Faraday's Cage - Fitzroy

Our friend, Viv (aka @ourfavouritepasttime) got invited to eat at Faraday's Cage and she asked us to come eat with her. Faraday's Cage has been on my list of brunch places to go for ages and this was the perfect opportunity. We were seated in the courtyard and were given a selection of dishes from them.

Yay Faraday's Cage!

Juices and Chai

Pastries!

So flaky!

To start we were given a selection of house made pastries. They were deliciously flaky and Viv said it was the closest to what she has eaten in France. That's a winner for sure!

Best croissant ever!!

We also shared a freshly baked croissant with Australian cultured butter and homemade peach and passionfruit jam. It was just the perfect marriage of flavours.

Chilli Scrambled Eggs

MMMM this was the Chilli Scrambled Eggs ($15.50). It was scrambled eggs, chilli, Persian feta on sourdough toast. The eggs itself were soooo fluffy and silky. We devoured this so quickly. I loved the hidden pops of creamy feta.

Smashed Avo

Dat egg yolk tho

Next was the Smashed Avocado ($17). This was beetroot hummus, black olive soil, Meredith's goat cheese, breakfast radish, kale salt, rye sourdough toast and topped with an extra poached egg ($2). I don't usually order the smashed avo because it is usually too basic for me but this was jam packed with goodies. I loved the addition of the vibrant beetroot hummus. Just a really solid dish that let the avocado shine.

Granola

For the sweeter side of things, we were given the House-Made Pear Granola ($13.50) which was saffron poached pear, house granola, honey, thyme labne, acai and seasonal berries. I am definitely in the savoury camp when it comes to food so wouldn't usually order granola at brunch but it was interesting to try it. It was really different and the fruit and honey lent sweetness to the neutral granola and labne. Viv and Quynh really enjoyed this one.

Ricotta Pancakes

To finish the meal, we had the Ricotta pancakes ($17). This consisted of caramelised white chocolate, broken meringue, passionfruit, maple syrup, dehydrated strawberry, lemon balm, marscapone and berries. The pancakes were ridiculously fluffy and I loved the contrast of the fresh and dehydrated fruits. All the toppings were very generous.

Amazing spread!

Overall, Faraday's Cage exceeded my expectations. It was truly a delicious meal, that I was super impressed by. The wait staff were friendly and we felt welcomed to dine there. I loved the presentation and how vibrant the dishes looked. I am pretty keen to come back and try the hot smoked salmon and fritters dish. Thanks for having us!!




Taste: 9/10
Presentation: 9/10
Service: 9/10

Penta - Elsternwick

Penta in Elsternwick is killing it in the social media game and it was about time I tried it for myself. The wait was only 20 minutes on a Saturday afternoon.

Chai Latte ($6.50)

Grilled Shawarma Chicken

 I got the Grilled Shawarma Chicken Salad ($22). It was a warm grain salad, with farro, red quinoa, sorghum, cranberries, pomegranate, fetta, herbs, spinach, pepitas, and sumac labne. The grain salad was just so delicious! So many different textures and a really generous serving of the labne. i was really impressed. The chicken was a tad dry so that stopped this from being a 10/10 dish.

Penta Benedict

 Quynh got the Penta Benedict ($19) which had braised beef cheek, watercress, poached eggs and jalepeno hollandaise on sweet potato waffles. This was pretty good too. A bit on the heavy side but lucky we split our dishes 50/50 so we had the best of best worlds. I would've liked the sauce to be a bit more acidic to provide some relief though.

How can we go to Penta and not get their famous Nutella Panna Cotta ($19.50). This was accompanied by a nut banana sushi, honey joy crumb, strawberries, pomegranate molasses and torched marshmallows.  The pannacotta itself was wobbly and a great Nutella flavour. You can't go wrong with Nutella. It was elevated by the other components. I only did not like the nut banana sushi as it had a weird texture but Quynh didn't mind it.

3 dishes for 2 please!

Overall, Penta was a pretty good experience. I can understand why it is so popular and the dishes are very instagrammable. The grain salad was on point and I think I will be ordering them a lot more from now on when I eat brunch. The service was decent for a pretty busy Saturday. I would definitely be keen to try the other cafes the owners run.


Taste: 8.5/10
Presentation: 9/10
Service: 7.5/10
Value for Money: 7.5/10

Tipo 00 - CBD

For my birthday, Kevin took me to Tipo 00. This has been on my list for soooo long and I was stoked that I finally got to try it. We couldn't make a booking but was told we didn't need to wait for a table if we arrived before 5:30PM. It was still busy on a Tuesday night and we got seats by the bar.

Big selection!

DRANK

I got a Negroni and boy it tasted good.

Foccacia and whipped ricotta

YAY my fav course to start. Bread and butter and in Tipo's case, it was foccacia and whipped ricotta. Yummy!

Polpo

To start, we ordered the Polpo ($18), which was chargrilled octopus, witlof and orange. The octopus chunks were tender and the citrusy notes complemented it well.

Lingua

We also ordered the Lingua ($16) as well. This was grilled ox tongue with balsamic vinegar and pink peppercorns. The ox tongue was incredibly soft but had such a hearty beefy flavour. It contrasted well with the tart vinegar. Bloody fantastic starter!

Gnocchi de patate

For mains, we ordered the Gnocchi de patate ($32). This gnocchi dish had braised wagyu, tomato and vaolo nero. This gnocchi was to die for! It was so pillowy and soft and the best gnocchi dish I've tasted. The beef was nicely braised but I could've went for a few more chunky bits.

Tagliolini al nero

We also got the Tagliolini al nero ($32). It was squid ink taglioni, squid and bottarga. It was definitely true to its description and had an incredible seafood flavour. Just a couple sprinkles of salt and pepper from us really enhanced the dish. This was Kevin's dish of the night.

We also got the polenta fritta ($9) as well. They were crunchy and hints of rosemary. I would've loved a creamy sauce to accompany it.

Tipomisu

How could we not get the Tipomisu ($14) for dessert. Since it was for my birthday, they plopped a candle on top of it. It is Tipo's take on a tiramisu with chocolate, coffee and mascarpone. It was very rich but was balanced when you had a spoonful of all the components. The cream was really nice.

Mandarin and Lemon Verbena Panacotta

We also got the mandarin and lemon verbena panacotta ($14). Personally this was more enjoyable more me because I enjoy my fruity desserts. It had a lovely wobble and tasted great on its own. When paired with all the other gels and fruit, the bursts of flavours were really refreshing.

Yay desserts!

Overall, Tipo 00 did not disappoint. The food was really amazing and I can see why the restaurant is so highly rated. I would come back just to try their other pastas. I felt like the service was on the lacking side. While it wasn't bad, I did feel a bit rushed and didn't get a personal vibe. The ambience was cosy and surprisingly I didn't mind sitting at the bar. It was such a great birthday meal!!!



Taste: 9.5/10
Presentation: 9/10
Service: 7/10
Value for Money: 8.5/10

Attica - Ripponlea

Soooooo we finally got to try Ben Shewry's Attica for my birthday in September. Thanks Quynh for taking me out! Attica is ranked number 32 in the world's top restaurants and has retained the 'three hat' rating from the Australia Good Food Guide this year. It has been on my list of fine dining go-to for ages and to say I was excited was an understatement.

ATTICA TIME

Table Setting

Lemon Aspen & Apple Cider and Rose 

Course 1 - Cook's Leaves

To start, we had the courses without cutlery. We were advised these were small bites we could eat with our hands. The first course was Cook's Leaves. It was explained as leaves (in season now) that was picked from the Ripponlea Estate. We were to dip it in sour cream with apple balsamic and olive oil. Since we are not the biggest fans of herbs/leafy greens growing up, it did taste like leaves...... but the combination of the sour cream was nice and tangy with it. 

Course 2 - Aged Santa Claus Melon

Close-up shot!

Next was the Aged Santa Claus Melon. It was sweet and sour melon as it covered in dried native plum powder. Very refreshing but a tad hard to eat cleanly.

Course 3 - Pearl Cooked in Paper Bark

Hmm, Pearl Cooked in Paperback. It came out as parcel. I love surprises. Inside were 3 succulent pearl oysters coated in butter. It was slightly sweet but rich in flavour.

Course 4 - Smashed Avo on Toast

That detail!

One of my favourite dishes was the Smashed on Avo on Toast. Call me basic, I don't care. The pixelation of the avocado was super extra but gave it a great texture and it was bang on pure avocado flavour. I loved the bursts of fingerlime. Just so good.

Course 5 - Smoked Pork

Next was the Smoked Pork. It was smoked pork neck with an apple skin vinagrette. Very porky and very soft.

Course 6 - An Imperfect History of Ripponlea

I really liked this dish. It was called An Imperfect History of Ripponlea. The 3 tarts were representations of the area in Aboriginal, English and Jewish times. The Berries were quite acidic. The English black pudding with fermented walnut cream was my favourite, as it was the only warm one and super savoury. The last tart was Jewish chicken jelly with dill and corn cream. It was cold so the jelly didn't sit right in my mouth.

Course 7 - Gazza's Vegemite Pie

Mmm cheese

Next was Gazza's Vegemite Pie. This was organic lamb vegemite and cheese. This really packed a punch. Quynh said there was too much cheese but let's be real, that's not a thing.

Course 8 - Scallops and Wattlesoy

The Scallops and Wattlesoy were beautifully thin and a great bite to eat. They were translucent Port Phillip Bay scallops that were glazed with the wattlesoy on a buttery puff pastry. Yum!

Course 9 - Chewy Carrots

The Chewy Carrots were a surprise to eat. Who knew carrots could be this texture! It was sweet but peppery and the smoked egg with tarragon made a great dipping sauce.

Before

After

Course 10 - Mutton Shell

Next was the Mutton Shell.This was aptly named as the Australian term for abalone is a mutton fish apparently. The delicate flesh was hidden under a giant mutton shell and we had to lift it up to reveal it. It was paired with black cream and seaweed butter, yum!

Course 11 - Bread and butter

YAS, next was my favourite course of any fine dining meal. The bread and butter course. To make it super Australian, we were served fresh warm wattleseed damper, house churned butter and macadamia cream and saltbush. It was so nice, we obviously had 2 servings.

Course 12 - Kangaroo, Wattles and Waxflower

The Kangaroo, Wattles and Waxflower arrived at the same time as well. The Flinders Valley kangaroo was hidden under all the other components and it was such a great dish. Really unique flavours that popped in your mouth.

Before

After

Close-up of Course 13 - All Parts of the Pumpkin

Next was All Parts of the Pumpkin. The waiter would set the plate in front of us and then quenelle some pumpkin cream from a pumpkin on our plate. It really celebrated the pumpkin!

Course 14 - Grilled Marron with Desert Lime

The Grilled Marron with Desert Lime was so aesthetic. They left the vibrant marron head on the dish and the tail meat was wrapped in a cos leaf and then topped with dessert lime. They pair so well together. Just yum!

Course 15 - Tulips and Jumbuck

Next was Tulips and Jumbuck. The lamb sat on a macadamia puree and then topped with a single tulip petal and ash and pink verjus. It was really delicious. Who knew you could eat tulips.

Tulip Garden!

Course 16 - Hot Jam Donuts

We were then asked to step outside to the garden. They said it was nice to stretch your legs before having dessert. We got to walk around the mini garden and were fed a Hot Jam Donut and drank some Gumbi Gumbi tea. The complemented each other well.

Course 17 - Camel Milk Ice

Our first proper dessert was Camel Milk Ice. This was camel's milk ice cream, topped with fingerlime, ants and honey. Yes, that's ants in my dessert!!! I really enjoyed this one. The honey lent sweetness to the ice cream and the ants were a fun texture to eat.

Course 18 - Whipped Emu Egg with Quandong

Next was Attica's famous Whipped Emu Egg with Quandong. It was artfully presented in the emu shell. It was a bit too runny for my liking but the quandongs gave it a much needed citrusy burst.

Chocolate Sponge Cake with Jellybean Ice Cream

Since, it was my birthday, they brought out a Chocolate Sponge cake drenched in chocolate sauce and some jellybean ice cream. At this point, our stomachs were basically bursting. But we finished it and it was oh so good. my favourite was the jellybean ice cream. It just tasted like childhood.

Course 19 - Chef Fantales

To end the night, we were given Chef Fantales, a play on the regular fantales. I didn't have room to eat the sweet treat but it was still great the next day. Inside the wrapper was a story (tale) about one of Attica's chef. Very cute.

Overall, we had an amazing time at Attica. The service was so top-notch but still relaxed enough that we felt truly comfortable. The wait-staff are really down to earth. The food was everything I expected and more. Great Australian produce and not missing the mark on delivering great flavours. There were some really interesting flavour combinations. The whole dining experience does take around 4 hours with 19 courses. We were ridiculously full by the end of it. I can really see why Attica is deserving of its world ranking. It makes me really excited to try other fine dining restaurants to see how it compares. I've posted this review pretty late so the menu has definitely changed but they have kept most of their staples. It is definitely a restaurant to try at least once in your life!



Taste: 9.5/10
Presentation: 8.5/10
Value for Money: 9/10
Service: 9/10