Victoria Market

I chanced upon the Vic Market Tour on my first day in the city having a walk about taking in the sights and sounds. Being a gastronomy student and with an avid love for all things related to food I booked my place on the Thursday market tour and set off on the three hour tour at AUD 30 completely excited!
Upon my arrival at our meeting spot I was given a complimentary green market big with VIC MARKET printed boldly across, a tasting plate and plastic cutlery - now I'm not pointing it out just giving you the information if you ever contemplate doing the tour yourself.
Located on the corner of Elizabeth and Victoria Streets and spread over seven hectares, it is the largest open air market in Southern Hemisphere. Open since 1878 the markest has 125 years of service! Closed on Monday and Wednesday with particular timings, the rest of the week, make sure to concult the website before making a trip to double check days and timings. http://www.qvm.com.au/
Many of the traders are second and third generation and reflect Melbournes cosmopolitian culture! Now enough of history take a look at the wonderful photos I got on my visit to the markets. On the particular day I choose to visit (end of April) it was the weekend before Greek Easter so there were an incredible line up of entire sheep carcasses hanging with heads on and even heads stacked neatly in piles with the eyeballs intact. Spit roasting the entire animal is a typically Greek Easter custom!


We move from the meat section to the fishy side of things...

A really, really big Octopus is stretched out by a fishmonger eager to creep us out - he really didn't know that I love having a close up look at everything before I eat it!

And here come the veggies... it was quite a turn out. Most of the tuber family was there in large numbers ... hehe !

From persimons to feijolas (a fruit native to New Zealand and one I have not tried - but will soon and will tell you about it) Check out the bulbs on these - simply gorgeous!!!

Beautifully baked goods made my mouth water. Those almond croissants are just sinful - filled with custard creme its a dream come true!

I had to have a taste of these two and bought one of each. The marscapone filled figs and apricots are just delghtful and would be beautiful on a cheese platter being served after a meal or just on their own with a dessert wine, perhaps along with a Semillon (a golden skinned grape used to make sweet whites found in the Bordeaux wine regions, Cotes de Gascogne as well as the Hunter Valley near Sydney as well in the Barossa - here is South Australia. Initially this varietal was mislabeled as a Reisling!)

Read it and believe it baby - this abatoir that specialises in game meats had a wonderfully wide selection to choose from...
I got to try the venison sausage and the crocodile that was seared on a pan. Being a sausage I would not use either as a benchmark for tasting the quality of the meat although both were incredibly tasty. I also got to have a taste of kangaroo fillet cooked very rare and it was exquisite. Having ordered kanga twice at restaurants both times it was overcooked (I love it blue - pink in the centre) and the meat turned stringy. I guess this butcher knew not only how to slaughter it but to cook a pretty mean steak as well!

Extravagent eating - Nobu

Robert De Niro's restaurant Nobu is a synonomous with innovative Japanese cuisine served up in style... And that's exactly what I got when I visited the Nobu located at SouthBanks Crown Casino. To my surprise we were able to get a booking for a table of five just two days prior to our visit!

Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa is responsible for establishing the first Nobu restaurant in New York, that triggered off a chain in London, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Milan, Hong Kong and Waikiki and ofcourse good old Melbourne. Nobu is frequently covered int he pages of the New York Times, the Zagat survey and the Michellin guide ... it would be a crime for me not to have checked out what the fuss is all about.

The restaurant has a sexy and distinctive lounge feel to it that automatically puts you at ease and all of a sudden you are inspired to order an exotic cocktail, take off your coat, show off your elegant evening dress and drape your legs in a seductive James Bond like criss cross sort of way by the bar! Waiting for the rest of my freinds to join us, we sat at the long bar and I ordered melon belini. Looking around the place customers comprised quite a mix of businessman, young proffesionals looking glam and some rather doudy looking middle aged people that seemed out of place. Anyhow, my belini arrives and suprisingly its not served up in a long champagne glass but has been shaken and served on ice in a stout glass, none the less it tastes fab - fresh and delivering a heady punch at the end.

By the time my drink came to its end the rest of the gang had arrived and we proceeded downstairs to be seated at our round table.


We started out with the highly recommended and talked of Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapenos - pure delight for the palate - smooth and buttery it was subtle yet sensational.

Tataki with Onion Ponzo and Garlic Chips... this was a platter of Wagyu beef with a grading of 9+ and was delicious. The taste is very much Tepanyaki inspired, with these wafer thin slices of beef garnished with curls of paper thin crisp garlic slices - the combination is absolutely delicate and the meat - ohhhhh, so perfectly cooked tender as ever!

Fried Oysters with a touch of Wasabi Mayo. Never eaten oysters like this - was interesting but don't think I would order them like this again - all that deep fried noodle covering takes away from the texture and feel of the way an oyster should really be slurped up!

Black Cod with Miso - a definite must have - was my favourite part of the meal. What a dish!!!

And finally the moment I had been waiting for all night - the Wagyu beef with a marbling of 9+ and priced at AUD 35 per 50 g. WOW! It came with three accompanying dipping sauces... Wish I didnt have to share it!

The chicken that was oh so BORING! I did not order this dish and don't have much to say about it - average!
By this stage we were good to go, having downed several courses, but its not everyday that you eat at Nobu so we splurged and this Sashimi platter was a result of giving into tempatation. Tuna, Salmon, Scallopes, White Snapper and caviar...

All in all - the meal was unforgettable but I must confess that my degustation menu at the shy and unacclaimed Shoya was better by leaps and bounds. For the glitz and glamour Nobu is a must see - but for all the raving it does not do itself justify!

Degustation Menu at Shoya

Modern Japanese cuisine at it's finest - Melbournian fine dining restaurant Shoya run by chef and owner Shigeo Nonaka was simply one of my most beautiful experiences. The degustation menu priced at AU$ 120 per head was one I will never forget! Thank you Mario!

To open the meal a tiny piece of perch topped with foie gras and peach was an extraordinary tantalising feast for my palate! Oh boy.. wait till you see the rest of the several courses, you'll be drooling with jealousy!

This assortment of sashimi carefully selected by the chef - salmon, tuna, snapper, sea urchin and caviar was melt in your mouth exqusite! The beauty of this dish lies in the fact that the serving bowl is sculpted out of real ice that maintains the ideal temperature the raw fish should be served at. A bed of lemon squeezed on the ice could be tasted through the fish - a refreshing twist you should definetly try next time you go Japanese!

My first ever sampling of Wagyu/ Kobe beef. This dish was the ultimate fantasy dish, something I have dreamed of for a very, very long time. The experience of tasting the Wagyu Tartar was so moving. The meat has a velvety, smooth texture and the flavour is so subtle yet the unique smooth texture you know you are eating something truly royal. The ribbon like feel reminds me most of eating roast beef tongue made by my mother - tender and just ridiculously soft - you wouldn't need teeth to eat it! Now more about how it was served up - A piece of fresh wagyu beef chopped finely, which was marinated with sweet Soya sauce topped with special egg plant miso paste. These delicate crab claws came out of the claw so easily and the meat was ever so sweet. With the light tempura batter the real taste of the flesh was allowed to come through.
Swordfish wrapped in seaweed with a monk fish liver sauce on top - this was dish was magnificent. The fish was firm while the monk fish was silky smooth and provided a suitable contrast. The flavours so delicate created a perfect combination, neither overwhelming the other, complementing in textures and flavour.

Over 500 day grain fed Wagyu beef steak was cooked up rare - just the way I love it. An array of dipping sauces and fried rice and miso soup accompanied.

Mildly flavoured chocolate mousse and a strangely flavoured Panacotta that was not my favourite thing on the menu, despite it's impeccible and even pretty appearance!

Melbourne in a Flash

My first Melbournian meal was a souvlaki after a night of crazy drinking and seeing the city by night... here goes:

My midsemester break allowed me to explore Melbourne's food culture. I fell in love with Hardware lane and the little Causeway St. that were perfect for sipping on hot lattes and enjoying platefulls of delish food under the heaters of the street cafes. I would ride the train in with my cousin Becky early in the a.m and roam the streets finding comfort food to indulge in reading Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential in between taking in the sights and sounds of Oz Lands bustling city life. My first day I had two breakfasts, a double whopping serving of beautiful eggs sunny side up on toast with bacon, hmmmm! And then I tried a croissant with vanilla creme and berry compote - the almond croissant I had the next day was in a league of it's own though!!! HEAVEN baby!

A little bit of lunch to break up my breakfasting of the morning. A mint-yoghurt lamb salad with rocket and melon.

At St. Kilda's I visited Soul Mama, a veggie restaurant with my old school mate Taras. I tried the affagato which was perfect on that chilly day with the sun peaking out from behind the clouds!

Principles of Gastronomy Barossa Valley Trip

Concluding the first course of my gastronomy programme was an excursion to the Barossa Valley. The day long trip was a wonderful getaway packed with fun filled, food adventures for the avid gourmet! The sun was out and I suited up in a short one piece denim number eager to make the most of the last of summer. After about two hours in a mini bus up the winding hills we arrived at the Tafe centre where we met Angela Heuzenroeder who gave us an intoduction presentation on the Barossa foodways and how the early German settlers sailed in from Europe and set up homes, their agricultural, viticultural and processing methods. This was and is a big part of the Germanic influence that can be seen in the Barossa today. After the talk and some super-duper cake and coffee we made our way to Apex bakery that is perhaps the oldest and most reputed bakery in the hills. Take a look at this firewood burning oven - amazing huh!?!

These are the ladies responsible for the Weiss German noodle factory. Everything is done in a very ghetto manner - there are just a couple of people running things and the machinery and techniques are really old school. The thin, crispy noodles they make are perfect for things like chicken noodle soup while the broader ribbon pasta with peppercorns is great for stroganoff, which reminds me - I bought a packet to go with some of the stuff I was supposed to make...

Following the noodle stopover we headed to Peter Lehman Wines where a refreshing Barossa spread of bread, cold meats, cheese and olves awaited us with accompanying wine.

While our class chatted and thoroughly enjoyed the rustic, country fare the the afternoon just seemed to slip by. High on wine we got back onto the bus and made our way to the next pitstop - Gully Garden orchards.

Walking through we got to see the gorgeous vineyards, pick bunches of fresh grapes and taste test them while we took a look around. The orchards grow apricots, pears, plums, prunes and grapes for the tables and raisins. The fruit is dried as well as dipped in chocolate!!


Linkes smokehouse, Barossa oldest smokehouse was the highlight of the afternoon for me. This was meat heaven and I freaked out on seeing all the different kinds of meats and learning about the way the smoke them. This is a full on job with the guys working at Linkes coming in at odd hours to put in new sausages and cured meat as well as to remove them to ensure just the right amount of time in the smokehouse. I must say all their hardwork pays off - that meat was just fabulous!

Fallen Royalty? What's the Deal with Dumpling and Donut King?

Dumpling King is famed to be Adelaides cheapest restaurant with gigantic plates filled with steamed dumplings and as I familiarly know them momo's as we call them back home in Bangalore. These plump, floury dumplings stuffed with pork mice or chicken if you prefer are steamed first then pan fried. The resulting mince encrusted batter sinks in your stomach. An accomapnying onion relish is served alongside - but I dunno, just not my kind of dish, lets just put it that way! We tried a BBQ Lamb noodles with spring onion that was ok, its hawker street food style, with a sort of played down Chinese feel. Filling food - cheap prices. At $7 a plate I really shouldn't be dissecting!
A trip to Ikea for odd bits and pieces is vital when you move to a new place - and how could I let my mum and sister down - I had to make a pittstop at their cafe to check the quality of the Svenskabulla - Swedish Meatballs with cranberry sauce. Sleep peacefully Mum and Maude, they passed the quality control test, just wish they wern't as stingy with the gravy!

These donuts took the cake - hard, horrible and just a disgrace to the donut family! Do not be fooled by Donut King - they are imposters. Our Bangalore Donut Baker is lighter and far superior to these brick like donuts! Belive it or not - there is no Dunkin Donuts nor Krispy Kremes here in Adelaide! I had to fly to Melbourne to have a little bit of heaven! And I must say my loyalty remains with Mr. Dunkin!!! You rule!

This was a serving of lasgane and a latte that I snacked on at a local cafe one Saturday afternoon.