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November 2011 Docked
Spanish Tapas & Wine Bar
On a cool and wet Saturday night with all our night time
tours rescheduled to Sunday, we decided to revisit Docked. Dom, the owner had dropped in some new
brochures into Trike HQ and mentioned that his new Chef was a marvel. This TrikeMan has relatively simple tastes
when it comes to food, so Spanish fare takes me outside my comfort zone a bit,
so I was a little hesitant.
Docked
in located on the Concourse Level at Etihad Stadium, overlooking Victoria
Harbour and without doubt it’s a Multi-Million Dollar $$$ View. We had arrived early so my lovely Joh and I
had window seats…. Watching the world go by. Docklands is a wonderful place, it’s
always busy on Saturday nights, I counted 17 Limos travelling along Harbour
Esplanade while nibbling on our first course. The service was quick and
friendly and we were treated to some live Spanish Music and dancing during our
meal.
Sharing
a nice bottle of Fuddling Cup Semillon-Sav Blanc, (I had a Corona first to get
in the mood), the wine was cool and tasty, the Docklands view was just
fantastic and we took Dom’s advice and shared our choices. We chose the Garlic Calamari & Crumbed
Prawns as round one of our meal. The
Calamari was juicy, tasty and just melted in the mouth, it was a great
beginning. The Prawns were crumbed with dried fruit and the Zucchini cream was
delicious. We sat and munched our way through these first two share dishes,
sipping the wine, enjoying the view, just a nice relaxing Saturday night. Dom, the ever friendly host was quite chatty
about his new Chef, the new Menu and as we mulled away about Docklands in
general, the restaurant filled up with guests, while the live Spanish guitar
strummed away in the background.
As the
night closed in and Docklands’ lights all came on, can I recommend the window
seat at Docked. I work and live in Docklands, so to me that view is really
special, you should try it. Add some
nice Docked Spanish Fare, it all adds to the experience.
Enjoying
the night, we decided to order the Al bondigas De La Abues (Spanish meatballs) and Pepidos De Pollo En Salsa Diablo
(Crumbed Chicken). The meatballs were really
tasty with the tomato sauce adding to the flavour, quite nice actually. The Chicken was nice, not really my style,
but good and tasty all the same.
Finishing with coffee, still enjoying the view and the music, the night
was complete. A good night made even better
as we used our Docklanders Deals card which gave us a fantastic discount as
well (If you spend time in Docklands you should get one…. It’s worth it). The TrikeMan Says; Docklands is a great place, and Docked just adds to the Docklands Package. With a great view of Victoria Harbour, the service is good, drinks are cool, with the food being Tasty, quite unique for this TrikeMan, so the experience was well worth the visit… just watching the world go by, listening to the music, and enjoying the meal….a nice, easy and most enjoyable night. Lamore
Italian Restaurant Docklands. Having some visitors from Canberra, this TrikeMan took the
opportunity for some Italian Food on a nice warm November Thursday evening in
wonderful Docklands. I first visited this restaurant in 2007 where we fell in
love with the food there. Four years on,
my Canberra guest made short work of the
Spagettini Lamore and my Risotto Gamberi
tasted just as good as it did the first time I had it way back over 4
years ago. Restaurants can come and go, they always evolve through
different Chefs and staff, and Lamore is no different. The food however has always been constant,
always full of flavour, authentically Italian and just deliciously tasty. The TrikeMan Says; What more can I say than I voted this my
favourite in 2007 and nothing has changed. Wonderful food, cool drinks, and
great service so in 2011, this is still my favourite Docklands Italian
Restaurant. …………enjoy… La Notte -
Lygon St Carlton On one
of the few Saturdays away from Trike HQ, The TrikeMan and his lovely Joh took a
leisurely stroll down to Lygon Street via the City Circle Tram to partake in a
late lunch and chose this great Italian Restaurant for a meal. Lygon Street on a Saturday lunch time can be
a little quiet, which suited us and our choice was well made on this sunny
afternoon. When we initially sat down there was only a couple of people sitting
outside, and I think we started a trend, a few people had a close look at the
Seafood Platter, with many doing a circuit up and down the restaurant strip
before returning and settling alongside us. We
ordered drinks, some home made dips which were absolutely delicious and then
shared some Oysters Morney and Kilpatrick before tucking into a Seafood Platter
and a Ceasar Salad accompanied by a bottle of Italian White wine. My lovely Joh
demolished her seafood and I thoroughly enjoyed
my nice fresh Caesar Salad. The recommended Italian wine tasted similar
to a Sav Blanc – Semillon Blend we like from Cassegrain Wines (NSW) so that was
particularly scrumptious also. Like all good restaurants our coffee was
outstanding so all things considered, the meal was tasty, the service was
particularly relaxed and friendly with the drinks being cool and to our liking.
