was very busy, and it was starting to rain.  We dashed under the large umbrellas, and grabbed a seat.  A very friendly and charming waitress came by with menus, glasses and a carafe of water. 

Mr P. went to order at the counter, which is the norm these days, and we rapidly received – a cappuccino for me, and a mango and vanilla bean smoothie for him.  My coffee was fine, though I prefer it a little stronger; hubby loved his thick and cold smoothie.  You could even see the specks of vanilla in his drink, and there was a fruity taste of mango.  I went for the avocado smash with bacon, on organic sourdough.  Sadly, we both felt the bacon was a little light-on, considering you pay extra.  (At our December lunch here, the bacon was very generous!)  The bread was tangy, soft inside, crisp on the outside but not too hard.  You know how crusts sometimes cut your mouth?  Nope, this was not like that.  The radish gave the dish a nice little peppery zing, and the dukkah gave it a spicy hit.  

Mr P. chose the roast pumpkin fritters.  A common whinge from me is that cafes often when serving ‘fritters’ are really serving pancakes!  Once again, I would call these pancakes, rather than fritters which to my mind, should be mostly veg. with a wee bit of flour and egg to bind them.  These were flavoursome enough with pumpkin and chickpeas, but not to my taste – I felt they were somewhat stodgy.  Fortunately it wasn’t me eating them; hubby was perfectly content!  

It started to pour down, and the umbrellas were starting to leak, so we grabbed our belongings and ran back to the car.  We felt virtuous, and well-fed, happy to have helped a local business in this time of crazy, crazy madness.  Enough toilet paper yet, everyone? :-)

mango and vanilla bean smoothie $7.90

cappuccino $4

avocado smash on organic sourdough $13.90

The bacon is a bit light on, don't you think?  I think I paid an extra $6
for it:-(  Below is a photo of the same dish in December!  Sooo generous, and bacon-heavy, to my delight.

smashed avo with bacon and egg (in Dec 2019)

roast pumpkin fritters $17.90

Sadly, Alcove like every other café and restaurant is closed except for takeaways for the foreseeable future.  Good luck everyone!  Keep well, keep happy and wash your hands (to the tune of Happy Birthday for twenty seconds - tee hee).

rustic exterior but great food and service

Ph: 07 3161 1591

92 Kedron Brook Road, Wilston Q 4051

Le Feu Aspendale - Restaurant Review

Our clever and hardworking niece and nephew-in-law have recently opened a café in Melbourne. (No, this isn't it!)  So Mr P. and I headed down to check it out.  Oh, and did I mention it was their baby's (my great-niece's) second birthday?  Such a lovely day, with my aunt there too, so we had four generations, including baby Lolly's great-great aunt! 

a beachy feel with distressed timbers

Mr P. and I were staying overnight with my cousin K., who suggested we try Le Feu Aspendale, in a nearby suburb.  This restaurant is Vietnamese with French inspiration, and as it's in a bayside suburb, the decor has a beachy influence - distressed wood, seahorses, fish and anchors adorning the walls.  Service was efficient, but not overly warm.  It was a Saturday night, and they were busy (we had to go for the second sitting as the first was at 6.30pm, which was a bit early for us).  When it came time for dessert, they chivvied us along and suggested we order pronto!

fish cakes $12

We all shared the fish cakes - four pieces for $12.  They were a bit rubbery, as seems to be the norm with Asian fish cakes.  They came with a very strong fish sauce.  The menu said they were on lemongrass stalks, but it looked like sugarcane to me.  No matter, as we didn't eat the stalks of course:-)  These were pleasant enough for our starter - a bit rubbery, a bit fishy ...

grilled lemongrass chicken $25.90

We had wagyu beef curry on the table, grilled lemongrass chicken with rocket salad and plum sauce, along with lamb ribs and a glazed sticky sauce.  All of the dishes were delicious, with tender meat and flavoursome sauces.  The red chillies on the chicken gave it a shot of heat every so often, when you chowed down on a piece.  The thigh meat had great texture, and flavour; always my preferred cut.

wagyu beef curry $27.90

Mr P. assures me the wagyu was very tender and delicious, swimming in a tasty sauce with roasted pineapple and herbs.  Sorry, no photo of the lamb (it was a very fuzzy shot).  The mains came with a bowl of steamed rice topped with fried shallots.

creme caramel $10.90

After deciding to go for dessert, we chose a creme caramel for me, and fried ice cream for the other three.  Sadly, we were all a bit disappointed, and those calories could have gone to better use:-(  My creme caramel was kinda grainy, and unpleasant, though the popcorn was cute, and the sorbet was splendid.

fried ice cream $11.90

Mr P., cousin K. and friend G. all chose this dish, mostly because of the sugar cube burning in the middle.  Looked funky, but ended up being pretty ordinary.  I like the idea of having a chocolate sauce on top, though.  We declined coffees, and wandered off into the damp night ... 

good advice:-)

The Pickings' Verdict: 8/10

Food: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service:  8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10


Ph: 03 9580 5990
145 Nepean Highway, Aspendale VIC 3195



And as a parting gift, here is a snap of my niece and her daughter, my great-niece Lolly at her birthday party earlier in the day, before we hit the restaurant.  She is a sweet treat indeed:-)

cute as...