tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50291113480928337502024-02-02T21:31:29.500+11:00Gluttony GluttonyFollow us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/gluttonygluttony">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/gluttonysquared">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/gluttonysquared">Twitter</a> because we <a href="http://www.facebook.com/gluttonygluttony">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/gluttonysquared">#ig</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/gluttonysquared">#tweet</a> almost as much as we #eat, and definitely more than we blog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-27301857091993701042015-04-30T16:57:00.000+10:002015-04-30T16:57:16.103+10:00Auction Rooms Cafe<div dir="ltr">
Auction Rooms has been on my list for a while now, but since I rarely venture outside the CBD, it's taken me quite some time to get there. </div>
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And I wish I'd been sooner!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast board: grilled chorizo, ocean trout croquette, feta, avocado puree, <br />soft-boiled egg with rye soldiers and white iced coffee</td></tr>
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The breakfast board has a little bit of everything you'd want for breakfast. Or brunch. Or given the time we got there, afternoon tea. </div>
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The slices of grilled chorizo were crispy on the outside, and made up of fatty porky goodness with a little kick of spice. The soft-boiled egg was gooey and perfect for dipping the soldiers in. (If anyone ever told you not to play with your food, leave that rule at home.) The croquette was perfectly fried, crunchy outside, creamy inside. Little quinelles and dollops of avocado puree and feta were perfect condiments for not just the soldiers, but the croquette and the chorizo as well. The board was finished off with a light salad of green leaves, carrot slices and picked onion. </div>
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The white iced chocolate came in a classic old milk bottle and was sweet and fragrant.</div>
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A perfect balance of flavours, textures and colours.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seared ocean trout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soda pops: apple & cinnamon, Old Auctioneer's lemonade</td></tr>
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To finish off, we ordered two of the homemade soda pops. The classic lemonade was bubbly, lemony and refreshing, while the apple & cinnamon was a little more subtle, tasting very much like someone had taken a perfect apple pie and captured it's essence in a bottle. </div>
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Our waitress was attentive and accommodating, and service was reasonably quick.</div>
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Definitely worth the trek outside the free tram zone!</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760108/restaurant/Melbourne/Auction-Rooms-North-Melbourne"><img alt="Auction Rooms on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/760108/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3103 Errol Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051, Australia-37.802457 144.94946100000004-37.802564999999994 144.94930350000004 -37.802349 144.94961850000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-86167741879114822082015-04-30T16:12:00.002+10:002015-04-30T16:14:37.983+10:00Boombap<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tucked away on the ground floor inside the Exchange Tower on Little Collins Street, Boombap is a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. But its size is very much disproportionate to the flavours they pack into the food they serve.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top: Boombap storefront<br />
Bottom: buttermilk fried chicken & coleslaw bap, iced mocha</td></tr>
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The storefront is welcoming and has a definite street-food feel about it. Menu items are handwritten on chalkboards above the counter and along the top of one of the back walls (which is also lined with cassette tapes).<br />
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While there isn't a fixed menu, I'm told there are three regular items - the buttermilk fried chicken & coleslaw bap, the gumbo, and the Texas BBQ beef roll (previously, the philly cheesesteak). Today's menu features crispy fish po'boy, sauteed mushroom baguette, corn & chilli chowder and hot & spicy chicken wings amongst other soul food classics.<br />
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I order a buttermilk fried chicken bap and an iced mocha and seat myself on one of the four seats available to dine-in customers (limited seating doesn't seem to be a problem as most people order to go).<br />
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The bap arrives in a brown paper bag, and it's huge! The bap is overflowing with crispy pieces of fried chicken and plenty of coleslaw that makes the whole thing taste healthy! Bonus points to these guys for serving this in a little polystyrene box to catch all the bits that fall out.</div>
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The iced mocha is nice and refreshing - not too sweet and without the mounds of whipped cream that usually make an iced mocha sickeningly rich. </div>
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Amazing food and excellent service. A very pleasant start to my day off!</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1917788/restaurant/CBD/Boombap-Melbourne"><img alt="Boombap on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1917788/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1530 Collins Avenue, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604, USA40.8713156 -74.066445840.8712686 -74.0665248 40.871362600000005 -74.0663668tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-84277876343599677582014-06-09T23:45:00.001+10:002014-06-09T23:50:12.110+10:00Izakaya Den $38 lunch special<div dir="ltr">
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A quick catch up lunch with a friend brought us to Izakaya Den. We take a look at the a la carte menu but end up settling on the 'Den Classics' lunch special - $38 per person, two choices for each of the four courses plus a drink.</div>
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We order different dishes and share, so end up with one serve of everything.</div>
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The green tea is served in a cute little glass teacup with a round bottom. It doesn't hold much, but with an individual pot each, it's fine to just pour as you go.</div>
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First out are the fried crunchy bites. Two of Izakaya Den's must-try dishes - the den fried chicken and the sweet corn kaki-age (fritters).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">den fried chicken</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The den fried chicken is coated in a light batter and deep fried, served with a wedge of lemon and some mayo on the side. Crispy on the outside, still moist and tender on the inside.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sweet corn kaki-age w/ green tea salt</td></tr>
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The kaki-age is as good as ever. I first tried this dish as the Taste of Melbourne 2010 and again when I visited the restaurant on one of my Melbourne trips. It's the perfect combination of juicy corn kernels suspended in a light batter and served simply with some green tea salt. I must say, there really is something special about the green tea infused salt that really lifts the flavours of this dish.</div>
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Up next are the cold dishes - a tuna tataki and kingfish sashimi.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">tuna tataki w/ garlic soy & wasabi cream</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">kingfish sashimi w/ asian dressing</td></tr>
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The fish is super fresh, and the dressings are light and simple, but work well with each type of fish.</div>
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Perfectly cooked so that it flakes away at a slight touch. Good seasoning with a side of pickles.</div>
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Pork belly is always a fun one for reviewers. The crackling was crispy, the meat tender. The only downside was that the fat hadn't been rendered properly and so was a little too oily for my liking.</div>
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Then it was dessert time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">apple mille feuille</td></tr>
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This dessert was brilliant - like a mini apple pie stack. Light crispy filo parcels of stewed apples, drizzled with a light syrup and served with a some fresh strawberries.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">black sesame brulee</td></tr>
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And creme brulee. Nice hard toffee crunch on the top, creamy brulee filling.</div>
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For $38, there's definitely plenty of food. Perhaps a little pricey for a 'quick lunch', but definitely value for money if you have the time to sit back and enjoy it!</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1488070/restaurant/CBD/Izakaya-Den-Melbourne"><img alt="Izakaya Den on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1488070/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3114 Russell Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8136573 144.96857820000002-63.335691800000006 103.65998420000003 -12.291622800000003 -173.7228278tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-17922414745876837802014-06-09T22:54:00.001+10:002014-06-09T22:54:49.953+10:00Saigon Fusion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Mission: introduce Canberran friend to banh mi</b></div>
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Who thought such a mission would be so hard to achieve! After traipsing across the city and finding the usual suspects (Ba'get, FOB Rolls and Roll'd) closed, we happened across this little gem tucked away between Little Ramen Bar and Shanghai Street on Little Bourke Street.</div>
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Maybe it's been there a while, maybe it hasn't, but I didn't notice it until today. Having worked up an appetite for banh mi, and only banh mi, we decided to go in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-Zr7Xa3R4RObJOWjU3K8AuvH-4S0LQq-CuX90_QBFxpvC1eWyLHfuh1PtPfEHHdQhOeTulpcJY0yAjVfeYYl3obxpouPGcPSdkc7LjgQcUwosB-_VhLpFyuDjNtaOF2-hMmSMm3RQlY/s1600/IMG_20140609_113840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-Zr7Xa3R4RObJOWjU3K8AuvH-4S0LQq-CuX90_QBFxpvC1eWyLHfuh1PtPfEHHdQhOeTulpcJY0yAjVfeYYl3obxpouPGcPSdkc7LjgQcUwosB-_VhLpFyuDjNtaOF2-hMmSMm3RQlY/s320/IMG_20140609_113840.jpg" /> </a> </div>
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There's a good selection of Vietnamese bread rolls - traditional, roast pork with crackling, pork chop, grilled chicken and a few others. The roast pork wasn't quite ready yet, so the man behind the counter recommended the pork chop.</div>
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So we decided to give the pork chop a go and I think I've found a new local favourite. The pork was sweet and juicy, with a good lemongrass flavour through it. The bread was fresh and crusty, the pate smooth and creamy, and the salad of pickled carrots, cucumber, coriander and chilli brought a real hit of freshness.</div>
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The place itself isn't fancy. A little more than a hole-in-the-wall, the place runs quite efficiently. In addition to the banh mi, there's also pho and a couple of other dishes on the menu.</div>
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Will be back for the roast pork with crackling!</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1786410/restaurant/CBD/Saigon-Fusion-Melbourne"><img alt="Saigon Fusion on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1786410/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0344 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8133078 144.9623451-63.335342299999994 103.6537511 -12.291273299999997 -173.72906090000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-15335975538369383192014-06-09T22:35:00.000+10:002014-06-09T22:35:09.098+10:00Hofbrauhaus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Hofbrauhaus has been on my list for many many years, but only this year did I finally get my act together to try it out. It helps when you have a German friend who occasionally craves a German feed!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPKTEo5YUFJgyZlntPtKWYAqXjFOPPf3Nzv5isx_XbQDGulSzfpGJyQq3LrDOPuxpnKKevCSAGk0mWj_aJfis8tBV9lL9JlOdT2oKNIVohEqiop7ZY89RKpZl27b_-69JWZssUm-j7b0/s1600/IMG_20140121_190118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPKTEo5YUFJgyZlntPtKWYAqXjFOPPf3Nzv5isx_XbQDGulSzfpGJyQq3LrDOPuxpnKKevCSAGk0mWj_aJfis8tBV9lL9JlOdT2oKNIVohEqiop7ZY89RKpZl27b_-69JWZssUm-j7b0/s640/IMG_20140121_190118.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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When you think German food, what comes to mind? Schnitzel? Pork knuckle? Sausages? Sauerkraut? How about all of the above, and much much more.</div>
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That's what you get when you order the HB feasting platter. Designed to serve two people, but really more than enough for four, the platter consists of a massive pork knuckle, crispy pork belly, sausages, schnitzels, sauerkraut, red cabbage, mashed potatoes, potato dumplings, bread dumplings, mustard and gravy. Significantly more food than could be consumed by two people!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HB feasting platter</td></tr>
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The pork knuckle is amazing. A huge hunk of tender meat served on the bone, crispy crackling on the outside, and a nice sticky gelatinous layer between the crackling and the meat. The pork belly is equally well done, but the flavour is less intense. The schnitzel is as it should be - golden and crunchy on the outside, thin slices of chicken on the inside.And you most definitely need the sauerkraut and red cabbage to cut the richness of all that meaty goodness.</div>
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We order a side of spaetzel, which is really a German style of mac 'n' cheese. Crispy onion rings on top, al dente pasta and a creamy carbonara like sauce. It's a bit rich so it's a good thing we're sharing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPFAA26XYW6QbtmraU6I8MmnPsAS1lldytt0IFzdtFWWvsX5EkdPE26aiPWhyfo5vnOHrIDiBwbPIKairgustv32MmVsjnO3hWcNKeeEa6SWfqA-BJDuU9b34EDc7NBnrKP9nMtvPqR8/s1600/IMG_20140121_193926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPFAA26XYW6QbtmraU6I8MmnPsAS1lldytt0IFzdtFWWvsX5EkdPE26aiPWhyfo5vnOHrIDiBwbPIKairgustv32MmVsjnO3hWcNKeeEa6SWfqA-BJDuU9b34EDc7NBnrKP9nMtvPqR8/s640/IMG_20140121_193926.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And it wouldn't be a proper review of HB if I didn't mention the huge beer menu that certainly pleases my German friend.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuT5F-7CqKIESqRZjp3nFbKgZcVOtCFmz3JZSIFHPd36J-DEdSJmIsfSainAO6lJahvmN5gamzKxDZQsxKwzvHxY6n868MYld5GZLtcQr4HdVLkpj6S4eM-_KfAu07jTsp29mwPlTU-A/s1600/IMG_20140516_182127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEEFq7AC-eW_UzngdE6u8cP7LOcRqU3Hbp064OtlAL7Zt5FYD9Lq9sClJg_rcb_Vpbjl4pJya8Y-sRZX1lfgwSdNO526M3GDIF61gGjPrOhlsYOcuZRLKdw1BnRPNFk9hJPC4fITajZM/s1600/IMG_20140121_191938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEEFq7AC-eW_UzngdE6u8cP7LOcRqU3Hbp064OtlAL7Zt5FYD9Lq9sClJg_rcb_Vpbjl4pJya8Y-sRZX1lfgwSdNO526M3GDIF61gGjPrOhlsYOcuZRLKdw1BnRPNFk9hJPC4fITajZM/s640/IMG_20140121_191938.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuT5F-7CqKIESqRZjp3nFbKgZcVOtCFmz3JZSIFHPd36J-DEdSJmIsfSainAO6lJahvmN5gamzKxDZQsxKwzvHxY6n868MYld5GZLtcQr4HdVLkpj6S4eM-_KfAu07jTsp29mwPlTU-A/s1600/IMG_20140516_182127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuT5F-7CqKIESqRZjp3nFbKgZcVOtCFmz3JZSIFHPd36J-DEdSJmIsfSainAO6lJahvmN5gamzKxDZQsxKwzvHxY6n868MYld5GZLtcQr4HdVLkpj6S4eM-_KfAu07jTsp29mwPlTU-A/s640/IMG_20140516_182127.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> </div>
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The decor is simple, with long wooden tables and benches upstairs, smaller tables downstairs. Mid-week is probably the best time for a proper feed as it can get quite loud and rowdy on a Friday night.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGChTX0u0FZ6tdh_jweuqW6V899gkwJGgqXthTge6xYuDfFOPMH7EvD0ukvNykMF8bHXeruCuN-3r3IBcBwnnXXUsmdzlOxvMED6koHB8YD9PZ9KVC2wUQ5XmMDRLewn13KbkddPLnhrE/s1600/IMG_20140121_220803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGChTX0u0FZ6tdh_jweuqW6V899gkwJGgqXthTge6xYuDfFOPMH7EvD0ukvNykMF8bHXeruCuN-3r3IBcBwnnXXUsmdzlOxvMED6koHB8YD9PZ9KVC2wUQ5XmMDRLewn13KbkddPLnhrE/s640/IMG_20140121_220803.jpg" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">upstairs dining</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">downstairs dining and free live music</td></tr>
