Author: Davin Lee

by Davin Lee

Whisky & Alement

Bringing you guys something a little different today…. a whisky bar review! I had been coming to Whisky & Alement for a number of years now, even back to when they were called ‘Chez Regine’. Whisky & Alement have really expanded their whisky range throughout the years, and have always been one of the go to places in Melbourne for one’s malt addiction.

It’s an intimate affair inside Whisky & Alement. It’s a small space with close and limited seating. The chances of getting a seat is higher if you come in a small group, be prepared to wait or get relegated to the smokers area if you come with a bigger group. I’ve made this mistake before, and this made me feel quite claustrophobic. Luckily on this particular occasion, it was just myself and Helen so we were able to get a spot at the bar straight away.

Their whisky range here is massive, and can be very overwhelming. Most whisky drinkers will have a country and region which they prefer, and their menu does cater for this in order to make your selection easier. Anyone that’s new to the game can ask the bartender to recommend a single malt and they’ll be more than happy to pass on their recommendations. I’ve been drinking scotch whisky for over 6 years but I still consider myself a beginner, I have a certain flavour profile which I love and stick to. I prefer peat monsters from Islay, Scotland.

Peat is not to be mistaken with smokey. I would describe the flavour of peat as more of an earthy, soil, decaying vegetation taste. Smokey is like what you’d smell/taste from a burning campfire. Doesn’t sound very appetising does it? Well I can tell you the peaty flavour profile is highly addictive, ever since Helen had started appreciating peaty whiskies, my collection at home has vanished!

On this particular occasion, the drink of choice was Bowmore 15 and Ardbeg Corryvreckan. The dark green Ardbeg bottle always gets me excited, it sends out a message ‘don’t mess with me’, but you gotta live life dangerously sometimes! True to it’s word, when I nosed the Ardbeg, it smacked me in the face! The 57.1% alcohol content is no joke, certainly not for the faint-hearted. I had to put a few drops of water in to tone the beast down, only then was I rewarded. The taste of peat was prominent, along with hints of salt, smoke, and pepper. As good as it was, I personally preferred the Ardbeg Uigeadail, one of my favourite whiskeys of all time. We both didn’t enjoy the Bowmore 15 at all, it was pleasant enough on entry but then it hits you with a strong smokey bitter aftertaste. You win some, you lose some, that’s the beauty of trying whisky at a place like Whisky & Alement, it saves you money from buying a whole bottle!

Overall it was a peaceful Sunday afternoon… you guys may gasp at us for drinking at this time of day, but we would rarely have more than one shot each when we’re at a whisky bar. We drink it really slowly and appreciate every sip, because the intention is not to get drunk, but to enjoy the moment so to speak. The bartenders here are professional as always, they will not bother you if you don’t want to be bothered, but they’ll always welcome whisky talk if you wish to head down that path. I will finish up with a word of caution: the alcohol content is really high in whisky, so make sure you find appropriate transport home if you choose to have more than one shot. Happy whisking!

Whisky & Alement
Approx $20 AUD per person
Address: 270 Russell Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9654 1284
Website: whiskyandale.com.au

Whisky and Alement Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Shyun Ramen

Down the street from Shyun, there’s their sister restaurant Shyun Ramen. It’s small and inconspicuous, but Matcha lovers will no doubt be drawn in by their lit up Matcha sign. As well as serving ramen (which is what their name implies) they have a wide selection of Matcha iced lattes. More on this later… first let’s talk about the parking! Trying to find parking on Koornang Road can be a difficult task to say the least, going up and down with a car right up your a** can be pretty stressful times. I’ve personally had more success with the carpark at Shepparson Avenue, but people are catching on, so I’ve had to park further down Neerim Road these days. I’m revealing all my parking spots, please be nice and leave a spot for me!

Walking into Shyun Ramen is like a trip down memory lane as it looks similar to a lot of restaurants in Japan. All the tables are squashed on the left and the kitchen is on the right, because real estate in Carnegie is expensive yo! Don’t expect any personal space here as it’s literally shoulder to shoulder. A guy asked to sit next to us, but when another table was available, he quickly slipped away like a ninja! Nothing fancy here… wooden tables and coloured stools. Be prepared to listen into other people’s conversations and vice versa. I didn’t mind this though because it spells bang for buck food, and it turned out to be great value indeed.

We started off with the wagyu beef tataki as our entree. It was seared on the outside and rare on the inside. We would have preferred it more rare, but I think most people would prefer it like this, gotta cater to the crowd! Great acidity, yet the sauce was still pleasant without being too intrusive. It’s probably one of the better beef tatakis we’ve had as of late, great start to our dining here.

I had the classic pork ramen with a shoyu based pork broth, the benchmark where ramens are rated on. Helen got a Tokyo ramen which is pretty much like my pork ramen except it comes with a light soy based broth. I enjoyed both the soup bases, the soy based one was more punchy in flavour, whereas the pork broth was richer and lubricated my lips after each slurp. Yes you heard right… slurp it up people, it’s the proper way to eat ramen! We both unanimously agreed that the pork broth was better, but we may pick the soy based to mix it up every now and then. The noodles weren’t overcooked and the corn had good texture to it. I’m not sure if it’s fresh off the cob, but I suspect it may be a higher quality packet corn. I thoroughly enjoyed my ramen, but there is one bone I have to pick with Shyun Ramen… why was there only one piece of pork!?! I’m a growing man! At least give me another piece for old time’s sake. The pictures on the menu shows two piece of pork… did we get scammed? I’m a little emotional because the pork tasted pretty damn good.

