Gasolina – Motorcycles, Pizza and Good Food

Entrance to Gasolina

Gasolina Bar Area

Gasolina Menu

Gasolina One Drop Lunch

Sitting Area

Transformer Robot

Menu:

I was in charge or organising a team lunch around our work area and I had previously been to Gasolina and really liked the space and thought they did pretty good pizzas – so decided on trying this place again. Right from the start the staff were very helping as I needed for them to send through a menu and needed to pre-order food as well. I think I must have called them at least 5 times, and yet they were still so patient and helpful in answering my questions with regards to various dietary requirements. A big tick for customer service.

Gasolina is located in Docklands and is part restaurant, part bar and part motorcycle garage and workshop – all located conveniently in a shed at South Wharf. The cuisine is traditional Italian complete with wood fire pizzas, grilled meats and the variety of the homemade pasta’s. The space is vast and has kept its warehouse/shed feel with the bar splitting up the dining area to the right and a lounge area with lounges, tables and Robot art. You also have direct access to the garage next to Gasolina which houses customer motorcycles and a few automobiles. To keep with the theme – there are motorcycles scattered around the restaurant / bar area too. What is also very unique and a huge point of difference is that there are Transformer robot replicas around the place – there was a mini one located on the bar and a HUGE robot located in the loungey area. I loved it!

Gasolina serves traditional Italian food such as wood fire pizzas, daily made pasta as well as grilled meats. The menu’s are rather funky as well and resembles a block of wood with a bolt to tie back to the workshop. Something new that they are trailing is a menu called a One Drop Lunch – which costs $25 and comes with a house wine, beer or a soft drink. What it is, is essentially 3 courses all served in “one drop” in a tray that resembles a Thali that some Indian restaurants use. You get an entrée, main and dessert as well as bread with olive oil and whipped butter and the best part – a tablet that looks like a refresher mint – but is actually a wet towel once you have completed your meal. You simply drop this table into water and voila it becomes a towelette. Very cool hey!

You get to choose out of three options for each of the courses and there are also vegetarian and gluten free options available. Refer to the menu above to see the options.

For my One Drop lunch – I got the Insalata, The Mushroom Risotto and the Chocolate Mousse. The Insalata caprese came with vine tomato, pesto, buffalo mozzarella, ligurian olive, balsamic, and was quite refreshing. The ingredients were fresh and juicy. The Mushroom risotto was served with marscapone and truffle oil and was quite filling and really tasty. The risotto rice was cooked perfectly. The Dark Chocolate mousse came with poached pear and cookie crumbs – and had a rich taste which paired well with the sweetness of the poached pears.

I really like this concept and think it’s a great and novel idea!

Rating : 3.5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to the thumbnails above – there is a Pizza, Pasta, Sides, Salads, Starter, Dessert and One Drop Lunch Menu
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Warehouse feel and inviting
Service: Great and very friendly!
Online Booking: Yes via website – http://gasolina.com.au/gasolina-restaurant-bar/
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://gasolina.com.au/gasolina-restaurant-bar/
25 Dukes Walk, South Wharf Promenade
Ph: 03 9696 1169

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 11am – Late
Kitchen open from 12PM Daily

Hercules Morse Kitchen and Bar – Intimate, Relaxed and Great Food!

Morse Chip Butty – Roasted Duck Fat Potatoes in a Truffle Buttered Roll

Kitchen at Hercules Morse Kitchen and Bar

Inside Hercules Morse Kitchen and Bar

Inside Hercules Morse Kitchen and Bar

Cauliflower and Cheese Balls with Lemon, Rosemary Salt and a Dijon Dipping Mayo

Table at Hercules Morse Kitchen and Bar

Crispy Skin Snapper, Prawn Brandade, Buttered Asparagus and Roquette Pesto

Slow Braised Beef Cheek Cigars and Salsa Verde

Warmed Barley and Mushroom Risotto with Enoki and Melted Taleggio

Deconstructed Apple Pie – Tarte Tatin Apples, Pecan and Cheddar Crumble

Cocktail List:
      

It was time for another catchup with A and this time my venue selection was at Hercules Morse Kitchen & Bar which is located in South Melbourne. Hercules Morse is the fantastic new venue by Kelly and Ash Cooke, which has been renovated from an old curry serving venue into a stylish and funky one. The name comes from children’s author Lynley Dodd’s series – Hairy Maclary and is the name of an English Mastiff (dog) in the books.

