Home Blog Page 23

Mount Blue Sky, The Highest Mountain In Denver’s City Limits

Paul
-
0
Mount Blue Sky, The Highest Mountain In Denver’s City Limits

DENVER | Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans) is the highest mountain in Denver’s City Limits, a recognisable icon that frames the Denver skyline when viewed from the city. It’s located just an hour’s drive from Downtown Denver, with the drive to the summit (the highest altitude paved road in the United States), taking a further half hour.

A visit to the mountain is highly recommended. You get there by driving along the Mount Evans Scenic Byway, which begins in the small town of Idaho Springs, on the outskirts of Denver proper. It’s a scenic drive, along winding mountain roads that take you through majestic pine forests and past crystal clear alpine lakes.

For the final part of the drive, to the summit, you’ll need to ensure that you’ve booked a timed entry ticket (USD$10.00) in advance. The summit drive is beautiful, taking you through multiple, distinct climate zones. Stop by Summit Lake Park and take in the majesty of Summit Lake, which you can fish at. Keep an eye out for the many bighorn sheep and mountain goats that graze in the area. If you’re lucky, you might spot some marmots too.

Walking around this area in the summer, you’ll have the opportunity to spot several kinds of rare alpine plants. From here you can hike to the summit, or get back into your car and drive to the top. The road is narrow and winding, so drive slowly and be hyper aware of other vehicles and cyclists. This final part of the road to the summit is only open during summers.

The view from the peak of Mount Blue Sky is spectacular. There’s panoramic vistas of the Rocky Mountain National Park and beyond. If you look far enough into the distance on a clear day, you’ll even be able to spot Denver. Next to the carpark you’ll find the Crest House Ruins, walk through and appreciate the unique architecture of what was the highest business structure in the United States.

Driving back, be sure to stop into Idaho Springs. Historic Miner Street is beautiful to walk down, lined with late 19th century buildings. Inside them you’ll find independent boutiques, and plenty of places to enjoy a drink or a bite to eat. Grab a slice of Colorado-style pizza at Beau Jo’s, then a locally brewed beer at Tommy Knocker Brewery.

Stumbling Across The Town Of Carrizozo

Paul
-
0
Stumbling Across The Town Of Carrizozo

CARRIZOZO | Driving from Albuquerque to Las Cruces, via the White Sands National Park, in need of a place to stop for some water and a toilet break, was how I unexpected found myself in the town of Carrizozo, New Mexico. I wasn’t expecting to have the experience that I had there, and I’m still perplexed by it today.

Carrizozo was founded on the site of a few ranches and a stagecoach crossing in 1899, as the main railroad access town for Lincoln County. It experienced decades of prosperity, followed by a decline linked to the reduced importance of the railroads. Today, the town has a population of 996, its primary industries being tourism for the curious and cherry picking.

It was around these parts the infamous outlaw Billy The Kid roamed and met his end, and the town is just 56 km (35 mi) east of the Trinity Site, where the first nuclear bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945. That test poisoned the Carrizozo’s water supply, and remnants of the blast’s mushroom cloud reached the town.

All of this created an interesting backdrop for my visit, as I parked the car and got out with my friends, to near silence. The café were planned on popping into for a toilet and supplies was open, according to the sign out the front, but there wasn’t a soul inside or out. The only sounds were that of the slight breeze hitting windchimes, and the old-timey music playing a few stores up. The latter was also supposedly open but again, no people anywhere.

I couldn’t help but think of the season three episode of Twin Peaks “The Return, Part 8”, a large part of which is set in a quiet town, just outside of the Trinity Site. That town is never named, but I’m convinced it’s Carrizozo. Eerie is an understatement.

I wandered around town for about 15 minutes, trying to understand what was going on, but I couldn’t figure it out. It was as if there was a small town operating as normal one moment, then something has happened just before I arrived and everyone just disappeared. But nothing had happened. This was, as far as I was aware, a normal day. The Town Hall website describes Carrizozo as “peaceful”, but this peaceful?

My friends and I jumped back into the car, and drove to the gas station on the outskirts of town. That, and a road with some construction going on further up, were the only places in town where I saw any people. I left utterly bewildered, but thankful for the unexpected detour.

