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
Buried deep within the confines of China Town in the CBD, Shoya is a restaurant recommended by many for its modern spin on traditional Japanese Omakase cuisine. Would Japanese master-chef Shigeo Nonaka live up to his reputation for unique and exquisite flavours? 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
So it was getting late on Saturday night and nobody felt like cooking. We had Asian food not long ago and didn’t really feel like ordinary take-away once again. A quick discussion about cuisines and venues led us to a restaurant we passed on the way home that afternoon. Lipari Bistro is a small Italian restaurant amongst a group of shops on Canterbury Road in Heathmont we had been looking to try for quite some time now since moving into the neighbourhood. Also, I recently purchased a new DSLR camera and I was especially keen to try it out. Read More
Ever since one of my colleagues at work mentioned that there was a restaurant serving pizza with truffle oil, I just knew I would be drawn to it like a moth to the seductive white light. Casually tossed out as a suggestion for a place to dine after an exhausting day of shopping, I immediately nodded my head in the affirmative, with an almost suspicious eagerness that was not lost with my guest. Sensing that any other proposal would be left out to dry, we abandoned the pretence of dining at any other location and set our sights on this small Italian bar that had perked my attention for some time now.