FoodHax

Just before Christmas, I was treated to the most perfectly cooked steak I have ever eaten in my whole life at a restaurant called The Deanery. I know, steak is fairly subjective. However, my father has been a butcher for nearly forty years. Sans most of my teenage years where my ultimate rebellion against my parents was to become vegetarian and even vegan, I have grown up eating the best cuts of meat available.

I am in two minds about sharing my secret restaurants. On one hand, especially in this case where I have pretty much bragged to anyone who will listen about this fantastic steak, I love to share. On the other hand, and such is the dilemma when your favourite restaurant gets reviewed in a mainstream broadsheet’s food lift out, you don’t want the experience ruined by any old prole with enough savvy to “Google” or ask yahoo for an answer.

It was someone’s sweet someteenth birthday this weekend just gone, and I took them out for delicious steak to celebrate.

The Deanery change their menu fairly regularly (well, regularly enough that the menu had changed at least once since I had visited the month before), and I was a bit fretful that my beloved filet steak in red wine jus was noticeably absent.

Firstly, sourdough style bread with fruity olive oil and perfectly tartsweet balsamic vinegar.

(please excuse the lack of focus)
The shucked to order oysters dressed in lemon and olive oil are a divine gift from the ocean gods.

Calamari, though cooked to perfection, looked a little bit sad and soggy in person. They were quite photogenic though. And delicious.

Then, two T Bone steaks the size of your head. I could not finish mine. It was cooked to perfect medium, the flesh falling off the bone. Served with a side of potatoes.

The Deanery have an impressive wine cellar to accompany their menu, however we stuck with beer from their small selection of local and imports.
For a classy establishment we still managed to pay less than $150 for two people including drinks and tips. An amazing restaurant.

The Deanery:
13 Bligh Place
Melbourne VIC 3000
t: +61 3 9629 5599
www.thedeanery.com.au

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Roast Beef
No explanation necessary. Pierced the top with slivers of garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper and covered with rosemary. I think I could have taken it out of the oven about 15 minutes earlier though.

Stellini Soup
I got the idea for this from a recent recipe on 101 Cookbooks for Cous Cous soup. I had a craving for stracciatella but my cupboards and wallet are pretty bare at the moment (starting a new job and being a bit of a nomad) and I was out of eggs. Cue: some powdered stock, a teaspoon of minced garlic, some grated parmesan and 1/4 cup of stellini and we have stelllini soup! Voila! I also added some chopped up sun dried tomatoes and the usual seasonings.

Spaghetti and Kangaroo Meatballs
Loosely based on Jamie Oliver’s recipe that I saw on one of his myriad of TV Shows and incorporating a new found appreciation for our national fauna. Meatballs baked with roasted balsamic cherry tomato sauce and served over a huge tangle of spaghetti.

Tofu Don @ Momotaro Rahmen
To celebrate my *New* job (and payday! Hurrah!) Xenex and I went out for ramen adventures on Bridge Road, Richmond. There are a couple of awesome choices for Japanese in the area now (Read: Happy Kappa on Swan St and Maedaya which has just opened and is owned by former Mach Pelican member Toshi-8Beat) and being a former Richmond local (or Cremorne, or Burnley depending who you’re arguing with) I had wandered past Momotaro many times and never been inside. Styled like a typical takeaway shop, it still felt welcoming enough to sit inside. “Octopus Cakes”, gyoza and Daikon and Carrot Salads for sides and the Tofu was coated in a bitey gingery gelatinous sauce. Delicious.

Parma @ The Westside Hotel
My new place of employment can only be described nicely as“Out West”. Over the Westgate Bridge. On Friday we all had a pub lunch to farewell a co-worker on his last day. I love a good parma and I was told to give the Westside’s a try. Well. Let’s just say I’ve had better.

Marinara @ Kate & Julian’s
By some crazy act of coincidence Kate, Julian and I ended up in the same parts of Japan during September this year and we had some crazy good times watching Weezer, drinking and eating at various Izakayas and eating ¥400 spaghetti at Saizeria together. They invited me over to their cute little residence for Spaghetti Marinara (Well really how could I say no?) and some wine and nerding out about Wilco and Strong Bad. Mmmmmm Mussels.

So, that was my week food wise. What an effort! I think my goal this week is to find an excellent parma (is there anything that comes even close to the Royston’s Parmas of the World anymore?!) and eat something that isn’t a sausage roll from a truckstop for lunch. Hi Just Bento! I will finally get to put my Miffy Bento box and all those cool accessories that I bought from Tokyu Hands to good use! Hurrah!

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