Presse Cafe Wine Bar - Elwood

Name: Presse Cafe Wine Bar

Address: 97 Brighton Road, Elwood, Victoria (view map)
Telephone: (03) 9537 7500
Web: N/A
Reviewed: Saturday 13 January, 2007

Eat in or take-away?
Eat-in for breakfast, lunch and dinner - takeaway coffee

My two cents...
Very impressive tapas menu featuring all the usual goodies. The Brighton Road location means that al fresco dining is not ideal, however for outdoor lovers this place has a brilliant courtyard at the rear which is bathed in sunshine nearly all day long. A great indoor area that would seat about 30-40 people, good combination of old and new with a neat bar seating area with plasma tv.

What did I have?
Had dinner here. We had some lamb skewers and saganaki which was a great starter. The lamb skewers were drizzled with tzatziki and although not super tender, the flame taste was outstanding. The saganaki was served with lemon and pepper and pleased the palette.

For the main course, I had an eye fillet. It was very well presented with a potato rosti and lightly steamed greens in a red wine jus. Meat was over-cooked from my request of medium-rare (more like medium+) which was a touch disappointing, however the high quality piece of meat compensated nicely.

She had the risotto from the specials which was chorizo, Spanish onion, tomato, chilies with a feta topping. The chorizo was the highlight and large diagonal slices were generously included. There is nothing worse than ordering something like that and getting 2-3 pieces of meat! It was a tasty dish.

From the wine list, we had a 2000 Saracen Cab Sauv which was from the bin-ends on the back on the list - excellent value at only $30 and was well matched with our meals.

Would I go back?
Yes - Frequent coffee stop enroute to my office as well as occasional breakfast and dinner place

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Cafe de Cuba - Elwood

Name: Cafe de Cuba
Address: 69 Glen Huntly Rd Elwood, Victoria (view map)
Telephone: (03) 9531 0033
Web: N/A
Reviewed: Saturday 13 January, 2007

Eat in or take-away? Definitely an eat-in place, great indoor and outdoor seating, outdoor seating can get a bit chilly late in the afternoon when the sun disappears, but is a feature lacking in other Elwood cafes.

My two cents...
One of the 'new era' Elwood cafe's that may have caused grief for the long running visitors to Turtle Cafe! Very high quality breakfast and extensive menu for lunch and dinner. It is my regular breakfast place and serves breaky all day on weekends! Caters for all, coffee is brilliant, and locals regularly grab a takeaway espresso to charge through their busy bayside afternoons. On weekends, very kid friendly where staff delivery crayons and wiggles coloring books to keep the kiddies busy whilst mum and dad chow down their meals.

What did I have?
My standard break here consists of poached eggs on rye bread with spinach, tomato, mushrooms and grilled ham. It's not on the menu, but as with all good breaky places, they have no problems catering to suit. My girlfriend likes the apricot, date and raisin toast which she rates a 6/10, we both love the fresh juices which are a great starter to your Cafe de Cuba breakfast experience.

Would I go back?
Yes, I do! Every weekend that I am in Melbourne...

Portobello Pizza & Pasta - Ripponlea

Name: Portobello Pizza & Pasta
Address: 27 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, Victoria (view map)
Telephone: (03) 9523 8350
Web: N/A
Reviewed: Friday 12 January, 2007



Eat in or take-away? I would recommend take-away, limited seating available for those in enroute somewhere else looking for a quick bite.

My two cents...
This place is a little gem for high quality take-away pizza and pasta at a reasonable price. Located in Jewish precinct, it is far from your modern pizzeria. A very 'family feel' inside, something out of the 80's maybe? But just no fuss, friendly service and very willing to accommodate any special requests you may have.

What did I have?
A small garlic pizza bread and a gnocchi bolognese with grilled capsicum, mushrooms and parmesan. The pasta was very impressive, the garlic pizza could have had a bit more crushed garlic to add that zest!

Would I go back?
Yes - For sure!

Please post your comments

Kicking things off

Ok, So I just got back from a ride (bicycle) down the Beach Road from Elwood to Black Rock and back, only about 25km but it's hot outside, a small but enjoyable hit out.

I was just about to leave the office today and my boss said "Mont, how can I easily get setup a website where I can post stuff like book reviews......", the penny finally dropped, I've wanted to start a blog for awhile but never really known what topic to take on - it came to me on my ride home to Elwood as my stomach was demanding food... food.... FOOD!

The thing we generally have 3 good hit-outs at a day, the thing I enjoy and the thing we all have a have a bloody opinion on.... So here it is... My totally uneducated view of the places I eat at or get my food from (mostly in and around Elwood, Victoria, Australia).

As I sit here at 8:34pm on a Melbourne summer evening, bloody starving and cricket on TV, the first post will arrive after I have sourced something to bring back to my place and enjoy whilst I tune into another Australian victory over the England!