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Service is relatively quick for the amount of food on the platter, and the waitresses are friendly and polite. If you're looking for value for money, Hofbrauhaus fits the bill!</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760859/restaurant/CBD/Hofbrauhaus-Melbourne"><img alt="Hofbräuhaus on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/760859/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com024 Market Lane, Clinton Corners, NY 12514, USA41.8631107 -73.74293419999997941.8630647 -73.743013199999979 41.8631567 -73.74285519999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-41014043661519075202014-03-31T01:18:00.001+11:002014-03-31T01:20:34.631+11:00Joomak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
Finally tried out Joomak on a friend's recommendation.</div>
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Joomak is located just north of Melbourne Central and can be a little hard to find...it's hiddne down some stairs in the basement of the building.<br />
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The inside has an 'izakaya' type feel, despite not being Japanese. Just inside the entrance there are two small tables designed more as seating for drinks than for a proper meal. Private booths line the hallway leading into the main restaurant area, with round wooden tables and wooden stools on one side, and a long bar down the other.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDVhRcnGUcEbb6WKxLLicDyXsMf9przUDAnfp0x_REz1A4p4LwRrxE-FYh09yzKMKCcAE5z0E0Dlu5mnYIUiYAIwRA9zTotKIjQFRcodn1lrQ60ZMADtuyCW-PZgXQwTQHKxCdlmTvVU/s1600/IMG_20140327_190737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDVhRcnGUcEbb6WKxLLicDyXsMf9przUDAnfp0x_REz1A4p4LwRrxE-FYh09yzKMKCcAE5z0E0Dlu5mnYIUiYAIwRA9zTotKIjQFRcodn1lrQ60ZMADtuyCW-PZgXQwTQHKxCdlmTvVU/s640/IMG_20140327_190737.jpg" height="200" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqCRxuGAjQHxPwqGUoTHU_LR3i6Z9PDu9oy6Fjx86RhWgiK7x9XdR3VPdz9mTmnmuECgJIh-TJ2jtoPCj3aQZY2Wz0qYuj9B8tmpPDNQ85OiP0bUZTo7J6EoukFaJE8qOzkEcCtHz_Y8/s1600/IMG_20140327_190754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqCRxuGAjQHxPwqGUoTHU_LR3i6Z9PDu9oy6Fjx86RhWgiK7x9XdR3VPdz9mTmnmuECgJIh-TJ2jtoPCj3aQZY2Wz0qYuj9B8tmpPDNQ85OiP0bUZTo7J6EoukFaJE8qOzkEcCtHz_Y8/s640/IMG_20140327_190754.jpg" height="200" width="180" /></a></div>
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We haven't booked, so get seated at the small tables to make our orders before eventually being moved to a proper table that frees up just in time as our food arrives.</div>
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We get a little carried away with the ordering, partly because Teapot is under a misapprehension that 'share dishes' in every other cuisine are as small as they are for Spanish tapas, and partly because I just think she's super hungry.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmV_D88deripFwGlYid6Kg9ifPNPgaY_WRdqRLm0nnfMct9eR2s5bcZurNquhNPLh51BF5JpBgQMOdW3R11995k60C8MWnkktnBbzND9dP55GJhxIE-cfZdHiYfJR7q3IZ-4-1dMsDi3Y/s1600/IMG_20140327_192553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmV_D88deripFwGlYid6Kg9ifPNPgaY_WRdqRLm0nnfMct9eR2s5bcZurNquhNPLh51BF5JpBgQMOdW3R11995k60C8MWnkktnBbzND9dP55GJhxIE-cfZdHiYfJR7q3IZ-4-1dMsDi3Y/s640/IMG_20140327_192553.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">too much food?</td></tr>
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And to top it off, we order two mango rice wine cocktails, which end up arriving in a giant bowl with a ladle and two small rice bowls to drink from.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzAZmvFkSLYwZSJk3nCNzJEYNnSsxLZEu_AJ0SP12LRwINBkOLGnjHTLsPsR7FEga0hNMTFr1t-w6OBLTqpIjIrIkgfSA-ic1tyaZVAUTNnlTWmNvhNzBvv1ZL9r8191_XF0hFLKag1k/s1600/IMG_20140327_191527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzAZmvFkSLYwZSJk3nCNzJEYNnSsxLZEu_AJ0SP12LRwINBkOLGnjHTLsPsR7FEga0hNMTFr1t-w6OBLTqpIjIrIkgfSA-ic1tyaZVAUTNnlTWmNvhNzBvv1ZL9r8191_XF0hFLKag1k/s640/IMG_20140327_191527.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mango rice wine</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV_HMQckCyUpwCwkPOYKifUYopDLJaf2pNY1p7_PwMQbpuNxWd0AqQGv4_CGdR1prk6sOid2vbQ_b1yLIjemEnjRsxTnw6Fks3xmcLrBj7ykXf_-NBTZizjv11g8ZpnaqEed_jCVd7Bc/s1600/IMG_20140327_192214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV_HMQckCyUpwCwkPOYKifUYopDLJaf2pNY1p7_PwMQbpuNxWd0AqQGv4_CGdR1prk6sOid2vbQ_b1yLIjemEnjRsxTnw6Fks3xmcLrBj7ykXf_-NBTZizjv11g8ZpnaqEed_jCVd7Bc/s640/IMG_20140327_192214.jpg" height="200" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">corn and cheese</td></tr>
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The 'corn and cheese' is the first to arrive. Kernels of sweet pop-in-the-mouth juicy goodness are piled onto a miniature sizzling plate, loaded with mozzarella cheese and grilled until the cheese melts all over the corn. It may sound a little weird, but the cheese is stringy like on a good pizza and works surprisingly well with the fresh bursts of sweetness from the corn.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGD__odwFjqinZnBs3MG-w2-AjKWSS_St3TNSVREPCDKG-9eaWoH4wGv3YKH3boIrY5H0aPUFWDhpcnkP7_Xxb2qPJt3Hkvt0EnUHjBBqH4zUSJKzYib2fxRo74yop7yHhwKVn4l7dWsk/s1600/IMG_20140327_192520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGD__odwFjqinZnBs3MG-w2-AjKWSS_St3TNSVREPCDKG-9eaWoH4wGv3YKH3boIrY5H0aPUFWDhpcnkP7_Xxb2qPJt3Hkvt0EnUHjBBqH4zUSJKzYib2fxRo74yop7yHhwKVn4l7dWsk/s640/IMG_20140327_192520.jpg" height="200" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">fried chicken</td></tr>
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The fried chicken is crispy and well seasoned, but it's just fried chicken and nothing Korean about it barring the two sauces on the side - a soy garlicky one and a sweet chilli. The soy garlic does the job for me.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLdIXNn8TG3HQUIncfh6LkpaLqNM_h-dUusw8mCPHKT2GwbrAXX4bz5LUZFNRhJ6l4MllBBNc2fo1Rv_D2b_3qDLzHTTlXlScaN_h5-PpOddSwAmGLcuUZ80WycVvo_o366V93DzG_DQ/s1600/IMG_20140327_192533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLdIXNn8TG3HQUIncfh6LkpaLqNM_h-dUusw8mCPHKT2GwbrAXX4bz5LUZFNRhJ6l4MllBBNc2fo1Rv_D2b_3qDLzHTTlXlScaN_h5-PpOddSwAmGLcuUZ80WycVvo_o366V93DzG_DQ/s640/IMG_20140327_192533.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kimchi and pork pancakes</td></tr>
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The pancake is crisp and not too heavy. The kimchi flavour seems to have been lost in the batter so it tastes more like a cabbage pancake than kimchi. The pork is used sparingly and doesn't have much flavour. Not the greatest pancake I've had, but eating it with the complimentary side of uncooked kimchi does compensate for the missing flavour.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3-J5aaZQNxp3l7B_Prasu2NSzFXcgcKqThwwQTrm5-P45BZHX4fjsKrWVQrQiuSKVLTBunjYHDb-HjKPPDJ-LcXI0GmNPub_Qomsn8_PUO4Y6AXz5YnfRPl9wRIoyAjcz3R36WNMezw/s1600/IMG_20140327_192543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3-J5aaZQNxp3l7B_Prasu2NSzFXcgcKqThwwQTrm5-P45BZHX4fjsKrWVQrQiuSKVLTBunjYHDb-HjKPPDJ-LcXI0GmNPub_Qomsn8_PUO4Y6AXz5YnfRPl9wRIoyAjcz3R36WNMezw/s640/IMG_20140327_192543.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beef bulgogi</td></tr>
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The beef bulgogi is served in a small clay pot like the ones used for single serve soups, rather than a iron sizzling plate as I'm used to. The beef is still thinly sliced, and sits in a light bulgogi broth with onions and some potato noodles. I find it's a little too soupy for my looking, particularly as it's lacking that smokey chargrilled flavour and aroma that is typical of Korean BBQ (and which could have been achieved by serving on a sizzling plate).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk0rCw5qGOfPs_aP7W_Kf0TFoCMTQqDV8NeTojXaQZVk9Thy9MDtKSGoEvyRtobxbDTbpuz9ts_LuZDcOIp_SKY-J-Iun9GHFn8UjaKvgy_awN2mZF_Jv6CPZgcd3hbW7Uq5xzzp8V1w/s1600/IMG_20140327_193017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk0rCw5qGOfPs_aP7W_Kf0TFoCMTQqDV8NeTojXaQZVk9Thy9MDtKSGoEvyRtobxbDTbpuz9ts_LuZDcOIp_SKY-J-Iun9GHFn8UjaKvgy_awN2mZF_Jv6CPZgcd3hbW7Uq5xzzp8V1w/s640/IMG_20140327_193017.jpg" height="200" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cheese egg roll</td></tr>
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The cheese egg roll is the least impressive dish for me as it just tastes just like an egg pancake, stuffed with cheese and rolled up, then covered with tomato sauce. There's nothing special about it for me, a little on the bland side, and I tend to be more critical when ketchup is used as a major seasoning base.</div>
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Service is reasonably quick despite it being very busy. The wait staff are polite, friendly and responsive. The food is good and that mango rice wine is definitely worth a revisit.</div>
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<b>Overall impression: 7/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1594692/restaurant/CBD/Joomak-Melbourne"><img alt="Joomak on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1594692/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0407 Swanston Lane, Gilroy, CA 95020, USA37.0159011 -121.5701604000000237.0158516 -121.57023940000002 37.015950600000004 -121.57008140000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-36312861417660258392014-03-31T00:56:00.002+11:002014-03-31T00:56:52.396+11:00Fukuryu Ramen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
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Fukuryu Ramen is a new addition to the Melbourne ramen scene. It's only been around for three weeks so totally worth a visit while they're running some cool promotions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD6ZR4I9zGtCurLPjLnM8P28_BbFj_20bUQz1BfQ7xObAcZK6EZm2pgCzzRBvutLcHlcFOdK0qx1VXhG6YGhF6-Srnb7YTIkmoJpJbhyphenhyphenitpMlgq71eCiMODt_IihAXNWYx8thlZ8khx8/s1600/IMG_20140328_182211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD6ZR4I9zGtCurLPjLnM8P28_BbFj_20bUQz1BfQ7xObAcZK6EZm2pgCzzRBvutLcHlcFOdK0qx1VXhG6YGhF6-Srnb7YTIkmoJpJbhyphenhyphenitpMlgq71eCiMODt_IihAXNWYx8thlZ8khx8/s640/IMG_20140328_182211.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Located at the corner of Corrs Lane and Little Bourke Street and up some fire stairs, Fukuryu is a trendy modern eatery. The menu is pretty simply - four classic ramens (tonkotsu, miso, shoyu and shio) and three 'modern' varieties (vegetarian, dry oil and 'tam tam'). There's also a couple of izakaya style snacks like karaage and gyoza for those snack-inclined. Order at the counter then pick a table and wait for your food to arrive.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24Zxd5xdPjTCxJkLHfHHApZpl_C9CEGnr1ctMwVoXCYJ8n1NwO6ce_U0KF317vCTHRZYvTkSzHn4NR3xz7VnU4KrOA7tEAJvfJtz_JFSYNp7-JO6TYNRkPeUrfslNO1-lICSRgH1Jdkk/s1600/IMG_20140328_185331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24Zxd5xdPjTCxJkLHfHHApZpl_C9CEGnr1ctMwVoXCYJ8n1NwO6ce_U0KF317vCTHRZYvTkSzHn4NR3xz7VnU4KrOA7tEAJvfJtz_JFSYNp7-JO6TYNRkPeUrfslNO1-lICSRgH1Jdkk/s640/IMG_20140328_185331.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjOKI5MEv-17_nGBEUDHO42XpR7lKs2UsXIciajBwUKG24h8gNaaRTUKX1mIlxAvW1EP5nfBrhXeoLBDVrzMjSP6I-VLYAoPa_ZVHNbwUKynaCICUmombq__p1HTVqmFrE37qepKlMq0/s1600/IMG_20140328_182556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyjOKI5MEv-17_nGBEUDHO42XpR7lKs2UsXIciajBwUKG24h8gNaaRTUKX1mIlxAvW1EP5nfBrhXeoLBDVrzMjSP6I-VLYAoPa_ZVHNbwUKynaCICUmombq__p1HTVqmFrE37qepKlMq0/s640/IMG_20140328_182556.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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It's still early in the life of this new spot so they're having a smackdown of nori chips and nori tofu. Complimentary samples of both for customers to vote on. It's a little like being on an episode of MasterChef or MKR!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkPoX6jHWKJTO-UvVNHpjPFnVOaD9GeHhug3j3btgtvW4ioYsz9LwNUx-biYL0G7M6ImyGsYDkagUZMh-E7-aclFGsThMFoPOHeaa5Ynq0_9cKQNmj41Litcwa56FsHlriF3YSvax3eA/s1600/IMG_20140328_185754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkPoX6jHWKJTO-UvVNHpjPFnVOaD9GeHhug3j3btgtvW4ioYsz9LwNUx-biYL0G7M6ImyGsYDkagUZMh-E7-aclFGsThMFoPOHeaa5Ynq0_9cKQNmj41Litcwa56FsHlriF3YSvax3eA/s640/IMG_20140328_185754.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nori tofu vs nori chips 'smackdown'</td></tr>
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Both are tasty - the nori really adds a pleasant sublte seaweed flavour to both deep fried snacks. The tofu is slightly crispy on the outside and airy on the inside. Little puffs of tofu-goodness! Not quite crisp enough and there isn't enough seasoning. The chips on the other hand, are crunchy, well-seasoned and a delight to eat. No guesses which one I voted for.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZhQ1fypO4uNkeNsmnXIqSGJ07Dii594q8Cfd7VXHqYdoJvdYDPcuintPJxcexq-sbHre-8p88I8JoBX3JfQ1pT8PmLyg-25KpBO5i2BWV1IKPvchQPfyRY5MAIKHRaglSF1bcFuKefQ/s1600/IMG_20140328_190202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZhQ1fypO4uNkeNsmnXIqSGJ07Dii594q8Cfd7VXHqYdoJvdYDPcuintPJxcexq-sbHre-8p88I8JoBX3JfQ1pT8PmLyg-25KpBO5i2BWV1IKPvchQPfyRY5MAIKHRaglSF1bcFuKefQ/s640/IMG_20140328_190202.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">miso ramen</td></tr>
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My miso ramen is really good. Nice springy ramen noodles and slices of pork are drowned in a salty miso broth. The half boiled egg still has it's gooey yolk. And my favourite part - the corn tastes like it's been cooked in butter...yum!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt78RNwNA95cQ2O5BkkOg8D7zgbAOHc7qRSftEY6r-miO-OM1gm2iMY9ISrXKYa61y_mCDKuVidEAIsY1v9TQ6vohes2VKxS5mjF8Wsvg6nx5bTHk8SUKpNgpmSXM6V8I1SbXlHKoT74A/s1600/IMG_20140328_190206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt78RNwNA95cQ2O5BkkOg8D7zgbAOHc7qRSftEY6r-miO-OM1gm2iMY9ISrXKYa61y_mCDKuVidEAIsY1v9TQ6vohes2VKxS5mjF8Wsvg6nx5bTHk8SUKpNgpmSXM6V8I1SbXlHKoT74A/s640/IMG_20140328_190206.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tonkotsu ramen</td></tr>
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The tonkotsu ramen is also a hit, but lacks the corn. Too bad for H.<br />
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As soon as our dishes are cleared away, our complimentary ice cream is brought out.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXLkvVBC6yhnZvm0t7xCenKJt0vz8U0twojz_02gTxHLctGsQ-vH70nHFZPps6AUZQ-pfpBN3I_OLrQESQnpyh6yXaj72C-gxieGtDAWPQ9ktV9kVJnf_waaOeM0Y68GFRTymSyS599U/s1600/IMG_20140328_192150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXLkvVBC6yhnZvm0t7xCenKJt0vz8U0twojz_02gTxHLctGsQ-vH70nHFZPps6AUZQ-pfpBN3I_OLrQESQnpyh6yXaj72C-gxieGtDAWPQ9ktV9kVJnf_waaOeM0Y68GFRTymSyS599U/s640/IMG_20140328_192150.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">green tea ice cream</td></tr>
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The ice cream is soft and creamy - more like soft serve than ice cream or gelato. There's a strong matcha flavour through it and we're told it's made on site. Such a good way to end a meal! The ice cream promotion ends 7 April, so get in while it's free!</div>
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Basically a three course meal at just $9.80 each - it is a very good Friday night feed indeed.</div>
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<b>Overall impression: 9/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1821969/restaurant/CBD/Fukuryu-Ramen-Melbourne"><img alt="Fukuryu Ramen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1821969/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com022-26 Corrs Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.811015 144.96833300000003-63.3330495 103.65973900000003 -12.288980499999997 -173.723073tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-37701115771279318792014-03-29T02:09:00.000+11:002014-03-29T02:12:56.043+11:00Supermax Eatery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
What was previously known as Cafe de Kikaku recently changed it's name to Supermax Eatery. Being a big fan of the former, I had rather high expectations for its replacement, particularly as it continues to serve the same cuisine.<br />
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The beauty of this place is that it's one of the few decent eating spots on the Vic Harbour side of Docklands (Pok Pok and Nine Elephants are two of my other recommends) and only a few minutes walk from work.</div>
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The interior hasn't changed much since my last visit. One of my favourite quotes still adorns the back wall: <i>"Sleep until you're hungry; eat until you're sleepy"</i>. The menu has changed in content but retains that quirky, almost fusion style of food. </div>
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The boys are drawn straight to the KFC (Korean fried chicken) burger but unfortunately 1pm is so late that they've run out of burgers already! Luckily the KFC is still available as a main dish served with rice.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TGhQIrJqYpq26PiVemameZ6LAaWxaqmjISoILHoYm9wdYuWX-YkJFPlZuVDeVvZWWkVKpN22B6Bs4sZm4zCdL3U76-VtoKi6FxnhsGPATehhI3GLEmNqaAdEu-r2o-ZxkDgah3YS1Ro/s1600/IMG_20140327_133434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TGhQIrJqYpq26PiVemameZ6LAaWxaqmjISoILHoYm9wdYuWX-YkJFPlZuVDeVvZWWkVKpN22B6Bs4sZm4zCdL3U76-VtoKi6FxnhsGPATehhI3GLEmNqaAdEu-r2o-ZxkDgah3YS1Ro/s640/IMG_20140327_133434.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean fried chicken</td></tr>
