Golden Fields: first peek at Andrew McConnell's St Kilda restaurant

Golden Fields
157 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda (map)
No phone
website
Bookings restricted to 8-14 people set banquets (book via email)
Open noon-midnight, Tuesday-Sunday
(from June, open for breakfasts Friday-Sunday)


It hasn't officially opened yet (well, it's still in soft opening mode), but on Saturday night Jack, best-friend-K and I braved the brutal Melbourne weather conditions to check out the Cumulus of the South, Golden Fields. As Jack commented on Twitter, it takes a special kind of restaurant to get her out on public transport on a night like that! Discretionary taxi afterwards.

Let me point out at the outset that I have a mental block with the name of this restaurant... EVERY damn time I go to say the name aloud, I mistakenly call it Golden Plains instead of Golden Fields. It's a really annoying habit I don't seem to be able to shake.


The restaurant's interior has been designed by Projects of Imagination (who set up a Tumblr photo blog detailing the fitout process), but is remarkably similar to Cumulus Inc: the coat hooks, the white marble and tiles, the minimal signage, the clean lines, the round high table in the corner with stools. It has the unmistakeable feel of an Andrew McConnell restaurant. A golden lucky cat statue presides over the kitchen, and I was rather taken with the golden rollerskate over the bar.


The menu is divided into sections labelled Raw, To Start, Salads & Vegetables and Meat & Fish. There were so many small dishes we liked the sound of that we decided to skip getting a big meat or fish dish and just graze on things to share. To start with, I had a kickass martini, the Big Boss Impressionist (Miller's, Lillet Blanc and orange blossom, $18) and we were brought a little plate of pumpkin seeds as an appetiser.


We noted with interest that the white wine list was divided into Riesling (of which there were over a dozen) and Other, and were happily nudged into ordering a bottle of German Riesling.

A pleasing starter of fresh sea urchin, flat bread, crisp lardo, escabeche ($5 each).


Like the other Andrew McConnell restaurants, oysters from Steve Feletti's Moonlight Flat oysterage up in Batemans Bay are on hand. We went with a trio of the special not listed on the menu, the angasi oysters ($6 each). We also ordered a single bowl of the white onion and conpoy soup with shredded pearl meat ($10), just so we could each have a taste of the velvety broth given an umami kick in the pants from the conpoy. I loved it and would definitely order it again next time.


Along with the sea urchin and pearl meat, there are other rather posh seafood items on the menu including Moreton Bay bugs and crayfish. The crayfish is in a starter I suspect could become a Golden Fields signature item: a New England lobster roll ($15), consisting of a hot buttered bun with cold poached crayfish, watercress and Kewpie (love that the menu specifies that it's Kewpie mayo). The little bun is sweet, the crayfish is fresh and together with the mayo it made me wish we'd ordered more than one to split three ways. When Epicure does its next round-up of Melbourne's top 10 sandwiches, this one ought to make the list.


The school prawns were retired from the Cumulus Inc menu a little while ago, but they've popped up again down at Golden Fields, and this time they've been sexed up with one of the Dude Food flavours du jour, PIG TAIL SCRATCHING. Yep, they're "pork and prawn" fried school prawns, served with garlic mayo ($12). Dirty and delicious.


The salad we ordered was described on the menu as shredded chicken, sesame paste, house-made cold rice noodles, chilli oil ($12). It was presented to us in layers: the cold rice noodles, Sichuan pepper and chilli oil, shredded poached thigh, tahini, cucumber, coriander and sous-vide breast on top.

The use of tahini as the sesame agent in a dish featuring Sichuan pepper and chilli oil is a good example of the way the Golden Fields menu interprets its Shanghai/Hong Kong focus in a creative way.


The other vegetables we shared were beans braised simply with garlic and ginger ($13 - according to the menu usually served "spicy as", but the spicy version wasn't available on the night we visited), and a dish of steamed eggplant, silken tofu and pickled chillies ($14).


We hadn't ordered it, but a serve of rustic pork dumplings with Shanghai chilli vinegar arrived compliments of the kitchen. I gave a happy yelp when they arrived - they're my favourite dish on the bar menu at Cutler (and yes, as Andrew explained when he gave the recipe to Gourmet Traveller last month, they're technically steamed buns but he calls them dumplings). Thanks chef!


