Quaff

So I a mid-semester break...... what did I get upto in that time you ask! I went hunting for food! Quaff is a fine dining experience located in Toorak village. Only thing is I went for lunch and had the set lunch! With a slick waitress and fine white table cloth it is perfect when you want to feel a little pampered.

For this one I need to thanks Oanh for telling me about it! It's all about the open pie this time!

With a nice selection of entrees to choose from I couldn't pass up a salt and pepper calamari. It was a nice soft just enough to still maintain a bouncy texture. It was not too oily or dry with the perfect succulent moisture going it through and nicely matched with a bed of rocket leaves. That was merely the deception I got. The verdict? It was nice but I would have prefer the calamari to have a slightly more richer flavour. Not badly done but just didn't match up the image it painted in my mind when I was ordering it.

As my main it was the open I was eager to try open pie with creamy mash! The filling we had was the beef and vegetable. I had to say the pies here are different because it is not the usual pie pastry but it is a light fluffy pastry that does not feel heavy at all. The filling did not disappoint either. The beef strips were just cooked to perfection with a combination of capsicum, tomato and onion they went with the flavour perfectly! (I normally don't eat capsicum and I ate each bit of capsicum in this pie). The picture speaks my desire to go back!

Desert supposingly is the best but I have to say the berry sorbet was a huge disappointment. The sorbet was served with fresh berry puree. Rather than the sweet tasting berry I was hoping for the berry was sour and at times the sorbet left a bitter aftertaste. The lemon sorbet could really have done with some sugar. I know it's all good to be natural but sometime we have sugar salt and other flavours to give natural a little helping hand. This lemon sorbet was in need of that! I am either not a sorbet person or it was just crappy sorbet. One or the other, I like to think the sorbet wasn't great.

Overall: 13/20 It would have got higher rating had not been for the sorbet but I will go back for the pie! According to a reliable source they also have a open pie with a creamy fish filling which apparently is delightful!

Pricing was $30 for the lunch special which I found very reasonable. It also came with a glass of house wine. I managed to take a photo of the menu so be the judge for yourself $$(and a half)

Brunch at Miss Marple's

One of the things I enjoy most is life is sleeping in but when you sleep in you normally miss out on breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Life's solution? Brunch! I know Miss Marple's is famous for being a fabulous afternoon tea spot, but I like to go there for brunch. Why you may ask? Besides being lazy, I always end up eating a lot and feeling like I need a wheelbarrow to carry me out each time I eat there. The servings are not huge, but there are just so many things on the menu that I like. Mt Dandenong being a destination I don't go to very frequently I normally try to eat everything I feel like on the menu and hence each time I over stuff myself with food! So here are a few of my favourites that I had on my most recent trip there!

Chicken and Pineapple fingers with alfalfa: a really simple starter. The chicken is not the best but it does have a very 'homey' feel to it. Something your grandmother would make for you. The chicken is a little overcook but once you have it with the pineapple and the cheese it's not as noticeable. These little things are quite filling on their own. If you want to taste a bit of everything when you are there, I advise to share these!

Cottage Pie (Beef): Nothing like a nice hearty pie with creamy mash potato on top and served with tomato relish. The pie is a really home style dish served in a dish. The mince beef in nepolitana sauce had nice aromas to it with just the right taste and flavour to go with the potato on top. Again it is a very filling dish. Miss Marple's cottage pie goes with a chicken option as well but the chicken was not a tomato base. The chicken option is also nice but not a favorite of mine. The chicken pieces are slightly more to get through and sometimes just a little too much when you are having more than one thing. However I would definitely reccommend the cottage beef pie. Thumbs up from me!

Next is desert, cannot go paste the scones! How can you go to a tea house and not have scones, it's almost a sin! The scones here have an option of plain or fruit, I chose plain as I don't really like fruit scones. The scones are served warm with homemade jam and cream. The only thing missing when I was sinking my teeth into these scones with a nice cup of yorkshire tea, was a open fire place. Scones can't get much better then this! I can't say I am a scones expert but this is def' one with the top rating in my books! If I ever find better scones I will let you know.
But for now Miss Marple's is the way to go! It's deserts so who can really stop at one! While Jimmy went to the restroom I ordered the banana split as well. This old fashion desert is very well done here. Can't say the ice cream is the best but if you still have room after mains and scones, a nice banana split with gernerous helpings of cream and ice cream is the way to go. With old fashion chocolate sauce and almound flakes, if you weren't full before this, you will bound to be full after the banana split.

Overall rating: this place has a soft spot in my heart. Besides the waiting time and it always being pack with tourist, the fitting and old tea house art deco is worth checking out. Food is very English home style that is bound to make you want to walk out holding your tummy! 4/5

Pricing is very reasonable: starters and deserts are under $15 and main under $20. $$ Tip: If you are a jam person, make sure you purchase their homemade jam to take home. Supermarket jams will seem like mere jelly compared to this!