5 December 2001

Excellent choice, although chicken with cashew nuts seemed to be a special request. Freshness top notch. Excellent seafood. Serving size & presentation good.

Did not try dessert.

8/10

Not very flexible with entree sizes, but did allow sharing

No waitresses! But the waiters all wore Dr No costumes.

Speed - average

6/10

We were in the back room allowing free conversation and laughter. The Lazy Susan added that authentic touch.

There did seem to be a shortage of napkins and forks.

7/10

Did not try coffee.

N/A

After 6 months of waiting we finally got to experience Lino's girlfriend Niki in the flesh for the first time (in a manner of speaking).

7/10

17 January 2002

Excellent seafood. Serving size was reasonable.

Did not try dessert.

7/10

Again no waitresses! The waiter was overly proud of his protruding stomach, and seemed to have an aversion to pouring wine.

Speed - very good.

7/10

Quite small, but not overly crowded. Pictures on the wall provided seconds of entertainment just laughing at the place names. A bit of a cafe feel - you wouldn't find James Bond here!

6/10

Did not try coffee, much to waiter's annoyance.

N/A

The waiter told Andrea that he'd "show her a big one". Hogan decided to set fire to a $549 Grand Prix ticket. Most seemed disappointed that there weren't more cabbage dishes available.

6/10

7 February 2002

Exotic and plentiful. Nobody left hungry. Generous dips. Fancy pancake bread. Excellent desserts.

9/10

Friendly & attentive. Extra bread was offered to finish the dips.

No waitresses (argghhh), but the waiter wore a mighty fine shirt with a tiger print, in keeping with the African theme.

8/10

Despite the commission flats directly opposite, the restaurant was cosy & decorated with prints (and furs?!) from the Dark Continent itself. Music was also well suited to the theme of the restaurant.

8/10

Interesting Ethiopian blend of cloves and cinnamon, which was wonderfully aromatic and strong - the way coffee should be served in this type of restaurant.

8/10

The menu was pure poetry. However, the lack of Lion, Hippopotamus or Piranha & Chips was sorely lamented.

Adamo set a new record for number of consecutive jokes to flop, whilst Stephen "I need to vom" Hoges kept the witty comments coming. Old colleagues and (absent) QCR members were gossiped about, and we were all enrichened with talk of the Evil-Eye and its prevention / cure. In all, a great night.

9/10

13 March 2002

A wide choice, although the much-vaunted Shark Penis Soup and Aphrodisiac Tea were not on the menu. Generous serving size.

8/10

Had trouble ordering Orange Juice, but the waitresses were eager to please.

7/10

Mood lighting and plenty of room - a relaxing atmos in which to enjoy a good meal.

8/10

Nothing wrong.

8/10

The hostess of the night was a no-show, which most attributed to the bug that has found its way up her ass! Adamo was on his best behaviour, but Hogan kept sooking because he was the butt of all the jokes. Yvette's "Let's ignore him like Russell Crowe" zinger opened her Top 5 account.

7/10

eleventh day of the fourth month in the Year of the Horse

A Malay take on the classic combination of bananas and palms.

Webmaster's note: I suspect Hogan had his "banana" in his palm when he wrote this ridiculous review.

7/10

Good, but there was a general disappointment at the lack of good-looking waiters in tight trousers with tight-fitting shirts with the top few buttons undone to reveal just a hint of chest hair peeking out, who have square, firm jaws dusted with a sandpapery two-day growth. But I suppose you can't have everything!

7/10

A safe night was had by one and all, so luckily one was not needed.

Webmaster's note: Groan!

7/10

Good I think. Adamo wasn't impressed, which doesn't quite explain why he ordered a second one. Go figure!

6/10

Good tasting and hearty food. This is, of course, just what Adamo's doctor ordered to make up for the slops he was fed in the concentration camp he managed to escape from. Adamo, I think I speak on behalf of the entire Queremos group when I wish you all the best in your long road to building up your strength and growing your hair longer than 2 millimetres. All the best mate!

It didn't take long before rumours rocked the Queremos group after Catherine and Adam arrived BOTH wearing black! What was the meaning of this? What are they not telling the rest of the group? Andrea proposed that they're in mourning and theorised that the bug that was previously reported to have been lodged up Claudia's back passage may have had fatal consequences. However, a quick mobile call to Claude found her very much alive, but busy downing a jumbo bottle of Yakult. The mystery of the all-black get-up remains.