Another great day to be a Melbourne Docklander. The TrikeMan Says; As a
first time visitor to this restaurant, the friendly approach by the waiters,
the ambience of sitting outside watching the world go by, and the tasty food
made it a most enjoyable Saturday afternoon with my favourite lady. …….I
recommend you go there….. you might see us there too, as we will be visiting
there again soon. Bobs Steak
& Chop Docklands. Needing some Business advice, this TrikeMan decided that
Bob’s Steak and Chop was an ideal place to meet and impress our new accountant
Craig. So on a Sunny November Monday a couple of cool drinks and a nicely
cooked Steak seemed like a good deal.
Sipping on an icy cold Boags Draught (On Tap as well) we ordered the
Lunch special of Soup of the Day & a Steak cooked to your preference. Never having tasted Mushroom Soup before I
was pleasantly surprised by how good the flavour was, with the soft warm
freshly cooked bread a more than suitable addition. My Guest had a Porterhouse and left nothing
behind, a good result. My Eye Fillet was
superb, tender and tasty, overall just magnificent. We did consider the Wine list, however with
the Boags being so cold and tasty, the wine list is…….well maybe next time. The Restaurant itself is relatively new to Docklands, very
stylish and upmarket inside, with an outside Alfresco area to enjoy on a sunny
Docklands Day. The service is first class, quite attentive with that
professional flair that makes you feel quite special. There are windows all round, so the hustle
bustle of Docklands is on show, along with a couple of envious looks from
outside watching us enjoy our meal. If
there was an unfortunate side to the day, my lovely Joh had car trouble and was
not able to make it, however the upside to that is that we will have to visit
again, so not necessarily a bad result. The TrikeMan Says; A Nice Steak, cold tasty beer, stylish and
upmarket, with a wine list I have to try
next time I go (as good as an excuse as any) with an ambience that makes you
feel pretty special. I am looking
forward to my next visit already………. The
Woolshed Pub Docklands We sat back and watched this Docklands Pub being put
together and the long time waiting for it to open has been worth it. This
TrikeMan calls the Woolshed his favourite Docklands Pub for good reason. The
simple criteria are Good Food, Cool Drinks, and Great Service. Three big
TrikeMan Ticks let me tell you. My food
tastes can be quite simple, good tasty Fish and Chips and a cold cold beer keeps
me happy, just the same as a succulent Steak, a home made Pie or a fantastic
Seafood Platter can tempt the taste buds. The food available can be simple or
as complex as you want, either way I recommend it. Make no mistake, the Sticky Date Pudding IS to die for, it’s that good. This
TrikeMan and his Lovely Joh were the first people to make a Restaurant Booking
(check the book there if you like) when it first opened and are still regular
visitors, with the Woolshed being a first option for our tour guests looking
for a drink and a meal after one of our Three Wheeled Adventures. The TrikeMan Says; With lots of great competitors for the
title, the Woolshed Pub rises just above the others as this TrikeMan’s
Favourite Docklands Pub. All the Pubs in
Docklands are terrific in terms of Quality, however I think it’s the Sticky
Date Pudding, maybe a beer on the Balcony
over the water, that make the Woolshed Pub something particularly special for
the TrikeMan……… |
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