Railway Hotel, Yarraville

35 Anderson Street
Yarraville
VIC 3013

We hadn't got around to checking out the re-christened and renovated Railway Hotel in Yarraville, so arranged to meet Rick and Nadia there on a sunny Thursday evening.

We got a table in the dining area towards the back, with plush banquette seating and white table cloths. It all felt quite different to previous visits to the buildings former existence as the Blarney Stone 'Irish' Pub.

The menu mixes a few classic pub dishes with other offerings inspired from more far flung cuisines.

Rick went for the fish and chips which was served with a salad. I'm not a fan of serving the fish on top of the chips, but it looked good otherwise and and he was happy with his choice.

The better half went for the singapore noodles. They had a really intense flavour, we reckoned from too much shrimp paste or possibly fish sauce. It overpowered the other ingredients and we ended up swapping dishes as it was just a bit too much for her.

Nadia enjoyed her duck.

I went for the vegetable korma with rice, naan and raita which was served elegantly. The meal was fine if a little on the bland side.

The service through the evening was fine and tolerant of our slow ordering. The bill came $170 for 4 including drinks, which seemed a lot for slightly hit and miss meals we received, I've noticed elsewhere that the parma here is highly rated so maybe it would have been better to stick to the more traditional options...

Slice Girls West

4 Yewers Street
Footscray
Vic 3011

If you aren't looking out for Slice Girls West, it is easy to miss, with just the oversize street number and a few fairy lights marking it out from the other industrial looking units lining the narrow street running off Moreland Road near the Footscray Arts Centre.

Right inside is the counter with coffee and cakes on offer in addition to the Pizza menu.

The fit out of the relatively small space is cute and almost kitsch with a few high tables and openings through to the kitchen at the back.

Upstairs work is going on to fit out a bar, which will be larder than the restaurant downstairs, it should be opening in February. The licence has been approved and downstairs a few beers and a cidre are now available.

We'd already made plans to take our meal down to the river, to make the most of sunny summer evening.

The better half, a fan of the city branch already knew she wanted the mushroom pizza which was also topped with mozzarella, caramelised onion, black truffle oil, and parsley. It didn't quite live up to the original she loves, with a little to much cheese and not enough 'shrooms.

I went for the Vegan option featuring a Napoli sauce, olives, mushrooms, roasted red capsicum, basil, and garlic oil. I was impressed with the pizza, great quality ingredients on a fantastic thin and just crispy enough base combined to produce a healthy and tasty winner.

The two pizzas came to a fair $24 all up, and although they aren't huge certainly satisfied us. The service was friendly and our boxed up meals seemed to be ready in a speedy 5 to 10 minutes, although things were pretty quiet. It is certainly work seeking out Spice Girls West down and it will be interesting to see how the venue develops in what is an area with plenty of change occurring.

Oppa Kitchen

271 Swanston Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

Trem and I met up at Oppa Kitchen which was conveniently located on Swanston Street. The glass front opens into a modern white walled space with a polished concrete floors.

We were directed past the tables and service area and up to the 1st floor, which was initially quiet, but soon filled up. After checking out the menu we were told to fill out the little form to complete our order, which was soon collected.

We didn't have to wait too long for our food, but Trem's meal did come out a little after mine. He had the Grilled pork belly bulgogi "Dosirak" meal bucket, a single portion take away or home packed meal common in Korea. The meat was served on rice along with fresh salad in mandarin dressing, deep fried potato hash and pickled radish and went down well.

I went for the crispy tofu and mushroom bibimbap which was part of a summer special offer and only $9. Bibimbap is a signature Korean dish served as a bowl of warm rice topped with sauteed and seasoned vegetables with chilli paste and in this case egg. The mushrooms were packed with flavour and star of the plate for me.

The service was fine and the mains priced from around $11 outside the special. Oppa kitchen is great spot to grab some Korean food on Swanston street.

Fukuyru Ramen

1/22-26 Corrs Lane
Melbourne
VIC 3000

Merry suggested Fukuyru Ramen  as a lunch venue, and although I had passed by its location right at the top of Corrs lane, I hadn't eaten there and was happy to give it a try.

Once inside the doorway you head straight up a flight of stairs to a surprisingly light and airy space, just one floor up, I guess the white walls and big lights help!

After a few moments staring at the large menu on the wall behind the counter we both ordered. 

I went for the Winter shio ramen featuring chicken and fish broth, Japanese fishcakes and braised raddish, along with the seaweed and egg. It was a satisfying combination of flavours with lots going on!

Merry's bowl chicken broth and ramen arrived first up...

...followed a little later by the panko-crumbed chicken breast, which looked great.

Both bowls came in around the $12 mark. The service was a little slow given it was fairly quiet, and the chicken took even longer... If you aren't in a masive hurry, it is worth heading up Corrs Lane to seek out Fukuyru Ramen.

The Arbory

Flinders Walk
Melbourne
3000

We visited the Arbory on a sunny spring evening and after some searching found ourselves a pair of stools overlooking the river and in the shade of the trees that I assume influenced the name. It is a great location and the establishment makes great use of the strip of outdoor space between Flinders Street Station and the river.

There had been a horse race on, which meant there where plenty of frocks, hats and suits on display, among the more casually dressed punters. Despite the volume of people the wait to order wasn't too long and our pre-visit perusal of the menu meant we knew what we wanted to order. My schooner of Coopers green ended up never settling so I returned the murky glass and it was happily exchanged with a Mountain Goat.

It didn't take long for the food to appear. The crumbed mushroom and haloumi burger also featured tomato relish and salad and was a winner, with the crunch of the crumb and lettuce complementing the juicy 'shroom and cheese.

I had the Fish and Chip roll. I checked before ordering that the chips came separately, as although the pom in me loves a chip butty, I wasn't convinced that a regular bun could resonably hold that much. In fact only the generous battered piece of fish along with remoulade and lettuce sat pinned between the soft pillows of bread. The combination proved satisfyingly easy to eat and my only reservation was the speed which it slipped down at!

Both our meals came with decent portions of crinkle cut chips which hit the spot and ensured we left with our hunger satisfied.

The service was efficient in the face of the busy establishment and courteous even when dealing with the beer issue. The two burgers came to a fairly reasonable $31 whereas the schooners came at what seemed to me a steep $9 each. I guess the location, novelty and cool factor will continue to pull in the crowds at Arbory, and it does provide a great additional option on the Melbourne riverfront.

Sushi Teri, Goleta

5746 Calle Real

Goleta

CA 93117

After watching the sunset at Goleta beach and jetty, we ended up at Sushi Teri for dinner. The restaurant featured an open kitchen and plenty of wood in the fit out. We found ourselves a booth and checked out the extensive menu before picking out some dishes to share.

The casings of the Gyoza were crisp with a hot and tasty filling.

The next plate to arrive featured one of the more interestingly named sushi offerings in the "Girls Night Out" rolls of albacore, cucumber and avocado topped with spicy tuna.

The descriptively named Shrimp sushi featured the crustacean, avocado and cucumber.

The Hobe rolls  contained yellow-tail, imitation crab, jalapeño and cucumber topped with salmon, shrimp and avocado.

The Surf’s Up rolls were very different to any other sushi I'd seen before, with a mix of tempura shrimp, crab, avocado, cucumber, egg and scallop topped with the chef’s sauce.

The California rolls were much more familiar, with their imitation crab, avocado and cucumber.

The service was friendly though out and the waitress helped us order. The bill with a shared large beer came to $75 including the tip. SushiTeri certainly took me out of my Sushi comfort zone... in a good way!

Papa Lennon's

515 West El Roblar Drive
Ojai
CA 93023

We rode up to Ojai and rewarded ourselves with lunch at Papa Lennons another of Mark's recommendations. The courtyard's dappled shade and ivy clad walls contributed to the laid back vibe.

We perused the menu before heading inside to order some dishes to share.

The won-ton chicken salad contained shredded romaine lettuce, cabbage, carrots, diced red onion, roma tomatoes, chicken, green onions, coriander and fried won-ton skins tossed with a Thai peanut dressing. The combination of fresh flavours and textures was great and the serving generous.

I'd never tried golden beetroot before, which was a feature of 'The Beetnik' along with spring mix, roasted red beets, candied walnuts, goat cheese rolled in fresh herbs and dried cranberries with a honey herb infused vinaigrette. The bright coloured 'roots lived up to their name and the flavours were similar to the traditional variant. The melange was also well balanced and tasty!

We also shared a Mediterranean Pizza mozzarella topped with cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, zucchini and eggplant, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, feta cheese and pesto. The base was thin and crisp and the generous portion of toppings packed with those southern European flavours.

We finished up with 'long blacks', which Mark orders by specifying the addition of  a little hot water to an espresso to get the right drink, including the crema.

Papa Lennon's was a great place to hang out and re-fuel mid ride, the service was friendly and relaxed. The bill came in at a fair $34.33 and we thought it was a great spot for a mid ride break!

Mi Amor Cafe

234 E Hwy 246

Buellton

CA 93427

We stopped for lunch in Buelton, ending up at the Mi Amor Cafe.

We shared a roast veggie sandwich and an avocado wrap.  The wrap was fresh tasting, surpassing our limited expectations. The sandwich was a little heavier and more filling.

Nature's Grill

566 E Main Street
Ventura
CA 93001

Mark took us to Natures Grill on the Main street of Ventura.

We visited on a Saturday lunch time and it was buzzing with plenty of the tables occupied. After  perusing the menu and ordering at the counter we found ourselves a booth and waited for our meals.

Mark had the Turkey Burger, the patty was topped with grilled red onion, lettuce, tomato and sprouts served on a locally baked whole wheat bun with Thousand Island dressing, which didn't disappear  quite as quickly as the blurry photo suggests!

The Vegetarian Tamale contained pinto beans, organic corn, peanuts, green chiles, sea salt and garlic wrapped in corn masa. It was topped with ranchero sauce and sour cream and was served with short grain brown rice and beans and proved to be a winner.

I went for the Zen Burger featured a whole grain and vegetable patty with lettuce, tomato, sprouts and garlic mayo in another locally baked bun. The package of flavours worked well together, and the patty was moist yet held together pretty well. After eating the Zen I was suitably sated.

Each of the healthy and wholesome plates came in around a fair $8 and got to us in a reasonable time given the number of patrons. Nature's Grill lived up to its name and we were happy with Marks's suggestion.