Update 15/06/2023: Houndstooth has been replaced by The Shady Lady.
We had visitors in town for the weekend and wanted to start things off with a low-key Melbourne dining experience. I pushed for another trip to Shakahari, but we decided to go for a slightly hipper vibe - Houndstooth on Johnston Street.
They have a fine selection of local - we enjoyed Mountain Goat and Grand Ridge brews - and international (although it turns out Japan's finest beer, Sapporo, is brewed in Canada!) beers, and a small but ever-changing menu.
There's usually just one vego option for each course (out of two or three in total), so Cindy and I only have to choose which courses to partake in - it's $20 for 3 or $15 for 2. We were both bold enough to opt for three courses: an entree, a main and a dessert.
The entree of the day was a gorgonzola, caramelised onion and thyme tart - it was a nice combination of flaky, soft pastry, sweet onions and creamy gorgonzola cheese. Cindy raved about it - it was clearly the highlight of the meal. Something to try at home perhaps.
The main of the day was a vegetable terrine with ricotta and a rocket and red cabbage parsley salad.
Apparently terrines are often served cold, but I was a bit surprised and disappointed that ours wasn't warmed up a bit. That's probably my problem more than Houndstooth's though. The flavours weren't particularly exciting either, although the salad worked pretty well. Verdict: adequate.
Cindy and I finally branched out at dessert time - lemon tart for Cindy and a chocolate cake for me. The choccie cake was popular - I snagged the last piece. It was rich, moist and chocolatey - definitely a worthy third course. Cindy was equally impressed with her lemon tart - particularly the pastry.
We've said it before about Houndstooth - the food's more homely than trendy, but the atmosphere is friendly and slightly hip. The prices aren't quite what they were, but $20 for three courses is still pretty reasonable.
Read about our previous trips to Houndstooth here and here.
They have a fine selection of local - we enjoyed Mountain Goat and Grand Ridge brews - and international (although it turns out Japan's finest beer, Sapporo, is brewed in Canada!) beers, and a small but ever-changing menu.
There's usually just one vego option for each course (out of two or three in total), so Cindy and I only have to choose which courses to partake in - it's $20 for 3 or $15 for 2. We were both bold enough to opt for three courses: an entree, a main and a dessert.
The entree of the day was a gorgonzola, caramelised onion and thyme tart - it was a nice combination of flaky, soft pastry, sweet onions and creamy gorgonzola cheese. Cindy raved about it - it was clearly the highlight of the meal. Something to try at home perhaps.
The main of the day was a vegetable terrine with ricotta and a rocket and red cabbage parsley salad.
Apparently terrines are often served cold, but I was a bit surprised and disappointed that ours wasn't warmed up a bit. That's probably my problem more than Houndstooth's though. The flavours weren't particularly exciting either, although the salad worked pretty well. Verdict: adequate.Cindy and I finally branched out at dessert time - lemon tart for Cindy and a chocolate cake for me. The choccie cake was popular - I snagged the last piece. It was rich, moist and chocolatey - definitely a worthy third course. Cindy was equally impressed with her lemon tart - particularly the pastry.We've said it before about Houndstooth - the food's more homely than trendy, but the atmosphere is friendly and slightly hip. The prices aren't quite what they were, but $20 for three courses is still pretty reasonable.
Read about our previous trips to Houndstooth here and here.
Have their prices gone up a bit? Did it used to be $15 for 3 or was that my imagination? $20 is still cheap for 3 courses.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've tried a warm terrine before. I always thoughts terrines were pressed meats and things that were placed in a fridge to harden?
Yep, the prices have increased since our first visit but I think it's still good value for money.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right that terrines are usually pressed and chilled meat. This one was pressed and chilled but not meat. :-)