April 23, 2019 by Helen Le

Oyster Bar & Grill

We were at Crown for a few nights over the Easter break and decided to check out Oyster Bar & Grill, a more casual yet sophisticated dining area located in a corner area of The Atlantic. The main reason for this visit of course was for the $2 oysters! Yes, you heard! Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday they do $2 oysters until sold out. When we caught wind of this, we knew we had to be there. It reminded of us when we were in New York and downing $1 USD oysters during happy hour. Ahh memories…

Anyway, we ended up going back there TWICE during our stay because the oysters were THAT good! They were so fresh and delicious. They weren’t too big and came with a lovely shallot vinaigrette which I of course drowned the oysters in because I can’t get enough of it. Davin probably ate half a dozen and I had about a dozen to myself because I love oysters that much.

We also ordered a crab toast which consisted of hand picked spanner crab and avocado cream. It was delicious and again the crab was super fresh.

As a main we ordered the King Prawn Spaghetti to share, the dish was cooked to perfection. The pasta was al dente, the prawns were fresh and the sauce was well flavoured with chilli, garlic, lemon and parsley.

Overall, the food was of very high quality. The restaurant itself had a great ambience with a classy feel to it and the staff were very friendly and efficient. The only thing I’ll note is that there was a bit of confusion at the end when we paid our bill. Firstly, our Crown membership card didn’t seem to work so the guy that took our payment told us we needed to take our bill to the Crown Rewards front desk so that they could add the reward points onto our card. He also told us that we couldn’t obtain free parking because The Atlantic was not a Crown restaurant (we were advised that if you dined and spent $50 or more at a Crown restaurant that you get free parking). That was fine for us.

So we took our bill to the Crowns Reward desk and they told us that the restaurant should have provided us with a manual adjustment form so that they could add the points onto our card and that we SHOULD have got free parking for dining there. They were kind enough to add the free parking to our card but we had to walk back to the restaurant to ask for the manual adjustment form to get our points. We ended up speaking to someone else at the restaurant who dealt with it for us. We saw him talk to the original guy we spoke to who seemed to shake his head like he didn’t even remember us. Oh well, other than that it was a great dining experience.

Oyster Bar & Grill
Approx $65 AUD per person
Address: 8 Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006
Phone: +61 3 9698 8888
Website: http://theatlantic.com.au/eat/oyster-bar-grill

January 10, 2019 by Helen Le

The Fish & Burger Co.

We were recently invited to the VIP launch dinner at The Fish & Burger Co. in Doncaster. The restaurant was rocking when we arrived and it was very modern and spacious with plenty of tables and chairs.

We were provided with a range of different dishes to try which included the beef, chicken and prawn sliders, mac and cheese croquettes, nacho waffle fries, chilli cheese fries, crispy fried chicken, grilled calamari and salads.

The sliders were delicious and so easily scoffable! The chicken sliders were particularly good as the chicken was crumbed with a nice slaw and ranch sauce.

We also loved the mac and cheese croquettes. They came out piping hot, crispy on the outside and oozing of the lovely mac and cheese components on the inside.

The chilli cheese fries were also nice and full of flavour. It had large chunks of jalapenos and spring onion throughout and the chips also came out fresh and crispy. The nacho waffle fries were a bit too soft and doughy for us so we much preferred the fries.

Our least favourite dish was probably the fried chicken as it was quite salty. It had a sweet and spicy marinade with sesame seeds, spring onion and a chilli mayo sauce. However all we could taste was the salt.

There are a range of salads to choose from and we had the quinoa, pumpkin and pomegranate salad and the kale and roasted sesame salad which are both good options if you are looking for something a bit healthier.

We were also invited to try their mains which included burgers and seafood plates however we were too full after trying their smaller dishes so we moved straight onto dessert!

Right at the front of the restaurant and as soon as you enter, there is a gelato and shake bar for those with a sweet tooth. I ended up getting the expresso gelato in a cup and Davin ordered the lemon sorbet in a cup. The gelatos were nice but probably a bit sweeter than the gelatos we’re used to. Having said that we are not the biggest sweet tooths so some may love that it’s sweeter. Overall if you’re looking for a cool place to hang out and enjoy some burgers, seafood and gelato, check it out!

The Fish & Burger Co.
Approx $40 AUD per person
Address: 1001 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster East VIC 3109
Phone: +61 3 9842 1011
Website: thefishandburgerco.com

June 28, 2018 by Davin Lee

Pinchy’s @ HWKR

Pinchy’s is a fairly new addition to the growing family of food stalls at HWKR. There was one menu item in particular which caught our eyes – the ‘Maine to Melbourne’ lobster roll! Besides the fact that I have trust issues with anyone who’s able to turn down a lobster roll, the word ‘Maine’ means a lot to us. Firstly, as we had discovered from our US trip, Maine lobsters has some of the sweetest and tastiest meat, I prefer it over our local crayfish. Secondly, our cat Sky may be a Maine Coon! There’s a bit of confusion here because he was only listed as a domestic tabby, but everyone that has seen him is certain that he’s a Maine Coon. We’ve compared him to heaps of Maine Coon youtube videos and the resemblance is uncanny. Well anyway, that’s enough cat talk for the day, it’s time for some food talk!

The lobster roll was served on a distressed chopping board – very hipster indeed. It’s accompanied by some cucumber, chips and ornamental lettuce. I’m a self confessed chip addict, and naturally went for the chips first. I usually have to finish all the chips before I move onto other foods. In this particular instance, I was not able to do this because the chips were SALTY! Someone had got a bit overly excited with the salt in the kitchen… I was forced to hit each chip on the side of the bowl to get the excess salt off. I learnt this move off a friend who was health conscious yet loved KFC. She would knock the salt off the chips and dab the chicken with tissue to remove the oil. It’s was the weirdest sight ever! I was not proud of my chip move, but I considered it a necessity for this particular instance.

The lobster in the lobster roll was undoubtedly fresh and had the sweetness which I was looking for. I really enjoyed the lobster itself, but felt as though the whole lobster roll itself could have been better. I had no objections with the bread itself. Apart from the size of the roll being undersized, it was the flavouring of the lobster which was a let down. From my first couple of bites, I could only taste butter and not much else. I was used to the mayonnaise lightly coating the lobster pieces, rounded off by the chives in the background. As it turns out, all the mayonnaise was piled on near the base of the roll! I ended up with a mouthful of mayonnaise and it was a little overwhelming. It’s an interesting strategy, and I had never had a lobster roll where the mayonnaise was dissected like this before. Frugal is probably the best word to describe the quantity. For $22, I felt as though the roll could have been bigger, as it was by far the smallest lobster roll I’ve had.

We also ordered some crab tacos. When I think of tacos, I was expecting something bigger. These tacos were puny and I was able to put the whole taco in my mouth with real estate to spare! Bear in mind, these tacos costs $14 so that’s $7 a pop. There was nothing special about the flavour, if anything it tasted a bit bland. The avocado mousse and tomato salsa was insufficient in giving the tacos the flavour hit which it so desperately needed.

All in all, I found that the prices did not justify the quantity or the taste of the food. Could this be a case of lobster roll snobbiness? Maybe, maybe not. I can only judge and compare with the lobster rolls I’ve had in the past, and this one misses the mark. For anyone who hasn’t tried Maine lobsters, I would still encourage you to try Pinchy’s out because the lobster itself is of high quality. As a whole, it’s hard to pass on my recommendation.

P.S. We were invited by HWKR and given a $50 allowance to spend at any of their food stalls. I have tried my best to be unbiased towards the price/quantity of the food at Pinchy’s. All my opinions are based on the assumption that if we were to pay for the food out of our own pockets.

Pinchy’s @ HWKR
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address: 137 A’Beckett Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9018 7135

May 14, 2018May 14, 2018 by Helen Le

Mussel Pot

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 5, 2018May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Laksa King Kitchen

Lately on Zomato, we’ve been having a little chatter about Laksa King based on someone’s review. I mentioned that I liked Laksa King Flemington better than their Glen Waverley branch. This got me thinking… how’s Laksa King Kitchen in Southland? I’ve always been a bit skeptical with this one in Southland because of the demographics. It’s located inside the cinema area, and seems to be trying to attract pre and post movie goers. Well look who the cat dragged in on this occasion?! ME!

Southland has a movie and meal deal promotion running till the 29th of April. A free glass of wine with any laksa purchase from Sunday to Thursday. A pretty good deal if I must say so myself, the wine on offer was the Lumiere Pinot Noir. I was curious to know whether I could have got the Penfolds Bin 28 for another $2 (the difference in price), but was too scared to push the friendship! After watching ‘Ready Player One’ (great movie by the way, you guys really need to check it out), I used my movie ticket to claim this deal.

The menu on offer is very tame compared to the other Laksa King franchises. I can see where they’re coming from though, as I don’t think a fish head curry laksa would be too popular here! The range was a lot smaller here and I finally settled on a seafood laksa. The soup base of the laksa was really intense in flavour. I was taken back, as I thought they would have toned it down a bit. I don’t mean this in a bad way at all because I’m happy they stuck to their guns. It was probably a bit too intense for me to sip the soup as it is, but it went really well with the noodles though. All the seafood in the laksa was fresh, especially the rockling fish. The only exception would be the Chinese takeaway style prawns, I’m not a fan of these prawns as they have close to zero prawn flavour. The size of the bowl which holds the laksa can be intimidating, but rest assured that the actual serving was a regular sized portion.

I also snuck in a serve of steamed prawn dumplings. The sauce for this dish was delicious! Perfect combination of salty, sour and spicy. Very appetising and doesn’t overpower the prawn dumplings. The dumplings themselves had good texture, but the winner is the sauce. I washed down this very respectable meal with the Lumiere Pinot Noir, not a bad night at all.

I have to admit that Laksa King at Southland was better than what I’d thought it would be. My preference would always be their Flemington restaurant, but Flemington is much further away for me. I had a nice meal here and would definitely return to eat again.

P.S. Helen was with me, as usual. She decided to go and take up another movie and meal deal at another eatery. She was watching me eat like a little creeper until she could get her own meal… =O

Laksa King Kitchen
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: Westfield Southland, R205/1239 Nepean Hwy, Cheltenham VIC 3192
Phone: +61 3 9584 8858
Website: laksakingkitchen.com.au

January 28, 2018May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant

We were at home watching ‘Steak Revolution’ on Netflix whilst not eating steak! This steak documentary is great by the way, they filmed all around the world discussing and eating different beef. Immersing ourselves in food is what we’re all about, and this documentary made us crave for steak bad! We decided that the next night we were going to get our fix, however we had one little problem. We had overspent a little bit for the week, which meant that we had to find a bang for buck restaurant. This ruled out pretty much all the top steak houses, and this is where Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant came to the rescue.

A restaurant name that’s straight to the point plus numerous good reviews on various sites, gives us nothing but confidence to dine here. The biggest plus of all was without a doubt the exceptionally reasonable steak prices! For example, a 250g porterhouse or scotch fillet is priced below $30. We are literally talking about pub/RSL prices, if not even cheaper. Not to mention that the mainstream steak franchises would easily be more expensive than this. Now none of this would matter if the steaks weren’t any good, but thankfully they are! But first, let’s talk about the entrees..

Helen and I started off with the Australian calamari, stuffed with crab meat chargrilled, served with a potato salad. We followed this up with a chargrilled quail served with wilted spinach, butternut pumpkin and Portabella mushroom. Let me tell you, these entrees were absolutely flawless. I was shocked because I thought I came for steaks. Both the calamari and quail were cooked superbly, paying respect to the produce. The stuffing complemented the calamari, boosting the seafood flavours of the dish. The marinade used on the quail was really special and was a nice break from the Asian flavours which I’ve been used to.

Now for what we came here for, the steaks! I ordered a Goulburn Valley T-Bone steak with aged muscat and mushroom sauce, I believe Helen may have got the special, looks to be a rib eye with burnt butter, garlic and cream sauce. These were some high quality meats with robust flavours. We deliberately didn’t go for the eye fillet this time, in order to try some different cuts. The T-Bone cattle was grass fed and the difference was noticeable. Cooked medium rare, the steak was tender and seared beautifully. If you’re a sauce person, the aged muscat and mushroom sauce was the pick of the two. However you won’t be disappointed enjoying the steak as is.

Did we get our steak fix? You bet we did! We were both stuffed after our steaks, with the waiter acknowledging our incredible eating abilities. To put the nail in the coffin, we even managed to fit in another lemon lime panna cota with cinnamon poached pear! I was very happy with the amount of the bill, considering the amount we ordered. You’d expect to pay at least 30% more at another restaurant of equivalent quality. We’re extremely grateful to have found and dined at Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant. We came here fully focused on eating steak, but after our experience with the calamari, we’re intrigued to try their seafood platter next time!

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant
Approx $50 AUD per person
Address: 116 Birdport St, Albert Park VIC 3206
Phone: +61 3 9690 5155
Website: mediterraneo.com.au

January 18, 2018May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Tommy Ruff Fishbar – Mordialloc

Tommy Ruff Fishbar had always been a favourite of ours, and recently my family and I have started eating at their Mordialloc location. They’re located on the busy strip in Mordialloc, and it’s always buzzing here. Even though there’s a lot of car parking available, you may have to occasionally camp for a bit in order to get a spot. Turning off on the smaller side streets, parking is plentiful and generally not too hard to find a spot. The best thing is that the parking is FREE! Considering they’re putting meters everywhere these days, really can’t complain.

Going inside they’ve pretty much kept the same theme from their Elsternwick restaurant. They are really busy here most of the time and the place always feels alive. Whilst this is the case, it’s never too noisy to talk amongst ourselves. They also have an outdoor sitting area available if there’s no tables inside. I rarely opt to eat outside because of the damn flies! However it’s not bad eating outside at Tommy Ruff, I don’t find myself swinging my arms like a mad man.

My dad loves his seafood, but have always complained that he can cook it for a lot cheaper at home. Valid argument I’d say, because eating seafood outside is so damn expensive! The fact that he keeps coming back to Tommy Ruff, shows that these guys are great bang for buck. The staple dishes to get here are the chef’s platter for 2+ and the seafood chowder. We’ve started venturing out to some of their other great dishes. The salmon with soba noodles, Poké bowl and the blue swimmer crab are some of the new dishes we’ve added to our order these days. As usual, all the seafood is fresh and cooked perfectly. I love how the chef platter constantly changes depending on what seafood is available. An example of Tommy Ruff working with their fresh produce and tailoring their platters accordingly.

The service here is fantastic, the waiting staff are on the ball and nothing is too difficult for them. They’re always cheery and smiling with zero attitude, It’s a pleasant place to be eating in. So next time you’re around the area, pay these guys a visit. You can even take away some fish and chips and enjoy it at the beach!

Tommy Ruff Fishbar
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 574A Main Street, Mordialloc VIC 3195
Phone: +61 3 9580 2525

April 26, 2017May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Arbory Bar & Eatery

Arbory Bar & Eatery is a fantastic place to hang out for some drinks and quality food. It’s located right next to Flinders Street Station – they literally share a fence! Huge savings can be made by not having to take an Uber or taxi home.

Having grown up in Melbourne my whole life, sometimes I forget how lovely our city looks. On the other side is the Yarra River, and the light reflections on the water creates a stunning view. There’s plenty of cover available at Arbory for the constant rain in Melbourne as of late. The bar is fully sheltered with gas heaters scattered around the whole place. In between the gas heaters, are metal barrels with fire breathing out of them, a very cool sight indeed! Another thing that’s striking is just how long this place is, it feels as though you could walk forever till you get to the other end.

The food at Arbory is not what you expect bar food to be. The addition of the word ‘eatery’ in their name should give you an indication that these guys are serious about food! Even though the atmosphere feels casual, the food is restaurant quality. There are smaller items to go with beer and wine, however Helen and I went for the full food experience! We got the New England lobster roll, mushroom & truffle Arancini, white fish ceviche, sirloin steak and a side of chilled green beans. We were off to a flyer with the lobster roll! The lobster was fresh and succulent, mayonnaise was light and delicate, and who can resist a sprinkle of fresh chives. The roll wasn’t overly sweet which was a huge bonus in my books. The sirloin came with a silverbeet tart which was interesting, the horseradish sauce complimented the meat perfectly. It was cooked rare, exactly how we like it. Funny enough, my favourite dish of the night was actually the chilled green beans! These were possibly the best beans I’ve ever had. Perfect crunch, and the Merlot vinegar dressing was just to die for. Along with the feta, mint and almonds, it was a tasty textual delight!

The only little negative thing about Arbory is that it’s so packed! Seems like the whole of Melbourne knows how great they are, and they really swarm here. Fridays after work can be chaotic and finding a table to enjoy dinner could prove difficult. If you’re someone who’s bothered by large crowds, then you may want to avoid coming on Friday and Saturdays. Personally, I will eat standing up if I have to, cause the food is delish!

Arbory Bar & Eatery
Approx $35 AUD per person
Website: arbory.com.au
Address: Flinders Walk, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 8648 7644

April 11, 2017May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Caffe E Cucina

A nice Italian restaurant is always the perfect entree to a movie! When all we could find was a 9:40PM movie session at Jam Factory, we just knew that the stars were aligned for an Italian meal. Caffe E Cucina is one of the top rated Italian restaurants in the area, so the decision was an easy one.

Caffe E Cucina was opened in 1988 with a vision to introduce Italian hospitality to Melbourne. For a restaurant to be open for 30 years is a feat rarely achieved. Helen and I have witnessed numerous restaurants close down throughout the years, many which we considered of high quality. The restaurant business is truly cut throat, with everything having to work in harmony to have any chance of survival.

After visiting Caffe E Cucina I can understand how they stood the test of time. The service first and foremost was simply impeccable. Our dedicated waiter was quite a charmer, and had a constant smile that threatens to take your woman away. We experienced this service in Italy as well, the charm, the wittiness, and the smoothness. They make you look foolish for not tipping. Our waiter also remembered our whole order without writing anything down, and did not get one thing wrong. He was always on the ball to the point where our wine glasses were never dry, but we didn’t even notice him pour the wine!

Helen and I don’t place a huge emphasis on food authenticity, but if you’re someone who prefers authentic Italian food then Caffe E Cucina certainly delivers. The produce from the cured meats to the seafood was fresh. I couldn’t fault any of the dishes, there was nothing that steered me the other way. Picking any favourites here would come down to personal preference. I particularly enjoyed the swordfish carpaccio and linguine with seafood! The swordfish with the acidity from the grapefruit, pomegranate and tomatoes was fine tuned to perfection. An appetising entree that leaves you craving for more. The linguine with seafood was probably one of the best pastas I’ve had. Seafood already has so much natural flavour, so it’s always best to let it shine. That’s exactly what Caffe E Cucina has done. They haven’t overcomplicated this pasta and I was rewarded with fresh clean flavours. The linguine was cooked just right resulting in great texture. The respect paid to the ingredients was evident in all their dishes.

Now I did notice a little outdoor balcony outside where I was seated. This was apparently the ‘Rolls-Royce’ spot of the restaurant! It’s so special that it only fits two people. Helen and I would love to give this balcony experience a go in the future, but it does lead me to my one and only minor criticism: $230 minimum spend! I understand that they may not want two people out there sipping on water for 3 hours, but $230 sounds a bit steep indeed…

Apart from this minor criticism which technically hasn’t even affected me yet, Caffe E Cucina really is the place to be for Italian cuisine in South Yarra. These guys are without a doubt the real deal, and we cannot wait to head back!.

Caffe E Cucina
Approx $65 AUD per person
Website: caffeecucina.com.au
Address: 581 Chapel St, South Yarra VIC 3141
Phone: +61 3 9827 4139

June 22, 2016May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Thirty Eight Chairs

Firstly, apologies we haven’t been posting as often as we would have liked to. With moving to our new place, selling our old home AND exams for me, it’s just a tad hectic to say the least! Hopefully once everything is settled, we’ll be able to get back into doing what we love doing – eating and writing about it!

So recently we found a little gem which has probably replaced one of our usual favourite go-to places. If you are in search for some yummy Italian food, look no further. We were recently recommended to try out Thirty Eight Chairs and they certainly did not disappoint! This small and intimate restaurant has a limited number of chairs but serves fresh and delicious Italian dishes. It is nestled in a quiet alley in South Yarra with some tables spilling outside of the restaurant. Being a bit chilly on this particular night we opted to sit indoors. Because it is small, it is essential that you call and make a booking!

The staff are all Italian and are so warm and welcoming, you feel right at home as soon as you enter. We were seated at a quaint little table near the back. We ordered some Italian red wine, recommended by the staff there when we asked for something similar to a shiraz. They let us test and then have this wine imported from Italy for their restaurant, it was a 2012 Lecorbe, Toscana. It was so good and had the right complexities to it. We wanted more but it was the last bottle!

For starters we ordered the Bresola di Wagyu which came with parmesan cheese, croutons and sicilian citrus oil, and the Cicale di Mare, which were the Moreton bay bugs with lemon butter sauce. The wagyu slices were SO soft it just melted in your mouth! Combined with the other ingredients it was heaven in your mouth. I could have eaten that whole dish to myself but of course had to share with Davin. The Moreton bay bugs were really fresh and cooked to perfection. The lightness of the lemon butter made the natural flavours of the bugs the star of the dish. It was a very enjoyable dish.

For the mains, I ordered the Gnocchi al Pomodoro, potato gnocchi with red datterini tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. I absolutely love gnocchi so couldn’t say no to trying it. It was so delicious! Each bite of the potato gnocchi was light and fluffy and did not feel heavy at all. The datterini tomatoes gave it a lovely light and enjoyable flavour to it. I cleaned it up pretty quickly!

Davin ordered the Linguine ai Fruitti di Mare which had linguine, seafood vellutata in tomato base, crab meat, deveined prawns, orange zest and bread crust sauce. Again, amazing dish and the flavours all came together so well, it wasn’t a heavy pasta dish and you could eat lots of it. We were both impressed with the pasta dishes. We also ordered the the Caprese salad to go with the mains which had Roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella DOC and basil. I loved the buffalo mozzarella, it was fresh and with the tomatoes and basil, a match made in heaven.

For dessert, we ordered the Meringa, Crema, Fragole to share. It had meringue, vanilla cream, fresh strawberries and berries compote. Um, yes please! It had everything I loved in a dessert. When it came out we just literally scoffed it, it was so good! I would definitely order that again, and maybe just for myself next time. Staff also gave us complimentary dessert wine to go with our dessert.

Overall, we had a great experience. From the great food and wine, to the lovely service, we can assure you we’ll definitely be back!

Thirty Eight Chairs
Approx $60 AUD per person
Address: 4A Bond St, South Yarra VIC 3141
Phone:+61 3 9827 5553

May 28, 2016May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Miss Katie’s Crab Shack

With all the glorious food that’s available in Melbourne, one thing we haven’t come across much is a place that does good crab! Given Miss Katie’s Crab Shack specialises in these lovely creatures we had to try it out.

Miss Katie’s is located within the Rochester Hotel in Fitzroy. A large red neon sign in the shape of a crab is attached to the building, a clue to point you in the right direction. You have to walk through the main pub to find yet another crab sign and the entrance to the restaurant. The interior is the usual industrial brick, concrete and wooden feel we’ve been seeing a lot in cafes and restaurants. The lights inside are dim to reflect the casual late night feed we were about to get into. Definitely don’t worry about dressing up because you’re there to get your hands dirty!

To start off with we ordered some of the oysters with mignonette and horseradish which were fresh and good. We loved the horseradish kick! We also got some glazed chicken ribs which were also quite nice. But onto the star of the show… the crab!

The menu lets you ‘build your own boil’ and every boil comes with cob corn, spicy kransky, chat potatoes and a 300g – 400g organic Australian blue swimmer crab. We added an extra blue swimmer crab as Davin and I were certainly not sharing! We also got king prawns, surf clams, mussels and some freshly baked corn bread. It came out looking amazing and it tasted pretty amazing too! You just dig in and go for it! Oh and we can’t forget to mention the delicious salad that we also got which had watermelon, jalapeno, radish salad, goats curd and mint. It was so refreshing, the combination of the goats curd and sweetness of the watermelon was brilliant.

Overall it was a great experience, we ordered a couple of cocktails to go with our food and it was a good night! A great place to take some of your family and friends for a casual, good feed!

Miss Katie’s Crab Shack
Approx $60 AUD per person
Address: 202 Johnston St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Phone:+61 3 9419 0166

December 2, 2015December 2, 2015 by Helen Le

Santorini, Greece

When we first landed at Santorini airport and jumped into a taxi to head towards our hotel, we were starting to wonder if we had made the right choice with visiting this famous island. Our initial observations from the airport to the hotel was that the surroundings looked barren, dry and hilly. We were worried.

But after we settled into our lovely hotel and took a walk up the hilly roads to discover the white washed buildings overlooking the bluest of waters, our worries quickly disappeared. The scenery was not like the photos we had seen.. it was way better!

Santorini is probably the most famous and popular Greek island out of all the islands in the Aegean Sea and is about an hour’s flight from Athens. Our hotel was located in Fira and only a few minutes walking distance from the water. We found that getting around to all the recommended destinations was quite easy as they had regular buses that could take you all over the island. Getting from one end of the island to the other by bus only takes about one hour so we utilised the buses regularly to explore as much as we could over the few days we had. Oia, famous for their white washed buildings and blue roofs were just like out of a postcard.

However let’s not forget to talk about the food. The seafood in Santorini was the freshest of the fresh and cooked so simply with just light flavours so that you can really taste the natural goodness of the produce. We had the most awesome seafood platter at Volcano Blue restaurant and the best fish soup we’ve had to date. In fact it was so good that we came back the next day to have more. The seafood platter had everything we could ask for and it was all simply grilled – none of that fried stuff! It came with a light lemon dipping sauce to accentuate the natural flavours and we thoroughly enjoyed it with some cocktails.

We also went to Lucky’s Souvlakis which was a small shabby looking place on the outside but was so packed with people and buzzing inside, all enjoying their famous gyros and souvlakis while sitting on stools along their long counter. There’s probably only enough room for about 10 – 15 people inside but that didn’t stop people like us from pouring in! We enjoyed our pork gyros souvlakis with some chips and a nice cold beer.

The gyros was cooked in front of you on the rotisserie and their pita bread was warmly toasted giving you that crispy texture. With the addition of lettuce, onions, tomatoes and chips loaded inside the bread, you got that extra crunch and burst of flavours from the gyros and tzatziki.

Verdict? A pretty high quality and tasty souvlaki! It was also really cheap and so is a great place for a pit stop for a quick lunch or late night dinner! I also can’t forget to mention the lovely service we received from the friendly and warm staff. The family who worked there looked like they were truly enjoying what they were doing.

Santorini are known for their beautiful beaches and boy were there many to choose from! Not only do they have the usual white beaches which are probably not so different back at home, but they are known for their famous Red beach and Black beaches which are coloured from the red and black volcanic pebbles.

And so we visited one of their black beaches, Perissa beach, about 15 km south of Fira and easily accessible by taking one of the buses, known for its black sand and the massive Mesa Vouno rock which rises high in the distance. It had an abundance of sun lounge chairs and straw umbrellas. We lazed around with our cocktails for a good few hours and took in the tranquility and crystalline water.

But my absolute FAVOURITE beach and place in Santorini was the Red beach. The Red beach is probably the most famous and beautiful beaches in Santorini and is only a walk away from ancient ruins site of Akrotiri. This beach also makes you work a little harder before you see its beauty because you do have to walk along a rocky and steep path, up a cliff and back down again before you reach it. For someone as clumsy as myself, I was being extra careful not to slip and topple over!

When we got to the top and looking point of the cliff we were able to admire the stunning scenery of the beach. The beautiful red landscape of the volcanic rocks enclosed around this small and intimate beach was breathtaking. It gave us the motivation to keep walking so that we could get to our destination! As we gradually made our way down to the beach there were many sun lounges and umbrellas to choose from in which you pay a small fee to rent for the day. We sunscreened up, dropped our belongings and jumped into the beautiful blue waters.

Overall, I have to say that Santorini was probably one of my favourite places on this Europe trip and I would definitely revisit. Not only was the food amazing and the scenery was stunning, the people there were so lovely and warm. It was also one of those places where we didn’t have to rush around in a bustling city and we were about to take our time, relax and just soak up the atmosphere. The weather was definitely beyond warm, it was hot! But even more of an excuse to take a dip in their crystal blue waters.

Restaurants

Volcano Blue
Website: volcanoblue.gr
Donkey street, Fira, Santorini, Greece
Phone: +30 2286 022850

Lucky’s Souvlakis
Dekigala, Fira 847 00, Greece

October 21, 2015May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul

When we were in Seoul, one of our top to-do things was to try out their famous live dancing octopus at the Noryangjin Fish Market, oh and of course their super fresh seafood! Before travelling to South Korea, we had on many occasions watched people experience eating these wiggly octopuses on YouTube and discussed at lengths what we would do if we ever had the opportunity to try it. I remember seeing in the video clips the tentacles wrapping around the chopsticks while people would pop them in their mouths and quickly chew and swallow. Well our time finally arrived!

Noryangjin Fish Market is easily accessible and located right next to Noryangjin Station. You can get there by taking the Metro line one and exiting at exit 1 at the station, then walk under the bridge and follow the crowd, they’ll take you straight there. The coolest thing about it is that it is open 24 hours! The fish market is located in a massive open-air warehouse and there are just endless stalls of the freshest seafood for you to choose from. Also, because it’s a wholesale fish market, prices are considerably a lot cheaper than supermarkets too.

So after our amazement and awe of how many stalls of fresh seafood there was, we started exploring and getting lost in the huge warehouse. Almost everything was still alive and swimming or wiggling around so you are guaranteed that what you are getting is fresh. You can also bargain and haggle with the vendors for the right price and it was just fun watching people haggle. But we finally decided we wanted in on the action, so we ended up picking up the freshest king crab, assortment of sashimi and octopus.

The next best part about this market is that once you’ve purchased your items, there are many restaurants dotted around the warehouse which you can take your bag of fresh seafood to and they will cook you the most AMAZING feast! Yes you heard right! These restaurants around the warehouse are there just to cook the food that you buy. With a small fee of about $5 – $10 AUD, they’ll cook you up a storm and also serve your seafood with their side dishes like kimchi and rice. You can also buy beer and soju to go with your meal. The king crab, which is what the market is famous for, was simply steamed, just showing of its sweet and succulent flavour. They will also make you a crab flavoured fried rice served in the crab shell which was so delicious!

Now onto the octopus. It has been a long standing tradition and is quite common in South Korea. As I’ve mentioned before, it is served really fresh! As soon as you hand it over to the staff at the restaurant, they will chop up the octopuses live and serve it on a plate still wiggling around. They give you a bowl of sesame oil and salt like sauce to dip the octopus in. Just by touching them with your chopsticks, you’ll cause a ripple of movement and wiggling around LONG after they’ve been chopped up. I have to say, it took a bit of courage to finally pop one of them into my mouth (and probably after Davin had already tried one and confirmed that he was still fine) but I finally did it, chewed really fast and got it down as fast as I could. The verdict? It was quite chewy and there wasn’t much flavour to it. I wouldn’t say it was delicious but I think it is something you just have to try if you’re ever there.

Overall the Noryangjin Fish Market is a place you must visit and experience if you’re ever in Seoul because you may not come across anything just like it. If I’m ever in Seoul again, I will definitely be back. My mouth is just watering now thinking about the delicious seafood feast I had there.

Noryangjin Fish Market
Approx 33,000 KRW / $40 AUD per person
688 Nodeul-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Phone: +82 2-814-2211

September 12, 2015May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Seafood delight in Venice

Venice is a city well known for it’s seafood, but with over 1000 restaurants, it’s clearly a land mine for tourists hoping to find a good seafood meal. Apart from the obvious places offering ‘turista menus’, there are a lot of other places which present themselves as offering the finest Venetian foods. A lot of these restaurants lure vulnerable tourists in, whilst offering food that’s below par.

I was determined to not be another statistic and did research on finding an excellent seafood restaurant in Venice. My research led me to this beautiful, cosy, 9 table restaurant called Osteria alle Testiere. This seafood restaurant is highly regarded in numerous articles, rated highly on Trip Advisor and also feature in the Michelin guide. Sounds like a winning combination to me! We wandered in for a late lunch, hoping to not have to wait. A beautiful aroma of fresh seafood welcomed us. The atmosphere looked casual yet classy at the same time. The restaurant was full and bustling, we couldn’t wait to join in on the action and taste the food. We were warmly greeted by Luca Di Vita, owner of Osteria alle Testiere. He said we wouldn’t have to wait long, and that a table would be available soon. True to his words, 10 minutes later we were seated and extremely excited.

The menu was a seafood lover’s dream! We wanted nearly everything on the menu and was in a real predicament on deciding what to get and whether we would be able to finish the food. We finally decided to order the sword fish carpaccio, steamed spider crab, spaghetti with ‘bevarasse’ clams, prawns in sweet & sour ‘busara’ style, scallops with orange and cervere leeks, and mussels ‘cassopipa’ style. Now the first thing I’d like to mention is the seafood was FRESH. Apparently the dishes are designed around the fresh daily seafood. We ordered a really dry and crisp local Tuscany white to enjoy with our seafood.

I really loved all the dishes and couldn’t fault anything about them. The dishes were clean tasting and simplistic. I’m a firm believer that with good seafood dishes, the chef should allow for the seafood to shine and allow it’s natural flavours come through. I find that a lot of chefs try to do too much with seafood, whereas I feel as though the seasoning should only compliment and play a supporting role with the dish. Osteria alle Testiere has achieved this perfectly, with every dish I am tasting the freshness of the seafood without any overpowering flavours. The sword fish carpaccio had the perfect acidity, the sweetness of the steamed spider crab came through, perfectly cooked al dente spaghetti flavoured by the natural saltiness from the clams, and the sweet & sour ‘busara’ sauce with the prawns were just to die for. I was a bit skeptical with this sweet and sour sauce because I automatically think of the Chinese version, which can really take over the dish. This busara sauce was really light and allowed me to fully appreciate the prawns.

Mussels "cassopipa"style & Scallops with orange and Cervere leeks — Mussels “cassopipa”style & Scallops with orange and Cervere leaks

We finished off with their homemade panna cotta for dessert. We tried to savour every bite as this was honestly the best panna cotta we’ve ever had! It tasted so milky and creamy, other panna cotta we have had just taste sweet. The texture was the real highlight of this dessert though, it was so wobbly that I was quite surprised it could even hold it’s own weight. I had never seen one made this well before. The lemon sauce and fresh berries that came with it just topped it all off! I was actually a little depressed after eating the panna cotta, as I was quite convinced that I may never experience a one this good ever again.

Overall, I absolutely loved every moment at Osteria alle Testiere. Luca was extremely friendly and provided a personable service. His recommendations on the wine, food and portions were spot on. The highlight was definitely the seafood though. I would say that this was probably the best seafood meal I’ve ever had. Now one thing I would say is that the price is certainly not the cheapest, and it makes for quite an expensive lunch. It would always be nicer to come for dinner but it’s extremely hard to get a booking. I thought the price was worth it, because dining at Osteria alle Testiere was one of my most memorable food experiences on our trip.

Osteria alle Testiere
Approx €70 EUR per person
Calle Del Mondo Novo Castello 5801
30122 Venezia VE, Italy
Phone: +390415227220
Website: http://www.osterialletestiere.it/Testiere/Welcome.html

A journey of our culinary, travel and life adventures

Tag: seafood

Oyster Bar & Grill

The Fish & Burger Co.

Pinchy’s @ HWKR

Mussel Pot

Laksa King Kitchen

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant

Tommy Ruff Fishbar – Mordialloc

Arbory Bar & Eatery

Caffe E Cucina

Thirty Eight Chairs

Miss Katie’s Crab Shack

Santorini, Greece

Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul

Seafood delight in Venice

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: