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.