“Honey! Wake up! We’re going to the Underground City!”. I’m trying to rouse a sleeping Mr NQN to no avail. Luckily non Metrosexual men like Mr NQN  are of that breed that don’t require a lot of getting ready time and we’re off in twenty minutes.  I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of an Underground City. Ever since my Canadian friend Gina told me about how some cities in Canada have their own cities under the ground that can shelter you from snow and the elements, I have always wanted to visit one.

We decide to brave the Metro system. Based on Paris’s Metro system it is very straight forward to use and we buy a 3 day pass for $14 each (although the machine doesn’t take foreign credit cards). We change metros and arrive at McGill where we follow the direction that most people are walking. It’s the largest underground complex in the world and is actually a mix of underground and above the ground complexes and tunnels. You just keep walking and it seems that the shops never end as it spreads across an enormous 12kms.

The shops are varied although I am yet to spot any designer boutiques (although we didn’t really go with a concerted plan of attack). They’re mostly mid range although that doesn’t stop me from going a bit crazy at Zara and La Senza as well as buying these cute little Sex and the City chocolates (I loved the Carrie one with the NYC skyline!). We’re struck at how similar it appears to Tokyo’s subway system shopping centres. We see some glass roofs and the sky peering in in some sections. Apart from a multitude of shopping centres, there are banks, hotels, condos, museums and offices and the whole thing stretches for a few metro stations. After a few hours spent wandering around and arms weighed down with shopping, we emerge at Peel where we take the Metro to Victoria Square and head to our lunch at Restaurant Beaver Hall.

Now I know what you’re going to ask and there are no beaver here despite the name. Either in alive form (although there are groundhogs and squirrels we were excited to see!) or on the plate. Now Mr NQN and I don’t argue much at all-it’s usually about him tidying up, but we had a fight over the dessert here! But more on that later We are led to our table in this gorgeous room which is full of rich woods, leather booths and is busy with the swift efficiency and even sounds of business murmuring of a business lunch crowd.

There is already bread on the table and we’re surprised to see sourdough bread. We’re so used to seeing it on restaurant tables in Sydney but this is the first time it has appeared here. It comes with a variety of accompaniments including an olive and caper tapenade, olive oil and butter as well as pickles to accompany your meal and tongs to remove them.

Amuse Bouche

A waiter presents us with an amuse bouche from the kitchen and it’s a creamy salmon mousse with mini baguette croutons. The mousse is wonderfully airy and distinct in salmon, cream and chives. In fact when we ran out of croutons I couldn’t let it go to waste and took to it with a fork.

Foie gras au torchon $14.50

We asked for some help with choosing our meals and we were recommended several dishes. Sadly they were out of lobster salad (arrgh I’ve been dying to try Canadian lobster!) but we settle on some lovely sounding dishes. We start with the foie gras au torchon which comes as three quennelles of foie gras pate. It’s said to come with a pineapple chutney but it’s a fig paste instead. It also comes with a lovely dark sourdough bread. Mr NQN isn’t a huge fan of foie gras because it is too rich for him but we both adore this. The foie gras pate is light and when spread on the spongey, airy sourdough the pate melts into a soft, buttery topping with that distinct foie gras flavour. The fig paste is absolutely perfect for this.

Parmesan crusted calamari and tartare sauce $10.50

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***Please note that this business is now closed***

There are some people that just fully appreciate Afternoon Tea and Elevenses. Mr NQN is not one of them. So when I knew that I was visiting Dolls At The Mount for afternoon tea, I knew that I had to take along fellow afternoon tea aficionado Nic. You know Nic don’t you? She’s my Melbourne friend who painstakingly played lighting assistant when we dined at Maze restaurant. She also happens to have a family of keen sponge cake bakers so I knew that she would completely understand it here.

It was a place I had heard of months and months ago and I filed it away in the rollerdex in my head, knowing that I would somehow make it there-one day.  Dolls At the Mount is a doll museum and afternoon tea place that was said to serve fantastic scones and it was just the kind of place that I knew that I would adore. And when Tourism Victoria asked me where I would like to visit I immediately open up the mental rollerdex and told them “Dolls on the Mount please!”.

It’s a rainy Melbourne day when I jump into the taxi and take the 30 minute ride out to Heidelberg. It’s drizzling lightly when we pull up in front of the cream colour cottage and a sign reads “doll repairs, afternoon tea”. Nic has just arrived too and we ring the door and a smiling Vivienne opens the door. “Welcome!” she says smiling and we make our way past the dolls in the front foyer to the warm and cosy dining room. We are to indulge in the special afternoon tea. I order an Earl Grey and Nic orders an English breakfast tea.

While we are waiting, we wander around into the doll’s room. Formerly Vivienne’s bedroom, her mum still lives here in the house towards the back.  The doll’s room is a treasure trove and catalogue of dolls throughout the the ages. There are some absolute collector’s items including their oldest doll which is from the 1930′s. Vivienne’s mum was a former doll maker and some of her creations are featured here too.

There is also a collection of Vivienne’s Barbies as well as a stunning fashion doll. Several decades ago, before jet travel was invented and because there was limited space on the ships, fashion houses used to send dolls wearing a smaller version of a dress that they had designed for the upcoming season for buyers and seamstresses to copy. There is one of these dolls in the glass cabinet here.

Our table is set with jam and cream for the scones and Vivienne sets some floral teapots down with strainers and teacups. The loose leaf Earl Grey tea is sparklingly fragrant and she brings out a pot of hot water and places it on a side table.

The piece de resistance comes out. She brings out the two tier special afternoon tea (at $22.90 a person) and it is abundant with goodies. On the top there are freshly made pinwheel sandwiches. They are decorated with snow pea shoots and fresh flowers and come in a variety of fillings with both white and wholemeal bread.

Special Tea for two ($22.90 per person)

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It’s absolutely true that I’m not a wine blogger or close to it. I simply don’t have the genetic makeup to do that to any length (missing that damn enzyme that metabolizes alcohol). However Mr NQN is a keen wine lover and even I, the semi ignorant as far as wines go, know that South Australia’s Penfold’s winemakers and Penfolds Grange has a hallowed reputation.

The first bottles of Penfolds Grange were created by Penfolds winemaker Max Schubert way back in 1951. He brought back techniques learnt from his time in Bordeaux and created a wine called Penfolds Grange Hermitage. It first proved unpopular with the wine critics and often bottles of this wine were given away. Max Schubert was told to stop producing this wine which was a directive that he thankfully ignored and in 1960 there was a change of heart about the wine brought on by the initial vintages ageing. Of course Max never missed a vintage-clever guy. And now prices for this original 1951 vintage reach $40,00 at auction. And to think that he started at Penfolds as the messenger boy!

A very rare 1962 Bin 60A vintage signed by Max Schubert

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