January 21, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Cosi Bar Ristorante

Not too long ago we were in the mood for some Italian and decided to check out Cosi in South Yarra. Ratings for the restaurant were quite high and positive so off we went. Cosi is a fine dining restaurant with a lovely intimate feel. Upon entering you’ll notice the dim lights and white table cloths. Staff were also very friendly and efficiently seated us.

For mains I ordered the Tagliatelle with blue swimmer crab, tomato and smoked butter. This was SO delicious! Oh the flavours from the smoked butter and the generous chunks of crab meat. This was a dish to die for and we would happily order this again. The pasta was also super fresh.

Davin ordered the Spaghetti Marinara with white wine, chilli and garlic. This was also a really nice dish and had generous amounts of prawns and mussels. However we both agreed that my Tagliatelle dish was the winner.

For dessert we decided to share the basil panna cotta with berries and chocolate. We loved this! The panna cotta had the perfect wobbly texture and really tasted like fresh basil. It was an interesting and refreshing dish. I believe they may change the flavour of the panna cotta so it may not be available anymore. However we were so glad to have had the opportunity to try the basil flavoured one.
We thoroughly really enjoyed our experience at Cosi and felt the quality of their food was top notch. We will definitely be back when we feel like some fine dining Italian!

Cosi Bar Ristorante
Approx $60 AUD per person
Address: 68 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141
Phone: +61 3 9867 39999
Website: cosirestaurant.com.au

January 20, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Meat Me Souvlakeri

On a Friday night in Oakleigh, Meat Me Souvlakeri is absolutely packed and rocking! They were definitely dominating that night when it came to souvlaki around that area. Although they were packed, they have an abundance of tables and chairs so it didn’t take very long for us to be seated.

For starters we ordered the saganaki which came out super quick and with a wedge of lemon. The saganaki was fried perfectly and was not too salty.

Davin and I both ordered the Gyros Plate with chicken, chips, salad, tzatziki and pita. The plate came out looking delicious! The chicken was super soft and tender. It had this lovely oregano seasoning throughout it which made it just a little more special. It terms of flavour it probably could have done with a bit of salt because it was slightly on the plain side. However some table salt fixed that pretty easily. The chips were really good, super fresh and crisp, and the pita bread was hot and fluffy. I also really liked the tzatziki which was really refreshing. It was a huge plate and they were very generous with the chicken. Davin was able to polish his plate off but I took some leftovers home from mine.

Davin also ordered a Freddo Cappuccino which was really good and took us back to our Greece trip not long ago when that’s all we were drinking during those hot sunny days.

Overall, a great place to check out if you’re in the mood for a meaty dish!

Meat Me Souvlakeri
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 24 Eaton St, Oakleigh VIC 3166
Phone: +61 3 9568 5555
Website: www.meatmesouvlakeri.com.au

January 19, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

D.O.C Pizza & Mozzarella Bar

Davin and I were reminiscing how good the pizzas were in New York the other day which led us to of course have a sudden urge to eat some. Now, we have been hearing about how amazing D.O.C Pizza and Mozzarella Bar is in Carlton but just never got around to visiting them. Given our sudden craving for a good pizza, we thought what better time to check it out than now?

So off we went one very warm night. As soon as we got there we could see how popular it was. It was packed inside and out! We were lucky to be seated inside straight away as we noticed on our way out after our meal that a queue of people was developing outside, waiting to be seated.

Upon entering the first thing that came to mind was that it was a very simple, non-pretentious looking place. The decor was minimalistic, with wooden chairs and tables crammed inside and no paintings on the walls. It was all about the food, and food is what we came for!

I ordered the Pizza DOC which had San Marzano tomato, fresh DOP buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. I’ve always liked my pizzas with minimal toppings. Davin who has always had a weak spot for seafood ordered the Pizza Tiger Prawns which had San Marzano tomato, tiger prawns, mozzarella, endive and fresh chilli. We also ordered a Caprese salad which had heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, black sea salt, pesto and balsamic glaze.

The food came out very quickly, and the pizzas looked amazing when they were placed in front of us. As soon as we took a few bites we both agreed that it was definitely the best pizza we’ve had so far in Melbourne. It didn’t have that special light, crispiness of a base like NYC, but it was pretty damn good! The base was very thin just how we liked it and the toppings were super fresh. Davin’s Tiger Prawn pizza had a generous amount of fresh chilli which gave it a lovely spicy kick and the prawns were top quality.

However we both loved the Pizza DOC just a little bit more because their fresh DOP buffalo mozzarella combined with the simplicity of the other ingredients was out of this world. It was one kick ass pizza!

The Caprese salad was also really good and the heirloom tomatoes were lovely and sweet. We couldn’t get enough of their delicious buffalo mozzarella.

For dessert, we ordered their old school mixed gelati and the flavours really made us nostalgic as it tasted so much like the icecream we had when we were young. Davin also ordered an Affogato which was really good and had the perfect amount of bitterness of the coffee and sweetness of the icecream.

Overall we had a really good experience. The food was great, the staff were super efficient and on the ball, and the pizzas were amazing. We will definitely be coming back when we’re in the mood for some good pizzas.

D.O.C Pizza & Mozzarella Bar
Approx $40 AUD per person
Address: 295 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3053
Phone: +61 3 9347 2998
Website: docgroup.net

January 15, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Matsuzaka

On a Sunday night we decided to look for a local Japanese restaurant. We always struggle to find good Japanese food without having to travel into the city which is really frustrating. We came across Matsuzaka in Caulfield South which looked promising so off we went!

The restaurant itself looked quite traditional from the outside. Upon entering we realised how spacious it was inside too. There were plenty of wooden tables and chairs, with Japanese inspired paintings featured on the walls, and Japanese music playing in the background.

The menu was quite extensive and had a lot of items to choose from. We felt a bit overwhelmed by the abundance of choices! We ended up ordering the sushi and sashimi platter to start with which was really good. The sashimi was very fresh and the vinegar rice was done perfectly. We also decided to order a soup each.

I got the Osuiomono soup which had seafood, seaweed and mushroom, and Davin got the Tamago soup with egg and mushroom. Both soups were really nice and flavoured, however we both agreed we liked the Tamago soup more as it was more flavoured and the egg made it more special.

We also ordered the Kanimushi which were their original steamed crab dumplings. This was a bit disappointing. It tasted really mushy, and more like those fish balls you normally get in hot pot. It definitely didn’t feel like a special dish, and I let Davin finish most of it.

For mains, I ordered the Unagi Bento which had grilled eel in a sweet soy sauce, sashimi, deep fried tofu, salad and steamed rice. The grilled eel was flavoured really well, the sashimi was super fresh just like the sashimi we had as part of our entree platter. The deep fried tofu was surprisingly cooked to perfection! It had that lovely crispiness to it on the outside and was complemented with a light sweet sauce. Overall it was a good bento box.

Davin ordered the Oyakodon which had grilled chicken fillet pieces with egg and onions in soya sauce on rice. Now we have to say that we have been quite fortunate to try the real deal when we were in Tokyo, and this traditional dish was SO good there. We weren’t of course expecting the Oyakodon to be at the level of our experience in Tokyo here at this restaurant, but hopefully it would have some resemblance of it.

Unfortunately we can’t say it had any resemblance to the dish. In fact when it came out, Davin almost called the staff back to say it looked like the wrong dish! Upon closer inspection it did have the chicken, egg and onions but it was presented very differently. The chicken was too sweet and overall the dish didn’t taste the best.

I also ordered a Saketini which is their Japanese version of a martini. However it tasted it a bit light and diluted to me so I probably wouldn’t order it again.

In conclusion, the experience was okay. We weren’t wowed by the experience but I guess if we were really craving Japanese and didn’t want to travel too far we would consider coming back here again.

Matsuzaka
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 809 Glen Huntly Rd, Caulfield VIC 3162
Phone: +61 3 9523 9904

January 14, 2018May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Second Wife

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 13, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Punch Lane

We have been going to Punch Lane now for quite a number of years. It’s been one of our favourite go to places and one that we always recommend to people when asked for suggestions. Nestled on Little Bourke St in the CBD, Punch Lane is the ideal restaurant for an intimate first date.

Upon entering you will step into a cosy, dim lit place with leather chairs and wooden decor. It gives you a very classy, European feel. Staff are extremely alert, efficient and friendly here so they’ll look after you straight away. But of course we come back here time and time again because of the food! The quality of each dish is top notch and they have never disappointed us. The menu does change but some highlight dishes over a number of recent visits include this amazing cured salmon, twiced baked cheese soufflé, venison tartare, pan roasted scallops and their duck! They recreate their duck dish so it’s slightly different every time we go but still so delicious!

Each dish is carefully and beautifully presented, and the flavour combinations of each dish is faultless. Nothing is ever too salty or too sweet. They offer a set menu of 5 courses where you can put yourself in their hands to feed you and give you a bit of a tour of their menu. They also have a great selection of wine and cheeses, if you can fit it in! Overall we highly recommend Punch Lane if you ever want an intimate setting for a date with fabulous food! You will definitely not be disappointed!

Punch Lane
Approx $80 AUD per person
Address: 43 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9639 4944
Website: punchlane.com.au

January 10, 2018May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Old Kingdom

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 9, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

White Mojo Plus+

We’ve heard good things about this cafe in Glen Waverley for a while now so finally decided to check it out one weekend. Upon entering, the first thought that came to my mind was that this place was huge inside! Although there were plenty of tables, they were smart to maintain the spacious feel which I liked. The decor inside was white with pastel coloured chairs and lots of green plants, flowers and large, clear bulbs hanging from the roof, giving it a very elegant feel.

We were greeted by a friendly staff member and placed on a waiting list however was called in within a few minutes and seated fairly quickly. During those few minutes we managed to snap a some photos of their donuts and cakes in the window.

As soon as we were seated the staff member took our order of two lattes. We then perused the menu. Davin ordered the Mushroom Ragout which had seasonal mushroom, truffle oil dust, smoked almond and poached eggs on toast. This was really nice however my dish was the highlight. I ordered their award winning dish, the Double Cheese Chilli Scrambled Egg. The scrambled eggs had parmesan and chedder, smoked belly bacon, chilli mayo, toasted sweet corn and ink brioche. Oh my gosh, what a dish! The brioche bun was perfect and not overly sweet. The scrambled eggs were cooked just how I like it, still runny. With the melted cheeses and chilli mayo, they were top notch scrambled eggs. But the star of the dish was that smoked belly bacon. It was SO good! Soft, full of flavour but not too salty. It was really delicious.

So we were really pleased with the food. However when we heard the table next to us following up on their coffees we realised that we hadn’t got our coffees either! Davin had already finished his meal and I only had a couple of bites left. It was really strange for coffees to take that long. Generally you would receive the coffees before the food arrives given it was the first thing we ordered. Then we also noticed that staff were bringing out coffees to tables that didn’t order coffee! There just seemed to be a lot of confusion around he coffee orders. Anyway just when I was about to follow up on our orders they finally came around with it, after we had literally cleared our plates. The coffee turned out to be really good. Perfect temperature and decently strong. If it wasn’t for the very long wait for the coffees we would have rated this place higher. However it has to be taken into consideration.

Overall the food was really delicious, the coffee was good and staff were really friendly. If you do order coffee though, expect a bit of a wait!

White Mojo Plus+
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address: 83-85 Kingsway, Glen Waverley VIC 3150
Phone: +61 3 8522 2911
Website: www.whitemojo.com.au

January 6, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

The Perfect Drop

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you had an awesome holiday and celebrated it just like how you wanted it. For us, we took a road trip and spent our NYE in Daylesford dining at an amazing restaurant called The Perfect Drop in our true foodie style!

As soon as we parked outside we were awed by how lovely and quaint the restaurant looked from the outside. I loved it! Inside it maintained that homey and intimate feel with a fireplace and tables scattered across a number of the rooms. The ambience was perfect.

Staff were very efficient and attentive, seating us right away and providing us with the menu. Given it was NYE, it was a set menu of 7 courses and a glass of bubbly for $125 AUD per person. We started off with a zucchini veloute with almond foam. Basically it was like a soup in a small shot glass. It was a nice start to get our appetite going.

Then came the quinoa and tomato salad in a vegetable soup with goats cheese mousse. All the flavours of this dish just bursted in our mouth and our taste buds were hyped!

The scallop carpaccio dish came next, and this was certainly one of the highlight dishes for us. The fresh scallops sat on a bed of apple, celery and vanilla salad, with a scoop of oyster icecream on top. Yes you heard it! Oyster icecream! At this point we were thinking wow this place is brave. They were pushing the limits of ingredients and we loved it. The whole dish worked. The icecream really tasted like oyster and the sweetness of the apple salad balanced out the rest of the dish. It was a fantastic dish.

The next course was the scampi with confit tomato in a bisque with red berry granita. The scampi was cooked to perfection and the tomato was so deliciously sweet. Combined with the bisque each bite was heaven. We could of have a lot more of it!

The final main was the lamb loin and shoulder with ratatouille cannelloni and crispy mash. This was also a well thought out and delicious dish. Both the lamb loin and the shoulder was cooked beautifully medium rare. But I also really enjoyed the complements of the crispy mash and the ratatouille cannelloni which was so different but worked. They were both presented like little cigars with a surprise inside.

Finally with dessert we were served a raspberry sangria with rosewater foam. This was served in a little glass and it was a nice little taster to prepare us for the main dessert.

The final dish of the night was the chocolate sphere with salted caramel and passionfruit icecream. It was to die for and presented so beautifully. The sphere was made of lovely dark chocolate with delicious fresh cream inside. The passionfruit icecream also complemented it so well. We probably ate this dish too quickly because it was so good!

Well after the final dish, we both agreed that we really couldn’t fault this place at all. The food was spectacular and every dish amazed us. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience, from the food, to the ambience, to the service. So if you’re ever in Daylesford and you want to do some fine dining, check it out!

The Perfect Drop
Approx $125 AUD per person
Address: 5 Howe St, Daylesford VIC 3460
Phone: +61 3 5348 1100
Website: theperfectdrop.com

December 22, 2017May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Moroccan Soup Bar

We’ve been meaning to venture out to Moroccan Soup Bar for some time now as we’ve heard nothing but great things. Davin has always been a bit hesitant given it focuses on vegetarian dishes and he sure loves his meat, however I have especially been really appreciating vegetarian dishes lately so was keen!

We ended up checking it out with our dear friends who are vegetarians for dinner one night. Nestled in Fitzroy North, they only take bookings for 6 or more people so we thought we’d just see how we’d go with lining up for a table. Surprisingly for a Saturday night we got a table fairly quickly. The only thing I didn’t like was that we were told we would have to vacate the table within an hour. Understandably it was packed and bustling and there were probably other people waiting This didn’t give us much time at all, particularly as we all recently came back from our travels and wanted to catch up on everything. The food came out super quick but it felt really rushed and we felt pressured to leave too quickly.

There is only a verbal menu or alternatively you can pick from 2 banquet menus which were $25 per head or with some additional tapas, $30 per head. We were keen on the $30 banquet given Davin and I are such big eaters however the staff convinced us to try the $25 banquet first as she told us it would be plenty of food.

Boy was she right! Unfortunately given there wasn’t a written menu, we can’t go into too much detail about the ingredients of the dishes. However we can say that every dish was packed full of wholesome flavour. We started off with a plate of dips and vegetables which included yoghurt, hummus, carrots, eggplant, olives and potato. It was very yummy.

Then came the main dishes which came out sharing style. There were a number of dishes which had combinations of rice and vegetables, and a vegetable stew. Our favourite dish however was the chickpea yoghurt bake. The combination of the chickpea yoghurt with the crunchy textures within the bake made it one killer dish! It was delicious!

For dessert, a number of sweets were offered on a plate such as turkish delight and baklava, We were also given a lovely aromatic mint tea to have during our meal and turkish coffee to have with the desserts.

Overall it was a good experience. The food was very impressive and full of flavours. Staff were also very attentive. As mentioned above, a little more time would have been appreciated as an hour just felt way to rushed when you’re catching up with friends over dinner. The price was also very reasonable for the amount of food you get. So if you’re keen to try some great wholesome vegetarian food, it’s worth checking out.

Moroccan Soup Bar
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 183 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North VIC 3068
Phone: +61 3 9482 4240
Website: moroccansoupbar.com.au

December 8, 2017May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Nepal Dining Room

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 26, 2017May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Elyros

We didn’t get a chance to visit the island of Crete during our time in Greece. However, being able to enjoy some Cretan cuisine at Elyros back in Melbourne was a pretty awesome experience! We already get excited by new flavours with dishes we’ve never had before. To be spoilt by a whole new cuisine, I felt like a kid at a candy store.

“How did you find this place?” – this is a question which we get asked a lot. Well the answer to this question for Elyros was random Google restaurant searches, along with some cross checking on Zomato. As a matter of fact, this is how we find most of the restaurants we go to, because we like to try different places out. Elyros caught our attention with their menu and reasonable prices. We rocked up and I was shocked to see how nice the place was. We don’t generally look up pictures of the inside, so I found myself severely under dressed again! I felt as though my black runners were discreet, so I puffed out my chest, and walked to the table confidently like they were leather shoes. Fake it till you make it!

The white walls, big windows and chandeliers gives the restaurant an understated yet elegant look. It has a strong Greek flair without having to resort to scattering photos of Greece all over the place. I certainly didn’t feel like I was in Melbourne during the whole time I dined at Elyros.

With the help of the friendly waiting staff, we finally agreed on the 4 course set menu for $63. Please bear it mind that this is a mid week special, and the prices may vary on the weekend. This set menu even came with alcohol too! You get either a French sparkling, Semillon from Hunter Valley, Greek red, or a beer. Something for all alcoholic preferences, it was very well thought out. The first two courses consisted of multiple dishes, which would be too much to list here. Picking our favourite dishes was a difficult task as they were all so tasty! The Fava – yellow split pea puree, capers & shallots was just to die for. Throw out everything with what you think a pea puree should taste like, this one is totally different. There was nothing artificial with the sweetness of this puree, the capers and shallots give it an interesting twist. This dish singlehandedly upped my carb intake for the night because I couldn’t stop dipping the bread in it!

Kalitsounia – traditional Cretan cheese pies was also a hit. Little fluffy pillows of cheesy goodness. The cheese was light and piping hot, burnt the roof of my mouth from eating this, but so worth it. The lamb was exceptional, slow cooked for at least 12hrs, it was soft and juicy.

The fish was cooked to perfection, and it was complimented with black garlic. The only previous interactions I’ve had with black garlic was seeing them at the supermarket and marking them as too expensive to buy. I never would have expected it to be used with fish. Did it work? You bet it did! It accentuated the sweetness of the fish and I thoroughly enjoyed it. By the time we had finished our 3rd course, we were well and truly stuffed! Dessert was overkill. I remembered it to be nice, but no more recollection after that. I was way too full and my taste buds had shut down.

Upon doing some research before writing this review, I learnt that Elyros was actually a one hatted restaurant. Without knowing this prior to visiting them, I had already thought their price to food quality ratio was tough to beat. We were also treated with the utmost respect from the waiting staff at Elyros. Being totally new to Cretan cuisine, we naturally asked a lot of questions. The waiting staff here always answered with a smile on their faces, and we were never made to feel as though we were a hassle. I found them warm and personable, total opposite of the snobby service you may find at other hatted restaurants. Do pay Elyros a visit if you haven’t been, I’m sure you’ll have a magical experience!

Elyros
Approx $65 AUD per person
Address: 871 Burke Road, Camberwell VIC 3124
Phone: +61 3 9882 8877
Website: elyros.com.au

November 6, 2017May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Calia

Hey everyone! It feels like it’s been loooong time since we’ve published a post. We’ve been super busy travelling, working on other projects and then studying for my final exam ever! Now that’s done, we’re back into the swing of things such as our love for food.

Calia has been a place that we have wanted AND have attempted to get in to try for a while now. Located at Emporium Melbourne in the CBD, the Japanese menu has been designed by Michelin star chef Francisco Javier Araya. The reviews for this place has been high and the photos of the dishes looked amazing so we were dying to check it out. Attached to the dining area is also a retail concept space which stocks and showcases high quality, luxury food and food related products.

However they are only open until 7.30 pm from Saturday to Wednesday and 9.30 pm from Thursday to Friday, and they don’t take bookings. Therefore you really just have to show up and try your luck at putting your name on the wait list. They take your number down and text you when it’s ready. However there are no guarantees you’ll get in because like us when we first tried, if it reaches almost closing time then you’ve missed out for the night. Their dining area is not huge either so the only tip we have is to get there as early as possible.

On this joyous night we decided to get there at 5.30 pm, and lo and behold, we were seated within about 20 minutes! We were so excited! While we were waiting we just browsed around in their retail store which had items ranging from wine, cured meats and truffle slices to tea pots, whiskey glasses and honey dippers.

Once we were seated we perused the menu and realised we pretty much wanted to try almost everything because it all sounded amazing! After some time though we narrowed it down. From the grazing menu we ordered the Alaskan king crab claw baked in miso mayonnaise, Unami fries, raw scallops dressed in wasabi ponzu sauce, baked scallops (cause we just had to try both versions!), and ox tongue with yakitori sauce.

The Alaskan king crab claw was a bit disappointing as it was dry and had no crab flavour at all. I think they relied heavily on the very strong miso mayonnaise. It was probably our least favourite dish of the night. The Unami fries were absolutely amazing! They were crunchy and flavoured with seaweed and the perfect spices. We couldn’t stop eating them! The raw scallops were SO fresh and their light dressing ensured the scallops itself were the hero of the dish. This was one of my favourite dishes of the night and I took my time savouring it. The baked scallops were also delicious and the creamy mayo sauce they baked it in was perfectly balanced in flavours.

What surprised us the most however was the ox tongue. When it came out we were wondering if it was really ox tongue or whether it was actually beef as they were presented on skewers as thick square shaped pieces. I guess we were envisioning thin slices of meat being ox tongue. But oh my gosh they were ox tongue and they were so soft! The meat literally melted in our mouths. They were SO good! The best ox tongue we’ve ever had! We also enjoyed it with this special green matcha beer they recommended which went down really well.

For the mains we ordered the marbled Sukiyaki bowl which had premium Marble 9+ wagyu slices with a 63 degrees egg and rice. This dish was SO tasty! The wagyu was so soft and flavoured perfectly, a spoonful of the wagyu, the rice and the egg was heaven. We also ordered the Ochazuke Samon which had grilled sustainably caught Tasmanian salmon with a dashi tea broth. The tea broth was lovely however the salmon was a bit dry. We recently had a similar dish with the tea broth in the U.S which was better.

With dessert we ordered the chocolate lava cake which oozed of warm matcha ganache. This dessert was to die for and we loved that strong bitterness of the dark chocolate. Really yummy dessert. We were also given a complimentary dessert which was their newly created crepes filled with the loveliest yuzu flavoured cream. It was really good and I would definitely order that again.

The service was good and there were a lot of staff to attend to their diners. Food came out super quick. We did struggle a bit in communicating with one of the staff because his English wasn’t that good, but other than that they were really friendly and accommodating. The prices for high quality food such as this are also VERY reasonable.

Overall it was a great experience and we’re really glad we got the opportunity to try their food.

Calia
Approx $40 AUD per person
Address: Shop 8, Level 3/287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9662 1688
Website: calia.com.au

July 29, 2017May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Rare Hare and the Jackalope experience

A couple weekends ago we visited Rare Hare, a restaurant out in Mornington Peninsula, which is part of a fairly brand new establishment called Jackalope.

Jackalope is a unique one stop shop getaway which includes a luxury art hotel, a vineyard and wine tasting cellar, a fancy cocktail lounge called Flaggerooot, a fine dining restaurant called Doot Doot Doot and a more casual style restaurant called Rare Hare. You literally don’t need to go anywhere else and could spend the whole day here. Or even stay there the night if you want to!

Anyway on that day our focus was Rare Hare because we had heard good things about it. Now Jackalope has only been around since April this year so it is VERY new and yet the word was already out there about how amazing the place was. In fact the day after we visited, it was featured on TV on Postcards.

Rare Hare only takes bookings for groups of 8 or more so we decided to show up at 2 PM on a Saturday afternoon for a late lunch. The restaurant was still buzzing! We were told it would be about an hour wait and I provided my mobile number so they could text me once our table was ready. This gave us time to explore the grounds. First stop? Straight to the wine cellar of course for some wine tasting!

The wine cellar entrance is attached to the restaurant and so after we put our name down on the waiting list we walked straight through the door into a huge open warehouse space with an abundance of wine barrels from floor to ceiling lined up against the walls and perimeter of the warehouse. It was quite a sight! Outdoor heaters were set up in the warehouse for warmth near the wine tasting table. Staff there were very friendly and chatty. And surprisingly all the wines were quite good! We’re not Chardonnay drinkers and almost passed on tasting it but the friendly staff convinced us to give it a go, and guess what? It was so good we ended up buying a bottle! We also purchased a Shiraz and a Brut to take home and was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the wines.

With still time on our hands we then went to check out their cocktail lounge which is located just inside the Jackalope hotel. As soon as we entered we were like wow! This is a glamorous cocktail lounge you would probably normally experience in the city but not out in Mornington Peninsula! We seated ourselves at the bar which had a lovely marble finish and ordered a couple of cocktails. Behind the bar there was an abundance of colourful bottles of liquor. They also had a bar food menu so we decided to order the truffle mac and cheese croquettes, which were AMAZING. The batter was so crispy and the filling oozed of delicious goodness.

It was not long after I got a text advising us our table was available so off we went to Rare Hare. It was still packed when we were seated and handed the menus. Everything on the menu looked great. We started off with their pacific oysters and got half a dozen with a migonette sauce. We enjoyed it with their lovely 2012 Wllow Creek Vineyard Brut which went really well with it. The oysters so fresh! In fact they were so good we ended up ordering another half a dozen! We also ordered some cured meats and the cured trout with horseradish creme which were both delicate, fresh and delicious.

For mains we ordered the kingfish, rare venison, chargrilled squid and beef cheeks to share. There isn’t even any point in describing each dish because every single dish was faultless. The presentation of the dishes were beautiful and the flavours were spot on. They really focused on highlighting their fresh produce and we were really impressed with the quality of their food. We also got the meringue which had lemon verbena, fennel seed custard and rhubarb for dessert which was also spectacular. What more can we say? We are super happy that we found this gem and we’ll definitely be back for more of their amazing food.

We ended up finishing the great day by sitting on their comfortable chairs outside with a final glass of sparkly (tea for Davin as he was driving), watching the sunset before we headed home. It was a perfect day.

Rare Hare
Approx $60 AUD per person
Address: 166 Balnarring Rd, Merricks North VIC 3926
Phone: +61 3 5931 2501
Website: rarehare.com.au

June 25, 2017May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Stocked Food Store

It was one of those weekends again where we thought we would go check out a new cafe in Toorak however it happened to be closed on that day so we walked along Toorak Rd and came across the Stocked Food Store. The delicious and healthy looking salads in their window certainly got our attention and so we walked right in without hesitation!

The place was buzzing! It is not a huge space so when you walk in, it is quite narrow, particularly as there are generally lots of people coming in and getting takeaway. On one side there is the deli which serves up a variety of gourmet cheeses, meats, dips, salads, soups and other pre-made meals on display which you can take home such as fish pies, quiches, lasagnes, salmon patties, meatballs, cauliflower cheese – the variety feels endless! All their food is freshly made in their store and there is an abundance of healthy dishes. On the other side, shelving covers the whole wall and is filled with jars of other goodies, crackers and all other packaged items.

Right at the end of the narrow store is just one communal table in which you can eat in. We’ve done this twice now and have always managed to get a couple of seats as most people pop in to buy takeaway and leave. On this occasion Davin ordered the salmon with a broccoli and green bean salad and I ordered the salmon pattie with a salad to eat in. Both dishes were delicious and were quite generous portions! I’ve also had their quiche and potato salad which was good too.

Because the food was so good we then decided to get some takeaway for dinner so we got the chicken and vegetable soup, a fish pie which was made with fresh prawns, salmon and rockling, the cauliflower cheese, one of their gourmet salads, some cold meats and this beautiful hard cheese washed in a balsamic vinegar. I also got a lemon tart – yes they do dessert and have a range of options too! The food was divine! It made having dinner at home just as good (if not, even better in some cases) as dining out. In fact all we could think about after the lunch was having dinner at home! If the store was closer to home we would definitely be popping in more often to grab food on our lazy days. You could even host a dinner party easily by ordering their pre-made dishes. Prices are more on the expensive end however you are paying for quality and fresh produce.

Highly recommend if you’re in the area to check out this food store. We’ll definitely be back!

Stocked Food Store
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address: 549 Malvern Rd, Toorak, Melbourne VIC 3144
Phone: +61 3 9826 3333

June 8, 2017May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

New Shanghai

My aunty had raved on about New Shanghai for a while, saying that they make the best dumplings in Melbourne. Huge call, and I’ve been really wanting to try them out to see what the fuss was all about. Problem is that we hardly ever go to Emporium in the CBD, so on this rare occasion we were there, we wasted no time in checking them out.

We got to New Shanghai with an hour till closing time, therefore only waited around 10 minutes for a table. I have heard from other people that it’s not uncommon to wait over 30-45 minutes for a table, so keep this in mind if you’re hungry! A person put our names on their list and allocated a number to us. I kinda feel sorry for the take away place next to New Shanghai, because everyone seemed to be using their chairs to sit down and wait without buying anything (we’re guilty also). The restaurant itself looks very Chinese, sending a strong message that they do not do fusion foods. Message received loud and clear, time to bring on the dumplings!

It’s criminal to not start off with the classic Xiao Long Bao (steamed pork dumplings). This is the signature dumpling where all the dumpling places are rated on, a make or break dish. The Xiao Long Bao here was fabulous. The skin was thin and soft, but fully capable of holding the beautiful soup inside. With the correct chopstick technique, you shouldn’t spill a drop. I would recommend grabbing the dumpling more towards the top, where there’s more rigidity as the middle part can be quite delicate. The soup had great natural sweetness and hits you with a burst of flavour! The pork mix inside was soft and bouncy, maintaining good texture. Could not fault the Xiao Long Bao, it’s as good as any I’ve had in the past!

My personal favourite was the prawn wontons with peanut-sesame sauce and chilli oil. The prawn filling was fresh, and the peanut-sesame sauce was outstanding. It was as though they mixed smooth peanut butter through the sauce, and the peanut taste hits the back of the palette after every bite! I loved it, and will certainly be getting this dish every time. We ordered some other dishes such as the drunken chicken, pan fried crab meat & pork dumplings, and the crab meat Xiao Long Bao. They were all high quality dishes and I guarantee that you won’t leave disappointed.

All the waiting staff were quick and highly alert. They were always looking around to see if any customers needed anything, it never takes long to get their attention. The service is efficient but not personable, as they will not go out of their way to ask you how your day’s been. We also experienced the vintage Asian style of stacking the chairs around us before closing time. We’re not too fussed about this, but if this is something that bothers you, then you may have to come earlier and not so close to closing time.

All in all, we enjoyed our experience at New Shanghai and would highly recommend them to anyone after some top quality dumplings! Are they the best in Melbourne? Well I’d have to say they are right up there! We’ll need to make a visit to our other dumpling favourite again in order to come to a true conclusion. It’s been a while since we’ve been to the other place, therefore we need to refresh our taste buds. We will write a review after the visit. As it stands right now, New Shanghai is certainly right up there in our top 2 in Melbourne!

New Shanghai
Approx $50 AUD per person
Address: Emporium Melbourne, Level 3, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9994 9386

A journey of our culinary, travel and life adventures

Tag: australia

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Nepal Dining Room

Elyros

Calia

Rare Hare and the Jackalope experience

Stocked Food Store

New Shanghai

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