I Carusi II – Just like Mamma used to make…but even better!

Review as featured in Only Melbourne

I Carusi II - thin, crispy crust, delicious gourmet toppings ... you can't ask for more that that!

I Carusi II is Pietro Barbagallo’s second installment to his outer Brunswick pizzeria, i Carusi. This St Kilda counterpart is tucked away around the corner of Acland Street on Barkly; so don’t walk too quickly as you can miss unassuming restaurant and its best pizza that I’m sure you will taste in your life (outside of Italy of course!).

In Melbourne, we tend to associate a great pizza with as much toppings as we can cram onto our pizza base. We need to give that expectation a re-evaluation. For me, it’s not the quantity but definitely the quality of the ingredients and how thin and crisp the base is that makes or breaks a pizza.

I Carusi II is the benchmark for Melbourne’s greatest pizzas and the full tables both inside and out of this cosy abode are proof to this claim.

I Carusi II - starch white tablecloths without the butcher paper and understated surrounds. The focus: pizza!

Barbagallo’s simple advertising strategy is his patronage. I Carusi II will spark your interest after spending half an hour trying to find a parking spot and as a result, having to park ten minutes away, only to find a crowded eatery with windows that open out onto the street. You won’t spot a big neon sign with i Carusi’s name on it. Instead you will spot the handwritten menu stuck on the window offering primi, insalata, pizza, pizza dolce and gelato.

At 9:30pm on a Sunday, i Carusi II is far from retiring for the night as patrons like me have their tastebuds set on a satisfying and delicious pizza. Without a waiting list to adhere to this late at night, I sat by the French windows next to a couple of Italian tourists at the table beside me. To top this off, the waitress greeted us in Italian and romantic Italian music played softly in the background.

Square wooden tables are dressed with starch white tablecloths (thankfully minus the butcher paper), offering a clean palette for the scrumptious selection of antipasto, 24 savoury twelve inch pizzas, five mouth-watering six inch dessert pizzas and gelato.

After perusing the menu, my stomach was set on Pizza for a Friend and Genovese ($17 each). With large white plates to eat the pizza on, together with sauvignon blanc vino from Italy, I was set. Both pizzas were aplenty for two hungry pizza lovers and were delicately decorated with gourmet ingredients including: white mozzarella, roasted pumpkin, pinenuts, rocket and goat’s cheese for the former, and tomato, goat’s cheese, pesto, roasted peppers and prosciutto for the latter. Each ingredient complimented the other and with a base that was crisp without a hint of sogginess, this was pizza perfect.

My wishlist for my return visit (which will definitely be soon) will be indulging in antipasto favourites of prosciutto, fried olives, sopressa and bocconcini as well as the gamberi picante ($18) pizza, not to mention sampling a glass of Italian wine. Bueno!

I Carusi II
231 Barkly Street, St Kilda VIC 3182
Ph: (03) 9593 6033
Open daily 5-11pm
Fully licensed
No cards

Charmed by Exotix – Cocktail Party Launch…

Review as featured in Only Melbourne

From the outside, the building becomes one of many inconspicuous shop fronts in Melbourne’s south-east suburb of Caulfield. Upon entering, gold and black balloons set a stylish theme to the vibrant atmosphere of the official cocktail party launch of Charmed by Exotix.

With my Cosmopolitan in one hand, catalogue in the other, I am in every girl’s heaven – jewelry, jewelry and more jewelry is displayed across the room, representing the 10 various collections.

Founder Michael Strintzos started this two-week-old Australian owned online jewellery company that specializes in the highest quality silver charms, charm bracelets and charm necklaces.

At Charmed by Exotix, mix and match to express your individual style. Select your charms from any of the 10 interestingly named themed collections including: Head Over Heels in Love; Sex and the City; Fun in the Sun; Gold Plated Bling and Little Miss Charming.

Affordable and chic, the range of over 70 fun, feminine and colourful charms can be clipped onto a selection of charm necklaces and charm bracelets that are made from sterling silver, gold plated, black leather, pearls and black onyx. Charms range from $15-$75; necklaces $45-$95; and bracelets $60-$75. At this price you don’t have to feel guilty at buying more than one piece!

Michael prides himself in delivering innovative design, quality manufacturing, uncomplicated online purchasing and prompt reliable delivery. So too do his parents Fiona and Peter Strintzos, directors of Exotix who started their online boutique selling jewelry, handbags and wraps eight years ago.

Purchase safely online at Charmed by Exotix with the added bonus of free delivery Australia-wide. Your chosen charmed jewelry will be delivered to your door within one week of placing your order.

For more information, visit http://www.charmedbyexotix.com.au

Charmed by Exotix
Head Office: 469 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield South VIC 3162
Tel: 1300 799 471    Fax: (03) 9523 0966
Email: enquiries@charmedbyexotix.com.au
Website: http://www.charmedbyexotix.com.au
Open: Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm (AEST)

Exotix
http://www.exotix.com.au

Enris Restaurant – The Flavours of Latin America…

Review as featured in Only Melbourne

Melbourne boasts an ever-increasing array of Spanish and Latin American restaurants that serve the ‘real’ food of their region. As a keen enthusiast of Latin American cuisine, I stumbled upon Enris restaurant as I was window shopping down Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn one day.

With my mind set on eating paella and churros washed down with sangria, only one of my three wishes was fulfilled at Enris. At 7.30pm on a Saturday night, there was already a table of four sipping on wine. Impressed by the low-lit, mid-sized restaurant of no more than a dozen tables, the atmosphere at Enris was relaxed. However, for a Saturday night when restaurants are expected to be their busiest, one waiter and one chef seemed undeniably understaffed.

Upon perusing the menu, the waiter revealed that paella is only served on Sundays (no exceptions here even for larger groups); cooked vegetables were unavailable but garden salad would be served instead; all meals would be served with fries instead of potatoes, as the menu read; and lastly, there were no churros on the dessert menu. And for those interested in the fish of the day, grilled salmon was served with none other than Asian greens – go figure!

A blackboard of imported tinto (red) and blanco (white) vino from Argentina was reasonably priced, but the drink that caught my attention was the jug of homemade sangria ($22). This was exactly what I ordered in Spain – the staple addition to any meal of the day. A smallish jug of this red wine and fruit concoction arrived, delicious with fruity flavours.

With this restaurant renowned for garlic, steak, dancing on tables and owner/chef Greg Turner mingling with his diners, the only memorable ingredient was the garlic that lingered on my breath.

Credit is due where it is deserved. The chorizo ($10.50) was a homemade sausage full of flavour and made with blended herbs and spices, served with Chimichurri sauce – Argentina’s most traditional sauce made from onions, parsley, oil, vinegar and spices. The Langostinos ($17.50) – a prawn dish cooked in a sizzling cauldron and smothered in Salsa de Ajo – a garlic-based sauce incorporating more garlic, salt, garlic, Tabasco and more garlic – seemed insufficient in size with only 4 prawns per serve.

The Asado de Tiro ($24.75) – beef ribs described on the menu as slow cooked and grilled, the waiter offered a different view, describing the dish as a little chewy, but suggesting that he serve them with two different sauces. Still eager to give it a go, I ordered the beef ribs and found them to be tasty, a little tender and a little chewy, served without the recommended sauces.

Enris is memorable for its waiter with arrogance; a menu that is well overpriced; food that is served without the accompaniments listed on the menu; tasty meats and seafood; and decent sangria! Now for my churros fix at Chocolateria San Churro…

Enris Argentinian Restaurant
789 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn 3122
Ph: (03) 9815 1778
Open for dinner Tuesday to Sunday 6pm to late.
BYO wine; licensed

Florina’s Greek Tavern – a taste of Greece in Melbourne …

eview as featured in Only Melbourne

With the biggest Greek community outside of Greece, Melbourne definitely has its fair share of Greek Taverns. Located in the heart of Glenferrie Road in Malvern, Florina’s Greek Tavern makes you feel as though you have stepped foot in an idyllic oasis.

