Famili Ria

February 9, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

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

The Meat & Wine Co

February 4, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

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

Butchers Diner

February 4, 2018May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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