Tag: melbourne

by Helen Le

The Emerald Peacock

After dinner with the lovely Bearabbit, Tim.E and their partners recently we decided to find a bar for some drinks. Davin and I have been to Emerald Peacock on many occasions in the past but it sure has been a while! Nothing however seems to have really changed. The area is quite spacious and the decor still included lots of velvet chairs, retro wallpaper and chandeliers.

We headed straight up to the rooftop bar but it was so packed and noisy, there was nowhere to sit so we went back downstairs where it was a lot dimmer and found a lovely, intimate empty section which was kind of closed off by curtains. We thought the area was reserved for VIP guests but were told by a worker that we could use the space. WINNING! We had the whole room to ourselves for a while until other people discovered it!

Table service is provided here although we didn’t realise that at the start and went straight to the bar to order some drinks. Davin and I ordered the Bowmore 15 and Glenlivet 18, both neat. The Bowmore 15 was nice but I liked the taste of the Glenlivet more as it had more complexity to it.

Overall, having that section to ourselves made it a great place to catch up. It is quite dark downstairs and hard to see, and it can get very noisy particularly upstairs so I think seating location there is important when finding a nice spot to have a few drinks and chat.

The Emerald Peacock
Address: 233 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 9654 8680
Website: theemeraldpeacock.com

The Emerald Peacock Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Mussel Pot

Lately we’ve been really loving Prahran Market so have been dropping by quite often on the weekends. There are a number of reasons why we go so often. It is our go to for high quality rump cap steaks! However another key reason is that it’s one of the few markets that is open until 5PM. And those of us who know us well, know we love our sleep in!

Anyway we’ve walked by the Mussel Pot van a couple of times with keen interest to try them out, however unfortunately they can sell out pretty quickly and have tended to miss out… until this glorious day we will speak of now! One recent chilly but lovely Saturday, after we had a quick bite to eat for lunch, we tentatively walked up to the Mussel Pot van to see if they still had mussels. And to our delight we could still see the friendly workers cooking some mussels away!

So we quickly surveyed the menu board showing a list of different ways we could have these lovely live fresh mussels direct from the farm. Davin’s colleague has raved about this place before and told us to go for the mussels steamed in chilli, coconut, tomato, cream and parsley. Now my first thought was that this was an interesting combination of ingredients, a mussel broth I have not come across before. So I was keen to try it out! We ordered a serving of that to share.

When our order was ready, the friendly lady handed over our mussels in a plastic bowl, placed inside a plastic bag, conveniently for us to discard our shells. We excitedly unwrapped the plastic bag to be hit with these lovely aromas of coconut, tomato and chilli. It smelt magnificent. We also instantly noticed how generous they were in the portion. The mussels were stacked up high above the level of the bowl with a couple of pieces of bread on top.

We took our first bite of the mussels submerged in the lovely broth and were completely blown away! The mussels were so plump and juicy. They were also cooked to perfection, certainly not overcooked. The flavours of the broth went so well with the mussels. It was a spectacular dish. We have to admit, we’ve had plenty of mussels in Belgium, but these were super special. We have not stopped thinking about them since and will certainly be back to eat more of these juicy plump mussels the next time we’re at Prahran Market, which will be very soon!

Mussel Pot
Approx $13 AUD per person
Address: Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141
Phone: +61 417 050 617
Website: www.prahranmarket.com.au/trader/the-mussel-pot

Mussel Pot Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

B’Churrasco

We caught up with our group of fellow bloggers again recently to check out B’Churrasco, a Brazilian restaurant which focuses on BBQ style cooking techniques. Now here is a warning: you have to love meat and lots of it if you do dine here! Why? Because you will be provided with a never ending stream of different freshly barbecued meats that have been cooked over an open fire and presented on sword length skewers that are brought out and carved straight onto your plate!

It’s a great experience because you get to choose what meats you would like carved out for you when they come out. So there really isn’t a need for menus because staff will keep coming out to present the particular sword of meat they are holding and you can let them know if you would like some. For about $56 per person, you get to eat as much as you want until you can’t anymore!

In addition to the meats, you get a range of sides which include salads, chips, pasta and these lovely banana fritters which we couldn’t stop ordering more of! Be warned again though not to fill yourself up with the sides and leave PLENTY of room for the meats. The sides came out first and we of course wanted to try a bit of everything.

The meat highlights for us was the picanha (rump cap) and the chicken hearts. Lately Davin has been obsessed with steaks, in particular picanha and so he was really excited to try them out here. The lovely slither of fat left on each slice of the picanha combined with the strong beefy flavour made this a premium cut of meat! Was soo good!

The first lot of chicken hearts were cooked to perfection. They were so juicy and flavoured so we asked for more. However the second sword of chicken hearts were overcooked and dry so there was an inconsistency issue. The third lot that came out were cooked perfectly again and so they were forgiven.

We ended with the grilled cinnamon pineapple which was delicious! We asked for that again a couple of times because it was so good. The barbecued crispy bits with the cinnamon worked so well.

There is a light on the table in which you can leave on green if you want the food to keep on coming, or switch to red when you need a break or have had enough. We finally switched it to red after non stop eating!

Overall it was a pretty good experience. Do make sure that your tummies are completely empty and ready to take on a heavily meaty meal if you decide to dine here though. Another great meal with the lovely company of Bearabbit, Tim.E and Feeds with Gusto.

B’Churrasco
Approx $60 AUD per person
Address: 61 A’Beckett St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 8060 4770
Website: bchurrasco.com.au

B'Churrasco Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

PappaRich (Chadstone)

PappaRich is a place we think of when we feel like a quick Malaysian meal. There are a number of franchises scattered around Melbourne but the closest one for us these days is the one located just on the outside of Chadstone Shopping Centre.

It’s a casual and spacious setting with plenty of tables and chairs however be warned, you may have to queue up for a table during peak times. The line does go fairly quickly though!

Some of the regular dishes we generally order include the roti canai with curry chicken or tandoori chicken, pappa chicken rice with steamed chicken, dry curry egg noodles with steamed chicken, and the pappa fried mee noodles. The food always comes out fairly quickly and is never short on flavours. The chicken is generally always soft and tender and the portions quite generous.

For drinks we like the Kopi iced coffee, Pappa white iced coffee and the ribena melon. Their drinks are pretty refreshing and never too sweet.

Overall, it’s a decent place to go to when you’re in the mood. I wouldn’t say it’s the best Malaysian food out there however it’ll definitely satisfy that craving!

PappaRich (Chadstone)
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: F029/Chadstone Shopping Centre F029/1341 Dandenong Rd, Malvern East VIC 3145
Phone: +61 3 9568 3323
Website: papparich.net.au

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

by Helen Le

Punjabi Curry Cafe

We were invited to Punjabi Curry Cafe which is located on the more quiet end of Johnston St in Collingwood so parking was easier to find than expected. On the outside the signage makes it look like any other Indian restaurant. However when you enter, you realise how spacious the restaurant really is! It’s a large modernised space with plentiful tables and chairs, and brick arches opening up to other dining areas.

Staff were very friendly and accommodating, allowing us to pick a seat where there would be ample lighting for our photos. After extensively reviewing the menu, we decided to order a range of dishes to share.

We ordered the Mushroom Chilli House Special from their entree list. This dish had mushrooms tossed with onions and capsicums in a homemade garlic chilli soy sauce. The dish was really flavoured and quite nice however the chilli kick was probably lacking. For a dish called Mushroom Chilli we were just expecting it to pack a bit more of the chilli kick but nonetheless it was a nice dish.

For mains we ordered the Butter Chicken, the Goan Fish curry, and the Aloo Gobi which had cauliflower and potato cooked with cumin and spices. We also ordered the Goat Biryani, a garlic cheese naan and a Keema naan which had lamb minced stuffed in the bread.

