Author Archive
We were just a few steps short of stepping into Ying Thai on Victoria Street when we noticed the old Bodhi Café a few doors down had become Tom Toon Thai Noodle Café. A cheesy name indeed but it didn’t stop us from peering inside while checking out the laminated menu pasted on the glass window. After that, the decision was easy. Tom Toon it was after seeing all the Thai patrons chomping happily on their food. Read More
The best dining approach at Shira Nui is to secure a stool at the sushi counter and let owner/chef Hiro Nishikura impress you with the freshest ingredients Omakase Sushi style. The joy of an Omakase experience is to simply “leave it up to the chef” and just worry about how many of those sublime morsels your belly can accommodate. To enjoy the meal simply sit back and let Chef Hiro and his assistant take turns serving you a minimum of 9 courses comprising of sushi pairs. Read More
It is fascinating how a small circle of batter can carry with it such confusion from the way it is pronounced to its origin. I will be the first to admit that apart from enjoying these fancy little treats, I didn’t give its history much thought until I discovered La Belle Miette. It was here that I first heard the word MacarOn (Mah-Ka-Rhon) used instead of MacarOOn ( Mak-Kah-Roon) to describe these fragile cookies. This had me intrigued as I have always pronounced it like the latter and there was no way the Master Chef judges could get it wrong too or could they? Read More
The Nicolini family have been affectionately referred to as the Pizza Kings of Melbourne since their humble beginnings with Pizza Espresso in 1997. Repeatedly voted the city’s best Pizzeria, they successfully revolutionized thick, cheap and greasy pizzas to “designer” pizzas with thinner, crispier crusts topped with gourmet ingredients. The business was subsequently sold in 2003 and the brothers moved onto trendier grounds to open Carlton Espresso in the same year, followed by nearby D.O.C. in 2007. The pizza story didn’t end there; with the opening of +39 and Espressino in 2009. Read More
A frivolous decision landed us at Mexico’s doorstep after Mr. Photographer finished his hair appointment in the city one fine Saturday. At 5pm, it was too early for dinner and too late for afternoon tea leaving us with hardly any safe options. The one easy choice would have been my current haunt Chin Chin but after dining there seven times in a span of a month was becoming quite a cause for concern. So with brief deliberations and opening hours in check, I flippantly suggested the other super hyped eatery Mamasita. Read More
Attica was on our list waiting patiently to be ticked off for some time but it never seemed to materialise until San Pellegrino announced its Top 100 World’s Best Restaurants List for 2011. Not only did Attica make it to the 53rd place, they were also the only Victorian restaurant on the list. Further to that, The Good Food Guide 2012 awarded Attica Restaurant of the Year with a score of 18/20; 3 Chef’s Hats. Read More
This is exactly the kind of eatery I have been waiting for; outrageously unrestrained flavours served all day in a snazzy setting. Chin Chin needs no lengthy introduction here because the last time I looked on Urbanspoon, it had 50 blog posts and 140 reviews after being open for a mere five months. Entrepreneur and Pearl restaurant owner Chris Lucas must be one fine master in persuasion for luring two of Australia’s top Mod-Asian chef gurus to head his latest venture in Melbourne’s CBD; Executive Chef Andrew Gimber (ex Jimmy Liks, Nahm) and Head Chef Ben Cooper (ex St Ali, Nobu, Ezard, Nahm, Longrain). So with CVs that impressive, does the food match up to the frenzied media hype? Without a doubt, it is an absolute yes! Read More
Since opening in 2003, Pacific House has been notorious for churning out fast and furious meals served up by smug looking waitstaff. During peak hours, queues spill out onto the trendy Toorak Road footpath and seated diners are packed so close together that eavesdropping is inevitable. The staff work like they earn a commission based on the number of tables they turnover and they are certainly not shy to make it known that the table is due back. The bill appears even before you ask for it, with a complimentary plate of “thank you and get out now” fruit. There appears to be no discrimination as you will see the same treatment for every table at the end of their snappy meals. Don’t even bother asking for the dessert menu because there isnt one. This is probably the only Chinese restaurant that does not give a hoot about your sweet cravings. They would rather forgo a few bucks in exchange for the next group of hungry diners. Read More
When faced with moments of idleness; dining out or ordering take-away seem to dictate my first trail of thoughts. However, there are occasions where my thoughts will wander off a bit longer and I find my impulsive self contemplating on pulling out the newly laundered apron and sharpened knives once again. Read More
We only need the slightest reason to feast; so when we heard that a certain someone was flying over 6000 kilometres to Melbourne just for the weekend to indulge us in a home cooked degustation meal, we dusted our party outfits and starved for a week. Initial thoughts of a seven course dinner seemed quite ambitious and given the tight time schedule to source the produce, prep and cook further added to the apprehension. However, all doubts vanished as fast as they appeared when we realised we had a seasoned chef and ample kitchen helpers at hand. So wheels went into motion and we quickly headed to our few trusted suppliers. Read More
I head to Selera Singapore Asli solely for one thing and one thing only, the Almighty Nasi Lemak! The side dishes and the Teh Tarik are secondary to me, just like a cookie sitting pretty at the side of my coffee cup but no doubt a nice icing to finish off the cake. I have no time of day restrictions when enjoying my Nasi Lemak, be it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper but my poor cravings are at the mercy of their inconsistent and limited opening hours. So I have since learnt to call them before rocking up and I do tend to take away a lot of the time to relish them at my own leisure.