Palookaville... again!

Palookaville really has to be one of my absolute favourite restaurants in Melbourne. Since my last blog post about it way back last year, I have gone back several times and tried many a different dish there and have never been disappointed. It is a great place to take friends as there is nothing worse than recommending a restaurant and having people not like it- and it is pretty much impossible to do that at Palookaville. The meals are good value but not piled high with stuff you don't need, the drinks selection is great and the entrees almost as yummy as the fabulous mains.

So I was more than happy to recommend Palookaville for an end-of-term function for 21 of us last night. The service was quick and friendly, all the meals looked really good (in particular some Persian Lamb Shanks which I must go back for!).

We started with some dips and an antipasto platter, both $9 a plate. The dips were so-so but the Antipasto platter was beautiful. Some great cured meats and wonderful marinated vegetables.

Although I knew I probably should try something new, I went back for the pork belly and wasn't disappointed. Beautiful tender pork with lots of crispy crackling, in a beautiful Asian braise with some sauteed Asian greens and rice. It is everything pork belly should be, and a really nice sized portion so you just have a little bit of naughtiness!

Palookaville just oozes Brunswick St cool. It is casual, hip and funky and the food just rocks. A year later, it is still one of the places I keep going back to.