The Stags Head

39 Cecil Street
Williamstown
VIC 3016

Tucked away on the dimly lit back streets of Williamstown, the Stags Head Hotel only stands out due to its size. We entered through the door into the front bar, which had a wonderful old school local feel about it. We headed past a small lounge to the restaurant at the back where our friends were already at the table they'd reserved for us all.

The room was bright and light with simple white walls and a few adornments and classic wooden tables.

We were offered drinks and the menu pretty quickly and took a while to work out what we'd order. We got the waitresses attention and ordered, and despite it being pretty busy, we didn't seem to have to wait long for our food.

Rick took advantage of steak night, and chose a red wine sauce, which went down well.

The salmon looked good, and got good reports, although there weren't many potatoes and the salad was a bit too heavy on the rocket, and missing other flavours.

Nadia enjoyed her lasagna.

I had the fish and chips, the beer batter was crisp and the content fresh and moist. The chips were good and the salad straightforward and wholesome.

The Stags Head had the feel of a traditional Aussie suburban pub, offering basic but good food in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The bill came in around $30 a head including a drink or two each. I think we'll be back again, next time we fancy some pub food fairly near by.

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Sailors' Rest

3 Moorabool Street
Geelong
VIC 3220

We went searching for brunch on the beautiful winters morning of the Queen's Birthday public holiday, along the Geelong foreshore. We decided on the Sailor' Rest mainly based on location and the look of the place. Given the sunny and almost warm weather, there was no surprise it was busy.

We ended up in the partially open glazed section which was good with us, the fit out was much more modern than the older brick structure! The views out across to the ocean were great.

We ordered drinks immediately and our meals soon after, the juice arrived promptly my short black took another 15 minutes, but wasn't bad when it did arrive.

Our Vegetarian Breakfasts took another 10 minutes to show up. The better half went for scrambled egg with the spinach, mushrooms, tomato and hash brown.

I went for the poached eggs, which nice and soft. The sour dough toast was a bit on the tough side, the other components were fine but not stand outs.

The long wait for food and bill of $52.50 made it feel overpriced for an average meal, I think we'll try somewhere else next time we are searching for breakfast, although it will be tough to beat the view. 

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Black Sheep, Geelong

National Wool Museum
Corner of Moorabool and Brougham Streets
Geelong
VIC 3220

We'd thought about trying Black Sheep before, so decided to have lunch there on a recent visit to Geelong. It's situated in the National Wool Museum, not the place I'd normally think about to eat at! The building on the corner of Moorabool and Brougham Streets is grand and historic.

The restaurant isn't far inside and is east to find, it wasn't too busy when we visited, and we were offered a couple of tables. The old stone work and timber beams maintain the atmosphere of an older structure. There was just the odd reminder that you were in a museum, but it certainly wasn't too institutional.

The kitchen is open with a few specials and pizzas available on a chalkboard, the rest of the menu continued the Italian theme.

I went for the pumpkin, goats cheese and rocket pizza, which came on a nice crispy base. The toppings were good, especially the goats cheese, but the tomato sauce was just a bit too sweet.

The crab linguine with chilli, lemon, garlic and parsley was a winner, with a decent serve even on the entree sized dish.

The service varied in attentiveness and at times we had trouble attracting the attention of the staff, who didn't seem too busy. The bill came to $44 with a glass of wine. We'd certainly think about visiting again next time we are in town.

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Canteen

253 Flinders Lane
Melbourne
Vic 3000

Without a keen eye, one could stroll past Journal Canteen without noting its presence, tucked away up a flight of stairs in the Centre for Adult Education in the Melbourne City Library on Flinders Lane, near the junction with Degraves street.

Inside the feel of the school room it inhabits is maintained, with big communal tables, and old wooden furniture. We were seated at the bar style spots along the wall.

The short special menu was up on the chalk boards.

Joss went for the Salad Niçoise, in this case featuring seared tuna, potato, cooked tomato, green beans, boiled egg, anchovies and olives.

I had the spaghetti vognole featuring some great little clams in a simple delicate sauce.

The bill came to $41 including a soft drink and a coffee. The service was friendly and at a good pace for a weekday lunch in the city, and another visit will be on the cards.

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Rice Workshop

238 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne
Vic 3000

On the corner of Little Bourke and Tattersalls Lane, Rice Workshop has a modern geometrically decorated window in an older brick building.

Inside on the ground floor there are a few seats at the front, with the counter and kitchen at the back.

The ordering area is at the very back, with a menu behind including a few items not on the website, there were also a selection of items available in a cabinet.

After ordering we waited just a few minutes before receiving our dishes and moving to the till to pay, and also select condiments and toppings to add to our dishes. We then headed upstairs where there were plenty of seats available in white painted and sparsely decorated room.

Brendan had the regular sized Ontama Teriyaki, teriyaki chicken topped with a (very) soft boild egg which he enjoyed.

I had the large tofu curry, which features two big slabs of tofu, some sweet potato in plenty of curry sauce on top of the rice. The sauce was tasty if not super spicy.

The meals are fantastic value priced around $7 to $9! Once we worked out the ordering process that went smoothly and I'm keen to read back and try a couple of other things from the menu...

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