Author: Helen Le

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

by Helen Le

Little Chloe

Amongst the many brunch places in Melbourne, we’ve yet again found another winner. Little Chloe is located on the more quiet end of Malvern Rd in Malvern East so parking wasn’t an issue when we arrived. This meant fast and easy access to glorious food!

Upon entering, my first impression was that it was quite spacious for a cafe. The decor was modern and clean, and we were greeted by friendly staff and seated straight away. We were excited by the menu because it had unique items that you wouldn’t normally see for a brunch style cafe.

In addition to the usual fresh juices, they also had drinks such as the house made lychee ice tea which consisted of earl grey tea, raw honey, lemon and lychee popping pearl. I couldn’t say no to that and there were certainly no regrets! The tea was deliciously refreshing. What I loved most about it was that it was not sweet at all and it was only the lychee popping pearls that added hints of sweetness to the tea which perfected the drink.

Davin ordered the Expresso on tonic which was Yuzu infused. Again it was nothing like we’ve ever had before and was quite nice. The tonic was served cold, and it allowed us to pour in the hot expresso when we were ready. The combination of the two actually worked.

For food, I ordered the Tasmanian smoked salmon which came with mango and lime chutney, smashed avocado, potato rosti, feta and a poached egg. This was a really good dish! Not only was the serving quite generous, every ingredient seemed to work together. The smoked salmon was not too salty, the chutney provided a nice sweetness to each bite, the potato rosti was crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, and the egg was poached perfectly.

Davin ordered the Breakfast ramen. Yes, you heard right! They had ramen on the menu and so Davin couldn’t resist. It came with a soft boiled egg, mixed Asian mushrooms, chicken and dashi broth, pickled ginger and seaweed. Davin also got the extra optional pork belly. The ramen came out in a generous large bowl with a deliciously flavoured broth. The noodles were cooked well and the pork belly was flavoured. The chicken was however on the dry side. Overall it was a hearty bowl of goodness.

I also ordered a piccolo just to get a taster. It was nice and strong. I’ll have to come back next time and try a latte too. In fact, we will definitely be back again for their great food and drinks! Highly recommend!

Little Chloe
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 1810 Malvern Rd, Malvern East VIC 3145
Phone: +61 3 9885 2194
Website: littlechloe.com.au

Little Chloe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Saab Der Thai

We do love Thai cuisine however haven’t had a fantastic experience with Thai restaurants in Springvale in the past. Unfortunately on this occasion it was no different.

Saab Der Thai is located in the heart of Springvale and is a small takeaway style shop with tables for eating in.

We got the Thai iced milk tea which was actually pretty good because it wasn’t overly sweet. It had a good tea flavour to it so I liked it.

Because there were a number of us, we decided to order a variety of dishes for sharing. This included the chicken satay sticks, Pad Thai noodles, red curry with chicken, green curry with beef, pineapple fried rice, tom yum soup and a couple of salads.

The chicken satay sticks were nice, the meat was tender however the sauce that came with it was not the usual satay sauce. Both the red curries and the green curries were not that great. They were very watery and the meats in it was quite tough and far from tender. The Pad Thai noodles and pineapple fried rice were also just okay. The Pad Thai noodles were flavoured, however the fried rice was quite dry and a tad plain.

The salads were nice and had a good chilli kick to it. The tom yum soup was average and not very special.

Overall, we probably wouldn’t recommend this place if you were in the mood for Thai. The main dishes were a let down and you could definitely find better quality elsewhere. However if you’re desperate for cheap Thai and in the area, it might be more for convenience.

Sabb Der Thai and Esan Food
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: Unit 1/1-3 St Johns Ave, Springvale VIC 3171
Phone: +61 3 9546 0599

Sabb Der Thai Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Pie In The Sky

On one sunny afternoon we decided to make the trip to the Dandenong Ranges to check out Pie in the Sky. We’ve known about this place for a while and know that it’s been featured on TV shows as a spot to visit, famous for their hand-made pies made daily.

