Byblos

Address: World Trade Centre, 18-32 Siddeley Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000
Phone: (03) 9614 6400
Website: byblosbar.com.au
Facebook: Byblos

About a week ago, I was lucky enough to be invited by Clemance Harvey PR to dine at Byblos, one of the eateries forming the row of restaurants next to the river at the WTC Wharf. Byblos originated from the sunny state of Queensland and has been known for its exotic Lebanese cuisine and award-winning bar, so I was quite excited for lunch. I arrived at Byblos at 2 o'clock for a late afternoon meal, so it took awhile to flag a waiter given the quiet hour at the restaurant. But once I did get his attention, he was very friendly and recommended a delicious dish from the grill menu. 

I was told that the grilled prawn and fish skewers were not to be missed, so I took up the recommendation. I also selected a chicken skewer, a lamb cutlet and a vegetable skewer for variety....And what a great selection it was...

The char-grilled jumbo prawn was succulent and flavoursome, marinated in olive oil, lime and garlic. The dory fish was also fresh and tender, flavoured with lemon juice, spices and coriander, flame-grilled to perfection. It was surprising my favourite of the skewers as I just loved the way the fish fell tenderly from its stick. The chicken was tender and lightly seasoned with oregano and pepper. It was pleasant, although I preferred the seafood skewers more. There was also a sweet capsicum, mushroom and tomato veggie skewer which went well with the lamb cutlet.

The platter also came with pickles, a corriander and tomato salad and a large bowl of pita bread to dip into the creamy house-made garlic dip. The hummus and olive oil combination was also quite delicious. I was thoroughly impressed with the size of the plate because it was a good amount of food - a generous serving of skewers, bread and salad, although you'd definately be able to order a few more side dishes if you really wanted to try out some of their other interesting entrees. 

I also tried one of the syrups on offer - The rose and lychee syrup. It was a beautiful colour with a soft, rose scent that was quite lovely. But it was very, very sweet. Perhaps a little too sweet for my usual tastes as I couldn't finish it. But if you like very sweet drinks, this one's for you!

I was also fascinated with their platter for two, which looked like a Lebanese high tea, so the waiter let me take a photo of one coming out to be served. If you're dining with a friend, these tiered dishes offer a good variety of Byblos' popular dishes to share, with 2 of each of the Rekakat, Fatayer, Lahim bil Ajeen, Sambusek, Shish Tawook and Lahim Meshwi. The next time I feel like Lebanese, I'm bringing a friend to try this with me! 

In the end, I had a great time and enjoyed the delicious meal. The food was nicely presented and came out quickly and the restaurant itself was quite pretty with its decadent lamps and curtains - a great place for grabbing lunch if you happen to work around the WTC Wharf. Although the restaurant is hidden away next to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, it's got some delicious grilled food, so make sure you check it out if you're around that side of town.

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Clemance Harvey PR and Byblos. This post reflects my honest experiences and opinions at the time of my visit. Please note, I'm a blogger who enjoys food and photography, not a professional critic for a particular media organisation or company.

Ratings:

Service: 7.5/10
Ambience: 6.5/10 
Food: 18/20

Worth Visiting? Yes, that grill is just perfect.
Price: $$ (You're looking at about $20-$30 plates that will fill you up quite well)

The Brunswick Mess Hall

Address: 400 Sydney Road, Brunswick, Vic, 3056
Phone: (03) 9388 0297
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrunswickMessHall
Website: http://www.thebrunswickmesshall.com.au/

To say bye to one of my close buddies moving to Canberra, I visited The Brunswick Mess Hall for a group dinner. For some weird reason, I'd always walked past this joint in Brunswick and thought it was more of a formal function space than a casual restaurant or bar. But I'm glad my friend suggested The Brunswick Mess Hall because it was a really nice venue with flavoursome Asian cuisine!

Between the six or so of us, we shared a couple of dishes. My favourite of the night was the Szechuan Pepper Squid. The squid pieces were lightly battered and fried, so it was crunchy and there was more squid than batter to enjoy. I didn't actually taste too much pepper, let alone that of the Sze-chuan variety (the real hot stuff), but I liked it better that way as I could eat it with lime and sweet chilli sauce instead. The little bed of salad was delicious with its mint, onion and lime juice combination...spicy, sweet and sour....

I also put down the order for some Yakatori sticks. They came quickly enough and looked great on the plate...

But they were a little too salty for my liking. It was nice chicken, though it would have done better with a little less sauce. We also tried the Pad Thai, both vegatarian and non-vegetarian. (I feel like there was a photo... but I don't know where. I'll upload if found). Both were quite hot, so I'd recommend it only if you enjoy spicy food. I feel like it differed a lot from my favourite type of Pad Thai, but it was still quite tasty with lots of beanshoots.

During the night, we found it a tad bit difficult to catch the attention of the bar staff to which we were suppose to hand in our order (self-tick order sheet system)...But it was a busy, busy Friday night and the staff were really attentive and nice when they had the time. Also, our cocktails came out reasonably quickly. I ordered a 'Tromba Cooler' from the menu mainly because I saw the words 'pandan vanilla syrup' and the Malaysian in me got really excited...

I liked the Tromba Cooler because you could really smell and taste the Pandan Vanilla syrup. So it felt like a pandan chiffon cake had been pleasantly blended into my drink. On the flip side, I couldn't really taste any pineapple. Still, it was a pleasant, tropical cocktail and I enjoyed the pandan too much to have any real complaints.

A few nights later, when I found myself in the same area, I wondered in to try the other cocktail that I had been eying over: The Sakura Fizz. It was a pretty little thing and was quite fragrant due to the rose and honey elements. If egg white sounds odd as an ingredient, have no fear! It does nothing to the taste. You only get the tequila and fruitiness of all it all - a good drink for summer, particularly if you enjoy sour flavours. The second visit was on a Wednesday night and there were far fewer people. The staff were even more attentive and friendly on that day and the speed of service improved dramatically.

The venue itself was something to enjoy with its creeping vines, animal projections and dangling lights. There was a DJ on the Friday night spinning tracks at the back, but you could enjoy a more intimate conversation up front, in one of the comfortable little rooms...

All in all, The Brunswick Mess Hall was great fun....colourful, vibrant and messy in a good way. This applied also to the food and drinks. I enjoyed the cocktails, with their inclusion of fun Eastern elements and patterned straws. I also thought the food menu offered a good selection of old favourites. While I wouldn't call it the best Asian food I've tasted, nor the most creative, I will say that they offer flavoursome, crowd-pleasing dishes....so I'd recommend The Brunswick Mess Hall for functions or big dinners, where there's a lotta crowd-pleasing and entertaining to be done!

Ratings

Service: 8/10
Ambience: 9/10
Food: 15/20

Is it worth visiting? Sure, it's a cool, vibrant space with flavoursome old favourites.
Price range: $$$ (You're looking at $12-$28 per dish)

Event: Japanese Summer Festival

Well, long break again since my last food adventure...but this time it was spent exploring Thailand (which you can read about under 'travels' on that side ->). But I'm back in Melbourne now to enjoy the rest of the Summer (and the hot weather which I thought I had avoided!)

What's on in Melbourne, you ask? I happened to wonder into a one day Japanese Summer Festival today which was hosted in, and around, Federation Square. The Japanese Summer Festival showcased national costumes and performances, as well as a number of traditional and commercial food stalls.

The stall run by The Little Red Pocket Cocktail Bar caught my eye because it's Chinese New Year (Happy year of the horse! Or if you can read some Chinese: 新年快乐, 龙马精神!) and people get red pockets during that time, so I thought it was a play on that. 

It turns out that The Little Red Pocket Cocktail Bar is a well known venue that was voted into the World's top 100 best bars! As the Japanese Summer Festival was set in a public space, The Little Red Pocket Cocktail Bar didn't serve any alcoholic drinks. Instead, they offered some pretty looking mocktails. Even though I'd just finished an iced green tea latte (creamy condense milk with a good mix of matcha), I was tempted by the Virgin Lychee....so I bought it (to keep fully hyrated in the outdoor heat, you see.)

I liked the Virgin Lychee mocktail, even though it seemed like a simply drink. It was slightly sweet, quite fruity and very very cool - a great combination to address the thirst brought on from 40 degree heat. The mint and lemon helped to add extra flavours and make it more refreshing, as well as more presentable.

I'd like to go to the actual venue someday. But for the moment, I'd say the drinks were refreshing and fun. The service was very fast and efficient at the stall, though too busy to really assess.

Did anyone else visit the Japanese Summer Festival? Or have you been to The Little Red Pocket Cocktail bar before...and did you enjoy your experience there?