Charisma Workshop

3 Frederick Way, Melbourne

As a new arrival in Melbourne's expansive cafe scene, Charisma Workshop has a lot of great cafes to compete with. Charisma Workshop is a result of the collective vision of the Ko family, with Jonathan Ko at the head. With a passion for patisserie, he inspired his family to join him in advancing their skills as well as sharing their passion with others in the form of Charisma Workshop.

Siphon coffee

Kenyan coffee beans

Charisma Workshop is one of the only cafes in Melbourne that I have been to that serves siphon coffee. Many people who have had siphon coffee swear by the fact that it makes coffee with a lighter and more delicate aroma, while eliminating some of the bitterness. Although I could definitely tell the difference between the siphon coffee and a regular brewed black coffee, I would still prefer cold drip coffee. However, if hot black coffee is your thing, then I would definitely give their siphon coffee a try.

Chicken burger with chips

Confit duck leg

I chose to have the confit duck leg, as I was looking for something more substantial, and I rarely ever turn down a good duck dish. Although the dish had many different elements, they all combined well to compliment each other. Even though the duck should have been the centerpiece of the dish,it was slightly overcooked. Instead, I found myself enjoying the mushrooms and sweet potato and pumpkin mash more than the duck. The hidden star of the dish would definitely be the coffee and red wine reduction, which had a strong and deep savoury flavour that helped bring the dish together.

La vie en rose

When I first arrived at Charisma Workshop, I did not expect to find some of the best cakes that I have tried. Absolutely everything about them were done fabulously, from the texture of the different layers within the cake, to the subtle sweetness that accentuated the flavours instead of overpowering them.

The biggest obstacle that Charisma Workshop has to overcome is definitely their location. The cafe is located in a small lane-way adjacent to A'beckett and Wills street, which is the home of the very popular Operator 25. Apart from the location of the lane-way, the cafe was also obstructed from view by scaffolding on the nearby buildings.

Although you can tell that there is a bit of inexperience with them being a new cafe, Charisma Workshop itself was a good experience for us. There were a couple of wrinkles in the preparation of the food that could definitely be ironed out in time. However, other than that they are definitely a place to look out for, especially for those with a sweet tooth!

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

The Moldy Fig

120-122 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

Located in the heart of Brunswick's Lygon Street in the vicinity of some big names in the dining scene such as Rumi, The Moldy Fig brings us a side of American cuisine which is somewhat under-represented in Melbourne. Although there are some restaurants in Melbourne that incorporate flavours and techniques from New Orleans style cooking, The Moldy Fig has gone one step further and not only based their entire menu off of New Orleans style cooking, but also incorporated a jazz theme into the entire restaurant, including a reference in their name.

 The Moldy Fig

Southern Fried Shrimp Po'boy

Beef Brisket Po'boy

We started off the night sampling some of the Po'boys that they offer at The Moldy Fig. We chose to try the Southern Fried Shrimp Po'boy and the Beef Brisket Po'boy so that we could try two different flavours. The Po'boys themselves were great, with perfectly cooked shrimp on mine as well as a great balance of the slaw and remoulade. If I had to be picky though, eating the Po'boy was quite difficult, as it was completely packed with the fillings, which made eating it really messy.

 Homemade Cornbread

 

 Ribs of the day

 Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Deep fried Southern Bites

After we sampled the Po'boys we had the chance to try many of their main dishes, such as the Prawn and Chicken Jambalaya, Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, Turkey Meatballs, Deep-fried Southern Bites and Ribs of the day. 

These dishes were a great showcase of the New Orleans style of food, many of which I had not tried before. Many of their dishes were great and full of flavour, such as the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and the Ribs of the day. The ribs basically fell right off the bone from the slow cooking process, and their homemade BBQ glaze and dry rub gave them a slightly caramelized sweetness. While we did enjoy most of the dishes we tried, I did find some small faults with some of their food, especially the turkey meatballs which where dry and under-seasoned.

Passionfruit and Pomegranate Hurricane

Surprisingly, while we did enjoy our meal, it was actually the drinks they had on offer that impressed me the most. Before visiting The Moldy Fig, I was expecting most of the emphasis to be on their unique offering of New Orleans cuisine. However, after trying their signature cocktail, the Passionfruit and Pomegranate Hurricane, as well as a unique twist on the classic whiskey sour I realised that their bar was also first class.

The Moldy Fig is like nothing that I have tried before. With their unique menu and amazing drinks as well as a snazzy jazz theme, live music and accommodating staff and venue, why wouldn't you want to visit them and give them a go?

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Bergerac

555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

My first experience with Bergerac was many years ago when the restaurant was still located on Melbourne's King Street. I was quite disappointed when I went to visit them again, only to find that they were no longer there. However, while looking for new restaurants in the city I happened to stumble upon their new Lonsdale Street location. Eager to try them again, I dropped my plans and visited them for dinner soon after.

Magret de Canard

Magret de Canard was a dish comprised of oven-roasted duck breast with potato fondant, served on a bed of braised red cabbage in a black cherry jus. I actually really enjoyed the flavour components of the dish, especially how the jus and the duck came together. I do wish that the duck was cooked slightly better as I did find it a little overcooked, however this was only a minor issue.

Lamb special

Pear and frangipane tart

Creme brulee with berry compote

I've been served my fair share of terrible creme brulee, from the incredibly burnt, to the overcooked and grainy. Luckily the creme brulee served at Bergerac was exactly what I would expect to be served from a nice French restaurant.  The thin burnt sugar coating lent to the mouthfeel and texture of the creamy and well balanced custard base, as well as adding a little extra sweetness. If I had to fault this dish, I would have to say that compared to the quality of the creme brulee, the berry compote did not seem to add much to the dish.

With the rise in popularity of all the modern and fusion restaurants around the city, there are a smaller number of the older style and more traditional restaurants left. With some of my favourite restaurants closing in recent times, I feel like giving some of the older restaurants, such as Bergerac some love is definitely something worth doing.

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

New Taipei

273 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Located right in the middle of the Melbourne CBD, New Taipei is one of the newer Asian restaurants in the city. Calling one of the busier intersections in the city it's home, means that it is quite difficult to miss this restaurant, which is how I ended up dining here after a night out.

 Zhajiang noodle $10.80

The zhajiang noodle, or zhajiangmian is a popular dish served in many Chinese restaurants. The dish is usually made with a combination of thick noodles, a sauce comprising of ground pork and soybean paste as well as some other elements. Compared to some of my favourite Asian restaurants, the meat sauce on the noodles was a lot milder than I was used to and could also have done with a little more seasoning.

Pan-fried pork dumpling $6.80

Even though I was quite full at the point, I had to try a serve of their dumplings, as that is one of their main dishes. While they weren't terrible, the dumplings were a bit of a disappointment. The texture of the skin, as well as the filling was a bit different from what I was used to, and there was also a lack of seasoning in the filling, which made the dumpling quite bland. For the price point, there are definitely other restaurants in the CBD with better dumplings for cheaper.

Unfortunately I was quite disappointed by New Taipei. Not only did the food let us down, but the service was also quite slow and the staff were not attentive. With the wealth of Asian restaurants that serve food similar to New Taipei in the city, they will really need to pick up the slack.

Food Rating 6/10

Overall Rating 5.5/10

Punjabi Curry Cafe

87 Jonhston Street, Collingwood

Located on the busy Johnston Street in Collingwood, Punjabi Curry Cafe is a prime example of a restaurant which you should not judge by it's cover. Having driven past Punjabi Curry Cafe many times on my way to the city, the shopfront has never caught my eye, as it is quite cluttered and doesn't really draw much positive attention. However, after seeing the interior of the restaurant and trying the food they had to offer we were pleasantly surprised.

Interior

 Punjabi tandoori platter

The Punjabi tandoori platter was definitely our favourite dish of the night. It was exciting trying all the different flavours from the use of different spices and meats and the aroma definitely got our appetite going. The lamb cutlets were especially worthy of praise, as my friend who usually does not enjoy lamb found them amazing.

 Vegetable platter

The vegetable platter allowed us to try an assortment of their vegetarian entree dishes, such as the samosa, pakora, onion bahji and aloo tikki. The different flavours and textures presented in each of the elements on the dish gave us an insight into their use of spices and ingredients. The texture of each entree on the dish was wildly variant, where some of the large pieces were just a large mass of mush and others were so hard that biting into it hurt my mouth. This would have been less of a problem if the size of the pieces on the dish were reduced.

 Garlic naan

 Butter chicken

The butter chicken at Punjabi Curry Cafe is one of their most popular dishes and I can definitely understand why. The marinated pieces of chicken are cooked in butter, coriander, tomato and ginger to create a dish of tender and flavourful chicken in a smooth and mellow butter sauce.

 Aloo Gosht

The Aloo Gosht was quite similar to the butter chicken in the way that the spices and potatoes combined to make a great base for the dish in terms of flavour and texture. However, the one difference in how the dishes were made was an important one. The Aloo Gosht was a dish which had slow cooked beef as it's main ingredient and although this process made it so the beef was not tough, it still left the beef quite dry and stringy.

Initially we were a little skeptical due to the appearance of the restaurant, but we quickly found that you should not judge a book by it's cover. Although both the restaurant and the staff were quiet during the night and there were a few shortcomings in the dishes we were served, we still definitely enjoyed the food and found it delicious. I would definitely recommend giving Punjabi Curry Cafe a try, whether it be take-away or dine in, as the food is good and set at a reasonable price point.

We were invited by and dined courtesy of Punjabi Curry Cafe.

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10

48H Pizza & Gnocchi Bar

15 Gordon Street, Elsternwick

48H Pizza & Gnocchi bar is a popular Italian restaurant located on Malvern Road close to one of Melbourne's most well known dining districts, Chapel Street. The name 48H comes from how long they leave the pizza dough to sit and rise, as the owners believe that pizza dough should be left for a minimum of 48 hours, although most of the time they leave it for even longer, around 72 hours.

Earlier in 2017 they expanded by opening their second restaurant in Elsternwick. Not only is the Elsternwick restaurant a pizza and gnocchi bar, but they also have a delicatessen offering premium and boutique goods to customers.

48H Pizza & Gnocchi Bar

The Kitchen

Margherita

I am usually quite a harsh critic when it comes down to margherita pizzas, as they are one of my favourite things to eat. I was quite impressed by the margherita at 48H and although the toppings were quite standard when compared to other great pizzerias, the dough base was done perfectly. Most likely the result of the amount of time they allow the dough rest, the base was the perfect thickness and chewiness with a slight char which added flavour to the pizza.

Organic stradelle, coffin bay vongole, zucchini flower, black garlic, pink pepper

Black and white gnocchi, zucchini flower, Patagonia wild prawn, goat cheese, Italian saffron

Being one of their specialties, I was expecting the gnocchi dish to be quite spectacular. The gnocchi themselves were amazingly made, with a consistent texture and a firm, yet tender bite. Although the gnocchi were well made and the dish was quite nice as a whole, I would really have liked to have seen more emphasis on certain ingredients. I felt as though the Patagonia wild prawns were hidden and that the zucchini flowers really didn't add anything to the dish.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is one of my favourite desserts and although I don't usually order too many desserts, I always have to try a tiramisu when I see it on the menu. The different layers of the tiramisu at 48H were intriguing. While they were not distinct layers, the sponge fingers lining the top of the glass were only half soaked, so there was a pleasant and light coffee fragrance, while the sponge fingers lining the bottom were saturated, creating an intense coffee burst with every bite.

Although the newer Elsternwick location of 48H Pizza & Gnocchi Bar is somewhat out of the way for me, it was definitely worth it to travel for the visit. If you are looking for a traditional Italian style meal, then you should definitely give 48H Pizza & Gnocchi bar a visit!

We were invited by and dined courtesy of 48H Pizza & Gnocchi Bar.

Food rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Woodstock Pizzicheria

Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Malvern East

Woodstock Pizzicheria has been around since their Nicholson Street store first opened in 1994. Since then they have expanded to different locations such as Brunswick, Essendon and their most recent location, at the Chadstone Shopping Centre. As Woodstock Pizzicheria was introduced to Chadstone along with Chadstone's massive renovation and the opening of the new dining terrace, they recently celebrated their 1st birthday. We were lucky enough to be invited to share in this celebration event with them and to meet some of the people behind Woodstock Pizzicheria, as well as try some of their food.

Woodstock Pizzicheria

 Aperol Spritz

 Chef at work

 Bite-sized pizza

During the night there were many different types of appetizers as well as samples of the pizza and pasta dishes. While a lot of people are quick to dismiss food found in shopping centres, Woodstock Pizzicheria is quick to disprove this thought. The food served here would definitely be worthy of any traditional Italian restaurant, which makes it a great place to visit for the thousands of shoppers at Chadstone every day.

We were invited by and dined courtesy of Woodstock Pizzicheria.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8/10