Its décor is rustic; prints of Greek islands adorn the restaurant walls; tables are furnished with crisp white tablecloths and white plates – the kind that are thrown at Greek weddings.

In order to sample the many traditional items on the menu including dolmades and saganaki, it is best to opt for the special set menu ($39 per person) that will leave you far from hungry. All four courses are great to share between a minimum of two people or even for a large party.

Course one – prepare yourself to taste a selection of mixed dips including taramasalata (the exceptional caviar dip), saganaki (fried Kefalograviera cheese), dolmades (marinated vine leaves stuffed with rice) and whitebait (tiny fish in light batter) all served with crisp hot bread.

Take a five minute break and the waitresses are already bringing course number two – seafood. At what looks like curly fries, the calamari strips are lightly battered and served together with a platter of grilled blue eye fish and chargrilled barbeque prawns which are definitely mouth-watering. A bowl of Greek salad with its specialty ingredient of salty feta cheese was sublime.

And it all that wasn’t enough, the third course was especially dedicated to all the meat lovers. The chef’s selection of chargrilled meats including beef rissoles, tender lamb skewers and succulent chicken was served with roast potatoes that were cooked to perfection in the oven, in a tomato and eggplant-based sauce.

For dessert (the final course), homemade Baklava (chopped nuts on filo pastry) and Bougatsa (a warm custard cake with filo pastry) accompanied the mud-like Greek coffee. What a way to finish off a traditional Greek feast than to burn off all those calories by dancing the Zorba!

Florina’s Greek Tavern
209 Glenferrie Road, Malvern 3144
Ph: (03) 9509 1762
Open: Monday to Saturday, 6pm to late
Group functions available
BYO and fully licensed

Aya Japanese Restaurant – food that’s worth a pedicure! …

Review as featured in Only Melbourne

If you’re after a quintessential Japanese dining experience in a specially crafted Tatami Room, then Aya Japanese Restaurant is for you. But be prepared to take off your shoes and show off your perfectly manicured toes as you sit at low tables, where rooms are partitioned with traditional Shoji screens and paper lanterns.

With a Teppanyaki Grill at the back of the restaurant as well as a traditional menu of Japanese dishes from sushi to Shabu Shabu, you will be pleasantly surprised with the appointment of Head Chef, Masa Uchida who reveals a fresh change to the previously standard Japanese menu.

Aya serves exquisite meals in both presentation and flavours; your first visit there will only be one of many in order to get through their decent-sized menu of entrée’s, salads, sushi and sashimi, Aya’s special rolls, mains, set menu’s and desserts.

Edamame - salty, soft and definitely addictive!

A Japanese dining experience should always be kick-started with Edamame – green soya beans succulently steamed in pod with a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt ($8). For a Popeye dish with a twist, the Horenso Mentaiko is a beautifully presented spinach dish resembling a bird’s nest and served with sesame dressing and Mentaiko mayonnaise with prawn ($13.50). Kani Mushimono is a flavoursome dish of steamed crab dumpling balls that are wrapped in crispy noodles and served with mustard – seafood with a tang!

Kani Mushimono - crispy noodle crab dumplings

Aya boasts over a handful of special rolls ($14.50-$17.50) that are mouth-watering and definitely filled with fresh ingredients like soft shell crab, tiger prawns and grilled eel. With names like spider, tiger and dragon rolls, there will definitely fulfill those with an adventurous streak.

Sukiyaki - cook yourself at your table

The Sukiyaki is the meal of choice for a minimum of two people. Succulent beef slices are marinated in Aya’s own sukiyaki sauce and served in a cast iron bowl atop an electric stove. Fresh vegetables of cabbage, carrot, shitake mushrooms and vinegary tofu are delicately marinated and accompanied with glass noodles all in the one pot ($26 per serve).

For those after a minimum of four courses, it’s best to opt for the range of three Omakase (set menus). Choose from four courses ($51 per person), five courses ($59 per person) or six courses ($70 per person) and be treated to an array of Japanese delicacies including: the chef’s appetizer, sushi and sashimi, soup, main and dessert.

For dessert, anything with green tea is highly recommended and will satisfy your palette to a T. Don’t forget to try a glass or two of Japanese plum wine served on the rocks. Itadakimasu!

Aya
1193 High Street, Armadale VIC 3143
(03) 9822 9571
www.ayarestaurant.com.au
Open: Tuesday to Friday 12-3pm, Tuesday to Sunday 6-10:30pm

Yarraville – old world charm meets modern day bustle …

Review as featured in Only Melbourne

Yarraville is only four kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD and is lined with refurbished 19th Century buildings and quaint neighbourhood café’s, award-winning restaurants and boutiques. This inner-western suburb has recently experienced rapid gentrification and as a result boasts organic produce, restaurants with white tablecloth service as well as kitsch nick-knacks that have made this once working-class suburb a place for coffee-sippers, foodies, boutique shopping and those in need of unique finds from a village-like town.

North of the West Gate Bridge and West of the Yarra River, Yarraville Village begins at Anderson Street and continues along the adjacent Ballarat Street where the refurbished 1938 Art-Deco Sun Theatre is located.
For an out of this world pizza experience, head to Mad Moose next door to Yarraville station for some crazy but delicious toppings. Fancy a lamb souvlaki minus the pita but on a thin crust Cyclops pizza? Or perhaps a duck creation that would usually be served in a pancake but instead served with cucumber, carrot and plum sauce, otherwise known as Plucka pizza. For dessert, who ever thought a traditional apple pie would suffice, instead order a mouth-watering Apple Pie Dessert Pizza that is lined with vanilla custard, smothered with stewed cinnamon apple, caked with biscuit crumble and dusted with icing sugar – the ingredients simply speak for itself!
To walk off your pizza feast, wonder down Anderson Street where an old-world charm meets modern lifestyle at Plump Organic Grocery for the freshest organic fruit, vegetables and other delicacies around town. Andrew’s Choice sells quality meat, smallgoods and other continental delicacies that is unique to this strip. And for those with a sweet tooth, visit The Old Village Lolly Shop for some fantastic finds like the good old Yorkie and American favourites like Reese’s peanut butter crisps and Twinkies.
Featured in the Age’s Cheap Eats Guide, head to Feedback Café, where hearty, wholesome dishes are served and made from locally sourced produce. Carson’s Lounge will set the mood for casual dining with friends or family and even a relaxed evening for drinks set against a cosy atmosphere and great music. Enjoy two meals for the price of one on Wednesday nights!
For some fine Italian cuisine, Acqua e Vino it located just around the corner on Ballarat Street. An extensive wine list and scrumptious tapas as well as cigars are on the menu. Choose from either The Aristocrats, The Socialites or The Room for a variety of ambience, food and music that caters to the room’s namesake. Next door is L’Uccelino, a fine-dining Italian restaurant that makes gourmet pizzas – at the opposite pole from Mad Moose; serving pizzas with delectable ingredients including: gorgonzola, tiger prawns, Porcini mushrooms and prosciutto.
Anderson Street caters for all kinds of clothing shoppers. For those after kitsch, classic and funk head to Village Idiom, and for local and overseas designer wear visit the ever-so-stylish Lacquer boutique.
And after all that shopping, pick your next destination: homemade cakes and coffee at Hausfrau Bakery or head to The Blarney Stone Irish Pub for beer on tap and quality pub meals.
For more information, visit http://www.yarraville.com.au