Amigos, Lygon Street - Melbourne

A refreshing offer of strawberries and ice.

The evening had already turned showery and windy, but that did not deter us from walking to Lygon Street in Carlton, just two or three blocks from where we stayed along Exploration Lane, in the north-east of Melbourne city centre. The stroll turned out to be more pleasant then we anticipated, even if we had to duck quickly under some wetness and also negotiate ourselves around the crowds that had gathered on this Saturday night of the Albert Park Grand Prix. Our determination to reach Amigos was well placed, for even if crowded, we got a table, had friendly service and tasty food.

The name of the restaurant naturally evokes of Mexican but the menu encompassed some favourites from the Iberian peninsular.  I was most impressed with the paella of scallops and prawns, with the seafood infused with a sufficiently flavourful broth, topped up with a texture of moist comfort on the tongue.  The guy who approached us attentively had tried to get our preferences quickly, although we were not ready and reluctantly had to make him wait.  He did suggest that we try a larger serving of the nachos, but we were consciously trying to avoid the cream and richness of this entree. We settled for a smaller plate, although on reflection, we would next time order a larger plate of the delightful salad mix, with creamy avocado slices, light dressing and freshly picked leaves.

A wonderful and light contrast to the nachos and enchiladas.

Garnished with fresh herbs, the sauce of the paella was a highlight.

Sangria was expected, but Amigos also has a rather good list of choices for tequila and Margarita mixed concoctions. The food came efficiently and diners were also seen coming down the stairs near the entrance.  A gracias was articulated after paying the bill at the counter.  We had commenced our dinner around 9pm and the place was bustling with walk-ins well an hour after that, despite the inclement weather outside.  The front of Amigos had people well dressed to face the nippy night and ready to party long into the weekend.  The female staff were ready to accommodate requests for plates, spoons and any irks of the different customers.  The served dishes did not come with serving spoons, but if  if you shared but all you had to do was ask for them.

The view from the Amigos, located about the centre of the Lygon Street strip.

Nachos with a cut above the rest, although a bit rich for my taste, but accompanied by fresh chicken de pollo.

Canberra - National Gallery of Australia

Jane's Kitchen, Carlingford - Sydney

It is a one shop lot, with entrance doors purposefully hidden from the main street with opaque cover ups on the doors. If not that I heard a bit good about this restaurant, I may have missed it for  the world.  Jane's Kitchen has been in business for so many years it has become a standard bearer of souhtern Chinese cuisine, specifically Guangzhou, in the north-western suburb of Carlingford, over 20 kilometres from the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It also lies in the epicentre of what can be considered to be a middle class area with many Asian demographics but particularly from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and China. Not far from Macquarie Unibersity's main campus in North Ryde, Jane's only has several dining tables, so it can feel like home for a diner, but at the same time, it can also have a crowded feel, particualrly on weekend nights.

On the Friday evening that my gathering of ten went to Jane's, it was full house by 730pm.  We asked the friendly lady on duty for her ethnic recommendations, especially those not on the English language menu. We could have looked at what was ordered on other tables but wanted the know the signature dishes from the restaurant itself. I was very pleased with the lady's recommendations of the following:
1. vermicelli in a hot pot, infused with flavours from tasty and wholesome prawns.
2. tofu wrapped with seafood and gently simmering in a light sauce.
3. duck pieces braised with yam slices, with the latter stewed to a tender bite.
4. lamb done Cantonese style, to live up to the Guangzhou tradition about sheep.

There was the usual welcome soup and platter of orange slices for dessert.  The dishes requested came fast but steady.  Some of us had Tsingtao beer, which went down well with the scallops, I reckoned. Dish servings were not large but sufficient enough to allow having a variety on the table. I was impressed with the light tone of the gravies, which brought a satisfaction to the palate without making the diners feel a need to quench their thirst two hours later. The kailan vegetables were specifically fresh and crunchy. We did not choose any dessert as we adjourned to a Korean styled coffee joint in nearby Eastwood after the dinner.

Would I return to Jane's?  A definite yes. Maybe the reason for the covered up entrances is to shut out the heavy traffic that can pass by along this section of Pennant Hills Road near the Carlingford Asian Village shopping centre. Vehicle parking has to be on the side roads. One has to book a table early.  I am eyeing having a goat dish the next time around, but apparently that has to be pre-ordered a day or two before. The taste of the food is comparable to bigger sized and well known Chinese restaurants in the city centre but the setting is suburban and more casual. Neighbouring tables were observed dabbling in the higher end of well priced seafood - the lobsters, the crabs and the like - but I do recommend trying the range available at Jane's - and not just stick to celebratory seafood.

Spice I Am - Sydney CBD

Spice I Am had shaken the Thai restaurant and cafe scene in Sydney for several years by now.  With modest beginnings beside a back packer accommodation joint, the operators now have also opened upmarket outlets in Balmain and Darlinghurst, plus an alternative operation in House, sited not far away.  However I always look to its first venue, near the triangulation of Campbell, Wentworth and Elizabeth Streets near Central Railway Station, as its heart and soul.

There were only two of us who stumbled upon an available table on the pavement at the corner of this Thai food delight. I had to have the homok, steamed spiced up fish mousse wrapped in banana leaves, but I realised that the servings that Saturday night lacked fish and flavour. One of my fav dishes here is the pork belly cut up in bite sized pieces that provided the intensity of the garlic, basil and chili that they were stir fried with. We gave that a pass over on this occasion as there were only two of us.  I still felt trepidation at having the shredded papaya salad called the som tum on our request, as a few times over, I experienced over the top chili burn, sour amplification and burning sensations on past attempts with this well known salad.  To my amazement this evening, the som tum was perfect in my view, infused with crunchy flavours but not on the radical end of the chili burn spectrum. Have the cooks toned this down?

Guests do not expect to linger on sitting at Spice I Am. They have a few turnovers of the same table each evening or lunch arvo, as people still streamed in to wait on the roadside even if the compact sized site was abuzz with customers. It does make sense to come in groups of six for Thai food, as then there is an opportunity to sample more dishes.  This was like the group of twenty somethings at our next table, practically dressed in shorts, T shirts and an easy carefree attitude.  The evening's humidity was decreasing but the chili heat was going up. As demonstrated over many years, service was super efficient and may be too fast.However I knew we could not hold on to our table, no matter how small, for more than the average 45 minutes. Hence there was this penchant from neighbouring residents for take aways, which was delivered equally as fast as for the sit in diners.

The best dish that both of us had on this occasion on a Saturday night was the deep fried snapper, garnished with a mango salad that was generously heaped on top of the primary item. It was mouth-watering, both the fish and salad. I did miss the pad thai, another favourite of the Aussie customer in Sydney. Orders are taken by the earnest staff from people waiting outside the joint and that does help to escalate delivery of the dishes once seats are offered to them. The relative absence of use of coconut milk in many of the dishes at Spice I Am is a good point to note, for they move away from the creamy and sugary emphasis of most Thai outlets in most suburbs across the Australian continent.  Many Aussies have visited Thailand on one occasion or another and it can be useful if the Thai restaurant scene here can distinguish themselves more by their variations in regional cuisine.  Phuket food is so different from Korat or Chiangmai.

Bondi Beach Revisted