Melbourne Patron

My chef buddy - whom I've known for years, and whose name I'm going to have to tell you now, since he's deigned to join Twitter , finally - gave a cooking class in Cremorne last week and kindly invited me and my bestie to partake. Chefs Shane Kenny and Mark Favaloro Mark Favaloro (Twitter handle @ChefFluffy ... don't ask) and his sidekick, Shane Kenny ( @Shane_Kenny987 ), met whilst working at the original MoVida , where Shane still holds the fort. Mark now heads up the kitchen at Naked In The Sky on Brunswick Street, and has maintained a strong interest in (and talent for) Spanish cooking. Mark chopping stuff really impressively quickly Our menu/recipe booklets Hence, the theme of this class was "Entertaining - Spanish Style!" and, for a fee, was open to members of the public. Along with other foodies and food appreciators, we were treated to a hands-on demonstration, and (thankfully) the consumption of several tapas dishes and a calamar...

With recent additions  Shop Ramen , Hinoki Japanese Pantry and BistroK , plus long-stayers  Peko Peko , Easy Tiger , Wabi Sabi Salon , Wood Spoon Kitchen and more, Smith Street, Collingwood is slowly turning into an Asian food haven, with a strong focus on Japanese cuisine. Woohoo! One night after some ramen, friends and I decided we needed dessert, and sake. (Essential.) We walked past the freshly minted Pabu Grill & Sake (190 Smith Street, Collingwood) and decided to give it a shot. We sat at the front communal table and were given very attentive service by the host. I was particularly keen to sample the sake flight and one of my favourite all-time desserts, mochi. (See my previous rave about them here .) The green tea ones were okay, but the plain and melon flavoured ones were delicious. A selection of MOCHI !!! Pabu (Japanese for 'pub') pitches itself as a modern Izakaya, or Japanese tapas bar - that is, a casual establishment where the foo...