Abacus, South Yarra MELB

I am a fan of hearty meals that are unpretentious when it comes to taste and aesthetics. Being a melting pot of food hubs, it can be a little tricky to find THE restaurant, that suits my preferences, amongst the many restaurants Melbourne that has to offer, especially in heavily populated suburbs such as Richmond or Fitzroy.

Albeit having been to South Yarra quite a few times, there are still many food outlets that I have yet to visit along Chapel Street, Abacus being one of them. Admittedly, I have passed this restaurant on a few occasions throughout my stay in Melbourne.

After being seated, both of us felt very relaxed and were fans of the restaurant's settings. The idea of having clear window doors left wide open allowed a cool breeze to ventilate the facility and having some greenery cleverly located in the centre and scattered around gave one the impression of space and privacy.

Homemade iced lemon tea - very similar appearance to a jug of freshly poured beer but non-alcoholic in this case. Just the right sweetness consistency and perfect for the warmer weather.

Portobello mushroom fries with chilli jam and malt vinegar - this is probably the most concrete (and possibly only) reason for me to become vegan. Fooled was I to think that the mushroom pieces would turnout mushy and wet, in fact, they were the complete opposite.

Portobello's meaty texture gave me the impression of biting into a juicy piece of meat, only that it was healthier. Highly recommended and one that I would love to have almost every week if only I lived nearby.

Chicken liver parfait, kumquat, pistachio, pickles and lavosh - another dish that I thoroughly enjoyed and wouldn't mind having it on it's own. I am not a big fan of liver dishes but had I not been told, I would not have been able to guess what it was.

Smooth textured, pairing really well with the sweet kumquat pieces and slightly acidic pickles, I found myself constantly intrigued with each bite as one can easily mix the various textures and flavours with each mouthful, almost akin a little surprise on the palate.

Kingfish tartare with avocado, chilli, citrus and roe - a brilliant dish to have during the warmer weather and one that is freshly light on the palate. Kingfish had a subtle sweetness to it and went down well with equally fresh, mellow flavours of the avocado, chilli and roe pieces.

There's no need to raise alarm flags upon seeing chilli being listed as part of the dish as it's use was carefully added to the dish, taking care not to overpower the other ingredients.

Aylesbury duck breast with plum and goat's curd - I must have duck whenever it is an option on the menu as I find it challenging to prepare at home. Abacus delivered in terms of flavour and cooking precision of the duck.

Pairing duck with sweet plum pieces and sauce is a classic combination but when goat's curd is tossed into the mix, I found it brought a savoury element to what may have been an overall sweet dish.

Scotch fillet with native pepperberry and roasted garlic - this has to be the best piece of medium rare scotch fillet I have had in Melbourne. Well rested and seasoned with an inviting charred aroma to it, the chef had showcased this piece of meat well, taking no shortcuts to it's preparation.

Decently sized too, both of us mutually agreed that it was well priced on the menu. Trust me on this.

Geelong lamb shoulder with jerusalem artichoke and pickled orange - also another type of meat that I hardly prepare at home and one that I look forward to when dining out. Our plate had been generously topped with soft, juicy and flavourful pieces of lamb that may have taken hours to prepare (finished by us in a fraction of that time).

On any given hungry or bad day, this is the dish to have to keep any negative emotions at bay. Again, unpretentious food done well, perfectly sized for sharing amongst a group of friends.

I shall end this post with a rather (at least I think so) drool worthy picture of the scotch fillet for your judging.

The folks at Abacus were very accommodating with our requests for the night and albeit being invited by the restaurant for a review, I daresay the restaurant need not my recommendation as it had fared very well in the food and service department.

Do yourself a huge favour now and try out their mushroom fries and liver parfait if I had not already convinced you enough. Alternatively, speak to their friendly staff members for recommendations. Trust me, disappointment does not exist here.

Komugi, Ringwood MELB

Birthday week commenced with me being able to boss the fiance around on what I want to eat as someone is fearful that a terrible meal would turn the house upside down. Probably one of the few moments I can eat a cake and not feel guilty about it!

Komugi is fairly new in Melbourne's cake shop game and that week was perfect for trying it out.

Green tea tiramisu and oreo cake - hmmm... whilst I love the idea of a non-caffeinated version of tiramisu, it fell short on flavour. The cream cheese (?) filling between the sponge layers did not have much taste to it and could not rely on the dry sponge for salvation.

In comparison, the oreo cake tasted better although only marginally. It was fresher in terms of taste but not memorable enough for me to make a second trip to Eastland mall for it.

Estelle Bistro, Northcote MELB

Reaching a milestone in age should be celebrated in the grandest fashion thinkable and for me, this year fell nothing short of surprises. When the fiance asked where would I like to celebrate dinner at, all I could think of was the numerous delicious meals I had overseas slightly over a month ago.

 A constant place much discussed about, we decided on dinner here and found the service faultless and attentive. So what do we think of Estelle?

Entree - quail, pear, mulberry and macadamia. A delicious entree to kick start our meal. Sweet and sour flavours contrast well on the palate and when paired with a crunchy element, this would have been my favourite dish for the night.

Baramundi - again, I have failed to take note of an accurate description of this main dish. A clever play on colours and textures when pairing fresh seafood with vegetables.

Spring lamb, asparagus, eggplant and hazelnuts - Once again, the vegetables were brilliantly showcased on the plate but I would have liked the lamb to have a share in the spotlight as I found it lacking when compared to the other characters.

Mayura station wagyu rump, wild garlic and nori - meat was well seasoned and cooked here and paired well with the subtle, sweeter flavour of the char grilled spring onion.

The staff were kind enough to present us with a mango, coconut pavlova dish as it was my birthday :) Simple and indeed a light way to sum up our meal.

Chocolate, hazelnut and mandarin - a little disappointed with this one as I felt it needed a little more love to make it a standout dish. Combination of flavours sounded promising but fell short upon presentation.