Pure South

Riverside, Southgate. Ph: 9699 4600

* * * * *

I HADN’T been to Pure South for a long time so I thought it was time for a return trip. My dad had gone there about a week before and said it was a lot better since last time.

When we arrived we were given some fresh bread with butter. The fresh bread was very nice but the butter was very strong. For the entrées we didn’t share so I ordered Seafood Linguine to myself.

Before my entree arrived we were given a beetroot and goat’s cheese appetiser which looked fantastic. I’m not a fan of goat’s cheese, but I discovered the beetroot had a very nice taste.

The Seafood Linguine came next and there was a huge variety of seafood on the plate including fish, mussels, squid and clams. I tried the clams first - I’ve never eaten clams before and I thought they would be like mussels which I don’t like. But I was wrong, they tasted great and were one of the best things in the dish. The squid and fish were also both very good. The mussels didn’t taste that nice but were cooked well.

For the mains we all shared Braised Beef Cheek with Onion risotto, a pork belly dish and a big steak.

The best dish of the day by far was the Braised Beef Cheek. It was the best dish I’ve ever had at Pure South. The beef could be cut by a spoon and tasted great and the onion risotto was perfect.

Next I tried the pork belly – it was a bit of a disappointment. The pork was fine, but there were heaps of other unnecessary elements on the plate.

Finally I had the steak. Pure South steaks are some of the best in Melbourne in my opinion and I wasn’t let down. It was perfectly cooked, but it would have been way better if it had a garlic butter or something like that.

So Pure South was well worth a return visit and I probably will be going back there soon.

8/10

- james, 12 years old

Giuseppe Arnaldo and Sons

Crown Complex, Southbank.
Ph: 9694 7400

WITH many Italian restaurants, there is so much good food on the menu, it's all so hard to choose.

Do you have the seafood risotto or the spaghetti bolognaise?

A great example of this is Giuseppe Arnaldo and Sons at Crown Casino.

So we went there for lunch one Saturday and when we got there we were welcomed by our friendly waiter and were given the menu. We didn't book because you can't here.

The menu had so much good-sounding food on it, but in the end we ordered Veal, Pork and Mortadella Meatballs with Lemon and Celery salad, and Oregano Dusted Shrimp with Lemon Aioli for the entrees.

For the mains we ordered Mezzi Rigatoni which is rigatoni with pork sausages, sage tomato, garlic and chilli. We also had the Coral Trout Risotto and the Grass-fed Sirloin.

Not long after we'd ordered, the entrees arrived. I first tried the Oregano Shrimp _ little prawns still in their shells which you eat whole. It was good but if I came back I don't think I'd order it again.

Next I tried the meatballs: they were the best meatballs ever. They melted in your mouth and the flavours were all so good.

After a good wait the mains arrived. I tried the risotto first. It was so good. I think risotto is now starting to become my favourite Italian food.

Next I tried the steak. It was cooked perfectly and was very good, probably tied with Rockpool for best steak in Melbourne in my opinion.

The pasta was also very good and you could tell it was homemade. Though it wasn't the best main, it still beat anything you get in a cafe by a long shot.
We were offered dessert by our friendly waiter, but we'd had enough.

Instead, we went to see the movie Julie and Julia. It's a pity that the movie was nowhere near as good as the food we had just experienced.

9/10

- James, 11 years old

Robert et Louise

64, rue Vieille du Temple
75003 Paris
+01 42 78 5589

I’m going to start this review with some advice: if you’re a chef, wannabe chef, ravenous carnivore or a foodie of any description and you find yourself in Paris, make sure you dine at Robert et Louise.

I first heard about this tiny restaurant in the Marais quarter during a chat with Kyneton chef Annie Smithers. She she nominated it as her favourite international dining experience and said it was at the "funny little restaurant with gingham curtains and a huge open fire" where she had the best steak of her life.

"(There was) a 50-year-old Frenchwoman who had a whole side of beef sitting on a wooden chopping board," Smithers said. "She would sharpen her knife, slice off a bit of meat and just put it on the grill plate on the fire. It was so simple, but there was something in the honesty of the food that was so basic but so perfect."

Just hearing that description made my mouth water and knowing I was soon to find myself in Paris, I put Robert et Louise high on my to-eat-at list.

Those not lucky enough to have heard the inside word from Smithers would likely walk straight past the small restaurant that is barely signed and surrounded by plenty of other eateries with much more welcoming appearances. Luckily, I was with someone with local knowledge and once I was inside I realised the lack of signage is exactly what makes Robert et Louise so charming. Why? Because it keeps the tourists (except us) out.

Although we soon discovered the nondescript appearance didn’t mean business was slow. Even at 10pm on a weeknight and were lucky to get a seat. Most diners were squashed along a communal table down the centre of the room or sitting at the bar near the door.

It took me a few moments to adjust to the scene - the tiny yet cosy joint just oozed atmosphere with exposed timber beams and walls adorned with pictures, ornaments and cooking utensils (you name it, it was there).

But the thing that immediately caught my eye, and what made this restaurant stand out over any other I’ve eaten at, was the kitchen and what came out of it.

Actually, “kitchen” is a pretty generous term for what was really nothing more than an alcove with an open fire with a cast iron grill over the flames and a giant wooden chopping block.

It was a very simple system: at Robert et Louise it’s all about the steak. Each order involved the chef grabbing a side of meat from the hanging fridge, hacking off the required cut and slapping the meat on the hotplate.

It sounds rough and rustic and not for the faint-hearted and it was all three. A few minutes on each side and voila, each steak cooked to perfection were served on a wooden board with nothing other than a pot of Dijon mustard on the side. Watching the process was mesmorising, mouthwatering and oh-so-French and I couldn’t wait to tuck in.

But first things first: for entree I had a generous serve of foie gras with spiced toast and apple slices (18 euros) while my buddy had a plate of saucisson, which is kind of like a French chorizo (6 euros).

Both were brilliant but it was the rump (18 euros) we were after and the rump we were about to get. As expected, the finished product (cooked medium rare) was a meat-lover’s dream. It was dark pink, juicy, tender enough to cut with a butter knife and also had my favourite steak requirement...plenty of fat with plenty of flavour. We’d ordered a serve of salad and potatoes (5 euros each) and a bottle of red (22 euros) to wash it down and despite the massive serves not a morsel was left on the plates.

Add some hilarious conversation from the three random blokes sitting next to us and this dining experience was simply the best. We finished with a shared crème brulee but as good as it was it barely registered. I went to Robert et Louise for the steak and to experience a genuine French bistrot and both exceeded expectations.

Forget the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. For me, Robert et Louise has everything you’ll ever want from a Parisian experience.

10/10

- Zoe