124 Victoria Street

We had no official say in where we dined this day other than to agree that whatever was chosen we'd have no reservations joining in.  It's a good thing, because had we been in charge of dining location African Taste would never have been on the list.  Now, that's not because we don't like / do African, but because this is a tiny neighborhood storefront place that unless you walked right by the front door would struggle to realize it exists.  Not the same, but sort of the same in that sense as a place right by our house A Previous Article which we missed out on for far too long by not opening our eyes properly.  Our friends are clearly more clever (and have wider eyes?) than us.

A husband and wife team.  It's the wife who greets you from behind her small dessert / coffee counter and then does everything else needed out the front, with the husband in the kitchen doing his thing (I would not be surprised to learn he was the only person back there) and popping out with a dish in his hand every now and again.  All smiles, clearly happy that you've chosen to come dine with them (and double happy that our friends were returning again) this is probably the closest I've felt to eating in someone's home while at a restaurant. 

It's a simple space with a couple of small tables outside (probably perfect for coffee, but not so much for dining) with neat and tidy tables and chairs set up to give options for different sized parties.  For lunch it was quite brightly lit due to the picture windows taking up all of the front and (I guess) depending on which way the wind blows a pleasant spicy aroma keeping us company.

Our Server (and everything else) was patient with us figuring out what we wanted and very helpful in explaining what we could expect from different dishes. We made good use of the explaining as everything was new to the two of us.  She (or they?) is perhaps a little defensive on how spicy hot to make things, which in general is for my palette a good thing.  Anything that has a bit of heat she confirmed how hot we would like it which I really appreciate, but the one dish that was asked for to be quite hot was described as hot, but not that hot.  She also allowed us to take our time deciding on, consuming and then resting for our dessert / coffee course.

It's not a big menu, but there's plenty to choose from if you're new to the cuisine.  It seems most wine comes in BYO? - the Wine List was described to us and we actually got the last bottle of something.  Absolutely no drama with this approach!

Our meal went a little like this:

• Amiri Sauvignon Blanc - this is a sit in the sun type wine, which was just fine as we were sitting in the big open front window with the front door open beside us.
• Katega (an African bread, heavily seasoned with customary herbs, garlic and clarified butter) - really heavy on the spice crust the first bite is a bit confusing but it's ultimately really enjoyable.
• Crambpd Cauliflower (crumbed with herbs, egg and flour) - a fun appetizer, crisp and soft at the same time.  Not hard to see why it's listed as one of the most popular items.
• Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc - perhaps a little more nose than the other, but equally enjoyable with this meal.
• Traditional North African Seafood (prawns, fish, mint, coriander, chilli, saffron rice) - a bit paella like, but not paella.
• Tibes (lamb, onion, garlic, chilli, coriander) - a great lamb dish, mild flavors, but interesting flavors with a couple of spices in there too.
• Doro Tibes (chicken instead) - something different to the lamb, probably the spices changed a little?
• Injera (it's a bread that is offered with each main course or rice is the alternative) - soft and chewy it's a great vehicle for getting your meal to your mouth - no forks needed if you go with this option, and it makes your meal last a bit longer as you (well, certainly me) continually drop things back to your plate...
• Coffee - short, long, whatever you feel like
• Baklava - sweet enough that one per person is going to be too much, but not that evil too sweet you often get in cafés.

The final scheduled it-doesn't-matter-where-we-eat-as-long-as-it's-with-you A Collection of Articles event!  Each one special in its own way, this one was no less special, but certainly the most pleasantly surprisingly enjoyable.

If you're looking for a store front restaurant, run by a very friendly husband and wife team, perhaps only a few more than 20 seats, a wine list that is so short it's dictated to you, a menu that is focused in what it offers but diverse compared to what you're probably used to and the knowledge that it all tastes great.  Then this is probably is the place for you.

Stay JOLLY!
DHelen & Terry

30 Jacka Blvd

The short drive from our rendezvous point A Related Article gave us the opportunity for a quick bout of reminiscing as we wound our way out of Downtown Melbourne and through some of the Inner Suburbs, before arriving at the beach suburb of St.Kilda for the continuation of our evening.

