Foodie Corner – Barry, Red Spice Road

Sorry for the delayed post this week. We arrived home from Port Douglas midweek and it’s taken me a few days to get everything sorted at home,. but I’m in Melbourne and right back into the local cuisine.

Barry
85 High Street
Northcote Vic 3070

It has been a really long time since I last ventured into Northcote and let me say, High Street got hip! I may be well behind the 8 ball on this one, but it’s better that I discovered it now than never.

We visited Barry for a Friday lunch and the place was buzzing. I felt a little bad making my way into a packed café with a stroller, but the staff were so lovely, and seated us in a spot where we wouldn’t be bothering anyone.

Upon first glance of the menu, I was very impressed, there were so many dishes on the menu I wanted to order, but in the end we settled in the Ricotta Hotcake (Ricotta hotcake, blackberries, Canadian maple, roasted hazelnuts, cacao mulberries) and the Superfood Salad (Californian superfood salad – tri-coloured quinoa, shredded kale, wild organic rice, coriander, charred corn, salted ricotta, black turtle beans, heirloom tomatoes, jalapeño, gojis, spicy lime vinaigrette).

Let me tell you, that ricotta hotcake was awesome! Soft, fluffy and downright delicious. It gives that Ricotta Hotcake from Top Paddock a real run for its money, definitely one of the best I’ve had in Melbourne. We gave some to bubs and I think he shared my opinion, the kid couldn’t get enough of it.

The superfood salad was just as impressive, a truly delicious example of a quinoa salad. I enjoyed every single spoonful, and although I was insanely full at the end of it, I still could have had more. So many elements, but each complimented each other perfectly and really made this a great dish.

I was really impressed with Barry, it competes with the top cafe’s in Melbourne. So make the trip to Northcote, you won’t regret it.

8/10

Red Spice Road
27 McKillop Street
Melbourne Vic 3000

PORK BELLY! PORK BELLY PEOPLE!

Review over.

Ok, really I’ve been visiting Red Spice Road for about 5-6 years (I can’t remember exactly, but since it opened), and it goes from strength to strength. We decided to visit with a group of friends this week when it occurred to me that I hadn’t been in over a year, and I’m was well over due for that pork belly.

As we were a group of 8, we decided to do the $79 set which includes the following:

Betel Leaf, Salmon, Coconut, Lemongrass, Lime Leaf

Fresh Oyster, Cucumber, Red Nam Jim

Twice Cooked Crispy Lamb Ribs, Chilli Jam

Soy & Ginger Chicken Wing, Tamarind Sauce

Beef Larb, Shallot, Cucumber, Green Onion, Herbs, Roasted Rice Powder

Grilled Eggplant Salad, Egg, Shallot, Tomato, Coriander, Lime Dressing

Pork Belly, Apple Slaw, Chilli Caramel, Black Vinegar

Fried Rockling Fillet, Snake Beans, Wild Ginger, Thai Basil, Hairy Melon, Green Chilli

Lamb Shoulder Slow Roasted, Lemongrass, Sesame

Pineapple Pannacotta, Lychee Sorbet, Coco De Nata, Honeycomb, Lemongrass Gel

Which is a hell of a lot of food, needless to say we all just about rolled out of there at the end of the night.

If I go into every dish we’ll be here forever, but I have to say every dish is impressive. The betel leaf is always great, so if you pick just one entrée, this is always a sure bet.

The eggplant salad was delicious, the lamb shoulder literally melted in my mouth, and that pork belly, well words cannot describe how good it is. You really have to experience it to fully appreciate it’s brilliance. If you have a foodie bucket list, this has to be right up there.

In all the years I’ve been visiting Red Spice Road it has not dropped its game, so If you want to take someone special somewhere impressive, make a booking here.

9/10

Apologies for the poor picture quality, really struggled to get decent shots in the dim light.