We finished off with some Matcha goodness. The decision as to what to get was tough because they have a huge range of iced Matcha lattes. You can have one with red bean, green tea softee with strawberry, cream with strawberry and chocolate syrup, etc. There’s about 12 varieties to choose from. Helen went for a classic iced Matcha with cream latte. She asked me if I wanted to share, but I aint no fool! I got myself a nice green tea softee, which is a soft serve. It wasn’t too sweet and had that tinge of bitterness I was looking for… perfect.

Apart from only getting one piece of pork I’ve enjoyed everything about Shyun Ramen. Everything was very tasty and decent value. To give you an idea, our beef tataki was $7.90 and our ramens were $11.90 each (add $5.50 for a drink and 3 gyozas). My green tea softee was $2.50. A very affordable weekday eating place which doesn’t blow the bank balance. I have an inkling feeling that we may become regulars here…


Shyun Ramen
Approx $20 AUD per person
Address: 73 Koornang Rd, Carnegie VIC 3163
Phone: +61 3 8394 5971
Website: shyunramenbar.com.au

Shyun Ramen Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Nikos Tavern

My friend recommended Nikos Tavern to me as an alternative to the Greek restaurants in Oakleigh. He said they were just as good. My interpretation of just as good was that they are not as good, otherwise he would have said that it was better. My success rate with ‘just as good’ places has been disappointing to say the least. Instinctively I was already thinking that Nikos Tavern may not have been such a good idea, because they were not only further away from me, but I’m settling for just as good. I thought I may be getting too caught up with these 3 words so my stubborn self wanted to be pleasantly surprised!

On one weekday evening, we made the trip to Ringwood to try these guys out. Just like the start of the movie – Meet the Fockers, it was all sweet and rosy at the start. The traffic to Nikos was silky smooth, the exterior and interior gave the place a real authentic feel, and the food we saw come out were big portioned. My skepticism turned to excitement and suddenly I was really looking forward to this dinner! Unfortunately this story has no happy ending, and what followed could only be described as a disaster…

They started us off with a very generous amount of dips, and some pita bread. First thing I noticed was that the feel of the pita bread was different. They were barely lukewarm and tasted very old. Old bread has this weird texture and flavour which is very easy to pinpoint. This was not fresh at all… but what were we going to do with the dips without the bread? They go hand in hand! There were so many dips, we sucked it up and tried to power through it. The dips themselves were OK. They stimulated the taste buds initially, especially the eggplant and caviar ones, but soon they all started tasting the same.

The saganaki was so heavily battered, I didn’t know whether I was eating batter or cheese. By this stage, my taste buds were all shot, and I wasn’t sure what I was looking for in this meal anymore. The chicken gyros came out, and after a quick bite… DRY. It seemed as though their turnover of meats hadn’t been good that night, and they’ve pre-cut the meat and put it in a warmer. Not only was the chicken dry but it was tasteless, and lacked seasoning. We waited a long time for the lamb, when we queried this the waitress said that the lamb was seen as the next course. This was interesting… I didn’t understand why the chicken and lamb couldn’t have come out together. The lamb suffered the same fate as the chicken, DRY. The chips that came with the salad were soggy and had zero crunch to it. They were quite possibly the worst chips I’ve ever had! Things really weren’t working out, we didn’t know what to do, so we just dropped everything and said that’s enough.

Hurts me like hell to waste food like that, but I couldn’t doggy bag it. If I’m eating meat this dry at the restaurant, the next day would be even worse. We drove home miserable, but the hardest thing was when my friend asked me what I thought of the food. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings but the truth had to be told. He seemed disappointed, but I assured him that there’s plenty of opportunities for good food in the future, and told him to not worry about it. With that said, we rode off into the sunset together….

Nikos Tavern
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 190 Mount Dandenong Road, Ringwood East VIC 3135
Phone: +61 3 9870 0554
Website: nikos.com.au

Nikos Tavern Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Lord Cardigan

Lord Cardigan…. what a name, it’s certainly got a ring to it! Established in 2007, this restaurant was started by a husband and wife combination, John Singer and Dominique Bolger. There’s only one reason why I would go to the effort to read the ‘About Us’ page on their website, it’s because I freaken love this place! What started out as a filler dinner, ended up being one of the best dining experiences for me in 2018. We’re still early in the year, so Lord Cardigan better put the brakes on a bit to allow the others to catch up!

The restaurant welcomed us to vinyl seats, wallpaper and hanging pot plants from the ceiling. There were also pictures of flowers on the wall. Had we jumped into a time machine and gone back in time!? We looked around and we were by far their youngest customers. Amidst feeling a little weird at the start, I soon relaxed and embraced an era beyond my years.

We were greeted by some of the friendliest staff ever, who guided us through the menu in a warmly fashion. It was a great menu indeed, as we really struggled to pick what we wanted. The confidence shines through, and I could tell that these guys were not afraid to ‘do it different’. After much pondering we finally settled on some oysters, various ‘taste’ dishes, the Flinders Island lamb shoulder baked in filo pastry, and the ocean trout fish special. The taste dishes were bite size and $7.50 each. It’s a great concept because it gives you the opportunity to try more dishes without having to spend a fortune.

The Pacific oysters were extremely fresh, with the mignonette dressing and lemon providing the perfect acidic touch. At this stage I was impressed, they got fresh produce and can make a mean sauce, but I was eager to see what else they could do. They respond to the challenge by punching out some of the best bite size dishes I’ve ever had! You know the competition is fierce when the most perfectly seared scallop loses out to quail wrapped in ham. This quail was boned and wrapped in Kaiserfleisch ham with a truffle and balsamic dressing. It was oh so tasty, so make sure you grab one when you come here.

