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!

Mr Hobson, Port Melbourne

9 Waterfront Place,
Port Melbourne
Vic 3207

Mr Hobson is situated in the sleek looking first building on Station Pier in Port Melbourne, and includes a terrace looking west along the beach towards Williamstown. We visited after a booking a special through dimmi, which offered 50% off our food bill. The offer popped up in my inbox on the day our guest, who is a fan of this part of town was arriving.

The modern and stylish look continues inside, and despite it being a Tuesday there were a decent number of other diners already seated when we arrived.

We went for the Tapas sharingp late  to start. The patatas bravas were disappointing boiled rather then fried potatoes in a lacklustre tomato sauce, the  marinated mushrooms and the grilled vegetable tapenade however were both much better, well prepared and full of flavour. We were brought more bread when we asked.

The crispy skin Barramundi fillet was perfectly cooked and came with a roasted portobello mushroom, an asparagus and fennel salad and plenty of the tasty butter sauce.

The seafood saffron fettuccine featured prawns, scallops, calamari and mussels, with olive oil, white wine and chilli and looked good.

The dishes were both a little on the small size, but were certainly full of flavour. With a few drinks the bill was still under $80 thanks to the deal. The staff were friendly and the service good throughout the meal. The view out across the bay for the hazy sunset was great. I'll definitely be looking out for another offer!

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Satchmo's Den

57 Lonsdale Street (Rear)
Melbourne
Vic 3000

Satchmo's Den must have replaced Piadina Slowfood around 6 months ago, but despite passing by several times, I hadn't noticed! After a looked at their facebook page it seems they opened in July 2012.

We sat outside on the new benches. It was hot and sunny and good weather makes a big difference to the cafe, and the amount of useable seating, as inside it's fairly small.

We ordered inside at the counter, I had the bean enchilada’s, which were served with cheese, avocado/guacamole, sour cream  and a small side salad. The filling was wholesome and well flavoured and the dish put together well.

I'm pleased that Piadina Slow Food has been something equally interesting, serving good value, healthy food. THe service was prompt and friendly and I'd happily return.

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The Emerald Elephant - Port Melbourne

179 Bay Street
Port Melbourne
Vic 3207

After an afternoon trip to the beach we'd planned to head to Hunky Dory for some fish and possibly chips, but on getting within a few yards it became obvious that a good chunk of Port Melbourne had had the same idea. The big queues to order and lack of table space put us off, not the ideal way to end a relaxing Sunday! The Emerald Elephant Thai restaurant was next door and we decided after a look at the menu and a couple of reviews to give it a bash.

The cool interior was welcome on the warm day, the place felt clean and tidy if not particularly cutting edge. We were told we could sit anywhere and then had our menu's were delivered by a seven(ish?) year old girl, I'm assuming a relative of the owners or staff! She seemed quite blasé about the fact that she was 'working' there which made it seem a bit more odd. There were a few other tables occupied and several people came in to pick up takeaway while we were there, but it was an oasis of calm compared to next door!

The menu contained plenty of well known Thai dishes amongst a good range. We went for the classic fish cakes. These were well executed with the texture not being too rubbery and delicately flavoured. They came with a mild sweet chilli sauce topped with broken peanuts and cucumber cubes which worked well.

I'd selected the veggie massaman curry, which is a favourite of mine I don't get to cook that often. This version had a little less of the peanut flavours with the spiciness and sweetness coming through more strongly, and had a general lightness and was packed with plenty of fresh vegetables and tofu.

The flavours in the fish Pad Kee Mao certainly seemed authentic for a Thai stir fry, and more bitter flavours contrasted with the massaman. The fish was lightly battered and nicely cooked and the whole chillies certainly packed a punch.

The roti, was quite light in a good way.

Overall the meal felt healthier than some Thai meals I've had. Our orders were taken and dishes were served by friendly (and adult) waitress, although when it came time to pay the young girl was in charge of the EFTPOS machine, all up the food came to $42.30. I think we would give it another try if we were looking for Thai in the area.




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