Circa The Prince

D and I don't have very many date nights now, so when we do we like to spend it wisely. When we were at the Taste of Melbourne, we tried Circa the Prince and loved it so mu that, we went to the restaurant at the first chance we got.

Located on Acland St in St Kilda, Circa has a beautiful vibe and windows where you can look out to the water. It was definitely the perfect atmosphere for us.

Since there was a lot on the menu we wanted to try, we opted for the 6 course degustation. While we were waiting I got myself a cocktail to start my evening.

To start we were given the Cured Duck with Rye. This was a very interesting tapas, it came presented like a cigar. The texture was like bread, slightly chewy with strong flavours of cured duck throughout.

Next was the Spring Peas with Broad Beans. It was served with Garrotxa which was a soft tasting goat cheese broth. It created a balance of freshness with the peas and milkiness of the cheese. I really enjoyed this; could have easily had a second serving as it wasn't too heavy.

Together with the Spring peas was their house made foccacia and this was served with homemade butter, sprinkled with parsley powder. The bread and the parsley powder worked wonders with the butter, especially as the bread was warm.

BBQ Octopus with sorrel, apple and radish was served next. Small pieces of tender octopus paired with apple and radish which had more bite to it. This was more about the textures on offer and it was a great 'not too heavy' way to lead into the next dishes which were the mains.

The first of the mains was the Port Phillip Snapper. This was served with fennel and green olive. The fish was very fresh with a crispy layer. I loved how the green olive added a savory layer of flavour to this dish.

Due to a mix up we ended up getting the Flinders Island Lamb as a bonus dish. This was served with turnip and baby potatoes. The lamb was fatty but soft. The baby potatoes were seasoned with salt bush. Overall a classic modern lamb dish with potatoes which was executed well.

Next was our real main, the Western Plains Pork with kohlrabi and green apricot. Of course it was the belly of the pork, as most restaurants these days do.

Final main was the Sher Wagyu Rump Cap with slow roasted onion and mustard. The mustard had truffle laced through it and it was velvety smooth, wasn't too strong and complimented the rump perfectly. The rump was an excellent cut and cooked to perfection, it almost melted in your mouth. This was definitely one of my best steaks I have tasted.

As we were a bit greedy, we ordered 2 sides as well to go with the mains. The first one was the Dutch Cream Potatoes. I know I told myself I would eat less carbs, but I do love some great spuds as a side. This was creamy as the name suggested and well seasoned.

The other side we ordered was the  Spring Leeks with Roasted Scallops. The name confused us on this one as we were expecting actual scallops on the plate and was a bit disappointed when we just saw a plate of leeks but that was a mistake on our part to not ask and clarify. The leeks were cooked perfectly.

Lastly was the dessert. This was Strawberry with Sheep Milk Yoghurt. This was refreshing and light. Strawberries were done in various ways to ensure the taste penetrated throughout the dessert. Sheep milk gave it the creaminess and the coriander flowers provided that bite of unexpected taste. I loved this dessert.

The petit fours at the end was a chocolate and meringue combination. A winning way to end the meal the chocolate truffle especially was extremely nice.

Overall 18.5/20 I enjoyed my meal thoroughly. The service was impeccable and all dishes were executed well. The choice in produce and the method of execution is carefully thought out. The whole dinner was just divine. Only disappointment for me was the leeks but that was more because I should have asked before I made an assumption.


 

Sapore

Situated near the waterfront in St Kilda this place has a beautiful ambiance especially if you come here near sunset.

Having been awarded a chef hat by The Age good food guide, this was a place I anticipated on trying for a while. Specializing in Modern Italian, the menu was full of pastas and risottos.

As a starter I got the Oysters natural and Salt and Pepper Calamari. The Oysters were fresh and creamy. Salt and Pepper Calamari were nicely seasoned and fried just perfectly. They weren't over fried or oily which was nice to see for a change (far too many places serves calamari dripping in oil these days) served with aioli it was a good way to start the meal.

For mains I got the Waygu Ragu Pappardelle and the prime cut Steak. The pappardelle lacked the richness I like in a good pasta sauce but the flavors did work well. Personally I think it would have worked better with a thinner/smaller pasta. The actual pasta took the attention away from the sauce. However my partner liked the Ragu just the way it was, so I guess it really comes down to your preference in pasta sauce richness.

The Steak was nicely cooked but a tad disappointing. I still find the steak at Meat Wine & Co. and City Grill Room to be the winners of restaurants in this caliber. The wine jus and chips were good though. Personally the Bearnaise did nothing for me.

 There was also pork belly with baby carrots and a grain side. Nothing that blew my mind. The pork belly was cooked nicely but the flavours were very ordinary.

My friend ordered their signature dish, the Seafood Linguine and I got to try this. Of the 3 mains I tried this was my favourite and I can understand why it's their signature. The pasta was just al dente which was good to see and the seafood was a fresh selection. 

We also ordered a range of sides but nothing was outstanding. If you really had to pick a side to order I would recommend the roast pumpkin with feta and almond.

Overall 13/20 a disappointment overall. I fail to see where the chef hat comes in. For the price point that is pitched, I don’t rate this place at all. 

Stokehouse

I am positive I found my restaurant of the year. For my recent birthday my boyfriend finally took me to Stokehouse. I have been dying to try this place out since the Taste of Melbourne festival a few years ago, and it not disappoint me.

Situated right by the water edge on St Kilda beach it has a lovely relaxing atmosphere, even at night. Stokehouse works on 2 levels, lower floor is casual dining and upstairs in fine dining. Since it was a special event, we dined upstairs.

Onto the food! For entree we had the Spaghetti alla chitarra, which is basically clam and cuttlefish with saffron. It was divine, the pasta was perfectly al dente and the chili and saffron just gave it that nice kick.

Mains we had the duck and steak. The steak was exactly medium rare as we wanted with a nice crust of flavour on top. The duck was laced with rasberries and truffle honey sauce. Duck is one of those things where you get it right or you get it awfully wrong. In this case it was done so so so right. The meat was just tender and the sauce was just rich enough, but then there was the raspberries to balance it out with the hint of sourness. The duck skin was so done to a point that it almost had me fooled as pork crackling. LOVED IT

Desserts, we ordered the special of the night which was an apricot pistachio nougat with berry sorbet. Overall it was a great dessert, only 1 small hiccup. There was a pistachio shell inside my nougat that almost chipped my tooth. Besides that part, it was a delightful dessert.

I think the wine selection is worth a mention too, the wine list is a good selection that really caters for all tastebuds.


Overall I would rate this a 18.5/20. It would have scored 19 if not for the nut shell.