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I opt for the galbi Angus short ribs, which are fall-off-the-bone tender and have a subtle smokey chargrilled aroma, while the other two go for sticky honey chicken. The dishes are served with rice, salad, pickled cucumber and kimchi.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ItSn61e1erBkEg-uA7jTyz9mcYYf-jJfYgVjMGnSprXebY-EUl7cImwMwUpCWyvKDD8aOOJ9zQeQU6jqet8D7NS2odM9pjc7OGXD8F6Vtp3NltJCj3ndaRhE3FRmtAihjmVbddg2OPU/s1600/IMG_20140327_132752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ItSn61e1erBkEg-uA7jTyz9mcYYf-jJfYgVjMGnSprXebY-EUl7cImwMwUpCWyvKDD8aOOJ9zQeQU6jqet8D7NS2odM9pjc7OGXD8F6Vtp3NltJCj3ndaRhE3FRmtAihjmVbddg2OPU/s640/IMG_20140327_132752.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">galbi Angus short ribs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2yfCvaDAFga_RoDIzpkMd1j7M6NIJ679w7z0GlqiKDbD4UiQqj4BCELVtn5NDpjkDRJecvw6AfRVrrnSnDq7KZ7wnion-92yhjTLcRL_Ws8sEps29pnPs1DL_27y0bwNAKfXxTNZn_0/s1600/IMG_20140327_133428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2yfCvaDAFga_RoDIzpkMd1j7M6NIJ679w7z0GlqiKDbD4UiQqj4BCELVtn5NDpjkDRJecvw6AfRVrrnSnDq7KZ7wnion-92yhjTLcRL_Ws8sEps29pnPs1DL_27y0bwNAKfXxTNZn_0/s640/IMG_20140327_133428.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">honey sticky chicken</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWTZ7urobSJXoY8r6xlVAgXLjWu3frXC7UScV4uyjW85Fra9TLqqNd4gicAEIZJl4LVm8TFv_fWLBpkC5ezjMOY-yuIA1q-P1cX8ZzWNaqtWeWNX-pi0D0ONmfE2Wxb4-labFKacp7YU/s1600/IMG_20140327_131715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWTZ7urobSJXoY8r6xlVAgXLjWu3frXC7UScV4uyjW85Fra9TLqqNd4gicAEIZJl4LVm8TFv_fWLBpkC5ezjMOY-yuIA1q-P1cX8ZzWNaqtWeWNX-pi0D0ONmfE2Wxb4-labFKacp7YU/s640/IMG_20140327_131715.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the 'bold ice-cream collection'</td></tr>
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And to finish off - if you're into obscure ice cream flavours, you'll find a good selection including sake and wasabi here. As can be seen from the above photo, the ice cream comes in a cup, on a cone, or in an ice cream burger - your choice! We didn't get around to trying any, but the blackboard certainly made us curious. Too bad the weather's start to cool down, this would have been a nice escape for ice cream in summer.<br />
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Supermax's food is just as good as the predecessor's, everyone is full and happy and the proximity is most definitely a bonus.<br />
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<b>Overall impression: 8/10</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1559853/restaurant/Melbourne/SuperMax-Docklands"><img alt="SuperMax on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1559853/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com120 Waterview Walk, Docklands VIC 3008, Australia-37.8191107 144.94744059999994-63.3411452 103.63884659999994 -12.297076200000003 -173.74396540000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-42892594422782230922014-03-20T02:19:00.002+11:002014-03-20T02:19:50.307+11:00Choix Creperie Café<div dir="ltr">
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Tucked into a little laneway of the western end of Collins Street, Choix Creperie is a 'hole in the wall' kind of cafe with a long wooden bar running the length of the place and small booths along the wall.</div>
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Specializing in <u>crepes</u>, the menu sports an extensive list of savoury crepes, and about half a dozen of sweet ones. I order the 'le chateau', which filled with ham, brie and asparagus.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIN1Tfpa4cHU2gkrDuwofxy22CJ5L8y506GlnwYU1gnEiQo7XrxPdWsTkKgHn4T7CdRDD8c1B-9L3scJIqYodkl1R9tZtyFHDVFAOXJOiiEq0ojbvxILniZ-e3AmI8DYUwCICvS3siuo/s1600/IMG_20140319_124756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIN1Tfpa4cHU2gkrDuwofxy22CJ5L8y506GlnwYU1gnEiQo7XrxPdWsTkKgHn4T7CdRDD8c1B-9L3scJIqYodkl1R9tZtyFHDVFAOXJOiiEq0ojbvxILniZ-e3AmI8DYUwCICvS3siuo/s640/IMG_20140319_124756.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The crepe itself is soft and delicate, and a little crispy on the very edge (which I like). My first mouthful is a little disappointing - the ham and asparagus are cold and the cheese hasn't melted yet. But by the second bite. The warmth of the crepe has heated up the filling and the brie is soft and oozy. Perfect.</div>
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Service is quick and the wait staff are attentive and friendly. Great for a quick lunch, but as seating is limited, it's not the best place for big group gatherings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZE8zLHGt-uCHdhVy7vkPcXZgqwLCAfq5Q4IK6II0_QnacKd8eMP43kjUMmRnhdZvnhXdsC2CVJdOUHuUZLi71fa_PfZGO0zYDbvRnFdFKi35yKSQiGb7UDNWGxTzLEnxUp8uA6J4tis/s640/IMG_20140319_125519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZE8zLHGt-uCHdhVy7vkPcXZgqwLCAfq5Q4IK6II0_QnacKd8eMP43kjUMmRnhdZvnhXdsC2CVJdOUHuUZLi71fa_PfZGO0zYDbvRnFdFKi35yKSQiGb7UDNWGxTzLEnxUp8uA6J4tis/s640/IMG_20140319_125519.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Overall impression: 7.5/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760470/restaurant/CBD/Choix-Creperie-Cafe-Melbourne"><img alt="Choix Creperie Café on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/760470/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
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A random but good find thanks to Teapot's craving for French food and Urbanspoon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq9dDfqvJAoWT3FNitBjK4teXVVSan5X_Fs0Ha-oKbo98nDcjOOeg0xk24oCR0FC3HLrCz02z_MMU2pm-HOAH3Y1iTHnOf5lZJCJoLDZ5eAK7yVYpoWea65uvFgN5lmdVkM7X9RMnD6k/s1600/IMG_20140313_190033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJq9dDfqvJAoWT3FNitBjK4teXVVSan5X_Fs0Ha-oKbo98nDcjOOeg0xk24oCR0FC3HLrCz02z_MMU2pm-HOAH3Y1iTHnOf5lZJCJoLDZ5eAK7yVYpoWea65uvFgN5lmdVkM7X9RMnD6k/s640/IMG_20140313_190033.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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Service was top notch from the minute we stepped into the quaint French restaurant. The waitress led us in, gave us a choice of tables and brought over the specials board straight away. I must commend this place for having a couple of portable specials boards - it certainly makes it easier than craning necks around corners or over other people's heads to catch a glimpse of the daily specials.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF474GseJ6jg9CaiwGFgZtf4aKxCfJFZE5O_IWYgoMuztiXCsKkngct0i4BUb8WA7zuC7evdcsKvQKKb_q-WvGIXLC-c8w6_v28jLjPTlVgxE68nAWGFDj9nRF6UmPg0yPZhy9lq9Q1r4/s1600/IMG_20140313_191214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF474GseJ6jg9CaiwGFgZtf4aKxCfJFZE5O_IWYgoMuztiXCsKkngct0i4BUb8WA7zuC7evdcsKvQKKb_q-WvGIXLC-c8w6_v28jLjPTlVgxE68nAWGFDj9nRF6UmPg0yPZhy9lq9Q1r4/s640/IMG_20140313_191214.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">moscato</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CibfPt0ebM1qp2WjsVWFFnhc9hlXLZvNfOmyyuEWjmI3fRqvo1gQFmoGKZ4407_cNtJ8tKrWGRMfBwX9gII9Yrgi8zxa9K82IBYxNEPsTJfx0hzm2blkehGt8bXKhdivAd4MwM_gPlc/s1600/IMG_20140313_191415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CibfPt0ebM1qp2WjsVWFFnhc9hlXLZvNfOmyyuEWjmI3fRqvo1gQFmoGKZ4407_cNtJ8tKrWGRMfBwX9gII9Yrgi8zxa9K82IBYxNEPsTJfx0hzm2blkehGt8bXKhdivAd4MwM_gPlc/s640/IMG_20140313_191415.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bread & snail shaped butter</td></tr>
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We order moscato to kick off the meal then start the difficult task of choosing dishes. We can't go pass the duck terrine from the board, and settle on a <i>gravlax de saumon</i> as our second shared entrée. Then it's <i>ravioli de crabe</i> for me, and <i>confit de canard</i> for Teapot. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe65UgHkvC54bMWeKaz3TOFTuoomlm__gXJiPiKx7A70K4fpS0S__3G2jUWoW0TInmLIily2wDBnzeXRuLtqQZwGDCUfEuInteewTzEQRpIcnvcafQ4Ht8FyrwWAO9myGg0clpcp9zUMc/s1600/IMG_20140313_192351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe65UgHkvC54bMWeKaz3TOFTuoomlm__gXJiPiKx7A70K4fpS0S__3G2jUWoW0TInmLIily2wDBnzeXRuLtqQZwGDCUfEuInteewTzEQRpIcnvcafQ4Ht8FyrwWAO9myGg0clpcp9zUMc/s640/IMG_20140313_192351.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">duck terrine</td></tr>
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What can I say, the duck terrine is perfect. The texture is smooth and holds it shape well. The sweet and slightly sour (cranberry?) jam pairs perfectly with the creaminess of the terrine and the crunch of the toasted baguette slices. My only qualm is that the baguette slices are a little thick and could have been split in two, but that doesn't stop us scoffing the lot down.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACicxn3mWubigXi5WQpW7Awi6bUarMfaWvyDIaUB1cz1f0idIjar7Njyp5PZog4zBQzyAuGFrsu_0JgxnnDPr3Sew3qTN9s00C4dPb_VMg9VQEkkzwVt2i4wqcfGfwG2xQ7O6_3KRn38/s1600/IMG_20140313_192343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACicxn3mWubigXi5WQpW7Awi6bUarMfaWvyDIaUB1cz1f0idIjar7Njyp5PZog4zBQzyAuGFrsu_0JgxnnDPr3Sew3qTN9s00C4dPb_VMg9VQEkkzwVt2i4wqcfGfwG2xQ7O6_3KRn38/s640/IMG_20140313_192343.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>gravlax de saumon</i> - gravlax of salmon on toasted brioche with roe salsa</td></tr>
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The salmon gravlax is another hit. Slices of smoked salmon are dotted with orange fish roe which provide a cleansing 'pop' of flavour. The toasted brioche is sweet and charred on the outside, complimenting the cured salmon well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-r-9d4axbTSlxXXtRSHlMPEVVM70mJZxfCr6kbe6PCj0fbRomFJwmS8lUfyu1wUgAEYyagRF7R-SUP59dXNjDWc2ShGrRzViz8cMbQ76Bkl3gFZaLLSOEL60DFlEvrXju4NAhBgwfBWM/s1600/IMG_20140313_195938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-r-9d4axbTSlxXXtRSHlMPEVVM70mJZxfCr6kbe6PCj0fbRomFJwmS8lUfyu1wUgAEYyagRF7R-SUP59dXNjDWc2ShGrRzViz8cMbQ76Bkl3gFZaLLSOEL60DFlEvrXju4NAhBgwfBWM/s640/IMG_20140313_195938.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>confit de canard</i> - confit of duck thighs with orange glaze & potatoes sarladaise</td></tr>
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Teapot's duck confit is "delicious" and "melts in your mouth". The orange sauce is noticeably citrus-y but subtle enough to not be too intense.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihprf361TdH_kS4syTrNrI9zTX1kcZnPS1Plse6FpZzZNQgjpNnliVWbLaPtq5wMprbAtfYatKcWnlL5PxkTWGR-5eVAHpdlhPjjwE_fl9EPPVexwoHhjvA3iSkHm56F7ERQQE3ScctOc/s1600/IMG_20140313_200039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihprf361TdH_kS4syTrNrI9zTX1kcZnPS1Plse6FpZzZNQgjpNnliVWbLaPtq5wMprbAtfYatKcWnlL5PxkTWGR-5eVAHpdlhPjjwE_fl9EPPVexwoHhjvA3iSkHm56F7ERQQE3ScctOc/s640/IMG_20140313_200039.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>ravioli de crabe</i> - crab ravioli with blue swimmer bisque</td></tr>
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My crab ravioli in blue swimmer bisque is also a delight to eat. Unlike the Italian variety, the ravioli is delicate and light, almost like a wonton wrapper. There's a generous filling of crab meat inside each one. The little parcels of shellfish goodness sit atop a rich crab bisque with an intense crab flavour and undertones of butter.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5srWedUI4-zC-dTzi7sh-uZ1CqkCxyKzs0ingbzS7twJETXsj81I55lkNp6YYpdl11H_AkH18jM1MVvDTgefxmJgjOwVwAPJcY1QoMgtzjaFy82pGhvVbFGjgwuMmEBjrzWBH38j3nE/s1600/IMG_20140313_200044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5srWedUI4-zC-dTzi7sh-uZ1CqkCxyKzs0ingbzS7twJETXsj81I55lkNp6YYpdl11H_AkH18jM1MVvDTgefxmJgjOwVwAPJcY1QoMgtzjaFy82pGhvVbFGjgwuMmEBjrzWBH38j3nE/s640/IMG_20140313_200044.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pan fried mushrooms</td></tr>
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Our side of pan fried mushrooms is deserving of a much fancier name. Whatever the chef has done has brought out the deep earthy flavour of the mushrooms, which has also absorbed the garlicky butter sauce its been cooking in. </div>
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Onto dessert and we're both ridiculously full from eating too much bread at the start of the meal, but as all foodies know, you have a second stomach for dessert (just don't ask a doctor to confirm that). We decide to be slightly rational and choose the bombe alaska to share. Which is a fantastic choice if you like your dessert served with a side of theatre. A cute little ice cream gateau covered in meringue arrives, with faint caramelisation down the sides. Then the waitress lights a small pan of Grand Marnier on fire and douses the whole thing in flaming alcohol. Wow.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKyzBMcqhQY5r5NROg7Q0kvQFjTFL3TFx6jc_ysCsivjS_4t8_hDyILrz4XUxhibDpGJRvolH66s9OyFqhYXHNzB0DqbBWLZIl7n-gci8RKl6-e1FTGIEGnD2PFTOLe5Lrp_hkJNC99A/s1600/IMG_20140313_204942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKyzBMcqhQY5r5NROg7Q0kvQFjTFL3TFx6jc_ysCsivjS_4t8_hDyILrz4XUxhibDpGJRvolH66s9OyFqhYXHNzB0DqbBWLZIl7n-gci8RKl6-e1FTGIEGnD2PFTOLe5Lrp_hkJNC99A/s640/IMG_20140313_204942.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bombe alaska - ice-cream gâteau with dried fruits on almond biscuit, <br />
covered in meringue & flambéed with Grand Marnier</td></tr>
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It's quite a beautiful dessert although the Grand Marnier is very strong and gives you that slight 'burning' sensation. And you can't avoid it, because cutting into the bombe alaska means half the pieces gets dragged through the alcohol. The ice cream is smooth and spotted with 'dried fruits' which seem to have been reconstituted in water and are actually quite juicy. The meringue on the outside is soft on the inside and slightly crispy where it's been caramelised (twice, firstly by a blowtorch, then again by the flaming Grand Marnier).</div>
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The service is commendable, particularly from our main waitress of the night. Polite, friendly and happy to chat, she made the dining experience truly enjoyable.</div>
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<b>Overall impression: 9.5/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760189/restaurant/CBD/Bergerac-Melbourne"><img alt="Bergerac on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/760189/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0131 King Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.8170912 144.95559070000002-63.3391257 103.64699670000002 -12.2950567 -173.7358153tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-42454720485812773232014-03-14T00:34:00.004+11:002014-03-14T00:59:45.555+11:00KoKo @ Crown - MFWF Restaurant Express Menu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
I don't generally eat out on my own, and definitely not when it's fine dining. But a culmination of having a day off, being too lazy to organise anything with anyone and the fact that the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival has Restaurant Express menus at some of the city's top restaurants changed all that. So I headed down to KoKo's for a leisurely lunch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdhs_gZ95NBX8Tr32o0y2v4WspXHwh7nQnCnNlYBq79VccbR0tg0-qgcteeqB0zmWfGzU-rUO_V9C4rMeeYmFaHj4DNk2v29grgyP3Ne8iPssVfuD5dg0zYlCOFPsUCgJ-xgc9sL7TMk/s1600/IMG_20140313_125234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdhs_gZ95NBX8Tr32o0y2v4WspXHwh7nQnCnNlYBq79VccbR0tg0-qgcteeqB0zmWfGzU-rUO_V9C4rMeeYmFaHj4DNk2v29grgyP3Ne8iPssVfuD5dg0zYlCOFPsUCgJ-xgc9sL7TMk/s640/IMG_20140313_125234.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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The interior of the restaurant is classically Japanese. Polished wooden floorboards surround a shallow pond in the center of the room. And wait for it...there are smooth flat stepping stones so you can walk across the pond!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ky1bd2eQAh46vJE24QwrlHS2zaROSw8a9Uh7nrIGTYOhXMnn2WikS6HM9cz57iJZUYggfEZyZmjF7Cg9qjhlTZY8p6UPBdFoOLKgTAXuCdWgxsnvB_fQ5KPA83BdZN8qWQfyqL8fY84/s1600/IMG_20140313_125358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ky1bd2eQAh46vJE24QwrlHS2zaROSw8a9Uh7nrIGTYOhXMnn2WikS6HM9cz57iJZUYggfEZyZmjF7Cg9qjhlTZY8p6UPBdFoOLKgTAXuCdWgxsnvB_fQ5KPA83BdZN8qWQfyqL8fY84/s640/IMG_20140313_125358.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">interior and the miniature pool</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">As an extrovert, I must confess I actually really enjoyed the experience. I was seated a table by the window, with a view of the Yarra and the Melbourne Aquarium, on a day where it was sunny and the sky was a pretty blue colour. Just sitting there with some amazing food, an endless supply of green tea and calming music while watching the water glistening and rippling, trains going past and the occasional water taxi cruising by.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just look at that view!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1qH-f30Dzr9yO_eHKpjsa0MPAv-XboM-4HXdmICGcFNdUiWSHvoHMuPKmnAm9556GoOWY4h5exZg1tgLBFBo-I83vgGanBrTBZpp48Tz_7dgj9oyRQKNt8wUjx2gQjweG5-da16ixMM/s1600/IMG_20140313_125819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1qH-f30Dzr9yO_eHKpjsa0MPAv-XboM-4HXdmICGcFNdUiWSHvoHMuPKmnAm9556GoOWY4h5exZg1tgLBFBo-I83vgGanBrTBZpp48Tz_7dgj9oyRQKNt8wUjx2gQjweG5-da16ixMM/s640/IMG_20140313_125819.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chicken meatball in teriyaki sauce</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">A small appetizer is brought out. Not expected, as it wasn't on the menu. And it's an interesting one. A single chicken meatball with teriyaki sauce served cold. Yes, cold. I've never eaten a cold meatball like that and I'm still trying to decide if I like it.</span></div>
