Venison Dinner @ Osteria la Passione

After the fantastic pig dinner we made sure we weren't going to miss the Venison Dinner.

Castagnaccio with Squacquerone

Lunch @ Noir Restaurant

To make up for our non-existant weekends, we're treating ourselves to lunch with our favourite wine dude Kaylo. We've got a few wines to taste and having been extremely impressed with Noir, we have returned to experience the tasting menu in the daylight!

Bread, garlic infused olive oil, butter

Dinner @ Noir Restaurant

Noir is a newish restaurant in Swan Street Richmond - previously home to Flavours of Lakhoum. We were pointed to Noir by trusted F.O.E (friend of eat) Jay who also gave us the good word on Osteria la Passione.

The chef behind Noir is Peter Roddy and he has worked with Ramsay and Roux in the UK so you do come here with some expectations.

Noir does live up to its name - black and wooden walls with bare wooden tables means that at night it is especially dark inside which can be illustrated by this dismal photo of the noir menu.

Dinner @ Osteria La Passione

Umm, yes, we are back again but it is our first visit since they closed for an extended break over Easter. Rather than me repeating myself, to find out more about this place, just click on the Osteria La Passione label at the bottom of the post and you'll find all our other visits.

To begin:

Frittata

Pig Dinner @ Osteria La Passione

I know we were just here last week but at that time we noticed a sign for an upcoming pig dinner and well, we really couldn't resist making a booking. Tonight we're roped in a couple of our fellow Eators to join us.

Gnocco fritto, prosciutto, fig relish

Dinner @ Osteria La Passione

It has been a few weeks but we're back at Osteria La Passione - I think it is quite safe to say that we are enamoured by this place.

Dinner is degustation only - starting at 6 courses for $75 - you can have more but it will cost more and currently it is BYO only as they await their liquor license. There is no menu however they do ask if you have any preferences and adjust accordingly.


Tonight we begin with a slice of frittata.

Frittata

Dinner @ Osteria La Passione

We have returned again - like a siren's song, it calls us.

Bread

Dinner @ Osteria La Passione

This is fast becoming the place we go to when we want to pretend we are back in Italy.

Cured Ocean Trout

Dinner @ Osteria La Passione

Just before Christmas, Osteria La Passione opened in Richmond. The chef is Carmine Costantini who previously worked at the Tea Rooms of Yarck. This is an Italian eatery with a difference - there's no menu and you are basically offered whatever the chef has cooked up for that day - note that they will ask if you have any dietary conditions and cater accordingly.

There is a minimum of 6 courses for $75, though you can enjoy extra courses but it will naturally cost you more.

Breakfast @ Demetri's Feast

It's been a while since our last visit to Demetri's Feast and there has been some changes, most notably, the arrival of a new chef. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the new year - until then, we can still enjoy the old classics we've come to love.

Breakfast @ Pillar of Salt

There's a new cafe on Church Street located right next door to the Royal Saxon and as it's we pass it on our way to the market, we thought we might pop in for a spot of breakfast.

Dinner @ Fenix Restaurant

Even though we weren't overly impressed with our lunch our intention was always to return and see how it was progressing. We've kept an eye on the buzz and reading reviews on Urbanspoon did leave us a bit concerned.

As we drove past we noticed that the restaurant looked empty - not a good sign we thought. On entry we discovered that wasn't the case at all - just that all the customers had been herded into the dining area at the back. We're not ones for crowds, so we elected to be seated downstairs by the windows.

Another surprise was in store with the menu -  a special limited December menu was available with a choice of 5 entree/5 main/5 dessert.

For starters:

Der Raum @ Church Street Enoteca

It's the start of our very special week - tomorrow is our anniversary dinner at Vue de Monde and tonight is a collaborative dinner by Der Raum and Church Street Enoteca.

These two venues are virtually stone throwing distance apart and surprisingly for all our visits to CSE we haven't ever ventured down the road to Der Raum - there's always been that intention to go but the opportunity just never presented itself...that is until now.

As we waited for people to arrive, we were offered the first of the evenings drinks called Herbie Hancock. Basically it was a champagne cocktail - a mix of Grappa, Sage Sugar, Peychaud Bitters, Champagne and something called Herbal "Fog". The fog was a dry ice concoction infused with herbs and was used to great visual effect to top our flutes.

With this we enjoyed the canapé - a scallop on the half shell, served on a fennel puree and topped with a tomato and white anchovy compote.

First Course:

Lunch @ Fenix Restaurant

If you've followed this site you'll know that we had a soft spot for Fenix and were quite sad to see it close back in 2009. It reopened this year, remodelled and renewed and pitched firmly at the Ma$terchef crowd.

Dinner @ Church St Enoteca

Surprisingly there are still dishes on the menu that we haven't tried but we're doing out best.

Breakfast @ Demitris Feast

We've been meaning to visit Demitri's Feast ever since it opened last year but with one thing or another we never made it despite our good intentions. Finally, we correct the situation.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, it is an odd day. Yes it has been commercialised but at its heart, the sentiment is a good one which is why I'll never quite understand the smug superiority of some as they cloak themselves in V-day hate. Lighten up dears - it's not like people are spending your money is it?

This Valentine's Day we're enjoying a special lunch at Church Street Enoteca.


Amuse:

Italian Seafood Dinner @ Church St Enoteca

There may be a new chef at Church St Enoteca but it's good to see that they are continuing the tradition of Italian theme dinners. The first for this year is an Italian Seafood Dinner - showcasing the food and wine from Sicily, Sardinia, Liguria, Veneto and Calabria.

On entering we're offered the choice of Bellini or Birra Ichnusa Speciale (from Sardinia). For canapes, two dishes are served - oysters topped with Lemoncello granita and Grilled swordfish with bottarga mayonnaise.

It's then onto the First Course:

Dinner @ Church St Enoteca

We don't normally go to restaurants on their first opening day of the year and especially so when there's a new chef on board but then we had the hot spell that by the time Tuesday rolled around, cooking at home was the last thing I wanted to do.

So we ended up where we normally go in these situations - Church Street Enoteca. There's certainly a new menu and it is a good sign when you have difficulty in ordering because there's just so many things you want to try.

After much negotiation we settled on the following to begin:

Dinner @ Church St Enoteca

It's the last dinner for the year at Church Street Enoteca and when they reopen in January, there will be a new menu and a new chef. So for this meal Paalo's recreating his first dining experience while I've gone for my favourite newer dishes.