Park Pantry, South Yarra

Paul
-
0
Park Pantry, South Yarra

MELBOURNE | Park Pantry is a South Yarra café and wine bar, in the space that was formerly home to Le Derriere by Entrecote. Owner and sommelier Jeremy Vogrin has continued with the French theme, but expanded to an all-day offering. I popped in to grab some shots for What’s on Melbourne.

Park Pantry is a small space, to the left as you walk in, the coffee machine and sandwich/pastry cabinet extend the length of the wall. Turn the corner, and you’ll find a cosy 16 seat dining space, with regular tables and a few stools overlooking the street.

French-German head chef MarcAntoine ThomasPierre Nicolaii has developed a menu with Jeremy that leans not just on French dishes, but wider European bistro-type fare. It’s all made using quality produce sourced from independent local suppliers. Tiger prawns with saffron risotto is a crowd favourite, and one of the best things you’ll eat in Melbourne this year.

Other dishes on the wine bar menu include things like eye fillet with truffle mousse, fondant potatoes, and shiraz jus; crudo fish with baby fennel and agrumes (citrus) vinaigrette; and a unique, almost mousse-like take on a tiramisu that you have to try.

By day, it’s things like croque monsieurs, pork and apple sausage rolls, salads, and pastries. Coffee is excellent, using beans sourced from Industry Beans. For an alcoholic tipple, there’s a wine list of around 50 carefully selected bottles that match perfectly with the dishes on the menu. There’s award-winning local drops, along with European wines from interesting small producers.

Park Pantry

119 Park Street
South Yarra
Victoria 3141
Australia

Telephone: 0403 646 989
E-mail: [email protected]
Website

Open
Mon – Sun: 7:00am to 10:00pm

Lankan Tucker, Brunswick West

Paul
-
0
Lankan Tucker, Brunswick West

MELBOURNE | Lankan Tucker is a Sri Lankan café In Brunswick West that’s been around for a while. It actually began life as a pop-up market stall, which I first visited at the Queen Victoria Night Market a decade ago. I was recently invited in to the café to reacquaint myself with things.

Couple Nerissa Jayasingha and Hiran Kroon started Lankan Tucker in 2012, with the aim of introducing Melburnians to Sri Lankan cuisine. At the time, awareness of Sri Lankan food in Melbourne wasn’t as widespread as it is today. Nerissa and Hiran are a part of why that’s different now.

It’s the classic story of a new generation growing up embarrassed by their food, wanting to be like everyone else growing up, embracing their food and culture, and how it intertwines and adds to the melting pot that is Australia.

The small, focused menu is roughly split into three. There’s Sri Lankan takes on Melbourne brunch favourites, a section dedicated to traditional Sri Lankan street food and home-style food, and creations that defy categorisation.

I love hoppers, so had to try Lankan Tucker’s version. It’s a turmeric hopper with a runny fried egg, served with string hoppers, three sambols, coconut milk gravy, and your choice of chicken or veg curry. The textures are diverse, the flavours vibrant, complex, and delicious. The wonderful curry is made using Hiran’s mum’s recipe.

The buriyani burrito, which began life as a staff meal made by the cafe’s former barista a few years back, intrigued me. It’s a handmade roti wrap, filled with melted cheese, cashew and spiced rice, chicken curry, red onion sambol, and raita. Be sure to get the optional dipping gravy, which comes from the chicken curry pot.

On the snack side, it’s hard to go past the pan roll, especially if you’re a fan of Chiko Rolls. It’s a savoury deep fried roll filled with spiced vegetables and/or beef, with a chilli dipping sauce.

To drink, it’s fun takes on faluda and Sri Lankan-style iced Milo, along with coffee and juices. Before you leave, be sure to grab a baked treat for home, along with some Sri Lankan pantry items and ready-meals for home. The latter evolved out of Lankan Tucker’s lockdown offering, and has become a favourite with locals.

Lankan Tucker

486 Albion Street
Brunswick West
Victoria 3055
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9386 8248
E-mail: [email protected]
Website

Open
Thu – Fri: 7:30am to 2:00pm
Sat – Sun: 7:30am to 3:00pm

Square One, Melbourne CBD

Paul
-
0
Square One, Melbourne CBD

MELBOURNE | Square One is the newest venture from restaurateur Nathan Toleman’s Mulberry Group (Hazel, Liminal, Lilac Wine). Located on the ground level of the Rialto complex, this concept café offers an all-day menu filled with local and international chef collaborations that changes seasonally.

10 chefs are invited to create a signature dish for the season, highlighting ingredients from Common Ground Project. That’s Mulberry Group’s regenerative agriculture community farm in Freshwater Creek that provides training and employment opportunities for the disadvantaged. 10% of the Square One’s profits are also donated to Common Ground Project.

At launch, the menu features items like a cumin lamb pancake by Victor Liong (Lee Ho Fook), grandma’s borek, from Tom Sarafian, and a crumbed lions mane mushroom schnitzel by Zoe Birch (Greasy Zoe’s). This season’s international contribution is the famed Portuguese bifana from chef Nuno Mendez’s London restaurant, Lisboeta.

As well as the rotating guest items, there’s a section of brunch favourites like chilli ricotta toast, chia and coconut yoghurt, and a kimchi cheddar toastie. To drink, it’s excellent filter and espresso based coffee, tea, juices, and a small selection of local wine, beer, and cocktails.

Square One

525 Collins Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9046 2450
E-mail: [email protected]
Website

Open
Mon – Fri: 7:30am to 4:00pm

Mensho Tokyo Ramen, Melbourne CBD

Paul
-
0
Mensho Tokyo Ramen, Melbourne CBD

MELBOURNE | Wrapping up September’s photoshoots for What’s On Melbourne was a visit to Japanese ramen chain Mensho Tokyo’s recently opened first Australian locations. Opened by chef Tomoharu Shono in Tokyo in 2005, Mensho today has locations in the USA (San Francisco outpost has a Michelin Star), Thailand, India, China, and Australia.

The Melbourne location is in a part of town that ramen lovers will know well, next door to Hakata Gensuke, and across the road from Musashi. It has the feel of a Japanese ramen joint down pat. A long counter with 12 stools wraps around the open kitchen, with a further 16 seats in the rear dining room.

On the menu you’ll find six types of ramen. Mensho’s signature tori paitan ramen is a great place to start. A bowl of rich, creamy, smoke and yuzu flecked, slow simmered chicken broth filled with house made noodles, topped with duck char sui, crisp enoki, and meaty matsutake mushrooms. If that’s not indulgent enough, there’s a wagyu option topped with Yarra Valley salmon roe and uni.

A matcha option showcases Shono’s creativity, with the other options rotating seasonally. The noodle varieties, all made on site daily, rotate with the seasons too. Ingredients are predominantly Australian, with as much made on site as possible. Additions like ajitama egg egg and extra noodles and ingredients can be added when ordering, which all occurs via a QR code.

Ramen is the main event here, but there are a few small dishes available. Takoyaki are perfectly acceptable, a the juicy fried chicken, with a crispy salt and vinegar coating, is also worthy if you want more than just ramen.

To drink, it’s only unsweetened green tea and a soda at the moment, with a liquor license approval expected to come through soon.

Mensho had lines of over an hour when it first opened, but things seem to have settled down three months in. I arrived at 4:40pm on a Thursday night, and was seated as soon as the restaurant opened. The line was larger when I left, but from what I’ve heard, the wait time these days is around 20-30 mins. Worth it, I say, for one of the best bowls of ramen in town.

Mensho Tokyo Ramen

166 Russell Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: 1300 339 603
E-mail: n/a
Website

Open
Tue – Sat: 12:00pm to 3:00pm, 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Sun: 5:00pm to 10:00pm

Gangnam Pocha, Melbourne CBD

Paul
-
0
Gangnam Pocha, Melbourne CBD

MELBOURNE | Korean food has gone from strength to strength in Melbourne. Barely a decade ago, there were only a handful of Korean restaurants in town. Gami, the Korean fried chicken specialists, were still a novel concept. Today, it’s easy to find an assortment of Korean places specialising in different things across Melbourne. One such concept is pojang-macha, or ‘pocha’ for short.

Literally translating as “covered wagon”, pochas are street food vendors that serve Korean comfort food or market food. In Melbourne, the term is used by small Korean restaurants that serve the kind of food that’s commonly found at pochas. Gangnam Pocha was one of the first on the scene in Melbourne.

Owners Chelsea Kim and her partner In Le opened Gangnam Pocha on Bourke Street in 2013, relocating a few years later to King Street. Back then there weren’t many Korean restaurants in the area, today it’s Melbourne’s unofficial Koreatown. I recently popped in to grab some photos for What’s on Melbourne.

This isn’t a place that’s trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s all about tasty versions of the classics, designed to share, in a casual space with K-pop tunes. In a sign that the CBD’s night-time hospitality scene continues to recover well from lockdowns, Gangnam Pocha is open until until the early hours of the morning (2/3am), every night except Sunday.

On the menu, you’ll find favourites like tteobokki (spicy rice cake with noodle, fish cake, boiled egg and vegetable), Korean fried chicken with assorted coatings, cheese buldak (spicy pan fried chicken with mozzarella cheese), and pork gukbab (boiled pork belly with bone soup & steamed rice).

To drink, it’s towers of Orion beer on draught, assorted flavours of makgeolli and soju, and Korean juices and soda. If you’re looking for something sweet, there’s a few different bingsu flavours to round out the menu.

Gangnam Pocha

1/270 King Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9642 8005
E-mail: [email protected]
Website

Open
Mon – Tue: 5:00pm to 2:00am
Wed – Thu: 12:00pm to 2:00am
Fri – Sat: 12:00pm to 3:00am

Johnny, Vince & Sam’s Ristorante, Carlton

Paul
-
0
Johnny, Vince & Sam’s Ristorante, Carlton

MELBOURNE | Johnny, Vince & Sam’s Ristorante is a new restaurant on Lygon Street’s historic Italian strip, by comedy troupe Sooshi Mango. Aka brothers Joe and Carlo Salanitri, and their best friend, Andrew Manfre. I was recently invited in to take a look.

I’ll admit, when the press release for the restaurant came through, my inner cynic immediately kicked into gear. It’s hard to hear about something like this and not jump to the conclusion that it’s going to be rather average, an attempt to cash in on a name. I’ve been around long enough, however, to know that apart from a handful of very clearly bad venues, you shouldn’t judge a place until you’ve tried it.

I’m a fan of Sooshi Mango’s comedy. As someone with Greek-Macedonian heritage who grew up in the 90s with Nick Giannopoulos’ comedy, and went to Balcatta High (aka Perth’s ‘wog’ high school), there’s a LOT that I can relate to. The trio are funny guys, and their comedy comes from a place of love. They might be Italian, but anyone who comes from an immigrant family can see themselves in the humour. I mean, in Australia same same. Everything same.

If the humour comes from the heart, then why not the restaurant? The space hits hard with nostalgia, faithfully recreating an old school Nonna and Nonno’s house. Think floral carpets, crystal cabinets, doily and plastic tablecloths, and artwork depicting bowls of fruit, and Jesus and the Last Supper. It could have been modelled off by baba and dedo’s front dining room.

The menu draws upon family recipes, developed in conjunction with 400 Gradi owner Johnny Di Francesco and Dani Zeini, founder of Royal Stacks. It’s classic antipasti, pasta and pizza, secondi, sides, and desserts. Burrata D.O.P. from Campagna, Italy comes atop a bed of olive oil and basil, while calamri fritti is light, simply served with a wedge of lemon, salt and pepper.

Two of the most popular large dishes are Giuseppina’s Gnocchi, and Carmela’s Cotolette. The pillowy clouds of house-made gnocchi in a rich tomato sugo with Grana Padano D.O.P, basil, and extra virgin olive oil, are wonderful, and a must order. So to, the parmesan crusted veal schnitzel with sea salt.

Pan fried potatoes served with roasted peppers are a delight, hitting all of the nostalgic notes, and the tiramisu is top notch. Pizzas are a sort of thin crust and focaccia hybrid. I enjoyed mine, but they won’t be to everyone’s taste, especially those expecting more familiar pizza.

To drink, its local and Italian wines, leaning on Italian varietals. The Sangiovese from the boys’ own wine label is a great by-the-glass pick. There’s also Italian beers, and fun selection of cocktails. House cocktails are on the sweet side, but the classics are available on request. ‘Nonno’s Old Fashioned’, adds amaretto to the mix, while the popular espresso martini is infused with Nutella and topped with Ferrero Rocher.

Johnny, Vince & Sam’s Ristorante knows exactly what it wants to be, and it achieves that. It’s a fun restaurant with heart, a welcoming, family-friendly space that makes you smile. The food is simple, tasty, and comforting, and serving sizes are generous. It’s exactly the right kind of restaurant for a street in Melbourne famed for its Italian heritage.

Johnny, Vince & Sam’s Ristorante

306-308 Lygon Street
Carlton
Victoria 3053
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9021 9995
E-mail: n/a
Website

Open
Wed – Sun: 12:00pm to 10:00pm

KARÉ カレー, West Melbourne

Paul
-
0
KARÉ カレー, West Melbourne

MELBOURNE | A new Japanese cafe opened across the road from Queen Vic Market over winter. It’s called KARÉ カレー, and I recently popped in to grab some shots for What’s On Melbourne.

Karé is owned by Japanese born and raised couple Akiko and David. Akiko grew up in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, which just happens to be where I like to stay when I’m in Tokyo. The area is in amongst it all, but just outside of the the main tourist drag, giving it a local’s feel. In many ways, it’s analogous to Karé’s West Melbourne location.

Akiko and David have modelled Karé off the yōshoku cafes that they love back home. Yōshoku cuisine refers to the Western-style comfort dishes that developed in Japan during the Meiji Restoration. Japan opened up to the world, and Japanese chefs incorporated Western ingredients and tweaked versions of Western dishes into their cooking. Think tonkatsu, curry, sandos, and croquettes. And to think, some people still hate on fusion food.

Karé literally means curry, and that’s a focus of the menu, which is available day and night. There’s an assortment of karé pan (curry-filled fried bread rolls); curry udon; curry beef, tori (chicken) katsu, and other delicious things on rice.

If you have a sweet tooth there’s mochi-filled hojicha cookies, anko butter croissants, yuzu canelé, and more. To drink, it’s quality coffee, Japanese inspired alt-lattes, and Japanese sodas. David’s love of craft beer also comes through, with a fridge that’s unexpectedly full of a wide assortment of local and Japanese craft beers.

KARÉ カレー

173 Victoria Street
West Melbourne
Victoria 3003
Australia

Telephone: n/a
E-mail: [email protected]
Website

Open
Mon – Sun: 8:00am to 4:00pm; 5:00pm to 10:00pm

CEREE, Melbourne CBD

Paul
-
0
CEREE, Melbourne CBD

MELBOURNE | Last year I visited Basement Café for What’s On Melbourne, a small, eclectic, family-run Melbourne café serving up reliable versions of Melbourne brunch favourites, with a twist. Owner Elbert Estampador slowly introduced specials that leaned on his Filipino heritage post-lockdown. They were a hit, with Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike. Gradually, many of these dishes made it onto the menu proper.

Speaking to Elbert at the time, he told me of his desire to go “all in” with the Filipino concept. Almost a year to the day after that conversation, that dream is a reality. Elbert has moved the café to a larger location on Spring Street, and renamed it CEREE (the initials of everyone in the family). I popped in for What’s On Melbourne to grab some photos and find out more.

The new space is substantially bigger than the old space. The natural light-filled courtyard is where you’ll want to be sitting when the weather is nice. Walk through and you’ll find several shelves stocked with Filipino produce and snacks – all of the things that customers have been requesting over the years. To the right, and wrapped around the courtyard, is the main counter and indoor seating. Look around, and you’ll find Elbert’s artwork adorning the walls.

Coming over from the old space are the signature silog meals (your choice of protein or vegetable, along with fried egg, garlic rice, salad and vinegar dressing). You’ll also find things like BBQ skewers; pancit malabon (savoury pork noodle served with egg and pork crackling); and beef kare kare (beef with green beans, bok choy, egg plant, and sauteed shrimp in a peanut sauce). Even dinuguan, a rich diced pork blood stew with garlic, chilli and vinegar, which is one of my favourite Filipino dishes, makes an appearance.

If you’re looking for something sweet, you’ll find halo halo (ube ice-cream with palm fruit, coconut gel, red beans and leche flan), turon (banana and jackfruit spring rolls), cakes with Filipino flavours, and more. To drink, its traditional and non-traditional espresso based coffee drinks, plus Filipino juices and sodas.

CEREE

285 Spring Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9329 8000
E-mail: n/a
Website

Open
Sun, Tue – Thu: 9:00am to 9:00pm
Fri – Sat: 9:00am to 10:00pm

1...222324...421Page 23 of 421

STAY CONNECTED

Follow us on your favourite social media channels.

Popular Articles

SUBSCRIBE