Melbourne Food Tales: Cherrijam

Just before moving I was in Sydney and keen to have dinner with some close friends. Living in Canberra meant that I didn't get to see Sydney friends often and I imagined it would only be harder in Melbourne. We chose Cherrijam because of it's location, that is it's close to where some of my friends live, close to a train station for those further afield and close to the Sheaf on New South Head Road, just incase we decided to be silly and drink extra after dinner (we did!).

Location aside, I have been to Cherrijam before and quite liked it. This particular visit lifted the bar even higher. The menu is an ecclectic mix of tapas items and more substantial dishes, which is great for an informal yet classy meal with friends. The Middle East/North African decor downstairs works well, with the low tables in the open area leading to the bar at the back. I've never had reason to venture to the function areas upstairs but with names like the cigar lounge I'm thinking the theme may not follow.

I especially liked the blankets, draped over the furniture just incase diners get cold. If there's not enough? Just ask the staff and they'll fetch some more!

You've probably noticed by now that I have quite a few pictures and haven't referred to them. That's the curse of the neglected blog really. This meal took place back in November and my memory is a little fuzzy. Unfortunately the menus posted on the website don't correlate with what we ordered from, so there's no memory jogging available there. It hasn't changed in a little while either, which is something to bear in mind if you're planning on visiting and want a preview before you go.

I do remember that the turkish bread and dips (top) and the "turkish chips" (below) were snapped up very quickly. I'd take a stab at hummus (roasted red pepper maybe), baba ghannouj and beetroot, but I'd just be pulling popular dips out of the air. I do remember beautifully roasted garlic as a common theme and very creamy. Perhaps there's nothing wrong with my memory, maybe we just ate it all too quickly.

The pizza was my favourite and I do remember it. Spiced paprika scented lamb fillet with onion, rocket and persian feta. I love persian feta. The other popular favourite was beef tagine. And I know that my memory wouldn't help here-I was too busy scoffing pizza to really get a good taste of the tagine before it was all gone. Bottom? Multicultural antipasto maybe? The chorizo was a big winner; just enough spice to keep you going.

The final star of the night was the wine. Cherrijam has an adequate wine list, including their self-labelled cleanskin which we opted for. Nothing flash, just good easy drinking.