Phat Milk

On an unsuspecting corner along Mt Alexander Road lies Phat Milk - modern Middle Eastern fare meets Melbourne cafe culture, pumping out St Ali brews to locals in the gateway to Melbourne’s North West.

A visit to Phat Milk promises an eclectic list of breakfast and lunch stand outs, inspired by Owner, Sean Halabi's Middle Eastern background. We're talking Warm Sahlab Puddings, (Middle Eastern pudding topped with crushed pistachios and berries), Shredded Confit Duck on zucchini and corn fritters with beetroot relish and drizzled with pomegranate molasses, to their Shish Baraks (Lebanese dumplings in hot garlic coriander yoghurt).

And behind the counter ? It’s all family affairs. Not simply in featuring mum’s home pickled olives recipe or grandma’s moghrabieh salad, but physically bringing in Mum and Dad into the kitchen to run a weekend traditional Middle Eastern BBQ. All the warm fuzzies.

Middle Eastern

Based on our waitress' suggestions, it would have been a sin not to order the Middle Eastern. Golden folds of scrambled eggs, falafels oh so crispy on the outside yet light and crumbly on the inside, Sean's Mum's home preserved olives made with TLC, thick and creamy labne, humus, sweet beetroot relish, spicy sujuk and a side of zataar bread. Lip-smackingly good.

Polenta Hotcake

I must say though, the ultimate breakfast showstopper here at Phat Milk must be their Polenta Hotcake, with devotees regularly making repeated visits over one weekend to get their Polenta Hotcake hit. Crispy-edged on the sides and tender in the middle, topped with a rainbow of seasonal fruits and berries, whipped Nutella mascarpone and a house made mixed berry coulis. Perfect for the gluten intolerant (and everyone else) !

I'm a sucker for fusion. And Phat Milk's unique fusion of traditional Middle Eastern cuisine with modern elements has made this Little Piggy very happy.

confessions of a little piggy was invited to dine as a guest of Phat Milk

Phat Milk

208 Mt Alexander Road

Travencore, VIC

http://phatmilkcafe.com.au 

 

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Rumi

No doubt about it, Rumi is charming. The space is warm and sophisticated, with its intricate poetry etched into wooden screens, and room filled with the aromatic flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine.

Arak Fakra

We started the night off by warming our stomachs with some Arak, an aniseed based drink distilled from wine and aged in clay jars. Arak first, water second and ice last - following this order, we watched as the once colourless drink transformed into a translucent milky-white colour.

Sigara Boregi 

We then kicked off with Sigara Boreki - brilliant little things. A lethal trio of haloumi, feta and kasseri, the blend of the cheeses was soft, rich and salty - all rolled delicately in a crisp and flakey pastry. 

Freekeh Salad

We then transitioned smoothly onto our mains of the Freekeh Salad and Spiced Lamb Shoulder. The combination of the Freekeh Salad was lovely and a medley of exciting tastes and textures. The nuttiness and chewiness of the freekeh, crunch of the almonds, light tang from the ewe's milk feta and the sweetness of the pomegranate dressing made a substantial and tasty salad.

Spiced Lamb Shoulder

The lamb shoulder itself was cooked beautifully, benefiting from long slow cooking times. Despite its dark and dry looking appearance, with only a gentle prod, the meat slipped off easily the bone, revealing a tender and pink flesh. We did however find that the lamb did not deliver as much flavour as we had hoped for, even with the sweet sirkanjabin mint sauce.

BBQ Lamb Ribs

Timed perfectly, we then progressed onto our next wave of dishes. In contrast to our previous dish, these BBQ Lamb Ribs were full of flavour and perfectly seasoned with za'atar. I tackled three of these moreish ribs with my hands, there's really no time for cutlery in these situations. I know, very lady-like of me.

Roast Field Mushrooms

Our final dish of the night were these wonderfully meaty roast field mushrooms. A bite into one of these had us singing praises for the rest of the night. With our flat bread, we mopped up every last drop of its accompanying creamy garlic yogurt. 

Rumi delivered on all fronts, with a special mention to their impeccable service. We walked out of Rumi with full bellies and smiles on our faces - a night at Rumi certainly promises to be a feast for both the eyes and palette. 

Rumi 

116 Lygon Street  

Brunswick East, VIC 

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Kamel

Seriously craving flavoursome food, and with a quick comb through Urbanspoon landed four hungry piggies at Kamel in St Albert on Hump Day.

Designed to share, we selected five dishes to taste between ourselves. As we finished up ordering, the waitress kindly informed us that four dishes would be plenty enough. Obviously, she didn't know us very well ! We stuck with five dishes.

Chilled Turkish Apple Tea

Middle Eastern Plate 

The Middle Eastern Plate starred rolls of fatty lebanese sausages and thick slices of grilled chorizo, both full of flavour and smokiness. The sides included caramelised apple, and salty crumbly feta, marinated olives, and deliciously flavoured garlic & herbed bread. 

Lamb & Lentil Filo Triangles with Yoghurt

Next came out the ever so delicate, light and crispy Lamb & Lentil Filo Triangles with Yoghurt. Unfortunately, I found the yogurt a little dull. An improvement I would love to see in this dish would be some more flavour to the yogurt. Perhaps a squeeze of lime, a dash of spice or some fresh herbs added would bring the yogurt to another level.

Baked Saganaki Prawns

My friend absolutely adores saganaki. So as soon as she saw this little number on the menu, she was sold. However, what was presented were small baked saganaki prawns which swam in  pool of spiced tomatoes with red capsicum & spanish onion sauce. With a fresh spritz of citrus, the flavours were certainly delicious. However, the dish to me, seemed more like sauce with prawns.

Twice Cooked Rolled Duck

The boys chose the following dish, and had been looking forward to it the whole night. It was a definite yes as soon as the menu was flipped open. Probably one of the favourites of the nights, the twice cooked rolled duck stuffed with figs, buckwheat & ginger was ducking good. The sweet figs made the perfect addition to the succulent bitefuls of duck.

Tagine of the day

For our last dish, my eyes wandered as the wait staff walked by with various dishes. I was keeping an eye out for the special tagine earthare pot, or the little tipi hut as I would call it. However, it was to my surprise that Kamel served it without the lid. Th tagine of the day was mint harissa and pomegranate molasses lamb tagine with lentils, served with saffron couscous scattered with dates and pistachios.

Our dishes at Kamel came out progressively, which allowed time for our stomachs to digest and also encouraged conversation by the fireplace. But if you ask me, I found that food was coming out a litttle too slow, and a little small in size. I was so suprised that the waitress had thought that four dishes would have been enough. Nonetheless, majority of dishes were full of flavour, heat and satisfied our tastebuds, but not so much our rumbling tummies. It was definitely worth the visit, but not somewhere I would be rushing off to dine at again.


Kamel
19 Victoria Avenue 
Albert Park

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B'stilla

B'Stilla, pronounced bas-tee-ya is that cool new restaurant to South Yarra. 

Now, B'Stilla being the one to pop my Moroccan cherry, I did need some guidance. It was perfect that we had a lovely waitress who explained the dishes throughout the night. As we were ordering, she came over to explain to us that Moroccan food was a harmony of sweetness, savoury and spices. Having picked a few dishes already, we asked for her recommendations to fill out a few empty spots. Dishes at B'Stilla are made to share, which only meant more to taste !

Not much longer, complimentary hot Moroccan mint tea, fresh figs and harissa were brought over for us to nibble on.  Harrisa as explained by the glossary at the back of the menu is a popular condiment in Morocco, flavoured with spices and chillies. It’s Morocco’s version of ketchup. The spicy sauce was so good, I wanted to smother everything in it.

B’stilla 

 Pigeon, duck, almond, cinnamon, saffron & egg

It would have been a crime not order their signature dish the restaurant was named after. Encased in a delicately thin pastry was an interesting combination of sweet, salty and nuttiness. The tenderness of the birds along with the buttery crunch was beautiful. 

 Spinach, eggplant, almond & fresh cheese rgahaif 

This was hands down, everyone's favourite dish of the night. A cool Moroccan street food snack, this crepe life pastry held together the wonderful flavours of spinach, eggplant, almond and fresh cheese. I could've just eaten the pastry itself- warm, soft and rich in butter.

Fig, goat’s cheese, chickpea & root vegetables tagine

As the waitress came over with our dish in the special Moroccan tagine, I knew I was in for a treat. This comfort dish was filled to the brim generously. Like a treasure chest, the deeper I dug, the more treasures I found.  
The addition figs in this earthenware dish was a light, sweet touch to the earthy, warm spices of the tagine. Alongside this, was the goat cheese which I felt really brought the whole dish together.

Beef short rib with carrot jam & preserved lemon 

For only $25, I was very impressed by this dish.  Cooked to perfection, the bones slid out with ease and had the perfect fat to meat ratio.  This was by far the most succulent beef short rib I have had,  the tender meat literally dissolved in my mouth. So good. So juicy. I could also taste the patience. This flavour packed meat would have been slowly simmered to absorb the richness of the braising liquid. Accompanied by a carrot jam and preserved lemon, this was the other favourite of the night.

Cous cous with apricot, smoked chili, coriander & preserved citrus

For the smaller portion, the cous cous dish was enormous. Together with the tagine, this cous cous was a great combination. However, by itself, I found it a little too citrus-y.

Cucumber, saffron, dill, piquillo, nigella & yoghurt

This pickled cucumber salad played a nice role in adding the 4th 's' to the table. Sweet, savoury, spicy and sourness. Very refreshing.

At such a modern, relaxed chic space, impeccable food and at such affordable prices, B'Stilla is definitely worth a visit, it was absolutely moROCKIN'.


B'Stilla
30b Bray St 
South Yarra, VIC 3141

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