I got to have my own hipster experience (despite being far from one myself!) when I visited the People's Market in Collingwood. About 15 mins walk from the train station, this groovy little enclave is entered via a suburban side street. When I went at about 4pm, many of the crafty stalls had packed up for the day (although I did manage to purchase a couple of pairs of lovely earrings from a friendly and chatty stallholder). The food and drinks stalls were ramping up their business though, and with music pumping and crowds of 20-somethings dressed in skinny jeans and wayfarer sunnies, there was quite a party feel to the place.
Many of the food stalls at the People's Market change on a regular basis, but when I visited they included a waffle stand (freshly made, with toppings such as cream, berries and chocolate sauce), a meatball stand, and Dona Tona, a mexican food stall from which I purchased a refreshing lemon sherbet and mint fizz drink:
As it was turning out to be a hot day it was very welcome, and full of tangy lemon, fresh mint and big chunks of ice. As I was going out for dinner and had had a late lunch I didn't buy anything to eat, but the variety and quality of food at all the stalls looked pretty amazing. There were also plenty of alcoholic drinks for sale.
Speaking of late lunches, the previous day I had eaten a delicious (and FODMAP-friendly!) Japanese fried chicken salad at Zen Charcoal BBQ in South Yarra:
Fresh and light, it consisted of small chicken pieces coated in a light and crunchy (gluten free) batter and deep fried, then served atop a green salad with avocado and a sweet rice vinegar dressing. A small bowl of miso soup came with the salad.
Next up for dinnertime was this restaurant:
Yep, that somewhat dodgy-looking entrance leads downstairs to Yu-u, a stylish yet simple Japanese restaurant off Flinders Lane in the CBD. The only sign advertising that this was actually a restaurant was that little square you see next to the graffittied door.
As soon as I cautiously stepped inside, I was immediately welcomed by a friendly Japanese waiter and led down a few stairs into the restaurant. Seated straight away at the u-shaped bar which provided the main seating centred around the yakitori grill, a warm moist rolled-up towel was placed in front of me, to be used for freshening the hands and face.
I was absolutely dying for a glass of water before I had anything or even looked at the menu, as it was very hot outside. I was a little surprised that this wasn't offered immediately and I had to call the waiter and ask before this was provided. After hydrating myself, I ordered an Asahi beer. Coming in a long tall glass with a good frothy head, it was deliciously cold and perfect for the food I was to order.
Now, this is the point where I would usually post more mouth-watering photos of what I ate, except that I was informed after my usual polite enquiry about taking photos that no photography was allowed at all! Very disappointing, so you'll just have to visualise.
I began with three burstingly fresh oysters that were super plump, creamy and briny, topped with ponzu (a citrus-soy dressing), chilli and a very little spring onion. Absolutely delicious! This was then followed by 2 freshly cooked (in front of me!) chicken yakitori skewers. One was plain, served with a very moreish chilli sesame salt which came in a tiny pot with an even tinier spoon. The other had a line of umeboshi (salted plum) sauce drizzled down the centre. The skewers were okay, although the umeboshi one was a little dry.
The next dish was a Yaki Onigiri - grilled rice ball with sweet soy sauce. This was simply a triangle shaped handful of rice, coated with a thin layer of soy and lightly grilled. Tasty enough, but nothing special.
The final dish was on par with the oysters as my favourite. The pan-fried calamari and asparagus was super tender and coated with a layer of light citrusy mayo. The waitress suggested to sprinkle more chilli salt over, and this added a perfect kick.
This restaurant's main focus is Izakaya-style food - Japanese pub food - so the dishes are more snack sized bites to have with drinks rather than full-sized meals.
Apart from the no-photography rule, I really enjoyed my visit here, and this sort of food is perfect for low-FODMAPers, as is much Japanese cuisine.
My next indulgence (not the same day!) was these macarons:
Bought from The Cupcake Family shop in QV precinct, above Melbourne Central station, these deluxe strawberry cheesecake and blueberry macarons contained fresh fruit and a cream cheese filling, which I hadn't seen before in macarons and was actually even nicer than the traditional buttercream. It was just lovely sitting in the sun on the astroturfed inner square, enjoying my sweet treats and relaxing.
Now I can't close this post without finally describing one of the very nicest meals I've had for a long time - super simple but incredibly good. One evening, after a long day of walking and exploring, I popped into a little bar that I'd read very good things about - Gerald's Bar. Located in North Carlton, this cosy little place looks quite unprepossessing from the outside, but is a wonder of good food and wine on the inside.
Going on advice from reviews, I turned up for an early dinner and settled in on a stool up at the bar. After a little discussion with the bartender/waiter, I settled on a glass of white wine and some olives to start with. There was a choice of three whites that were some of the 'wines of the evening' and I trusted that they would all be fantastic, given the reputation that Gerald's have for their wine knowledge and service. No stale long-opened crappy bottles here! Now, I have to confess that because I don't know a lot about wine myself, and I was tired from so much wandering, I accepted the bartender's description and recommendation without noting what the wine actually was. I do know that one on offer was a chardonnay, which the bartender gave me a taste of, but I am not really that into chardonnay, particularly heavily oaked ones, which they mostly seem to be.
Anyway, whatever that glass was that I chose, it was delicious and so perfect for the moment, paired with these:
The olives were slightly warmed, bathed in a little olive oil and some rosemary. Yes, that's sourdough bread in the background, that came complimentary with the olives. And yes, I did eat it despite it having lots of wheat as there was no way I was rejecting any of this food that was put in front of me - it was like tasting the sun-warmed Mediterranean on a plate.
Next up was this simple little dish:
Panfried garfish, served whole with a very simple dressing of the best olive oil, chopped continental parsley, tiny tangy capers and a good squeeze of lemon to finish it off. And those five ingredients somehow magically transformed by the chef's talented hands into a completely heavenly dish that had me almost floating on a cloud while eating. There was something about the pairing of the beautiful wine with these carefully and lovingly cooked dishes that just hit the right note. And talking about right notes, another fabulous aspect of Gerald's was the funky vinyl that they continually spun - the music creating just the right groove and not too loud. A comfortable, just-right background vibe.
Well, that's about it for this post, lest I drag on too long. Keep an eye out soon for the last instalment of my Melbourne food adventures!
Gerald's Bar
386 Rathdowne Street
Carlton North, VIC
Ph: (03) 9349 4748
The People's Market
64-68 Stanley Street,
Collingwood, VIC
Zen Charcoal BBQ
306 Toorak Road,
South Yarra, VIC
Ph: (03) 9912 6460
Yu-u
137 Flinders Lane,
Melbourne CBD, VIC
Ph: (03) 9639 7073
The Cupcake Family
22 Red Cape Lane,
QV Precinct,
Melbourne CBD, VIC
Ph: (03) 9663 0055