Upon arrival and entering we could see that it was an obvious tourist drop in place as there were plenty of tourists there either eating in or buying a pie for takeaway. The eatery itself was quite spacious with plenty of wooden tables and chairs.

The staff seated us at a table, however the table still had crumbs and had not been cleaned from the previous customers. In fact, a lot of the other tables looked the same.

The process was to order and pay at the front counter first so Davin got one of the multiple gold medal winner pies which was the Korma Chicken. It had tender chicken pieces and two coloured vegetables in a creamy yellow curry sauce. I ordered the pumpkin pie which had blends of roasted pumpkin and roasted sweet potatoes with rosemary, garlic, leeks and fresh feta. Both pies came out piping hot with a lovely crispy pastry. The ingredients were fresh and flavoured well. I loved the combinations of my pumpkin pie and would definitely order it again. Davin’s pie had generous chunks of chicken, and combined with the curry sauce it was also quite nice.

Overall the pies were very nice and tasted fresh and hand-made. The service however was very average as I think they must get tourists in everyday and perhaps don’t have enough time to clean and set the tables in time.

Pie in The Sky
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 43 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda VIC 3788
Phone: +61 3 9751 2128
Website: pieinthesky.net.au

Pie in the Sky Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Curry Smuggler

We recently had the pleasure of being invited to dine at Curry Smuggler. In addition to the fact that I love their choice of name for their restaurant (it certainly made me giggle!), I love Indian cuisine and never get an opportunity to eat it as much as I would like to so of course we happily accepted the invitation!

Curry Smuggler is located on the business end of Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, a more quiet location away from the busyness that you would normally see and experience on a Saturday night. On the outside, the restaurant looks like any other, however upon entering, we noted how clean, spacious and modern it was inside.

We were warmly greeted and seated at a window seat which was perfect for us. Being a food blogger, great lighting for our photos is everything and nothing beats natural light! Menus were then provided for our perusal which got me quite excited because there were so many delicious dishes to choose from! It is also worth noting that they also have an extensive vegan menu for all the vegans out there which we thought was very considerate.

We settled with trying the Daaku Di Tangri (Smuggler’s) Drumsticks. With ‘smuggler’ in the title we assumed it must be one of their signature dishes so had to try it out. The dish had chicken drumsticks with a core of lamb mince, marinated in tandoori spices and yoghurt and the chef’s special sauce. This is a dish we’ve never had before and was very interesting. It was strange cutting into the chicken to find pieces of lamb mince attached to it. However the meat was tender and flavoured well. The creamy sauce also complemented it.

For mains we ordered the Butter Chicken (it’s one of those dishes I ALWAYS have to get because I love it so much), which were boneless pieces of tandoori chicken cooked with tomato, spices and a nut cream sauce, the Tawa Goat which was cooked in smoked flavoured traditional curry served with smoked onions and capsicum on a hot plate, the Biriyani Lamb which was lamb cooked with basmati rice, and two garlic naan.

The Butter Chicken was really good! The chicken was tender, and the sauce was cooked perfectly as it was not overly creamy and you can taste more of the tomato flavours in the sauce. The Tawa Goat however was probably the star of the show. The goat meat was SO soft! It literally just melted away from the bone and was flavoured really well with lovely spices and flavours.

The Biriyani Lamb was nice however probably didn’t stand out for us compared to the other dishes. Similarly, the garlic naan was just okay, and interestingly had a bit of salt on it which with some bites may have been too salty for our liking.

Overall it was a lovely experience and we enjoyed the food. The prices are probably more on the expensive side compared to other Indian restaurants we’ve come across, however the servings were quite generous and we were so full when we were done!