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Eventually my Shokado bento arrives and the waitress carefully sets it down in front of me, and arranges the miso soup, pickles and tempura dipping sauce around it before taking the lid off the box and revealing four impeccably presented dishes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from top left: grilled Wagyu with onion sauce, tempura <br />
whitebait and vegetables, trio of sashimi, steamed rice</td></tr>
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I start with the sashimi. Thinly sliced salmon, tuna and a white flesh fish I'm guessing to be swordfish. Fresh, delicate and just the right portion size. Can't ask for more.</div>
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The Wagyu is slightly chewier than I had anticipated but that is partly my fault - in retrospect I probably should have ordered it medium rare instead of medium. But the beef is nicely charred on the outside, tender on the inside. It's served with a fancy type of mushroom in a generous pool of onion sauce. Well seasoned, and the strong flavours of the sauce worked perfectly with the rice.</div>
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The tempura comes in a light crispy batter. The whitebait is soft and flakey, the zucchini and sweet potato are both as they should be. The standout for me is the eggplant, which has been cut to resemble a bit of a fan and then battered and fried. Perfectly soft and creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Creative and tasty!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">miso soup | Japanese pickles</td></tr>
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The accompanying miso soup is also a favorite. Not your typical $2 miso (actually, do they even exist anymore?). This one has a good earthy miso flavour, and is generously loaded with seaweed and tofu. Delicious! The pickles are a refreshing palate cleanser.</div>
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All this for $40 and I get to tick off yet another top restaurant in my Good Food Guide. A good way to spend a random mid-week day off!</div>
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<b>Overall impression: 8.5/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761020/restaurant/Melbourne/Koko-Southbank"><img alt="Koko on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761020/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
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At Taste of Melbourne last year, we picked up some discounted vouchers for high tea at the Park Hyatt. We finally got around to using the tickets last weekend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VSE_Gy1t5EMkRemxwauOey2qrkEGYRCXCweeKo9Vtn4e-tWv2Z4-IzEKQcpezTYmSbLInCg9e6Xc_EfqilOz8p4SCEz7nxu4L46DJWZ8xp54_qDaSFosFhqu3jhfrdVFF4hblO_ajT8/s1600/IMG_20140302_143707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VSE_Gy1t5EMkRemxwauOey2qrkEGYRCXCweeKo9Vtn4e-tWv2Z4-IzEKQcpezTYmSbLInCg9e6Xc_EfqilOz8p4SCEz7nxu4L46DJWZ8xp54_qDaSFosFhqu3jhfrdVFF4hblO_ajT8/s640/IMG_20140302_143707.jpg" height="320" width="240" /> </a> </div>
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Despite our booking having disappeared without a trace, the waiters quickly had a table set up for us, and we were soon treated to a wonderful afternoon tea of scones, finger sandwiches and an assortment of petit fours, sparkling wine and our choice of tea from a very extensive menu of jing loose leaf teas.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">afternoon tea stand</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">flowering jasmine peach, green tea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8ktl2RYKucNs-yiDUSHvKPimut9XHVCd9ywvtb7PlwOJVrZSgC5FQ96B3hhl0xtgZnBDmi-EG9d8edyey_ukSMJcGOQnKubhWEqhfteXlG4STBMH7WUMR62J4sjLoj1mA_riB3lrIiU/s640/IMG_20140302_145130.jpg" height="240" style="cursor: move; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhqL-4xb9iMYQMr9du9SQh6pQ68VSkprI3_QGm4B2zwR7jGm27ESoF85qWdGlQHWTjV4QfuEke_JXIOX141nNOvvl8yo4y87VwjIjGhrX8ddd0UPUODP5b0GsK6NXWY7Xy72RpaQz1QA/s1600/IMG_20140302_145654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhqL-4xb9iMYQMr9du9SQh6pQ68VSkprI3_QGm4B2zwR7jGm27ESoF85qWdGlQHWTjV4QfuEke_JXIOX141nNOvvl8yo4y87VwjIjGhrX8ddd0UPUODP5b0GsK6NXWY7Xy72RpaQz1QA/s640/IMG_20140302_145654.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">plain scones & fruit scones <span style="font-size: x-small;"> w/ orange marmalade, berry jam and vanilla Chantilly cream</span></td></tr>
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We started at the bottom tier and worked our way up. The scones were well made and struck that balance between being soft and fluffy and a more solid crumbly texture. The orange marmalade was a bit too intense - it had a good flavour but I'm not sure it worked with scones and cream. The berry jam, on the other hand, worked a treat with the smooth Chantilly cream. Sometimes, you just gotta stick with the classic flavour combinations.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finger sandwiches</td></tr>
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The second tier was a selection of finger sandwiches: chicken and avocado, egg, smoked salmon and ham, with the smoked salmon being the favourite. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">petit fours </td></tr>
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And to top it off, five different miniature pastries. We didn't quite catch the names of all the items (too busy taking photos) but of particular note was the lemon meringue pie, which had a beautiful short pastry and a smooth and intense lemon curd filling, all topped with nicely caramelised meringue that was light and airy, almost marshmallow-y. The macaron was pretty average (but I may have been spoilt by Adriano Zumbo's macarons). The pecan pie had a good solid chocolate based, smooth chocolate filling and toasted pecans. </div>
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The afternoon was definitely a very enjoyable one. And at $32.50 a head, there was more than enough food to delay eating dinner for a good couple of hours!</div>
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<b>Overall impression: 8/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761562/restaurant/Melbourne/Radii-Restaurant-Bar-Park-Hyatt-Melbourne-East-Melbourne" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Radii Restaurant & Bar, Park Hyatt Melbourne on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761562/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com01 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia-37.8120582 144.97713479999993-37.8120582 144.97713479999993 -37.8120582 144.97713479999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-63180784057642167912014-03-06T23:48:00.002+11:002014-03-06T23:48:20.932+11:00Mr Huang Jin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
This blog has been the topic of several conversations over the past few weeks, including a not-so-subtle hint from my manager suggesting I take leave to write! I guess it's a timely reminder that I should get my act together and start doing something productive with the backlog of photos on my phone.</div>
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So let's talk food.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4ZXaQmaw2gBFRCjCXeGqc36QVKa0p9HkuSUEXmXasUqDgALui2GpOklN363SAIpqrPQKRExpMXPyzLRyy6TbXwNld4Ujp-BpAVz52WC6V3lUwiButbrcZm-fguzi-mTFnMexpqRc8U4/s1600/IMG_20140204_133947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4ZXaQmaw2gBFRCjCXeGqc36QVKa0p9HkuSUEXmXasUqDgALui2GpOklN363SAIpqrPQKRExpMXPyzLRyy6TbXwNld4Ujp-BpAVz52WC6V3lUwiButbrcZm-fguzi-mTFnMexpqRc8U4/s640/IMG_20140204_133947.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Mr Huang Jin is a modern take on Chinese/Taiwanese/Cantonese street food, with the occasional twist of South East Asia (for example, the laksa themed xiao long bao). Located on the ground floor of the Rialto building, the restaurant is clean, elegant and a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of the night markets that traditionally sport a number of these dishes. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IcR1sPO1s3d8mNyXVzMIpE5a6WE9jJxzTS2GMnK_4U3tHTrbBtUcwcznkFeGbaywiW8nb7pY05kAD5Q9DEcbKzE-Rce34lu6oJ8yr_8Q3po2l6jS9E8WSrOAcmIT2VfJdtsZvDxDOQw/s640/IMG_20140204_123511.jpg" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taiwanese fried chicken (TFC) w/ sweet chilli mayonnaise</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IcR1sPO1s3d8mNyXVzMIpE5a6WE9jJxzTS2GMnK_4U3tHTrbBtUcwcznkFeGbaywiW8nb7pY05kAD5Q9DEcbKzE-Rce34lu6oJ8yr_8Q3po2l6jS9E8WSrOAcmIT2VfJdtsZvDxDOQw/s1600/IMG_20140204_123511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </div>
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One of the things I miss most about Taiwan is the street food, so seeing a list of 'Taiwanese tapas' on the menu is automatically a hit for me. Just like the Taiwanese fried chicken, which has a crispy, perfectly seasoned coating. The chicken itself is still juicy and tender. Paired with a tangy sweet chilli mayo, this chicken trumps popcorn chicken any day!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRAhyphenhyphen73ARcqh5SiJScAuXm-VbGbWGJxceHb-N1r58N-zeF4-DRec1T8Rq2_78VW5iI5eWaBn8QJMWtNbwDg844d2dMxpoLkJ0WeFqqlAwXiIt85x0bEyLk__PWXpcQbe3UaVQWip-zXA/s640/IMG_20140204_123141.jpg" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">steamed pork xiao long bao</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRAhyphenhyphen73ARcqh5SiJScAuXm-VbGbWGJxceHb-N1r58N-zeF4-DRec1T8Rq2_78VW5iI5eWaBn8QJMWtNbwDg844d2dMxpoLkJ0WeFqqlAwXiIt85x0bEyLk__PWXpcQbe3UaVQWip-zXA/s1600/IMG_20140204_123141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </div>
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Up until I tried this place, Hutong was the only restaurant in Melbourne that really nailed the xiao long bao for me. These delicately wrapped Shanghainese dumplings match, if not surpass, the good old XLB of Hutong. The wrappy is thin but robust enough to hold in the soupy deliciousness that is required in any good XLB. Just one word of warning - handle with care, because you don't want it to explode and free the soup before you put it in your mouth.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">prawn & pork wontons w/ chilli sauce</td></tr>
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Now for a hit of spicy Sichuan goodness. Traditional wontons plump with chopped prawns and pork mince sit atop a numbing soy chilli oil concoction. Some crisp lettuce and sprigs of coriander scattered around the wontons provides a contrasting 'cooling' element in typical Chinese yin and yang style cooking. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fried tofu balls</td></tr>
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Another fried dish - this time, soft balls of silken tofu are crumbed and then deep fried. Crispy on the outside, melt in the mouth tofu on the inside. On their own, the tofu seems to lack flavour, but when eaten with the sweet and sour sauce on the side, or even just a squeeze of lemon, the dish comes together nicely. And, the balls are served with miniature skewers to prevent any potential for embarrassing chopstick mishaps. </div>
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It's a bit of a walk from Docklands, but it's well worth the trek (so worth it, I've had two work lunches out there in the past month). </div>
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The service is polite and not your typical Chinese dumpling joint. Have a big crowd? No worries, you can pre-order so that the dishes start coming out on your arrival, making it ideal for a quick work lunch.</div>
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Also worth a mention is the existence of gluten free versions of their dishes. Both the Taiwanese fried chicken and the tofu balls were ordered as gluten free and tasted no different to the non-gluten free versions on my second visit. It's rare to find an Asian restaurant that is so accommodating and yet still so reasonably priced. </div>
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<b>Overall Impression: 9/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1716309/restaurant/CBD/Mr-Huang-Jin-Melbourne"><img alt="Mr Huang Jin on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1716309/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Collins Street, Melbourne VIC, Australia-37.8166284 144.96240539999997-37.8291724 144.94223539999996 -37.8040844 144.98257539999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-62250960272948108982014-01-11T00:14:00.002+11:002014-01-11T00:16:46.716+11:00Where to eat on Friday Night in Melbourne CBD?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">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) ?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believe it is definitely one of the hardest tasks (I know my sister would comment and say “First World Problems”). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now to discuss the adventure we had in deciding where to eat...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Time lapsed*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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):</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Movida Aqui - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lvl 1, 500 Bourke St, NAB building, (via Lt Bourke St), Melbourne</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ShanDong Mama - this was a hidden gem, now there is slowly a crowd of regulars (like me) - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mid City Arcade, Shop 7, 200 Bourke St , Melbourne</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sezar - newest Armenian restaurant in town - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6 Melbourne place , Melbourne</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Burma Lane - from Red Spice Road to Burma Lane, get it while its still not that hot - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">118 Little Collins St, Melbourne</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chick-In - another hidden gem and maybe the reason why you should be able to get a table! - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">G23/620 Collins Street (</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Laneway off Collins & Francis St</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">), </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Melbourne</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gami - there is a quieter store, find it</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yak Bar - always my fav - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">150 Flinders Lane, Melbourne</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Merrywell (downstairs) - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Crown Towers/Clarendon St (Spencer Street end), Southbank</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ramen Ya - the new-ish Bourke street store - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shop 9 The Paramount, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">108 Bourke St, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Melbourne</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kokoro Ramen - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">157 Lonsdale St, Melbourne</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gazi - 2 Exhibition St, Melbourne - strongly recommend you give them a call</span></li>
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- jkl</div>
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jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10784633446842559551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-38663023425922495752014-01-08T23:27:00.002+11:002014-01-08T23:39:07.428+11:00MoVida Bar de Tapas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">
Being on leave when everyone else is back at work has its benefits. It means I'm actually available for an early dinner. Which makes walk-in restaurants an actual possibility. </div>
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So a random Friday craving for Spanish food brings H and I to MoVida where we are lucky enough to secure two seats at the bar. Finally!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIgafgeAFiuxYgeDfoQ-g2Ir3RqXfR2RR1zEz8ohQuYgl4lRP8WWnudLUUkMVift5HVN3mamfAAi7WkWuHfts8aZIayyMy3Vwj3roguHJUFZitHmiz9qqKDSjXAQnsWz5YFEKzus_8TA/s1600/IMG_20140103_175927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIgafgeAFiuxYgeDfoQ-g2Ir3RqXfR2RR1zEz8ohQuYgl4lRP8WWnudLUUkMVift5HVN3mamfAAi7WkWuHfts8aZIayyMy3Vwj3roguHJUFZitHmiz9qqKDSjXAQnsWz5YFEKzus_8TA/s640/IMG_20140103_175927.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barossa apple cider</td></tr>
