Looks might not be everything, but they sure are something

One of the things I became fascinated with during my addiction to MasterChef was the concept of 'plating up'. Taste was never the first thing on judges' minds, but rather how the dish was presented.

It's fair enough, too, when you really think about it. No one wants to try food that looks like spew, so unless you make a dish look at least half decent you've lost the battle before the diner has even popped a morsel in their mouth.

At the second meeting of the first food club (still following?) the appetite of our eyes was tested by a dessert dish at Cumulus Inc which looked like poop served up in a large ash tray / small dog bowl. See photographic evidence below:

The thing is, it tasted fantastic - all crumby bits of anzac biscuit, an amazing chocolate mousse, nut ice cream and pistachio biscotti. It just didn't taste AS good as it would have served on the uninspiring but universally-friendly white plate.

Cumulus became the second venue for the food club now known as the Melbourne Food Collective due to unforeseen circumstance. We were planning to visit Boire in Collingwood. The owners, however, had other plans in mind and without notification on their website shut up shop. The sign on the door read: 'Gone to France'. How French!

I had mixed feelings about the Cumulus experience. The service was impeccable and the vast majority of dishes were delicious. However, at times the servings seemed stingy - particularly the vegetable sides - and some of the offerings a little uninspiring considering the price tag.

A highlight was their leg of lamb. That was how it was plonked on the plate - plain and simple -and the slow-cooked meat fell off the bone with just the slightest encouragement. Served with lemon it was delicious, but what really floated my boat was the side of marinated red onion that, when sprinkled on top, brought it to a whole new level.

Mmmmm lamb.

The most amusing part of the evening was another dessert: Rum Baba, which came with a bottle of rum so you could flavour the dish to your taste. Too bad a sailor was in charge of that one - he was liberal enough with the alcohol to set our mouths alight when we tasted a single bite.