As some of you may know, I'm interning at Melbourne Food and Wine. So last Thursday the whole team went out to celebrate Spring at The Commoner with an indulgent multi-course meal. A lovely establishment in Fitzroy, The Commoner honours the greatness of all things common. The walls are covered in woven baskets, branches and metal cooking pots which gives the place has a certain warmth about it. The degustation began with individual serves and then evolved into sharing plates (my favourite!).
Take a look at what we had...
Spring vegetable tea with wild garlic... which in truth was a delicious
vegetable broth with seasonal veg that burst with flavour! I guess
the 'tea' element was the teacup it was served in.
Spring chicken terrine with artichoke, pea and horseradish salad. I particularly
enjoyed the artichokes, they were still quite firm and extremely flavoursome.
Spring seafood stew – mussels, clams, yabbie & red mullet with asparagus & faro.
The fish was perfectly cooked and fell apart at the touch of my fork.
The broth and all the other seafood was just delicious.
Spring Lamb with saffron baby vegetables, chickpea polenta cakes
and house made ewes milk yoghurt. The Lamb was so tender
and the yoghurt created such refreshing contrast in flavour.
Crunchy spring potatoes with herbs. Potato's and I have had
an outrageous love affair going on for many years now.
These were particularly impressive. 
Buttered spring asparagus, one of my new favourite vegetables.
So crisp and flavoursome.
Buttermilk pudding with blood orange jelly topped with
grapefruit and mint. This was more of a panna cotta
type dessert than pudding, but softer in texture.
Enjoyed every single mouthful.
I would highly recommend getting some spring produce onto your plate, it was only at this dinner I truly realised the difference seasonal produce makes in a dish. Everything pops with flavour and tastes so fresh.
Hope you had something delicious this week,
Me.