The central focal point is the bar and kitchen which is colourful striped feature. Depending on what you feel like there are high tables with bar stools located at the front and through the walkway of the venue, leading through to a comfortable and cosy back room which houses lower tables and cushion seats. There is also a tree mural and a fireplace to further add warmth. The tables are wooden and the chairs are black which tied in with the black and white circled plates (which I love!). There really was a great first impression!

The menu is created by Brad Cooke (formerly of Chin Chin) and combines a variety of ingredients in a style that is not seen in many places in Melbourne and has a modern twist to the Britannia era. The menu is split into three sections – Snack, Graze and Indulge. The menu is designed to share we are told by the friendly and helpful waiter. Reading the menu you almost want to sample each and every dish. Snacks consists from House Spiced Nuts to Oysters to Fish Fingers and their famous Morse Chip Butty (more on this dish later). Graze dishes are more of your larger dishes and consist of all your main proteins – such as beef, chicken, snapper, scallops, steak tartare and a vegetartian option of warmed barley and mushroom salad – which is a risotto dish. Indulge consists of 4 different desserts – 2 of which are cheese options.

We decided to get one Snack dish and one Graze dish each and share the Warmed Barley and Mushroom Risotto with Enoki and Melted Taleggio dish. A chose the Morse Chip Butty (she loves anything roasted in duck fat – I guess most people do!) as well as the Beef Cigars. I selected the Cheese and Cauliflower Balls as well as the Crispy Skin Snapper. We were seated on bar stools on the high tables near the kitchen so could see into the kitchen as our dishes were being prepared. Our first dish was the Cauliflower and Cheese Balls with Lemon, Rosemary Salt and a Dijon Dipping Mayo. I really loved the combination of the cauliflower and cheese – and I have never seen it done before. The addition of the rosemary salt mixed with the Dijon dipping mayo complemented the dish perfectly.

There was a crisp crunchy coating on the outside with the gooey yuminess on the inside – it really was a great dish! A had the Morse Chip Butty – Roasted Duck Fat Potatoes in a Truffle Buttered Roll and she loved it! It really is a pity I couldn’t try it. It came out in the form of a mini hamburger that was really tall. The potatoes looked crispy and perfectly coloured. For anyone that loves duck fat, potatoes or mini burgers this is a dish for you!

Next up were the larger Graze dishes. The Slow Braised Beef Cheek Cigars and Salsa Verde was visually stunning and vibrant dish and had a taste to match. Once again there was the perfect crispness on the outside to compete with the richness of the beef which paired perfectly with the salsa verde. The Crispy Skin Snapper, Prawn Brandade, Buttered Asparagus and Roquette Pesto was another Graze dish. The snapper was cooked just right with the crispness of the skin added not only texture but additional flavour to the dish. The pesto and asparagus was a great addition to the dish and together every aspect of this dish worked well. I really liked how the snapper was seasoned – so much that you could eat it on its own. A winner of a dish. The last Graze dish was the Warmed Barley and Mushroom Salad with Enoki and Melted Taleggio – which to me was one of their healthier dishes thanks to the barley. Even though the menu calls it a salad it really equated to a mushroom risotto. The barley was cooked well and the Taleggio melted on top added an extra depth to the dish. Yum!

We were both pretty full by this stage but who can say no to dessert right? So we decided to share and A let me decide which dessert to pick – I picked the Deconstructed Apple Pie – Tarte Tatin Apples, Pecan and Cheddar Crumble. This dessert was interesting – as you would expect in an apple pie you have apples and the addition of the pecan was a nice extra – but what threw me was the cheddar crumble. I must admit I wasn’t a big fan of the cheddar crumble and the harshness of this didn’t quite mix so well with me. However hats off for creating a very different apple pie!

There is quite a variety in terms of drinks at Hercules Morse and there are 2 pages of cocktails available as well! They are interestingly named such as XXX Expresso which provides a caffeine hit as well as drinks like Fields of Lavender and Goodie Goodie Gum Drop. Refer to the pictures for what is in each of these drinks.

