Paul Daniel's Views On The World, For What They're Worth

I’ve never really liked Carl Barron. I actually think he’s about as funny as a multiple patient car accident. And we almost had one when I went to park in my usual parking area in St Kilda and found it blocked off to accommodate a large number of people who were there to see him at the Palais. The net result was having to park on Beaconsfield Parade, but that, thankfully, was the only downside of a great night.

phamish (http://www.phamish.com.au/) is on The Esplanade, immediately opposite the entrance to Luna Park. It’s a new entrant to the Entertainment Book (http://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/) this year, so independent reviews were a bit hard to come by. However, with a desire to show Mitchell an example of cosmopolitan Melbourne, we thought we would give it a go, right in the middle of a typical St Kilda Saturday night.

We weren’t disappointed – phamish was phantastic!

Cocktails, milkshakes and a very acceptable Kilikanoon ‘Killerman’s Run’ Cabernet Sauvignon got us started, with a selection of entrees from which we grazed. The favourite here was the dips with the sesame bread – almost a cross between turkish bread and a cracker.

Mains were terrific – with favourites being the gnocchi and the paella. Our fitness fanatic at the table was disappointed that the salt and pepper squid was fried, and felt it could have been described as such on the menu.

The deserts were the highlight of the night, particularly the  sweet custard pizza. A normal pizza base cooked as such, but with a great mix of apple, custard and sliced almonds.

The $35 discount through the Entertainment Book meant a cost of around $50 per person – perfectly reasonable for what was a great night. Probably not a lot more than you’d pay to see Carl Barron.