Ink Bar & Restaurant, Fitzroy North

Rising from the ashes of what was formerly Rubira's and then Ginters, Ink Bar & Restaurant continues the tradition of serving fine seafood to its customers.

The elegant dining room is dimly lit, with the three French inspired chandeliers adding a sense of warmth and occasion. A mural on the back wall features a squid with the definition of "Ink"below it. One of the things I really like about the dining room is the generous amount space between tables, which provides a more relaxed, private dining experience.

As seafood is their game, seafood platters are the main focus of their menu. At Ink, they offer three options - the Traditional at $50.00 per head, The Bomb at $70.00 and the Ink Lovers including half a cooked lobster for $120.00 per head, all of which are served with chips and salad.

Their a la carte options change according to seasonal availability and their specials are scribbled on the mirrored wall which quite frankly is hard to read from certain tables.

I ordered a dozen natural oysters, from Coffin Bay. (Note to the restaurant, Coffin Bay is in SA not NSW) They were great- enough said. For main course I ordered the pan seared salmon served on a salad of potato, crab, capers, caramelised shallots and green olives. The salmon was perfectly cooked, as one would expect from a seafood restaurant, however the there was just too much potato salad and in all honesty, you needed a magnifying glass to see the crab, much less taste it. Also I found the caramelised shallots one flavour too many - don't get me wrong I love the whole agrodolce thing, just not with my potato salad. For dessert, I opted for the mixed berry creme brulee, which was served with vanilla bean ice cream and biscotti. The creme brulee was soupy and clearly hadn't set and there was no biscotti. The house churned ice cream was lovely. On personal note, I hate fanned strawberries on desserts

In summary, the menu reads well and the food is good, but I feel the kitchen just needs to watch the execution and attention to detail, I mean messing up a classic dessert like a brulee is a big no-no. The service is efficient and when all things are said and done, Ink is definitely worth a visit.http://www.inkrestaurant.com.au

Matteo's, Fitzroy North

Before you ask, I am not reviewing restaurants in suburb order. The restaurants I choose to discuss are simply random as they come to mind. After discussing the inconsistency of service at Aux Battifolles, just around the corner on Brunswick Street is Matteos, a study in flawless consistent service. "T"s are crossed and the "I"s are dotted. I am not interested in comparing the two restaurants, the mention of service is merely a segue....

The food is elegant and dramatic but this is no case of style over substance - the food simply delicious. As you follow my blog you will notice I that will probably keep talking about raw fish - I just ADORE it! So much so, that I have ordered the same entree on my last two visits to Matteos and I will probably order it again if it still features when next I visit. Okay, the Japanese Seafood Plate consists of three tastes - carpaccio of hiramasa kingfish on a prawn remoulade, petuna ocean trout tataki with salmon roe and a stuffed baby squid resting on a perfect square of rice crusted tofu. I must admit that I have come close to shedding tears each time I finished the last mouthfuls!
On my last visit, I ordered the slow braised beef cheek, which came deftly perched on a cloud of horseradish mash, and crowned with baby carrots sauteed in Yuzu butter and draped in black bean sauce. The beef was tender, gelatinous, gooey and gorgeous with the accentuating flavours cutting through the richness of the meat.

For dessert I chose the delicate creme caramel with honey roasted quince which was as decadent as expected but unexpectedly light. Unfortunately for me I am allergic to wine, so I tend to sniff my husband's wine glass for my Clayton's fix. Maybe that explains my penchant for Ribena.

Any way, I digress (it's late and I have been to the Royal Melbourne Show today). For cuisine that features Asian ingredients treated with classic French cooking techniques Matteos' cuisine successfully combines flavours, textures and techniques and pared with their razor sharp service it makes for a delightful dining experience. http://www.matteos.com.au

Aux Battifolles, Fitzroy North

Welcome to Where to Eat Out! For me, dining out is one of my great passions in life. Depending on the company you choose to dine with, it can be convivial and indulgent, or sensual and intimate. It can be the platform on which deals are brokered or simply an opportunity where one can nourish the body and/or soul.

To kick things off, I would like share with you my thoughts on a little French Bistro in Fitzroy North called

Aux Battifolles - 400 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy North 9481 5015


This little restaurant holds a sentimental place in my heart as it is the venue where I celebrated my engagement with my nearest and dearest albeit under its former identity of Francos (but under the management of the current Chef Patron Stephane Pettier) Aux Battifolles is all about comfort food and classic Bistro dishes; think moules frites, escargots de bourgogne a l'ail, steak tartare and tarte tartin, you with me so far?

To complement its no nonsense approach to French Bistro Food, the dining room is a cosy space of exposed brick walls, timber floors, soft lighting and crisp white linen and butcher's paper. The menu is reasonably priced with entrees ranging around $12.00-20.00, main courses $22.00-$32.00 and desserts $9.00-$12.00

The only downside to this place is the service, which is inconsistent. At times the service is wonderful and at other times less so. We dined there last week and it was the little niggling things which irked me - why our table of three received less bread than the table of two next to us, why we weren't given the appropriate sized fork with which to eat our escargot - have you ever tried pulling out an snail from it's cosy little dish with a dinner fork? Does it really take 15 minutes to clear to the entree plates when there are only two other tables of diners? The waiter suggested a Kir Royale as an apertif but when the drink arrived there was no cassis. Surely that's just called champagne??? Our waitress for the evening was extremely friendly but her lack of knowledge in regards to the menu was frustrating - she described one of the specials as pan fried veal on a bed of pumpkin mash, when it actual fact the special was a Blanquette de Veau - a veal casserole with mushrooms and carrots with a side of truffled rice pilaf. It was a completely different dish and one that I would have ordered had I been given the correct description in the first place.

Yes, the service was not great last Saturday but Aux Battifolles is a lovely restaurant and one worth trying - I really just needed to vent my frustration! A little attention to detail is all that is needed...