Hercules Morse is relaxed and intimate restaurant/bar that is great for many occasions – from date night to a casual catch-up with friends. The wait staff are friendly and very helpful in assisting you in dishes and are really knowledgeable about each dish on the menu. It has a great menu which covers a variety of dishes and a fantastic drink menu to match – all in the funky suburb of South Melbourne.

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to http://www.herculesmorse.com.au/files/HM_MENU_2012.pdf for Food Menu. Refer to picture above for Cocktail List.
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Intimate, Cosy and Welcoming. Great for all occasions – from date night to a catch-up with friends or even a celebration!
Standout Dish: Crispy Skin Snapper, Prawn Brandade, Buttered Asparagus and Roquette Pesto AND Morse Chip Butty – Roasted Duck Fat Potatoes in a Truffle Buttered Roll
Service: Friendly, Knowledgeable and Helpful
Online Booking: Yes via website – http://www.herculesmorse.com.au/
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.herculesmorse.com.au/
282 Clarendon St, South Melbourne
Tel No: 9690 9402

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Saturday to Sunday: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm

De Mad Hatter – Alice in Wonderland Style

Black Ink Risotto tossed with Seafood

Gluten Free Parma with Herbs, Tomato, Basil, Bocconcini and Garden Salad

Hawaii Parma with Pineapple, Ham, Mozzarella, Napoli and Chips

Mediterranean Parma with Olives, Artichokes, Mozzarella, Napoli and Chips

Ricotta and Spinach Tortellini in Napoli Cream Sauce

Sauteed Calamari Salad with Sweet Chilli Dressing

Three Mushroom Risotto with Rocket and Parmesan

Menu:

De Mad Hatter is a newly opened cafe in the Docklands area and is brought to you by the owners of Beanstalk Cafe (which is also located at Docklands, a 3 minute walk from De Mad Hatter in fact). De Mad Hatter has a Alice in Wonderland theme, from the name down to the decor. There is a bird cage which has a massive key encased inside to the upside down signs and of course the Rabbit’s timepiece.

The menu has mushrooms and the timepiece and interesting sayings on it, as well as a well put together food under the themed categories – We’re all with chips here – which are the burgers (there are 4 different burgers), A Mad Parma Party which consists of 6 different Parma’s including a Gluten Free option, “Who stole my sald?” Said the Queen of hearts – where three options of salads are available and finally Down the Risotto Mole – which has 5 different risottos to choose from.

I ordered the Pasta dish  which was Ricotta and Spinach Tortellini in Napoli Cream Sauce. The pasta was good, but wasn’t house made and the flavours of the dish were fresh and delicious. The second time around I ordered the Three Mushroom Risotto with Rocket and Parmesan. The dish was indeed full of mushrooms (sometimes when a dish says it contains a particular ingredient, it can sometimes be a scarce amount), and the serving was quite generous. The risotto was cooked perfectly, the rice was just the right texture and the flavours worked. I am a huge fan of mushrooms, but there was one type in there that I didn’t quite like. I also tasted some of my friends dish – Black Ink Risotto tossed with Seafood – and that too was packed with flavour together with a tangy taste. The majority of the table ordered Parmas and they were all impressed with the size of these dishes as well. The Parmas came with a serving of chips and the Gluten Free Parma with a serving of salad instead. I must say De Mad Hatter’s chips is one of the yummiest chips I have come across. They were crunchy and absolutely tasty!

Another major plus point is the coffee that is served here. You will find a queue during peak hour times in the morning and the afternoon with people waiting to get their coffee hit. One of the good coffee places in and around the docklands area. Their chai latte’s are also really good and creamy.

One negative however, was the wait for food. At lunch times if you are ordering from their menu, we had to wait around 30-40 minutes for our food once we ordered. If you order from the bain marie and sit down to eat, or from the food that is on display it will be quick.  Overall though I think that it is a great addition to the Docklands area.

Rating : 3 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – A la Carte as well as food served in Bain Marie’s, as well as a selection of salads, foccacias, baguettes etc.
Fullness: 90%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Quirky and fun
Standout Dish: Any of the Risotto dishes
Service: Friendly but a tad bit slow. Might need a few more wait staff perhaps
Online Booking: No – you are best to book a table for lunch if you have more than 4 people
Restaurant Details and Location:
https://www.facebook.com/d3madhatt3r
797 Collins St, Docklands
Tel No: 9620 2226

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 6am – 5pm