Bomba

103 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Spanish, Tapas, Mediterranean



http://bombabar.com.au

A
A cosy little Spanish establishment with a mish mash of seating arrangements ranging from high/regular tabletops and also bar seating. A nice touch is the open kitchen, where you can see the chefs cooking your food -- or where you get food envy seeing other patrons' dishes being prepared.

Bomba offers a wide range of dishes perfect for sharing and grazing, one of my favourite ways to eat since I don't have an overly large appetite. We also grabbed a couple of cocktails from the rooftop bar they have upstairs. The bartender whipped up a berry/vodka concoction for me which was devine.


Noms List
Leek and manchego croquet

Hervey Bay scallop with Serrano, lemon & bread

Quail with pistachio & buckwheat

Moorish spiced lamb chop 

Catalan stew – mussels, clams, prawns, baby calamari and bacalao  

Crispy skin John Dory with fennel escabeche  




Highlights
The leek and manchego croquet -- was golden and crispy on the outside, smooth and creamy on the inside. My favourite dish of the night.

The quail with pistachio & buckwheat, was cooked perfectly so that it was tender and succulent. Bonus was no bones!

Staff. So friendly, knowledgeable and personable. We weren't just customers, we were guests.

Overall I had a very lovely dining experience and would definitely return to try some of the other dishes. We were suppose to go to birthday drinks for one of RT's friends after, but full and content I bowed out and headed home to lounge around in sweat pants. Perfect evening!

Fonda Mexican

144 Chapel St, Windsor VIC 3181
Mexican

A work colleague had recommended Fonda Mexican at work last week, so I decided to give it a try on Sunday for lunch. A very casual eatery, where you order at the counter, then they bring your food to you. Simples.

Since the weather was pretty mild and the sun was out, we opted for a table outside on busy Chapel St. Perfect for people watching!


A funny incident occurred while we were waiting for our food. A man and woman were seated on the table beside us, also waiting for their food. Their two teenage kids had brought some take-away (from Mad Mex) and wanted to sit down with their folks at Fonda. However the dad wouldn't let his offspring sit, because their food was from another establishment. He made his kids go back to Mad Mex and eat there. I thought this was pretty funny.

I started with the Charred Corn, with Chipotle Aioli, Ricotta Salata and Lime. It tasted fine, but paying $4.50 for half a cob of corn was totes not worth it, considering all they're doing it charring the corn and then lathering it with aioli and cheese.

I also ordered two tacos. Firstly, the Rockling with Chipotle Aioli, Pickled Carrot, Onion & Cabbage. Loved this. The fish was covered in a crumb of some sort and deep fried... and we all know that you can deep fry an old boot and it would probably taste good right? The combination of pickled veg and the creamy aioli was perfect. A very clean, fresh tasting taco.

My second taco was the Wagyu Shin with Lime, Poblano, Jicama, Pickled Red Onion & Coriander. By the time I got to my second taco though (I'm a slow eater btw), it was pretty much stone cold. However, the flavours were really nice and I enjoyed the spicy poblano and the sweet, crunchy jicama.

Some of the other menu items include Quesadillas; Burritos and Salads.  Somethin' for all :)

Pizza Farro & Stokers Coffee Lounge

608 High St, Thornbury VIC 3071
Italian, Pizza

We were on the other side of town on Saturday visiting one of RT's friends who had just had twins. I think RT worked up quite an appetite playing with the babies, because when dinner time rolled around, we were ready for a good feed. We asked RT's friend for some recommendations and it was a toss up between Pizza Farro and 400 Gradi. Pizza Farro won, because unfortunately we couldn't get a last minute res at the latter... thankfully we weren't disappointed.

One feature you'll notice upon entering the restaurant is the hundreds of rolling pins hanging off the ceiling. A nice quirky bit of decorating. We were seated at a cosy two seater in the corner near the kitchen, where we could watch the pizzas being prepared and cooked in the wood fire oven.

An important point to note regarding Pizza Farro's menu is that they specialise in Spelt and Gluten Free options for their pizza bases and pastas. Spelt by the way, is just another form of grain and apparently is a healthier alternative to wheat.

Okay let's talk about the food. Being a pizzeria first and foremost, the pizza menu is extensive. However you're not going to find your Hawaiian or Meat lovers here. We got the Mela Bianca, which consisted of pancetta, gorgonzola piccante D.O.P, walnuts and baked green apple glazed in honey and garlic. I really enjoyed the combination of toppings. Sweet, salty and tangy. The gorgonzola added a welcome creaminess and the walnut a nice crunchy texture.

We also ordered a pasta dish - Spaghetti di Marre, which had scallops, tiger prawns & mussels cooked with S. Marzano D.O.P, tomatoes, garlic and finished with lemon. The texture of the pasta sure is different because of the spelt. Different, but okay. Not the silky texture one is use to, but we still managed to clear the plate :)




Stokers Coffee Lounge
1033 Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe VIC 3079
Desserts/Ice Cream, Coffee

After dinner we stopped by Stokers Coffee Lounge in Ivanhoe for dessert. It's a strange lil place in my opinion, a very run down brick shop front and shabby wooden tables and benches inside. They also have a wood burning fireplace smack bang in the middle of the room which is pretty cool.



RT an I shared a serving of the Banana Rum pancakes with walnuts and vanilla ice cream, and a pot of chamomile tea. The crepes were delicate and soft, however we weren't fans of the rum bananas, which had a strange aftertaste. Another thing I should note is, when they refer to pancakes, they actually mean crepes. I know, people may have different terms for different things, but jus sayin'... IMO these were crepes.

The Ivanhoe venue is actually closing down in June, but they have another place in South Melbourne if you're interested to try it out.

Stokers Specialty Coffee, South Melbourne
231 Clarendon St

Bistro GOEMON

281 Glen Huntly Rd, Elsternwick VIC 3185
Japanese, Sushi, Tapas

Had dins at Bistro GOEMON on Friday night. A nice little eatery with modern Japanese decor, finished with woodwork, friendly staff and a fusion menu.

RT and I have Japanese quite frequently, so we decided to forgo the usual sashimi this time and choose dishes that we don't have often. We started off with one of the specials, which was a Corn Karaage with Pink Salt and Nori. This consisted of two strips of corn (still on the husk) that had been deep fried and sprinkled with salt and nori. I'm a HUGE advocate of corn, so this dish went down a treat. We were also rather impressed that they were able to slice the corn lengthwise... must've been a very sharp knife, or perhaps they got a samurai warrior to slice it with his sword. If they can decapitate enemies, I'm sure a cob of corn ain't no thang.

Next up we had the Eel Tempura Roll with Cucumber, Sesame and Sweet Soy. You couldn't really tell the eel was tempura'd, because it was missing the "crispy" element, but it was still delicious.

The final two dishes we had was the Chawanmushi and Steamed Wagyu Beef with Grated Radish and Ponzu Sauce. The Chawanmushi was silky, eggy and comforting, perfect for the cold evening. I love how there are little nuggets of surprises hidden within the eggy custard -- chicken, scallops, mushrooms, oh my! The Wagyu was the least enjoyable dish (for me). The wagyu was tasty, however I prefer my meats grilled so there is a bit of char and caramelisation.

RT thinks this could be a regular go-to for us. There are a few more dishes on the menu that I wouldn't mind going back and trying, but I'm not sure the menu is extensive enough for it to be a regular.

Life's Little Annoyances

Yesterday I brought a brand new tub of butter and left it in the fridge at work. When I went to use it at b'fast today, I discovered that some individual whom is lacking manners and common courtesy, had dug a deep crater the size of the Grand Canyon right dead smack in the middle.  W, T, capital F!

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Driving to the work the other day and the car in front decides that it is in dire need of a window clean -- while still in motion. My car gets sprayed with the splashback of dirty water. I just cleaned the car as well, ffs.

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Facebook. Wait no, people on facebook. Annoy so much.


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On the weekend I received an $87 fine, for parking in a mail zone. Obviously this is due to my oversight and is entirely my fault, but I'm allowed to be annoyed at myself. I've already forgiven myself though :)


PS - my butter.

 

 

 

We were really lucky to have such lovely weather this weekend, despite it already being Autumn. So lovely that it warranted a trip down to the Mornington coast. It's only about a one and a half hour drive from Melbourne cbd, and RT drove anyway so I can't complain.

During our drive RT noticed a large sign for a strawberry and potato farm, so we made a pit stop there and were able to pick up some super sweet strawb's and a large bag of beetroots. RT loves to make fresh juice with beets :D

We continued our drive all the way down to Flinders and stopped at Flinders Bakehouse Café, a quaint little eatery for lunch. They have quite an extensive menu, so you'd be hard pressed as to not find something that'll whet your appetite. After we ordered -- Nothin' fancy, just a pie with chips and salad (each) -- We settled ourselves at a nice table outside in the sunshine. We spent a good amount of time just soaking up the rays and perusing the paper, such a relaxing afternoon!


After lunch we drove a short distance (down the street) to Flinders Pier. It was pretty quiet. A couple of fishermen dotted here and there, a couple of families and even a bridal party; the first of many we were to witness that day. RT and I meandered along the water's edge gazing into rockpools, hoping to catch glimpses of aquatic activity within the shallow depths... unfortunately there was not much action to be seen.


We decided to drive to Cape Schanck, which is about a 20 minute drive from Flinders. There's a lighthouse and a few walking tracks in the area and not to mention amazing coastal views. There was definitely much more activity on this side of the cape. It seems to be a popular photography spot, we spotted 3 or 4 wedding shoots (I lost count) and must've crossed paths with at least a dozen photographers lugging around their professional cameras and tripods. RT and I were just happy to snap away with the camera on our phones', totes amateurs :D We spent the rest of the afternoon at Cape Schanck, climbing over the rocky terrain, breathing in the fresh sea breeze and even managed to catch an awesome sunset.

It was such and enjoyable day and nice to get away from the bustling metro environment. RT even tried to convince me to stay the night if we could source some accommodation, but alas I am not that spontaneous. I am however, keen on more coastal adventures before the winter season kicks in.

It's The Thought That Counts...

Wonder if RT likes/wants/needs this pressie? ;)

 

 

I'm totes excited to give RT his birthday gift tomorrow. I didn't ask RT what he actually wanted for his birthday, because at X'mas when I asked, he said "get me a musician" -- bah. Unfortunately there are no Musicians R' Us stores in my vicinity, so he got a pressure/slow cooker for X'mas. I'm pretty certain he wasn't expecting that lol.

I make a conscious effort not to ask people what they want for <insert occasion here>. Instead I observe and make mental notes when I'm around them about what they like/want/need.

 

I also prefer people not to ask me what I want. For starters, if I'm just going to tell you what I want and then you go out and buy it... I might as well give you my grocery list -- make sure you don't forget the milk and eggs :p

 

Secondly, the element of surprise is diluted or diminished altogether, so where's the fun in that? And here's another thing; why do people wrap up a present if the other person already knows what they're getting? *baffled*

You know the saying "It's the thought that counts"?

 

It REALLY does.