Little did I know that the best was yet to come… it was so good that it’s made it to my top list of fish dishes in Australia. I had given up hope of eating a fish as good as a flounder I had at a particular restaurant in the Melbourne CBD. It was cooked so beautifully, I almost cried! I stared at this ocean trout in awe, as I couldn’t believe how good it was. Being the supportive wife she is, Helen left me alone to savour this moment between myself and this fish. The skin was ultra crispy, with the meat inside just barely cooked. Which chef dares to push the boundaries like this with a fish!?! I’m convinced there’s a madman lurking somewhere in the kitchen! The Asian inspired sauce accentuated the sweetness of the ocean trout. As it’s a special, I may not get to try this fish again. However the memories will live on for many years to come, this I can guarantee.

On our trip back home, we couldn’t stop talking about the memorable experience we had at Lord Cardigan. These guys really are the real deal, and we cannot wait to come back. No ifs and no buts people, Lord Cardigan is a MUST TRY!


Lord Cardigan
Approx $60 AUD per person
Address: 59 Cardigan Place, Albert Park VIC 3206
Phone: +61 3 9645 5305
Website: lordcardigan.com.au

Lord Cardigan Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Atlas Dining

There are a lot of things I respect about Atlas Dining. For one, the food is inspired by chef Charlie Corrington’s travels. I love the fact that he has brought back pieces of his travels, and is now sharing it with us in the form of food. Let’s not forget that he is only 24 years of age. The menu at Atlas dining changes every 4 months to the cuisine of another country. This concept is not only brave, but it shows that they are not scared to push the boundaries. Helen and I had a chance to experience their Peruvian menu, read on to find out what I thought of our experience!

Walking inside, the interior was very warm and comfortable. It had a Scandinavian feel to it, with the use of light coloured wood around the restaurant. The stained stone wall and big mirror on the feature wall was the X Factor. As we sat down, we noticed the leather cutlery pouch straight away. As much as I appreciated the attention to detail, this leather pouch turned out to be a massive confusion! My cutlery was faced in a different direction than Helen’s, so the cutlery on my left side turned out to be on her right side. It was a guessing game which cutlery we were supposed to be using for each dish. Another thing to note is that they love their stoneware here. It felt like a stone exhibition after a while. After scraping on stone with my cutlery for 7 courses, I really missed porcelain dinnerware!

The menu itself was simple enough, $70 for 5 courses or $95 for 7 courses. I was warned beforehand by my trusted adviser that there was no way 5 courses was going to be enough for me. Therefore we opted for the 7 courses, but little did I expect the 7 courses to be so short on food! More on this later. The food itself was very creative and I got to experience some new flavours here. My favourite dishes were the flathead ceviche and lamb arroz. The ceviche was the perfect starter. I had never had flathead this raw before, and didn’t realise it could have such a nice texture. The lime juice punches through and the result is an extremely appetising dish. The lamb arroz was like a savoury rice pudding, with chewy bits of lamb ‘jerky’. They probably don’t call it jerky, but it tastes exactly like it! I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.

Some of the other dishes I wasn’t a fan of was the potato, and duck dish. The potato with Ocopa and Aji sauce was simply way too dense for me. It started congealing in my mouth and I could barely swallow it. The sauces were good though. The duck was bland, which was a shame because it was cooked perfectly. The eggplant and charred beans did very little to help out.

Before I finish up, we need to come back to the portion sizes. If I was to use universal clothing sizes as a guideline, the portion sizes here would be XS! The extra two dishes did very little to fill us up, and I do speak on behalf of Helen because even she expressed the same views. I feel that for the price, they could have provided a bit more food. Unless you’re coming off a lemon juice diet, it’s hard to imagine anyone even getting close to ‘content’ on the 5 courses. I think one should come here expecting to spend $95 per person minimum for the 7 courses, and even then I felt more suppressed than content.

Overall, Atlas Dining opened my eyes to a wide range of Peruvian dishes. Even though the dishes were a bit hit and miss for me, I appreciate the experience nonetheless. One final thing I’d like to say is that the service here was fabulous! The waiting staff were kind and attentive. Their attention to detail was second to none, and we were well looked after. If any of you are reading this review, keep up the good work!

Atlast Dining
Approx $110 AUD per person
Address: 133 Commercial Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141
Phone: +61 3 9826 2621
Website: atlasdining.com.au

Atlas Dining Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Dairy Bell

I’m going to take you guys on a trip down memory lane today with a review on Dairy Bell. With so many fancy Gelato places these days, it’s easy to forget the humble old school ice cream shops which started our sweet tooth obsession. Without sugar coating anything, is Dairy Bell as good as it’s successors? That’ll be a definite no. The quality just isn’t up to par for today’s standards, however Dairy Bell will always have a special place in my heart. Just like Neapolitan ice cream, the nostalgia is strong.

After a very filling lunch with my work colleagues, one of them suggested to get Dairy Bell for dessert. Since I hadn’t been in a while, I happily obliged. It was my first time at the Malvern branch because the franchises have been steadily closing one by one. Last time I had Dairy Bell was actually in Dandenong, but that store is long gone now.

First thing I noticed when I walked into the shop was that it smelled like oil! This was very weird for an ice cream shop. I soon realised that they were also selling donuts. When I think of donuts, Dairy Bell wouldn’t spring to my mind, but I’m happy they’re trying different things. I looked around the shop and it looked exactly the same as what I remembered it to be. For this day and age, a revamp couldn’t hurt because the layout is starting to look really dated.