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Drink in hand, we tackle the menu. A couple of dished jump off the page. The smoked mackerel from the tapa side, and the quail from the list of raciones. For inspiration, we ask our waiter for recommendations and he kindly runs us through the signature dishes and the specials.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTM5wbh_ToFJT1DeJEytMwyNktpIm8yowKq9OqaEIZ4IDfq0iDG-SkY75vOTSgTcLadSD5nbkfzY2I9WCjVy1u4XQofrFyN7bkmo9tOMj8uN4QddlL8EB2ryGBDaDY_A9FQKkW9Q0RNs/s1600/IMG_20140103_175932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTM5wbh_ToFJT1DeJEytMwyNktpIm8yowKq9OqaEIZ4IDfq0iDG-SkY75vOTSgTcLadSD5nbkfzY2I9WCjVy1u4XQofrFyN7bkmo9tOMj8uN4QddlL8EB2ryGBDaDY_A9FQKkW9Q0RNs/s640/IMG_20140103_175932.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bread</td></tr>
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As we're trying to decide on our dishes, our waiter places what we assumed to be complimentary bread on our table. What we find out upon getting the bill is that the bread comes at an opt-out $1 charge. The $1 goes to a good cause (Bread for Change) so we're happy to leave it be, but it would have been nicer to know upfront. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CKW2q67nJ2bKEaJiLRDPdh5VLF9ji5lhQ3Yze6eywvDpJ27iLYOTVcaXq-R1ZjLMtHO65YReJXq0K02RW1N2FbEaaKx-CluqYkDaMJNshL53atf3RXIDpxii1P-Gsiw6pRb6_4cK2bs/s1600/IMG_20140103_181621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CKW2q67nJ2bKEaJiLRDPdh5VLF9ji5lhQ3Yze6eywvDpJ27iLYOTVcaXq-R1ZjLMtHO65YReJXq0K02RW1N2FbEaaKx-CluqYkDaMJNshL53atf3RXIDpxii1P-Gsiw6pRb6_4cK2bs/s640/IMG_20140103_181621.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">anchoa - hand-filleted Cantabrian Artisan Anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet</td></tr>
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One of MoVida's signature dishes, and it certainly lives up to it. The 'crouton' is more like a lavosh cracker - thin and crispy, but robust enough to hold the anchovy and the delightful smoked tomato sorbet. Icy and refreshing with a subtle sweetness and acidity to counteract the saltiness of the anchovy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIAMAXWWzZjyiIpfxOoiio-X-1kcsdrwuA_R9Ua7PyaWUxeXUN6qgXK8MSu7k9240zOWrVK6qPC2hizBHtbO3LVb56IgcHIxshmXDNmkjbYXcn2rqEaq0y8OgsuOwfseMR-sZ6Eg1VG8/s1600/IMG_20140103_182054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIAMAXWWzZjyiIpfxOoiio-X-1kcsdrwuA_R9Ua7PyaWUxeXUN6qgXK8MSu7k9240zOWrVK6qPC2hizBHtbO3LVb56IgcHIxshmXDNmkjbYXcn2rqEaq0y8OgsuOwfseMR-sZ6Eg1VG8/s640/IMG_20140103_182054.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">croqueta - chorizo and egg croquettes</td></tr>
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One of the specials on the tapas menu for the night is the chorizo and egg croquette. This is different to the morcilla one on the standard menu. The outer casing is crunchy as a croquette should be, the filling is soft and gooey, resembling a thick bechamel. There's a hint of smokey chorizo but it was difficult to identify any actual chorizo pieces.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">caballa ahumado - house cold smoked Spanish mackerel with pine nut gazpacho sorbet </td></tr>
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Our dish of the night. The little stone dishes are placed in front of us with their lids on but you can see wisps of smoke coming from the inside. Lift the lids, and what I think is trapped liquid nitrogen escapes in a plume of smoke. I'm loving the theatre that accentuates the fact that the mackerel is smoked. Excitement aside, the mackerel is beautifully smoked, with delicate flavours and the fish itself has a cured/sashimi texture. The pine nuts and the sorbet just really lift the dish up on so many levels.</div>
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Onto the raciones...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaV92qrOr4DECbJOedFWMcsOnhQKfTrLO1brlZlFJPm1DHzTARIcZWAYQXI39aaPMLXuiF8of5G6rstUNWfKTibNkGZj2pBSTTPFadxSguFC_MDlj0yb_RsgJXdFtNjJkRS-PCjEjcJo/s1600/IMG_20140103_182433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaV92qrOr4DECbJOedFWMcsOnhQKfTrLO1brlZlFJPm1DHzTARIcZWAYQXI39aaPMLXuiF8of5G6rstUNWfKTibNkGZj2pBSTTPFadxSguFC_MDlj0yb_RsgJXdFtNjJkRS-PCjEjcJo/s640/IMG_20140103_182433.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cordoniz con kikos - pan seared quail breast w/ quail sausage, jamon and toasted corn</td></tr>
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The first of our larger dishes is the quail..The breast is perfectly cooked with a nice pink colour. I find the sausage a little odd and a little dry, not what I had expected at all. The dish is topped with a lonely slice of jamon and sprinkled with toasted corn (also not what I had expected). The corn is literally toasted corn - crunchy dried corn kernels - which is a bit of a disappointment as I had hoped for more of a grilled corn effect.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTPFVXC7R3gzXdKX6ueiF9ZMNMdj_c23m7TBKRObEYm_IisC8RO_GMSeHfwS6bS6c7YqX9tZHd3wkmn-A9PC-4_LiDiSp7DvKVl89BbpO5R3qL844b2XEU-UaGX5U0o1wX_XwLc0qPf4/s640/IMG_20140103_185210.jpg" height="150" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZIVFwEkAuZO847lN4ugqW14aybMvD5XyNSl8iAGnjQVWXsryZs0ol-CRmD1M8Qu7UXIU5vEtaZ2_-E-eRmk_Rx4JZF3uj9_sjsX9xof4nOWkIknKNSFqi4kUfsTP6XMybHKPU3PyntQ/s640/IMG_20140103_185321.jpg" height="150" width="200" />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">cecina - air-dried Wagyu with poached organic egg and truffle foam</span></div>
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Another signature dish and another hit for us. Thin slices of wagyu cover the plate in a circular fashion. On top is a perfectly poached egg sitting atop a bed of truffle foam. The waiter then breaks the egg and very swiftly cuts up the egg <i>into</i> the foam, mixing up all the eggy gooeyness with the rich white foam. He then methodically wraps the slices of waygy up and around the gooey centre. The salty dried meat works in perfect harmony with the rich truffle foam and runny egg yolk. A very clever (and rich) dish.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4RGBX7T6CKD4rXuo2LlsvZUCcYvjmJnNhL8IOW9Ors0Z0978X7YVfSYMnzW7QIaS4PUK0Dmcq-OE_HQm2tTTO9zM0U9EP7mUzzpJZJpuHAXjik0oeNYmluM7rKB_CZE8pGueTlfDuBk/s1600/IMG_20140103_184343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4RGBX7T6CKD4rXuo2LlsvZUCcYvjmJnNhL8IOW9Ors0Z0978X7YVfSYMnzW7QIaS4PUK0Dmcq-OE_HQm2tTTO9zM0U9EP7mUzzpJZJpuHAXjik0oeNYmluM7rKB_CZE8pGueTlfDuBk/s640/IMG_20140103_184343.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The waiters are patient and friendly and eager to engage with the customers and it's not hard to see why MoVida is ranked as one of Melbourne's best. For us, it was a nice dining experience, but in terms of menu choices, I think I have a preference for the sister restaurant, MoVida Aqui.</div>
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<b>Overall Impression: 8.5/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761319/restaurant/CBD/MoVida-Bar-de-Tapas-Melbourne"><img alt="MoVida Bar de Tapas on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/761319/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com01 Hosier Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.816607 144.96912499999996-63.338641499999994 103.66053099999996 -12.294572499999997 -173.72228100000007tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-57243368999549631032014-01-08T02:40:00.004+11:002014-01-08T23:36:58.846+11:00Coconut House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Editor's note:</b> So I'm going to try something a little different this year and simplify things, in the hopes of actually posting more regularly. So you'll find all the need-to-knows like the address and phone number in the nifty little Urbanspoon widget at the bottom of each post. </i></span></div>
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A quick mid-week dinner brought us to Coconut House, located on Elizabeth Street just north of the CBD. To make things more confusing, there are two Coconut Houses located a few stores apart. We went to the one furthest from the CBD.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcmVETUpkZna0zbvCOklT3G4hylBfjzFYtIq-90Xm_yb3GY6FtZwv-Dm8p-Db8QF6n9BWOKR2fY-QOt7AZ4kHRK-8PzxLwCOwBF9GMFSAh2sNzrBp9ikMvELmV5TCNfByxS60QEAbkeQ/s1600/IMG_20140107_192713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcmVETUpkZna0zbvCOklT3G4hylBfjzFYtIq-90Xm_yb3GY6FtZwv-Dm8p-Db8QF6n9BWOKR2fY-QOt7AZ4kHRK-8PzxLwCOwBF9GMFSAh2sNzrBp9ikMvELmV5TCNfByxS60QEAbkeQ/s640/IMG_20140107_192713.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3ExWiN6Ub0f-iJx6seqyClsp5NKlCaenriz_WpR85enm5zHxrBARAkU27hCN_7vktMdHZBNZPEIuWaVblbICnnIr4AI18PED3G9GyJH6Ds6ZamxvXrCcw5uK3gaqzBPHf51n2pVc_Bo/s640/IMG_20140107_193704.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">iced teh terik</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3ExWiN6Ub0f-iJx6seqyClsp5NKlCaenriz_WpR85enm5zHxrBARAkU27hCN_7vktMdHZBNZPEIuWaVblbICnnIr4AI18PED3G9GyJH6Ds6ZamxvXrCcw5uK3gaqzBPHf51n2pVc_Bo/s1600/IMG_20140107_193704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </div>
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Since my KL trip about a year ago, I've picked up an addiction for teh tarik. Traditional Malaysian 'pulled' tea. While nothing in Australia can match the superiority of the $1MYR a cup of teh tarik, this one did the job of satisfying my craving despite being a little too sweet (which was fine once the melting ice diluted it).. </div>
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I ordered the chicken rice. I mean, who could say no to a good Hainanese chicken rice? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TaaBOUeUrxIS3Vj4xtFRCTICyosXXOY4gY7NVDotzGo2z-Zsv7JIPwZi4ivWczagJbV1hutx4izOkzB9xamfRxo0Af0B3MSobAkQY-p6LWcaNTkgXG9Ku66DFtFRXxuJz_miLxVsMYY/s640/IMG_20140107_193633.jpg" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hainanese chicken rice w/ ginger garnish and pork ball soup</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TaaBOUeUrxIS3Vj4xtFRCTICyosXXOY4gY7NVDotzGo2z-Zsv7JIPwZi4ivWczagJbV1hutx4izOkzB9xamfRxo0Af0B3MSobAkQY-p6LWcaNTkgXG9Ku66DFtFRXxuJz_miLxVsMYY/s1600/IMG_20140107_193633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </div>
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Let's start with the rice. Plump with aromatic chicken-y goodness, I could eat just the rice on it's own. The chicken was tender and juicy but lacking a little in seasoning. The ginger garnish on top of the chicken made up for the under-seasoning - crisp and fresh with a nice gingery hit. The chilli sauce was average, a good spice level but not much substance.</div>
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My friend had the chicken curry and tom yum soup. No complaints.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQV6M362RHJU3SxgwOfgkEDrMAaXYn4fF4S6MYiplSxwYNuPd0Z11RSwnmWJirx71R1RaeYrg72SYoz6EE2TdCyd_es5iYELhYlHQAYDk9RRWaeKahKdrx0M85cg4tFUh1Y-0Hj5zwLw/s640/IMG_20140107_193602.jpg" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chicken curry w/ rice</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiurNuknEHVw_49-XXTnrvkgwB4jxSmCMZKmj_-Jh4HkSsvBwOw7A4ynFwZjoYdAoh10iWeWSWGSlSLX4zCKpRiKgBbo1JaFzD5MThRentg87ybMD6ZU-yPLB_Zq-bDjQZ97Z_QndI_Qo/s640/IMG_20140107_193807.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tom yum soup</td></tr>
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Prices are very good (around $10 for a main). Service is fast and efficient. Order and pay at the counter, the food arrives within minutes of ordering. Nothing fancy, just a good hearty meal on a relatively cool evening (and this is meant to be summer!)<br />
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<b>Overall Impression: 8/10</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiurNuknEHVw_49-XXTnrvkgwB4jxSmCMZKmj_-Jh4HkSsvBwOw7A4ynFwZjoYdAoh10iWeWSWGSlSLX4zCKpRiKgBbo1JaFzD5MThRentg87ybMD6ZU-yPLB_Zq-bDjQZ97Z_QndI_Qo/s1600/IMG_20140107_193807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1463234/restaurant/CBD/Coconut-House-Melbourne"><img alt="Coconut House on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1463234/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0449 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.808585000000008 144.96022600000003-63.330619500000012 103.65163200000003 -12.286550500000008 -173.73118tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-47387318763462260772013-12-06T23:34:00.001+11:002013-12-12T02:30:49.800+11:00Lunch with Karen Martini | Win a Dining Experience @ Mr Wolf<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b>Location:</b> 9–15 Inkerman Street, St Kilda 3182 </div>
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<b>Phone:</b> (03) 9534 0255 </div>
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<b>Link: </b><a href="http://www.mrwolf.com.au/">www.mrwolf.com.au</a></div>
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<b>Cuisine:</b> Italian</div>
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I don't usually venture out beyond the CBD much, but when <a href="http://gastro-logy.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/the-age-forever-curious-campaign-lunch.html">Gastrology</a> asked me to join her at a special lunch with celebrity chef Karen Martini, it had to be done.</div>
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What a treat! Now I could try to describe the experience, but nothing says it better than <a href="http://media.theage.com.au/food/good-food/the-age-forever-curious-reader-lunch-with-karen-martini-4972413.html">this nifty clip</a> put together by The Age.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">WIN A DINING EXPERIENCE @ MR WOLF or ONE of KAREN'S LATEST COOKBOOKS! </span></div>
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All you have to do is Re-tweet The Age's Tweet to the video and hashtag #forevercurious to go in the running to win a dining experience at Mr Wolf or a copy of Karen Martini’s latest cookbook Everyday:</div>
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What happens to <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23forevercurious&src=hash">#forevercurious</a> Age readers? RT this to win a $250 Mr Wolf dinner! <a href="http://t.co/i7DAAUqMu5">http://t.co/i7DAAUqMu5</a></div>
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— The Age (@theage) <a href="https://twitter.com/theage/statuses/407347228047835136">December 2, 2013</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3cQYGrRyWdxDeQi_gZxJeBHCHbm4-JHz1a8HJn919eI6ZkOCBC04G1cjNXjn9e9mJZ4VYKL_N8rrMxcgyX7LvEQoEPDgtqZrzZ4q_YWJprbdDW0rqVSQftHQ6vdSaWju-SC1zrQDu4k/s1600/IMG_6986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3cQYGrRyWdxDeQi_gZxJeBHCHbm4-JHz1a8HJn919eI6ZkOCBC04G1cjNXjn9e9mJZ4VYKL_N8rrMxcgyX7LvEQoEPDgtqZrzZ4q_YWJprbdDW0rqVSQftHQ6vdSaWju-SC1zrQDu4k/s320/IMG_6986.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCupYUB39ggWM4KZMcwbxsa0l9LA47jCHVeLbWOmGchHFWwg-GZW9vIh_4UTIvdRC8AAcCxoBEyP0ltm6TN0URe8ekSQGKIeCcHIaD88ppHo2PjZeEXNQbJbm9BNdXiVYZom9_rJ5e1U/s1600/IMG_6991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCupYUB39ggWM4KZMcwbxsa0l9LA47jCHVeLbWOmGchHFWwg-GZW9vIh_4UTIvdRC8AAcCxoBEyP0ltm6TN0URe8ekSQGKIeCcHIaD88ppHo2PjZeEXNQbJbm9BNdXiVYZom9_rJ5e1U/s200/IMG_6991.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDm4rGTH8SXsTvvXukCzzSROSx3c1aqa512rRNNfEaYv9KiXcg8-O93i5eoPJ-qcYQKlesfO8MSqibqVbdrHqCFCeXNNU33P5DPjNG4YitJyNAWtTt6G2sx7idstBrlKTlBQ-478OHwE/s1600/IMG_6993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDm4rGTH8SXsTvvXukCzzSROSx3c1aqa512rRNNfEaYv9KiXcg8-O93i5eoPJ-qcYQKlesfO8MSqibqVbdrHqCFCeXNNU33P5DPjNG4YitJyNAWtTt6G2sx7idstBrlKTlBQ-478OHwE/s200/IMG_6993.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">#forevercurious readers</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQLMhxuL7WdEWZHMr9ZSRLp8SHrNEh_kkwQRzTrB-sc6I57KOzIurhnhNiuYSUi4R6lfiwt4U-BfG6S-0XJRZlzA2q0Bdj7K4Kz_WOmKC9_ueXIlkD_i23LiP4msRpYcOpDiSrHaNcLQ/s1600/IMG_20131123_133211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQLMhxuL7WdEWZHMr9ZSRLp8SHrNEh_kkwQRzTrB-sc6I57KOzIurhnhNiuYSUi4R6lfiwt4U-BfG6S-0XJRZlzA2q0Bdj7K4Kz_WOmKC9_ueXIlkD_i23LiP4msRpYcOpDiSrHaNcLQ/s200/IMG_20131123_133211.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Let's take a closer look at the wonderful dishes prepared by Karen and introduced to us as we ate.</div>
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First up, the appetisers - fresh little bursts of intense flavour.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguopykogZq_tLp0eE9xfytBrLpSK5QTLSIxHwh7aJUnznpse0ibKEum6GKawuf-Wf5e9xpDCnjswn1CFtNAOjmfqdmtFBpwV5MqLbdTImJjw47MfXrQNKA94Dhc0yDpORxqJtPJMpyA0I/s1600/olives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguopykogZq_tLp0eE9xfytBrLpSK5QTLSIxHwh7aJUnznpse0ibKEum6GKawuf-Wf5e9xpDCnjswn1CFtNAOjmfqdmtFBpwV5MqLbdTImJjw47MfXrQNKA94Dhc0yDpORxqJtPJMpyA0I/s200/olives.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9IhwR6aYKO5b5XI-e6vOiK3EgmZ1zvfV5eMQxjLxbZ5WNyf4WBjXprHqWPm6jyiXk-M7Aavvt4MZpG5XRbZzLhkOl0w2T7CE14inQf74eeXFvRaW3SDP9IKzMo-w2KvebXG8p9Eu7OA/s1600/pickled+veg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9IhwR6aYKO5b5XI-e6vOiK3EgmZ1zvfV5eMQxjLxbZ5WNyf4WBjXprHqWPm6jyiXk-M7Aavvt4MZpG5XRbZzLhkOl0w2T7CE14inQf74eeXFvRaW3SDP9IKzMo-w2KvebXG8p9Eu7OA/s200/pickled+veg.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">marinated olives | pickled vegetables</span></div>
