Chuckle Park – Caravan and Simple, Great Food!

Chuckle Park

Caravan of Chuckle Park

Artwork at Chuckle Park

Tea Cosy’s at Chuckle Park

The Rock

Fritatta Roll

Inside the Fritatta Roll – sooo good!

Albondigas

Meatball Wrap

The famous Pulled Pork Roll

ChucklePark is funky little eatery / bar which is located in a hidden alleyway off Little Collins Street, near Elizabeth street. It is located under the New Guernica’s entrance and is cosy outdoor space complete with its very own caravan style serving kitchen. Inspired from their holiday experiences in Phillip Island it is the brainchild of Dominic Lococo, Kyle Bush, Marcus Motteram, Steve Costa and Jaff Tzaferis.

As you enter, there is a lot to take in – from the hanging plants, the lights in jars that look like stars up high, to the main feature – the caravan with a colourful Jesus statue and surrounding flowers. There is also synthetic grass, high wooden tables as well as low tables – all made to resemble a park – hence the name ChucklePark. There is also gas heaters and awnings to protect the customers from the unpredictability that is Melbourne weather.

There is a simple menu with something on it to eat for everyone. The highlight of the menu – and there are many testaments for this is the Chuckle Park Pulled Pork Roll. Some of the other dishes included are the Albondigas  – which are Spanish meatballs – which comes served in the hot stoneware pan itself, as well as paella, Spanish Lentil Salad and Elote (think char grilled to perfection Corn on the Cob). For drinks there are canned beverages (Coke, Sprite etc) as well jugs of Sangria, aperitifs, beers, ciders and the usual hot drinks – coffee, tea etc.

We went to ChucklePark on a Friday at lunchtime – and we made sure that we got there by 12pm – lucky we did as it soon started to fill up after this time. Most of the boys ordered the Pulled Pork Roll and one guy ordered the Albondigas – the Spanish meatballs served in a hearty vegetable broth. I ordered the Frittata Roll – which was Spanish Style Vegetable Tortila Sandwich with Cheese, Spinach, Mayo and Eggplant Relish. I couldn’t have loved my Frittata Roll more! The patty made of veggies was delicious and flavoursome – you could almost even just eat it on its own. I loved the addition of the eggplant relish – it was the perfect complement to all the other ingredients. For any vegetarians out there you really must try this.

Suffice to say everyone loved their Pulled Pork Rolls – and the size of these “burgers” was HUGE! Its hard to imagine where one would start to eat this. The Albondigas was tasty as well and W who ordered the dish was quietly enjoying his dish.

ChucklePark is great for home-style dishes sourced from local produce that has superb flavourings. It is great for lunch and especially great for afternoon or late night drinks. The staff are hospitable and friendly and the place intimate, casual and cosy. Head down there now!

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Food menu can be found at http://media.wix.com/ugd/190d00_a321c5f811c34bb0ad19147e87d561c3.pdf
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Relaxed and Funky! How many places have a caravan located with astro turf and lights in jars strung up !
Standout Dish: Fritatta Roll – DELICIOUS!
Service: Friendly, Welcoming and Accommodating! Always happy to help and turn on the heaters if you get cold.
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.chucklepark.com.au/
322 Little Collins St, Melbourne CBD
Tel No: 8654 9954

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 12:00pm – 1:00am

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Rosa’s Kitchen – Sicilian Homely Treat

Rosa’s Kitchen

Calamari with Potatoes

Morton Bay Bug Sphaghetti with Breadcrumbs

Lamb with Spinach and Potatoes

Canoli

It was time for another one of our regular catch ups for A and I and this time our destination was Rosa’s Kitchen. As we were going to watch King Kong after dinner at the time of booking I told the restaurant that we needed to be out by a certain time which worked well with their sitting times.

Rosa’s Kitchen is located in Punch Lane – a wonderful side street in the heart of the Melbourne CBD – and is a venture by Rosa Mitchell (ex-Journal Canteen), David Mackintosh and Peter Bartholomew (Coda, Movida Group, Pei Modern). The venue itself is quite dark yet warm thanks to the soft glow of the lanterns, cosy and playful at the same time – this is evident with the mismatched and colourful chairs at the mix of timber and black plywood tables. There are polished concrete floors together with a whitewashed brick wall to match and there is a red glow through the whole venue.