The night was almost irretrievably sent over the edge of good manners when Yvette, admittedly under stress from a back injury (the cause of which she's keeping mum about), had another flare-up of her recurring Tourette's syndrome. The hapless waiter was merely confirming an order of coffee when little 'Vetty shot back "just get the f***ing coffee, a***hole!" The group rallied around Yvette and managed to steer the good ship Queremos to safe waters.

Dud meal of the night:
How could you possibly go wrong with a meal called Yum! Malays know the score with this ticking time bomb, and as it turns out Yum in Malay means "a shitload of onions". Marinella pecked unenthusiastically at it and in the end managed to make a fair dent in it, but I'm betting the ramifications are going to be felt for days to come!

All the ingredients of a good night and, as unlikely as it might sound, those green pancakes were winners.

7/10

15 May 2002

A request for garlic bread left us wondering why we didn't just go straight for the entrees instead. It was as dry as Adamo's attempts at inciting some excitement amongst the huge crowd gathered to take part in this month's instalment of Queremos Comidas Ricas! Everyone seemed to be wondering where Claw was (just for something different)...

The jury's still out on the calamari - Adamo claimed his was as tough as his pants, whereas Marinella seemed to find her serving most palatable. Just desserts if you ask me (or is that entree?).

Catherine & Yvette's pasta raised the bar, but both were unable to finish their significantly-sized portions (and no, we're not talking about Adamo's pants again !!).

Dessert was a delight with gelato, lemon tart and others too delightful to recall.

6/10

We were lucky enough to be serviced by 3 people claiming to be maitre d's - one of whom shouldn't have bothered as his no doubt considerable personal skills had obviously long-since departed this earth. However, our faith in hospitality was restored when we were serviced by the skills of a young Irish/English man whose accent threatened to smother his attempts at waiting on us.

4/10

Somewhat of a barn, with the toilets boasting an unconventional central aspect. Definitely a good place for a Hens Night, provided the sour-faced waiter whose qualifications were obtained via a Corn Flakes packet is not in attendance.

5/10

After having previously sampled the exceptionally high quality of Crivelli's Coffee Max, Rosati coffee failed to level the playing field.

7/10

Much reliance was placed on Cratcliffe to wow everyone with her photos of her bridesmaid debut. Once that minute was up, she seemed to retreat back into her shell again. As usual, Adamo's utterances regarding the upcoming Nintendo GameCube release were faithfully taken in by all, as we remember to savour each moment that we are graced with his presence, for as we know too well, once he has his Cube o' Delight, he'll resort to going home to his empty house to play with himself... ( At the time of writing, the wait is now over. The next question is how many hours of peace and quiet can we enjoy until we hear those inevitable words "xxx hours until F1 2002 is released" !!!)

A deliberate (?) misdirection of Adamo by "Comedy Gold Cratcliffe" in advising the location of the toilets was enjoyed by all. Still no answer to Hogan's question regarding the matching wearing of black at the previous Queremos Comidas Ricas night, however Adamo was curious as to why those in attendance assumed he would have attended the wedding at which Catherine was Chief Bridesmaid. Much disingenuity followed...

6/10

12 June 2002

2 generous servings of saganaki were received well by all, accompanying an excellent array of dips and bread. The rubbery nature of the octopus was balanced by the authenticity of the fetta in the Greek salad. The lamb was burnt to perfection!

Hogan enjoyed a Seinfeld moment by eating an olive with a knife and fork (what the?...), whilst Andrea was apparently not in the mood for sausage (again!). Adamo was as red as a pepper after Hogan, in an attempt to appear culinary by ordering off-menu, caused a stir by asking for something known as 'apo piso'...

8/10

Excellent service, with a polite waiter who provided a multitude of coat-hanging options for all!

7/10

Authentic Greek music created a feeling of being in Grease (Summer Lovin' etc.)...actually, that should read Greece (Nana Mouskouri etc.). Dancing was imminent, until Hogan cut festivities short because he wanted to go home and "bone up on ISO 9001" (don't we all!).

9/10

Greek style. An acquired taste, which of course Spino has acquired to a sickening degree...

7/10

We feasted on plato upon plato of Greek delights!

9/10

4 July 2002

Marinella ordered 'Meat Balls' - appraisal from Marinella was "THIS TASTES YUK". Further comments on the balls were "VERY SPICY" from Hogey Boy, then Adam referred to them as "GUNPOWDER BALLS"...getting the picture??? Balls were crap!

Ohh, another comment on the balls - apparently Hoges' are too meaty! But Yvette said she likes Meaty Balls so everything was ok.