Set right on the beach, the place actually doesn't look anything particularly fancy from the outside although it probably is rated as a nice appropriate building for the locale.  In fact, if we didn't have a useful guide with us the only reason we would have been able to find the place is because it's the only restaurant looking building in the general vicinity - and even then you could be forgiven for thinking it was some sort of yachting club place.

Our friends knew the drill, so inside and straight upstairs to the restaurant - I'm not even sure if there's any sort of downstairs option but I'd have to think the space was well used - maybe some private function type rooms?  Greeted by the host almost as you step off the stairs we were ushered past the quite large painting (of a style I have no idea, sorry) which is only memorable to me because it's also the design on the back of the menu.  I'm guessing there was another similar piece somewhere else because the dessert menu has a different, but similar styled cover.

It's one large room, various sized tables and a great view of the Bay.  I think it goes without saying that every reservation would include 'by the window, please"...  We didn't get one, but that's actually ok.  You still get to enjoy the view and as the sun goes down the other diners are mostly blocking the direct rays that are doing their thing.  Just as the sun hits the horizon, there's a pretty significant evacuation as people who don't have the window seats step out on to the deck for viewing and / or picture taking - yes, we were in on it...

It's not a loud place, but there's definitely restaurant noise through out, especially when we arrived as the place was full, or very close to it. By the time we were packing up much emptier and therefore less noise around, but I still don't recall hearing any specific music, if any at all.

Our Server took care of us, was patient with us as we dilly-dallied a bit making up our minds, had useful suggestions, was polite without being snooty, and took a really good picture of the 4 of us.  The place is at the fancy end of the scale, no doubt, and there's clearly some rules about how the staff interact with their tables, but she had a laugh with us when given the opportunity.  The Wine Dude (not sure what they call themselves here...) also took care of us, but due to the knowledge of our friends he didn't get to offer much in the way of suggestions, perhaps none at all.  It's a wine-off-the-table type place, but we were never left wanting a refill.

This was another meal A Collection of articles where we were way more excited to be with old (Hey!  Not grandpa & grandma old!) friends than to be paying close attention to our meal and to that end we had an awesome evening.  Awesome!  I know without doubt that we all enjoyed what we selected immensely and that there was oohing and aahing across the table at each others dishes, but we really do not have a clear (actually, it's so not clear it's not even close to foggy...) recollection of what we had.. 

Our meal may have gone like this...  Apologies to all concerned for any misremembering, omissions or errors!  They are all my own doing and I blame having too good a time catching up!

• Craiglee Shiraz - selected in tribute to the Sunbury region being the closest thing to a home base we had while on this trip.  But you don't need a reason like this to enjoy it.  Full, but not overpowering, a little bit of spiceyness and some tannins there.  I would have had no problems having a 2nd...
• Kingfish Ceviche, salted grapes, flying fish roe, sunflower seeds, zucchini, chardonnay vinaigrette 
• Seared Atlantic Scallops, ruby grapefruit, walnut & witlof salad, parsnip puree, chickpea cress  
• Brothers in Arms
• Blue Swimmer Crab & Bug Risotto, peas, basil, lemon mascarpone 
• Rolled Quail Saltimbocca, caramelised lemon, nasturtium, almonds, caper & cauliflower burnt butter 
• Western Plains Pork Loin, Belly & Cheek, baked apple, coleslaw, port wine sauce 
• Tuna a la Plancha, butter poached prawns, tomato escabeche, yoghurt, roe, green peppercorns 
• Dessert Wine 
• The Bombe, frozen white chocolate parfait with strawberry sorbet and toasted meringue 
• Soft Chocolate Torte, praline crunch, coffee sable, passionfruit sorbet 

We probably won't get back (not because we don't want to!) due to opportunity but we're certainly happy and better off for having spent an evening 'on the beach' with our dear (not old!) friends.

Stay JOLLY!
DMichael & Luise

Rialto 525 Collins Street

Most people would probably title this post Vue de monde, even though the Restaurant is a whole other space.  We're not like that...  We will get to Vue de monde as diners one day - and as it turns out, we even have a verbal commitment floating around - but not for awhile.