What is strikingly different from any other place is that there is no menu given to you to decide what you want to eat – you have to look at the blackboard along the sides of the walls as well as above the bar/kitchen area and decide what you want there. Specials are spoken out to you by the friendly staff. The way the menu works is that it rotates fortnightly – all depending on the ingredients which come from Mitchell’s 140 acre farm near Yandoit – keeping with the fresh produce theme that Mitchell wants to achieve. The cuisine is Sicilian influenced in the form of homely and comforting dishes by Lucy David (ex-Coda, Pei Modern) and consists of four pastas and five mains generally, such as Orecchiette alla Trapanese which has a Sicilian-style pesto with almonds sauce or Meatballs with fresh tomato sugo. There is also a great drinks list which has been put together by sommelier Lazlo Evenhuis (ex-The Crimean), as well as snacks menu to go with the drinks.

We ordered the Calamari with potatoes and herbs for “entrée” but really this dish could have been a main on its own. There was a tangy taste combined with the soft and crunchy in parts potato which served as a wonderful combination. I ordered the Bugspasta which was cooked beautifully with the combination of oil, garlic and parsley and topped with toasted breadcrumbs which added texture, flavour and crunch. The Bugs were cooked perfectly and really complemented the other flavours of the dish. My friend A ordered the lamb special which she enjoyed but couldn’t finish due to the generous serving size. The lamb she said was soft, tender and full of flavour.

We were running out of time and were both quite full so decided to share the Canoli as I had heard that this was a must try. And I can see why. The Canoli had crispy pastry casing which was filled with whipped ricotta and combined with honey, sugar and lemon zest and finished with toasted and crushed pistachios on the outside.

The food at Rosa’s Kitchen is rustic and really does feel like you are in a Sicilian town eating food that has been created with a feeling of love and happiness. They don’t try to make the dishes overly complex – just simple home style cooking at its best. Try it out for yourselves.

Rating : 3.5 Pandas
Price: $$$
Menu – The food menu – http://www.rosas-kitchen.com/Rosas%20Kitchen%20Full%20Menu.pdf
The drinks menu – http://www.rosas-kitchen.com/Rosas%20Kitchen%20Drinks%20Menu.pdf
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Warm, Homely and Cosy
Standout Dish: Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs, Parsley and Garlic
Service: Friendly and Accomadating
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.rosas-kitchen.com/
22 Punch Lane, Melbourne
Tel No: 9662 2883

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 12:00pm – 11:00pm

Mosq – A little piece of Morroco in the Heart of Chapel Street

                      
Mosq is an alluring restaurant / function space – it combines plush and comfortable day beds together with golden lanterns and lamps, woven rugs which makes it feel like you have stepped onto the set of Aladdin amidst a Moroccan palace. The venue also consists of intimate little alcove areas which are cosy and serve for great photo opportunities. One of my favourite areas is the day bed which is covered in woven rugs and you can just chill out and eat your tapas style food and sip on the yummy cocktails/mocktails.

We went to Mosq for my Mum’s birthday with some of her friends too – altogether there were 6 of us. We ordered some starters as well as three Tagines for the mains. The starters consisted of Chicken Kofte cooked with Pomegranate, Pistachios, Apricots and Mild Spices, Kataifi Wrapped Prawns with Cumin Yoghurt, Sucuk Beef Sausage Skewers grilled with Zucchini and Haloumi and lastly Mushrooms stuffed with Feta, Parmesan and Herbs. My favourite out of these dishes as the stuffed Mushrooms. They were tasty bite sized morsels complete with flavour, but not the usual overwhelming taste that parmesan gives. My mum and her friend started to discuss how to re-create these at home – they were that good! You seriously could eat a plate full of these and be content. The Kataifi prawns were crispy and the cumin yoghurt was a great combination. The Kofte had a mix of both sweet and spice – and the mix actually worked and was quite tasty.

The mains that came out – Lamb Tagine Tender Lamb, Slow Cooked in Mild Moroccan Spices with Winter Vegetables, Garnished with Dates and Almonds, Seafood Tagine Baramundi, Salmon, Mussels and Tiger Prawns Slow Cooked with Preserved Lemon and Olives, Seared Lamb with Moroccan Crust Pan Seared Lamb Crusted in Moroccan Spices served medium Rare on a Sweet Potato, Eggplant and Pistachio Cous Cous and Almond Rice Pilaf. The meats in each of these Tagines, true to their style were soft and tender and literally just melted in your mouth. I wasn’t overly impressed with the Seafood Tagine, but they were generous with the varieties of seafood. I am a huge fan of Rice Pilaf and the Mosq Pilaf was sublime. The pieces of almond together with the individually separated rice, which wasn’t too oily, was simply divine. The Cous Cous was aromatic and tasty, and the Moroccan Spices on the lamb mixed well with the Sweet Potato and Eggplant.

Overall the experience at Mosq was fantastic. The food was flavoursome and the decor made it feel like you had been transported to a little restaurant in Morocco. There is also entertainment from belly dancers to Thursday live flamenco and jazz guitarists. There is also an outdoor terrace area if you wanted to enjoy your food in the summer. There are also Shisha pipes available with or without tobacco in a range of flavours (including apple, strawberry and mint), which can be a great way to finish a meal, together with some mint tea (served in cute little glasses). The menu is authentic and full of Moroccan and Middle Eastern flavours and is affordable, although I sometimes did find the dishes a tad bit on the small side. They have a range of cocktail and mocktails which are delicious and creative.

Just a note for bookings – on Friday and Saturday nights Mosq is only available as a function venue. For functions there are flexible food and drinks menus available with the choice of adding in extras such as the belly dancers, Shisha pipes etc.

Rating : 3 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – A La Carte – refer to http://mosq.com.au/
Fullness: 65%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Cosy – it feels like you are in a classy Morrocan restaurant with the rugs, lanterns and lights, as well as the little intimate nooks and a makeshift daybed where you can just chill in a group.
Standout Dish: Roasted Marron, Tarragon Butter
Service: So-So. Maybe they were just having an off night – the service was good and quite friendly, however the dishes took ages to come out and we asked the waiter many times what was happening but they weren’t quite sure.
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://mosq.com.au/
Shop 2
60 Bray Street, South Yarra
Tel No:  9804 7770

Opening Hours:
Monday -Thursday: 6pm-11pm
Friday – Sunday: 6pm – 1am

Rumi – Persian and Lebanese Cuisine

 
Persian Meatballs, Tomato and Saffron Sauce, Labne, Cos and Herb Salad,  BBQ Baby Broccolini, Egg and Lemon Sauce

Sigara Boregi, cigar shaped pastry filled with haloumi, feta, and kasseri
BBQ Whole King Prawns, fennel salt
Beef Fatteh, Chickpeas, Pine Nuts, Yoghurt, Paprika Butter
Almond Pudding and Persian Tea

Rumi is medium sized restaurant that is decorated with Arabic calligraphy and paintings. The waiters are friendly and impress you with the funky shaped jugs and their fine pouring skills. Not all the dishes were great but there were some really tasty dishes. The Persian Meatballs were full of flavour, however the Spiced Lamb Shoulder we ordered wasn’t so nice. I found that it came out a bit burnt and wasn’t as soft as it could have been. The BBQ Whole King Prawns with Fennel Salt was once again flavoured just right and although it sounds simple, the dish was nice and one of my parents’ favourites of the night.

Rating : 3.5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – A la Carte – can be found at http://rumirestaurant.com.au/dinner/
Fullness: 80%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Comfortable and Bright – Perfect for Famliy dinners
Standout Dish: Persian Meatballs
Service: Fantastic and Attentive  – and the waiters have funky water pouring skills
Online Booking: Yes via website – http://rumirestaurant.com.au/reservations/
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://rumirestaurant.com.au/
116 Lygon St, Brunswick East
Tel No: 9388 8255

Opening Hours:
Open 7 days for Dinner