Rolling Pin Pies & Cakes, Queenscliff

40 Hesse Street
Queenscliff
Victoria 3225

The Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes cafe in Queenscliff is proud of it's award winning achievements!

I decided to give it one of its products a go...

The Wholemeal Vegetarian Pastie, has apparently twice been judged "Australia’s Best Vegetarian Pastie". The wholemeal pastry shell encased the tasty combination of veggies which hit the firmness and moisture sweet spots.

They clearly know how to make pies and live up to their prizes!

Yard 58 - Courtyard Cafe, Queenscliff

58 Hesse Street
Queenscliff
VIC 3225

We were looking a for a late lunch in Queenscliff and the Courtyard seemed to fit the bill.

So we headed down the corridor and found our selves in the main white walled room with access to the eponymous outdoor area.

The long black was good.

The chicken broth with dumplings, beanshoots, spring onions, chillies and coriander lacked much flavour although the dumplings were good.

I went for the veg and barley soup with sourdough toast which was hearty.

The bill came to around $35 with the hot drinks, the service was good and it is a nice spot for a light bite.

Mr Lawrence at the London, Port Melbourne

92 Beach St
Port Melbourne
Victoria
3207

We'd booked for lunch on a Sunday at Mr Lawrence at the London on the corner Princes and Beach st in Port Melbourne. It was reasonably busy inside but we had a window seat with views out across the bay.

Inside the fit out has Middle Eastern touches while still feeling a bit like former pub it is. Apparently it is under threat of re-development, which given how few notable older buildings there are on this part of the seafront seems like a shame. The menu is also influenced by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours.

A few of the Turkish pizzas were ordered including one topped with chopped prawn, harissa, preserved lemon, zucchini and halloumi.

I chose the roast mushroom, caramelised onion, three cheeses and fennel for the first Turkish pizza I can remember having. The combination of ingredients  and the crisp thin base worked for me!

 The grilled pork loin with nut and grain salad and mint yoghurt went down well.

The special salad of beetroot and orange with feta was popular too.

The bill for 5 including a few drinks came to $166. The service was professional and pretty swift for a busy spot. It is worth a try before any wrecking balls move in!

Vinh Ha Long Returns

76 Nicholson Street
Footscray
Victoria
3011

When we moved to Footscray the original Ha Long restaurant occupied the building on the corner or Nicholson and Droop streets, which morphed into Sen a few years later. Now the former name has returned.

The fit out has been upgraded again and has resulted in a clean modern feel, with the re-assuring presence of boxes of tissues and condiments on the tables!

We kicked off with the prawn spring rolls, which came the usual dipping sauce, thai basil and lettuce. The rolls had plenty of crunch and enough flavour.

The chicken pho came along in good time but due to the public holiday there were no herbs or bean sprouts on this occasion. There was however plenty of chicken and a tasty broth!

We had to ask a second time for my chicken Char Kway Teow which meant it arrived 5 to 10 minutes after the soup. The was some of the smoky flavour expected of the dish, but not quite as strong as I'd hoped for, the ingredients were all fresh, with plenty of chicken.

On paying the bill I was initially charged for another dish, but this was soon sorted out and the final bill was $31. the food was fine but not out of the ordinary for the area, and the forgetting of one dish marred the service. I think we may give it another try, but there is a lot of competition around in the 'scray!