My colleague got the banana split, and I only got a single serve of blood orange sorbet on a cone. The prices are certainly on the cheaper end, and it’s very easy to up your sugar intake at this place for not much money. His banana split just looked like an overkill for someone who’s had a big lunch. I couldn’t believe he finished it all by himself! My blood orange sorbet was on the sweeter side, and tasted a bit artificial. It wasn’t horrible but wasn’t the best either. The cone itself wasn’t anything to talk about, it’s the dime in a dozen ones you find at the supermarket.
 

Even though I didn’t have the best experience, I would still come back for old time’s sake. I might try some classics next time like chocolate or coffee. Even though the competition has left these guys behind, I’d still show my support for an old Australian icon.

Dairy Bell
Approx $10 AUD per person
Address: 89 Chadstone Road, Malvern East VIC 3145
Phone: +61 3 9530 4369
Website: dairybell.com.au

Dairy Bell Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Aoba

We must have Japanese fever here at One Piece Left! Two Japanese restaurant reviews in a row, where the name nearly sounds the same… try and not get the two confused peeps. So on our search for weekday and budget friendly Japanese food, we came across Aoba. This restaurant had unusually high reviews for it’s genre, and we were a little skeptical to say the least. Before I talk about the food, here are some quick observations on Aoba.

1) The place is really small and only has one chef and one waiting staff
2) The restaurant smells like expelled oil, and you will end up smelling like that by the time you walk out
3) There are spelling mistakes everywhere on the menu. Words like ‘dineer’ and ‘dumpring’. I must admit… ‘dumpring’ made me chuckle, I was starting to think they were doing it on purpose!

So let’s talk a bit about the food. I got the Wafu porterhouse steak. The sauce was not overpowering as it allowed the beef to be the star of the show. No instructions were needed as the beef was cooked medium rare, the way a porterhouse should be cooked. The portion size was also really generous and it came with a bowl of rice. At $21 I’m not complaining! You know how hard it is to find a steak for $21 these days? I was very impressed with the quality to price ratio with this steak and Aoba in general.

Helen got the AOBA dinner set which consisted of 2pcs spring rolls, 2pcs pork dumplings, 3pcs agedashi tofu, 6pcs of sashimi, 1 main with miso soup and steamed rice. Not a bad deal indeed for $29! Everything from the starters was cooked fresh and very tasty. The tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The salmon sashimi was a quality cut with plenty of fattiness.

Helen chose the chicken karaage with rice for her main. The batter was flavoured perfectly and the chicken was juicy and succulent. Along with the mayonnaise dipping sauce, it was a real highlight dish!

Some non sweetened Japanese green tea to wash down the oil from the chicken kaarage and we were some happy campers! But there’s always room for dessert, so we shared a green tea ice cream. It had the trademark green tea bitterness and it wasn’t too sweet at all. I’d like to give a quick shout out to the reviewer who said that the ice cream was too icy and hurt their teeth…. absolute CLASSIC! Thanks for making my day!

I think we may have found our perfect weekday Japanese restaurant. Who knows… we may even push the boundaries and come here on weekends too! All the food was what we hoped for and more, well deserving of their high praising reviews. Two thumbs up from us!

Aoba
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 279 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern VIC 3144
Phone: +61 3 9509 3399

Aoba Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Melba

Oh Melba… we have shared so many fond memories together. I still remember vividly one of the times when I ate for over 4hrs straight, and I saw fear in the eyes of the lady at the Sushi bar. I didn’t think she could believe that a single person could eat so much, and I nearly had to be stretchered out on that particular occasion! The reason for my madness is because everything tastes so damn good and I just want to eat it all! In case you haven’t realised, Melba is a buffet restaurant.

Walking past The Langham lobby and up onto the podium level, you’ll be greeted by the grand entrance of Melba. It’s quite a classy looking affair inside with massive windows and a magnificent view of Southbank. Growing up, I’m used to eating at buffets filled with a lot of families, fighting over the first batch of prawns to come out of the kitchen! No such dramas here. As a matter of fact this would be a great place to take your date and have a romantic dinner. There’s very few buffets where I can make this claim.

Personally speaking I adapt the same strategy for all buffets. Line my stomach with carbs and hot foods before I attack the cold seafood dishes. I find that hitting the seafood too hard at the start makes me feel extremely sick. Everyone is different and it’s best to find a strategy that works best for you. Forget the notion of trying to eat your money’s worth, it’s simply not going to happen. It’s good to note that the seating times here are generous so you get the luxury of working through the food systematically.

Well onto the food…. where do I start? To begin, I would recommend starting off with either the peking duck, lamb/beef roast or the freshly cooked noodles. Pay close attention to the roasts, you can generally tell which ones have been dried out by the food warmer. Trust your instincts and move onto something else if this is the case. Roast is a good start as it allows you to accompany it with some of the many salads on offer. I like to then move onto the freshly cooked Wagyu steaks. These are high quality pieces. Since they are so thin, I generally opt for them to be cooked rare since they always end up medium rare by the time it hits my plate.

After this it’s seafood time! The oysters are really fresh here, with a creamy texture. The crabs are a bit of work to eat, because I’m lazy I prefer to peel prawns instead. The sushi bar is my favourite hang out spot in the whole restaurant. One serve of sashimi (salmon, tuna, kingfish) is roughly 3-4 pieces, so feel free to ask for double or triple servings if you don’t want to make too many trips. Finish off with some fruits/desserts/cheese.


Obviously this is my routine, so eat and do what feels best for you! The important thing to remember is that you cannot expect an absurd variety like some of the Asian buffets, but there’s more than enough variety to suit even the fussiest of eaters. The prices varies but you’d be looking at around $94 for dinner, cheaper for lunch. There’s no doubt that this is on the expensive end of buffet dining, but it’s truly a case of quality over quantity (I’d never thought I’ll be using a phrase like this to describe a buffet restaurant). I highly recommend going to Melba and eat till your heart’s content!