For sweets we'd ordered the peanut butter parfait with salted caramel and soft chocolate ($10 and pretty much my wet dream of a dessert). We were also brought (compliments of the kitchen again) a dessert of soft black sesame cake with lime ice cream and yoghurt which, while less obviously a crowd-pleaser than the caramel/chocolate, was delicate and unusual in the way that the best desserts at Cutler are. For the adventurous, you might like to try the dessert described on the menu as green tea ice cream, pumpkin and liquorice.


So it's pretty much a rave review from me - not a dud dish and the service was excellent. Very eager to revisit and work my way through more dishes (like the shredded cabbage with Moreton Bay bugs, Kampot pepper and mint, or the slow-roast lamb shoulder with cumin seed and salted lemon). Oh, and the weekend breakfast menu once it starts up in June!

ps Remember - no bookings unless you're in a group of 8-14 and want a set banquet. To maximise your Golden PlaiFields dining experience, get there early or late on a night where you're not pressed for time, and enjoy a drink at the bar if you have to wait. Try that Big Boss Impressionist martini.

pps Oh, and suckling pig junkies: they're offering a whole suckling pig banquet. Shall we book one?!

St Kilda's Newmarket ditches the schnitz and tits and goes SoCal

Newmarket Hotel
34 Inkerman Street, St Kilda (map)
9534 2385

It wasn't so long ago that the Newmarket Hotel was a dive pub specialising in Schnitz and Tits and Spag and Drag nights. Times have changed! It has been taken over, resurrected and revamped by the Middle Park Hotel/Albert Park Hotel mob, with Paul Wilson creating its Californian-inspired Hispanic grill menu.


The second you step behind that red brick facade, the design of the place practically screams Six Degrees. The outside seating areas look like the lovechild of Royal Saxon and Public House, the light fittings in the front room are pure Auction Rooms, and the the circular holes in wooden slats are very Pelican.




The dramatic concrete arches down the eastern wall of the venue are enlivened by the vivid blue ceiling and clever use of skylights.


Down the back near the kitchen is a 16 seater chef's table. I like the way in which the brightly coloured tiles are used sparingly below the benchtop.


A few days into the new year I tottered down to St Kilda to check it out, accompanied by M and E. We ordered a cocktail pitcher ($35, possibly the tequila-based Jalisco Falls but my memory may be deceitful) and pored over the huge menu.


The menu veers all over the place: seafood starters, Hispanic cured meats, Latin street food, pastas, big salads, ancient grains, cocoas (Catalan pizzas), wood oven rotisseria and low, slow cooked wood BBQ meats. I managed to cajole my dining companions into ordering just about everything from the Latin street food section of the menu.

The guacamole with native lime salsa fresca, plantain, jicama and tortilla chips ($14) was excellent, but I was disappointed by the surprisingly lacklustre BBQ corn on the cob with chilli and queso fresco ($4 each). Not a patch on Mamasita's elotes callejeros, I'm afraid.


However all was forgiven when the soft tacos showed up. Our favourites were the ones with baby gem lettuce, spicy pineapple salsa, pork carnitas and hot adobo sauce ($14 for two). A brilliant combination of flavours.


We didn't order the tacos with wood roasted bone marrow, chimichurri and ranchero style brisket (next time, my pretties!), but we did get two with prawns, green mango and jicama ($15, thanks for the tip Ben) and two with spicy calamari, guacamole and tomatillo salsa ($14).


After that we shared several more dishes: triple cooked patatas bravas ($7, pictured below), a very good thin crust pizzetta with the slightly oddball combo of spiced lamb, grapes, purple basil and pomegranate molasses ($20), St Louis cut pork ribs for $35 with apple slaw and Mr Wilson's BBQ sauce (which E found to be rather sour for her tastes), a miniature coffee and tequila Mexican flan ($14) and a sensational peach, raspberry and amaretti pie ($14). Sorry that I don't have decent photos of the latter dishes (insufficient light, dammit), but the pizza and pie can be seen on Cherrie's blog.


I'm looking forward to heading back for a repeat visit: I enjoyed almost all of the SoCal dishes and the cocktails were bloody good, particularly the cachaça-based Brazilnut. A welcome addition to the bayside!

Brunching in St Kilda? Call on Miss Jackson

Miss Jackson
2/19 Grey Street, St Kilda (map)
9534 8415


Last week I met up with the lovely Jess (aka Sugadeaux) for brunch. She suggested Miss Jackson, a cafe on the corner of Grey and Jackson Streets in St Kilda that I'd heard plenty about, but never before visited. I'm so glad we did.


It's housed in a handsome century-old building that was once a bank. Outside are a handful of outside tables on the courtyard deck. The interior consists of a row of small interconnecting rooms with white-painted walls and an elegantly minimalist, relaxed air.


The menu listed two kinds of Bloody Marys ($5/$10): virgin or superstar dj. No prizes for guessing which kind we ordered.


Jess ordered the grilled asparagus with poached eggs, prosciutto and parmesan ($13). I just *loved* the way the prosciutto was snugly wrapped around the asparagus spears!


I wanted something savoury but didn't feel like eggs, so I ordered the corn fritters with bacon, avocado and roasted vine tomatoes ($13). How gorgeous do those vine tomatoes look??! I didn't want to disturb them, but then my hunger got the better of me. A fab brunch dish - the corn in the fritters was nice and juicy, and the relish on the side went with it nicely.


We also enjoyed our coffees (Allpress) and chattering away with Steve the owner. Both Jess and I are keen to go back again soon to sample some of the other brunch menu items (eg the ricotta pancakes with strawberries and lemon curd... the warm citrus salad with yoghurt pannacotta... or maybe the herb scrambled eggs with homemade corn bread). As Jess said, you know you like a place when there are about five things on the menu that equally tempt you!

Amnesty Fortnight: Melbourne Gastronome does (several) izakayas

Mmmmmmm, yukke. Raw ground beef with a seasoning typically containing soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil, spring onion, garlic, sesame seeds, black pepper and bae (pear) juice, topped with a raw egg yolk.

Much like its European counterpart, steak tartare, I find it nigh-impossible to NOT order yukke/yukhoe whenever I see it on the menu in a Japanese/Korean restaurant.

Earlier this year I started out wanting to do an extended post searching for Melbourne's best yukke, but then the post started morphing into a Melbourne Gastronome guide to Melbourne's recent izakaya invasion. I've been saving up these photos for several months, so imagine my dismay when I opened the Epicure a few weeks ago to find this article on that very topic!

Well whatevs, enough is enough. I'm calling another blog Amnesty Fortnight - I'm going to clear these izakayas (and a few other posts in my drafts folder) out of the blog backlog, even if means that the content is less detailed than usual. Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, it's an end-of-year special, all posts must go!! Any other bloggers who want to join in the Amnesty Fortnight spirit are warmly encouraged to do so. :)

The following six izakayas are in chronological order of visits. They're also in ascending order of trendiness!

Izakaya Chuji
165 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne (map)
9663 8118


Ah, ol' faithful. Izakaya Chuji is Melbourne's oldest izakaya, open since 1989. It's on Lonsdale Street, much frequented by students, no frills and cheap as chips. $8 yukke.


My second-favourite izakaya dish, unadon (grilled eel on rice with kabayaki sauce), is $16 and pretty generous with the eel. The miso-smeared nasu dengaku comes as a single piece, for $7. Nothing fancy, but generally pretty good.



Izakaya Hachibeh
143-145 Bourke Street, Melbourne (map)
9078 9909


Less impressive is relative newcomer Izakaya Hachibeh, on Bourke Street. The $9 yukke was on the sloppy side and $17 unadon was bland. Can't say I'm in a rush to go back.



J-Pub Shogun
Shop 3, 233 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne (map)
9663 3996


I much prefer the J-Pub Shogun, which is on Lonsdale Street at the end of the Camy laneway. It has Japanese beers on tap, as well as sake and shochu, and specialises in yakitori.

Despite its very informal atmosphere, it has some rather interesting dishes on its dinner menu. I was very taken with the maguro yamakake ($12), for example: tuna sashimi sitting on a soft sticky pillow of Japanese yam.


The negima skewers alternated pieces of chicken thigh with spring onion ($6).


We also loved these whole grilled shishamo ($6). It was hard to find the yukke amongst all the salad leaves.


Tasty buta rib (pork spare rib) for $6. The unagi don was $14.50.



Takumi
32 Bourke Street, Melbourne (map)
9650 7020


I'm cheating a bit by putting Takumi in this list, as it's not really an izakaya - more a restaurant specialising in wagyu on grill-your-own ‘smokeless’ sumibi yakiniku (charcoal grills).

When I went there in July, we selected the Jo-Karubi cut of meat (premium oyster blade, 100g) for $16.50. We also grilled squid and vegetables - I wish though that they'd serve up mixed mushrooms to grill in foil packets, like the ones at Gyu-Kaku, the yakiniku restaurant best-friend-K and I visited in Manhattan!


The menu at Takumi is somewhat more refined. Take for example the delicious scallop sashimi, drizzled with sizzling oil and citrus soy sauce ($12.80).


We were sufficiently intrigued by the description of the ankimo (angler fish liver pate, $8.80) to order it. Liked the paste-like texture. We also yummed up a couple of yaki-onigiri ($4.80 for a serve of two).


At Takumi, the yukke is made with marbled wagyu and a red and green apple sauce. $10.80 and worth every penny.


Oh, and I don't tend to go for Japanese desserts, but we liked the maccha (green tea) ice cream and the goma (black sesame) pudding and ice cream (each dish $4.80).



Ichi Ni
12 The Esplanade, St Kilda (map)
9534 1212


Ichi Ni (translation: "one two") is down in St Kilda, next door to the Espy. Open since March. I like the Japanese tavern fitout, seaside location and pub-like ambiance. Alas, no yukke on the menu.


After the obligatory edamame, we decided to order a selection of yakitori skewers: shitake ($6), unagi ($8), tsukune (minced chicken, $7) and okra ($6). Nice sticky sauce. The shitake were particularly memorable.


We were however unimpressed by the vegetable tempura served with Ichi Ni original tartare ($10). Whilst it may be unfair to expect all tempura to live up to the Tempura Hajime gold standard, the tempura batter was lumpy and the tartare (tinted pink from pickles) didn't quite work in our opinion.


But fear not, all was forgiven with the small sushi and sashimi platter ($30). Sashimi highlights included kingfish, hapuka and swordfish.



Izakaya Den
114 Russell Street, Melbourne (map)
9654 2977


Which brings us to the newest and trendiest of Melbourne's izakayas, Izakaya Den. It's the latest baby of Simon Denton (of Verge fame). The Emerald City doorway next door to Russell Street cafe Postal Hall leads down to the stylish underground bunker where the izakaya is located.


A row of red sneakers on the way down to the bunker. All the staff wear red sneakers.


IF YOU ORDER ONE DISH AT IZAKAYA DEN: I implore you to make it the spicy tuna tataki with garlic soy ($17). It's thick and fresh and sensational. On my second visit to Izakaya Den, we ordered two serves. We were THIS close to ordering a third serve.


I loved the sesame stir fried Japanese mushrooms ($15) almost as much. Another must-order dish.


We were a little underwhelmed however with the steamed eel with rice wrapped in bamboo leaf ($8), which was overly dry and nutty. Give me yum cha sticky rice any day. But we loved the jumbo quail with sansho pepper and garlic chives ($16).


My disappointment at finding this izakaya's menu similarly bereft of yukke was lessened by these adorable Yoshitomo Nara water glasses.


Finally, best-friend-K and I liked the sound of the Fuji apple millefeuille ($10). We were expecting something made with pastry and crème pâtissière, so were surprised to see this precarious creation placed before us: layers of dried apple slices interspersed with bricks of delicious apple gelato.



* * *
Oh, and the other izakaya that I can recommend (not written up here because I already wrote about it in March) is Maedaya Sake & Grill, in Bridge Road Richmond. The grilled asparagus spears wrapped in pork belly are CRAZYTOWN!

Any tips on other notable Melbourne izakayas, or Japanese or Korean restaurants serving superior yukke/yukhoe will be gratefully accepted. :)