Form Cafe

32 Albion St
Essendon, VIC 3040
03 9375 3232
GoogleMap

I caught up with Lauren from Footscray Food Blog here one quiet Tuesday morning, she suggested the place. These days with brunching, I feel as if I’m going blindfolded. I don’t know about half of the cafés that my friends are recommending! The list of new places continues to be inexhaustible.

It’s a cosy, good-looking new player in Essendon’s brunch scene with a clean aesthetic. White walls, white tables, white bricks, imparting a bright and breezy feel.

One thing to note, unless they’ve changed things since our visit in April, you don’t automatically get water on arrival. So either ask for some, or just help yourself to a jug from the counter.

Piccolo $3.5

I was quite skeptical reading (on Urbanspoon) how Form Café serves the ‘best coffee around’. Everyone tends to say that about their local café and I’ve learnt to depend on my own taste buds. However this time, much to Lauren’s relief, I have to agree that they do serve delicious coffee here! Smooth, rich and chocolatey. The beans are sourced from Campos Coffee.

Cute how newspapers are hung from coat hangers. The menu is pretty streamlined, with a touch of Scottish influence with the way they name the dishes.

Sam’s Doing – brioche w/ ricotta honey & pistachios $10

Here’s what Lauren had. I must say it looked really handsome and irresistible. It’s a gently sweet offering counterpointed with a bit of savoury from the ricotta, a pairing that I’d probably like very much.

You may also wonder here why they’re serving their food on disposable-looking plates. The beautiful reality is – they’re actually compostable plates. By doing so, hundreds of litres of water is saved each day from washing, contributing to environmental sustainability.

Trout Full – smoked ocean trout tatties poached eggs beetroot remolade & fish roe $17

Because the handwritten men did not have commas between ingredients, I thought I was going to get smoked ocean trout fritters – ‘tatties’ being a Scottish way of calling potatoes. But to my delight, what arrived was a dish that HAD commas between its ingredients.

Bright, clean, fresh and delicious. It was a simple but perfect dish that satisfied me completely. The potatoes were incredibly tasty and it was interesting to have a sprinkle of salmon roe in the mix.

It was a very nice catch-up session with Lauren as usual. As I snapped a few more shots before leaving, she joked that maybe we should start a separate blog where I’d take care of the photos while she covers the writing (like our joint-effort Royal Mail Hotel post).

Haha… that’s a thought!

Code Black Coffee

15-17 Weston Street
Brunswick, VIC 3056
www.codeblackcoffee.com.au
GoogleMap

Let’s now travel to Brunswick for our next café. I caught up with Fakegf (The Hangry Bitch) and partner (aka The Angmoh) here.

This café, by comparison, is a sleek and more up-scale enterprise than what Form Café is like. And instead of whites, everything here was black, black, black!

Single origin piccolo $4.30 (Bolivia)

There’s a strong focus on coffee here, with an on-site roastery, impressive coffee machines and a wall shelf full of coffee-related merchandise.

My companions had the seasonal blend coffee as a piccolo and magic, which were well made but tasted on the strong side. My single origin piccolo also packed a punch, reminiscent of old-school coffees, but with a bit more nuance.

Huon smoked salmon, potato aioli, fried capers & heirloom tomatoes w crisp bread 17.9
+ poached egg $3ea 

The Angmoh chose a very pleasant brunch dish, he really liked the smoked salmon in particular. I sneaked a taste and agreed, I didn’t know Huon Aquaculture smoked their salmon so nicely.

AUSTRALIA’S BEST TOASTED SANDWICH 2012!
Grilled multigrain, polenta cake w cheese centre, truffle mushroom, fried egg, mustard cress 19 

Fakegf once again chose an excellent dish, it did not read that excitingly to me from the menu (‘toasted sandwich’ just sounds so boring), but what arrived tasted magnificent. The aroma of truffles was so good… I had brunch envy.

Artichoke & zucchini fritters w peas, poached egg, mint & preserved lemon 16.9
+ chorizo $3 

I’ve been trying to be a bit more adventurous with my brunch choices lately. You know… shake things up a bit. A risky endeavour, but with occasional rewards. But for the past few weeks, I seemed to be choosing not that great dishes each time I brunched with Fakegf.

The components sounded interesting on the menu, and the fritters were smooth. But I just did not warm to this dish, and the option on the menu to add chorizo (which I did go for) did not make that much sense taste-wise.

The menu is interesting in Code Black and my companions had pretty good tasting dishes, I’m glad we visited. Next time, I’ll choose a less adventurous dish which I know I’ll enjoy.

This ends my black & white-themed brunch post… hehe so cheesy. In the next brunch series, I’ll be covering two new cafes in Fitzroy.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

129 Morgantis Road
Eganstown, VIC 3461
03 5348 1458
www.jonaifarm.com.au
Facebook Page
GoogleMap

This is a supplement post to The Hangry Bitch’s beautiful write-up about our visit to a free range pig farm in Eganstown. She couldn’t have summed up our feelings about ethical food more succinctly, and I encourage you to read her post first before reading mine.

The drive took us about one and a half hours… and at its destination, we faced a landscape that’s both very Australian and crisply autumnal. If happy pigs are residing here, in a way… their life is better than mine!

On arrival, the twenty or so of us visitors were welcomed with a morning tea spread, consisting of home-baked pumpkin scones and ham & cheese pasties.

The story of Jonai’s beginnings is one of family togetherness and caring. Tammi and family were city slickers like most of us, but they gave up their urban lifestyle a few years ago, spent 6 months in America learning about ethical farming systems, then came back to Victoria to start up their own farm.

I’ve been following Tammi’s tweets and instagram posts the past few years, with cute hashtags like #immabeafarmer and #happypiggehs… full of the joys and exasperations of ethical pig farming, interspersed with breathtaking country landscapes and golden sunsets. Amongst that, there were many scenes of happy pigs doing what pigs do in the wild – rooting, socialising, wallowing, playing.

About half a year ago, I saw that their first pigs were finally ready, and they started selling ethically reared pork. When the chance came up for a farm visit during Dayleford-Macedon Harvest Week Festival, I knew I really wanted to witness first-hand what the Jonai family has cultivated. That’s how Fakegf (aka The Hangry Bitch) and I ended up in Eganstown on that cloudy Sunday.

So here they are!

As the group of us walked towards acres and acres of open grass, these sprightly black pigs gambolled eagerly from the distance… right up to the fence, curious to investigate what’s going on with all our colourful urban-city garb.

Ridiculously adorable with their huge floppy ears, these are Large Black pigs, one of 9 rare breeds in Australia. Choosing to stock a rare breed helps expand awareness and keeps the endangered lineage from disappearing.

In this farm, even wildlife & (pink) stowaways are welcome

What’s more, the Jonai family seem to be able to identify most of the pigs, and have given them names like Prudence, Borg, Wilbur and Charlotte! It really warmed my heart seeing Tammi’s children (Oscar, Antigone & Atticus) getting into the paddocks and interacting with the livestock.

And to be honest, I was on the verge of squealing with delight myself seeing these endearing grunts scurrying about so lightheartedly. When these little piggies run, they do so with a bouncy toss of their heads, so that their ears briefly flop up to allow their eyes to see! How I wished I’d taken a video of that.

The next part of of our visit involved a butchery demonstration. After the pigs are humanely slaughtered at the closest abattoir (in Laverton), the pork is sent back in halves. And the butchering is done on the farm itself by Tammi, a skill which she is still learning and perfecting.

For the rest of the morning, we watched and learnt about the where our cuts of pork comes from… how the parts are named, and what cuts are good for which styles of cooking. Watching Tammi cut up the pork, it looked like very hard work.

Our farm visit ended with a delicious pork BBQ lunch, which came from the very cuts of pork that Tammi had cut up during the demonstration earlier. The pork was served with homemade sourdough buns, spicy sauce, steamed spaghetti squash…

…a beautiful coleslaw of kohlrabi, celeriac and apple, and the last cherry tomatoes from this season. It was truly the definition of eating from farm to plate.

Fakegf and I bought nearly 3kg worth of pork from Jonai Farm that Sunday. Later that week, we held vigil by having a luscious pork BBQ on Friday night, courtesy of Fakegf’s partner – The Angmoh. That evening, Fakegf recreated Tammi’s delectable coleslaw and she also baked an incredible pistachio and lemon syrup cake for dessert.

That meal was absolutely spectacular from start to finish, thanks to The Angmoh’s manly skills with the barbecue and flavoursome pork meat from The Jonai. And compared to our quiet and civilised manner of eating at the farm’s BBQ lunch, back home Fakegf and I were constantly whooping with unbridled, anticipatory porky joy all through the feasting. How our true colours emerge when out of the public’s eye…

Somehow, everything about this… from our farm visit, to eating delicious ethical pork a week later. It just felt so… right.

Jonai Farms hasn’t got organic or free range certification. Instead, they’re aiming for transparency. Anyone is welcome to come visit and see the piggies for themselves… roaming the open paddocks, as happy as pigs can be.

Our visit to the Jonai reminded me of the meaningful words that Tammi had said a year before at Eat Drink Blog 2012. She told us that “mindful eating is the most joyful form of eating, the joy comes from making the right choices… it’s about the lives of animals, it’s about the health of the planet”.

Jonai pork has fortnightly deliveries to Melbourne. Details on how you can get your hands on some can be found on their ordering page. You can also join the Jonai family’s farming journey by following their blog: The Hedonist Life.

Finally, you may also be interested in helping Tammi and family with their on-farm butchery and boning room project by pledging your support via Pozible. I think it’s a great cause (and with good returns too). For example, pledge $60 and you get 1.5kg of mixed cuts from Jonai Farm’s ethical pork. For such delicious tasting pork, I think that’s actually a steal!

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

Lvl 2, 206 Bourke St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9650 2188
GoogleMap

Dainty Sichuan’s new CBD branch proved a challenge to locate. Yes, it’s inside one of Bourke St’s arcades, but you can’t really see it until you clamber up an escalator towards what looks like a karaoke bar.

But that elusiveness was part of the adventure! Some of you may remember years ago when I had Chongqing Hotpot at Dainty’s Toorak branch…? Whoa mama! There was nothing dainty at all about the flavours there, it was CRAZY SPICY!

So this pilgrimage with Fakegf, The Angmoh and friend came about with much excitement, and it happened just as Melbourne completely skipped Autumn this year and dived straight into Winter. Perfect weather for a bit of extra warmth in the belly.

The restaurant is more modern looking than its cousin in Toorak, with wood fittings, sectioned off seatings and floors that aren’t as hazardously oily.

Tsingtao beer (China) 6.80

It might be interesting to know that The Angmoh’s actually more familiar with Sichuan food than myself, with a very respectable chilli tolerance to boot. I only got introduced to the cuisine a few years ago in Melbourne and found it a bit unhealthy scary. So there he was…the Sichuan-guzzling Aussie, picking out his dish favourites while I peered idly at the menu… somewhat lost and a little annoyed at my Asian mediocrity.

However, Fakegf did all the ordering for us in Chinese, my own Chinese-speaking skills being almost woefully limited to counting from 1 to 10. She also asked that they not ‘correct’ heat levels on behalf of the non black-haired customers in the table. Without blinking, our waiter matter of factly replied that the kitchen doesn’t do that here… wooo hooo!!

Chongqing Chilli Chicken $27.80

So we embarked on our adventure in spicy, as seen through The Angmoh’s favourites! We started with an oft-ordered dish consisting of small pieces of deep fried chicken joints showered with an ocean of dried red chillies and mala (szechuan peppers).

This is a favourite Sichuan dish of mine, although some may argue that it’s too much effort eating such microscopic quantities of chicken flesh wrapped around spiky-bitty bones. But I like it this way. Sift through the sheaves of dried red chillies with your chopsticks and find your small-jointed morsels of crisp-tasty chicken, and savour…

Once you get over the scare of seeing so much red on the platter, you’ll realise it’s not as spicy as you think. Instead, there’s a nice push of mala and an intangible fragrance to the dish that changes consistently as the numbing effects of the mala tiptoes all over your tongue.

Eggplant with Fish-Fragrant Sauce $20.80

This is another dish favourite that I tend to like as well. Actually, I enjoy eggplant anything as a general rule of thumb. It isn’t a spicy dish nor does it taste of fish. Its sweeter and, dare I say, on the ‘ketchuppy’ side.

Interestingly, the dish’s sweet and sourness was quite helpful in counterpointing the flavours in the other dishes we ordered, which leant on the heavily spicy-salty side. But overall, Fakegf and I still prefer the equivalent eggplant dish at Dainty’s Toorak branch, where the eggplant is sectioned into larger chunks and consequently less goopy.

Pork Ribs Barbeque $42.80

For our final dish, we went out of our comfort zone and ordered something we’d never tried before. What arrived was just about half a ribcage’s worth of pork ribs, marinated in chilli oil and mala. And then it all sat in a hotpot tray of smoking-hot, bubbling chilli oil, salt, spice and mala!

Just as well the Chongqing Chilli Chicken dish from before was frugal with protein, this ginormous pork ribs dish more than made up for it. Some of us went for the rib pieces that sat above the bubbling oil, with crisper edges and a tease of smokiness. Others, like myself, went for the meat pieces swimming in the chilli oil.

The treasure hunt did not end there. Underneath all the ribs, we unearthed morsels food such as pieces of lotus root (pictured above), slivers of tofu and strips of tendons. My companions seemed to like this dish, while I found it just very salty-spicy without sufficient flavour dimensionality to maintain my interest. However, that didn’t stop me from eating astronomical quantities of ribs though.

When we finished the dish, we soon learnt that heat was necessary, because once you turned off the hotpot, all the the exciting yummy oil begins to coagulate into wax… Yeeks!

I wouldn’t say I’m an authority over Sichuan food, but I do get days where I’d crave for it. And when I do, Dainty is a pretty safe bet. Although frankly speaking, I don’t even know what other options there are in Melbourne!

Now that WINTER IS COMING, I think I might be having a few more Sichuan meals to weather through the cold. Do you have your favourite place for winter food? Tell me where!

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

Oscar Cooper

160 Greville St
Prahran, VIC 3181
03 9529 5670
www.oscarcooper.com.au
GoogleMap

I seem to be eating out less this year, especially for dinners. It consequently means I’m covering brunch spots more on this blog. The places covered today are loosely themed around catch-ups with friends at lesser known cafes.

Oscar Cooper was a bit of a bloggers’ catch brunch with Daisy (Never Too Sweet), Yasmeen (Wandering Spice), and Fakegf (The Hangry Bitch). It’s a newish cafe on Greville St, Prahran that carried a small buzz on Instagram. We were curious and met up for brunch here on Labour Day.

Iced latte 4 | Piccolo 3.5
Buffalo Soldier 5 (Watermelon, apple, mint)

Being a hot afternoon in late Summer, we went for cooler alternatives with our drinks. I could’ve had many more glasses of that juice.

I’ll now briefly document what my companions had for brunch… like a gallery of food porn:

slow roasted spiced lamb, sweet pepperonata, grilled haloumi, mint yoghurt & rocket on a panino 16

Both Yasmeen and Fakegf’s partner (The Angmoh) had this sandwich and liked it.

roasted beetroot, asparagus and meridith goats cheese omelette w cherry tomato and parsley salad, balsamic glaze 16

Fakegf of course went with something a little more vegetarian. I had a taste and thought it leant towards the sweet side, and the serve a bit small.

rigatoni w spicy pork sausage ragu, torn basil & reggiano 16

Daisy’s partner, Ricky, went light and Italian with his lunch choice…

thick cut brioche french toast w grilled banana, maple syrup, chocolate flakes, strawberries & cream 15

… while Daisy kept to her sweet-loving namesake, she had the only sweet dish amongst all of us. Once again, I thought they could’ve been a bit more generous with the serve.

breakfast burrito on a flour tortilla with berkshire bacon, fried egg, avocado, cheese and a spicy tomato salsa 13.5

I had a breaky burrito as my brunch dish and it was satisfying. The salsa was unabashedly spicy.

While it wasn’t a sensational meal, this is still a brunch spot that holds its own well enough. Bright, comfortable setting, friendly service… and I was pretty happy with my burrito.

Demitri’s Feast

141 Swan St
Richmond, VIC 3121
03 9428 8659
demitrisfeast.com.au
GoogleMap

Fast forward one month… this time it’s a Sunday in Autumn. I’d finished work and met up with Fakegf and The Angmoh for a late lunch at Demitri’s.

Demitri is one of the older players in the Game of Brunch. It’s situated in Richmond, and what’s different here is how there’s a Greek / Mediterranean twist to the brunch fare.

chai tea $3.8 | capi pink grapefruit mineral water $4

We were seated in the cosy courtyard at the back. Cute how the olive oil drums have been converted into stools.

Leek Prasopita $10
hand made filo w. leeks, herbs, ricotta & feta

Fakegf had a delightful Greek prasopita. It had lovely flavour and a nice, crisp-buttery crust.

Smashed Avocado w. bacon, confit cherry tomatoes & poached egg $17.5

I went non-Greek with my lunch choice, a decision which I sort of regretted. It’s a decent dish and the tomatoes were very sweet, but I wasn’t too keen on how puréed the avocado was and would’ve preferred it in chunkier pieces.

Grilled ox tongue w tzatziki + grilled zucchini, pine nuts, currants & rocket $19.50

Aside from the menu, there are more dishes on the specials board under the heading ”Today’s Feast’.

The Angmoh got the grilled ox tongue special and absolutely loved it. It came with a choice of salad, of which the grilled zucchini option looked the most enticing.

Organic Fruit Toast by Baker D. Chirico $7

While the ox tongue was a wonderful feed, it wasn’t enough for The Angmoh, so he tanked up on fruit toast.

Baclava French Toast w. walnut praline, sweet yoghurt & orange blossom syrup $15

Meanwhile, Fakegf and I shared this sweet and glorious dish for dessert. Loved the toast’s eggy fried edges… the foamy yoghurt was zesty, and fragrant orange blossom syrup brought everything together.

I think the Demitri excels at its Greek dishes and that Baclava French toast was spectacular. I’m actually eyeing the menu now and there’s a semolina pancake dish with pistachios and rose jam that seems to be worth coming back for. Mmm mmmm…!

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

Level 3, Crown Towers
8 Whiteman St
Southbank, VIC 3006
03 9292 6886
Website
GoogleMap

Fakegf and I booked Koko as part of Melbourne Food & Wine Festival’s “Restaurant Express”, where a limited menu is offered at $40 for two courses during lunch. For expensive places, it’s a decent offer.

However, Koko had their own lunch special, where two courses is priced at $45. You don’t get a glass of wine and tea/coffee, but the entire a la carte menu becomes unlocked for you to choose from. Add $10 for dessert.

Appetiser: spinach, enoki, smoked dashi

Wily-minded diners that we are, Fakegf and I shared the same thoughts and went straight for the option that gave us more choice. So goodbye, purposeless glasses of midday house wine, and hello to glasses of iced water!

Aged dashi Gomadofu 19.80
Deep-fried homemade sesame tofu and Alaskan king crab, fragrant broth, grated ginger, deep fried eggplant and gluten cake

All that said, we promptly ‘slapped’ ourselves in the face by ordering this starter, which was also in the limited menu. It was just too irresistible to pass up. The twist here being how the homemade tofu has sesame elements in it, imparting an almost peanut buttery flavour to it!

Add to that poppingly fresh ikura (salmon roe), lovely eggplant and beautiful Alaskan crab, we were happy.

While situated at Crown Complex (an area I don’t really like), the whole setting around Koko remains pleasant… with a spacious central, painting-like water feature lending a Japanese sense of tranquility. And you get to enjoy views of Melbourne CBD from across the river.

Uni Tamago 25.50
Onsen-poached egg, steamed sea urchin, sliced braised abalone and salmon caviar served with dashi stock jelly

With our second entrée, we sailed for the Eastern Seas… its depths proffering strange fruit.

Truth be told, both of us went “???…” on first mouthful. But all components tasted so pristine and delicately cooked that I eventually warmed to it. Especially the interplay between smoky dashi jelly mixed with a perfectly fresh egg.

Miso soup and rice arrived next to go with our mains.

Wagyu yanagawa 51.00
Australian Wagyu beef striploin cooked on a toban plate with shimeji mushrooms, egg and onions in soy mirin sauce 

The a la carte pricing of this dish stunned me a little. But that’s where good Wagyu takes you. And even though it felt a little wasted to cook Wagyu in this manner, I had to concede the dish was scrumptious.

The beef sat on slivers of onion, bamboo shoot slices, and discs of king oyster mushroom. I enjoyed it so much that I’d let my Singaporean self slip for an instant, exclaiming: “it’s damn Wagyu lor!”. Portion size was also deceiving, it looked small on that toban plate… but as buttery Wagyu flesh always is, a little bit goes a very long way…!

Tara chiri mushi 49.00
Steamed black cod fillet with seasonal vegetables and mushrooms in a clay pot, served with momiji oroshi and ponzu sauce 

Fakegf went maritime with her main, choosing a fish that she’d always loved: cod.

It was cooked very subtly so as to showcase its freshness. But it’s still a rich piece of seafood. Despite the dainty little claypot the cod sat in, we were pretty stuffed by the time we finished it. So much for the Japanese believing in eating until you’re 80% full… ha ha!

Coffee Jelly 15.00
Japanese classic coffee jelly served with maple walnuts ice cream 

All that said, omitting dessert wasn’t an option for us, not with such interesting items on the menu.

The coffee jelly had clean, chocolatey aspects to it, with a gorgeous flavour that’s almost like a fruity cold drip. And Fakegf was quite handsomely smitten with the maple walnuts ice cream.

This has been a good teaser meal at Koko and it makes us want to come back for more. The lunch special is pretty good value too. Maybe next time, when I’m feeling wealthy, I’ll try their Teppanyaki set menu!

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

You could call this post is a bit of a ‘bumper issue’, where I’m covering not just one, but TWO recently opened cafes by big players in Melbourne’s brunch industry.

Top Paddock

658 Church St
Richmond, VIC 3121
03 9429 4332
www.toppaddockcafe.com
GoogleMap

Fakegf and I made our way here right after I picked her from the airport. She’d just got back from Mardi Gras… it was late morning on a Sunday, and after the lengthy drive, we were both pretty hangry. ;)

Sunday waiting brunch crowd

For those who don’t know this, the owners of Top Paddock also own Two Birds One Stone in South Yarra, and they previously ran (but have since sold) Three Bags Full in Richmond. So despite being just a few weeks old, fans were flocking and the place was thumping that morning, with a commensurate half hour wait for our table.

Beautiful fit-out, I saw elements of Two Birds’ fittings here and there, but the whole space here felt a lot more open, bright and breezy. These days, Melbourne cafes seem to go for a clean, modern but warm (and perhaps even botanical) look… the warehousey industrial motif (think Seven Seeds and distressed bricks) feels so two years ago now. Heh…

Single origin piccolo 3.80 (San Pablo, Bolivia)

They’ve remained loyal to 5 Senses when it comes to the beans used for their coffees. I enjoyed my drink – it was smooth and nuanced. They make good coffee here.

Three mushroom omelette (enoki, shiitake, oyster), bean sprouts with toast 16.00

After spotting a neighbouring table receive a spectacular looking steak sandwich, our own brunch dishes arrived.

Fakegf’s three mushroom omelette was nice, but pairing Asian ingredients like bean sprouts, soy sauce and Asian mushrooms with mint leaves and sourdough tasted a little bit odd to both of us.

Gin and lime cured ocean trout with beetroot relish, potato galette, poached eggs, leaves and goats curd with toast 18.50

Three guesses what I got? This brunch combination of cured trout, beetroot and goats curd is my weak spot. We all have our brunch dish weak spots, what’s yours? :p

Each cafe makes a different variation of this brunch combination, but I think the chefs here have hit a sweet spot with this dish, it tasted elegantly balanced. The delicate squares of potato galette went very nicely with everything. I must say the micro herbs made the dish look very winsome too.

Will I be coming back here? Yes siree!

St Ali North

815 Nicholson St
Carlton North, VIC 3054
03 9686 2990
stali.com.au
GoogleMap

I attempted to visit St Ali North on New Years Day. That turned out to be a foolhardy mission, the throng of waiting customers looked so disheartening that I walked away. Fakegf and I then decided to tackle this fortress on a better day…. a Tuesday that is.

The North branch of this café empire is located along a cycle track and it’s also right next to a cycle shop. They even have a little ‘drive thru’ booth for cyclists to buy takeaway coffees. Fit-out feels cleaner and more eco conservatory like than its warehousey Southern cousin.

Single Origin Piccolo $4.80 (Red Bourbon, Colombia)

St Ali uses coffees by Sensory Lab. My piccolo tasted good, with a leafy tight freshness that’s oddly reminiscent of unripe grapes.

However, I think charging $4 for a piccolo (add $0.80 for single origin) is pushing prices into new territory in Melbourne.

Bone & Brew $19.50
Roasted bone marrow, morcilla, egg yolk emulsion, fennel, capers & toasted brioche…

Served with Black Filter Coffee: a new and different flavour matching experience to die for.That was why the dish also comes with a serve of filter coffee. It was only when I had sips of the coffee along with the dish that it started to make sense. The coffee cuts through the richness very well, and it was also good coffee, with fruity sweet hints.

This is a dish that’s worth experiencing once… like a mini food safari in a brunch spot. But it’s not for the faint hearted.

Ginger & Carrot Cake $5.50 (dessert by Shaun Quade)

We ended brunch nicely with a bit o’ cake… lol Marjorie Dawes much? It went very nicely with my filter coffee.

I’m glad I got to visit North branch finally. The menu’s solid and the coffee’s good albeit on the pricey side. Service at both Top Paddock and St Ali was flawless, and I’m pretty likely to come back. Although for St Ali, I’d stick with its older cousin in the South, since it’s so much closer to home.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

180 High St
Prahran, VIC 3181
03 9939 5181
www.hanoihannah.com.au
GoogleMap

Dining Vietnamese outside of Footscray, Richmond and Springvale almost feels like a travesty to me. However, Hanoi Hannah’s slogan “Sex, drugs and rice paper rolls” proved too catchy to ignore.

That’s how PixelAnt and I popped in here one Friday evening, and boy was the crowd big… not to mention not particularly Asian.

Not that I expected it to be Asiany… the bar’s in Prahran, for crying out loud, boo! And looking at how fashionably styled this little joint is (draperies, raw bricks, bar focus, red lights, street menu), I’m not surprised it’s that busy.

cheeky rascal pear cider -9.5
lick pier ginger beer 4 percent -15

I placed my name on the list and, despite the huge waiting queue and tiny venue, we got our table within 20 mins. Not bad!

peking duck rice paper roll -6

We started off with these delectable rice paper rolls. That section of the menu was hilariously titled ‘i’m gonna roll ya’.

The rolls were freshly made with the correct resilient / elastic (rather than premade / dried-out) texture, and the duck was also fresh with nice crisp skin. Enjoyable.

pork belly sliders -8

Pork belly has been an unavoidable Melbourne restaurant phenomenon for a number of years now. And why not? It’s an affordable cut of meat BUT with winsome melty fat that, when cooked properly, makes it taste sooooo divine.

These yummy sliders came from the section of the menu titled ‘you’re so street’. Ha ha! They were nicely crisped up with a soy glaze, alongside a (forgive me for saying this) KFC-like coleslaw, and then packed into a petite brioche bun.

crispy soft shell crab -12

We also enjoyed a serve of soft shell crab, once again nicely crisped up and tasty. My only comment was that it could’ve been served warmer.

Rare beef salad w/ sesame crackers -12

We ended with a serve of salad thinking it’d suit that evening’s warm weather. However, it turned out to be my least favourite dish because it was quite heavy on sweetness and citrus, with light hints of herbs like Vietnamese mint.

Once there’s a certain level of sweetness in my  savory dishes, no matter how much citrus is used to balance that out, I tend to still feel a bit queasy. Also, some of the pieces of beef in it were cooked through rather than rare.

Hanoi Hannah isn’t a classic Vietnamese joint and it definitely isn’t trying to pretend to be one, but quite a few of their dishes were pretty good.

My main gripe with this place was: they really try to get you in and out as fast as possible so as to have a fast turnover. You can sense they don’t really want you to linger. The bill is placed on your table very quickly, after the dishes are cleared, and without you needing to ask.

All that said, I might come back on a cooler day, at a less busy time, and try their pho… which purportedly doesn’t contain MSG. I think MSG-free pho is something I’ve never tried in my life! ;)

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

Disclosure: These are restaurant invite posts

Church St Enoteca

527 Church St
Richmond, VIC 3121
03 9428 7898
www.churchstenoteca.com.au
GoogleMap

This meal happened before my trip to South America. When I asked Fakegf along, she got quite excited, saying that there are a number of Enotecas around Melbourne, but this one is meant to be the best amongst them. Plus, it’s been consecutively one-hatted.

That’s how we ended up in Richmond one Monday night, snug in a restaurant with Art Deco lamps, classic prints, mahogany chairs and white tablecloths.

It felt like we were transported a couple of decades back, to simpler times…

…and I mean that in a good way.

Prosciutto, Aged Balsamic And Figs 21
Baked figs stuffed with goats curd, 24 month prosciutto, aged balsamic and grilled flatbread

Our first entree comprised of warm figs… juicy fresh and gently sweet, stuffed with comforting goats curd and then a sprinkle of balsamic glaze. They were excellent… I’d even venture to say “give us less prosciutto and more figs!”.

Tagliatelli With Zucchini Flowers 17
Fresh tagliatelli with asparagus, squash, zucchini flowers and herbed ricotta 

We then shared an entree sized pasta, the highlight being how, for once, we’re eating zucchini blossoms that aren’t stuffed and deep fried. I enjoyed its mild flavour but thought the pasta itself was on the hard (undercooked?) side, although Fakegf vouches that it’s al dente.

Salt Crust Hapuka Fillet With Grilled Scampi 41
Hapuka baked in a salt crust with grilled scampi, bow fish caviar, gremolata and panzanella salad

Fakegf’s main course involved fresh hapuka, curiously baked in a salt crust pastry. You actually don’t eat the pastry, just the fish.

And I’m such a lucky boy, Fakegf neatly plated a small tasting serve of her seafood dish for me. The grilled scampi was remarkably sweet.

Abbacchio Alla Romana 38
Braised suckling lamb with a parmesan crust and gnocchi alla Romana 

Our waitress said that this lamb dish has always stayed on the menu because it’s very well received. True enough, I found myself loving the richly fragrant gnocchi to pieces. The lamb, however, wasn’t that fall apart soft, but it was juicy and coated with a crust of toasted cheese.

A good dish that’s perfect for those with hearty appetites, it’s very very filling.

“Peaches And Cream” 17
Blood peach parfait, grilled peach, amaretti and saffron jelly

For sweets, we first shared a light and fruity dish featuring very in-season blood peaches. Very nice.

Coffee and Doughnuts 17
“Church St Enoteca” layered tiramisu, espresso foam, bomboloni

And we ended with a richer dessert of tiramisu with mini donuts. Fakegf liked both desserts.

Heartwarming Italian fare in a classic setting, that’s how I’d describe this place. I’d like to thank the restaurant for having me visit.

Virginia Plain

31 Flinders Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9290 0400
virginiaplain.com.au
GoogleMap

Virginia Plain happened after my South America trip. This time, it’s more of a group lunch for food bloggers, with a masterclass afterwards.

Oyster shot with sake foam and warm dashi

The restaurant was kept empty that Saturday, it was just the group of us… pretty surreal!

Char grilled heirloom zucchini salad

I only snapped photos of the dishes that I ate, and trust that my companions will document their dishes on their respective blogs.

My vegetarian entree was good. I enjoyed the counterpoint between the citrusy sweetness in the salad with the earthy notes of beetroot.

Fish of the day with summer greens

For mains, I chose pan fried snapper with lemon butter sauce. Simple and good.

Warm chocolate mousse with cherries | Strawberries & cream

For dessert, I chose strawberries & cream. With my first spoonful, it suddenly dawned on me how lucky we are to have so much good food in Melbourne. I loved the strawberries’ tartness, which counterpointed nicely with the other sweeter richer components.

After lunch, we were given a very interesting masterclass. First lesson covered how to make chicken liver parfait. I’m unlikely to want to cook this dish, so I didn’t pay that much attention.. my bad!

Chef Flocuisto then gave us a few pointers on how to nail a perfect steak. He did a quick second chargrilling after cutting the meat, and oh boy… that made it taste even better! Too bad I don’t have the kitchen capabilities to create big-ass cooking flames.

One of the biggest tip I learnt here was how you should rest the meat for the same amount of time that you took to cook it. This allows the muscle to relax and for the meat to become tender.

Lesson three focussed on how to make the perfect soufflé.

The demonstration went really quick and, being a rather crappy baker, I think it’ll be a long while before I’ll want to attempt this dessert for any guests.

But I ate the end results from that demonstration very happily! :D

Virginia Plain seeks to provide good food in a relaxed setting, and I think they are doing it right. I’d like to thank Mat Beyer for inviting me to this gathering. Looking at the menu, I’m quite keen on coming back to try out the (affordable) tasting menu.

To read my fellow bloggers’ thoughts about this meal, check out I-Hua and Barley Blog’s posts.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

Cnr Clarendon St and Crown Riverside
Southbank, Victoria 3006
03 9292 7468
themerrywell.com.au
GoogleMap

Some of you may remember that I’d briefly dated a guy earlier this year? Things did not work out and the parting night was surprisingly hurtful.

To keep my mind off things, Fakegf and partner (ie. FakeOtherGuy, aka. ‘The Angmoh’ in her blog) took me here for dinner the next day.

It was really sweet of them… Fakegf got me a big bag of snickers to binge on, while The Angmoh got me a fancy six-pack of beers (so straight!) to help drown my sorrows… and they even bought dinner!

“Spiced Sangria” $55 2LT
Rose wine, raspberries, blackberries, basil, orange peel, spiced syrup, creme de cassis

Being a Friday night, we let ourselves have a bit more alcohol than usual with this refreshingly spicy, fruity Sangria.

It’s pretty much public knowledge that a few glasses of wine quite reliably turns Fakegf and I into red-faced crunk (crazy drunk) Asians, while The Angmoh stays alabaster white and coherent. How unfair…!

But yes, things got quite jolly really quick with the help of that jug of Sangria, and I felt a lot better. Thank you… alcohol!!

We learnt that the upstairs and downstairs section at Merrywell hold different menus. We were seated upstairs at the outdoor terrace, and were faced with a more elaborate American Diner-influenced menu. Downstairs, its more casual with an array of scrumptious burgers and sandwiches on offer.

Lollipop Buffalo Chicken Wings 19
Blue Cheese Fondue, Celery

We dived right into our American food journey with these buffalo wings. Fakegf was delighted that they used very spicy (and tangy) hot sauce. That was probably the first time I’ve had buffalo wings, it was good… nice even when dipped in the blue cheese fondue.

Fish & Chips 28
Skinny Chips, Tartare Sauce

Fakegf went ‘healthier’ with a much enjoyed (albeit pricey) serve of fish & chips. Hapuka fillet was used, and we wondered whether the crust was beer battered.

Our Fried Chicken 27
125th St. Chicken & Waffles, Killer Bee Honey

The Angmoh decided to take a culinary leap and ordered a dish where deep fried chicken is paired with honey and waffles. It’s supposed to be a very Southern American thing, that’s how they eat it there.

The individual components by themselves were lovely… excellent fried chicken, chocolate (or was it red velvet?) waffles topped with a lemony cream cheese sauce, and good honey. But we knew it was going to be odd… eating it all together was a a bit of a struggle even for The Angmoh. With a wry smile, he said “I don’t think I need dessert”.

Angus Pub Burger 26
Pork Belly, Egg, Cheese, Lemon Aioli

I was adamant about having a burger, so I got the only one that was available in the upstairs menu. I’d read wrongly and thought it was going to just be a pork belly burger, but no… it had BOTH pork belly plus a slab of juicy char-grilled Angus beef patty. Yeowza…!

The burger did hit the spot. But next time, I’d probably dine at the downstairs section where the burgers are priced below $20.

Desserts in a Jar $10ea
Lamington Trifle | Chocolate Mousse
Mango Pudding

The desserts at Merrywell are served in cute little jars and we enjoyed all three of them. My mango pudding reminded me a lot of the equivalent dish at good yum cha places.

The joyous name and buzzy vibe at The Merrywell turned out to be the perfect dining spot for me to forget about things that were weighing me down. And I feel very blessed that I have both Fakegf and The Angmoh as supportive friends in times of need.

Our meal that evening brings back happy memories. And the next time I’m back, I’ll make sure I’m dining downstairs so that I can chew my way into The Merrywell’s juicy selection of burgers.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

Gills Alley
Rear of 360 Little Collins St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9670 7214
Website
GoogleMap

I caught up with Damo and Fakegf for dinner here. Funnily, Damo chose the place, saying it’s from my eating wishlist… but I’d forgot I’d even added it to my list!

After some scrutiny into my OWN website, I realised I added this diner because Fakegf recommended it. She saw how cutely tucked-away this little spot is, and it’s also been consistently one-hatted for the past 4 years.

And so it appears my friends know my own blog better than I do myself. Ha ha!

Gills Diner seems to be part laneway bar, part bakery, and part diner. All in one atmospheric package. Once you’re past the laneway’d front doors, the warm, private ambience of the venue beckons in a secretive way that speaks so much about Melbourne dining.

Bread from Commercial Bakery 

The menu’s scrawled in chalk against a board on the wall, featuring Italian dishes sourced from local producers.

1. Octopus, saffron potato, white gazpacho, salami
2. Quail, farro, grapes, goats curd

We started off by sharing a trio of antipasti dishes, priced at $33. Soft octopus with spicy salami, and succulent quail with sweet bursts of grape.

3. ‘Puttanesca’ arancini, truffled pecorino

But our favourite antipasti were these arancini. They sat on really fresh tomato puree.

Spanner crab risotto, with leeks + saffron $32

We made a smart choice by sharing two main dishes between the three of us, portion sizes were pretty decent. My companions enjoyed this crab risotto, saying how good the seafood broth was, and how it wasn’t the heavy, starchy type of risotto. I found it light and tangy with soft morsels of crab, and that characteristic interesting ‘plasticky’ hint of saffron. Took a bit of getting used to… but I ended up liking it too.

Squid ink linguini, calamari, cherry tomatoes, chilli dust $32

Our other shared dish was this hard-to-photograph squid ink pasta with tangy tomatoes and springy calamari. Again quite good, although Damo thought it was a touch heavy because of the push of squid ink. I’m glad we shared everything, because I wouldn’t have been able to finish any of these mains on my own.

It wasn’t sensational food, but it was good food in a wonderfully hidden locale inside Melbourne’s CBD. Fakegf liked all the dishes except the octopus antipasti, and she plans to come back with her boyfriend (aka the ang moh). I suspect it’s because this restaurant is a really good place for date night!

One final thing. Fakegf has recently started a food blog of her own. I think you should put it on your reading list: thehangrybitch.wordpress.com

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

Bottega

74 Bourke Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9654 2252
www.bottega.com.au

Here’s a quick (and belated) summary post. With this year’s Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Fakegf and I have mellowed down significantly. We booked only two express lunches compared to six places last year.

Entrees:
Spicy & char-grilled pork ribs, apple & cabbage salade, house made BBQ sauce
Fresh sardines in ‘saor’, squaquerone, piadina & saba

For those of you who’re less familiar, the Restaurant Express lunches lets you sample a restaurant’s menu at a pretty affordable price. This year, it’s $40 for two courses with a glass of wine and tea/coffee. Still not too bad compared to the other pricier events.

Mains:
Spinach & ricotta cannelloni, braised lamb shoulder, Swiss Gruyere
Crispy duck leg, barley, beetroot, oranges & macadamia

I visited Bottega with both Fakegf and her partner (ie. The Angmoh), we eat out together quite chummily these days. That cannelloni was spectacular!

Amaretti & Pavesini Tiramisu

Sarti

6 Russell Place
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9639 7822
www.sartirestaurant.com.au

Fortunately, this year we did not face any of those appallingly rushed seating sessions that plagued a few of last year’s restaurant express visits. Our meals were nicely paced and civilised.

Entree: Goat ham, pickled vegetables, squaquerone cheese & roasted macadamia nuts
Main: Fish of the day (Tuna)

Veal cotoletta, marinated peppers & lemon marmalade

In both restaurants that we visited, we generally found the entrees and mains to be of high quality. But desserts at both places were a bit of a let down.

‘Pistachio panna cotta’, caramel salted popcorn

Personally, I suspect this may be the last year I’m doing these express lunches. Pricing has gone up from $35 to $40… and while it’s still of somewhat good value, I find the limited menu (2-3 options to choose from) quite restrictive.

Outside of the festival weeks, many of these restaurants do offer lunch specials at $45-$55 anyway. And you get to choose from most of the regular menu rather than a (limited / tweaked?) menu.

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
at Konjo Cafe & Restaurant

89 Irving St
Footscray, VIC 3011
03 9689 8185

Lauren from Footscray Food Blog asked me along to this fun event. We were led into a smoky room at the back of an Ethiopian cafe restaurant in Footscray. We were then given a demonstration on the traditional method of hand-roasting and brewing coffees, Ethiopian-style.

The event cost $20, and it included a very nice spread of Ethiopian dishes, sitting on fluffy injera breads. What a nice way to catch up with Lauren!

The meal ended with aromatic cups of thick Ethiopian coffees, which were hand-roasted and brewed over coals right in front of us while we were eating.

Watching the whole coffee-making process made me want to experiment with buying green coffee beans, hand-roasting them myself at home and then making Singapore-style ‘sock-brewed’ kopi…

… project project!

The Urban Coffee Farm and Brew Bar

Queensbridge Square,
1A Queens Bridge,
Southbank, VIC 3006

While we’re on the subject of coffees…

This year, the festival has also created a pop-up coffee farm right along the city’s river promenade.

The pop-up allowed you to explore the story of coffee, with a chance to have tasting flights to compare the flavour profile of varietals from different estates, regions or washing processes.

Around The World in 8 Coffees

by Small Batch Roasters ($15)

They also held daily workshops (run by various cafes and roasteries) to help us understand coffee further.

I really jumped in at the opportunity to attend these workshops… but sadly, most of them were held on dates and times that I couldn’t attend. I only made it to this one successfully.

This was a very insightful workshop, I’d like to thank Aaron Wood and Andrew Kelly from Auction Rooms for giving us a ‘tasting canvas’ and putting the coffee world (from farm to cup) into perspective so passionately.

We sampled 8 coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala and El Salvador. While I personally couldn’t discern the flavour profiles that accurately, all the coffees we sampled were delicious and we got to bring home 3 x 100g bags of our favourite varietals.

So these were the MFWF events I attended this year. Which ones did you go to, and how did you like them? And for Fakegf’s (more comprehensive) version of events, you can read it here.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

1810 Malvern Road
Malvern East, VIC 3145
03 9699 4054
www.littlechloe.com.au
GoogleMap

If a little birdie hasn’t told you yet, there’s a new café in Malvern East. But I’ve decided to take a different angle with this post. Because I know one of the owners, Iggy, I thought it might be more interesting if I asked him a bunch of nosy questions about how it’s like opening up a cafe in Melbourne. Hope you enjoy this interview about the ins and outs of owning and running a brunch business.

Little Chloe is a cute and whimsical sounding name. How did you come up with it?

I just came up with it because (my business partner) Jimmy’s daughter was born on the same day that we signed the contract for the venue. It’s amazing how coming up with a name changed all of our original concept and made it a lot better.

In fact, the design of the place came with the name. The coffee bar represents the father, the middle section represents the mother (garden theme / earthy tones), and the last section with “the giving tree” wallpaper represents the daughter (Chloe). Hence, in the end, the whole place represents the family.

Is this your first venture into the brunch industry?

Yes and no.

This is the first time where I’ve set up a brunch business from scratch / nada / nothing. But it isn’t my first time in the industry. I’d joined a brunch business with other business partners previously and moved on from there.

And what did you learn from your previous ventures that helped make the setting up of Little Chloe easier?

Wow… I don’t even know where to start! There were so many things that I picked up along the way before starting Little Chloe, and it wasn’t easy. But choosing the right business partner was one of the most important decisions. It should be someone you can trust and believe in. Someone who cares as much as you, if not more.

Having good produce really helps too, as all you have to do is allow the produce to shine without much effort. This is why we’re really appreciative and grateful to everyone that has agreed to be our supplier.

What was the greatest challenge you faced with the opening of Little Chloe?

The greatest challenge we faced was the building itself. Because it’s a brand new building, we had to connect practically everything ourselves (except for the water), and the most gruelling of all was the electricity. Mind you, Telstra hasn’t connected us yet even now, despite the fact that we had applied for it 4 months ago.

Is it difficult starting up a small cafe compared to Melbourne’s brunch giants (like St Ali North and Top Paddock), where they already have a crowd of loyal followers right from the start?

Yes and no again.

Yes, because there are no followers, so goodwill and reputation needs to be developed from scratch. And no because we are the ones setting the expectations… under deliver vs over deliver.

What was the feeling like on your first day of trading? Describe a highlight moment since.

We felt both nervous and excited at the same time on day one. Highlights since that day were those moments where we managed to pull through a busy service without a glitch (or just minor glitches), or when we managed to engage our customers and get them excited about filter coffees. We plan to slowly introduce a batch brewer from the end of April.

Little Chloe is also a roastery, tell us more about it.

We aim to roast our own beans to supply ourselves in the end, and hopefully to our locals too. We’ve already acquired the roaster and we’re now looking at a suitable space to store our beans properly and start roasting. As for our preferred bean profile, it really depends on the beans itself. We’re just trying to highlight what the bean has to offer and the best ways to bring its flavour out. Creating lighter roasts and then utilising the La Marzocco Strada coffee machine complements the whole process.

Keeping coffee quality consistent from day to day and cup to cup is important to us. That’s a matter of experience and following systems and procedures all the time. Nevertheless, there are endless variables that affects the quality of coffee. Consistency is definitely a constant challenge.

I was pleasantly surprised to find traditional Chinese steamed buns juxtaposed with third wave coffees in a Melbourne brunch spot. How did the menu come about?

Lol… that menu was created because I had dinner at momofuku seiobo in Sydney and was fascinated by their steamed bun. So when my business partner and I were designing the menu, we aspired to keep it fun with a little twist. And while we were trying to create a balanced menu, I insisted the pork belly bun to be included, but modified to our version.

From a brunchgoer’s perspective, all we see is smiling faces, good food, and good coffee… the experience is great! But what does it really take to actually run a cafe smoothly and keep customers happy?

Wow… I have to say, it takes effort from the whole team. Front of house, back of house… and the baristas. Having the right systems and training in place is extremely important, and do always lead by example.

Hospitality is a human business, and I always believe in building a strong team. Instead of having a high turn over of staff, I prefer staff retention and keeping everyone happy. That way, you get a happy strong team that can work together despite whatever challenges that may come our way.

And the key factor is passion. Hospitality is human business and it requires passion. If you’re in it for the money, forget about it. It’s about following your passion and making it possible while sharing it with everyone that comes through your doors.

Some customers may want to know where their tips are distributed. Care to let us know?

Tips are normally distributed at the end of the day amongst all staff (all… including the kitchen). Even if it’s in credit card slips, we just place the cash from the till into the tip jar to the same tip value from the credit cards.

What’s your stance towards food bloggers taking pictures of your food and venue?

Food bloggers stance… you know exactly where I stand… *chuckle*

However, I have to say I’m fine with it, because it generally shows appreciation towards our efforts and products. Blogger behaviours that I don’t like? Unnecessarily bitchy feedback. Constructive feedback, however, is highly welcome. We’re happy to learn from our mistakes.

I’m not pointing at your cafe, but some brunchgoers find $18 pricey for a brunch dish, but happily fork out $26+ for lunch dishes at restaurants. What do you think about that?

It’s all about the produce that we use and the quality on the plate. Brunch items are just as expensive as lunch items in terms of cost. That’s what people don’t realise. However, it’s the psychology and the assumption that it is always acceptable to spend more for lunches and dinners. At the end of the day, what we want is a satisfying meal. And I can see how either brunch or lunch items can achieve that. Also, prices are determined based on the cost of goods. If it’s lower, it’s reflected in the menu as well (lower price).

Any advice you got for people who’re thinking of starting out in Melbourne’s brunch industry?

Think twice. Don’t get into it for the money. Be in it because you’re passionate about it. Because you want a winning team.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt about cafe business entrepreneurship?

Ahahhaa.. How to have a work / life / and bank balance whilst surviving and enjoying what you do.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

152 Lygon St
Brunswick East, VIC 3057
03 9388 1505
www.kumoizakaya.com.au
GoogleMap

Fakegf seems to possess the eyes of a hawk when it comes to new food places in Melbourne, and her eyes are even sharper when a good deal is up for grabs. Kumo Izakaya briefly offered a Japanese degustation for two at half the price via Living Social. She leapt at it effortlessly, and we dined there a few months later.

There’s been a fair bit of furor over whether bloggers should cover deal voucher meals, partly because the food may not be that representative of what’s on the normal menu. But over the course of our meal at Kumo, it became obvious that we were pretty much getting the same dish line-up as their chef’s omakase (priced at $75 per person). So I decided to cover this visit.

Kumo has a buzzy inviting feel to it, set within a modern industrial warehouse mould. There’s mood lighting, evening silhouettes, a long central communal table, cosy booths and a relaxing upstairs section.

Edamame w/ Murray River pink salt
Wagyu beef tataki w/ ponzu

We started off nicely with a bowl of edamame and nicely seared beef tataki.

Sashimi Jo moriawase – premium chef’s selection
Chicken thigh yakitori skewers

Then came a thoughtful selection of delightfully fresh sashimi, and moist chicken yakitori. We were happy with both dishes, the chicken was nicely charred and its sauce wasn’t overly sweet.

Eggplant agenbitashi (fried and marinated) w/ amazake miso on crispy rice cracker
Seared scallops with butter & soy topped with bonito flakes

I also really liked the eggplant on a rice cake dish… good marinade. And while scallops were succulent, I found the bonito and sauce over it too salty.

Aonori flavered whitebait tempura w/ shichimi mayo

We started getting a little full from here on.
This dish was very good, it reminded us of eating at a good fish ‘n chips shop, although it could’ve been served hotter.

Daikon salad w/ fried yuba & ume dressing
Spicy black vinegar karaage chicken

We were less keen with the daikon salad, I wasn’t a fan of the plummy-salty ume dressing. And while we didn’t mind the deep fried chicken ribs, it tasted quite Chinese rather than Japanese because it had fried shallots, spring onions and red chillies in it.

Chirashi rice & miso soup

The mains came with chirashi rice (scattered with sweet pickled vegetables), and a rather salty miso soup.

Chef’s selection of dessert plate

The evening’s dessert platter consisted of brown sugar ice cream, tea walnuts, a tea brownie and kinako brûlée. It was quite alright, the brulee held hints of toasted rice.

We enjoyed the first half of the omakase more than the second half. The more familiar dishes like the beef tataki, sashimi and yakitori earlier on were pretty good. This voucher meal was very good value for money, and even at full price, the omakase meal seems quite worth it. All that said, with the enormous selection of dining places on offer in Melbourne, it’ll be awhile before I’m coming back here.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

This half of my travel journal will cover what I consider the ‘spiritual heart’ of Peru. Namely, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu.

Chinchero

Our journey began snug in the Andes, with a bus taking us from Cuzco airport…

… past whispering hills

… deeper into the Sacred Valley.

We passed striking scenes of mountain life, contented livestock…

… and happy Incan children.

We stopped for lunch at Chinchero, a picturesque village perched atop a hill.

Left: Quinoa soup, stuffed peppers
Right: Coca tea

Even though it was quite heavy on tubers and grains, I really enjoyed this lunch.

And here’s a whole roasted guinea pig (cuy), a Peruvian delicacy.

We weren’t offered this, understandably… but later on, I caught our guide FEASTING on this platter with another local. Quite funny that our guide gets a ‘fancier’, more protein-based meal than us!

After lunch, we were shown hand-weaving techniques. Alpaca wool is dyed naturally using a variety of plants… and insects!

Ollantaytambo

Another bus ride, then we spent the evening exploring the ruins surrounding this town.

Top: View from hotel room in Urubamba | Ollantaytambo ruins (on the hill)
Bottom: Ollantaytambo town

We liked this township so much that we returned here the next day to explore it more.

Ollantaytambo is an ancient Incan town and archaeological site that, amazingly, has continued to function till today.

It’s also considered the gateway to Machu Picchu. The 3-day Inca Trail that leads to the sacred ruins starts from this town.

We decided to climb up one of the mountains to explore this ancient granary that overlooked the town.

View from the granary

Cobblestoned streets, timeworn roofs, trapezoidal doorways, quiet courtyards…

…circled by mountains with the breeze in your ears… it was peaceful.

Walking down the narrow streets, the roll of clear running water down the stone aqueducts lent a beautiful audio backdrop.

We were definitely very, very far away from home…

Papa a la Huancaína (potatoes in yellow sauce)
Rocoto relleno (stuffed pepper) | corn snack 

The comida tipica (local fare) here was less exciting though. Outside of Lima, most of our meals were not that appetising.

Different varieties of Peruvian corn

And… don’t laugh… but Peruvian fare made us quite gassy all the time.

Machu Picchu

We visited Machu Picchu the easy way… by training it there rather than hiking. And I’m thankful for that, the high altitudes (and rainy weather) made it hard to do anything strenuous.

Still, the whole journey took awhile, involving a 1.5hr train ride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu.

View from the bus

Then there’s a precarious 30min bus ride up the side of the mountain to the actual site. By this point, the scenery already started looking pretty spectacular.

With my heart in my throat, we stepped into the Lost City of the Incas.

I love ruins and lost civilisations, this has been one archaeological site that I’ve always wanted to visit since I was a teenager.

But after all the images I’ve seen in books and on TV, I half-expected to be a bit disappointed by the real deal.

I couldn’t have been more wrong…

The site was magnificent.

In between bursts of phototaking, I just stood silently, and stared…

and stared…

And a part of me wished…

it really really wished…

… that we’d had more than just the one day to spend there.

It’s the sort of place where you’d drink in the view silently, and then think to yourself  ’okay. I can die now’.

Here I am, at the spiritual city of the Incas, built at an almost impossible spot. Placed atop a mountain… surrounded in all directions by valleys, rivers and even more mountains.

It’s a site that gives a sense of changelessness,

of inviolable peace…

…a location that I will never forget.

Cuzco

Cusco is a big city (with half a million people) high up in the sacred valley. It’s where most people fly in to get to Machu Picchu.

Like many cities in Peru, most parts of Cusco looked a little bit unfinished.

But its historical centre, where our hotel was, is very charming and European-looking.

Breakfast at Hotel Libertador, Cuzco

It rained quite a bit when we were there, so we didn’t wander all that much.

However, a lot of doorways did beckon exploration…

…and they always seemed lead into beautiful courtyards.

Being a bigger city, we had more interesting food here. Including lunch at a local cebicheria, complete with live music and indoor umbrellas.

Unfortunately, this meal gave a few of us tummy troubles!

We also tried Peruvian Chinese fare, called ‘Chifa’ – which is a loose translation of 吃饭 chi fan (Chinese for ‘eat rice’).

Sadly, the cuisine has gone very tangential over the centuries and the flavours leant towards being too sweet for my palate. Only the hot and sour soup on the left was nice.

Dinner at Chicha

Taboule Cusqueo (quinoa salad) | Chaufa Andino de Quinua y Cuy (deep fried guinea pig w chifera sauce)
Pannacotta de lúcuma | Creme Brulée Mazamorrera (served over purple maize pudding)

One of the better meals we had was at Chicha por Gastón Acurio. I had deep fried guinea pig with Chinese-style fried ‘rice’ (but using quinoa). It was fragrant with wok hei (fire of the wok). I also enjoyed the desserts, lucuma is a less common fruit (called chiku ‘चीकू’ in Northern India) that I used to eat in Singapore.

Tram on wheels in Cuzco

That’s the end of the Sacred Valley leg of Peru, I hope you enjoyed it. To have a sense of the other parts of Peru that we visited, take a look at Peru Photojournal, Part 1.

In the next travel instalment, I will be covering the widely contrasting landscapes in Chile!

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

In this post, I’ll cover bits n bobs and swift visits that aren’t exactly full brunches but still deserve mention.

Mister Brightside

189a Booran Rd
Caulfield South, VIC 3162
03 9576 9588
GoogleMap

MR BRIGHTSIDE VEGETABLE JUICE $6.50
carrot, orange and ginger

Bottom line for this café is: pretty fit-out alert!

WAGYU BEEF BURGER $17.00
cheese, caramelised onion, fresh tomato, lettuce, mustard and fries

I caught up with a colleague here one afternoon, and had a wholesome vegetable juice and a really good Wagyu beef burger. Twice happy. Loved the burger’s buttery soft bun!

Mr Brightside is such a breezy and open café in Caulfield South. It feels as if the the skeletal frame of a wood shed has been placed inside, and tables built into it.

Sourdough Kitchen

172 Victoria Street
Seddon VIC 3011
03 9687 5662
Facebook Page
GoogleMap

Next, let’s now cross over to the other end of town. This is a bakery café that I’ve visited several times to date, but never quite got around to mentioning.

While I’ve previously brunched here once, the main reason for my visits are these baked goodies. My budding sweet tooth has been getting more and more pushy…!

Chocolate Croissant $3.20 (takeaway)

The difference here is: the croissants are all sourdough. When I first bit into their sourdough chocolate croissant, its tangy lift caught my heart.

Almond Croissant $3.50 (takeaway)

To put it simply, these sourdough croissants taste like heaven to me. I’ve been buying them over and over again whenever I’m in the area – Common Galaxia being just down the road.

But mind you, it tastes quite different from traditional croissants. Because sourdough is used, the breads are denser, with less airy flakiness. Still, I can’t get enough of them!

If you bought these as takeaway, make sure they are warmed up in the oven before enjoying. Makes a big difference!

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

1221 High St
Armadale, VIC 3143
03 9824 8200
sozai.com.au
GoogleMap

It’s been quite a warm Summer, and in such climes, I’m liking the clean lightness of Japanese food.

Incidentally, I also noticed a recent post on Broadsheet listing where to go for Melbourne’s best sushi. Sozai was in that list, so I made my way here on a hot 41ºC Summers night.

It’s an unassuming (but busy) suburban Japanese joint along Armadale’s high street, with a commensurate number of Western customers. It was quite chaotic when we arrived at 8pm, presumably the transition time between guests leaving and arriving. Service was friendly, but a touch flustered that evening.

wafu salad 7.5
beanshoot, beans & tofu salad with a light soy-based dressing

I vetoed my dining companion’s suggestion of steamed edamame beans and got us a cold salad instead. He liked it, while I thought the dressing was rather thin. It could’ve had a bit more citrus and flavour punch.

- iwanoi karakuchi-dry junmai chiba (230ml carafe) 18
- yasai soup 5
asian mushroom and seasonal vegetables in a light clear soup; fish stock base
- miso soup 3.5 (background)
soy-bean soup with seaweed, tofu & spring onion; fish stock base

I don’t know about you, but even on hot nights, I still love a nice hot soup… I’m funny that way. The yasai soup was really enjoyable, a clear, light oceanic broth with hints of mushroom. The miso soup was pretty decent too but it was a tad too salty for me.

chef’s special for two 72
chef’s special selection of sushi & sashimi of the day, served on a huge platter

On to mains. We ignored all the other sushi and sashimi options on the menu and went with the best of the best – the chef’s special for two. A perfect cool meal for a 41ºC night, and a great way to taste the (purportedly good) sushi in this joint.

Sadly, I wouldn’t really call this an exceptional chef’s selection of sushi and sashimi. The only sashimi pieces on offer revolved around salmon and akami maguro (lean, red fleshed tuna) in astronomical quantities, with no offerings of white fish, shellfish and no premium cuts like chutoro / ootoro (tuna belly). The akami tuna also came fridge-cold and it tasted pretty fishy (ie. not that fresh).

The sushi selections also revolved around lots of salmon and lean tuna pieces, with the occasional piece of something different. The different things were (I believe) – 1 prawn nigiri, 1 ikura (salmon roe) nigiri, 1 tobiko (flying fish roe) nigiri, 1 hamachi (yellowtail kingfish) nigiri, 1 piece of marinated fried fish. Considering this was sold as a platter for two people, it was quite surprising that these ‘different’ sushi came only as single pieces. Did they expect us to halve these sushi and share? We did like the texture, temperature and flavour of the sushi rice though, and the spicy tuna uramaki (inside-out roll) was quite nice too.

The week before, I had a much nicer (and fresher) sashimi platter at Shoya for $65, and it featured 4 types of white fish, plus scallops, scampi, chutoro and sea urchin, with freshly grated wasabi. So by comparison, even though this platter (at $72) was bigger and more filling, we felt quite let down from the lack of variety (and quality).

To be fair, after my relentless and expensive discovery of Japanese food in the past year (check out my A$430 omakase at 2 michelin-starred Shinji by Kanesaka), I’ve become quite discerning of what quality to expect when it comes to this cuisine. Most Melbourne places will probably fall short of my expectations and I’m not really singling this place out.

But to put it simply, I had much higher expectations here mainly because Broadsheet had suggested this as a go-to place for ‘Melbourne’s best’ sushi. Other than that, my main comment would be that a chef’s ‘special’ platter should have better variety in order to command that price, and making up that deficit with sheer volume of food just won’t cut it for me.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

I spent all of February this year in South America, of which 11 Days were spent in Peru. It was a tough country to travel in, but Peru gave in return some of the most rewarding landscapes and experiences out of this trip.

Lima

Peru’s capital – Lima, from a tourist’s perspective, is a bit of a nothing city…

Top right: Pan-American highway – strewn with garbage

…rife with shanty towns and half-finished developments.

Astrid Y Gaston, Lima

But being a big city, the more developed districts in Lima had rich sectors, with good restaurants…

1. ‘Nest’ of amuse bouche | 3. Huamantanga potato, rocoto pepper
5. Peruvian corn, sea scallop, coral oil | 2. Wild tomato, purslane

…like this one, which ranks 35 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2012. Some of the dishes early on in the meal were truly stunning, and we encountered several new, unfamiliar ingredients.

4. Lima bean, brazilian nuts, red oxalis | 10. Dashi, toasted octopus, black sesame…
…daikon, red shiso | 11. Peking Cuy, guinea pig, purple corn, pickled vegetables 

I won’t go blow-by-blow with this epic 17-course meal, but it was good, although we seriously started to struggle for stomach space by course number 13.

15. Lucuma popsicle, chocolate 60% native cocoa, andean granola

Even dessert had a bit of theatricality to it. For a more comprehensive account of this degustation, read Agnes’s post on Astrid Y Gaston. She visited a few months earlier and had the same line-up of dishes.

Nasca Lines

We travelled south of Lima to witness the mysterious, glyph-like world phenomenon…

‘Colibri’ – The Hummingbird

…the Nasca Lines.

‘Trapecios’ – Trapezoid (right)

Such curious etchings onto the desert landscape, the one on the right looked like a extraterrestrial landing strip.

‘Arbol’ – Tree | ‘Manos’ – Hands

Here’s a photo with a highway (and a car) to give a sense of scale.

Paracas

We then visited a harsh, barren natural reserve near Paracas, very odd to see desert landscape right beside the ocean.

This region wasn’t that exciting, but we had a nice hotel to stay the night.

Paracas was a rather touristy town, lunch wasn’t good even though it looked pretty.

Sopa Criolla (creole soup) | Lucuma, pudin, custard apple & purple corn mousse
Grilled fish w yellow pepper sauce | Fried tres leche in crusted ‘kiwicha’ 

Dinner at the hotel, however, was excellent. Loved the sopa criolla, a classic Peruvian soup made with chopped beef tenderloin, chilli paste, angel hair noodles and yellow potatoes.

Puno

Truth be told, the highlight for Peru is Machu Picchu, I’ll document that in part 2. For now, I’ll skip the Sacred Valley portion of the trip and cover our last few days in Peru before we headed to Chile.

After we were finished with the Sacred Valley, we spent a whole day travelling on a bus from Cuzco, through the Andes mountain range… to Puno.

The altitudes remained very high… the rolling landscapes and agricultural farmscapes were breathtaking.

We stopped by a little school along the way and said hello to the kids.

To be honest, some of the best scenery in this trip were seen from behind the gleam of tinted bus windows. This girl was dancing in the mountain fields… without a care in the world.

We reached Puno… a dusty, haphazard and shanty-like city. I realise when it comes to holidays, I’m more of a landscape rather than city person.

Puno was bustling when we were there. They were holding ‘La Festival de Candelaria’, a pre-Hispanic two week event celebrating Pachamama, the mother earth. The drums and dancing lasted till waay past midnight through the entire weekend.

On the lighter side, in terms of food in Puno, I ordered a hamburger (hambuguesa)
and received this… ha ha!

Lake Titicaca

Puno is situated at the banks of Lake Titicaca, a large lake that’s positioned 3800 metres above sea level.

We took a short boat ride from Puno to visit the Uros people, who lived on man-made floating islands, made from totora reeds.

The Uros island folk of Lake Titicaca are used to tourists, so they gave us a show and tell on how the reed islands are made, and the village way of life.

Back to Lima, via Juliaca

The final leg of our Peru trip involved flying back to Lima.

The bus journey from Puno to the airport (in Juliaca, bottom right) was once again filled with magnificent scenes of mountains, blue skies and farmscapes.

Amaz Restaurante, Lima

Our final night in Peru was spent dining at a restaurant serving Amazonian food.

Excellent fare… one of the highlight dishes were these HUGE jungle snails.

Hope you liked this condensed ‘photo-journal’ of Peru.

In Part 2, you’ll see us exploring the Sacred Valley, Cuzco and Machu Picchu!

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

This is the supplement post to my Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe, detailing how to make its accompanying sauces from scratch.

This popular hawker dish varies from country to country in Southeast Asia, but the style I’m sharing here comes from Singapore. Even so, chicken rice vendors in Singapore also have variations in their sauces, many of them very delicious. But ultimately, I’ll just share here the taste profile of the sauce combination that my family prefers.

I’ll talk about the dark soya sauce first. For some reason, in Singapore, they’re often served slightly sweeter and thicker than what you can buy from your Asian grocer. And I don’t think it’s the same sauce as kicap manis (Malay: dark caramel sauce). When I do find the brand or bottle that the hawkers use, I’ll share it with you. In the meantime, you can easily recreate this sweetish dark sauce by cooking it briefly with rock sugar.

Sesame oil, white vinegar
Fresh red chillies, lime, garlic, ginger

Next comes the other two sauces. Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore is often served with a tangy chilli sauce that’s topped with a zingy bleb of ginger sauce. It goes very well with both the fragrant rice and the poached chicken. My personal preference would be to add quite a bit of the dark soya sauce into the sauce plate of chilli-ginger sauce, and then mix that into my rice.

With regards to the fresh red chillies, I generally find if I only use large red chillies, the sauce won’t be spicy enough. So to balance the heat levels, for every large red chilli I use in my recipe, I pair it up with a smaller (but spicier) birdseye red chilli.

One thing I’d like to point out, please don’t substitute lime with lemon. It won’t be the same.

The rest is just a matter of blending the ingredients and then adding seasonings, oil and stock. Making these sauces from scratch gives full authenticity to the recipe. Feel free to leave feedback on what you think about these sauces!

Chicken Rice Chilli Sauce

Grind in chopper till very, very fine:
70g fresh red chillies
40g ginger
15g garlic

Remove to a big bowl, add & mix well:
1tbsp sesame oil
1tsp salt
1/2tsp sugar
20ml fresh lime juice
15ml white vinegar

Add in gradually till you get desired consistency:
Chicken stock (you can use poaching stock)

Can be kept in fridge for up to a week

Ginger Sauce

Grind in chopper till very, very fine:
50g ginger

Remove to a bowl, add & mix well:
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic oil

Add in gradually till desired consistency:
10-15ml chicken stock (you can use the poaching stock)

Can be kept in fridge for 2-3days

- to make garlic oil, heat up 30ml of peanut oil in a saucepan, add 2-3 cloves of garlic (smashed) and fry till fragrant. Alternatively, just substitute with sesame oil.

Sweet Black Soya Sauce

Boil in saucepan till completely melted & viscous:
40g rock sugar
60ml water

Add & continue to cook till it thickens:
100ml dark soya sauce

Remove & leave till completely cooled before bottling. Can be kept for 6 months.

Read here for the rest of the Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe.
For more comforting home recipes, check out my Recipe Index

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

525 Collins Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9629 6755
hareandgrace.com
GoogleMap

Hare & Grace was the final food stop for cousin trouble and geek hubby’s Melbourne visit. I sent them to the airport after a rather extended lunch there. By this point, we were quite ‘fooded’ out from cramming nearly 20 eating places in the space of 10 days, but still, this meal was so good that we (once again) over-ordered.

And I just have to quote what geek hubby said before we left the restaurant – “if they bring out petit fours I’m gonna howl!“… Ha ha ha!

This was one restaurant that, for some reason, never really sat high on my eating radar. But trouble wanted to give it a go, and when she got me to look at the website, I understood why. The food looked gorgeous!

The restaurant’s interior had a bit of a rustic feel, like a beachside restaurant / hut complete with a nest-like burst of twigs and sticks lining the ceiling. Rather quirky for a restaurant that’s smack in the CBD. It makes you feel like you’re somewhere else…

I confess our first contact with the menu made us feel a little trepidatious, with most of the dishes just playfully listing.. say… four to five ingredients. Unless you ask a lot of questions, it is really hard to guess how the dish will turn out.

Also, the ingredients seemed to lean towards heavier flavours, like parmesan jam, blood pudding and onion essence. Flavours that can be a little scary for the three of us, who tend to prefer dishes that are lighter in character.

Roast scallops | “Licorice” | Black pudding | Grapefruit ketchup $20

For instance, having licorice and ketchup in this scallop dish sounded incredibly wacky on the menu. However, despite our unsureness, it turned out pretty good and the flavours worked.

But the only curious thing was that square of black pudding in the dish. To us, it did not make sense taste-wise.

Heirloom tomato salad | Guacamole | Olive crumbs | Olive oil $16

Next came a colour-burst of tomatoes on a bed of guacamole, and sprinkled with olive dust. Light and pretty enjoyable, except the guacamole was juust a touch too garlicky for me.

Roasted King Mushroom | Coffee | Parmesan jam | Leaves $18

Here’s another weird sounding dish on the menu, but boy did the flavours work marvellously this time! Who would’ve guessed that coffee and parmesan would go so well with those juicy, bouncy king mushrooms? We loved this dish.

The flood of entrées came so quickly that we had to relegate our drinks, bread basket, butter dish and condiments all to the nearby windowsill. This is often how it’s like when you’re dining with cousin trouble and geek hubby.

Seared quail | Melted onions | Bluesberries | Onion essence $18

This entrée came as an ‘afterthought’. We’d initially dismissed it because of its potentially heavy-sounding ingredients. But after our string of wonderful dishes, and with strong recommendations from our lovely waitress, we decided to tack it on to our order.

Crispy soft quail… sesame crumble, mustard, melted onions, blueberries and onion flowers… these components were perfectly combined to create a surprisingly delicate, light and well-balanced dish. Now I know why our waitress kept encouraging us to try it!

All of the above entrées were listed on the menu as ‘composites’, probably a term that describes dishes that have entrée elements but with the flexibility of being shared. We then progressed to the next part of the menu called ‘principals’, akin to larger main dishes.

Seared kingfish | Cured asparagus | Green almonds | Almond curd $39

This dish once again resonated nicely with me because of its delicates notes. All the components were so gently seasoned that you could actually taste the natural ingredient without having to fight past a wall of salt, spice and sauce. The almond curd was just beautiful, as were the dark green cured asparagus, so in-season that it actually tasted grassy!

100 day Grain Fed Rib Eye, East Gippsland 400grm $49
Garden peas | Broad beans | Blueberries $9

Next came a heartier dish from the charcoal grill. A wonderfully sourced slab of Victorian rib eye, served with French fries and green peppercorn sauce. We had it along with garden peas, bright and fresh.

Trouble commented that while it’s a simple English side, properly cooked peas are hard to come by. These peas were full of natural sweetness.

Cucumber salad | Seeded mustard | Yoghurt, Turmeric | Coriander, Mint $10

Our other side dish held Indian culinary influences. Light hints of turmeric and cumin… with big, bold chunks of fresh cucumber that sat on a cushion of yoghurt. It was once again very nicely balanced and inexplicably moreish.

And here’s a random photo of a stray pea on our table… ha ha!

Sticks ‘n’ stones | Chocolate, Wasabi | Pistachio, Cinnamon | Rosewater curd $15

We decided to finish our last meal together with a blast… by sharing all four desserts on the menu between the three of us!

This photogenic landscape-like dessert was probably the most unusual of them all. Wasabi ice cream was coated with squid ink… and with it, a lemony rosewater curd, frozen chocolate ganache, herbaceous pistachio crumbs and squid ink sticks.

Let’s just say that, as pretty as it looked, we found this dessert a bit too quirky. Too much was going on, and I mainly enjoyed the non-quirky component, which was the frozen chocolate ganache. The wasabi ice cream tasted like a creamy tangy sorbet with hints of… garlic!

Orange & lemon | Whipped buttermilk | Boiled orange | Confit zest $15

I’m normally not a fan of orange-based desserts, especially jaffa chocolate. But this was surprisingly good! Light, fluffy, zesty and not too sweet.

In fact, it was so good to the point that it was my favourite dessert out of the four! It’s impressive how a wonderful dish can change your palate’s perspective. I really enjoyed this dessert, oranges and all!

Cucumber, Lime | Mango | White chocolate | Cucumber sorbet $15

Our waitress queued this dessert here so that it’d function as a sort of palate cleanser before the final one.

Cucumber sorbet, mango gel, hog nog crumble, lime jelly and scrolls of fresh cucumber. The rich and rounded vanilla ice cream and the white chocolate cream cheese helped counterpoint the piquant parts of this dessert.

Lemon ‘liquid’ tart | Sesame, Lemon | Passionfruit juice | Broken promises $15

Our final (and reputedly most popular) dessert was playfully called ‘broken promises’, presumably because it’s quite an off-centre, deconstructed lemon tart. There isn’t any pastry, instead the liquid curd is surrounded by a white chocolate and tahini skin, reminiscent of cheese rind. There’s also passionfruit gel, sable crumble biscuits, chantilly cream and fragrant edible violas.

The curd tasted mellow rather than tart, but the passionfruit gel helped bring up the tanginess of the dish. I also liked the curiously sharp tobacco-like spiciness of the tahini skin surrounding the curd.

I apologise if this post comes across as too gushy, anecdotally one of the worst sins that a food blogger could commit. But it’s just one of those meals where almost all the dishes managed to hit a high note with us. It was a great way for cousin trouble and geek hubby to end their food tour of Melbourne.We were so full that it felt quite fitting (and funny) when a large wagon taxi was flagged down to take us home.

After this meal at Hare & Grace, I now have chef Ray Capaldi on my food radar. This means I’m pretty keen to visit Marmalade & Soul in Fitzroy North, since it was opened by him.

And finally, I’d like to extend a big thank-you to our excellent waitress, Randi, who took care of us really well. Randi recommended that beautiful quail entrée, and she queued the timing and order of our tidal wave of dishes perfectly.

For the rest of the places that trouble and geek hubby covered this visit, you may want to read this teaser post.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

Ground Floor, Rialto Towers
525 Collins Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9077 7937
GoogleMap

With this post, I continue my quest for good xiao long baos (Shanghai soup dumplings) in Melbourne.

Mr Huang Jin is situated at a fancier sector of Melbourne’s CBD, it’s right at the foot of the Rialto Tower. The photos and words from a post by Agnes looked pretty enticing. A month later, I lunched here with fakegf on a Tuesday.

This Taiwanese eatery fuses a few concepts to match Melbourne’s style of eating. Besides dumplings and noodles, there’s a ‘Taiwanese Tapas’ section in the menu where you can have small nibbles to go with drinks, ostensibly catered towards the after-work CBD crowd.

Twice-cooked pork spare ribs $11
Pork spare ribs grilled & served with house made chilli oil & broad beans

Fakegf enjoyed this sweetish twice-cooked pork dish, although the sprinkle of peas and walnuts felt peculiar. Still, it was pretty good pork.

DIY Taiwanese style pork (belly) bun $8
Sticky pork belly, preserved vegetables, peanut dust & coriander in a fluffy, Chinese bun

Our exploration of ‘Taiwanese Tapas’ (…*giggle*) continued with this delicate pork belly bun, which was different (thinner bun, less saucy) to the Hokkien version I grew up eating, but nice in its own right.

Steamed pork dumplings 5pc $11
Mr Huang Jin’s special pork with ginger

And here’s what we came for – xiao long baos (Shanghai steamed soup dumplings)! It’s a thin-skinned dumpling filled with minced pork and life-nourishing soup, served in a piping hot bamboo steaming basket.

What’s beautiful about these dumplings is how, as you teeth into its skin, delicious soup stock would spurt forth and fill your mouth. And any oily-rich elements in it is deftly balanced by its uplifting condiments of contrast – Chinese vinegar and strips of fresh ginger.

These xiao long baos were pretty decent… thin skins, with good filling and soup. Although Fakegf thought the twisted ‘crimp’ on the top of each dumpling went a little dry and hard in Melbourne’s non-humid weather. The condiments were a little different too, with a mellow, umeshu-like vinegar and pickled rather than fresh ginger.

Steamed chili pork dumplings 5pc $11
Mr Huang Jin’s special pork with chilli

We ventured further afield with a serve of chilli-infused xiao long baos. I preferred the classic version, while fakegf really warmed up to this, saying how she quite enjoyed the soup inside these chilli dumplings.

Prawn & pork wontons with chili sauce 5pc $13
Parcels of fresh local prawns, Mr Huang Jin’s special pork, spring onions & ginger with the family’s secret chili sauce

We ended with these lovely, silky-skinned chilli wontons, rife with fresh filling. I found the chilli sauce on the sweet side and the peanut dust pushed even more fusiony elements to it, but the wontons were just sensational.

Overall, while the dumplings here are quite pricey, they are of good quality and probably worth the extra buck. However, I suspect the flavour balancing in its other dishes may lean towards a more Western preference. I’d recommend visiting, but if you’re quite nit-picky about authenticity, I’d say caveat emptor!

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

These days, restaurants no longer have to be fixed, stationary constructs. Pop-up restaurants are becoming familiar, mushrooming across our cities with fleeting, but surprisingly good food.
Here’s one such ‘restaurant’.

I’ll lift the first line directly from its website:
“Chateau Marmot is all about bringing the creativity and excitement of fine dining to an unexpected location near you, minus the stuffy atmosphere.”

Chateau Marmot began in the UK, but its current chef (Miles Dupree) has culinary roots going back to Australia. It seems his path has boomeranged back to this continent.

The project is collaborative. The pop-up borrows a dining and kitchen space in a new city, and they make the best of whatever’s available, both in terms of produce as well as facilities. And intrigued diners finish off the equation.

That’s how Ashley and I ended up in a quaint little tea shop in Collingwood on a Tuesday night… all curious to discover this wisp of a restaurant, one that would cease to exist three days later.

1. Sea bream ceviche, finger lime

Look at the chef, buzzing about in the little tea shop’s kitchenette!

We started off with a light and vibrantly tangy ceviche with hints of butter and kaffir lime leaves. A very nicely balanced dish.

2.  Creamed corn croquette, avocado salsa, jalapeno

We continued on a South American slant with course two. Crisp corn croquettes sat beside a creamy-spicy avocado salsa, and a tangy jalapeño sauce to enjoy it with. We liked how the strong hits of spicy and tangy contrasted with the croquette’s gentle sweetness.

3. Glazed eel, amaranth, apple salad, nori

For course number three, we veered Eastwards towards Japan, where a soy glazed eel lay coated with crunchy quinoa-like amaranth. The eel was smoky, dense-fleshed with an enticing grilled flavour. I’d have preferred a softer eel and it was quite salty, but the crisp apple slivers gave nice counterpoint.

4. Crispy duck leg, strawberry salad, almond cream, liquorice

Course four came as a daring interplay of flavours. We got an oddly sweet-and-cloying crispy duck leg that was fall apart tender inside. It was paired with pungent liquorice soil, sweetish almond cream and tart slices of strawberries.

I could almost taste a hint Chinese herbs in the duck, but wasn’t keen about the marriage of sweet and savoury in this dish. Interesting but a bit too adventurous.

Before dessert arrived, cups of green tea from Southern China were served as palate cleansers.

5. Rhubarb, jasmine & blueberry verrine

Our meal ended joyously with an inexplicably good rhubarb dessert that held a seductive fragrance of jasmine in it. This… with fresh in-season blueberries and sugared nuts, made for a lovely glass of delight that tasted creamy, piquant, crunchy and bright. Given the chance, I would’ve had many many more serves of this dessert!

This pop-up meal was priced very affordably at $60 for five courses. Chef Miles Dupree did an amazing job within that tiny little kitchen, and even though some of the dishes were audaciously gutsy, I enjoyed how he balanced the ingredients.

Ashley and I had a very pleasant evening at this temporary restaurant. If there’s anything that I took away from this meal, it’s how the food discovery never really ends. And that good food can happen in the most unexpected of places.

Chateau Marmot happened at Storm in a Teacup (Collingwood, Melbourne) for three days in January 2013. To follow further events from Chateau Marmot, you can always visit their website.

Let's Get Fat Together - behind every meal, lies a story

166 Station St
Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
03 9646 6663
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The people behind (the incredibly edible) Coin Laundry Cafe in Armadale has sold off that business, and they’ve opened a new venture in my hood! When I first got wind of it, I was on the verge of doing cartwheels… celebrating Port Melbourne’s slowly burgeoning café landscape.

And I confess I did a bit of a naughty food blogger thing here. On their very first weekend of trading, before they’d even had the chance to get their footing, I strolled down here and planted my (metaphorical) blogger’s flag square at its doors!

On that Saturday, it was almost as if the entire clientele from Coin Laundry had moved suburbs and plonked their arses here. For a newly opened café at such a residential, secluded spot in Port Melbourne, the place was pumping!

Flat white $3.5 (by Allpress Coffee)
Calmasutra chai $4.0 | Vietnamese style iced coffee $5.0 

All that said, the wait ended up being only 20 mins. Once seated, Fakegf, her partner (aka FakeOtherGuy) and I got ourselves a variety of brunch beverages.

I tried to steer clear of Allpress coffee and chose Vietnamese-style iced coffee instead. Sadly, it tasted not that Vietnamese… I was looking for that roasty, full-bodied character you get with Vietnamese coffee, enrichened with lots of condensed milk. Here, it was thin, mildly sweet and I suspect the coffee essentially came from Allpress beans.

Smashed avocado, goats feta & vine ripened tomatoes on farmhouse toast $13.5

The food took awhile to arrive, but this being their first Saturday of trading, I think they were just having trouble coping with the unforeseen deluge of customers. And they were nice enough to apologise about the wait.

As usual, fakegf was pretty much starving by the time the food came. She ate into this dish with great efficiency once it arrived and declared that it was good!

Station Street Breakfast Stack $17.0
smashed avocado, spinach, bacon, mushrooms, served with poached eggs & beetroot relish 

But being the boys that we are, FakeOtherGuy and I simply could not go past the breakfast stack. It stands as the only dish in Melbourne where each and every component is precisely something that I’d absolutely go for in a classic breaky… and at a friendly price tag!

The bacon is served ala signature Coin Laundry-style… grilled crisped on skewers. At this point, I should just quote FakeOtherGuy, who crooned “the bacon here is unbelievable, probably the best I’ve ever eaten!”.

Unfortunately, I’ll have to clear all that bright and glittery pixie-dust from stage-centre and announce a culinary downer:

They were so frazzled from the chaos that Saturday that a poached egg or two were forgotten in our dishes. When they did arrive, the ones I received were overcooked. The staff were so busy that day that I decided not to send the eggs back, but I was pretty upset about it.

If I were to just publish the experience above as a blog post, it’d probably be a little unfair…

So like with my Common Galaxia post, I waited a few months and then made a revisit after the dust had settled. You may notice that the rustic door in the previous picture has now been replaced by a cleaner door with glass panels.

Amongst the other things I noticed, it seems the handsome waitstaff demographic that used to anoint Coin Laundry are now here, like happily transplanted flowers. Coin Laundry, on the other hand, now seems to favour pretty waitresses.

Ahh… the things I notice… :p

Latte $3.5

Aesthetic transgressions aside, I caught up with Lauren here, just before she was about to embark on a week-long trip to Singapore and Malaysia. She was so excited about it!!

It was also a Tuesday, a much more peaceful tempo was pulsing in the café and things were running a lot smoother than my first visit.

Trading co. burger, grain fed beef, honey aioli, home made BBQ sauce, pickled cucumber on a brioche bun served w twice cooked poor boys $18,0

While we chatted endlessly about what she could see and where she should eat in Singapore, Lauren treated herself to an enjoyably tall burger. The mysterious sounding twice-cooked ‘poor boys’ turned out to just be fried chips.

Roast pumpkin and goats cheese fritters, dill hung yoghurt & soft herb salad $16,0
(+ a poached egg)

I peeled my instincts away from the promise of bacon skewers and breakfast stacks, and opted for something a little more vegetarian. These fritters were soft, gently sweet and quite nicely charred on the outside. But I wasn’t in familiar territory food-wise, and found the overall dish just o-kay (probably because I secretly wanted bacon!).

But guess what? The egg was poached perfectly…! Yaaaaay!!

Station St Trading Co. is a good-looking little café in my hood that can be busy on weekends. I’m quite likely to return on weekdays… and chances are, I’ll be ordering that classic breakfast stack again and again!

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