I’ve always loved butter chicken and so it’s one of those curries I just have to order every time we have Indian as a comparison to other butter chicken dishes I’ve had in the past. Although the dish looked beautiful, I felt the butter chicken here lacked the tomato flavours and was more on the bland side. Similarly both the Goan Fish curry and the Aloo Gobi tasted fine but it didn’t stand out specifically for us. It felt like they were holding back on the flavours. We expected a party in our mouths of flavours, spices and heat but it was very tame for Indian cuisine. It may be that they’ve had to tone down on the flavours and spices to accommodate for their customer preferences, I’m not sure.

The biryani was flavoured but was quite mushy. We haven’t had biryani that wet and soft before. The garlic cheese naan was flavoured quite nice however wasn’t crispy. Davin had the Keema naan which he didn’t feel was very nice so I stuck to my garlic cheese naan.

Overall the restaurant has a lot of potential as their customer service was very good. Staff were super friendly and efficient. The restaurant has great ambience and the layout makes it a really nice place for groups of people to catch up, or for couples to have a nice intimate meal. We just personally felt like the food could have a bit more of the flavours and spiciness we are generally used to as we think there should be no holding back! But that’s just our humble opinion!

Punjabi Curry Cafe
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address: 87 Johnston St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Phone: +61 3 9419 5307
Website: punjabicurrycafe.com.au

Punjabi Curry Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Moonlight Thai Restaurant

I guess it’s never a good sign when you show up to a restaurant at dinner time and the restaurant is empty. Granted, it was a week night so you wouldn’t expect a full house but still… we obviously ignored the first alarm bell and proceeded into the spacious yet very empty restaurant.

Don’t ask us how we found Moonlight, a Thai restaurant. I think we may have just done a search for places nearby and thought we would give it a go! Anyway as I mentioned, the restaurant was very spacious with plenty of tables. It was also very modern and clean.

Staff were very friendly and seated us then provided us with extensive menus. We ordered a few dishes to share which included the fried rice, red duck curry and the charcoal grilled chicken. The food was very underwhelming. The fried rice was just okay, the red duck curry didn’t really look like a red duck curry as the curry sauce was darker than usual. It also didn’t taste the best. The charcoal grilled chicken looked dry when it was served, and tasted dry too. Unfortunately we didn’t have a very good food experience there which is a shame as the staff were nice and the restaurant itself looked promising when we walked in. It’s safe to say we probably won’t be returning.

Moonlight Thai Restaurant
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 1200 Centre Rd, Clarinda VIC 3169
Phone: +51 3 9544 8707

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

by Helen Le

Grill’d (Southland)

You may recall some time ago Davin and I went to Southland to watch Ready Player One (great movie!). Anyway they had movie and meal deals at certain restaurants during that time so Davin picked Laksa King and I chose to eat at Grill’d. If you’re wondering, no we didn’t separate to eat alone. I went with Davin to Laksa King first and watched him eat like the creeper that I apparently am! Well I had a few sips of his wine at least, however the staff were probably thinking I was on some weird diet.

So off we went to Grill’d once Davin was done to claim my movie and meal deal which was free chips with any burger purchase.

Now you need to know that I absolutely LOVE Grill’d. It’s no fine dining restaurant but I love the burgers there and always crave for it. I have been to many burger places in my foodie lifetime however I have always adored Grill’d.

My go to burger is the Simply Grill’d burger which has grass fed lean beef, salad, relish and herbed mayo. I also add tasty cheese to it. The ingredients are always fresh, the beef is flavoured and cooked well, and the relish and herbed mayo is scrumptious. Add the the hot and crunchy bun and it makes it one killer burger! I’ve eaten so many times at Grill’d and they have never let me down.

Their thick cut chips with their signature herb mix is also always so good and I tend to get at least one or two of their chip dips too cause I am a sucker for good dips!

Given we only ordered one meal for myself there aren’t many photos however I’m drooling right now just looking at it. Might need to stop by this weekend to get my fix!

Grill’d (Southland)
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: Southland Shopping Centre, 1239 Nepean Hwy, Cheltenham VIC 3192
Phone: (03) 9584 4555
Website: grilld.com.au

Grill'd - Southland Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Sushi Jiro

Whenever we are craving sushi train we always have to travel into the city for it, however recently we came across Sushi Jiro which just newly opened at The Glen shopping centre. I have to say, that the new food court at The Glen is quite impressive! There are so many more food options now! Anyway, Sushi Jiro has to be one of the few sushi trains around our area in the ‘burbs’ so we were quite excited about it.

The premium items behind the counter looked impressive but we decided to line up and sit at the sushi train counter for lunch on this occasion. With their grand opening they were offering all dishes for $3.80 a plate. There were of course premium plates too which cost more. The line went fairly quickly and we were seated in no time.

Located right in the corner of one end of the food court, Sushi Jiro was surrounded by bright natural light coming from the floor to ceiling windows. Perfect lighting for photos! There were plates of sushi slowly whizzing by for us to take which we did, but we also ordered a lot of plates utilising the electronic menu screen in front of us.

We have to say that the variety of sushi was quite good and the quality of the sushi itself was also good too. The fish was fresh and we particularly enjoyed the salmon, especially the salmon belly nigiri, and scallop nigiri. It was super fresh! There were a lot of plates that had extra sauces drizzled on it which we thought was probably unnecessary. Also, the plates we ordered took some time to come out, a lot longer than other places. We were disappointed the scampi nigiri was sold out and we didn’t get to try it. However it’s a place we will probably visit again if we feel like sushi train without driving too far.

Sushi Jiro
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address:The Glen Shopping Centre, 235 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley VIC 3150
Website: sushijiro.com.au

Sushi Jiro Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Workshop Brothers

Glen Waverley is always brimming with cafes and restaurants, old and new, so it is hard to keep up with it sometimes when you’re out there! We finally decided to check out Workshop Brothers one weekend which is a fairly newish establishment right in the heart of it all.

Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was the colour and the interior. The theme was pink with rose gold trimmings! It was dramatic but it worked! I’ve never seen a place like it but it was done quite stylishly, and it was packed with people!

Although it was bustling, we got a table straight away and perused the menu. We both ordered some fresh pressed juices. I got the kale, spinach, celery, lemon and apple juice. It was really nice and refreshing, and the lemon in it worked. Davin got the watermelon juice which was also great. They both quenched our thirst.

For food Davin ordered the Workshop Migoreng. It was a dish he couldn’t say no to as it was so unique. It had pork belly, seasonal vegetables, balinese sauce, egg noodles and a fried egg. It was so delicious and flavoured that it took us back to Asia. Davin thought it was probably a tad on the salty side after a while, but it was fine for me.

I ordered the slow cooked beef cheeks with rosemary hash, spiced cabbage, apple slaw, bearnaise and poached eggs. I was drawn to it because it had ‘Urban List Top 50’ noted in brackets next to this menu item. And wow, what a dish! It was pretty amazing! The beef cheeks were so soft and tender, the rosemary hash was cooked and flavoured well, the spiced cabbage and the sweetness of the apple slaw balanced out the dish. The bearnaise sauce was nice and light and the eggs were poached perfectly. I couldn’t fault the dish! It looked heavy when it was brought out but it wasn’t at all and I gobbled it up pretty quickly.

One thing I regret not trying out was their coffee as they claim to have amazing coffee, so I’ll have to come back and try it out next time. I have to also mention that the service there was fantastic. Staff are super on the ball and even though it was fairly busy, the food and drinks came out pretty fast.

Overall it was a really great experience and we’ll definitely be back. They are also open for dinner so next time we’ll check out their dinner menu!

Workshop Brothers
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 97 Kingsway, Glen Waverley VIC 3150
Phone: +61 3 9017 3586
Website: workshopbrothers.com.au

Workshop Brothers Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Oscar Cooper

One sunny weekend we decided to head to Prahran Market to buy some quality rump caps for a steak night (they are hard to come by locally!).  Anyway we thought we’d have some lunch around there before we did our grocery shopping and stumbled across Oscar Cooper! Nestled in the trendy Greville Street of Prahran, it looked like a popular hang out spot so we were drawn to it.

Staff were super friendly and asked if we wanted to sit outside or inside. We opted to sit inside and perused the menu. We straight away zeroed in on the all day cocktails for just $10! Bargain! So I ordered the Coopers Margarita and Davin ordered the Jamaican Me Thirsty.

For food, Davin ordered the cured salmon salad with fresh herbs and broccolini, avocado dressing, egg, nuts, seeds and beetroot puree. The ingredients were fresh and flavoured well. It was a really enjoyable dish.

Now I had every intention of ordering one of their brunch dishes but then they had ‘Damn fine jaffles all day’ noted on their menu and it peaked my interest. On their specials board their list of different jaffles sounded amazing so I ended up ordering the chicken, chive and gruyere jaffle. It was SO good! It came out piping hot and the lovely gruyere cheese just oozed out perfectly with each bite. In fact it was so good that Davin ended up ordering one for himself!

So we’ll definitely be back to check out some of their other dishes. The layout and atmosphere of the place also makes it a really great place to catch up and chill with friends while enjoying some good food and drinks.

Oscar Cooper
Approx $20 AUD per person
Address: 160 Greville St, Prahran VIC 3181
Phone: +61 3 9529 5670
Website: oscarcooper.com.au

Oscar Cooper Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Jamu

We recently met up with the lovely Bearabbit over the Easter break to experience Jamu after our initial plans didn’t work out (we forgot to take into consideration the fact that a lot of restaurants were closed for the public holiday!). Anyway Jamu has been popping up a lot lately and describe themselves as modern Australian with Asian influences so it peaked out interest to check it out.

Upon arrival, the restaurant looked modern and spacious with wooden decor and floor to ceiling windows. The staff were super friendly, talking us through the menu and even making some recommendations. The menu looked amazing. It had so many unique dishes that we pretty much wanted to order everything! We finally settled on sharing ALL five entrees on the menu which included the cheeseburger springroll, chicken wings, hiramasa kingfish ceviche, raw ora king salmon and the raw beef.

I swear all the entrees were delicious. The cheeseburger springroll was so special and stood out for me. Who wouldn’t say no to trying that? It literally came out looking like a large springroll, was so crispy on the outside and tasted exactly like a cheeseburger on the inside! Their raw dishes, the kingfish ceviche, the raw ora king salmon and the raw beef were all so fresh and were very well balanced in flavours. They also had an element of crunch to it such as puffed rice to provide a layer of texture to their dishes which I loved. The chicken wings came with a dollop of salted egg mayo to dip in which was also quite nice.

For mains we also decided to share the char siu pork, the softshell crab and the roast bendigo chook. The char siu pork was probably our least favourite dish for the night. Even though it was sous vide, it was still quite dry. However it was an interesting new take on a traditional dish. The roast bendigo chook came with com tam sauce and pickled carrots and was flavoured quite well. The chook was so tender and moist, it was a great dish. The softshell crab was fabulous and had a lovely chili sauce with roasted tomatoes and mantou buns. The spicy kick of the chili sauce combined with the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes made it one killer dish. The mantou buns were also great for soaking up the lovely sauce.

Finally (and yes we still had room for it!) we got around to dessert. Given there was 4 of us we decided to share all 4 of the desserts on the menu! My favourite was the mango mousse with coconut granita and mango sorbet. It was a really refreshing dish. The taromisu was also a very unique concept and something we’ve never had before, a take on the tiramisu but using taro instead. It was actually quite nice and not too sweet.

Overall, from the fantastic and unique dishes, to the friendly staff, and of course great company we were in, it resulted in a lovely dining experience. The prices were also quite reasonable however one thing to note is that they do apply a 15% public holiday surcharge fee, a detail we didn’t realise until right at the end.

Jamu
Approx $50 AUD per person
Address: 2 Dyer Street, Richmond VIC 3121
Phone: 0431 261 221
Website: jamudining.com.au

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

by Helen Le

Miznon


We decided to head to Miznon on a Friday night after a number of raving reviews from our fellow bloggers. And boy do we see what the fuss is all about! Situated on Hardware Lane in the Melbourne CBD, Miznon serves up Israeli, Mediterranean style street food like no other place.

Under the leadership of Eyal Shani, considered one of the leading figures in Israeli cuisine, he opened his first restaurant in his home town Jerusalem, and then his first Miznon restaurant in Tel Aviv in 2011. His reach has subsequently expanded internationally, now reaching Melbourne.

The first thing that came into my mind when we entered and throughout the night was how genuinely nice the staff were there. Not only were they super attentive but they were lovely to chat to and were very generous and accommodating. They talked us through the menu and made some recommendations because we were just so overwhelmed given everything on the menu looked amazing! We truly wanted to order everything!

We finally settled on sharing the baby octopus and chips, the Hraime – a spicy fish with tahini and chili, the sweet potato with sour cream and sea salt, and the Sac de Coque – roasted chicken, herbs, fried potatoes and aioli. Given they were well known for their pitas we also ordered the Pita with a Bone which consisted of lamb rib stew, tahini, pickles, onion and chili. The dishes were presented in a rustic style, wrapped in baking paper. It’s about the flavours and not the presentation here because after all, they were representing street style food!

We were impressed with all the dishes. The baby octopus was lightly charred and the chips were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The spicy fish was SO good. It had the perfect kick of chili, and the fish was so soft. Now this may seem strange but the sweet potato dish was one of my favourites. It was so simple, charred on the outside and cut open with a dollop of sour cream and some sea salt. The flesh of the potato itself was soft and so sweet! How could something so simple be so full of flavour?

The roasted chicken was also really good. The chicken was so tender and soft, mixed in with those fresh herbs and fried potatoes, it was one appetizing dish!

Finally the Pita with a Bone was amazing! It came out with the lamb ribs sticking out which we easily pulled out because the meat was so soft. With the tahini, pickles and onions, the flavours were spot on. We literally scoffed this up so quickly.

By this point the bartender told us that they were about to hold their regular Friday night Shabbat celebrations and offered us free shots of whatever we wanted to take along to the ceremony. We ended up opting for Jamieson shots and took it downstairs to watch them cut up a huge loaf of freshly baked bread and cheered and downed our shots. It was so much fun and the atmosphere was amazing! We had the privilege of eating some of the bread with their amazing dips and then headed back upstairs to order dessert.

We couldn’t say no to what was listed on the menu as ‘The Best Chocolate Mousse’. Big call! And you know what? It was delicious! It was light and not too dense so we easily finished that in record time!

Now to go back to how nice the staff were, they were having issues with their EFTPOS machine and given we didn’t have cash Davin went off to withdraw some money. They were so apologetic we had to go out of our way (which we didn’t mind at all) and so appreciative that they offered us more shots on the house. We politely declined given we were driving that night but thought that was so lovely of them.

From the friendly staff, to the food, to their inclusive celebrations, it was such an amazing experience and we couldn’t fault it. We will definitely be back and highly recommend if you’re looking for some great food at affordable prices. And definitely go on a Friday night if you also want to experience their joyous celebrations!

Miznon
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 59 Hardware Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9670 2861
Website: miznonaustralia.com

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

by Helen Le

KOI Dessert Bar

When we heard that Reynold Poernomo from Masterchef was opening a pop up stall of his KOI Dessert Bar in Melbourne for just 3 months, we knew we had to check it out. His desserts have always looked amazing and now was our chance to finally try them!

Located in the HWKR Food Centre in the Melbourne CBD, along with a number of other pop up stalls, KOI provides a dessert menu you can order from until sold out. In addition they also have pre-made dessert delights behind a glass window.

We opted to order the Mr Grey on the menu which had French earl grey cremeux with strawberry white chocolate, yuzu, yoghurt sorbet, lychee and mint. The dessert was presented beautifully and I loved the earl grey flavours that came out from it. The sorbet and fruit made it really refreshing.

We also ordered one of the desserts behind the glass which was the Berry Cheesecake. This had almond sable, lemon cream cheese mousse, blueberry myrtle coulis and baked lemon cheesecake. It was such a pretty dish and the lemon cream cheese mousse was so soft and creamy.

Overall it was a good experience, we probably enjoyed the dessert prepared from the menu more than the pre-made desserts but of course you would expect the dishes on the menu to be better. The service was also really good and staff were friendly and efficient. They asked us how the desserts were when they cleared our tables away and were very open to feedback.

So if you’re interested in checking out the pop up stall, make sure you go soon before they leave on 30 April 2018!

KOI Dessert Bar
Pop up stall until 30 April 2018
Approx $15 AUD per person
Address: HWKR – 137 A’Beckett St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9018 7135
Website: koidessertbar.com.au

KOI Dessert Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Twenty Pho Seven

We were recently invited to dine at Twenty Pho Seven located on Russell St in the CBD. Yes you read right! It’s a play on words for a twenty four seven pho place! For those of you who may not know what pho is, it is a Vietnamese bowl of soup noodles. Being Vietnamese myself, I have had many bowls of pho in my lifetime, through my family cooking it up at home, at authentic local Vietnamese restaurants, and even in Vietnam when I went on a family trip many years ago. So it’s safe to say that I had high expectations on the pho at this place!

Our first observation when we arrived outside was that it was a perfect location for a 24 hour restaurant. It was in the heart of it all and I could really see people showing up in the wee early hours of the morning after a night out partying in the city for a hearty bowl of pho for the soul. It provides a great alternative to greasy fast food. Why wouldn’t anyone want some soup noodles to cure a hangover? We also loved that on the feature wall, there was Bruce Lee holding a bowl of pho.

We were warmly greeted by Taeeun who provided us with some menus and talked us through the options. We started off with a couple of cocktail bubble cups. I ordered the Whisky Business and Davin ordered the Good Morning Vietnam. I’ve always loved whisky sours but this one was probably more on the very sour side. The Good Morning Vietnam cocktail however was really good! It was a unique take on the traditional Vietnamese coffee and we loved it.

For entrees we ordered the Bo la lot Beef Skewers which is beef in betel leaf skewers served with nuts and nuoc mam sauce. This was super tasty! The beef was flavoured really well. We also got the Nem Nuong rice paper rolls. The rice paper rolls were huge and the ingredients were really fresh. The Nem Nuong was not salty at all which can often be the case.

Our highlight entree dish however was the Hanoi honey glazed fried chicken. Oh. My. Gosh. It was SO good! They came out piping hot, the skin was super crispy and yet the chicken was so moist inside. In fact when I took a bite, I think some of the moisture from the chicken dribbled out onto the table. Oops. The flavours were also spot on, it was sweet, tangy and really appetising.

For mains I of course had to order my usual pho of choice which was also their best seller, pho with sliced beef. Given I had already ordered pho, Davin decided to opt for the Bun Bo Hue which is a spicy noodle soup. The bun bo hue was probably not as flavoured as the soup base tasted a bit watered down. However the pho was really good. The soup base of the pho was flavoured really well and I loved that they provided extra pickled onions on the table. My only comment was that the sliced beef was more on the tough side, ordinarily we love our beef on the rarer side. However other than that it was a pretty decent bowl of pho!

Overall it was a great experience and a place we would definitely come back again when we’re in the CBD and craving those deliciously fried chicken wings and a hearty bowl of pho!


Twenty Pho Seven
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address: 138 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9654 2024
Website: twentyphoseven.com.au

Twenty Pho Seven Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Young and Foolish

So I’ve been telling people about this new brunch / lunch cafe in the local ‘burbs’ that just opened. Being food bloggers we’ve earned a bit of trust when it comes to suggestions for good eateries. But when I tell people that this new cafe is located at Brandon Park shopping centre, even I get doubtful looks and questionable wrinkled noses and frowns. Yes people, there is a pretty decent and modern cafe at Brandon Park! In fact, the last few times we’ve been, we’ve had to stalk other cars just to find parking. I feel like perhaps this cafe may be drawing more people to this place.

Anyway, located on the ground floor in a spacious spot where past failed restaurants have come and gone, Young and Foolish has recently opened up and taken the spotlight at this normally quiet shopping centre with its bright lights, bricks and wooden decor, leather booths and greenery throughout the cafe. It is a refreshing and welcoming change.

Staff were super friendly and seated us down straight away. They took our drinks orders and let us peruse the menu. Now I’ve been here twice now in a span of weeks so some of the dishes we ordered on both occasions included the wagyu cheese burger with crunchy fries, the vodka cured salmon, meatballs risoni and the Young and Foolish breakfast.

All the dishes were presented beautifully, particularly the vodka cured salmon. This was a really pretty and appetising dish. Davin felt like this was probably more of an entree for him and he wouldn’t be full on it but it was a perfect portion for me. The wagyu cheese burger was tasty and the brioche bun was not too sweet. It was a scoffable dish! The meatball risoni had veal and pork in it and it was slow cooked in tomato and basil with buttered risoni pasta. It was flavoured really well and a hearty dish. Our foodie friend ordered the Young and Foolish breakfast which had poached eggs, bacon, pork fennel sausage, swiss brown mushrooms, a hash brown and zucchini tomato relish, a clean dish! We also ordered some fresh juices in which they let you choose different combinations of ingredients and were pretty good.

Overall it was a great place to catch up with friends while enjoying some good food. Service was also great and staff were friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend if you’re in the area!

Young and Foolish
Approx $30 AUD per person
Brandon Park Shopping Centre, Corner of Springvale & Ferntree Gully Road,
Wheelers Hill, Melbourne, VIC 3150
Phone: +61 3 9560 2065

Young and Foolish Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Mr Foxx

So we’ve had a good run lately and found another great brunch place! Lucky us! Mr Foxx has been a cafe in which we’ve driven past a number of times and one where we often say we probably should check out and then just never get around to it. Well on this occasion we made that effort and boy did it pay off!

Located on Malvern Rd in Glen Iris, we found parking instantly and entered into a lovely spacious cafe with a feature wall of artwork of foxes hanging out on a tree. Very cool.

We started off with some coffees. I ordered a latte and Davin ordered an iced coffee. My latte was strong and just how I liked it. Davin seemed to thoroughly enjoy his iced coffee and didn’t think about sharing until I asked for a sip.

For mains, I ordered the Fricassee mushrooms with garlic and thyme butter, cauliflower puree, toasted brioche, poached egg and truffle oil. I also opted for the extra chorizo. The serving was SO generous! The portions were huge! There was like a whole forest on my plate because there were so many mushrooms, and they were truly delicious! The combination of that with the cauliflower puree, the crunchiness of the brioche and the poached egg was divine! It was one glorious dish.

Davin ordered the dill cured salmon fillets with fondant potato, asparagus and lemon salad and pea puree. Again the serving was super generous. The salmon was cooked to perfection and not overcooked at all. The puree was nicely flavoured and complemented the salmon really well.

I have to also mention how attentive, friendly and efficient the staff were there. Customer service is everything these days and we will certainly come back because of that, and of course the great food and coffee! We were very impressed!

Mr Foxx
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 1491 Malvern Rd, Glen Iris VIC 3146
Phone: +61 3 9821 0001
Website: mrfoxx.com.au

Mr Foxx Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato