Hellenic Republic – Brunswick, Melbourne

Posted on by lipsmackinglydelicious

As George Colambaris would say…I LOVE IT!

My brother and sister in law were visiting from Adelaide and each time they are here in Melbourne we make sure we visit celebrity chef restaurants. On their recent visit to Melbourne we went to George Colambaris’s Hellenic Republic in Brunswick.

image1 (1)
Elies Assorted local olives, Cretan olive oil, rosemary, garlic
image4 (1)
Tyri Saganaki Kefalograviera cheese, peppered figs
Melitzanosalata Smoked eggplant dip, aleppo pepper, pinenuts
Melitzanosalata Smoked eggplant dip, aleppo pepper, pinenuts

The restaurant has a quintessential Melbournian vibe, serving authentic Greek food with a contemporary twist. There are plenty of meat and vegetarians options, but personally the seafood dishes were our favourite.

The food is reasonably priced and the serving size is pretty generous too, which is always a plus.

We ordered a range of mezze and salads, which were all delicious. The boys ordered an assortment of meat dishes of which the charcoal chicken was a clear favourite. My personal favourite of the night was tiger prawns with ouzo salt, just delicious! Soft juicy grilled prawn and the tangy ouzo salt gave it the perfect kick. 

image10
Garithes Chargrilled tiger prawns, ouzo spiced salt
image11
Kalamari Chargrilled calamari, garlic, herbs
image12
Loytianos Whole Baby Snapper, stuffed with herbs, grilled lemon

We finished the meal with some light but tasty dessert. Risogalo (rice pudding) was a clear winner of the dessert round! 

The wine list was exhaustive and had a lot of delicious wines from Greece and others from the Australian wine regions. Definitely a plus if you love to match your food with wine!

Horiatiki Salata Traditional village salad
Horiatiki Salata Traditional village salad
Horta Pan - fried wild greens, lemon, olive oil
Horta Salata Pan – fried wild greens, lemon, olive oil
Lahanosalata Cabbage salad, balsamic, honey, Kefalograviera cheese
Lahano Salata Cabbage salad, balsamic, honey, Kefalograviera cheese

The customer service was slightly lacking in its finery, but the delicious food made up for it. Perhaps George needs to make a visit to the floor and pass on his contagious enthusiasm and passion for food to his floor staff.

With everything said all in all a great food experience and LSD definitely recommends this restaurant to all.

Loukoumathes (Top Centre) Hellenic doughnuts, honey, cinnamon, walnuts Risogalo Rice pudding, salted caramel, almond shortbread crumble, pistachio
Loukoumathes (Top Centre) Hellenic doughnuts, honey, cinnamon, walnuts Risogalo (Right) Rice pudding, salted caramel, almond shortbread crumble, pistachio Sikalaki Gliko (Left) Candied Figs Spoon sweets Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Bottom Center)
Overall rating – 8/10

Price – $$$

Smokin’ Barrys Barbeque Food Truck – Melbourne

Posted on by lipsmackinglydelicious

Of all the foodtrucks at the Yarraville Gardens, my husband gravitated to the foodtruck that made claims of the Smokin’ Barbeque. Smokin’ Barrys was all that a meat lover could dream of. Pulled pork, hickory smoked ribs and beef brisket. Apparently all absolutely desirable foods in a meat lovers guide.

Smokin’ Barrys Smokin’ BBQ

Being a vegetarian I don’t know what that flavours would be like, but if the line up in front of the foodtruck was anything to go by – it is safe to say Smokin’ Barrys is pretty Smokin’ Good!

Smokin’ Pulled Pork Nachos

My husband enjoyed pulled pork nachos and I must admit they looked pretty darn decadent. Again for $10 only this meal was a perfect combination of great flavours and value for money.

Happy Customers with the lovely owners

If you are a meat lover be sure to checkout Smokin’ Barrys at the Yarraville Gardens. The park is a dog friendly park and is offleash all year round except summer. So get your pooch out and about and be sure to try Smokin’ Barrys.

Overall Rating – 7/10

Price – $

The Little Mushroom Co Food Truck – Melbourne

Posted on by lipsmackinglydelicious
Foodtrucks at the Yarraville Gardens
Melbourne never ceases to amaze me. The city’s appetite for good food is just like mine, large and insatiable.
 

My husband and I were at a dog park one day when someone mentioned to us about Yarraville gardens and how there is a street near the park full of food trucks serving tasty food perfect for a picnic. We decided to explore the park today and were so impressed to find an array of food trucks serving healthy fast food  with Italian, Korean, American, Indian, and other such inspiration.

 
The Mexican Mushroom Burger

In particular I felt like something healthy, flavour packed and easy to eat. I know too much to ask for right! I was a bit disappointed that there was not as much healthy vegetarian food and then I stumbled across this cute little foodtruck called The Little Mushroom Co (TLMC)

 

TLMC serves a delicious variety of vegetarian and vegan burgers and for the environmentalists you will be happy to know that the foodtruck is solar powered too.

 
I really enjoyed the Mexican Mushroom burger. The bun was light and tasty, the mushroom perfectly cooked, there was just the right amount of sauce and the rocket was fresh and crisp, just how its meant to be. Some may argue $10 for a burger alone is a bit much, but friends remember good health comes at a price and so does the healthy burger.
The lovely hosts at The Little Mushroom Co
Overall Rating – 6/10
Price – $