Up on the top (or thereabouts) of the Rialto, it doesn't really matter what the decor is (and it's kind of odd, to me anyway) because it's all about the view.  Back towards the city, out over the bay, way past the bridge, and much more...  On a slightly hazy day we didn't get the best view you could, but we certainly can't say we had a bad one.

Only here for a quick visit prior to dinner just down the road a bit, but we did have time to check out the bathrooms where someone(s) spent too much time trying to come up with a unique style - they did and they're not evil looking by any stretch of the imagination, but [on the men's side] I'd be more than a little uncomfortable in there doing my thing with someone else doing his.  Also, if you feel the urge, there's a small deck where you can get out in the wind - but no tables...

The cocktail list has enough to choose from, some snacks too if you're so inclined.  Set up with odd couches, stools and the like it's a bit of a maze for your Server to come visit, which might explain why he doesn't come by, but I'm also tending to think that they're used to most people coming up for just the one drink - which was us from the second we decided it was a good place to start the evening - so don't get too involved in hovering.

Our cocktails went a little like this:

• White Wine
• Kronenbourg 
• Little Creatures Pale Ale 
• White Rabbit Dark Ale - actually, not all that dark.

A fine place to start off the evening, especially if you want to look down on the world... But, it was just a stepping stone before heading off to Dinner A Related Article.  I guess we'll stop back prior to dinner when that commitment comes to fruition...

Stay JOLLY!
DMichael & Luise

Corner Cook & Wood

We're perhaps not proud, but certainly pleased with the result, for having stalked the chef after learning that he was no longer associated with the restaurant where we 'met' him last time we were back home.  We had learned that he was setting up shop down in Flinders and was aiming to be open a little before Christmas.

As we had plans to be in the general vicinity with the goal of a fine dining experience this seemed like a worthy goal.  A difficult goal, ultimately as the opening date turned out to be quite fluid, but we thank my brother for his perseverance in nailing down the opening date and a reservation (for the record we were in on day 2...).  Technically, this was another A Collection of Articles it-doesn't-matter-where-we-eat get together, but we really, really wanted to dine with Chef Pierre.

As part of a quite significant remodel / upgrade of the Flinders Hotel (which isn't quite finished) you could easily miss that there's a 'fancy' restaurant as part of the complex when you see the Bistro / Bar area spilling out onto the deck (a good sized one, that's for sure) and the I've-just-come-off-the-beach evening wear that is predominantly predominant.  But, once you find it, you know you're somewhere else.  All very modern in style, quite brightly lit there's what seems to be just one room, plus a patio area (which had the heat lamps on this night casting a sort of eerie orange glow).  But, we learned later that there's some moveable walls to give the option of expanding the room, or leaving as is for a private dining area.  It's good to have options, I guess.  There was some sort of gentle jazz type music playing, but subject to how much fun we were having there were times when we couldn't hear / didn't notice it.

We knew they'd only been open a couple of days so we were pretty calm when the Server who greeted us wasn't able to locate our Reservation with out the intervention of the Maître d' (for the record I think our Reservation had been left in the Bistro section) who just took a second to seat us with no dramas - although it was on a table more suited for 6 people, and probably could take 8.  The Servers it seems are still learning and they haven't gotten to the cross training part yet - our Wine Dude got a little flustered when we asked for some more bread; but we did get our bread.  I'd say a little nervous (no chit chat at all), but conscientious so I'm sure by the time you are reading this they are rock'n the joint. 

By no stretch of the imagination are we friends with The Chef, but we did think it appropriate to buy him a beer as a small thank you after a great dinner and also for actually being open.  I guess he was curious who did this because he came out to see us, and actually was able to put 2 and 2 together as to how we had once crossed paths before. He gave us a tour of the place (the kitchen has some pretty swish gadgets), sat with us for awhile and shared his vision for the restaurant.  Thanks Chef Pierre!

