Malaysian food and I'm jaded

Jade Kingdom is a no frills old school malaysian chinese restaurant in Heidrlberg Heights. I'd say it's a gem when it comes to food but definitely not the service. Who cares? I want good food!
Well, considering I haven't been home for a year now, this restaurant satisfies my craving for simple no nonsense Malaysian fare.

5 of us ordered 7 dishes in total on the night. 2 plates of hokkien mee, fried in sticky black sauce and lard. Of course!  The lard is key to the authenticity of the dish.
1 plate of yam basket with stirfry chicken kungpao style.  The yam was well cooked although it could be a little fluffier. Not complaining though! Chunks of thigh fillets with cashew nuts in the sweet and smoky sauce, was tasty. Good balance of sweet and salty.
1 plate of sambal petai, long beans and pork mince, spicy and salty. Was a good first dish although I would have preferred less oil. The vegetables were glistening.
1 plate of Marmite pork spare ribs were as close to Malaysia as it gets if not better. Better eaten with some rice as I found it a tad too salty.
1 plate of sizzling tofu. Enough said... an egg at the bottom of the plate, tofu and mince poured onto a very hot plate.
Finally,  sambal kangkung.  Fried in sambal belacan,  yums! Of course,  there were some parts that were a bit chewy but still tasty from the sambal.

The place was packed to the brim even at 8pm. If you don't mind the wait, and the not so good service,  then it's worth a try.

Next round,  curry laksa,  curry fish head,  lobak....

Jade Kingdom

235 Waiora Rd, Heidelberg Heights VIC 3081
(03) 9458 3188

Chew Chew, near the choo choo

This cafe has a nice woody interior and is across the road from Moonee Ponds train station.
I had a cafe latte to start. The coffee met standards but wasn't really outstanding. Ordered the tagliatelle with a lamb ragu which. Portion was generous.  I loved the taste of the ragu as the lamb and tomatoes married well. Could use  little bit more seasoning but I'm not complaining.
This neat little café is worth a try. I'd go back to try their breakfast items.

Chew Chew
7/9-11 Norwood Crescent
Moonee Ponds 3039
Victoria,  Australia

Tel: 03 93701941

Simon says have duck peiking

Peking duck in Melbourne is so different from Malaysia.  Although the essential combo is thin crepe, cucumber,  spring onion, crispy duck skin with sweet plum sauce,  the melbourne version includes meat with skin. No complaints here as I love duck!
Simon's peking duck is an 8.5/10 for me with points lost because of flavour and the fact it is deep fried.  Crepes are 10/10 and sauce 9/10.
The stir fried bean shoot (bean sprouts or taugeh) with duck meat was delicious as the shoots were still crunchy and not too salty. Bean curd and salty vegetable with duck soup was flavourful. Sweetness of the soup solely derived from the duck bones and saltiness from the salty vegetable. No salt added so some of you may find it bland.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience and will return with more accomplices.

197 Middleborough road, Box Hill, Victoria,  Australia.

Breakfast Thieves is a steal

Today is just another random day where I find a new cafe to have brunch. With the train schedule all messed up, I decided to take the tram towards the city.
Breakfast Thieves?  It's the catchy name and the rave reviews that caught my eye. As I was alone, I was immediately seated, one of the advantages of going solo on a busy weekend.
The cafe latte was the perfect pick me up. They use MOFO deluxe coffee beans.
Finally,  the tea smoked salmon with tabbouleh,  beetroot and sweet potato.  Lovingly smoked,  the smokiness of the tea hits you but once you start eating,  it's just soft, moist and savoury. The sweetness from the beetroot and crispy sweet potato balances the dish like tea to milk.
Enough said, let me see what my next steal would be...

Shop 1, 420 Gore Street, Fitzroy 3065, Victoria, Australia. 

Cumulus Inc. is really good

Some people may claim this place is pretentious but I beg to differ. It can't help that it has developed a character of its own through time.
My friend and I decided to try Cumulus for lunch and we were not disappointed.  As we entered, we were met with a bespectacled big smartly dressed man. We were told it would be a 30 minute wait. No problem.  We sat by the window on bar stools whilst enjoying a cafe latte and English breakfast tea.
15 minutes later, we were led to the bar and seated.
Now, the food.  The tuna tartare on peas and goats cheese ($34) came first.  Tuna perfectly seasoned. Smashed peas and goats cheese complemented the tuna...heavenly.
Next came the kitchen selection charcuterie ($29). The hams, salami and prosciutto mix were not up to expectations so will give it a miss the next round.  The finale was the flounder special with butter and corn ($36). The fish was fried bone in, perfectly cooked. Flesh was soft and I could taste the sweetness of the fish, a sign of freshness.  I liked the corn in butter sauce. Very tasty. This dish was ordinary though as it would have been a typical dish in my household.
Overall,  it was a great dining experience. Will go back for the signature lamb dish.

Cumulus Inc
45, Flinders street
Melbourne, Victoria.

Food with a View

The Views restaurant and bar at The Grampians motel in Halls Gap is a gem. The food is delicious and the hosts were very hospitable.  We ordered the tomato and bacon soup, grilled fish, eye fillets and a scotch fillet. Soup was super tasty with a good portion of bacon bits that went very well with the soup. The grilled fish was perfectly cooked. It was topped with a white creamy seafood sauce that complemented the fish well. The steaks were beautifully cooked to order and came with a side of mashed potatoes and pumpkin.  The highlight of the restaurant,  in my opinion,  is the kangaroo fillet ($34).  Cooked medium rare, it was tender and moist.
Their desserts are fairly good. I had the apple and raspberry crumble which had a nice tang but would have preferred the apples to be softer and the overall to be more moist.  The special banoffee with meringue was very good, just like eating a parfait. The sticky date pudding was a highlight as it was sweet and moist complemented well with vanilla ice cream.
I would visit the restaurant again when I go to Halls Gap.

Movida Aqui - It's a Spanish delight

Movida Aqui is a really good tapas restaurant.  I especially love their specials because the dishes are unpredictable and interesting. First time they had calve's liver which I did not regret ordering.  2nd time they had an interesting pork and paprika sausage ($18.50) that tasted very much like a chorizo.
I ordered the bomba ($4) both visits and it was delicious.  Deep fried potato balls stuffed with spicy meat and topped with a nice curry gravy. Yum. We ordered a prawn dish to share too ($24). Prawns were cooked just right with a tomato amd meat sauce.
The desserts are worth a mention. Tried the trifle ($14) and loved it because it was not too sweet. There was a balance of sweet and sour, enhanced with caramelised macadamia nuts for that crunch.
My friend had the dessert special of a cold soup with watermelon slice and chantilly ($10). Will go again and again. ..good idea to make reservations as it gets busy quite quickly at lunch time.

1/500, Bourke street, Melbourne,  Victoria,  Australia.

Tel: 0396633038

Pelligrini's - Old school Italian fare

This old institution is really a time capsule.  From the countertops to the stools, the food right down to the staff.  Reminds me of old Coliseum restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.
It's really a straight forward Italian coffee shop that serves pasta, cakes, pies,coffee, granita and yummy gelato.
Pies are rustic and tastes exactly like a good home made pie. Loved the blueberry pie, crust was buttery, tasty and the filling had generous amount of blueberries.
I've tried the spaghetti bolognese which was fairly good.  I wouldn't rave about it but hey, who's gonna argue with the Italian mama? I'd still go back just cos it feels homely.
The coffee, they use Vittoria which has been one of my favourites, is the perfect finish to the pie I just had....burp! Pardon me..
I had the spaghetti and granita on another occasion, and the granita is great especially with summer coming.  Ice cold cold...
This place is worth a try for its history, homeliness and just because. ..oh, and they serve good baked cheesecake too.

66, Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 

Bali Bagus - Bagus! Good!

When I asked my Indonesian classmate where to go for authentic and good Indonesian food, she was pretty vague which also meant none.
So, I decided to try Bali Bagus. I must say I was pretty happy with the food here although Itend to get a bit thirsty after each lunch (could be the seasoning they use). 

So far I have tried most of the grilled dishes and the key ingredient for me is the sambal. It's really spicy and works really well with kicap manis (sweet dark sauce). The ikan bakar aka grilled fish was cooked just right as the flesh is soft and flaky. They use barramundi which is a bonus for me as I like this type of fish. It can be quite a challenge eating a whole fish but it's worth the work.

I would pick this restaurant over es teler anytime. 

85, Franklin Street, Melbourne,  Victoria,  Australia. 

Tel: (03) 9662 1474

Ms Chu - Ah...choo!!! Excuse me..

My 1st visit - not bad. Had pretty good dishes to share. 2nd visit? A bit disappointing.  I ordered the vermicelli salad with chilli tiger prawns ($15) and a cucumber lychee coconut ice ($7). The flavours were good with a punchy sweet sour saltiness sauce that gave the dish life. Prawns were perfectly marinated and cooked. Vermicelli, however, was a tad too soft which I thought was overcooked.  When I requested the server to convey this message to the kitchen and asked for them to try the doneness of the vermicelli, the chef did not even budge. Well, minus points for not taking a customer's feedback seriously.  The overcooked vermicelli sought of spoilt the overall rating of the dish. Thumbs down.
Unfortunately for my friend, her beef pho ($15) had the flavours of a typical pho but lacked punch.
The only good thing about this meal was the drinks.  My cucumber lychee and coconut ice blend was refreshing, so was my friend's pineapple mint and coconut ice blend.
I'd love to give this place another try but if only I didn't mind being disappointed again. Go to a traditional Vietnamese pho restaurant if you want good pho.
All said, try this place for drinks and share dishes which were pretty good 1st time. This place is a hit or miss.

297, Exhibition street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Thai culinary - A culinary experience

Thai culinary is a no frills restaurant that serves straight up Thai. What's good about it is the portions are quite generous and reasonably priced. 

So far, anyone I've brought to eat here has given the thumbs up. The fried rice with pineapple is good but inconsistent.  When good, the rice is tasty and dry, with lovely sweet pineapple bits and juicy prawns. They have chicken or beef options too. 

The usual suspects like green curry, red curry, and Massaman are tasty. Again,  all curries and stir fry dishes have meat or vegetarian options.  

This is a must go for reasonably priced Thai food.

433 Elizabeth street,  Melbourne, Victoria,  Australia. 

Abla's - Lebanese wonder

Abla's has been on my wishlist since the lady herself was featured in Masterchef.  Finally, on the suggestion of my friend, we had dinner.
Drink was a jug of Limonada ($12) which was home made lemonade with rose water which very refreshing. It had the right balance of sweet and sour...I'm salivating thinking about it.
Ordered more than we could eat. We ordered the Hummous bi Tahini, chicken liver and Kibbee Nayeh, a lamb dish.  The lamb was the most adventurous dish I've tried since the life octopus in Korea years ago.
The hummous bi Tahini ($12) was delicious, I could taste the chickpeas with a hint of tahini garlic and lemon juice, unlike the commercially made ones. Tahini is a peanut paste similar to peanut butter.
Chicken liver ($16) was to die for.  Perfectly cooked and the lemon juice squeezed over the livers took them livers to a new dimension.  Tangy and savoury. Yum.
The Kibbee Nayeh, raw lamb blended with burghul ($27) came with olive oil, sliced onions and peppermint leaves. Our most helpful server gave us tips on how to eat the raw lamb; by taking a piece of bread, place some onions and peppermint leaves, top with the mince, fold and enjoy! I can say it's an acquired taste. There's a slight sliminess and graininess texture. The lamb didn't have any distinct odours and most of the flavour came from the onions and peppermint leaves. I actually quite liked the dish after having a few mouthfuls. Bread is unlimited.
We ended our dinner with turkish delight and Lebanese coffee ($4). The turkish delight came in 2 flavours, rose and unknown though we think it could be apricot. They were ok though I am not really an expert on what's good for a turkish delight.
Coffee was awesome! Hints of fruity sweetness, especially good after a bite of the turkish delight. The whole experience made my night.

109, Elgin Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 

Sambal Malaysia - no frills wonder

I have been to this little eatery many times but have never taken pictures of the food or even thought of writing about it... until today.  I think it should be given due credit for its down to earth hawker style food and humble owners. 
The food I've tried are:
Bak kut teh (pork rib soup) - a herbal soup with pork ribs and pork belly served with rice.  Good on a cold night as the soup is served in a claypot retaining the heat for longer. I would have preferred the herbal taste to come through more but it would be perfect for some who are not used to herbal soups.
Hokkien prawn noodles - yellow noodles and vermicelli, bean shoots, prawns and pork rib in a rich spicy prawn broth. I thought it was close enough to the mediocre ones back home but it's melbourne. It's much better than some other Malaysian restaurants that claim to be authentic. 
Assam laksa (sour soup noodles) - it is pretty good as it had the ingredients typical of an assam laksa. The sour soup with fish bits were addictive (guilty. Not a drop of soup left by the time I was done). The soup was sour and sweet. The sweetness comes from the prawn paste that you mix in the soup before eating your noodles.
Pan mee (dough noodles with pork mince and ear fungus)- there's a choice of dry or soup. I preferred dry which was blanched noodles mixed with a tasty dark soy sauce mixture topped with pork mince and ear fungus.
Fried yee mee - was ok compared to those we get back in Malaysia. The taste of the stock was a little bland.
This place can get very full during dinner time and it opens from Monday to Saturday (12-2.30pm; 5.30pm-8.30pm).

Sheni's Curries - So good I went 2 days in a row

On a search for good Indian food in the city, I came across Sheni's Curry. Although the address says Collins street, the entrance to the little shop is from Russell street (directly opposite the carpark entrance to Grand Hyatt Melbourne).
Ordered the Sri Lankan special - red rice, fish pickle curry, jackfruit curry, green salad, dhal curry, chutney, chilli and poppadom.  I fell in love with this dish from the first mouthful.  Just the right amount of spices, just enough heat to make me look forward to the next mouthful.
This dish reminds me of a local rice salad dish I love back in Malaysia called nasi kerabu.
The next day, I had coconut milk rice with lamb curry which was also on special.  The consistency of the rice was pudding-like. Was different but delicious. Goes very well with the lamb curry.
This joint is gonna be my regular haunt...

161 Collins street, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

(Enter from Russell street)

Biz hours: 11am to 4pm

Izakaya Hachibeh - feels like I'm in Japan

I'm starting to feel I'm addicted to this restaurant.  Tonight, it was a feast for 3.  Fried soba noodles was tasty with bits of beef slices, cabbage and capsicums. Grilled eggplant with special miso sauce was done to perfection. Grilled sanma had a strong fishy smell when it was set on the table but once we squeezed the lemon juice on, it was delicious. 
The nabeyaki udon with chicken, 1 prawn tempura, sliced fish cakes tasted exactly like the ones in the land of the rising sun. Sashimi platter - 1 word, fresh. Highlight of the meal for me was  the beef tataki. Lightly grilled and complemented with a special soy sauce. Meat was tender loving good.
We also had a mio sake which tasted like a fruity sparkling wine. The hokkaido beer is perfect as it is light so I don't feel too full compared to a dark ale. Awesome!

143-145, Bourke street, Melbourne 3000

Victoria, Australia. 

Tel: 03 90789909

Krimper - A new find in a lane way

I'm excited.  I can post my reviews from my mobile! This morning, I decided to try a new cafe which supposedly has a killer burger.
Obviously, I ordered the Krimper burger (Krimper is the name of the cafe). A latte to go with it. They use coffee from Proud Mary. Verdict:
Burger ($18) came on a block with hand cut chips and aioili sauce. What I like about the burger is the bun. A seeded brioche bun. Patty was juicy, cooked just right, medium rare. The whole combination was very good. I wouldn't rate it exceptional because it just lacked something and I can't make out what. 
Coffee was good when it was hot. It had a hint of cough mixture taste after it cooled down.  Not sure if it was because of a reaction to something in the burger, I don't know.
I would give this place another try.

Krimper
20, Guildford lane
Melbourne 3000
VIC Australia

Bowery to Wiiliamsburg - Not the typical sandwich

I have been curious about the hype behind Bowery to Williamsburg, a little cafe in a lane. As I had a brunch date, I took the opportunity to try this hidden gem.
When we walked along Oliver lane, my friend asked if I was selling her to a dodgy syndicate...duh!
We found the cafe. The interior was pretty with a communal table that filled at lunch time.
We ordered the reuben and the sausage & chorizo which was on the specials board. We exchanged half for half. Oh, we ordered the set which came with pretzels, a gherkin and a side. We picked mac n cheese and tabouleh. Set is $16.50. Sandwich only is $12.50.

I was sold. The reuben was tasty with just the right amount of sauerkraut and cheese in between rye sourdough slices. It was moist, with the perfect balance of salty, sour and cheesy.
The sausage and chorizo was delicious with the tomato base. Packs a punch with melted cheese on top. These were in between a mini baguette.
Coffee was good and I would go back. Yes. Definitely.

Bowery to Williamsburg
16, Oliver lane
Melbourne 3000

JooMak is my Korean favourite

Let's start the spring with a little Korean goodness. Joomak is a hidden gem (literally) in the Melbourne CBD. It opens from 5pm till wee hours of the morning daily and I have seldom seen it without customers. Tables are normally fully booked dinner time as I never seem to be able to get a table if I walked in anytime between 7pm and 9pm.
To ensure a place at this basement restaurant, I called to reserve a table for 2. Fast forward to the food, ordered cheesy spicy seafood ($25), kimchi tofu soup ($18-comes with a bowl of rice) and a grilled mackerel. I must say, this visit was a bit disappointing as only the soup and the condiments were delicious. I suggest you stay to the original menu and avoid swaying towards their specials which we ordered.
I can say the kimchi tofu soup was spicy, packed a punch in kimchi flavour and hot, perfect for winter. Oh, and their Soju cocktails are awesome too. Any flavour is fine by me.

This place is always packed with students, and please make a booking if you want to guarantee yourself a table. Happy hunting!

407-409, Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000 VIC
Tel: (03) 9663 7123

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Coffee on the Go @ Southbank Market, Melbourne

I was at the Southbank Sunday Market and found this cool coffee van. It is a converted van with coffee making machine, a refrigerator and storage for the foodstuff that it was selling. I didn't get to try the coffee, but will definitely make a visit when I go the the Sunday market again.

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Vini Spuntini @ Chadstone SC (Melbourne, VIC)

I am eager to feature this little cafe located in Chadstone Shopping Centre as it has been my favourite lunch place to go to when I shop at Chadstone. Vini Spuntini has an order and pay at counter concept where you order, pay, and tell them which table you will be seating at (numbers are displayed clearly on each table).

The cafe sells pizza, salad, sandwiches, pastries, cakes and a few daily hot food specials for the more indulgent client. I am the indulgent one most of the time.

I love their pumpkin pizza, which is full of flavour, and enough to make me go back for more. The crust is crunchy with a cream-cracker taste, and they use full-flavoured cheeses which makes the pizza rich and fulfilling.

The ricotta and spinach-filled tortellini tossed in napoli sauce is heavenly. The dish is savoury and leaves a fresh tomato flavour in my mouth. The plate is always clean when I eat their pasta.

I think quality makes up for the price, which is slightly higher than other cafes which cook their pasta in bulk. This one cooks them one at a time.

Vini Spuntini is located at:

Chadstone Shopping Centre
Shop B 142
1341 Dandenong Rd
Chadstone 3148 VIC

Comments/views shown are purely personal, and has no link to anyone or any corporation whatsoever.