Melba
Approx $100 AUD per person
Address: 1 Southbank Ave, Southbank VIC 3006
Phone: 1800 641 107
Website: melbarestaurant.com.au

Melba Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Chopstick Delight

Oh what a name… I chuckled when my work colleague recommended this place to me. I love it when Chinese restaurants put two random words together, and voilà! I couldn’t picture the location when my work colleague was describing it to me, and when I got there I soon realised why. It was nestled within a small strip of shops amongst residential housing. If no one tells you about this restaurant, then chances are you’ll never drive past it. Well I guess that’s what I’m here for, so let’s proceed shall we?

We rocked up and this place was PACKED! I was amazed how busy Chopstick Delight was considering the location. One thing about the Chinese community is that word gets around fast when the food is good, and it looks as though this place got some good ol’ word of mouth. In hindsight, this was how I discovered the restaurant! I walked in and just thought to myself – WOW! This place is the OG of Chinese restaurants, Cantonese to be precise. Pink walls – check, old school Chinese framed prints – check, fish tank – check. The décor doesn’t look like it’s been changed since the 1980s, but for some reason I felt right at home! We didn’t see a special fried rice ordered during our stay, the people that come were after some specialised Chinese dishes.

The waitress recommended Wintermelon soup to start off with. Her English was really good, and she understood everything we asked her. I believe she may be the owner of the restaurant. I’ve had plenty of Wintermelon soups in my lifetime, and they were all on the bland side. The one I had here was very tasty and full of seafood goodies! Since there was only two of us, we didn’t get the soup served from the actual melon, but we were able to see it served like that from another table and it made us equally happy.

We also ordered the free range chicken, spicy quail and Chinese broccoli with garlic. The free range chicken is a pretty sought after dish, and I’d recommend calling ahead to reserve some because it does sell out quickly. The texture of the chicken was spot on, it was chewier due to the chicken actually having room to move! The spring onion sauce was just to die for, it went so well together with the chicken. The quail had a really crispy skin with a thin layer of spicy salt. I’d recommend eating the quail dine in only, as we did take away once and it didn’t do the quail justice. Perfect crunch with the Chinese broccoli, it was fresh and not the old and tired broccoli you get at some other Chinese restaurants.

All the dishes we had were absolutely perfect. They were not heavy handed with the seasoning at all. Some of the other reviewers have mentioned that their crab is really good, so we cannot wait to try that in the near future. This is a hidden gem of a restaurant, I highly recommend it, and I’m sure you guys will love the food here too!


Chopstick Delight
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 79 Mackie Rd, Mulgrave VIC 3170
Phone: +61 3 9560 3688
Website: chopstickdelight.com.au

Chopstick Delight Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Butchers Diner

We have had a flurry of great cheap eat places lately! Great for our wallets, and great for our stomachs, it’s truly some amazing times. The latest addition to our collection is a relatively new eatery called Butchers Diner. It may be fate that I found this place because we were desperate for some late night dining. The reason being I slept till 10PM from what was supposed to be a late afternoon nap! We didn’t feel like the usual fast foods / kebabs, so decided to see what else was open. To our surprise Butchers Diner is open 24/7, yes these guys never close! With our sights set on their lovely looking cheeseburgers, we ventured to the city to try these guys out.

Being on the Spring Street side of the CBD, parking was a breeze. We parked on Spring Street, a quick 300 metre walk and we were right on their doorstep! You’d easily miss this place if you’re not paying attention, as they are fairly low key without any big flashy signs. We walked past the narrow door, and the tables, and was greeted by a massive fridge with dry aging beef. I personally love watching beef being dry aged, I reckon it’s such a fascinating process and would always stand in awe looking at the meat! The aromas of the dry aging filled the diner, and we would have loved to eat inside. However we spotted a table just outside of the diner which had a lamp right over it. We couldn’t resist because it’s rare for us to get such good lighting for our food photos! I guess you could say we have different requirements compared to others.

Wasting no time we quickly withdrew money from the ATM right outside the diner (they are cash only). Lucky our card has no ATM withdrawal fees, otherwise we would have been stung with a $2.50 fee. We ordered a steamed dim sim, cheeseburger with house bacon, Creole salmon cutlet, warm organic potato salad and duck heart yakitori style. With full intentions to get the cheeseburger, I changed my mind at the last minute to get the salmon cutlet. I was not disappointed at all! The salmon was cooked beautifully and the Creole flavouring brought me back to New Orleans. Creole always pushes the boundaries with saltiness, and this salmon cutlet was no different. It was perfectly flavoured but I could tell just a bit more salt would have tipped it over the edge.

Helen’s cheeseburger was pretty awesome! The beef patty – my oh my, it was still pink inside and was bursting with beef flavour. Bun wasn’t too sweet, and even the tomato and lettuce was breathing with freshness. We were happy to pay the extra $2 for the crispy bacon as it went so well with the burger. All this goodness for only $14.50! A quality burger for under $15, now that’s a rarity these days.

I have to pay my respects to them putting offal on their menu. Offal is so underappreciated it’s not funny, and we’re glad to have tried the duck heart yakitori style. We’ve never had duck hearts before, only chicken hearts. The texture was different compared to chicken hearts as it was a more bouncier. We enjoyed the new experience and would gladly order it again. We might even try the ox tongue and gizzards next time.

The two fellas running the front of house were so friendly. I was brought out a warm chicken roll instead of the warm potato salad. Could have been my fault or their fault. But who cares because when I told them, there was no kicking up a fuss or any blame game. He just said “sorry i’ll fix this right up for you”. PERFECT! The guy that took my order even recommended the communal water so I could save some money on a bottle. Seriously how good is that!?! In poker, we have a term called ‘implied odds’. It simply means the odds are based on not how much you could win immediately, but how much you can win in the future. With him suggesting the other water, he may not have got $2.50 off me on the night, but I can guarantee that we’ll be coming back and spending a lot more in the future.

I have nothing bad to say about Butchers Diner. The fact that they can serve such high quality food for the price, and be open 24/7 is mind blowing. Doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a late night dining, dinner, lunch or breakfast place, you can rest assured these guys won’t disappoint. Two thumbs up from us, and we recommend giving Butchers Diner a go if you haven’t done so already!

Butchers Diner
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 10 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9639 7324
Website: butchersdiner.com

Butchers Diner Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant

We were at home watching ‘Steak Revolution’ on Netflix whilst not eating steak! This steak documentary is great by the way, they filmed all around the world discussing and eating different beef. Immersing ourselves in food is what we’re all about, and this documentary made us crave for steak bad! We decided that the next night we were going to get our fix, however we had one little problem. We had overspent a little bit for the week, which meant that we had to find a bang for buck restaurant. This ruled out pretty much all the top steak houses, and this is where Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant came to the rescue.

A restaurant name that’s straight to the point plus numerous good reviews on various sites, gives us nothing but confidence to dine here. The biggest plus of all was without a doubt the exceptionally reasonable steak prices! For example, a 250g porterhouse or scotch fillet is priced below $30. We are literally talking about pub/RSL prices, if not even cheaper. Not to mention that the mainstream steak franchises would easily be more expensive than this. Now none of this would matter if the steaks weren’t any good, but thankfully they are! But first, let’s talk about the entrees..

Helen and I started off with the Australian calamari, stuffed with crab meat chargrilled, served with a potato salad. We followed this up with a chargrilled quail served with wilted spinach, butternut pumpkin and Portabella mushroom. Let me tell you, these entrees were absolutely flawless. I was shocked because I thought I came for steaks. Both the calamari and quail were cooked superbly, paying respect to the produce. The stuffing complemented the calamari, boosting the seafood flavours of the dish. The marinade used on the quail was really special and was a nice break from the Asian flavours which I’ve been used to.

Now for what we came here for, the steaks! I ordered a Goulburn Valley T-Bone steak with aged muscat and mushroom sauce, I believe Helen may have got the special, looks to be a rib eye with burnt butter, garlic and cream sauce. These were some high quality meats with robust flavours. We deliberately didn’t go for the eye fillet this time, in order to try some different cuts. The T-Bone cattle was grass fed and the difference was noticeable. Cooked medium rare, the steak was tender and seared beautifully. If you’re a sauce person, the aged muscat and mushroom sauce was the pick of the two. However you won’t be disappointed enjoying the steak as is.

Did we get our steak fix? You bet we did! We were both stuffed after our steaks, with the waiter acknowledging our incredible eating abilities. To put the nail in the coffin, we even managed to fit in another lemon lime panna cota with cinnamon poached pear! I was very happy with the amount of the bill, considering the amount we ordered. You’d expect to pay at least 30% more at another restaurant of equivalent quality. We’re extremely grateful to have found and dined at Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant. We came here fully focused on eating steak, but after our experience with the calamari, we’re intrigued to try their seafood platter next time!

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant
Approx $50 AUD per person
Address: 116 Birdport St, Albert Park VIC 3206
Phone: +61 3 9690 5155
Website: mediterraneo.com.au

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Rockpool Bar & Grill

Rewind it back to 6 months ago, I received an SMS from Helen with a picture of a David Blackmore Wagyu grade 9+ steak from Rockpool. The feeling that ran through my body was one of complete utter betrayal! She was supposed to be my life long food partner, and I could not believe that she had gone and enjoyed this steak without me. She was equipped with the knowledge that I had never had this steak from Rockpool before, let alone stepped into the main dining room, but not an ounce of remorse from her! To my surprise, she had made plans to go again with her friend without me. There comes a time in one’s life where you have to put your foot down, and I wasn’t going to let her have this steak without me again!

As I walked into the main dining room, I realised that Rockpool looked a lot more glamorous than the bar area where I normally eat. I had already looked at the menu weeks before this occasion, trying to work out what steak I was going to get. Frustratingly, their menu changes all the time! Their steak menu changes constantly based on availability, but Helen, myself, and her friend all got the David Blackmore Grade 9+ wagyu sirloin. At $125 a pop, it was the best steak on the menu, cream of the crop. Self admittedly, I had never paid this much for a steak in my life, but I’ve eaten David Blackmore steaks before and have never been disappointed. You know it takes something special for Cape Grim steaks to be the cheaper option on a menu, as they are highly regarded in Australia also.

A few cocktails to ‘cleanse’ the palette, then we had a bottle Cab Sav ready for the arrival of our steaks. We ordered a few side dishes to go with it – potato and cabbage gratin, organic carrots, mushrooms, and heirloom tomatoes. My favourite was the potato and cabbage gratin, it’s a bit weird eating potatoes which taste like cabbage, but it works and was damn tasty! My excitement levels rose as soon as I saw the steak placed in front of me. It looked simplistically beautiful. The sirloin was cut into 4 pieces and had a wedge of lemon next to it. We got some horseradish cream and Bearnaise sauce to go with our steaks, but I had always preferred to eat it without sauce. I slid a piece out and saw all the wonderful marbling glistering in the light. I took a bite, and thought to myself ‘I was expecting this steak to be softer’. I probably felt this way because the last Wagyu beef experience I remembered was the Kobe beef in Japan, which was pure melt in your mouth.

Was I a little disappointed from my first bite? Probably. My next bite I decided to focus more on the taste, and it was at that moment I understood why this steak was so good. They say that fat is flavour, and this statement couldn’t be more true when it comes to this steak. The fat around the steak and the marbling was just bursting with flavour! This truly was a special experience. I went through my first two pieces way too fast, it wasn’t until we joked that each piece was worth $30, that I realised I needed to slow it right now! I understood that I had initially done this steak a huge injustice by trying to compare it to the steaks in Japan. The ones in Japan are purely bred for texture, and while you do get wowed by how buttery soft it is, the beef flavours are miles better with this David Blackmore sirloin. It’s hard to not think of the price, because it is a ridiculously expensive piece of meat, but I felt it was worth it.

We all slumped into our chairs after the steaks, floating on cloud nine. Nothing could wipe the grin off our faces, it was a joyous night indeed. We polished off some small desserts, but they were never going to be the star of the show. We all had a great experience at Rockpool, the service was top notch as always. We talked about making this a yearly event in the future, certainly no objections on my part!

Rockpool Bar & Grill
Approx $100 AUD per person
Address: Crown Entertainment Complex 
8 Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006
Phone: +61 3 8648 1900
Website: rockpoolbarandgrill.com.au

Rockpool Bar & Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Tommy Ruff Fishbar – Mordialloc

Tommy Ruff Fishbar had always been a favourite of ours, and recently my family and I have started eating at their Mordialloc location. They’re located on the busy strip in Mordialloc, and it’s always buzzing here. Even though there’s a lot of car parking available, you may have to occasionally camp for a bit in order to get a spot. Turning off on the smaller side streets, parking is plentiful and generally not too hard to find a spot. The best thing is that the parking is FREE! Considering they’re putting meters everywhere these days, really can’t complain.

Going inside they’ve pretty much kept the same theme from their Elsternwick restaurant. They are really busy here most of the time and the place always feels alive. Whilst this is the case, it’s never too noisy to talk amongst ourselves. They also have an outdoor sitting area available if there’s no tables inside. I rarely opt to eat outside because of the damn flies! However it’s not bad eating outside at Tommy Ruff, I don’t find myself swinging my arms like a mad man.

My dad loves his seafood, but have always complained that he can cook it for a lot cheaper at home. Valid argument I’d say, because eating seafood outside is so damn expensive! The fact that he keeps coming back to Tommy Ruff, shows that these guys are great bang for buck. The staple dishes to get here are the chef’s platter for 2+ and the seafood chowder. We’ve started venturing out to some of their other great dishes. The salmon with soba noodles, Poké bowl and the blue swimmer crab are some of the new dishes we’ve added to our order these days. As usual, all the seafood is fresh and cooked perfectly. I love how the chef platter constantly changes depending on what seafood is available. An example of Tommy Ruff working with their fresh produce and tailoring their platters accordingly.

The service here is fantastic, the waiting staff are on the ball and nothing is too difficult for them. They’re always cheery and smiling with zero attitude, It’s a pleasant place to be eating in. So next time you’re around the area, pay these guys a visit. You can even take away some fish and chips and enjoy it at the beach!

Tommy Ruff Fishbar
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 574A Main Street, Mordialloc VIC 3195
Phone: +61 3 9580 2525

Tommy Ruff Fish Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Second Wife

Putting the word ‘wife’ in any eatery is pretty brave, but naming a cafe ‘Second Wife’ is downright crazy! What were owners Semir Elmazi and Reiji Honour thinking when they came up with this name!?! Turns out this attention grabbing name derived from the fact that this was the second cafe they opened together, their first one being ‘Dosage’ located in Burwood.

Second Wife is located away from the hustle and bustle of all the other restaurants you may think of. It’s situated at a peculiar spot on Wellington Road in Box Hill. Helen and I visit Box Hill a bit but were both stumped as to where Wellington Road was! Out came ‘trusty’ Google maps, and if any of you detected sarcasm, Google maps screwed us over once again. I’ve been having a personal vendetta with Google maps lately, I don’t know what’s been going on with it. Lately it seems to have this amazing ability to take the longest way whilst inserting the most small streets in between. Helen has been trying to defend Google maps, but I think this latest incident may have swayed her to my side!

Leaving this feud aside, we soon found ourselves parting with $2.70 for an hour of street parking just outside Second Wife. Paying for parking has always been one of my pet hates, but their cafe is located within an apartment complex so totally understandable. I must admit that I was in a pretty bad mood, because I’ve been sick for the past week and my tolerance levels were at an all time low. Anything short of great service and I would have been TRIGGERED! I can happily say that the serving staff here were warm and friendly. Apart from running out of rice noodles, our orders were in and food was served without any hiccups.

Most things on the menu had either a Middle Eastern or Japanese influence. Helen got the Real Wife’s breakfast and I got the Japanese Bowl. Both dishes had a comprehensive list of ingredients and would cost a fortune to make at home! My Japanese bowl was very visually appealing. It was not just a pretty face, as it was also really tasty! All the ingredients worked well together but I always make the mistake of forgetting to eat the pickled ginger. The seared salmon tataki was cooked perfectly, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. Helen didn’t want to share too much of her dish with me, but from what little I acquired, it was a pretty special dish. The combination of the really lightly fried eggplant, perfectly cooked eggs and the garlic labne made it a delicious dish. These dishes are certainly not ones you can readily find at any cafe, and it’s what sets these guys apart from the competition.

Mad props to Second Wife for coming up with a killer name and serving some killer food! They are without a doubt one of the better cafes I’ve been to at Box Hill, and I appreciate their healthy and tasty menu. Would we come back? Most certainly. We cannot wait to come back and try their other dishes!

Second Wife
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 8 Wellington Rd, Box Hill VIC 3128
Phone: +61 3 9973 9481

Second Wife Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Old Kingdom

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We went out with my family to try Old Kingdom at Surrey Hills. They have been a couple of times and had assured me that the Peking duck was better than our usual go to place.  Now here’s the thing.. I’ve noticed that my taste buds and my family’s have had some disagreements as of late, so I was a little skeptical to say the least. A food lover approaches food with an open mind, and if these guys are as good as my family says, I will admit so.

So we drove there and the first thing I noticed was that they didn’t seem to have designated parking. After much parking sign reading, we settled on a spot on the side street. A little bit of a walk doesn’t hurt when you’re full from Peking duck. We walked in and they were a lot bigger than I had thought, they were also PACKED! Not a bad effort for a weekday. It was hustling and bustling as the sound of loud Chinese chatter fills the air. It’s an environment I’m used to and caused no discomfort for me whatsoever, however I can understand if some people can get overwhelmed.

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We wasted no time to order but ran into a speed bump straight away! We wanted 4 ducks and the waitress insisted it was too much for 7 people! What is it with waiting staff doubting my eating abilities lately?!? I looked at her as if to say ‘C’mon… we got this”. I totally understand that they have our best interests at heart, but sometimes it’s just really annoying that I cannot get the food I’m asking for. We decided that we’ll just start off with 3 ducks and would have to prove her wrong later. FYI, we did have to get another duck afterwards, and we could have done 5 ducks easily!

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The pancakes, onions and cucumber were pretty standard quality. Not much to elaborate on here. The duck was pretty good… it was meaty and the skin was crispy. The meat around the leg area was succulent however the meat on the other sections are a tad dry. I also didn’t feel it had as good duck flavour as my regular place. The highlight of Old Kingdom was the plum sauce! Man oh man… it was the best plum sauce I’ve ever had! You know how in team sports, there’s individuals who carry the whole team… well this plum sauce did exactly that. I was blown away, and I think my family was getting annoyed with how much I was carrying on about the sauce. The soup was full of flavour and didn’t taste like those soups which keep getting topped up with water. The noodles was also good, but the egg noodles could have been crispier.

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It’s a vicious game in the Peking duck world, every component in the banquet gets assessed and scrutinised. Only the strongest make it through, and Old Kingdom are certainly one of the stronger ones in the game. I would recommend this place just for the plum sauce alone! We’ll be coming back for sure, just hope the staff recognises our faces and remembers that we eat like mini dinosaurs!

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Old Kingdom
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 683 Canterbury Rd, Surrey Hills VIC 3127
Phone: +61 3 9898 3343

Old Kingdom Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Davin Lee

Nepal Dining Room

I would imagine it’d be pretty rare for anyone to wake up craving Nepalese food. It’s not a cuisine which is at the back of our minds. However when either one of us suggest it, it’s always met with the feeling of shock and excitement. We are rewarded every time we eat Nepalese food, and this time at Nepal Dining Room, it was no exception. As a matter of fact, this may be the best Nepalese we’ve ever had!

Sometimes Helen and I enjoy being away from the hustle and bustle of the CBD. Situated in Malvern East, parking was always going to be plentiful outside Nepal Dining Room. Equipped with a bottle of Peter Lehman Shiraz (BYO), it was the start of a chilled and relaxing night. The decor here was clean, modern and contemporary. All the paintings and wall hangings embedded themselves beautifully on the concrete walls. The use of wooden furniture and Edison lights added a warm feel to the restaurant. The sound absorption panels on the roof stopped any echoing from entering our conversation. Overall it’s a well designed layout which would make anyone feel really comfortable.

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The whole experience wouldn’t be complete without some tasty food, and they were certainly on point with all their dishes. We started with the tapas platter as we wanted to try a bit of everything. This was the perfect starter as it was appetizing but not too filling. I enjoyed everything on this platter! My favourite dish was the Pork Belly Choila. It was a grilled pork belly marinated with garlic, ginger, onion, coriander and a touch of lime. I’m quite convinced that no bad dish can be made with these lovely ingredients. I loved how the charred flavour comes through, then the marinade tones it down.

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We followed this up with an eggplant and pumpkin curry, goat curry, garlic bokchoy, pulaw rice and aloo roti. Both curries tasted amazing! No matter if you’re a vegetarian or meat eater, these guys have got you covered. I’m personally the latter and am finding a new appreciation for vegetarian dishes. Considering the fact that eggplant and pumpkin were not my favourite veggies growing up, they have won me over with this curry! The flavours were bold and flavoursome, loved it. We also enjoyed the aloo roti, as it had a layer of fluffy potato inside. It also had great texture as the outside was not soggy at all. In hindsight, we probably ordered too much carbs and could have done without the rice as we were stuffed! Oh I almost forgot to mention, for you chilli lovers out there, don’t forget to get a serve of the chilli chutney. It was so good that we ordered some takeaway for our parents.

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I could not fault anything about Nepal Dining Room, everything was perfect! The only regret we have was not finding it sooner. We’ve already made another booking to take Helen’s parents here to eat and I cannot wait! Check this place out guys, because we could all do with some more Nepalese food in our lives.

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Nepal Dining Room
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 156 Waverley Road, Malvern East VIC 3145
Phone: +61 3 9569 3358
Website: nepaldiningroom.com.au

Nepal Dining Room Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato