Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Yarra Lounge - Yarraville

Situated across the road from the beautiful Sun Theatre in Yarraville, this venue seemed like the perfect place for some pre-movie food and drinks.  Aside from the somewhat brusque service, it probably was the perfect place. The menu offers a kind of Mediterranean menu, including a selection of 'tapas' (some decidedly spanish, others not so much), wood fired pizzas, and souvlakis.

We went for a bit of a mix, which included saganaki with a fig syrup.  The kefalograviera cheese was cooked to perfection, with some crispiness on the outside while still being soft on the inside.  I thought the fig and syrup topping was a little disappointing, a bit light on the flavour side, and it also had a light, runny consistency.  I guess I was longing for the richly flavoured, unctuous, stewed figs atop the saganaki at Hellenic Republic.

Chorizo stewed in balsamic vinegar with onions was amazing.  Spanish chorizo with a little bit of heat was sliced up and served in a tasty balsamic reduction.  As were the patatas bravas (fancy chips) with home-made aoli.  The chips were light and fluffy, with a great seasoning.  The salt and pepper calamari was a huge surprise, considering usually when you order this you get some kind of soggy excuse for seafood from the freezer.  This was cooked to perfection, with good seasoning, and a fantastic aoli.  The open souvlaki, while tasty, was just bleh - maybe I was expecting more after the fantastic starters.  There was nothing wrong with it, it was just very standard.

Little creatures on tap, good coffee, and a great wine list were other bonuses.  The staff seemed knowledgeable about the wine - in fact it was about the only time we were able to get any interaction from the staff - when talking about the wine.  And they also offered a couple of samples of wines I was unsure about.  Overall, the service wasn't anything out of the ordinary, especially when they forgot one of the serves of saganaki and bought it out after everyone had finished their mains!

Would I go back - yes, just for the tapas.  Pity about the movie though!

Yarra Lounge
7 Ballarat St,
Yarraville

Yarra Lounge on Urbanspoon

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