Añada

Añada was recommended to us sometime ago by a waitress at the Panama Dining Room- who seeing how much we love the PDR pork belly, suggested we might like Anada's. Well she was right, we loved the Añada pork belly, meaty, sweet and with a crisp lining of crackling, on a bed of smoky eggplant. But that wasn't all we liked.

Food is served tapas style- they have a broad range of tapas and "raciones- larger dishes also designed to share. If choosing is too hard, they also have 2 Banquets and chef does the choosing for you. The couple next to us were doing the banquet and the dishes were a great selection (and included the pork belly!)

We had a 4 different tapas and 4 Raciones to share- every dish was a delight!

Pork empanadilla- crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a deliciously Asian feel to the flavours

Manchego and quince- which essentially is what it is- but was served at a perfect room temperatures that gave the flavours full flight

Roasted quail was crispy and served on a bed of the most divine tabbouleh I have ever tasted- using more grain than herb and incorporating pomeranate seeds for quick bursts of tart flavour.

Moving on to the raciones, as well as the pork belly, we had the vine wrapped sardine- a crumbling delight of flavours with pistachios in the sauce- divine- this happened to come out with the heirloom tomato salad whose sweetness and basil flavours complemented the sardine beautifully.

Our absolute favourite though was the Crispy Goat- it was indeed very crispy with the strong goaty flavour really coming through and served on a lovely rustic hommos.

For desert, we shared Lavender Curd and honeyed figs- the lavender curd was different to anything I've tried before- perfect for anyone who doesn't like deserts too sweet, it had the delicate flavour of lavender and was served with perfectly ripe figs drizzled in honey- divine!

Coffee was great as well. Fantastic wine list with lots of Spanish and Portugese wines to try- we enjoyed a Crawford River rose with dinner. I then had a tempranillo- which was, like all their reds according the menu, served at 15%- the perfect temperature for a warm Melbourne evening!

I loved the buzz of it- the place was packed and it is not the biggest space. It would have been nicer though to have had the opportunity to spread out just a little more perhaps. The wait staff were efficient, friendly but not too in your face.

Value wise, to my mind its more of a special occasion budget- for the 2 of us including wine, coffee and desert, we paid just over $140.

Anada do 2 sittings a night 6pm and 8.30pm- bookings highly recommended!

Añada has certainly gone into my Top 5 favourites in Melbourne!

Añada
(03) 9415 6101

197 Gertrude St

Fitzroy, 3065

http://www.anada.com.au/

Set to impress

As a Sydney expat who has lived in Melbourne for 3 years now, I think I am qualified to say that Sydney people love Melbourne. Most of them, not enough to actually leave the harbour city- but since the day we announced we were going to move, we've been regaled with comments about how fabulous Melbourne is. Especially the food. And the fact that true gems are hidden in Melbourne, not lit up in neon.

So when we have visitors from Sydney, as we did this weekend, I feel a strange responsibility to my adopted hometown to show it in its best light. So choosing a restaurant for a Saturday night "double date" should be hard right- well no, its not- because I've got the Panama Dining Room- and it has never let me down.

So on Saturday night, we set off in a cab bound for Smith Street, with Sydney friends in tow. Stepping out across from the inauspicious entrance and going up the stairs, we all marvel at how Melbourne's delights are hidden in such a curious way.

Every time I step into the dining room - a turn of the century furrier's warehouse, with enourmous semi-circular gabled windows along two walls with a great view- I like to reimagine it as my apartment- an open plan kitchen where the bar is- I'd probably leave the pool table where it is...well anyway, its a fabulous space, and usually full enough to generate a pleasing buzz. The kind of buzz that makes you feel like you're part of the city...

But the best part is the food- and Saturday did not disappoint.

The highlight was definitely Frizz's perfectly cooked pork- that thin line of perfect golden crackling skin, but the rest of us did alright with succulent, moist rabbit loins succulent and chicken pie- all exquisitely cooked and flavoured.

Deserts were great- I shared a lemon custard with citrus salad with Rusty- tart and creamy, the custard was perfect. The Frizz and FC had chocolate mousse- an absolute delight...



Another highlight (sorry, it felt like just one after the other!) was definitely the cheese plate- we decided we would each pick one- and each of us wanted a different cheese, so we just got all 4- served at room temperature they were absolutely divine!



Commencing the evening with brilliantly mixed cocktails (I had a gimlet, the boys had martinis of various complexions) and complemented by an extensive winelist and a sommelier who knows his wine and food, the overall culinary experience can hardly be faulted.

For anyone into detail, here the cheeses we enjoyed with their descriptions from the Panama website.
GABRIEL COULET ROQUEFORT This blue made from raw ewe’s milk is matured in caves in Southern France. This artisan cheese has a strong salty flavour yet is rich and creamy
BRILLAT-SAVARIN A rich cow’s milk cheese from Normandy in France. Made with whole milk and enriched with extra cream. It has a dense creamy texture similar to that of ice cream.
SEVRE & BELLE CAPRIFEUILLE This log shaped goats cheese is ripened using a geotrichum mould giving it a slightly yeasty flavour. Typical of cheeses from the region of Poitou-Charentes in central France.
LE NAPOLEON A rare hand made single dairy ewe's milk cheese from the Central Pyrenees. Slow ripened in cold humid conditions it develops a condensed nutty texture and rounded caramel flavour.

THE PANAMA DINING ROOM AND BAR
Level 3/231 Smith St, Fitzroy Phone: (03) 9417 7663
http://thepanama.com.au/