Crabapple Kitchen, my new local favourite

Crabapple Kitchen, Hawthorn.
October 27, 2012

The Glenferrie Road strip in Hawthorn has always thrived with bakeries, fast food, and quick and easy eateries. However, apart from Tao Tao House serving some fantastic dim sum, I’ve found it lacking in offering a more polished experience. That is a thing of the past with the fairly recent arrival of Crabapple Kitchen, which has created an oasis of relaxation amidst the hustle of weekend families and weekday university students. It is led by New Zealand chef Greg Feck, who has an impressive history working with the likes of Jamie Oliver, Ben O’Donoghue, and Stephanie Alexander at Richmond Hill Café & Larder, but who more recently opened Sapore in St Kilda and the FoodandTravelCo cooking school with partner Kim Coronica.

The white picket fence on the pavement outside speaks volumes of the nostalgic comfort that Crabapple Kitchen embodies. You can order Campos coffee and takeaway treats through the front window, then the cafe opens onto a rustic-style kitchen and bar area, while the seated area flows through the long room to the working kitchen at the rear. The design is warm and inviting and recalls the charms of a country kitchen, with warm colours, wooden furniture and, on this visit, baby pumpkins dotted on tables (our pumpkin was called Ricardo).

So far I’ve only had chance to explore the breakfast menu but having read the lunch menu (begins at 11:30am), which features spiced duck meatballs, 12-hour Merino and slow-cooked pork, it won’t be long until I do. Of note is that they’re beginning to experiment with opening for dinner, starting Friday November 2.

Despite having no booking and going the busy Sunday morning after a rave review in the Herald Sun, we were seated at the bar area for a coffee and to peruse the menu while we had a short wait for a table. The service is casual and friendly, exactly what you want from your local eatery, but without lacking an attention to detail. Campos coffee is served, a brand that I don’t see often in Melbourne, but which I have frequently in Sydney when visiting my head office; as well as T2 tea and a range of fresh juices and smoothies.

The menu takes two approaches, one part is Greg’s interpretations of classic breakfast menu items, with the second featuring more unique global choices from their travels around the world. Each dish highlights great produce and local producers with Myrtleford butter/milk, Meredith Dairy feta and various high-quality meats appearing across the menu.

The Myrtleford buttermilk pancakes is set to be one of their signature dishes. The crunch of salted peanut praline offers a counterpart to the soft milky pancakes, littered with chunks of banana, and the creamy tang of whipped mascarpone balances with the sweet maple syrup.

Their take on ‘baked beans’ is a generous serve of cannellini beans, slow-cooked in tomato, garlic and herbs; so rich and warm that it’s hard not to smile when eating it. The melted taleggio and an, optional, poached egg ooze through the beans and makes the accompanying crunchy herb bruschetta perfect for dipping.

On the more adventurous global side, the Northern Indian-style eggs, inspired by Jalandhar City, is similarly comforting with a warming lentil and carrot curry that never overpowers with its subtle and aromatic use of spices. Two poached eggs beg to be burst open and let their golden yolks mingle into the curry, with a spiced yoghurt offering a, not entirely necessary, dash of acidity. The grilled wholemeal flatbread has a lovely charred flavour that adds to the dish when mopping the bowl of every drop. This was easily my favourite dish.

I’m not one for having seafood at breakfast time, but with someone else at the table ordering it, I was able to try the Swedish inspired smoked ocean trout. The trout was gorgeously tender, served on grilled bread (gluten-free sourdough on this occasion) with delicately arranged shallots, cornichons, caperberries, horseradish creme fraiche and seaweed caviar on top. While not my personal choice, this dish showed the artistic hand behind the food, with beautiful plating that you don’t often find at breakfast.

Crabapple Kitchen has deservedly become my new favourite local restaurant/cafe, and that’s without trying the well-received lunch menu. Even if you don’t have the good fortune of living around the corner, this is definitely worth travelling for, and being able to book online (see their website) is an additional blessing.

Crabapple Kitchen
659 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, 3122
http://www.crabapplekitchen.com.au

Birthday week

So I’ve just finished celebrating a milestone birthday with a week of celebrations with my family of friends. It’s left me rather drained but brimming with the generosity of the people in my life.

It began with a weekend away with my partner at the Lake House in Daylesford. Having grown up in the Yorkshire Dales I always love to enjoy some peace and quiet away from the city. The waterfront suites have an amazing view of the lake and all manor of waterfowl, which is complimented by the warmth of the staff and the fantastic food. Our two night package included the degustation (with matched wines) on the first night and a three course a la carte dinner on the second night. One thing they do very well at the Lake House is to make every guest feel uniquely special, a credit to their fine staff. Two standout dishes to me were the roast pork and morcilla, and the chicken and mushrooms; both were a celebration of the produce, showing that you don’t need to complicate dishes when the ingredients are this good.

After another wonderful breakfast at the Lake House on Sunday morning, we had a leisurely drive back to Melbourne. That night was a birthday dinner with friends at Chin Chin, the perfect venue for a rather rowdy table. I’ve been to Chin Chin several times and always leave impressed (and staggeringly full!), but this time they blew me away. The generosity of the food was overwhelming with dish after dish of perfectly balanced food. The green papaya and ‘Crying Tiger’ salads treaded the tightrope of sweet, sour, salty and heat with precision; the beef short rib was meltingly tender and the best dish of the night; and the coconut sago wiped out any repressed memories of bland sago paste from my childhood. Our waiter for the night should be commended for remaining friendly and insightful amidst the frantic action of the dining room.

Monday, my birthday itself, was a chance to drop it down a gear, with a lovely brunch at Crabapple Kitchen in Hawthorn. A newcomer to my local neighbourhood strip, and a welcome one at that. The Indian-style eggs, floating in a subtly spiced lentil curry became even better with each spoonful, and the Myrtleford buttermilk pancakes with salted peanut praline and mascarpone were sinfully delicious. I’m looking forward to exploring the rest of the breakfast and lunch menu at my new favourite local.

Wednesday brought around the opening night (to the public at least) of Brooks. I won’t go on about Brooks, as I’ve written about the evening in detail here, but it was wonderful to see Nic Poelaert’s new adventures after Embrasse. The food, service, wine and company were fantastic.

Bringing the week to a close was an opportunity to welcome old and new friends alike into our home and make them feel welcome. It started off with an early (for a Saturday) visit to Prahran market, for an abundance of antipasti. As nice as it is to cook and share that with those close to you, after a certain number of guests, there’s a definite need to keep it simple. Cheddars, brie, chèvre, feta and ‘roaring forties’ blue, ribbons of prosciutto, mounds of salami, various bowls of marinated and preserved produce, along with a never-ending supply of bread (with the outstanding Myrtleford butter) were scattered throughout the house and garden.

The highlight to the evening was the cake from Burch and Purchese, my go-to for celebration cakes (to be honest, it’s my go-to whenever cake is needed!). This time we went for a large version of their Chocolate, Salted Caramel and Mandarin, with a second smaller cake, the Chocolate and Explosive Raspberry cake (just so we didn’t run out).  They decorated both cakes so that they visually worked together, and it provided a centrepiece with ‘wow’ factor. There’s nothing better after a few drinks than a wickedly decadent slice of cake.

So that’s it for another year and another decade, and now it’s time to recover!