Welcome to Melbourne Foodie. The blogspace of a 21 year old foodie with a passion for fine dining and quality food and produce.
Melbourne Foodie is my way of expressing and recording some of the experiences I have had for others to enjoy. I always welcome any feedback,
comments or restaurant suggestions you may have and would love to hear from you soon.
MUST TRY SOON: Church St Enoteca, Da Noi, Tetsuya's (Sydney).
RESTAURANT OF THE MOMENT: Rockpool Bar & Grill
BLOG OF THE MONTH: 1001 Dinners: Simple reviews, hundreds of restaurants
Happy eating,
Jon!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Ashscotts Restaurant (Berwick) 2
Last night my family and I had a lovely dinner at our local favourite, Ashscotts in Berwick. It was my shout as we were celebrating my dads’ birthday, and as always it was a great night. The waiters were exceptionally friendly and attentive and the food was great. In a break to our usual traditions (ordering schnitzels or parmas) we decide to try some different things. Most of the family instead opt for salads, except for my little brother who had a parmie, and my dad who ordered the calamari fritti – his favourite dish.
Here is a summary of our meals:
To start off with we order some wedges ($7) and garlic bread ($5) as usual (to share). The wedges are really good. Seemingly home made with a Cajun spice coating, topped with sour cream, sweet chilli and spring onion. Very tasty.
My dish: Lamb salad with walnuts ($22) – One of the best salads I have ever eaten – A huge bowl of garden salad (mixed lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion) finished with some lovely pieces of medium rare lamb fillet (so sweet and tender), crushed walnuts, julienne capsicum and the most amazing sweet, spicy Thai flavoured dressing. Not cheap for a salad but its huge and really is a generous meal in itself.
The calamari fritti ($19.90): Lovely fresh calamari rings fried in a light lemon pepper flavoured batter with shoestring fries, garden salad and an excellent tartare sauce. I have had this dish before and it is a great version of calamari.
Crispy chicken salad ($17.90): Another huge salad done much the same way as the lamb salad, but finished with crispy coated pieces of chicken breast, without the walnuts. We also ordered one version of this with grilled chicken.
My little brother had the chicken parma, which is a great version with a good red sauce, ham and generous coating of cheese. I have not photographed this as it has been reviewed in the past.
We skip dessert as we are very full and have a cake waiting at home for the birthday boy.
Ashscotts receives a score of 14/20. It is a great value local restaurant and I always enjoy returning for their fine bistro style meals and hospitality. Highly Recommended!
==========================
I have recently returned to Ashscotts and must report that things have gone down hill. Food quality has dropped. Poor quality pre-crumbed schnitzels being used, less care in presentation and smaller portions. Service isn't as slick either. Now probably warrants about 11/20 making it pretty average.
Here is a summary of our meals:
To start off with we order some wedges ($7) and garlic bread ($5) as usual (to share). The wedges are really good. Seemingly home made with a Cajun spice coating, topped with sour cream, sweet chilli and spring onion. Very tasty.
My dish: Lamb salad with walnuts ($22) – One of the best salads I have ever eaten – A huge bowl of garden salad (mixed lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion) finished with some lovely pieces of medium rare lamb fillet (so sweet and tender), crushed walnuts, julienne capsicum and the most amazing sweet, spicy Thai flavoured dressing. Not cheap for a salad but its huge and really is a generous meal in itself.
The calamari fritti ($19.90): Lovely fresh calamari rings fried in a light lemon pepper flavoured batter with shoestring fries, garden salad and an excellent tartare sauce. I have had this dish before and it is a great version of calamari.
Crispy chicken salad ($17.90): Another huge salad done much the same way as the lamb salad, but finished with crispy coated pieces of chicken breast, without the walnuts. We also ordered one version of this with grilled chicken.
My little brother had the chicken parma, which is a great version with a good red sauce, ham and generous coating of cheese. I have not photographed this as it has been reviewed in the past.
We skip dessert as we are very full and have a cake waiting at home for the birthday boy.
Ashscotts receives a score of 14/20. It is a great value local restaurant and I always enjoy returning for their fine bistro style meals and hospitality. Highly Recommended!
==========================
I have recently returned to Ashscotts and must report that things have gone down hill. Food quality has dropped. Poor quality pre-crumbed schnitzels being used, less care in presentation and smaller portions. Service isn't as slick either. Now probably warrants about 11/20 making it pretty average.
Labels: Ashscotts, REVIEWS: Casual Dining
Monday, October 1, 2007
Ashscotts Restaurant (Berwick)
I first stumbled across Ashscotts a few months ago. It is a local restaurant located on the main street in Berwick, and occupies the space, which was formerly Jason’s Terrace. It is one of the newest restaurants in the Berwick area and is off to a flying start.
Ashscotts promise is simple food cooked well, along with great service and a funky atmosphere. I think that they succeed on all these accounts. The staff at Ashscotts are a predominantly young, friendly and enthusiastic group, who always make you feel welcome and at home. I think this is important, as service can be a crucial factor as to whether you will return to a restaurant or not. If the food is good and the service is poor would you return? Probably not, and the proprietors know this and consequently ensure that the restaurant delivers on both accounts.
Now for the food. The offerings at Ashscotts are simple and tasty dishes, which are not mucked around with excessively. You get typical bistro and pub offerings, along with some more exciting dishes, cooked exceptionally well. Things like great pastas, a fantastic calamari fritti dish, huge salads or an awesome chicken parma. This is good simple food that is generous, and well priced ($15 to $20 for most mains). For this you get great food served in a restaurant that is clean and modern with a nice fit-out, and a great feel to the place. On any sitting you will see a range of different diners, from young teenagers, through to seniors – everyone seems to love this place.
Pictured below is one of their most popular offerings. The chicken parma – for $16.50 you get a huge parma, complete with napoli sauce, ham and cheese, served on top of a generous pile of crispy fries and sided by a simple garden salad. They also have a special on Monday night where you get a Pot n Parma for only $12 – you’ll struggle to get a better deal at your local pub.
Ashscotts also has a small, but well-chosen wine list, which is good value, with some decent quality bottles for around $25. They also have a small list of deserts, but you are better off going for a slice of cake (to share even) if you can fit it in. They are not house made but are of excellent quality, and you get a good sized slice for about $7.50.
Coffee is also fairly good.
My score: 13.5/20
Food (6/10), Service (4/5), Ambience – modern, smallish tables, can be very noisy (3.5/5)
It should be noted that Ashscotts is not a fine dining restaurant, but a simple bistro style establishment that achieves what it sets out to do exceptionally well. Thus while the score may seem modest it is highly recommended.
www.ashscotts.com.au
Ashscotts promise is simple food cooked well, along with great service and a funky atmosphere. I think that they succeed on all these accounts. The staff at Ashscotts are a predominantly young, friendly and enthusiastic group, who always make you feel welcome and at home. I think this is important, as service can be a crucial factor as to whether you will return to a restaurant or not. If the food is good and the service is poor would you return? Probably not, and the proprietors know this and consequently ensure that the restaurant delivers on both accounts.
Now for the food. The offerings at Ashscotts are simple and tasty dishes, which are not mucked around with excessively. You get typical bistro and pub offerings, along with some more exciting dishes, cooked exceptionally well. Things like great pastas, a fantastic calamari fritti dish, huge salads or an awesome chicken parma. This is good simple food that is generous, and well priced ($15 to $20 for most mains). For this you get great food served in a restaurant that is clean and modern with a nice fit-out, and a great feel to the place. On any sitting you will see a range of different diners, from young teenagers, through to seniors – everyone seems to love this place.
Pictured below is one of their most popular offerings. The chicken parma – for $16.50 you get a huge parma, complete with napoli sauce, ham and cheese, served on top of a generous pile of crispy fries and sided by a simple garden salad. They also have a special on Monday night where you get a Pot n Parma for only $12 – you’ll struggle to get a better deal at your local pub.
Ashscotts also has a small, but well-chosen wine list, which is good value, with some decent quality bottles for around $25. They also have a small list of deserts, but you are better off going for a slice of cake (to share even) if you can fit it in. They are not house made but are of excellent quality, and you get a good sized slice for about $7.50.
Coffee is also fairly good.
My score: 13.5/20
Food (6/10), Service (4/5), Ambience – modern, smallish tables, can be very noisy (3.5/5)
It should be noted that Ashscotts is not a fine dining restaurant, but a simple bistro style establishment that achieves what it sets out to do exceptionally well. Thus while the score may seem modest it is highly recommended.
www.ashscotts.com.au
Labels: Ashscotts, REVIEWS: Casual Dining