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Something warm..., </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7ioF8tek3Fz9mZHkqioXXqXZuWikYdZ0m3kn6ZiPLh6Cp-wfBHmMTaw_euSG8dfrQR7kIQMh_iQxPgUNmyldQOJz2hw9PjMjQeV4gA87BJiiATJl2uWSGk7_VnesVgnqsDj9Civu2Qw/s1600/calamari+fritto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7ioF8tek3Fz9mZHkqioXXqXZuWikYdZ0m3kn6ZiPLh6Cp-wfBHmMTaw_euSG8dfrQR7kIQMh_iQxPgUNmyldQOJz2hw9PjMjQeV4gA87BJiiATJl2uWSGk7_VnesVgnqsDj9Civu2Qw/s200/calamari+fritto.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtffmnXHNPRsFHP3GTMOarmMWpBZ7Oic95RgMFSZt7FWcUG26xMgGd3Pr1-Le1gT1Ss44VxK0CqsoAJK3bURcOdBVTfYSgg4Cr_mw3BmtKfWks5znJRFJiuZbgHOT6I8gTS5BId16OXI/s1600/stuffed+peppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtffmnXHNPRsFHP3GTMOarmMWpBZ7Oic95RgMFSZt7FWcUG26xMgGd3Pr1-Le1gT1Ss44VxK0CqsoAJK3bURcOdBVTfYSgg4Cr_mw3BmtKfWks5znJRFJiuZbgHOT6I8gTS5BId16OXI/s200/stuffed+peppers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">calamari fritto | stuffed peppers w/ goats cheese, walnuts and cumin</span></td></tr>
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The calamari was tender on the inside and the batter was light and crispy. This was contrasted with the warmth from the stuffed peppers with a creamy cheesy stuffing interspersed with crunchy walnuts.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2Bb5FVKAlXmdrAO9ozzc6oa4G34I6ZhGHCoo95c9MzA-oH9NzKcov_G07ONs_KsWrikcNV0zqqzMGPx4-F-lRKcfEYVQFntTpiY8TZiImd6SW38dfNTrSlbY2zCVHVes-bq8FEDU2so/s1600/prosciutto+broad+beans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2Bb5FVKAlXmdrAO9ozzc6oa4G34I6ZhGHCoo95c9MzA-oH9NzKcov_G07ONs_KsWrikcNV0zqqzMGPx4-F-lRKcfEYVQFntTpiY8TZiImd6SW38dfNTrSlbY2zCVHVes-bq8FEDU2so/s320/prosciutto+broad+beans.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">prosciutto w/ smashed broad beans, rocket, mint, ricotta</span></td></tr>
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My favourite dish of the day. Salty cured prosciutto draped across a platter of smashed broad beans, rocket, mint and creamy ricotta cheese. Such an amazing combination of flavours and textures!</div>
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Next course: Mr Wolf's famous pizza!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfERyrwEAULUP77S8owwBfpAnqUEq0A-vJqT0DBn9D1Da6pHPkXuR6q6-kKmTvqPrvjfO3-5NdGdx7PP7LFIIv3nGbQuXD2U13wbbhuZKLNPsQxpc5kUblgEru_oRqeqWeVOO8EGdvj4/s1600/margherita+pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfERyrwEAULUP77S8owwBfpAnqUEq0A-vJqT0DBn9D1Da6pHPkXuR6q6-kKmTvqPrvjfO3-5NdGdx7PP7LFIIv3nGbQuXD2U13wbbhuZKLNPsQxpc5kUblgEru_oRqeqWeVOO8EGdvj4/s200/margherita+pizza.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40UgvPjEek80KF0-awy5dW9U-go1oWZ5KFBgEU62k3oNZulw2WkSMnv7dqnumCXG9EwKuYvdzCx10BkhrXWqliTqGM6XtzaVwVfOReTUgdZ94s4CQz88Pe4l_RzDBKS-8bYvKqdYy6L4/s1600/pancetta+pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40UgvPjEek80KF0-awy5dW9U-go1oWZ5KFBgEU62k3oNZulw2WkSMnv7dqnumCXG9EwKuYvdzCx10BkhrXWqliTqGM6XtzaVwVfOReTUgdZ94s4CQz88Pe4l_RzDBKS-8bYvKqdYy6L4/s200/pancetta+pizza.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Zunji2E-MlcbyO6IkE32knCwEsOu_4oVOvRPY-ajfYMlHGEgbFJD66f9QufBTs97zlX99sLEHserLq-iWWVPbHibhk7Wh3EUSO4oXG5Taq23HAdPGc-QjH1PHmMOvdu4hOjN-yhLZYY/s1600/IMG_20131123_143413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Zunji2E-MlcbyO6IkE32knCwEsOu_4oVOvRPY-ajfYMlHGEgbFJD66f9QufBTs97zlX99sLEHserLq-iWWVPbHibhk7Wh3EUSO4oXG5Taq23HAdPGc-QjH1PHmMOvdu4hOjN-yhLZYY/s200/IMG_20131123_143413.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Thin and crispy base, fresh toppings, perfectly balanced flavours. Some of the best pizza in town.<br />
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Just when we thought the meal was over, out came the main event - slow cooked lamb with horta.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfrsQX5GJPXYI1GNE3arllPOCdtbei6a9iZoJvgCkgnm4Zw2oRgi95bD8VEhRITG13NEiV5FvujdHDuKsL1f33bGedcevN9yebYnFz-EiDlYq41qLFc1_aFvGWQwO0yYvaSQINj52Kz4/s1600/IMG_20131123_150456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfrsQX5GJPXYI1GNE3arllPOCdtbei6a9iZoJvgCkgnm4Zw2oRgi95bD8VEhRITG13NEiV5FvujdHDuKsL1f33bGedcevN9yebYnFz-EiDlYq41qLFc1_aFvGWQwO0yYvaSQINj52Kz4/s200/IMG_20131123_150456.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRbnYsf8ojr6_mW0O_1sSgDUha1vgrTu_WaHBPrYn1kg577DNj1fhnghR7wLJBRlMemRv0NKfqzK9m1ZoCBFt5k8V6awSgm9jvtDtM4j5exw5SlYHOE-2_7HgN3ygdHm6uz00r5xbPbA/s1600/IMG_20131123_150525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRbnYsf8ojr6_mW0O_1sSgDUha1vgrTu_WaHBPrYn1kg577DNj1fhnghR7wLJBRlMemRv0NKfqzK9m1ZoCBFt5k8V6awSgm9jvtDtM4j5exw5SlYHOE-2_7HgN3ygdHm6uz00r5xbPbA/s200/IMG_20131123_150525.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">slow cooked lamb shoulder w/ garlic yoghurt | horta</span></div>
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Just look at that lamb! You could smell the smokey aromas as Karen carved up meat and served the table. Slow cooked for hours, the lamb was tender and juicy that just fell apart with a slight touch of the fork. The garlic yoghurt it was served with really hit the spot with a strong bite and creamy texture. This was accompanied by a side called 'horta' - blanched greens, dressed in olive oil, mixed with barley and topped off with barley and toasted almonds. Packed full of flavour and refreshingly cleansing.</div>
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And then everyone's favourite course - dessert!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKi2iMCNekuecB8vn9cKOvAuEi-OI2K94CoyS_Q_JGpaKw69vLawA9IrQ0Ktfb8N0anWtN4sWpEfbMBNJtlFhZLhh7wv9uc-ffY2shHIYGvOiNdnP_qq68hmSM4Yf1MjIHSkEEVGtFoNw/s1600/IMG_20131123_160429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKi2iMCNekuecB8vn9cKOvAuEi-OI2K94CoyS_Q_JGpaKw69vLawA9IrQ0Ktfb8N0anWtN4sWpEfbMBNJtlFhZLhh7wv9uc-ffY2shHIYGvOiNdnP_qq68hmSM4Yf1MjIHSkEEVGtFoNw/s320/IMG_20131123_160429.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">zabaglione w/ blood orange, candied orange</td></tr>
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After all that food, I was glad the dessert was fresh and fruity. The zabaglione looked rich, but it was actually light and airy. Beautifully smooth and not too sweet, which was perfect when topped with a sweet and sticky syrup and fresh orange segments. The candied slice of orange had just that perfect mix of 'snap' and chewiness.</div>
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Overall, it was a very pleasant (and filling) dining experience. All hosted downstairs in Mr Wolf's private dining room. A perfect place for small functions and special occasions.</div>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761324/restaurant/Melbourne/Mr-Wolf-St-Kilda"><img alt="Mr Wolf on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/761324/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com09/15 Inkerman Street, St Kilda VIC 3182, Australia-37.8641898 144.9823576-63.386224299999995 103.6737636 -12.342155299999998 -173.70904840000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-53952184571907188782013-11-17T22:08:00.003+11:002013-11-17T22:08:26.807+11:00The Grain Store<b>Location:</b> 517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne<br />
<b>Phone:</b> 03 9972 6993<br />
<b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.grainstore.com.au/">www.grainstore.com.au</a><br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Breakfast, Coffee, Modern Australian<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I rarely go to the same place twice, let alone three times in one fortnight. But then I discovered a breakfast / coffee place that's got a menu that is different enough that I still want to go back and try more.</span><br />
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The Grain Store sounds like it might be just another cafe. When you walk past, it certainly doesn't look any different. Inside is kind of mod-Aus. It has that casual ambiance but reminds a little of Cumulus Inc.</div>
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But it's the menu that catches my attention.</div>
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On my first visit, I order the orange cured salmon with fried poached egg and truffle creme fraiche. It's a mouthful to say but it certainly hits the spot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5eRmjbIY2CaIZa5vnALhIQ7Qe6SUoRpiFS2YlYkMFCn8sQGXPxzPzw0X7HSXwDeWBW7iDFJu3py7fY0vfG22o7U1NFzFEPUToBMC4sYeSd2LK9aauwoGw2eD6QndXFLmiPXnKqQWbuw/s1600/1378899361916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5eRmjbIY2CaIZa5vnALhIQ7Qe6SUoRpiFS2YlYkMFCn8sQGXPxzPzw0X7HSXwDeWBW7iDFJu3py7fY0vfG22o7U1NFzFEPUToBMC4sYeSd2LK9aauwoGw2eD6QndXFLmiPXnKqQWbuw/s400/1378899361916.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Slices of citrusy salmon is curled up and nestled in amongst a bed of green leaves. A cracker thin slice of toast is propped up between a gorgeous golden fried poached egg and a quinelle of that truffle creme fraiche.</div>
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Yes, you read right. Fried poached egg. Soft runny poached egg with a crunchy coating. I poke a hole in into it and the yolk is still gooey and runny as eggs should be.</div>
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The dish is a wonderful balance of flavours and textures. I would only suggest cutting back on the salad. It's a breakfast dish and the greens seem to clutter it a bit.</div>
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On my second visit, I go for the portobello mushrooms with potato rosti and poached egg.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIhcLnwfNQtzT9T4y9zESPi1VUvyr2ZxQmqaeysQ4cIHdkoZ1klB5cT2Fx7yBJtjEhAz01zyJ4KJSTff1DeVcLzmYr_XXygYyzq8B_Hq0xAojF8n7MtFlTQ6dS2NkZq_AqS1jME8us2M/s1600/PhotoGrid_1379516343889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIhcLnwfNQtzT9T4y9zESPi1VUvyr2ZxQmqaeysQ4cIHdkoZ1klB5cT2Fx7yBJtjEhAz01zyJ4KJSTff1DeVcLzmYr_XXygYyzq8B_Hq0xAojF8n7MtFlTQ6dS2NkZq_AqS1jME8us2M/s400/PhotoGrid_1379516343889.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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No fried poached egg this time. But the egg is again gooey and runny. The mushrooms has an intense earthy aroma with an,almost sweet undertone. The rosti is potato-cake-y and not too heavy.</div>
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Third time around its just coffee but the mocha is good each time. I need to remember to stir it first, because I keep getting to the bottom and finding lots of excess melted chocolate - a sign of a good mocha.</div>
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The service is a little slow at times, and the food and coffee tends to come out at different times for the same table. The waiters are generally pleasant and friendly although in the middle of the peak morning buzz, there seems to be a crowd of people at the counter waiting for takeaway which causes confusion when trying to get the bill.</div>
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<b>Overall Impression:</b> 9/10</div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1744696/restaurant/CBD/The-Grain-Store-Melbourne"><img alt="The Grain Store on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1744696/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.819482 144.95688599999994-63.3415165 103.64829199999994 -12.2974475 -173.73452000000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-31818015340770425132013-08-25T23:52:00.003+10:002014-03-06T23:17:49.800+11:00Cumulus Up<b>Location:</b> 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne<br />
<b>Phone:</b> (03) 9650 1445 <br />
<b>Link:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_805973768"> </a></b><a href="http://cumulusinc.com.au/up/">cumulusinc.com.au/up/</a><br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Wine Bar, European<br />
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Cumulus Up is a wine bar upstairs at <a href="http://gluttonygluttony.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/cumulus-inc.html">Cumulus Inc</a>. Like its downstairs counterpart, the place is cosy and classy, and packed. But unlike Cumulus Inc, it's much easier to get a table at Cumulus Up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1S6GKkslPrp1SaplshET5KJGFOKJl07pEvpmZhqkMSg3TX7x6qNQ4w8uu0vJsWUcESGwQgeRGu9nDu1Y5mUQPTBezQQ7oINalQCMAbscry8Sce998-oCSqKeDAqy_fjBOxGE7qkvrBo/s1600/IMG_20130822_185534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1S6GKkslPrp1SaplshET5KJGFOKJl07pEvpmZhqkMSg3TX7x6qNQ4w8uu0vJsWUcESGwQgeRGu9nDu1Y5mUQPTBezQQ7oINalQCMAbscry8Sce998-oCSqKeDAqy_fjBOxGE7qkvrBo/s320/IMG_20130822_185534.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The menu is smaller, but the food is just as good. We were served by a very polite and friendly waiter who was more than happy to run us though the menu and outline the specials for the evening. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP_dMRVVeD5jpn8i6zjcRoxEt1qxUy-KPBxUBBQ8qr7VhiGKyTZ40w4P4za8Hcj2L53KBmLYtvAp6RzBj6_EasdUn1935XsmJqikwKEzdcMG22P3ACePKxwihy7LYpcyazPk3u5vWkL8/s1600/IMG_20130822_190041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP_dMRVVeD5jpn8i6zjcRoxEt1qxUy-KPBxUBBQ8qr7VhiGKyTZ40w4P4za8Hcj2L53KBmLYtvAp6RzBj6_EasdUn1935XsmJqikwKEzdcMG22P3ACePKxwihy7LYpcyazPk3u5vWkL8/s320/IMG_20130822_190041.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">First up, complimentary sourdough and butter.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ0Gw9nn8FPWepd_0UoaHKrVD1ST7ePb8nQiuObHfJvSD3lILboZfsGjVUxYipjO0A2ecgF_GxhKcQcU9BLmht8F-WeByb6f23hh70ya9dGPNw-fferbgYnWWgWzEv3x5lYIs4Am1-qM/s1600/IMG_20130822_190546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJ0Gw9nn8FPWepd_0UoaHKrVD1ST7ePb8nQiuObHfJvSD3lILboZfsGjVUxYipjO0A2ecgF_GxhKcQcU9BLmht8F-WeByb6f23hh70ya9dGPNw-fferbgYnWWgWzEv3x5lYIs4Am1-qM/s320/IMG_20130822_190546.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">black ham, gherkin, pickled watermelon rind</td></tr>
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Charcuterie has always been a big favourite of mine, so I was a little disappointed to find an obvious lack of it on the Cumulus Up menu (particularly given the downstair's menu has a good selection of it). The one that caught my eye was the shaved black ham. Whilst the ham was pretty ordinary - nicely cured but lacking the complexity of flavour found in, say, prosciutto - the ham with the gherkin and pickled watermelon rind made for a delightful combination.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX4d4VXi_fl57Ms_44kSsn_9GNLqDy327EIJIccLcJDyIuU8S0WLfh1BCqDjMqpgWXewcLo_CDs3frG_sTXGmcipu1P2avv0sLExwmObxn97anHZtac9_iuGDHXOJ9vUcs3Ob6nCUTjQ/s1600/IMG_20130822_190621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX4d4VXi_fl57Ms_44kSsn_9GNLqDy327EIJIccLcJDyIuU8S0WLfh1BCqDjMqpgWXewcLo_CDs3frG_sTXGmcipu1P2avv0sLExwmObxn97anHZtac9_iuGDHXOJ9vUcs3Ob6nCUTjQ/s320/IMG_20130822_190621.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">braised lamb ribs</td></tr>
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One of the specials for the night. The lamb ribs were fall-off-the-bone-tender, smothered in a creamy, slightly tangy sauce. The ribs were well seasoned with spices and had a warm smokey aroma. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUgtlHN-QykLDNpi47A5dV6TzxMYIQUdNhqC7Fgx1E4vZtGeHD3ucwVuupyiHr6AWqUBHX6Vu-Vqp_eIA_jVyGHK7a5OzLn9bMmnTuxyj-r7f1bojtqhMlMADMy6yNajM0fKEQLZYgJk/s1600/IMG_20130822_190957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUgtlHN-QykLDNpi47A5dV6TzxMYIQUdNhqC7Fgx1E4vZtGeHD3ucwVuupyiHr6AWqUBHX6Vu-Vqp_eIA_jVyGHK7a5OzLn9bMmnTuxyj-r7f1bojtqhMlMADMy6yNajM0fKEQLZYgJk/s320/IMG_20130822_190957.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">confit duck waffle with foie gras and prune paste</td></tr>
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Hands down our dish of the night. A fluffy waffle with a slightly crispy base with pieces of confit duck suspended in the batter, creamy rich fois gras and a sweet prune paste. A perfect combination of flavours and textures.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yhy8afykhvMxxPVVnHbAkShZxZvPRvhKpk2fLbnTWJsbrbcS7kSqmAUegh7CIxn4oMH33AGPPa-PH9_Dedz2lEFYu0Rioekd4EMQtK7OqTulg4_ZKoHkQy_mwb_u1Er5CWJmuBO1OCQ/s1600/IMG_20130822_191627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yhy8afykhvMxxPVVnHbAkShZxZvPRvhKpk2fLbnTWJsbrbcS7kSqmAUegh7CIxn4oMH33AGPPa-PH9_Dedz2lEFYu0Rioekd4EMQtK7OqTulg4_ZKoHkQy_mwb_u1Er5CWJmuBO1OCQ/s320/IMG_20130822_191627.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">quail with walnut cream</td></tr>
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Tender juicy quail with crispy skin sitting on a bed of walnut cream and a slightly bitter leaves. The quail was nicely cooked, and the walnut cream was smooth, creamy, and as expected, had a nice nutty flavour.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhbeWGnuQnJcOUHROBC_TShgByzj4Vry9kkBGjEmCClTdTFperlVrOaSP_FLAg3DYQ7LXKN5AuMoq9G2Swqkmm9fl38hMs-xopa1WLwVMF5jvjdQH-QRItGATHJW3-A8G4kffBUctczs/s1600/IMG_20130822_200438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhbeWGnuQnJcOUHROBC_TShgByzj4Vry9kkBGjEmCClTdTFperlVrOaSP_FLAg3DYQ7LXKN5AuMoq9G2Swqkmm9fl38hMs-xopa1WLwVMF5jvjdQH-QRItGATHJW3-A8G4kffBUctczs/s320/IMG_20130822_200438.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">profiteroles, ice cream, dark chocolate sauce</td></tr>
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For dessert, we opted for the profiteroles. The choux pastry was a little crispier than expected, but it worked really well with the giant scoop of ice-cream sandwiched inside. Topped off with the dark chocolate sauce that was poured over them at the table, and in which we coated every last piece of profiterole and ice-cream, the dessert was a nice sweet finish to the meal.</div>
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<b>Overall Impression: 8.5/10</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1734251/restaurant/CBD/Cumulus-Up-Melbourne"><img alt="Cumulus Up on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1734251/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com145 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia-37.814739200000012 144.97306070000002-37.814739200000012 144.97306070000002 -37.814739200000012 144.97306070000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-78690938353910564032013-08-21T21:57:00.000+10:002013-08-25T22:10:41.436+10:00Luna 1878 Winter Night Market<b>Location:</b> Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Night Market<br />
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Every Wednesday night throughout July and August, the Queen Vic Market has been hosting a winter night market. Much like the Suzuki Night Markets of summer, the market is set up with food stalls and the occasional goods stand.</div>
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Compared to summer, there are less stalls, but less is more when the food hits a whole new standard.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGbi91yocOiBnn2E6Ei3Ra1bNtmwyRVtjWoOM-idLU4V_od6v0oYwAqX0kHAl25PlmlvD_JYQhwnHodQmPgs1JHnCGB0Hdkp4AY0DSfTA55H6QrOwKUyQ1rnBZJOLM5roSJXX_fgF9Yg/s1600/Luna+1878+Winter+Night+Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGbi91yocOiBnn2E6Ei3Ra1bNtmwyRVtjWoOM-idLU4V_od6v0oYwAqX0kHAl25PlmlvD_JYQhwnHodQmPgs1JHnCGB0Hdkp4AY0DSfTA55H6QrOwKUyQ1rnBZJOLM5roSJXX_fgF9Yg/s400/Luna+1878+Winter+Night+Market.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top left: boy pinoy skewers, meatballs on fries, <br />
bigne, steak sandwich, bread bread and more bread, cocktails, wings</td></tr>
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Highlights were the fried chicken wings in honey soy sauce and the pork belly skewer from boy pinoy. The wings tasted especially good with the ranch dressing although the chips it came with were pretty ordinary. The skewers were perfect and well worth the extremely long wait in a smoky queue. Tender, flavoursome and as expected, very very smoky. </div>
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Another highlight was the meatballs on fries. Juicy beef meatballs sitting atop a bed of fries which were well seasoned with spices. The balls were coated in a rich tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. A perfect winter warmer.</div>
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The only real let down was the steak sandwich. Pretty ordinary, and the most expensive of all the dishes at $11 each. </div>
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For dessert, we opted for the bigne from the Italian dessert stand - nice profiteroles filled with cream and then topped with a chocolate sauce. A nice sweet finish to the night, although it was a very rich dessert.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Queen Victoria Market, 155 Victoria Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051, Australia-37.8060508 144.95648660000006-63.3280853 103.64789260000006 -12.284016300000001 -173.73491939999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-6433437521940197272013-08-11T22:48:00.000+10:002013-08-25T23:04:25.851+10:00Orient East - Chef's Table Brekkie Smackdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Location:</b> 348 St Kilda Road, Melbourne<br />
<b>Phone: </b>(03) 9685 2900<br />
<span class="paratextBOLD"></span><b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.orienteast.com.au/">www.orienteast.com.au</a><br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Malaya, breakfast<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgObFWZF2waB38O1sNlq1ZCMeGEqEejHir9wuMCD8G07zc696SZU5VNHIHHIRqYmLp4vUVVXyjbrymXOaHTuNoKiwjHTejFX9StkxvNDJGAyTMuttczoLFXN6IgdNSeGk1nudseVrA3OX8/s1600/IMG_20130810_105352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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Back in Melbourne and a good return to the foodie scene. H managed to secure us a table at Orient East's Chef's table 'brekkie smackdown'. Essentially, this involved the restaurant serving us a series of breakfast dishes and the people's favourite dish would make it onto the permanent menu.</div>
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The setup is clean and modern, with bold colours and little decorations that remind you of Asia.</div>
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The theme seemed to be taking a famous or traditional dish from various Asian countries, and modernising them into breakfast dishes. And so that made up our seven course breakfast.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98oWi9SQEMur1zQtEHco7N29ACvloHxUAF_Rdzkyweqvkinm5t3Na9YVI7iJp83pc3K4dOuARY7sxjGvIofZeHrXtINLNbFceimnHQ6l1HMg_pZpO9GGqwOiGtItoXiXejJ_np2Foaqk/s1600/IMG_20130810_112312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98oWi9SQEMur1zQtEHco7N29ACvloHxUAF_Rdzkyweqvkinm5t3Na9YVI7iJp83pc3K4dOuARY7sxjGvIofZeHrXtINLNbFceimnHQ6l1HMg_pZpO9GGqwOiGtItoXiXejJ_np2Foaqk/s320/IMG_20130810_112312.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jian Bing crepe, eggs, pork floss, crunchy Chinese donut, hoisin sauce</td></tr>
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First up is the jian bing. The waitress tells us that this dish is already on their menu, but they wanted us to try it. And it was definitely a hit. A nice modern play on the traditional Chinese crepe which is usually rolled up and filled with meat floss. The flavours balanced nicely, with the dry semi salty semi sweet meat floss, sweet hoisin, smooth creamy egg and fresh coriander on top of a thin crepe. Torn up Chinese donut completed the dish with a nice crunch.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObUNr8fABU2LYVbhfF3HkVL0CVifF0q1Xukx4SpaYAa3V96wMo1VwQ2ajPMRWqGsyTDbZLieE5R2VAW8ga9qYF3m5GaJCEpEGXnqvGd5wmFVD2CTPtHKF079ABfcyz4YvMaR_FBDfYtE/s1600/IMG_20130810_112320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObUNr8fABU2LYVbhfF3HkVL0CVifF0q1Xukx4SpaYAa3V96wMo1VwQ2ajPMRWqGsyTDbZLieE5R2VAW8ga9qYF3m5GaJCEpEGXnqvGd5wmFVD2CTPtHKF079ABfcyz4YvMaR_FBDfYtE/s320/IMG_20130810_112320.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">roti telur rolled with egg, lup cheong, chilli and spring onion</td></tr>
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Course #2 was a Malaysian dish. Thin roti filled with egg, Chinese sausage, chilli and spring onion and rolled up like a crepe. A good balance of sweet and savoury, and the roti was nice and springy. The only thing it was missing was some sauce to go with it, perhaps a sweet chilli or a sambal.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">banh cuon pourover - pork, shrimp, mushroom, cucumber rice roll</td></tr>
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Probably our least favourite dish. This was a play on a Vietnamese rice noodle roll. The filling was mostly mince, which was a little bland. The general idea was good, but it just lacked seasoning. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJzAp-uWZ-77U2ALOQ4uE9g74_Og_etIb0mTblMGPUtV4Z8POtElno7adytIl95yw8hxHALHswsmSnz-cUKMZmSKuCc-sfke982QD_0LrUUlJYx1KSN_B2O5t-cl1Ls0NrmrE7iuje5s/s1600/IMG_20130810_114134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJzAp-uWZ-77U2ALOQ4uE9g74_Og_etIb0mTblMGPUtV4Z8POtElno7adytIl95yw8hxHALHswsmSnz-cUKMZmSKuCc-sfke982QD_0LrUUlJYx1KSN_B2O5t-cl1Ls0NrmrE7iuje5s/s320/IMG_20130810_114134.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcrOgjzyGOLr1KmcbAXii7ZYU6HEIq1BnniOYpSx0K1pNKWteBVq0F7N5ZYFTbxovQTGQFFcjy4c_L9qTAbkg4-IhZlcUNbejPE5uSsxUCeB2o8gvfLyX-RpymaPE8z8Rv4zWQyNn6lQ/s1600/IMG_20130810_114144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcrOgjzyGOLr1KmcbAXii7ZYU6HEIq1BnniOYpSx0K1pNKWteBVq0F7N5ZYFTbxovQTGQFFcjy4c_L9qTAbkg4-IhZlcUNbejPE5uSsxUCeB2o8gvfLyX-RpymaPE8z8Rv4zWQyNn6lQ/s320/IMG_20130810_114144.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">62 degree egg Samapan Congee, Schnapper cheeks, Chinese doughnut, ginger, spring onion, seasoned crispy flakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This next course was a Cantonese classic - sampan congee. A dish often found in Hong Kong cafes and 'cha chan tangs'. A generous bowl of congee with slices of snapper, ginger and spring onion and topped with a 62 degree egg. Served alongside the congee was a bowl of Chinese doughnut (you tiao) and what we nicknamed 'cereal' (mostly because it tasted a little like corn flakes). We found the congee a little bland so we asked for some soy sauce. The much needed soy really lifted the dish. A perfect winter breakfast.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsO-HAcehurCZt8vWMmZxVYgR-HR6CX0FfPlBbexH3PXCLFT3MACuEgH-fUPIzy7YBP2JGHd1VLypr23r_oLAjj4wUuvO7l4OsQevyWF9i1NZX9Crv2ma_HiBgvEn-AdwTRaUb89zlvvU/s1600/IMG_20130810_115551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsO-HAcehurCZt8vWMmZxVYgR-HR6CX0FfPlBbexH3PXCLFT3MACuEgH-fUPIzy7YBP2JGHd1VLypr23r_oLAjj4wUuvO7l4OsQevyWF9i1NZX9Crv2ma_HiBgvEn-AdwTRaUb89zlvvU/s320/IMG_20130810_115551.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mod Nasi Lemak - cocnut rice, sardine sambal, crunchy sardine frame ikan bilis, achar and fried egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another play on a traditional Malaysian dish that worked really well. The coconut rice was sweet and aromatic. The sardines were surprisingly crunchy that you could eat the whole thing head to tail. The achar added a nice sour tang to the dish. By this point I was starting to get a little sick of the egg, but looking at this dish in isolation, the egg added a nice creamy texture to the dish. The one thing this lacked was a sambal sauce that could be served on the side. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AJNoDHKaDuYwXYclVWnyJZRJ4zPBz1h2Bc9vLrHR-f6Jfzmz6UPqctdkrclZkNVJwURodnV2fLnoJ-mf7XGARwtDc5NvmzGSV6Qv3tc6_5JOE8THgQs8IcDAJMLQYa3ZQh-aH0jewIE/s1600/IMG_20130810_120226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AJNoDHKaDuYwXYclVWnyJZRJ4zPBz1h2Bc9vLrHR-f6Jfzmz6UPqctdkrclZkNVJwURodnV2fLnoJ-mf7XGARwtDc5NvmzGSV6Qv3tc6_5JOE8THgQs8IcDAJMLQYa3ZQh-aH0jewIE/s320/IMG_20130810_120226.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">super-phat chunky pandan Kaya Toast with coddled eggs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Another hit with the table, and apparently with the other diners too, as later that afternoon, Orient East announced that this was the dish that made it to the permanent menu. And why not? Two thick slices of toast were smothered in creamy sweet kaya butter and grilled, then topped with (another) egg.</div>
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$15 a head for seven courses of delicious breakfast - well worth waking up early for!</div>
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<b>Overall Impression: 9/10</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1706159/restaurant/South-Melbourne/Orient-East-Melbourne"><img alt="Orient East on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1706159/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0348 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia-37.830966 144.97043499999995-63.353000499999993 103.66184099999995 -12.308931499999996 -173.72097100000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-43343974711049269732013-05-06T00:39:00.004+10:002013-05-06T00:39:51.466+10:00Brodburger<b>Location:</b> 11 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston ACT (next to the Old Bus Depot Markets)<br />
<b>Phone:</b> 0424 635 824<br />
<b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.brodburger.com.au/">www.brodburger.com.au</a><br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Burgers<br />
<br />
I will probably be flame-grilled by local Canberrans for this post.<br />
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For most, Brodburger is <i style="font-weight: bold;">the </i>burger joint of Canberra. It's a tourist must-see, a late night craving satisfy-er and apparently the best burgers in town.<br />
<br />
Wrong.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, the burgers do taste pretty good and are jam-packed with delicious fillings. But to be frank, the burgers are expensive, overrated and after all that, you still have to wait at least 30 minutes (on a good day) for your food. (By which time, anything would taste good!)<br />
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The first time I went, Brodburger was still a van in a park. The burger was delicious, but that was relative to the hour wait in the cold and dark.<br />
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My more recent visit was well after they had moved into the old glassworks building at the OBDM. You'd expect that perhaps now having a proper functioning kitchen, they would make the burgers faster. Wrong. The burgers still took almost an hour to come out.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZYRc3MGYkUTB4UcWTlhqvtdd-v82qlZLqhgg8_JYRZhdPafoA9fUH9jU4jahzZ-ipf80A_sdVbIAILQUAenwo8Ot1zdN-rCIg4EKcoIo2_hcqmdJNnjjGY-4i-LM91m6WJXUciFsheI/s1600/IMG_20130410_191115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZYRc3MGYkUTB4UcWTlhqvtdd-v82qlZLqhgg8_JYRZhdPafoA9fUH9jU4jahzZ-ipf80A_sdVbIAILQUAenwo8Ot1zdN-rCIg4EKcoIo2_hcqmdJNnjjGY-4i-LM91m6WJXUciFsheI/s320/IMG_20130410_191115.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Brodchicken - succulent butterflied Chicken breast, flame grilled. <br />Topped with bacon, avocado, fresh lettuce, tomatoes & <br />Spanish onions. Includes homemade aioli & tomato relish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A Brodchicken costs $14.50. Add another $2.50 for chips and with a drink you're looking at close to $20. The burgers are good, but when you compare them to the <a href="http://gluttonygluttony.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/london.html">London</a>, Grill'd and the newly opened <a href="http://gluttonygluttony.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/shortys-canberra.html">Shorty's</a>, the burgers at Brodburger just aren't worth the price or the wait.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Overall Impression: 5.5/10</b><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/344/1584216/restaurant/ACT/Canberra/Brodburger-Flame-Grilled-Burgers-Kingston"><img alt="Brodburger - Flame Grilled Burgers on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1584216/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com311 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston ACT 2604, Australia-35.311692 149.144764-60.8337265 107.83617000000001 -9.7896575 -169.54664200000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-6095614915090994622013-05-05T23:58:00.002+10:002013-05-05T23:59:50.156+10:00Pok Pok<b>Location:</b> 801-803 Bourke Street, Docklands VIC 3008<br />
<b>Phone:</b> (03) 9620 4580<br />
<b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/POKPOKMELB/info">www.facebook.com/POKPOKMELB/info</a><br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Thai<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pok Pok isn't the kind of restaurant you'd expect to find in the Docklands. It's nothing like the restaurants over on the New Quay side, and more like something you'd find nestled down in Flinders Lane in the CBD. It's got the vibe of Chin Chin, Mamasita and Cumulus Inc rolled into one.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/cities/71-melbourne/restaurants/1688565-pok-pok/menu">menu</a> is extensive, ranging from curries to noodle and rice dishes to more traditional street food. Lots of dishes jump out at me, but fellow bloggers have raved about the lamb curry, so my decision was pretty easy. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClc9Jjs1GSrWhHhPmwk2PKB8PLEdk2fFDIt3dU5mO3bJaG81o2KgtQgNAqr7ZiYHZCO2pD63h-HP-48chE0Iwk_gGJ6T4w_V9e3I_14wi7A5uqt5oGjBzHsK7KOZogQXT7u_p1Io9eVU/s1600/PhotoGrid_1366786569312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClc9Jjs1GSrWhHhPmwk2PKB8PLEdk2fFDIt3dU5mO3bJaG81o2KgtQgNAqr7ZiYHZCO2pD63h-HP-48chE0Iwk_gGJ6T4w_V9e3I_14wi7A5uqt5oGjBzHsK7KOZogQXT7u_p1Io9eVU/s320/PhotoGrid_1366786569312.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">massaman lamb curry with crisp roti bread - massaman curry of slow cooked <br />
lamb shank, waxy potatoes, onion, fried shallots and crunchy cashew nuts <br />
served with freshly cooked roti bread</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unlike your typical curry, this was a slow cooked curried lamb shank. The meat was tender and flavoursome, and the meat <i>almost</i> fell off the bone - it possibly could have done with just that little bit more cooking. The massaman itself was mild and creamy, the chunks of potatoes were cooked perfectly and the fried shallots and cashews added a nice texture to the dish. </div>
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The roti looked pretty good, although I was skeptical as to why it was served rolled up. It lacked the crispiness (explains how it was roll-able) and smokiness I had hoped for - not the best I've had.</div>
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That said, for a meal that costs less than $15, I have no complaints. If you happen to be out Docklands-way and after a quick cheap lunch deal, Pok Pok is the place to go. And there's plenty more things on the menu I still need to try.</div>
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<b><b style="text-align: start;">Overall Impression: 7.5/10</b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1688565/restaurant/Melbourne/Pok-Pok-Docklands"><img alt="Pok Pok on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1688565/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0801 Bourke Street, Docklands VIC 3008, Australia-37.820012 144.94563700000003-63.342046499999995 103.63704300000003 -12.297977499999998 -173.745769tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-14944896468041182482013-05-05T19:07:00.003+10:002013-05-05T19:07:40.207+10:00Sanur's Balinese Restaurant<b>Location:</b> 1/114 Emu Bank, Belconnen, Canberra 2617<br />
<b>Phone:</b> (02) 6162 1688<br />
<b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.sanurs.com.au/">www.sanurs.com.au</a><br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Balinese<br />
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Finally made the trek out to Belco last night to try out Sanur's Balinese Restaurant. It's been on the list for some time now, but it was worth the wait. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjTBAdvZDvqLzEdkhL5ZL-rC1T6EtmJwWckP9euIticXV_jaeOoa4v12V9b20zP98bm3zcmkjyfzbNqQDF5ogtkgZZayDMiWpF07l7x3q1U6GR-nAYdjMBTMGllSVwkCQZRT82pNziKA/s1600/IMG_20130504_190627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjTBAdvZDvqLzEdkhL5ZL-rC1T6EtmJwWckP9euIticXV_jaeOoa4v12V9b20zP98bm3zcmkjyfzbNqQDF5ogtkgZZayDMiWpF07l7x3q1U6GR-nAYdjMBTMGllSVwkCQZRT82pNziKA/s320/IMG_20130504_190627.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We're seated and menus are brought out. As usual, I've had a sneak peak of their online menu which contains a list of 'signature dishes' (not easily identifiable on the actual menu). We order a platter of skewers, the beef rendang and the bebek betutu (the latter two are on the 'signature dishes' list).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDq1pl1UX-IpHQkOhP-iDf9nIa5-ePr0FRHXVWHaLqTALIo3yPCWCjPARHD_3feTxBJf5KBZJESGEsDz5rXNHXvo5rXo8m4flJliqSaru_DCrBhftdR7r43hyphenhyphenYUpGbg5k6TeF4gmu-1M/s1600/IMG_20130504_192743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDq1pl1UX-IpHQkOhP-iDf9nIa5-ePr0FRHXVWHaLqTALIo3yPCWCjPARHD_3feTxBJf5KBZJESGEsDz5rXNHXvo5rXo8m4flJliqSaru_DCrBhftdR7r43hyphenhyphenYUpGbg5k6TeF4gmu-1M/s320/IMG_20130504_192743.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">coconut juice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
First up, some refreshing coconut juice. The drinks menu sported two coconut juices - the fresh one costs $6 while the other $4. We ordered the latter, but I'm not sure there would have been much difference as it tasted much the same as a fresh one.</div>
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The first dish to hit the table was a mixed platter of satays - a perfect solution to our inability to decide on which meats to get.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbQcon_C5t_onepmzu76Oh9Y_ssT-VWWenQLfTNIO-kIOhK6IYsFuIfCHDtPqttf1OieXi13oXW4dChUrC-jXHiXSCBieuUjr1cdza4AjL3oxV-sHxtIQ2vWx23Ru7vh5fgvVQantbuE/s1600/IMG_20130504_192948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbQcon_C5t_onepmzu76Oh9Y_ssT-VWWenQLfTNIO-kIOhK6IYsFuIfCHDtPqttf1OieXi13oXW4dChUrC-jXHiXSCBieuUjr1cdza4AjL3oxV-sHxtIQ2vWx23Ru7vh5fgvVQantbuE/s320/IMG_20130504_192948.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sate Sanur's - platter of chicken, beef and prawn skewers <br />
with rice cake, satay sauce, pickled cucumber and sambal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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While I initially thought that the chicken and beef looked a little dry, they were beautifully chargrilled and still tender and juicy on the inside. The prawns were succulent and smokey. The satay sauce was sweet and savoury and peanutty, and topped off with some fried shallots for an extra crunch - a strong hit of flavour that went brilliantly well with the skewers and the rice cake. The pickled cucumber with sambal was an interesting addition, I'm not 100% sure it was a necessary component of the dish, but the sambal had a good hit of chilli which was cooled down with the cucumber.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUcRn7BfUIkSjqr9aoJWDW1LWARCmXiYwXW4zCSPnyMZ0b0XsmuuRLxHP8lDdLPsyfODJvTA7qOotdxjSO87dC4w2SEjuzg4VuljmRpizMcwHa9ndus1HSAxlMqa23QVnL0gyuzO1r3w/s1600/IMG_20130504_195144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUcRn7BfUIkSjqr9aoJWDW1LWARCmXiYwXW4zCSPnyMZ0b0XsmuuRLxHP8lDdLPsyfODJvTA7qOotdxjSO87dC4w2SEjuzg4VuljmRpizMcwHa9ndus1HSAxlMqa23QVnL0gyuzO1r3w/s320/IMG_20130504_195144.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">beef rendang - slow cooked beef in rich coconut sauce with Indonesian Traditional herbs and spices</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Next up was a rich aromatic beef rendang. The beef was fall-apart-tender and could easily be pulled apart with a fork and spoon. The gravy was sweet, slightly spicy and soaked up the rice well. A great winter warmer.</div>
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After a slight wait, our duck arrived! The menu warns that the dish will take about 30 minutes to prepare, which suits us fine since we ordered an entree anyway.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiickLNZ59GaZwAFZvKBatPFXIZ1XVzu28mQgCMOetar0SzI5Gy82Dr4T7mdWxbcS0TBq72dC3I80NYizIhs7Db1e7jLwmwxxmuyX9E1JWfXYx7dafXBehIwD98kU-WWWWUvCLl8tC2yEs/s1600/IMG_20130504_195236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiickLNZ59GaZwAFZvKBatPFXIZ1XVzu28mQgCMOetar0SzI5Gy82Dr4T7mdWxbcS0TBq72dC3I80NYizIhs7Db1e7jLwmwxxmuyX9E1JWfXYx7dafXBehIwD98kU-WWWWUvCLl8tC2yEs/s320/IMG_20130504_195236.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">bebek betutu - roast duck in Balinese secret spices covered in banana leaves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The duck arrives wrapped in banana leaves as promised. The duck has been rendered and roasted and the meat is falling off the bone. There's an Asian-ish salsa of sorts scattered on top to add some freshness. The duck is soft and tender, the skin is slightly smokey from the roasting and the banana leaves. My only issues with the dish is that the bones are easily tangled up in the flesh which made it a little difficult to eat, and not quite enough salsa to give the contrasting crunch and freshness.<br />
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You'd think that all that food would have been enough, but we couldn't pass up dessert.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDEEovVCp7x8knwElFFLi1At2kd8VqxfVHK47AMkTT6fwDM46o1UKjwEhj5B_vJq5TmyrixWIfj8r7rJnX_Lm1BoamK-RotL7vlUaTmrRSG1h_d-5xVsiCXbHtSJrQvokuYjxEh5YAIQ/s1600/IMG_20130504_211947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDEEovVCp7x8knwElFFLi1At2kd8VqxfVHK47AMkTT6fwDM46o1UKjwEhj5B_vJq5TmyrixWIfj8r7rJnX_Lm1BoamK-RotL7vlUaTmrRSG1h_d-5xVsiCXbHtSJrQvokuYjxEh5YAIQ/s320/IMG_20130504_211947.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">pisang goreng - deep fried banana in special battered with mandarin infused palm sugar syrup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Not your typical banana fritter! These little bananas are deep fried to crunchy but then smothered in a sweet sticky syrup that just screams of South East Asia. Delicious and a perfect winter dessert.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib87I72CPx36VegDdP-78oDtoyyCFynERXukZm9Pqp5OyLn2Dm5cuf7X9WLAFdFUl8rssVeFHeCk2-O8eeQ6Ele_KdexJSd9d0-MH4IH-nx0a0Vo2DhQvDVHnItOSz_DLl1rk-C8y18pY/s1600/IMG_20130504_212020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib87I72CPx36VegDdP-78oDtoyyCFynERXukZm9Pqp5OyLn2Dm5cuf7X9WLAFdFUl8rssVeFHeCk2-O8eeQ6Ele_KdexJSd9d0-MH4IH-nx0a0Vo2DhQvDVHnItOSz_DLl1rk-C8y18pY/s320/IMG_20130504_212020.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">coconut delusion - coconut pancake filled with unti (shredded coconut) <br />
with pandan anglaise, ice cream & toasted almonds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I still haven't quite worked out why the Malaysians and Indonesians like to call these things 'pancakes'., because I keep envisaging a stack of flat pancakes. These are more like pandan crepes rolled up into cigars or spring rolls. The crepes are thin and the shredded coconut filling is sweet but not too overpowering. The toasted almonds add the crunch element. The anglaise didn't quite have enough pandan flavour, but overall, the dish was a treat.</div>
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In addition to the delicious food, I have to commend the service. Our waitress was attentive and pleasant, the food was served promptly (even the duck). It'll definitely be worth trekking back up that way to try out some of the other dishes on the menu.</div>
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<b>Overall Impression: 8.5/10</b><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/344/1574100/restaurant/ACT/Sanurs-Balinese-Restaurant-Belconnen"><img alt="Sanur's Balinese Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1574100/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1114 Emu Bank, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia-35.236074 149.06996100000003-60.758108500000006 107.76136700000004 -9.7140395000000019 -169.621445tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029111348092833750.post-43157852362497327112013-04-17T01:00:00.001+10:002013-04-17T01:00:27.478+10:00China Plate at Kingston<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Location: </b>Shop 4, 5/11 Kennedy St, Kingston ACT 2604</div>
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<b>Phone:</b> (02) 6260 7555</div>
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<b>Link:</b> <a href="http://www.chinaplatekingston.com.au/">www.chinaplatekingston.com.au</a></div>
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<b>Cuisine:</b> Chinese</div>
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Two posts in one night. Looks like the blog drought has ended.</div>
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With some entertainment cards in hand and a need to catch up, we headed to China Plate for dinner.</div>
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We started with two entrees, mostly because E insisted they were must-haves...</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5P0W8rPlAGtKOzRxN5QoE3mpMK8Rz0Ks5vs8hRChQ2e1V5HO6h_sIQWv8hjO7Lq9TPVxYejNhVeHHJYwP1U-G8N5Cl8EQEJaSTvadT9zUn_dPWdWq1XtQwxamx1Qjhfj0X153zZwWZM0/s1600/IMG_20130416_185541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5P0W8rPlAGtKOzRxN5QoE3mpMK8Rz0Ks5vs8hRChQ2e1V5HO6h_sIQWv8hjO7Lq9TPVxYejNhVeHHJYwP1U-G8N5Cl8EQEJaSTvadT9zUn_dPWdWq1XtQwxamx1Qjhfj0X153zZwWZM0/s320/IMG_20130416_185541.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peking duck pancake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The pancakes were nice but pretty standard. The duck was a little on the dry side, but had a good overall flavour. The pancakes were a little too delicate that mine started to fall apart (although that might be a result of the chef putting together the wraps before the pancakes had time to cool down - they were piping hot). Perhaps I just have higher expectations than most. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWDeezXNpLyS34FtSs5IyRM5Sw0LEjprrEisBk_Vq4m4EvYwwuEv4fSdJX2OQWO9vE5I9T_QN5e0XJDuRpRQU2ry4T_ppINT2ZmP65CLuePrFn1mheWCApjfBLv82uKe5vSLYKL8o8Vs/s1600/IMG_20130416_190158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWDeezXNpLyS34FtSs5IyRM5Sw0LEjprrEisBk_Vq4m4EvYwwuEv4fSdJX2OQWO9vE5I9T_QN5e0XJDuRpRQU2ry4T_ppINT2ZmP65CLuePrFn1mheWCApjfBLv82uKe5vSLYKL8o8Vs/s320/IMG_20130416_190158.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanghai dumplings (XLBs)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The XLBs. Well, I resent them being called dumplings for a start, because technically they are buns. If E hadn't been there before, I would have just dismissed that item on the menu as regular dumplings. The wrapper was a little thicker than usual. That said, the filling was tasty, and there was actually some beautiful broth inside. The gingery vinegar sauce was a nice zingy accompaniment. </div>
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But it was the mains that really impressed. Five people, four mains. It's your typical <i>n - 1</i> rule.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO_hVEnqRZAUQdKRQGvODlv9SqDcm8Sb-LJYV_wUBOpFuBYeHhSNRp9q1vwKdeBnH_nG9etuLjovDmMX-eiTrFwJnz9BIJH7KuOJq3OrHlCig0r095VYOL2Guo9ZXWsqAVb2x80YBHo0/s1600/IMG_20130416_191428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO_hVEnqRZAUQdKRQGvODlv9SqDcm8Sb-LJYV_wUBOpFuBYeHhSNRp9q1vwKdeBnH_nG9etuLjovDmMX-eiTrFwJnz9BIJH7KuOJq3OrHlCig0r095VYOL2Guo9ZXWsqAVb2x80YBHo0/s320/IMG_20130416_191428.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cumin seeds spicy flavoured lamb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The lamb was beautifully cooked, with some crispy edges from the heat of the wok. There was a good hit of cumin, although the spice level a little milder than I'm used to for a Sichuan dish.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74lTeGlO7j5wGfp2WWsQQ-7l3n2unP0T4uCW9cGV2arajaui-g2mUGWHchl89DraHtABhXjpYAiQxVtB-uYtSQ8kJd-muqbwF61Kd7lCg2umec6TKPibmESCQfoRleodgzKxYZAsTwhA/s1600/IMG_20130416_191613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74lTeGlO7j5wGfp2WWsQQ-7l3n2unP0T4uCW9cGV2arajaui-g2mUGWHchl89DraHtABhXjpYAiQxVtB-uYtSQ8kJd-muqbwF61Kd7lCg2umec6TKPibmESCQfoRleodgzKxYZAsTwhA/s320/IMG_20130416_191613.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">honey pepper beef ribs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Who could say no to beef ribs. Cooked on the bone to keep the meat tender, the bite sized pieces of beef rib were smothered in a sweet and peppery sticky sauce that just left you wanting more. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhYtcxOUJigLIAWYNN4MLtNQ-39O49B7_mImT112paKOBisGJ-awF3KgaAo5G5eTXFSL8vuqr-TGVN5TGgvQAZoUVJE-QhZdQg9H43YmGzyA_9S4eiW2Ng-jgMlt44s-c39IMN1eVjzA/s1600/IMG_20130416_191849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhYtcxOUJigLIAWYNN4MLtNQ-39O49B7_mImT112paKOBisGJ-awF3KgaAo5G5eTXFSL8vuqr-TGVN5TGgvQAZoUVJE-QhZdQg9H43YmGzyA_9S4eiW2Ng-jgMlt44s-c39IMN1eVjzA/s320/IMG_20130416_191849.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">eggplant with spicy salt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This one was a little controversial. Some enjoyed it, others found it a little insubstantial. I personally found it tasted like deep-fried air. Tasty deep-fried air, but still just air. Chunkier pieces of eggplant might have resolved that issue.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-bbRQ9vcByweOwprYWzwZ9NLopBjIPwQKmDcyq0rhJchrBqk35CRXO0Ow9uAOnsAYQZtFBd__rz-bjNrXfvDxi_dfYVZgHJadvNInlqPsO_dFpzqWO3cFAQV1JvpnA_N7LczgaFpGCU/s1600/IMG_20130416_191900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-bbRQ9vcByweOwprYWzwZ9NLopBjIPwQKmDcyq0rhJchrBqk35CRXO0Ow9uAOnsAYQZtFBd__rz-bjNrXfvDxi_dfYVZgHJadvNInlqPsO_dFpzqWO3cFAQV1JvpnA_N7LczgaFpGCU/s320/IMG_20130416_191900.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chicken green curry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The green curry was yet another great dish. The curry itself was creamy, with a nice hit of chilli. The chicken had been tenderised prior to cooking which kept it soft and tender, and the vegies were cooked to al dente.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o400SEvRBVaBvKyjTJ4IoPYu0qMKEjGxLpdLmQEdWxOEt0QIe7qLgWbZyYNOLT5G_IJnc9FwSIPfWSTF-J88pcRkh_eAd-sSwtZgyUlmO_Sjl8YA4LIW9viFYTe6eNPFFdsf-R0e-mo/s1600/IMG_20130416_192106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o400SEvRBVaBvKyjTJ4IoPYu0qMKEjGxLpdLmQEdWxOEt0QIe7qLgWbZyYNOLT5G_IJnc9FwSIPfWSTF-J88pcRkh_eAd-sSwtZgyUlmO_Sjl8YA4LIW9viFYTe6eNPFFdsf-R0e-mo/s320/IMG_20130416_192106.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">three kinds of mushroom with seasonal vegetables</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was a simple but tasty. Shitaki, enoki and ling-gi mushrooms stir fried with bok choy and covered in a flavoursome gravy.<br />
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And lastly, we decided to order one deep fried ice-cream with chocolate topping to share between four.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKRYn5dZIwSxpP2ytsAixqxRMlXc1hAZET5czMXNILkcDAs4wFvJl7aSAx0xYASktLUDPkkpf1_cCDu-HY04hAWsPuP9WyGZAehuVk2a4LG6-48_Za2LvHD3WQYjudjv6EylYJ0E2EqQ/s1600/IMG_20130416_194821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKRYn5dZIwSxpP2ytsAixqxRMlXc1hAZET5czMXNILkcDAs4wFvJl7aSAx0xYASktLUDPkkpf1_cCDu-HY04hAWsPuP9WyGZAehuVk2a4LG6-48_Za2LvHD3WQYjudjv6EylYJ0E2EqQ/s320/IMG_20130416_194821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">deep-fried ice-cream with chocolate sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: start;">
I've had this a couple of times in different restaurants, and actually really enjoyed this one. The batter on the outside was thin and crispy with almost a biscuit-like texture. It provided a nice textured contrast to the ice-cream. A nice sweet finish to the meal.</div>
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<b>Overall Impression: 9/10</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/344/1689747/restaurant/ACT/Canberra/China-Plate-Kingston-Kingston"><img alt="China Plate @ Kingston on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1689747/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15/11 Kennedy Street, Kingston ACT 2604, Australia-35.31602 149.14064800000006-88.354008499999992 66.523460500000056 17.721968499999996 -128.24216449999994