Sunday 13 April 2008

Sangas at lb.

lb.
Shop 5, 566 Chapel St, South Yarra
(a few doors down on the side street, Oxford St) (map)
9826 1114


Lb.

I'll admit it - I pretty much can't stand the South Yarra end of Chapel Street. During the French Film Festival, best-friend-K and I were seeing two films at the Como on the same day (the trashy-yet-sorta-enjoyable U.V., and the much better Un Secret), so we had four hours to kill between films. B-f-K and I invariably end up cranky if we spend too much time up the South Yarra end of Chapel Street, because we both dislike just about everything about it: the "classy" fashion boutiques, the stereotypes (the snooty society matrons AND the hot-headed wankers in big sunglasses and souped-up cars) and almost all of the restaurants - which is often a problem when we're looking for a bite to eat before or after a film at the Como.

So thank God for "lb." (aka Pound), a cafe near the Jam Factory but just off the beaten track, with a slick interior, excellent food and busy but friendly staff. If only it were open in the evenings too!

Steak sanga at Lb.

I had the Steak Sanga for $14 - it contained homemade pickled beetroot, caramelised onion, Swiss cheese, rocket and horseradish cream. It was PERFECT. The dream combination of ingredients in a steak sanga, if you ask me... :)

Chicken burger at Lb.

Kate had the Chicken Summer Burger for $12, which matched the chicken with tomato, cheese, pineapple, sweet chilli and rocket. I'm not a fan of pineapple in savoury dishes (with the exception of certain Thai curries), but b-f-K assured me that her burger tasted great.

Am I being too harsh on the South Yarra end of Chapel Street? What Chapel Street restaurants in your opinion serve good quality food at a good price?

Lb. interior

7 comments:

Sarah said...

Ooh, looks delish! I love a good steak sanga - it's disappointing when you get one that's not up to scratch.

I'm not a fan of that end of Chapel st either - (apart from the KFC, haha). I usually wonder up past Commercial road, down the Windsor end.

xox Sarah

Anonymous said...

You should have tried the cupcakes there - AMAZING! BUt yes, only decent eatery that side of commercial rd...

Cakelaw said...

Hi Claire, I do like the yum cha tea house (can't remember what it's called) at the South Yarra end of Chapel Street - it's got great food and is not too pricey.

Anonymous said...

I much prefer the Windsor end - a lot more funkier places, more relaxed vibe. Gotta love the churros at Basque!
I have heard Pound do a great brunch, have you tried that yet?

Sarah said...

Hey Claire,

The other night I tried making a steak sandwich following a Bill Granger recipe from Sydney Food - it was amazing!!!!

It had sourdough bread, thinly bashed fillet steak, caramelised onions, rocket, tomato and garlic mayo (made from scratch, which is a pain - but so delicious!!!)

I was surprised by how good it was! Anyway, if you get a chance I think you should definitely give it a try!

xox Sarah

Anonymous said...

Just asking a question about your blog on Flavours of Lakhoum: who/what are the richmond mafia members?!

claire said...

Hi Sarah: yeah, I much prefer the other end of Chapel, but when I'm seeing a film at the Como (as I often do, I live just over the river in Cremorne, so it's my closest cinema) I often don't have time to go that far south - hence my frustration!

Oooh, Carly, I haven't tried their cupcakes - I'll get one next time, thanks for the tip...

Hi Cakelaw - I'm guessing you're referring to the AY Oriental Tea House? I've been to their city restaurant (see my review!) but haven't been to their Chapel St location except to buy some oolong tea. D'you know whether they're open for dinner?

Hi Julie - churros at Basque? Colour me intrigued! Will look out for it next time. I too have heard great things about Pound's all-day brunches - a girl at the next table was tucking in to some wicked looking scrambled eggs...

Hi Sarah (again!) - the Bill "too cool to use apostrophes" Granger steak sanga you describe sounds amazing, I'll bear it in mind. Actually, yesterday I used the bills recipe you put up a few weeks ago for banana bread - you'll see it here on the blog soon! :)

Hey CB - fear not, the Richmond Mafia is not what it sounds like. It's just a silly name for group of friends who all share the 3121 postcode - we go out to dinner as a group every couple of weeks. Coming soon: our review of the Post Office Hotel :)