My dinner at Cheek was a very, very special one. Not only was it easily the most enjoyable meal I’ve had all year, it was also followed up by one of the most wonderful and exciting things that has ever happened in my entire life. But hold up, let’s start from the beginning (or y’know, just scroll to the bottom of this post if you really want to know right this instant – I’m not the boss of you).
Call me a sucker for a good sandwich. I love the way that it can be beautifully simple, or startlingly complex, yet absolutely delicious either way as long as you know what you’re doing. And today, I’m going to tell you about one of the best places in Melbourne to get that pesky sandwich craving sorted. With alumni from Attica and Stokehouse, Hector’s Deli is possibly the most over-qualified sandwich shop in all of Melbourne. Yet despite the heavy-hitting names, Hector’s is remarkably humble. Located in a whitewashed building in a quiet Richmond backstreet, the fit-out consists largely of shiny white tiles and friendly blokes, and seats a grand total of 8, with a few more milk crates loitering around…
Out of all the restaurants I’ve left behind in Melbourne, one of the ones I miss the most is Dexter. I’ve never come across anything quite like it before, and I’m basically obsessed with their amazing take on American BBQ. So it would come as no surprise that on a recent weekend trip to Melbourne, I made a beeline for the Takeaway Pizza, the sophomore creation by the clever folks behind Dexter. Takeaway Pizza has been a long time coming, a journey not helped by the bunch of morons who gutted the kitchen of $50000 of new equipment late last year. But finally, the pizza oven was reinstalled, the ice machine replaced, and the restaurant opened after months of foodie…
My love for Miznon needs no introduction. Ever since my very first visit, I have been absolutely smitten with this powerhouse of Israeli street food – a love that’s only grown with (many) subsequent visits. I just can’t get enough of their pillowy pitas, packed full of scrumptious ingredients, and their amazing take on fresh produce – whole head of roasted cauliflower anyone? And let’s not even let me near the self-serve station of tahini, pickles, and pita. So it goes without saying that I was absolutely delighted when Miznon released a brand-new dinner menu, taking their ingredients out of the pita pockets (though you can still get one if you want to!), and plating them up to share.
When I first met Chris – this would’ve been well over 10 years ago now – his culinary world was rather narrow. In fact, I remember the first time we ate dumplings together at a cheap and cheerful in Chinatown, he found the experience to be entirely overwhelming. These days, Chris is a much more acceptable specimen. The years of being dragged along to all my food blogging adventures means that he’s now willing to give anything ago, barring food that contains coriander. Unfortunately, no amount of time seems to
I have another foodie confession to make – I don’t like croissants. I mean, I don’t specifically dislike them, but if you stick a pastry crescent in front of me, I can take it or leave it. As far as I’m concerned, flaky and buttery alone are not enough to get me excited. Yet, I found myself crawling out of bed at 8am on my day off for the sole purpose of going halfway across town to Lune Croissanterie. Thankfully we are no longer in the days where you had to line up pre-dawn (and maybe cobble a few people with your elbows) in order to nab a croissant before they sell out.