Marinella then ordered 'Seafood Chow Chow' for main. Most thought it was presented quite well, but Hoges claimed it looked like "DOG" - how would he know?!

Liam had the Beef Curry and said it was a "BIT TOUGH".

Adam pointed out that Marinella's Nepalese cherry (!!) "LOOKED SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE A STRAWBERRY" - whatever!

6.5/10

The waiter was crap! Regardless of whether it was his first time waiting and they had to call him in at the last minute because the 'Literary Club' was hogging 95% of the restaurant, he was totally useless, and didn't even open our bottles of wine for ages. A big no no!

The restaurant also ran out of meals and, more distressingly, yummy desserts!

2/10

The 3-day trek to the Himalaya Room set the scene nicely, giving the feeling that we were in some shed out the back, or a hut below the mountain. It was as squashy as the inside of Adamo's pants! The dim lighting, flags strewn around the place and obligatory photos of Nepal provided a stunning vista of craptastic proportions.

As Yvette would say, the 'atmos' was "CAMPY".

7.5/10

Good, but would have preferred authentic Yak milk and servings from a thermos to make it really feel like "base camp".

8/10

Adamo was sure to remind Andrea to "WRITE THAT DOWN" as the genuine wit flowed freely, thus ensuring that the comedy gold was captured for future generations to bask in.

Good night had by all, with us narrowly avoiding having to eat each other 'Alive' style!

6/10

8 August 2002

A banquet for 6 was the order of the night. As often experienced with Turkish cuisine, the bread & dips were the highlight. An interesting variety of vegetarian entrees were presented: grilled eggplant, zucchini, mushroom and vine leaves, falafel and spinach pastry. The latter being the most tasty, many of the others ho-hum. Next came the calamari, not the most tender, however by no means chewy and definitely tasty - the fish was disappointingly overcooked. The mixed grill (lamb, chicken, beef) was reasonable, but not as plentiful and moist as you'd find in any Sydney Rd establishment. Literally bite-sized pieces of Turkish Delight and baklava were served up, barely enough to appreciate their taste.

7/10

Reasonably friendly but at times irritatingly slow - not up to scratch.

5/10

An embroidered cloth draped from the ceiling gave the impression of dining inside a tent. A variety of Turkish bric-a-brac, including the mandatory fez, contributed to a truly Turkish feel...with music to belly-dance by!

8/10

It was Turkish...therefore the starting score is already low. Points deducted for use of differently shaped cups.

6/10

Good wishes were bandied about as gifts were handed out to the birthday boy and (early) birthday girl. The girl secretly envious of one of the boy's gifts (Evil Dead on DVD). The merriment continued with good wine and enjoyably inappropriate discussions. Overall a pleasant evening.

6/10

5 September 2002

The Teppinyaki Chef was ill so the options were considerably limited. No fugue, and the green tea ice cream seemed to be lacking a key ingredient - green tea!

What we did sample was quite good, albeit nothing special.

7/10

Sorry to say that the service was as bad as it gets, although there did seem to be a language barrier that should be factored in (but won't be!).

2/10

Very quiet with little atmosphere, but it doesn't help when the restaurant is half empty. Didn't really get that feeling of being in Japan, although everyone did breathe a sigh of relief that Hogan wouldn't be taking off his shoes!

5/10

Coffee was not sampled.

N/A

Overall, the service was as slow as you could ever imagine, though the food was quite reasonable. Having been there many times previously, however, this may have just been an off night. The company was, as always, there...

6/10

4 October 2002

Nachos was the entree order of the day, as if there were any doubt! Hogan did his best to hog all of the burritos, giving the lie to the true genesis of his surname. Yvette got stuck in to the marguerites early on, and suddenly became very chatty... however, it soon became apparent that champagne is her beverage mainstay.

All in all, the authentic tastes of Me'hico were well captured.

8/10

Despite our waitress being a little run off her feet, service was attentive and reasonably prompt.

All in all, the authentic hospitality of Me'hico was well captured.

6/10

All in all, the authentic sights and sounds of Me'hico were well captured.

8/10

All in all, the authentic coffees of Me'hico were well captured.

5/10

Marinella relayed her travel stories from Turkey, Egypt and Dubai, causing all to dream of jetting off to the subcontinent (well, those of us with leave at least!). Hogan vowed to remember to wear his ring when next he is in Egypt...

All in all, the authentic ramblings and non-sequiturs of Me'hico were well captured.

8/10

3 November 2002

Adamo went for the Big Breakfast to counter Hogan's frankly embarrassing order of fruit toast. Yvette tried a variation on the Rocky diet, enjoying a decidedly raw blueberry pancake. All in all, ordinary.

6/10

Asking for the lunchtime menu, 10 minutes before the official starting time, was not looked upon kindly. Also experienced the longest wait for the bill, ever...

7/10

St Kilda-ish, but not too trendy, even for Hogan the Bogan. The South American music nicely augmented Liam's photos, although we were disappointed that we did not get to hear, or dance, the Tango de la Muerte!

6/10

Much-touted special blend, but cold (even a short black!!).

5/10

Reading glasses were available to assist with the menu. When Hogan asked for them, we were all hoping for the waitress to respond with the now infamous "Need smaller glasses, perhaps"! Yvette was very upset to learn that Champagne Breakfasts were only served on Saturdays.

The main learning from the brunch time conversation was Marinella's verification that sausage season is indeed in winter!

6/10

5 December 2002

Best pizza in Melbourne, both the wood-fired and the gourmet-style, despite some nay Sayers. Risotto & ravioli also good. Dessert calzone was a triumph, as well as the wider selection of banana splits, gelato, tartufo, chocolate mousse and variations on the theme of cake.

9/10

Amiable, with the usual "waiter flirting with Andrea" routine.

7/10

Fine, but the Third World view (steel roller shutters etc.) detracted.

7/10

Strong, hot & tasty, just like Adamo!

7/10

With the festive season upon us, there was much gossip about possible Andrea & Brian Saunders Christmas shenanigans. Liam & Hogan both blamed their gravity-defying hair on strong wind, which wouldn't have been helped by the garlic bread!!!!! Andrea stunned microbiologists everywhere when she happily ate olives off the floor after dipping them in red wine!

Hogan's beige (...pause to consider...) shirt was missing a button, proving he can't sew or, possibly, wipe his own backside. He also admitted he doesn't know how to smock!

8/10

9 February 2003

Yum Cha, steamed dumpling wanton Dim Sim style Chinese cuisine.

7/10

Attentive but a typically rushed Yum Cha trolley service.

7/10

Serviceable, however something seriously HAS to be done about that carpet and wood paneling. Yikes!

6/10

In a first for Queremos, the Coffee was de-coupled from the dinning and occurred at the European Cafe on Spring St, which turned out a choice cup.

N/A

The lunch became a celebration with Yvette and Liam's news that they are soon to be parents. The most embarrassing moment going to Adam for mishearing the name of Shanghai Bun as the Shark Eye bun.

Overall, everyone seemed to enjoy the good food and busy atmosphere of the Shark Fin Inn.

7/10

13 March 2003

A banquet was ordered, resulting in an interesting array of food being dished out. We began with four different entrees, of which the seasoned meat parcels were the most interesting. This was followed by three mains, accompanied by a great looking rice pilaf and a mung-bean "creation". The food was lovely, served hot (ask the wussy boys Adamo & Hoges whose delicate hands couldn't handle the plates) and serves were generous. Although all dishes were flavoured with various herbs and spices, some lacked a certain oomph (read chilli). In particular, the dahl needed more Roald, but was lentilicious nonetheless!

8/10

Friendly, efficient and knowledgeable. The waiter, an Afghani himself, was happy to engage in some conversation about "home" and the photo of the Afghani girl with piercing blue eyes which graced the cover of Time magazine years ago. He was also able to describe what each dish in the banquet would be and was happy to turn down the heating, to save us from the disturbing exhibition of Hoges and Andrea unbuttoning their shirts with abandon.

9/10

Authentic (as far as I can tell) Middle Eastern music played softly in the background. Walls were adorned with an assortment of Persian rugs & kilims. Brass lanterns hung from the ceiling, one perilously close to Hogie's head. Whilst all these knick-knacks were appropriate, they appeared to be disjointed. An attempt to unite the Afghani theme by means of more appropriate seats/cushions, table settings and wall colours would achieve a more impressive result.

7/10

Coffee is not drunk in Afghanistan, so in keeping with the theme we went for tea, which was acceptable (coffee was available if requested).

N/A

Disappointingly, nobody showed up in a kaftan! Nonetheless, it was a much happier experience than when we last dined at these premises when it was "Dubrovnik Kiss". The Afghan Village brings a refreshing dining experience to Burke Rd, Camberwell. The longevity of this restaurant is assured as long as the value for money and enthusiasm offered by current management continues.

8/10