Discovering a new hole in the wall - 6101 Tapas

When it comes to hole in the wall eateries, 6101 Tapas in Victoria Park definitely meets the brief. To the unassuming eye, it's a small shopfront with only a couple tables inside and a fridge stocked with delicious takeaway goods. The aroma of coffee fills the air as you walk in. But stumble down the hallway to the back and you'll discover so much more - an outdoor restaurant area that is covered by a canopy to give you the feel that you're inside a giant tent. 

There's big, plush chairs to relax in, and soft, fuzzy blankets to keep you warm - plus gas heaters waiting to be lit on those brisk winter nights. The lighting is not great from a blogger's perspective, but from an ambiance side of things, it's ideal. And the staff - well we got the chance to meet one of the owners who was a hilarious host for the evening. I can see why my friend Carlie was so charmed by the place that she insisted we visit it for our catch up dinner one night recently. Since she'd already tried a good selection of dishes, we let her choose what we'd be eating (it makes things so much easier that way!). 

One thing I also want to mention is that they have a great program with local artists - where they offer up wall space for local artists to come in, and then they'll feature it on their takeaway coffee cups (plus offer a commission for each cup sold to the artist). I love any business that supports home grown and grass roots talent, so this is something I'm really pleased to see happening, and want to get the word out about.  

The first dish to come out was the pan-seared scallops ($20.00) which were served with herb butter and cauliflower puree, plus some crispy capers. When they first hit the table I was a bit worried by the look of the scallops - they were pretty caramelised and really dark! But thankfully when we cut into them they weren't overcooked, retaining a little translucency in the centre. I did feel like they were slightly too crisp, but they delivered on taste still.

I love cauliflower puree and appreciated the generous serve of it, with the creaminess complimenting the nutty butter sauce surrounding it.

The Turkish cigars were piping hot to eat, stuffed to the brim with cheese and parsley wrapped in a crisp Turkish dough, with a side of olive tapenade ($10.00 for 4, $15.00 for 6). I'm not the biggest olive fan so I didn't indulge in the dip but the cigar was well balanced in flavour, with the pastry the real star on the plate.

I thought it was great that while the menu states 6 cigars for dinner, our waiter gave us the option to just get 4 at a cheaper price like they offer for lunch. I really appreciate such flexibility.

After spying the orange blossom house-made lemonade on the menu, we all decided to quench our thirst with one each. They were tart and tasty, with the sourness lingering on the tongue and cutting through any residual oiliness from the fried cigars.

The meat skewer plate ($28.00) is a really generous dish, and definitely one that I would recommend sharing if you're so inclined to order it. Chocked full of marinated scotch fillet, chicken and kofta skewers, chorizo, beef croquettes, salad and chips, this is not for the weak hearted.

I actually didn't try many of the items on this since it was so filling, but the chicken I thought was tender, with a hint of smokiness. The beef croquette was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Tasty!

Our final savoury dish for the night was the ever impressive yoghurt ravioli ($20.00). It's an unassuming dish with handmade beef, parsley and onion ravioli served with cold yoghurt and hot burnt paprika butter that our waiter told us was quite polarising, but we absolutely loved it. 

While the pasta itself I thought was more on the side of wanton skin than ravioli, and taken beyond al dente which is a shame, the flavour of that yoghurt and butter sauce was so delicious. I couldn't get enough of the sauce, I was happily dunking my chips from the meat platter in it over and over again. So addictive!

When looking over the savoury items, we'd all agreed that dessert was definitely on the cards that night. They came out quickly, and we were excited to end the evening on a sweet note.

Sherilyn's lemon myrtle pannacotta ($10.00) was smooth and jiggly, with a strong lemon myrtle flavour resonating through. I liked that they used toasted pine nuts on top which was a good point of difference and contrast to the silky texture.

Carlie's "bitter tia" ($10.00) was a dessert that 6101 created by accident. Their chef made some bitter biscuits which turned out a little too sharp, so they mixed in some tia maria, loads of cream and cocoa - and so the bitter tia was formed. It's an ode to tiramisu and actually quite light!

We all agreed that my choice of the banana cream cake ($9.00) was definitely the winner for the night. A glass chocked full of banana, cream and coconut layers, it's simple but quite morish, prompting you to come back for spoonful after spoonful. A great way to finish up a lovely dinner at 6101 Tapas and Mezze.