Portello Rosso

This is a lovely little Spanish restaurant tucked away in a little lane off Little Bourke Street. I found out about it through a friend and made a mental note to check it out the next time I was in Melbourne town.
I met up with my friend SB, who is a local but had not heard of this place before.

In the menu, there were options to have small individual servings, medium sized dishes to share, Paella which would take about 45 minutes to cook, and the charcuterie which included the imitable Jamon Iberico.

Ultimately, we were very happy with our selection of dishes. The tapas dishes were just delicious!!! We had:

Boquerones - Marinated white anchovies over honeyed goat's cheese, with smoked paprika. SB chose this and I decided to skip it due to my lack of enthusiasm for goat's cheese. I had a sliver of it, without the cheese. It was delicious! SB for sure enjoyed the dish.

Croqueta of calamari, dill and squid ink - we were both pleasantly surprised at the creamy texture of the filling. Loved the fact that it was made all the more interesting because of the squid ink!

The Victoria Room Tea Salon

High tea - a very English phrase for a very ladylike activity. In Malaysia, when you hear the term high tea, it is totally opposite to the English version. There it is served as a buffet spread of all things Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian. I have fond memories of attending those high teas.

But this time, I went to the high tea at The Victoria Room Tea Salon located on Level 4 of the Westfield Sydney shopping megaplex. It was to celebrate my friend CW's birthday and how perfect was the timing that it was during the Sydney Crave Food Festival.

It was high tea served with trays of delicate finger sandwiches, petit desserts and topped with a scone of our choice, chosen from a list of 10 types. On top of that, we had champagne. Real champagne, the French kind.. Moet & Chandon to be exact. Thoroughly decadent, very English and a perfect way to while the afternoon away with a dear friend.

Even though the venue was located right smack in the middle of a busy shopping centre, I did not feel out of place or uncomfortable that shoppers could see us eating or peek at our food. The tea salon is cordoned off with white picket fences and that somehow gave us a sense of privacy.

First Meal at the M's

This is not a blog post about a meal at a restaurant but rather it is about a home made meal at the M's. it is the first time I have been to their new apartment, a rather nice looking one at that!

I finally got to know their dog, Buddy, who is just adorable. I think he and I fell in love instantly....

I brought a cheese platter together with Prosciutto from Italy so the M's could try it and tell me what they felt was the difference between the prosciutto made in Australia and this one that came from Italy. I think they see a huge difference and understand why I extol the virtues of my oh so favourite Prosciutto Di San Danielle. Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the platter.

For mains, CM cooked Chicken Breast topped with a Honey Mustard dressing and served on a bed of salad. She also roasted some sweet potatoes topped with grated cheese, this was served with the chicken. It was quite tasty, I liked that it was a fast cooking dish and the dressing could be made beforehand. The chicken was moist and tender and not verging on the dry side. Which means CM did not overcook it.

The Baron (Small Bar and Coffee Shop)

Who would have thought there would be a cool, hip and grungy cafe in the midst of the Hills area! Hurray, cool is in town!!!!

The Baron is located in the heart of Castle Hill's shopping area and has only been opened since last December. I drive pass this little strip every time I head to Castle Tower's parking lot and yet I did not even notice this place. Duh!!!!

Look at the fridge and wooden board wall! 

Anyway, I heard about it from some friends and thought it was time to check it out. I love the deco, such a cool and retro/grunge feel to it. We got there at almost 12 noon and it was already filled with people.

I love that there is a large communal table and I got to see what was ordered by others. I ordered their New Southern Pulled Pork Roll served with Red cabbage slaw and my friend ordered the Bacon and Egg Roll served with avocado, homemade aioli and tomato relish.