Curry Smuggler
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address: 223 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Phone: +61 3 8597 0647
Website: currysmuggler.com.au

Curry Smuggler Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Stones of the Yarra Valley

We recently had the opportunity to dine at The Barn for a wedding on a Sunday afternoon. And if you’re wondering, then yes, we went to Meletos next door only the day before this for a birthday! It was one busy weekend filled with Yarra Valley adventures! The Barn is spacious with lovely floor to ceiling windows offering spectacular views of the greenery and vineyards outside. It has a beautiful rustic feel inside with fresh greenery and wooden decor. It is a real stunning place for a venue.

For entrees I had the heirloom carrot, grilled haloumi, herb crusted cauliflower and radish salad. The carrots were lovely however the haloumi was probably a tad bit salty. Davin had the twice baked Yarra Valley goat’s cheese souffle with chive veloute and confit cherry tomato. This was a really nice dish and the souffle was so light and delicious.

For mains I had the free range chicken breast, romesco, rocket, pistachio and chilli. The chicken was flavoured, tender and was certainly not overcooked. Davin had the eye fillet with gratin potatoes, mushroom ketchup and grilled leeks. The steak was cooked medium. We would have probably preferred it a bit more rare however overall it was a good dish. We also got dobson potatoes with confit garlic and herbs as well as farro, peas, mint, salted ricotta and lemon vinaigrette as sides to go with our mains.

Overall it was a lovely venue inside and outside with its gorgeous surroundings.

Stones of the Yarra Valley
Address: 14 St Huberts Rd, Coldstream VIC 3770
Phone: +61 3 8727 3000
Website: www.stonesoftheyarravalley.com

Stones of the Yarra Valley Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Meletos

If you’re heading out into the Yarra Valley for a day trip and you’re looking for a place with great food and wine, then Meletos might be just the spot for you! We’ve been here to dine on a number of occasions, but most recently we were here for a birthday lunch.

It’s always a lovely drive to Meletos, particularly on a sunny day and the scenery is so picturesque leading up to the restaurant and even more so when you arrive. There are crabapple trees and raised vegetable beds right out the front. The restaurant itself are a collection of century old farm buildings which have been developed into the restaurant it is now. It is beautifully rustic inside with floor to ceiling windows offering views of lush greenery outside.

It is always bustling with people inside and on this occasion it was no different. For drinks we started with a couple glasses of the 2015 Rob Dolan ‘Blanc de Blanc’ Sparkling Chardonnay. We’ve been really getting into sparkling lately and this was lovely and crisp.

All the dishes were ordered for sharing and some of the highlights for the starters included the marinated white anchovies which were delicious and not too salty, and the Yarra Valley goats curd with truffle honey and grilled bread. The goats curd was amazing with the truffle honey!  We also had the hand cut cacciatore mild salami.

For mains we ordered some wood-fired pizzas on their menu which included the Cotechino sausage, San Marazano tomato and Roast pumpkin. We also shared the whole market fish and wood-fired rotisserie free range chicken. Oh and we can’t forget the french fries with smoked paprika and manchego. These came out so fresh and crispy! To be honest none of the dishes really disappointed. It was a great meal and perfect when you feel like trying a number of different things.

We then ended the meal with a couple of Four Pillars gin and Fever Tree tonics which was so refreshing and perfect for a warm day! They came out in these lovely glasses and I am definitely going to have another one of those next time I’m there.

Attached to the restaurant is the Napoleone Brewery so you can also order paddles of beer or cider to enjoy at your table.

Overall, we highly recommend checking Meletos out if you’re after some good food. Whether you’re there to just have a few small dishes and drinks or a proper lunch, this place can cater for it because of their variety of dishes, small and large. And how can you say no to the lovely scenery?

Meletos
Approx $70 AUD per person
Address: 12 St Huberts Rd, Coldstream VIC 3770
Phone: +61 3 8727 3030
Website: meletos.com

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

by Helen Le

Aoki Japanese Kitchen

We recently found another local Japanese restaurant! Located in Glen Waverley, Aoki is yet another addition to the already overflowing restaurants around that area. As we do love our Japanese cuisine, we were excited to see what Aoki could offer.

Upon entering we noticed how modern and spacious the restaurant was. The tables, benches and floors all had a similar stone tile theme with the glow of purple lights throughout. In fact it reminded us of some of the Japanese restaurants we recently visited in the U.S. It had a real upmarket and modern feel. We were greeted by friendly staff who seated us straight away and provided us with some menus. There were so many dishes that we wanted to order!

We decided to settle on the Aoki 9 short courses as a starter which showcases 9 of their signature entree dishes. They also had a 6 short course version but of course being the greedy people that we are we picked the 9 course set! It came out presented beautifully in a wooden box with the dishes separated into 9 grid sections. All the dishes were really appetising. Some of our favourites from this set included the chicken salad in this lovely sauce, the eel, blueberry duck and the prawns.

For mains I ordered the truffle honey porterhouse steak with wafu sauce. I was very surprised at how soft the steak was! It was almost melt in your mouth soft and the truffle honey was an interesting yet perfect match for it because the sweetness of it balanced out the savoury flavours of the steak. The coleslaw that came with the steak was also really nice and flavoured well. Overall it was a really good dish that we would order again.

Davin ordered the Poke Don from the sushi menu. For some reason, he seems to keep ordering the winning dish lately. My dish was really good, but of course his dish was even better. The Poke Don is pretty much like the poke bowls that is the craze lately so it was a bowl of rice with fresh fish such as salmon and tuna, with egg and avocado. The fish was super fresh, the rice was cooked well and it was just overall a beautiful and healthy dish. We were thrilled to have found a place where we can order a poke bowl closer to home.

We also ordered a serving of their fatty tuna which was on their specials. Oh my gosh, it brought us back to Japan! It melted in our mouths and left our lips shiny from the fattiness!

Finally we ordered the Yuzu cheesecake with matcha sauce which was also one of their specials that night for dessert. I loved this dessert! It was so soft, light and fluffy and was not too sweet which was perfect for us.

Well as you can see, we really enjoyed the food here and we will certainly be back for their delicious food when we’re feeling like some Japanese!

Aoki Japanese Kitchen
Approx $40 AUD per person
Address: 52 Montclair Ave, Glen Waverley VIC 3150
Phone: +61 3 9561 7442
Website: www.aokimelbourne.com.au

Aoki Japanese Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Miss Marple’s Tearoom

Miss Marple’s Tearoom has been around for some time and is a major hotspot for tourists. Located in the Dandenong ranges, they are well known for their Devonshire teas and scones. Davin and I finally dropped in to check it out recently during our long weekend after lunch.

It was a beautiful sunny day and perfect for a laid back drive to the Dandenong Ranges. When we arrived, I instantly loved the look of Miss Marple’s from the outside and even more so on the inside.

Set in a Tudor style building, the restaurant is dedicated to Agatha Christie’s novel series character, Miss Marple. Upon entering you will see Miss Marple memorabilia everywhere and I was struck by the charm of it. The decor included wooden table and chairs, floral curtains and table cloths, and porcelain teapots of different colours and styles all along the walls. There were quite a few people inside but there was also a nice quietness to the place.

The friendly staff seated us at a lovely window table with a bed of flowers just outside. Given we had just had lunch we couldn’t order anything more than the tea and scones. However we did see plenty of people ordering main meals there too.

We ordered two plain scones served with ‘Miss Maple’s Own’ home-made raspberry jam and freshly whipped cream. We also ordered a pot of tea and chose the Teapot of Taylors which was described on the menu as their house blend ‘Yorkshire Gold’ and was apparently voted as ‘best cup of tea in England’ by the British Tea Council. Interesting!

The scones came out and I was surprised how different they looked to the scones I’ve normally experienced. These scones were not round and small. These were tall and more rectangular in size. In fact, they were so tall I could cut each scone into 3 sizeable pieces. They came out piping hot and boy were they good! The texture of these scones were so light and fluffy compared to any scones I’ve had before. The raspberry jam and the freshly whipped cream was delicious. The tea was also amazing. I have to agree that it was probably one of the best teas I have had. It had a lovely flavour to it.

Overall it was a great stop in experience for us. It would have been great to try some of their other main meals but maybe next time when our tummies are not so full!

Miss Marple’s Tearoom
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 382 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras VIC 3787
Phone: +61 3 9755 1610
Website: www.missmarplestearoom.com

Miss Marple's Tearoom Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

O.MY

For Davin’s birthday this year, as per the usual custom, I made a reservation at a fine dining restaurant. Any excuse to eat somewhere nice we always say! This year I chose O.MY, a two chef hat restaurant in Beaconsfield which looked really promising.

It’s their philosophy of respecting the earth, for what they grow, and their commitment to sustainability and minimal waste which drew me to them. They have established a large garden at a nearby farm to grow the produce for their restaurant and are passionate about growing and using fresh, seasonal produce as well as sourcing other ingredients required from local suppliers. Because Davin’s taken a real keen interest in growing his own vegetables and herbs lately, I thought this would be the perfect dinner place for him!

Once a butcher’s shop, it has been transformed into a 25 seat restaurant, another reason why I was drawn to it. With only 25 seats, you know that it’s going to be a real intimate experience. Right outside the restaurant there are herbs and vegetables being grown out front, and I picture the staff coming out throughout the day to pick what they require for their kitchen.

Upon reaching the entrance to the humble restaurant, the door instantly opened for us and a friendly staff member greeted us and promptly seated us at our reserved table. We started off with a couple glasses of proseccos which came out really quickly and then they checked in to see if we had any dietary requirements. The concept at this restaurant is that they offer a seasonal menu for $115 per person and the menu is determined by what their garden offers so don’t expect a menu that you can peruse. Perfectly fine for us because we eat everything and we love surprises!

To talk about every single dish will take all day and night because there were so many! However I’ll talk about some of the highlights. Each dish was presented carefully and lovingly on beautiful crockery made from either wood, ceramic or stone. Here were some of the dishes.

Diamond tomatoes, labna, zucchini seed tart shell

Corn barbecued in its husk

Beet leaf shell and fermented beetroot mousse

Beef fat butter, house made butter, garden salt and house made bread. The beef fat butter actually tasted like a steak! It was amazing.

Freshly sliced apple, verbena powder, almond milk sauce and onion top oil

Basted beetroots with cherry juice, meat jus, beet juice sauce, buttermilk gel and sheep sorrel

Steamed zucchini with ricotta, seeds, puree, grated salted egg yolk, pickled coriander berry and borage flowers. It came out looking like a pumpkin but it was zucchini!

Potato puree, chicken jus, black garlic sauce, egg yolk, chicken skin powder, beans and flowers. This was one of our favourites and was so full of flavour!

Dry aged scotch beef with jus and fresh tomato varieties. The steak was probably more well done than we would have preferred however the tomatoes were deliciously sweet

Cucumber granita, compressed mouse melons, honey labna, sunrose leaves, mint leaves and cucumber flowers. So refreshing!

Soil. This is their special dessert which represents their passion of growing their produce from their garden. It had farm honey icecream, a soil of spent grain from beer making, burnt citrus, balsamic powder, chocolate and mini nasturtium

Overall the dishes were beautifully presented and were very unique. The staff here are really trying to utilise their produce in the best possible way and they certainly push the boundaries with flavour combinations. Because they are mainly showcasing their garden produce however, the dishes are mainly vegetarian and the meat dishes were minimal. I think this would be great for vegetarians but for the people that love their meats, don’t expect that here.

The service was top notch and staff were very attentive, always ensuring our water was topped up and taking away our empty dishes almost instantly. What we also loved was that every staff member that came around to our table were really sociable and were happy to have a chat, whether it’s about the dishes or just about things in general. I think that’s really important in today’s day and age. Having such great customer service really makes a difference in terms of your experience. So if you’re ever looking to venture out and fine dine at a unique and intimate place, check out O.MY.

O.MY
Approx $115 AUD per person
Address: 23 Woods St, Beaconsfield VIC 3807
Phone: +61 3 9769 9000
Website: omyrestaurant.com.au

O.My Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Burger Project

I’ve always loved a good burger so one night at Chadstone while we were searching for a not so expensive place to eat for once, we decided to finally try out Neil Perry’s Burger Project!

They advertise that their beef is 100% grass fed and comes from Cape Grim in North Western Tasmania where happy healthy cows live on green, pristine pastures. In fact when you walk into the very spacious restaurant, one side of the wall captures this beautifully.

The restaurant itself as I’ve mentioned is very spacious for a burger joint with an abundance of modern white chairs and tables with overhead hanging lamps. We were overwhelmed with the space and where to sit!

The concept there is simple, order at the front desk, take a buzzer back to your table, then come collect your tray of food once you’re buzzed. The focus is of course burgers! Following recommendations from the friendly staff, I ordered the Cheese burger which apparently a popular choice. This had grass fed beef, cheese, onion, pickles, tomato, lettuce and secret sauce. Davin ordered the Chili Cheese which was pretty much exactly like mine but with the jalapeno. We also got a serving of large chips with chipotle chili salt and chipotle mayo dipping sauce, and chocolate shake with malt. My eyes also lit up when I saw their dessert menu which had a strawberry pavlova so I ordered that too!

It didn’t take too long before our buzzer started buzzing and vibrating and we received our tray of food. The burgers were presented inside their packaging and looked promising. When we pulled them out my first observation were that they weren’t the massive burgers you often get. In fact they reminded me of some of the burgers you would get a fast food chain because of the size but also how it looked. The bread looked a bit soggy, squashed and flattened. Not the crispy bun you would expect. However upon taking a bite of the burger, it tasted pretty good! The beef patty was cooked and flavoured well. Their secret sauce was quite nice and complemented the burger ingredients. I guess the only let down was the bun.

The chips were good however I think they over seasoned it as it got quite salty and so we couldn’t finish it. The chipotle chili salt was nice but you don’t want to just be tasting salt. The milkshake was perfect, not too sweet but with a good dose of chocolate flavour. We loved it. Finally the strawberry pavlova was probably a bit on the sweet side for me because of the strawberry sauce. The vanilla bean icecream itself was good and the meringue was crunchy. I think it was just missing some real fruit.

Overall, the burgers here were good however were just lacking a good bun. If you order one of their seasonings for the chips, also make sure to ask them to go easy on it!

Burger Project
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: Chadstone Shopping Centre, Dining Terrace, Level 1, 1001B/1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone VIC 3145
Phone: +61 2 9259 5600
Website: burgerproject.com

Burger Project Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Short Straw

We had the pleasure in finding another great brunch / lunch place in Hawthorn recently which we’re excited to share with you. Hawthorn has always been buzzing with great eateries and this one does not disappoint.

Short Straw is a cafe located on Glenferrie Rd and is pretty central in Hawthorn. Upon entering you experience clean painted white walls, lots of wooden decor and bricks, with green plants scattered throughout above and below. I loved their feature wall which captured some artwork which reflected the cafe itself.

We ordered two lattes to start off with and then perused the menu. I ordered the Wild Mushrooms dish which had slow cooked chili and garlic wild mushrooms with truffle cream on crispy polenta. I added their optional additions which were crispy pork belly and a poached egg. This dish was really yummy. The wild mushrooms soaked in the truffle cream were a perfect match. The pork belly was really soft and literally broke away however the skin was way too hard to chew so I just put it aside after a few attempts. The poached egg was cooked perfectly and the polenta was also done well.  I also ordered a Green Glow cold-pressed juice to go with my meal too which was really good.

However Davin’s dish was the highlight! He ordered the Poke Bowl which had multigrain rice and cured sesame seed salmon, sweet corn, soybeans, avocado, wakame and ponzu dressing. Now we recently came back from the U.S where there’s such a huge craze with poke bowls over there and they do it great. It’s only recently that this poke bowl craze has hit Melbourne so we were interested to see how they did it here. And the verdict? The poke bowl was AMAZING! It was so flavoured and balanced at the same time. The salmon was super fresh! We were a bit unsure of the sesame seeds and the multigrain rice but it worked! It was one healthy bowl of lovely and fresh flavours. We will definitely be back for this!

By this stage we realised that we still hadn’t got our lattes yet which we ordered at the start so we followed it up with the staff. They were very apologetic about the lattes. They brought them out at the end of our meals, however were nice enough to take it off the bill. The lattes were actually quite good and strong which I liked.

Overall the food was top quality and we will definitely be back for that poke bowl!

Short Straw
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 743B Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122
Phone: +61 3 9815 3451
Website: shortstraw.com.au

Short Straw Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Famili Ria

We absolutely love Indonesian cuisine however haven’t come across many local places that have stood out for us. However we recently came across Famili Ria in Surrey Hills which had really high ratings so decided to check it out one night. Upon reading the reviews, the fish cakes were apparently exceptional here and the food really authentic. Now we can’t say we’ve ever had Indonesian fish cakes before and certainly can’t judge on the authenticity. However we know what good food tastes like!

Famili Ria is a small, family style restaurant and its main focus is its food. Upon entering, the menu covered one side of the wall with pictures of all the dishes you can order. The one and only worker there was very friendly and because we were so overwhelmed with the menu and was unsure of what to order, she gave us some recommendations.

We decided to settle on the Pempek Sampler which were a combination of the different handmade fish cakes as the starter. Given there was so much hype about it we had to try them!

Based on their recommendation, for mains Davin ordered the hot and spicy noodles with chicken and mushrooms, and I ordered the green chilli chicken with rice. We were warned that both dishes were quite spicy and was given the option of the level of spice so we decided to settle on medium.

The fish cakes arrived first with a light sauce and we dug into them. The first thing that came to mind for us was that the texture was quite chewy. It confirmed for us that we’ve never had Indonesian fish cakes before so it was a whole new experience.  We weren’t sure if we liked them or not. There was one in particular in which the batter looked like noodles on the outside which I enjoyed as it had a really nice crunch to it.

Davin’s noodles were really nice and flavoured but boy were they super spicy! As soon as I took a bite I realised that we probably should have gone with mild instead of medium! Davin can normally eat spicier than me but even he was struggling! The only thing that kept us going was that they were actually quite delicious! Also, the green tea and coconut juice helped a bit!

My green chilli chicken with rice was probably the star of the show. The chicken was tender and so flavoured. It was also really spicy but again because it was so nice you just had to keep going. I knew the green chillis were probably the source of the heat but you couldn’t help but scoop a bit of that with each bite of the chicken. So good!

Overall the food was quite good and cheap. My dish was $10.50 and Davin’s was $9.50. The fish cakes sampler was $14 so it was definitely one of our cheaper meals! If you’re ever in the mood for some Indonesian check it out and decide for yourself!

Famili Ria
Approx $15 AUD per person
Address: 1115 Riversdale Rd, Surrey Hills VIC 3127
Phone: +61 3 9808 6767

Famili Ria Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

The Meat & Wine Co

The Meat & Wine Co have been around for some time and we’ve heard a few good things about them but it’s taken us quite a while for us to finally check them out! The main reason being is because we’ve been lucky enough to have found a number of great steak places in Melbourne. However on this occasion it was time to give it a go!

We visited the Southbank restaurant (there are also franchises in Hawthorn and South Yarra) and upon entering staff were really friendly. We didn’t make a booking that day and just walked in to see if there was any availability for two. They advised us that they would be happy to accomodate us if we gave them some time and took us up to their bar for some cocktails while we waited which was perfectly fine for us.

The bar and overall restaurant was very classy, with dimmed lighting providing that intimate feel and modern furnishings. We ordered a couple of cocktails and after some time we were seated at our table.

 

Of course both Davin and I ordered a couple of steaks. I ordered the 200g fillet and Davin ordered a different 300g steak. Both steaks were ordered rare and came with large cut chips. Sauces were extra however given I love my sauces so much I had to order some! So I got the garlic cream sauce and Davin got the black garlic butter sauce. Davin’s black garlic butter sauce was really nice and had this lovely sweetness to it. My sauce was just okay. Our verdict on the steaks? We thought it was nice, however the steaks didn’t blow us away. They weren’t as soft as steaks we’ve experienced elsewhere and was probably pricey for the quality that we got.

We also ordered the the wedge salad which was really nice and flavoured. We liked the honey bacon, fresh tomatoes, blue cheese and ranch dressing. For wine we got a half bottle of the Saint Clair Pinot Noir.

Overall, the service and ambience was great, the steaks were good however for the price we think there’s probably better out there.

The Meat & Wine Co
Approx $80 AUD per person
Address: 3 Queensbridge St, Southbank VIC 3006
Phone: +61 3 9696 5333
Website: themeatandwineco.com

The Meat & Wine Co Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

by Helen Le

Roast Duck Inn

We may have come across the best roast duck and crispy skin roast pork we’ve ever had so far! On a night where we didn’t want to travel too far into the CBD, we came across the recommendation of Roast Duck Inn.

Situated along a strip of other restaurants and shops in central Box Hill, Roast Duck Inn is a small and no nonsense shop with one purpose. To produce top quality roast meats and food of course! So if you’re looking for great service or a place where you can spend hours with your friends catching up, this is probably not the place for you. It is obvious that people literally come for the food, they eat, and they are out of there.

Upon entering you’ll see a front counter for customers to come in and collect their takeaway which seemed very busy. Given the shop was small, tables are limited so it makes sense people might choose to duck in to get takeaway to bring home. Between Davin and I we knew we had to try some of the roast duck and the roast pork given this was what they were famous for. So we ordered half of a roast duck and a plate of the crispy skinned roast pork with rice to share. We also ordered a plate of the garlic bean sprouts and a couple of homemade ice lemon teas.

They served us with complimentary soup and hot tea which we loved. The soup was not one of those MSG soups that comes with a lot of meals in other Asian restaurants. It had bits of duck and vegetables in it and tasted healthy.

Then out came the main dishes very efficiently and promptly. The roast duck was just as good as people claimed it to be! It was served with this lovely sweet sauce you can dip the duck in. It was AMAZING. The skin was so crispy and flavoured, combined with the sweet sauce it was a match made in heaven!

The roast pork was also fantastic. The meat was melt in your mouth tender, and the skin was super crispy you could probably hear us from far away eating it as we crunched away. It was flavoured perfectly and not too salty. We were pretty shocked when we took our first bite because we were so surprised at how good it was.

The garlic bean sprouts was also really nice. It was flavoured really well and the serving so generous! Davin and I felt like we were eating and eating and the plate was just not clearing. One serving was probably enough to feed about 4 people.

The homemade iced lemon teas were also really nice. I always get worried about them being too sweet but this was also done perfectly and you could taste the actual tea more than sugar.

Overall we really couldn’t fault the food at all here. We were awed at how good it was and will definitely be back when we’re in the mood for some good roast duck or pork!

Roast Duck Inn
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address: 31 Carrington Rd, Box Hill VIC 3128
Phone: +61 3 9897 3788

Roast Duck Inn Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato