Shanklin Cafe

We’ve had Shanklin Cafe on our ‘to try’ list for a while now and finally got around to checking it out one weekend for brunch. Located in a more quiet area of Hawthorn where there isn’t as much competition with other eateries, Shanklin Cafe is a cute cafe embedded in with other residential houses, with the exception of the exterior of the building painted a dark grey so that it stands out as an invitation to come in and eat!

It was bustling and very busy when we walked inside however it wasn’t long before we were seated quite efficiently at a table. Davin and I ordered a couple of lattes to start off with and we were impressed already of the quality of the coffees. They were good strong lattes, something we don’t quite often get these days as we find they can be weak and too milky. But not these! They were strong and served at the perfect temperature.

For food I ordered the baked eggs shakshuka which included red peppers, cherry tomatoes, chorizo and goat cheese served with sourdough bread. This dish was SO good! I’ve had many baked eggs dishes during my brunch life and this one was top notch. I loved how it bursted with the flavours of the tomato and the saltiness of the chorizo, balanced out by the perfectly runny eggs. I was also surprised that for a dish that can generally be quite heavy, it was light and didn’t make me feel too overly stuffed. I certainly lapped up every last bit of the sauce with my bread.

Davin ordered the acai superbowl which was blended with banana and topped with seasonal fruits and granola. It was such a pretty dish and presented in a lovely bowl on a wooden serving board. It was also delicious! Davin gobbled it up pretty quickly and from the few bites I had, it was really refreshing and not too overly sweet.

I also ended up getting some freshly squeezed juice which consisted of apple, carrot, celery, ginger and orange. It was so thirst quenching and had the perfect balance of ingredients.

Overall we were very impressed with Shanklin cafe and will definitely be back to check out their other menu items and for their great coffee!

Shanklin Cafe
Address: 500 Tooronga Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3123
Phone: +61 3 9882 7549
Website: shanklincafe.com.au

Shanklin Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Light Years

We came across another great brunch place over the weekend! Light Years is located on the less busy end of Camberwell Rd in Hawthorn East so it was fairly easy to find parking on a Saturday.

The cafe is quite a large open and modern space with plenty of floor to ceiling windows right around, allowing lots of natural light to spill in. There are plenty of tables and chairs and we were seated right away.

I ordered a latte and Davin ordered a green juice for drinks. The latte was made just right, it wasn’t too hot and it was strong and not too milky.

For food I ordered the pork belly eggs benedict with poached eggs, spinach, apple, housemade bbq sauce and maple hollandaise on english muffins. The pork belly servings were generous and was really nice, the eggs were runny just the way I like them, and the sweetness of the apple made it a killer flavoured dish!

Davin ordered the miso scrambled eggs which had soy roasted mushrooms, seaweed, nori, spring onion, charred corn, and milk bread sticks. This was probably the highlight dish. The scrambled eggs were cooked so perfectly, they were soft and fluffy with lovely flavours. They were buttery and sweet with the right amount of saltiness. The sauce that went with it added to the flavours.

We found the overall portions to be quite generous and the food came out very quick considering how busy they were. The staff were also friendly and super efficient. A brunch place we’ll definitely be back again.

Light Years
Address: 132 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East VIC 3123
Phone: +61 3 9882 0181
Website: lightyearscafe.com.

Light Years Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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

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

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

Nomada

The saying goes… it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. We forgot how we came across Nomada, but by the time we walked out the door, we realised that we have had one of the best Spanish meals ever! Nomada has a strong team of the Melbourne culinary world backing them, think Kettle Black, Bomba and Anada. Luckily I wasn’t equipped with this knowledge prior to writing this review, because it allowed me to enjoy the food as it is, and not to form any comparisons with the other restaurants.

Walking in, we were greeted straight away by a very friendly waiter. He ended up being our exclusive waiter for the night. No complaints from our end, he was extremely personable and knew the menu inside out. Wooden furniture, fancy lamp shades and green plants are scattered across the restaurant. It’s a safe and proven formula, and we felt very much at home. It did smell of heavy smoke inside, like I was next to a giant camp fire. By the end of the night, I was fully marinated and it resulted in the minor inconvenience of a second shower for the day. I’m not a huge fan of washing my hair twice in a day, gotta let those natural oils build up a bit before being stripped again! In saying this, the food did more than make up for the smoky smell…

We started off with some tapas – oysters with seaweed jelly and finger lime, slow cooked egg with spanner crab and Yarra Valley caviar, and Cape Grim steak tartare with black garlic and pulled beef tendon. If these menu items sound delicious to you, imagine the agony we went through with picking what we wanted… it was not a huge menu, but we just wanted to order everything! The steak tartare was a standout dish. Cape Grim is one of my favourite cattle producers, their meat quality is second to none. This quality translates directly across to this steak tartare. The flavour is clean and beefy, tribute to the cattle being grass fed and free of growth hormones. I’ve never had black garlic with steak tartare and I’m happy to say IT WORKS! The sweetness of the black garlic works beautifully with the steak. Steak tartare has come a long way since I’ve started eating it, and this style makes me excited for the future of this dish.

For the mains we got the hanger steak with parsnip, queso valdeon & bone marrow sauce and the coal grilled calamari, potato puree, chorizo & green pea. The hanger steak was cook perfectly, and the bone marrow sauce acted as a flavour booster. The texture was tender enough, but I did try to cut against the grain to help it along also. Calamari is something I love to eat but rarely order outside, because to be honest, most places overcook the hell out of it. This was not the case at Nomada. The potato puree was fluffy like clouds, and the chorizo and peas together were just a match made in heaven! It’s best eaten all together as the chorizo provides the salt for this dish.

We got two complimentary ports with our Creme Catalan dessert. Not my drink of choice generally but boy were these delicious! One thing I will say however is that I found the portions of some dishes a bit small. For example, the pipis cost $9 but I would have only got around 11-12 pipis. So if I divide 9/12, that means each pipi cost 75c each! I would have expected double the amount of pipis for the price? I am a little conflicted because it seems this is the price/quantity ratio of most Spanish restaurants in Australia though. Portion sizes and a smoky dining room are minor problems we can overcome together. I have always liked the Spanish food here more than in Spain. Nomada has further reinforced this view for me, and I’m happy to have another Spanish restaurant to go to. Seriously one of the best Spanish restaurants in Melbourne and I cannot wait to dine here again!

Nomada
Approx $70 AUD per person
Address: 412A Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Phone: +61 3 9416 4102
Website: nomada.com.au

Nomada Food & Wine Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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

Philippe

We recently dined at Philippe, a French restaurant by Philippe Mouchel, located in the heart of the Melbourne CBD. We had quite high expectations given his previous restaurant, the Brasserie Philippe Mouchel at Crown was pretty good. Upon entering you are warmly welcomed by a window showcasing some of their quality meats before you are escorted by their friendly staff to your table. It is a formal setting with white table cloths, perfect lighting and large framed mirrors. The night we were there it was quite noisy and rowdy. We also noted that there were a lot of tables squashed in closely together particularly in the back room where we were seated, so you don’t get that spacious feel even though the restaurant itself is quite large.

We decided to order the quail and foie gras parfait with red currant and orange ginger jam, and toasted brioche. We’ve never had quail like this before and found it quite interesting. The parfait didn’t taste too unhealthy and rich like the foie gras that I’m used to and we enjoyed it with the jam and toasted brioche.

The second entree we ordered was the beetroot cured Ora King salmon gravlax, fennel salad, walnut mayonnaise and mushrooms. This was also a very nice dish. The salmon wasn’t too salty and was balanced in flavours with the other ingredients.

For mains we ordered the pan seared wild barramundi with autumn brunoise vegetables, beets and a red wine sauce. This dish was nice but didn’t stand out for me.

Davin ordered the Mayura Station wagyu rump cap with a black pepper sauce. It was cooked medium rare, however the outside was probably seared too much which made it a bit tough to bite into. The sauce was probably the highlight and accentuated the meaty flavour of the steak.

We also got sides for our meals which included the potato gratin and sauteed green beans. The potato gratin was quite mushy and was probably lacking in some flavours. The sauteed green beans were also soft and we generally like our beans crunchy so that was a bit of a let down.

Overall, the restaurant provides for a French experience, however for the price, the quality of the food in general could have been better.

Philippe
Approx $75 AUD per person
Address: 115 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 8394 6625
Website: philipperestaurant.com.au

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