Where to eat on Friday Night in Melbourne CBD?

TGIF!! But where to eat on a Friday Night (that does not require you to make an advance booking since like four weeks before or make you wait till 9PM to be seated) ?

I believe it is definitely one of the hardest tasks (I know my sister would comment and say “First World Problems”). 

Now to discuss the adventure we had in deciding where to eat...

A few weeks before the dinner date with the girls, we kick started this adventure with “Let’s do Korean” it’s easy, delicious and there’s an abundance of them (in no particular order Shinssi Hwaro, Oriental Spoon, Guhng, G2, Joo Mak, Cafe de Kikaku, Mook Ji Bar, the list could go on forever) – but this was short lived, we didn’t want to smell like BBQ after the meal – even if we didn’t eat BBQ.

Mamasita, Chin Chin, Meat Balls and Wine, Cumulus, Movida – in and around Flinders Lane – always gets a mentioned, but then reality comes and spoils the fun… “Are we really going to get a table?” or “Do we want to wait 2hrs to get a table?” I told them about my sister’s story; she got to Mamasita at 5.45pm on a Tuesday that week and still had to wait 30mins to get a table. There is hope though!! Yak Bar – this is always the fall back option, not a bad fall back option at all, it is one of the best pasta places in Melbourne and they’re so friendly.

We then set our minds on Movida Aqui, thinking it should be ok since it is on the quieter side of town. We were planning to make a booking (at some stage), but we totally forgot about it till the afternoon of the day and to our disappointment there was nothing for 6 till 8.30pm.

Then there are the New Kids on the Block – Sezar, Burma Lane, Gazi, Grain Store (not new new, but new for dinner) - if you go like right NOW, there is still a possibility you can get a table, but we've recently been, so our adventure continues…

*Time lapsed*

It ended up that we didn't actually have 6 people dinning, only 3 and hence managed to get a bar table at Movida Aqui. But as it turned out, we asked nicely to be seated at a proper table and they let us. A win for us. Here are some photos of the food we had.

In no particular order, here are some places to try out on a Friday if you ever get stuck (apologies in advance for those who don’t get a table at these places in the future, I would strongly advise giving them a call before you head there):

• Movida Aqui - Lvl 1, 500 Bourke St, NAB building, (via Lt Bourke St), Melbourne
• ShanDong Mama - this was a hidden gem, now there is slowly a crowd of regulars (like me) - Mid City Arcade, Shop 7, 200 Bourke St , Melbourne
• Sezar - newest Armenian restaurant in town - 6 Melbourne place , Melbourne
• Burma Lane - from Red Spice Road to Burma Lane, get it while its still not that hot - 118 Little Collins St, Melbourne
• Chick-In - another hidden gem and maybe the reason why you should be able to get a table! - G23/620 Collins Street (Laneway off Collins & Francis St), Melbourne
• Gami - there is a quieter store, find it
• Yak Bar - always my fav - 150 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
• Merrywell (downstairs) - Crown Towers/Clarendon St (Spencer Street end), Southbank
• Ramen Ya - the new-ish Bourke street store - Shop 9 The Paramount, 108 Bourke St, Melbourne
• Kokoro Ramen - 157 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
• Gazi - 2 Exhibition St, Melbourne - strongly recommend you give them a call

- jkl

Giraffe Cafe

Location: 302 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne 3000
Phone: (03) 9640 0889
Cuisine: Coffee, Desserts

It's a Saturday night and we've just finished dinner early so we fire up Urbanspoon to see whether there are any dessert places in the vicinity. Giraffe Cafe comes up and after looking at the reviews and the photos, we decide to give it a shot.

The place can be hard to find - from the front entrance, it just looks like a little takeaway bakery or pastry shop. Weave your way past the counter into the dining area and you're in a whole new world.

The dining area is slightly eclectic and set up to mimic something of a indoor courtyard. Wooden slats run across one wall of the room with some smaller pieces of shelving to display a collection of random objects. There are wooden bookcases, mismatched chairs, a couch and even a tree right in the centre of the room.

The menu sports about 8-9 different desserts. Taking the advice of fellow critics, we order the creme brulee and the chocolate pudding.

creme brulee

The creme brulee comes out presented beautifully. The brulee itself is a nice caramelised brown, two soldiers of sweet brioche sit on the plate with a raspberry compote and a drizzle of chocolate. We dive for the brulee and are glad to hear the familiar crack as we break through the sugar.

That's where the excitement ends. The custard inside is eggy and overcooked. And that's not all. We hit the bottom and find liquid custard. The dessert is a bit of a disaster, and the only thing I can think of is that the custard has split when it was first made, and therefore has not set properly in the oven.

overcooked eggy custard with liquid custard at the base

Given the creme brulee is supposed to be the best dessert this place have, it is a total disappointment.

chocolate pudding

Still a little scarred by the creme brulee, we move onto the chocolate pudding. The pudding itself is rich, smooth and heavenly. But the deliciousness of the gooey chocolate pudding is let down by what seems to be a large scoop of cheap ice-cream that's already melting into the pudding as it hits our table. My first thought is that the ice-cream should have been served on the side, and we'd have paid more for decent ice-cream.

mocha

Despite all that, surely they can get a mocha right? I judge a good mocha by how much chocolate I can taste in it. And I wasn't overly impressed with this. The coffee was strong, but there was little to no chocolate flavour. If I had wanted something that tasted more like coffee, I would've ordered a cappuccino.

Not the best experience, and I'm certainly not expecting to return any time in the near future.

Overall Impression: 3.5/10

Becasse Bakery

Location: Level 5, Westfield, Pitt Street, Sydney 2000
Phone: (02) 9283 3440
Link: www.becasse.com.au
Cuisine: Bakery, Dessert

An offshoot of Justin North's famous Becasse restaurant, Becasse Bakery caught out eye after we'd had our light lunch at Din Tai Fung and we couldn't help but stop for a sample.

the array of cakes

Opera cake

I ordered the opera cake, mostly due to recalling an episode of MasterChef which had featured this delicately  layered chocolate cake. I wasn't disappointed, the cake was light and airy, with each layer very distinct. The slice was decorated with a piece of white chocolate painted with a bar of music to add to the theme.

Mille feuille

H ordered this to compare with one she had had in Europe, and she was similarly not disappointed. In fact, she thought this was just as good as the one she ate in Paris!

Highlight of the trip was seeing Justin North at work through the temporary open kitchen door! Next time, we'll try the actual restaurant.

Overall Impression: 9.5/10

Adriano Zumbo Patissier

Location: 296 Darling Street, Balmain, NSW 2040
Phone: (02) 9810 7318
Link: www.adrianozumbo.com
Cuisine: Desserts, Cakes

After all the hype on MasterChef, a trip to Sydney would not be the same without a visit to Adriano Zumbo's famous Patissier. 

Located in Balmain in amongst a strip of cafes, bakeries and little boutiques, Adriano Zumbo fits right in.

Adriano Zumbo Patissier - shopfront

We arrived rather early, and were pretty lucky that there wasn't much of a line. So we stepped inside to be greeted by a magnificent array of cakes, pastries and desserts.

delicious looking cakes and chocolates

cute little cakes

more cakes

sugar overload much?

After spending a considerable amount of time choosing what to purchase, I ended up going for the passionfruit tart.

tarte aux fruits de la passion - passionfruit curd and pâte sucrée

The tart base was sweet, delicate and crumbly. The filling was smooth and creamy and was topped with a fruity tangy passionfruit flavoured jelly.

And finally, the infamous macarons!

macarons

(left to right) strawberries & cream, caramelised palm sugar,
pandan, toasted white chocolate, kaffir lime & ginger, chocolate

I got a nice take home pack with a selection of six flavours. They also had satay, chestnut & mint and a couple of others. At $2.30 each, Adriano Zumbo's macarons are cheaper and far superior to the delice at Lindt Cafe ($3 each) and those sold at various other bakeries I have been to.


Overall Impression: 10/10

Stokers Coffee Lounge

Location: 1033 Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe 3079
Link: http://www.foodgod.com.au/1675
Cuisine: Dessert, Pancakes
Visit Time: Saturday, 9.30pm
Reviewed by: Listress

Visiting Stokers Coffee Lounge in Ivanhoe was totally on a whim. Having no idea where this place was or how to get there, the drive was an adventure and so was discovering the little shop in the middle of nowhere. "Is it open?" was the first thing I asked. But no fear, Stokers is open daily for dinner until 2am.
Walking inside, I am impressed by the retro decor. Be prepared to be transported back in time. A clock that's meant to be read backwards adorns the wall. The floor is laid with wooden floorboards and the fireplace in the centre of the room is as much a part of the decor as it is meant to keep you warm on a chilly winter night. The kitchen is open and the smell of cooking pancakes on the stove makes the ambiance of Stokers warm and inviting.

Two couples on a double date, we're ushered inside to a small intimate table of our choice. It's not busy yet, but there are a lot of staff on hand to take your order. The prices range from $10-$13 and we try the Fresh Strawberry Pancake. One of the boys orders a coffee. While there is nothing much to rave about the coffee, the pancakes come to us in hot plates. The sides are crispy, the pancakes sweet and the strawberries fresh. A small scoop of ice-cream is just enough to make it a complete dessert.

(I was so busy eating, I didn't take any pictures. Images from Google)

As we leave, the place begins to fill up and I witness customers crawling out of taxis and slide gratefully into Stokers for a midnight sweetener.

Expect to wait more than 30 minutes on busy nights and make sure you bring cash, it's a cash only business, but then again, that is just part of the old-fashioned appeal.

Overall Impression: 9/10

Chocolate Mill

Location: 5451 Midland Hwy, Mt Franklin
Link: www.chocmill.com.au
Cuisine: Chocolate

If you ever head up towards Daylesford, you have to stop by the Chocolate Mill in Mt Franklin. About 10 to 15 minutes drive north of Daylesford's town centre, and totally worth a visit!

The Mill has one of the largest selections of handmade chocolates and the fillings are also homemade from local produce.

The range of chocolates

Just a small selection of the chocolates

Then there is the Hot Chocolate Cafe...

The Hot Chocolate Cafe

The famous hot chocolate

One of the best hot chocolates I have ever had, and only $5 for such a large cup!! Made of melted chocolate at the bottom, milk, and light creamy froth on top...this was the perfect way to end the day!!

Overall Impression: 10/10

Ragueneau

Location: Menzies Alley, Melbourne Central
Cuisine: Crepes, Waffles


There is this amazing waffle place hidden away in Menzies Alley at Melbourne Central. Decently priced and very very addictive!

Belgian waffles with fresh fruit and ice-cream

A normal serving of this usually has more pieces of waffles - but they ran out of waffle mixture and gave us extra crepes instead (see below). The waffles are delicious! Crispy and just sweet enough. There is a slighly biscuitty crunch and soft doughy insides. The berry sauce poured over the top was sweet and light, and went well with both the waffles and the ice cream. The fruit seemed a little out of place, but was nice to balance the dish out with.

Crepes with fresh strawberries and melted Lindt dipping sauce

My favourite is usually this set but with waffles instead of crepes. The crepes just weren't quite what I had expected, although it was still done quite nicely. The strawberries were awesome, and the Lindt chocolate sauce....heaven!!


Overall Impression: 8/10 (due to lack of waffle mixture)

Casa Del Gelato

Location: 163 Lygon Street, Carlton
Cuisine: Italian, Ice-Cream and Gelati
Company: Janette, Duy

After stuffing ourselves with pasta, we decided to get some gelati for 'dessert'. Case Del was the first gelati spot that we walked past. Enticed by the endless glass windows of gelati, we went in. There were literally tubs and tubs of different flavoured gelati, there were fruity ones, creamy ones and soya ones, with a huge range for each type. I bought a 3-scoop cup of Chocolate Kiss, Choc Mint and Strawberry for $4.50. And it tasted fantastic!! The Chocolate Kiss was creamy and chocolatey, without being too rich or too sweet. The Choc Mint was fresh and cool, with nice chunks of choc chip blended throughout, and the strawberry was just very fruity and tangy. Perfect gelato.

I was especially impressed by the strawberry as it was the first time I had ordered a fruit flavour gelati - I had never thought it would work out, but it did. A must try!

Overall Impression: 9.5/10

San Churro

Location: Burnswick St, Knox, Eastlands
Cuisine: Chocolate
Company: Usually Mark


~Food~
-Best hot chocolate ever! Get a hot and cold, which is hot chocolate with a scoop of icecream. The sensation is so delicious and the hot chocolate is so lush.
- Also a great place for spanish inspired snacks. Spanish donuts called churros dusted with icing sugar and dipped in chocolate are quite unique but VERY filling. I need to try their tasting plate.
- Their boutique chocolate truffles are pretty yummo too.

~Atmosphere and Service~
-Usually very friendly. Can be a bit slow in making the hot chocolate but since it's been the same whenever we go there, I'm assuming making good hot chocolate should take a bit of time to get it to taste so good.

~Price~
-Reasonable but not cheap. I *think* is $5.50 for a hot and cold. However, they have great loyalty schemes (stamp cards) and if you fill up a stamp card, you get a discount card sent to you on top of that so yay

~Fructose Friendliness~
-High. Chocolate is never a problem and they also have flourless chocolate cake for the fructys.

~Overall Impression: 9/10~
- This is one of my favorite hot chocolate places. The hot chocolate is so unique- I love hot and colds coz I've not seen it elsewhere. Also, their hot chocolate is not as sweet as Max Brenner or as heavy as KoKoBlack. I think its pretty perfect!
- The snacks available are interesting and different with a nice Spanish twist but I've had better.
- Go there for a yummy yummy drink and a nice place to sit and hang for a while.