Jim's Greek Tavern

32 Johnston St, Collingwood. Ph: 9419 3827

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I’ve never been to a restaurant with no menu so I was very interested to see what Jim’s Greek Tavern would be like.

Since it’s very hard not to love Greek food, it wasn’t that worrying to me that there was no menu.

Soon after we arrived at Jim’s Greek Tavern we were given saganaki, grilled octopus and bread with dips.

I tried the bread first and it was some of the best bread I have ever tasted. The fact that it was fresh out of the oven and was still warm made it even better.

Next I tried the octopus. It was very nice and wasn’t too chewy. I didn’t try the saganaki because I’m not a fan of cheese, but Mum and Dad thought it was pretty good.

Next we were given lamb yiros, lamb skewers and snapper with chips. I had the lamb skewers first and they were really good. The lamb was so tender. Next I tried the yiros. It was also very nice and it was in easy-to-eat bit-sized pieces. So soft and tender and some tasty crunchy bits.

I had the snapper next. It was soft and delicious but it had quite a few bones in it.

We ordered some baklava for dessert, but I was so full I couldn’t eat another thing.

7.5/10

- james, 11 years old

MoVida Bar de Tapas

Another blog by our 11-year-old reviewer, James. This time he's gone all Spanish at MoVida.

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After having some great Spanish meals on our family holiday in Europe late last year, we thought we should try a Spanish eatery that's right on our doorstep. It's called MoVida and it's in Hosier Lane in the city.

It was a Saturday lunchtime and it was very busy, so we were lucky to get in without a reservation.

We had a look at the menu and decided to order some tapa to start with. We ordered Bomba _ Catalan potato bombs with chorizo centre and a spicy bravas sauce; roasted Port Lincoln scallop with jamon and potato foam; and roast lamb cutlet encased in a Catalan pork and paprika pate.

For the Raciones we ordered slowly braised beef cheek in Pedro Ximenez (a kind of sherry) on cauliflower puree; prawns cooked in garlic and fino with broad beans; and Andalucian sweet-sour farmed rabbit legs with almonds.

After a very short wait the first tapa arrived - the Bomba, which was one of the specials of the day. In my opinion it tasted quite nice, but the sauce, which was a deep orange colour, was a bit too spicy for me.

Next came the scallops. They tasted a bit too fishy for me, but I did like the potato foam.

Almost straight after we finished eating the scallops, the third tapa came out. The pace of the food arrivals made me think of a fast-food place, only the flavours are heaps better.

Anyway, I reckon the lamb, with a big dollop of green sauce on top, was the best of the tapas. The lamb was nice and moist and the pork made it taste even better.

After a slightly longer wait the beef cheek arrived. It was so good - the beef seemed to be in loose strands and it melted in your mouth. You didn't want to stop eating it.

Next I tried the prawns. They were good and garlicky, but not the best of the mains. That was still to come.

The rabbit was honestly one of the best things I have ever eaten - again you didn't want to stop eating it. The meat was nice and moist and there was just a little taste of honey in the sauce.

After that great meal the very friendly waiter gave us a fairly inexpensive bill for such good food.

So as you do when you have a great meal you give them a tip - and that's what we did.

8.5/10

- james