The Menu is short and to the point, with a Degustation (although technically correct, I'd prefer Tasting for a less snooty sounding description - but it's not just here as everywhere we went on this trip who offered such a thing went with snooty sounding...) option available.  Had it just been the two of us we almost certainly would have went this route, but with 4 excellent sharers at the table we ordered a unique dish each and passed plates around our [extra large] table.  We're lead to believe the menu will be extended once they've been open a bit longer giving the Kitchen & Serving teams a chance to master Chef Pierre's 'philosophy' and I suspect to see what the customers go for.  We could have gone with everything, given suitable belly space!  Strongly influenced in Morrocan styles there's lots of fun, occasionally in your face, type spices to keep you amused with a good mix of game and seafood in amongst your more common meat type dishes.

Our meal went a little like this:

• 2008 Elgee Park Viognier A Century Club Contributor (family reserve) - we liked it enough to get a second bottle.
• Stuffed Quail, cinnamon & buttermilk gnocchi, dried grape juice - the gnocchi may have been the best part, thanks for boning out the little guy.
• Flinders Golden Beetroot Carpaccio, crab & apple salad, fig & preserved lemon dressing - so so refreshing, beetroot definitely the star, the salad not far behind.
• Ocean Trout Terrine, prawns and preserved lime guacamole - prawns a nice treat, but the terrine with just a touch of guacamole was the best.
• Marinated Yellow Fin Tuna, oyster croquette, eggplant, argan oil - a tartar where all the bits were perhaps a bit yummier on their own.  Oyster probably the most memorable.
• Zucchini Flower & Saffron Risotto, fried ricotta - great risotto, creamy and just a tiny bit of crunch left.  I think there's more than just saffron in there?
• Rabbit with Scampi & Foie Gras Dumpling - quite a lot going on including some unlisted spices, all tasty and mostly quite rich.
• Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb, green tea & almond crust tagine - great piece of lamb and you absolutely should chew every bit off the bones.
• Roasted Duck Breast & Leg Confit, cardamom honey, orange sauce - tasty confit, wonderfully rare breast, both a little better with a little bit of the honey (you can't miss the cardamom) and sauce.
• Roasted Heirloom Carrots, with honey & thyme - a fun side, quite sweet.
• Selection of Cheeses - a brie, a blue, and an aged cheddar (the standard cheese board starting point, it seems).  All fine, interesting condiments.  No idea where they came from.
• Dark Chocolate Fondant, Which Chocolate Mousse, butternut sorbet - a quite rich end.
• Vanilla Flavoured Rhubarb, nectarine compote, creme fraiche ice cream - a refreshing end...
• Kahlua 
• Amaretto 

Clearly some early teething problems, but that's the price we have to pay for stalking The Chef I guess.  We wish Chef Pierre and his team nothing but awesomeness and we absolutely will be back when the opportunity presents - to see everything running with tip top smoothness as well as for the wonderful (and expanded) menu.  We thank Chef Pierre for visiting with us after dinner and for a wonderful meal.  We also thank our dear friends who introduced him to us a couple of years ago - the same friends that found us another dining treat A Previous Article just last week where we'll probably be stalking the chef if he also chooses to relocate....

Stay JOLLY!
DAndrew & Katrina

453 Centre Rd

So, this is not quite what we expected when we told Dad that we'd be with him for Christmas Day, that we'd like to take him out for dinner (because all the cooking that needed to be done was done the day before at the family gathering), and that he should make a reservation at a place close to home that he likes.  It, of course, doesn't matter because this was one more meal A Collection of Articles on our trip where the location was the least part of the getting together equation.  Admittedly, a lot of places he might have chosen were closed for the evening (or even the day) but we were not even vaguely thinking Chinese.  For the record, no harm done!

From the street it's not much, but only if you turned off the million or so blue lights that are ultimately sort of pretty.  Inside the host and the bar are right by a big tropical fish tank with a good selection of brightly colored fish & coral type things hanging out.  But, at the back of the room, by the kitchen, there's 6 or 8 more 'functional' tanks - but only one was occupied this night.  It's just one big room, with various sized tables spread throughout.  There's some quite large murals covering up most of the walls in the theme you'd expect of a Chinese Restaurant, quite brightly lit and I think the music was just the radio turned down so you can tell it's there, but not really what it is.

Can the Service team be too attentive?  When we arrived the place was pretty empty so there was some hovering going on, but not nagging.  As the place filled up (which kind of surprised us, seeing it was Christmas Day and the place was borderline deserted when we arrived at about 6:30), the hovering stopped, but the checking-in increased.  They certainly didn't press us to order, and I think as with most Chinese restaurants they are ok with you ordering things to share, although perhaps expecting all the sharing dishes to be ordered at the same time, the first time.  We never had more than two things going at once, but they didn't come out together, so I'm guessing that if you ordered a table full things dishes would come out as they were ready - which is absolutely totally fine when the plan is for sharing.

We've been here before, to do a Yum Cha lunch, but we really didn't need an all you can eat type meal tonight.  We chose (from a pretty extensive menu) a couple of small plates, 2 at a time, relaxed a bit and picked a big plate, relaxed a bit more and picked one more big plate.

Our meal went a little like this:

• 2010 Grandstand Pinot Noir (WA) - we had the urge for red, but didn't want to overpower what we thought we'd be ordering.  This worked out well.  Gentle, little bit of acid, probably from tannins being this could still be fun in a good few years.
• Cascade Light 
• Sesame Prawn Toast - crunchy, seeds going everywhere - the perfect start.
• Dim Sim - steamed up just right, definitely better with a little (just a little) soy.
• Chinese Sausage - no idea what's on the inside, but it's dark in color, and really quite rich.
• Satay Chicken - yep, it was peanuty.  Nice tender chicken.
• Steamed Pork Ribs, Black Bean Sauce - put down the chopsticks, get your fingers to work.   A little bit of work to get all the goodness, surprisingly good with or without the sauce.
• BBQ Honey Pork - probably want to pick the chopsticks up again...  Sticky and gooey in just the right way.
• Fruit Plate - a gift from the kitchen (for everyone, it seems) to finish everything up.  Thanks.

We'd go back without hesitation, but we'd probably prefer when our bellies were capable of making use of the Yum Cha experience.  It's a neighbor hood place and if we were living where Dad does, we could see this becoming a regular haunt.

Stay JOLLY!
DDad

91 Piper Street

It's a good thing we were up for another meal A Collection of Articles of it being more about friends than the place or the food...  This was their last service before shutting up for a couple of weeks as a Christmas break, and more than once we were told 'sorry, that's out', once we even saw the last serving on the table next to us, and once we couldn't get a second helping because we'd just finished the last serving.  We bear them no grudge, in case you were wondering!

From what I can tell, the restaurant used to be a normal everyday house on a corner block with a good sized garden.  What I can't tell is where the hotel part is...  Oh well.  On an awesome summer evening there was never any doubt we wanted to eat outside (so our friends dashed in around lunch time and reserved the finest table on the patio) and as we were greeted at the gate we didn't get to see much of inside, but it seems it would be a great place to 'hang out' during the winter with the open fireplace and fun spaces made up from the different rooms and it's possible that no two tables were the same.  Perhaps 25 or 30 seats?  There's a tiny bar, but it's not a go and hang for a drink type bar and although we couldn't see the chef doing his thing, we could smell what was going on. 

Outside there's only 3 or 4 tables on the patio (where we sat) and a couple more tucked around the corner on the veranda - perfect for a rainy summer evening, I would think (if the wind wasn't blowing at you...).  But no matter where you sit outside, you get to enjoy the very neat and tidy garden that someone clearly spends time in on a regular basis.  Technically, on the main road through town the traffic was so few and far between we barely noticed.

It wasn't a busy night by any stretch of the imagination so the one Server (we later learned she's the daughter of the chef and relatively new to the job) was more than enough.  A couple of times she may have been stretched, but in noway did it upset our dinner.  She knew the menu, she answered questions, she was nice to the little one, and she was not in the least bothered about our ordering process (more often than not when she came by, we hadn't quite made up our minds).

It's not a super big menu, but there's plenty to choose from and there's not a thing on it that we didn't at least consider ordering.  Most of the descriptions are fairly simple and straight to the point.  We probably could have gotten by without having to ask questions, but we did and the answers we got were helpful, but also made it a bit harder to make final selections.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Wicked Elf Pale Ale - not local. but certainly not foreign!  A fun name and ultimately a tasty brew
• Little Creatures Pale Ale - closer to local, perhaps more sweet than the other, but I could have either again, any day.
• Crowded House Sauvignon Blanc - in anticipation of heading over to NZ in a little over a week...  nah, not really, we just were in the mood for something 'out on the decky' and thought this would work.  It did.  Quite a bit of citrus without being too acidic.
• Garlic Prawns - garlicy and [big] prawny!
• Whole Oven Roasted Quail, prosciutto & sage - probably took longer to divide into 4 than it did to eat.  Yummy, couldn't stop once started...
• Saganaki, fig relish & pickles - a simple dish, built for sharing.  The relish may have been the best part.
• Egplant Chips, aioli - served like fat chips, these were so good you wanted the last one, but felt a bit guilty taking it from your friends.  Very sad when there was no second order to be had.
• Hand Cut Fries, oregano salt - fries might be the wrong word; fat chips is probably better.  Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.  Great with the salt.  Maybe better the second time around (when we couldn't get the eggplant) with the aioli which we politely asked for as an upgrade.
• Slow Braised Lamb Shank, creamy mash - if it wasn't for the eggplant chips this would have been the best dish of the night.  Fall off the bone, rich and awesome mash for collecting the sauce.
• Moroccan Date, Almond & Chocolate Cake, vanilla icecream - we didn't really need dessert, but this was good and we're glad we talked ourselves into it.

We left with very happy bellies, with very relaxed bodies and very happy hearts for having spent a wonderful (and really quite laid back) evening with friends we don't get to see often enough - but that's our fault for living on the other side of the world!

Apparently the town has 'better' restaurants than Mrs Smith's.  Next time we're in town, someone is going to have to work very hard to talk us out of coming back here to find out if that's really true - even if it is the day before they're taking a break and parts of the menu are absent!

Stay JOLLY!
DLisa, Glen & Tom

403 Wendouree Parade

This was another meal A Collection of Articles that was much less about the venue and what the menu had to offer than it was about catching up with an old friend.  It was definitely a bonus to be sitting outside at this very picturesque site with tasty treats coming our way - and just a little too much sun and not enough hats and / or sunscreen.

Apparently well known for doing weddings and other important parties (it's across the road from the Botanical Gardens and on the shore of the lake) they've figured out that there's a few people who like to sit by the lake for their lunch, although on this day which was kind of breezy (I think that's why we got tricked by the sun) inside was jamm'n and we had our pick of half a dozen tables outside.  It's an interesting building that certainly has character, and probably has some age to it but you'll need someone cleverer than me to tell you what style it's in.  It suits it's spot, if nothing else, but really there's more to it with lots of iron works and red brick.  But having said that, I've got no recollection of the inside as we just walked straight through to the deck.

You don't get a Server as it's order at the counter when you're ready so you're left to figure out the menu on your own (which is not hard with very clear descriptions) and if you have questions save them for when you get up to order which of course means you may have to make quick fire adjustments based on the answers.  I don't think we had any issues in getting the orders in, but the way they take the orders and then share them with the kitchen meant that our meals came out at odd times.  Not the end of the world, but not quite right. 

I'm not sure what the official policy, but our friend told us she thought this place would suit as we'd be allowed to take our time and even lounge around a bit after we were done with the eating part.  She was right.  Because it's order at the counter there was no overt pressure to get us to order, and when we were done they cleaned our table up but never suggested we had to pack up and leave.  Perfect for our catching up goal of the meal!

The menu has a good selection of small and big plates to choose from, but they also offer a limited selection of big plates to choose from at a set price which did appeal to us in principal.  However, they were also offering a glass of wine with all big plates which seemed to suit us better...  There's a short but at a quick glance (we did the deal, remember) appears to be useful Wine List and a list of beers to amuse too.  Oh, and a help yourself water station.  

Our meal went a little like this:

• Sauvignon Blanc - House variety, not really bothered but hoping it's regional.  Crisp enough to be out on the deck with us and with enough acid to be ok with all our dishes too.
• Sourdough with Meredith Feta and Marinated Olives - without doubt the best feta we've ever had, yummy bread and fun selection of olives. I think we were told Meredith is just down the road.
• Chips with Garlic Aioli - great chips, double great dipping sauce.
• Pork Schnitzels, fresh breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley, creamy mash, broccolini, apple compote and jus - perhaps a little too big for lunch, but too yummy to stop. Everything great on it's own, but a little bit of everything on a bite way way better.
• Barramundi Fillets, beer battered, garden salad, chips, lemon and tartare sauce - not the first fish you'd think to 'fish & chip' but it's a great piece of fish and was definitely treated a bit more gently than your average flake.
• Chicken and Mushroom Gnocchi, bacon, spinach, creamy sauce with basil, pesto and parmesan - looked good across the table, all consumed.

We enjoyed our lunch, we enjoyed the view but we enjoyed being with our friend a whole lot more.  If we're in the area again (unlikely anytime soon, but never say never, right?) and in need of a very laid back lunch we'd certainly have Pipers close to the top of the list of possibilities.

Stay JOLLY!
DKaren

55a NewQuay Prom Docklands

On an early evening when it wasn't so much about having a meal, but doing something that would smash Mr Jet Lag in the chops, we had the opportunity to do some long overdue catching up with old friends and their family.  We could have done both these things just about anywhere and been happy, but we got to be double happy with this find - no plan, just a wander through the general vicinity until something shiny caught everyone's eye.  So, the first A Collection of Articles of a few where the friend part was more important than the restaurant part.  I do confess to not having considered Middle Eastern to be the answer...

Set right on the water there's lots of big windows to give as many people as possible a view out.  Not a lot happening out there this evening (if you don't count the kids sort of kind of freaking out their parents by playing just a little too close to the edge...) but being by the water, any water, is always soothing, if nothing else.  I guess it's a new building because it's all crisp and shiny, lots of wood and you'd see an odd sort of patterned ceiling if you happen to be staring straight up.  There's a small pass area into the kitchen by the host stand (I don't think there was a host, just the nearest Server at the time we arrived) so you can't really watch the chefs doing their thing, but you can wave at them on the way out - we did.  Fortunately, the pass area is big enough that you get to enjoy all the wonderful smells associated with what they are doing back there, mostly when you walk in, but at other times throughout your dinner.

Really quiet when we arrived marginally before official dinner time, but there were a couple of tables well established and having a grand time.  I'd call it medium busy by the time we packed up, which is probably ok for the Monday before Christmas in most cases.

We had two Servers.  Not because they share, but because we came in just before shift change.  Both took care of us, extra care of the kids in allowing them their own table, knew the menu, answered questions and let us take all the time we needed.  We were far more interested in chatting to our friends, so not sure if they'd have been up for a chat or not.

The menu is set out nice and straight forward, but we needed a little help from our 'serving team' to understand exactly what we were looking at, and had we been looking more towards the big dishes than the smaller ones that suited everyone's mood and needs this evening, we probably would have needed a lot more help.  I doubt there's anything we'd turn our noses up at once we knew what it was, but there's a lot of things that were completely new to us, and others we sort of kind of knew what they were but would need confirmation.  It's fun...

Our meal went a little like this:

• Bubbles - house brand, more was ordered...
• Corona
• James Boag
• Soda 
• Bread & Dips - great bread (Turkish?), sort of like a fat Pita, but better. We needed more!
  
  • Hummus
  • Beetroot - not sure what else is in it, but it's very bright...
  • Yogurt
• Moroccan Spiced Calamari - comes with a yogurty / cucumber dipping sauce that is fine, but you could do without too.
• Chermoula Crumbed Local Mussels - first time we've had them this way, and we'd do it again.
• Turkish Lamb Kofte Pizza, spicy tomato sauce & labne (Middle East yogurt) - awesome crust sort of folded into a bowl - apparently a traditional shape.
• Ice Cream - not your regulation choices... You get to pick 3.
  • Turkish Delight
  • Strawberry
  • Fig

A great evening of friends (a bit of a lightning visit which we hope we can extend next time around), food, no stress and almost best of all there was no falling asleep at the table (or on the train home). We should go back and give more of the menu ago, but alas the opportunities to do so will rarely present...

Stay JOLLY!
DDavid & Camille, Mimi, Coco