October 20, 2011
While we've visited and enjoyed Birdman Eating for several breakfasts, we only recently looked over their evening tapas menu and gave it a go. It was a risk to take our friend Mike there - he's got this thing against shared plates - but after a little while wandering the neighbourhood, being turned away from and individually vetoing other restaurants in turn, we persuaded him to try it. The menu's just over half vegetarian and had a few items I was very keen to try.
Our waiter was a bit distant, just barely helpful and not really friendly, but successfully committed our order to memory.
First to arrive was the fried haloumi with a salad of red rice, dried sour cherries and pistachios ($15). Having enjoyed the flavour riots that are Ottolenghi's grain salads all year, this was disappointing. I couldn't taste the cherries or pistachios at all.
Unfortunately after our first plate, there was a long wait before we saw any more food. This was a little surprising, since the restaurant was at best half full.
The rest of our order arrived all at once. The confit kipfler potatoes with chilli salt and vanilla aioli ($9.50) were the highlight - a little greasy, but beautifully seasoned. The unexpected vanilla didn't stand out.
Meanwhile, the ricotta gnocchi with blue cheese, pear and chives ($16.50) didn't really come together. The gnocchi were large and bland, the blue cheese appeared as a few dry clumps... without a sauce these were just disparate ingredients in a pan.
It was not a performance to convert Mike to tapas. Yet having paid little more than $20 each to eat the rest of us didn't feel awfully cheated. If the dishes had lived up to their descriptions and we'd enjoyed the environment a little more, we would have been happy indeed with the price. Since they and we didn't, our next meal out with Mike is likely to involve jumbo burritos.
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You can read about our visits to Birdman Eating for breakfast here and here. Meanwhile, the tapas menu has received very mixed reviews from others; see eyes on the fries, Foodie About Town, FOOD CHEE, The Love we make - The Love we take, Out of my kitchen, mochii eats, Fill My Belly in Melbourne, message in a bottle, The Gourmet Challenge and The Neo Melbournian.
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Birdman Eating
238 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
9416 4747
veg tapas $7.50-17.50
http://www.birdmaneating.com.au/
Accessibility: Tables outside are on a sloping footpath. There's a small step on entry and tables are a little crowded. There's full table service. We didn't visit the toilets.
Vanilla aioli sounds a little crazy! The potatoes look delicious and greasy though...
ReplyDeleteI do get your friend's aversion to shared plates, I really dislike sharing things.. I have a pretty big appetite and hate having to feel guilty if I want to eat more, or making sure everything is doled out fairly, etc.. I tend to only share with my partner!
That's a shame, I have always loved this place, especially for their coconut, and black rice pudding. I have yet to eat dinner there, it sounds disappointing. I share Michael's dislike of share plates, sometimes I just don't feel like sharing, especially when the food is average. Always next time :)
ReplyDeleteHi Mattheworbit - I do understand your concerns about fair sharing when you're hungry. I feel very much the same when it comes to chips. :-D
ReplyDeleteAdriana - I haven't tried their black rice pudding, though I've been meaning to! I would consider going back for breakfast again. :-)
I had the asparagus ricotta hotcakes, with salmon + rocket + dill salad today.
ReplyDeletehotcakes were dull, underseasoned and lacking asparagus. salad was so-so.