Houndstooth

We were on our way to Los Amates on Johnston Street Fitzroy but when we arrived it was empty and the prices were a bit too expensive for a Wednesday night and also too expensive to risk on Mexican food which let's face it Australia is not very good at yet! My cousin Chrissy has been talking about Houndstooth for a while and I didn't know where it was so when I saw it was right near Los Amates and I could get 3 courses for $20 (That's right, 3 courses!)or even 4 courses for $25, if you are extra hungry, I was in their like a shot!

The main dining room was booked so we decided to eat in the courtyard as there was no way I was going to miss out on the Japanese Pumpkin Curry that I spotted on the menu board on my way in. The courtyard was warm and had a nice social atmosphere, I think I would actually prefer to eat out here instead of the restaurant as they have speakers outside playing some cool tunes and you don't have to sit at the big communal tables.

This restaurant aims to give everyone the opportunity to eat well cooked, good quality food at great prices. I ordered a starter of Jamon Iberico Reserve followed by an entree of 2 scallops on the half shell with chorizo and baby spinach and a main of the Japanese Pumpkin Curry. Nick ordered the wild mushroom dumplings as an entree followed by the osso bucco with gremolata and rice as a main and a gorgeous slice of pecan pie for desert. The way we worked it is that we shared the starter and shared the desert, that way we only paid for 3 courses each but we got to taste a bit of everything.

The food was excellent, the portion sizes were perfect enabling you to eat 3 courses easily without making yourself feel sick. My pumpkin dish was really tasty, my only qualm would be that they could have ground the cardamon a bit more and it was a tad lemony. The Osso Bucco was delicious and had a very generous amount of meat with a lovely sauce. The scallops, well I could have eaten 10 of them quite easily and the pecan pie was perfect for me, not too sweet, Nick would have prefered it sweeter because he grew up eating Coco Pops for breakfast...

I can't wait to go back to Houndstooth for a nice relaxed evening drinking wine and eating really good food and not feeling guilty that I have spent too much eating out again.

Address: 36 Johnstone Street, Fitzroy, VIC 3065
Mobile: 0411 404 374
Bookings: Yes, try and book or get there early