Category: Melbourne

Josie Bones

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This would be my second visit to Josie Bones but this time, we had the mr’s cousin join us so we could try more of the menu, so I was really excited. I have to admit, we wanted to have Huxtaburger that night, but silly me didn’t check their opening times and they were closed on Mondays. But it was like a blessing in disguise, cause we got to dine at Josie Bones again!

We were first introduced to Josie Bones by my mr’s client who gave raving reviews about the food and the vast number of different beer/alcohol they offer. This comes as no surprise, because it is opened by Chris Badenoch and Julia Jenkins, who were contestents of Masterchef Season 1 and Chris was known as the beer merchant. And the Mr purchased Chris’ cook book because he loved how he uses the whole animal when he cooks, like the whole pig, sheep or cow. Nothing goes to waste, which is awesome!

Josie Bones

Address : 98 Smith Street, Collingwood 3066

Telephone : 03 94171878

Absoutely love the outlook of the restaurant. It has a long bench top which customers can sit and enjoy the food and have a chat with the most friendly staff! Josie Bones is a tapas style restaurant that serves heaps of unusual but delicious food. It’s definitely not your usual dishes, but trust me they are awesome! There was alot of oohs and ahhs the moment the plates were placed on the table. Just couldn’t wait to dive in, but as usual, our cameras ate first. hehe

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the beverage menu. haha Yes. It’s that thick. They do bring in lots and lots of beers from all around the world, and most of which we’ve never seen or heard. The staff were all very knowledgeable about every single beer and they are more than willing to help if you get lost in the ocean of beer choices!

The mr told him what he usually likes (which is whiskey, of course) and the staff actually recommended a beer that tasted like whiskey and totally suited his taste buds! I, on the other hand, prefer something fruity. And the melon gibson, which was more on the sweet side and tones of watermelon, was highly recommended. It was delicious and not overly sweet! Kong Seng had the raspberry beer which was really yum as well!

We ordered two entrees to start our meals. One of which is the crackling of the day ($4). Every single piece of crackling was super crispy and its served with a side of seas salt which was so good! It went from the a plate full of crackling to an empty plate in less than 10 minutes. And yes, we ordered a second serve of it as well! haha Whoops!

Our second entree was one of the specials of the day : mini sliders with braised pork belly and kimchi in freshly baked brioche buns. These were the BOMB! SO good! I could just have that all night long to be honest! The brioche buns were freshly made and cotton soft! and the braised pork. oh what can I say? Melt-in-your mouth goodness! The kimchi added a crunchy texture to the slider and also cut through the richness. AMAZING!

Yes. It was really really good. Would love one now. hehe

hehe that’s how small it was. Small but mighty, I have to say. hehe Can you tell how much I really like it?

So then come our mains. We ordered three to start with and the staff recommended we order a side of greens to balance our meal out. hehe It totally slipped my mind to order some greens! hehe Oops. Totally focused on all the meat dishes! But can you blame me? hehe I got overly excited when I saw the menu.

Our first main was stuffed trotters with black pudding, with braised lentils and crispy pigs ear. As you already know, I love dishes with different textures and this just ticks all the boxes in my list! The soft and tender pig trotters that were stuffed with black pudding was tasty but not overpowering! I was a little apprehensive about the black pudding at first, cos it wasn’t something I usually enjoy. But this was really good. The deep friend pigs ear was so good! I saved that to the very last bit and had it all slowly, savouring every bite. *crunch*

This was my favourite dish of the night! We had it the first time we came as well. But had to have it again, cause it was so good! It’s rolled pigs head with sauce gribiche and crackling. Yes. More crackling! haha This is just one of the examples of not wasting any part of the animal! In fact, the meat from the pig’s head (for example pork cheeks) are the best bits! Super tender and super tasty. Melt-in-your-mouth kind of goodness. The super crunchy outer layer covers the most tender piece of meat (and fat). But I’m really glad we shared, cos it might get a bit too rich. But the sauce gribiche helps cut through the richness as it is a tad bit sour and tangy.

This zucchini salad with fiore di burrata, toasted almonds, grapefruit and saffron pickled shallots was recommended by the staff and I must say it was a perfect in between dish to be served as it was really refreshing and acted almost like a palette cleanser, preparing us for our final main dish. Fior di burrata is actually an italian cheese made of mozzarella and cream. The texture was exactly like a fresh mozzarella. So good!

The mr’s cousin have never had rabbit, so he requested for us to try this dish : Braised rabbit with chorizo and creme fraiche jus. The rabbit pieces were really tender and the chorizo added a mild spiciness which was good! and what’s better? The staff offered us a basket of bread to go with the gravy! DUNK!

Of course, we couldn’t leave without having sweets. Although we were all quite full, but like the mr says. There is always space for dessert! hehe When we looked at the dessert menu, our choice was made up almost immediately. haha

Pear tarte tartin with beer caramel and bourbon & raisin ice cream. The puff pastry was still crispy-crunchy and the pear was really tender, all these yumminess covered with an intense beer caramel which was sticky and gooey. This hot tartin was paired perfectly with a boozy bourbon and raisin icecream. It was so good! Although we did wait 30 minutes for it, but I think it’s well-worth the wait! hehe

So after all the rich and delicious food, we were of course super stuffed but we had happy bellies at the end of the night! hehe I have to say that every single dish was really well balanced in terms of flavour and textures. Almost each dish had a a mix of tenderness and crunch! Plus you pair them with beers of your choice! Definitely really happy we went there that night.

So go ahead,  hold on to those hooves and give them a push! I know you would want to! (:

Josie Bones on Urbanspoon

Pho Hung Vuong Saigon Springvale

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Winter just means one thing. Soup. and lots of it, just to keep out tummies warm and fuzzy! One thing we do love is a good pho. Before we moved, we used to always head to Footscray to have a nice big bowl (well small for me) of pho because it’s just around the corner. Now, thankfully Springvale is a 10 minutes drive away! Phew!

 I have to admit, we haven’t had the chance to explore the different shops in Springvale. Not as much as I would like to! You know sometimes when you’re nearer to a particular suburb, you tend to not explore it as much? Sadly, we kinda took the distance for granted. It is currently just a place I go to do my grocery shopping. We had to extend out (food) knowledge and we decided to head there last weekend with a mission : to find a place that sells pho as good as the one back at Footscray (Hung Vuong Saigon)! To my surprise, I actually found a Pho Hung Vuong Saigon here at Springvale as well! So of course we decided to give it a go.

Pho Hung Vuong Saigon Springvale

Address : Shop 2/15 Balmoral Avenue, Springvale Vic 3171

Telephone : 03 95585147

It was really packed though it was about 3pm in the afternoon. But the wait staff were really friendly and asked us politely to wait for just a few minutes before we could get a table. So we were more than willing to wait. In less than 10 minutes, our tables were ready for us! Talk about quick!

We sat down, and were asked almost immediately for our orders! I was a little shocked, but I think cause they have been around for 20 years, they reckon we have been there before and would know what we wanted! They had menus on their walls, but were either in mandarin or in vietnamese so we had no clue what they had! haha I shyly asked the wait staff if they had an english menu and he quickly got us some. Thank goodness! Their menu is slightly different from the one at Footscray. They specialise with pho. There wasn’t anything else on the menu. Short and sweet, it was. So we made our decisions and waited for our bowl of hot deliciousness to arrive.

I had the beef and beef brisket pho, as I always do. Love the thin and raw slices of beef that would just cook instantly when pushed into the hot soup! The first thing I always do is to take a spoonful of soup and slurp it! haha Sorry I know it sounds rude, but the soup is a crucial component of a good pho! It. was. incredible! The soup was clear and super tasty! Absolutely made my cold afternoon! I just wanted more after each mouthful. Plus, they were super generous with the beef and brisket! Both of which were so tender! Was a clear winner to me. I’ve found my new favourite place for pho! HAPPY!

The mr ordered the chicken special which had a whole load of chicken breast fillets, chicken sausage, chicken blood, giblets and a  pasteurized egg yolk. Now, that a lot of ingredients! And how clear is that bowl of soup? I had a taste of his soup and it was really tasty as well though it more delicate and sweet when compared to the beef one. The mr did enjoy it quite a bit! We did wish that they had the fried spring rolls though! Wanted some crunch! hehe

We left the place super stuffed and satisfied! Definitely heading back there, knowing that my craving for pho will be satisfied for sure! (: Where have you had the best pho? Do share! Have a good week ahead everyone!

Pho Hung Vuong on Urbanspoon

{Product Review} Chobani

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I have been truly blessed this year. Lots of exciting things happening ever since I got back to Melbourne. One of which is receiving an email from Chontelle, a representative from Chobani Australia, asking if I wanted some samples of their yogurt. Of course, being a yogurt lover, I immediately said “YES PLEASE!” (: The representatives from Chobani were really friendly and super organised! I received a call from them to arrange a suitable time for the goodies to be sent to my home. They said they would try for next day delivery, but no promises. But the next morning, there was a box of delicious greek yogurt delivered to my doorstep!

As you can see, I was still in my pjs! haha (: I was a very happy girl! I have to admit though, that when they told me they were going to send me some samples, I thought I was going to get a maximum of 6. So when I saw how big the box was, I was (delightfully) shocked! 12 generous tubs!

I was given 2 tubs of a variety of 6 flavours each : plain, pineapple, peach, mango, blueberry and strawberry! And I couldn’t wait to dive into them! They were all either low fat or no fat (2% or 0%) which just means there are really good for u! Especially those who are health conscious. Score!

So, before I get into the review, just want to share a little bit about myself. I come from a family who LOVES pineapples. Everyone (except my dear brother) loves pineapples. My dad would head to Pon Tian (a state in Malaysia) and buy back at least 8-10 of their sweetest pineapples for the whole family! The ones he gets are super good though! You can actually eat the core and it’s really crunchy! So when I saw pineapple as one of the flavours… Oh happy days! (:

So without a second thought, I tried (almost immediately after I unload them into my fridge) the pineapple! And when I first peel off the foil, I was greeted by a thick and smooth layer of greek yogurt, and started to wonder, where is the pineapple? Then you stick a spoon in and dig all the way to the bottom, and tadah! the yummy, jammy layer of fruit! Mmm mmm!

Almost similar to a kinder surprise where you don’t really know what at the bottom will look like till you dig in! hehe I’m not sure about you, but I only ever used greek yogurt in my cooking. The natural ones that it. And all I remember from trying a tiny bit of natural is my eye squinting cos of the tartness! haha and before Chobani, I never had a fruity greek yogurt before. I never thought the tartness of the greek yogurt would go so well with fruits! But boy was I wrong. The jammy layer of fruit was just sweet enough to go with the thick and creamy yogurt and really complimented each other! And before I knew it.

This.

Became this!

My favourite was no doubt the pineapple and also the blueberry! Unfortunately,there will always be a flavour that im not a big fan of, and that was the peach. To me the peach was a little too sour and just didn’t compliment the greek yogurt as well as the others, it still had a tartness to it, a bit too much to my liking! But I had a solution for that.

I added some homemade muesli and what a good brekkie that made! And healthy too! I did that for the mango as well (as pictured) and it was really good! Of course, it would also go well with the natural plain greek yogurt but I had other plans for it.

I mixed it with some aubergine and chilli pickle, and it went so went with my corn & okra fritters!

Of course, don’t just take my word for it, do go get some tubs to try it for yourself! They can be found in the yogurt aisle at Woolworths for $2 a tub! And do let me know what you think after you’ve given it a try! Would love to know what you think! (:

I just want to sincerely thank the representatives of Chobani for contacting me and being so generous with the samples! I couldn’t be happier with all the tubs of yogurt I tasted and it definitely made a good breakfast or snack for work!

Once again, thank you Chobani Australia! And as the slogan says, it is definitely ‘nothing but good!’ (:

Disclaimer : There is no financial attachment with this post. I am doing this review as a personal opinion of the product. 

Hare & Grace

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It was a lunch that was planned a couple of weeks in advance so you can imagine how excited I was as the day drew nearer. I’ve been hearing lots of good feedback and seeing heaps of yummy food pictures of Hare & Grace and I was really looking forward to trying what they had to offer. PLUS! I was going to meet with Jan @ Peach Water for the first time. So it was definitely double the excitement for me! (:

Hare & Grace

Address : 525 Collins Street, Melbourne Vic 3000

Tel : 03 9629 6755

Website : http://hareandgrace.com/

Opening hours : Mondays – Fridays

Lunch – 12 to 3pm

Dinner – 6pm till late

We were one of the first customers that afternoon, and when I walked through the glass doors, I was greeted by really friendly staffs. Jan arrived a little earlier than I did, and the dining area wasn’t ready for customers yet (the wait staffs were still being briefed). So they sat her at a table near the fire place. Perfect for that cold, rainy afternoon!

Shortly after I arrived, we were led into, what I can describe as, a forest-like dining area; an enchanted forest! There were branches hanging down from the ceiling and I was going ooh and ahh as the wait staff brought as to our table. She very kindly explained to us the different parts of the menu and gave us time to decide what we wanted.

We opted for the 3 course lunch set menu and decided that we were going to try one of each of the courses. This way, we were able to try everything they had to offer! (: Their lunch sets had the option of 2 or 3 courses ($42/$55), and it came with a complimentary glass of house white/red.

Jan had the house white – chardonnay and I had the house red – cabernet sauvignon.

We started our amazing food journey with freshly baked bread, a beautifully cornelled butter and a side of sea salt. I can still remember how impressed we both were when they placed the stone with the butter sitting proudly on top in the middle. I think I’ve never taken so many photos of butter before. haha.

The bread was served in a bird’s nest bowl. Really making me feel like I was dining in an enchanted forest! hehe

Composites (Entree)

Our entrees arrived and we asked the wait staff to place them in the middle as we were just going to share everything. How pretty is this beetroot, mint, pomegranate and goat’s cheese salad? It’s like an edible garden! So so pretty! I have to admit, when I saw it on the menu, I was quite reluctant to order it, cause I never really had beet root on it’s on before. Usually I have it in my juice back home. But had to trust the chefs and give it a go.

So glad I did! The chopped mint made the salad refreshing, and it had different textures! The pomegranate gave the dish a crunch and the goat’s cheese gave the dish the creaminess and cuts the acidity of the beets. It was definitely one of our favourite dishes of the day. hehe

The other entree we had was the eggplant, with sweet & sour cured salmon, cracked wheat and labne. It was my first time having cracked wheat actually. It tasted like couscous, just a little crunchier. The cured salmon was very flavourful and absolutely love that the dish had different textures! Just makes it more exciting when eating it. hehe After the composites, I just couldn’t wait to have our mains!

Principals (Mains)

When we saw mushroom risotto on the menu, we knew we wanted to have it because the night before, the Masterchef contestants were in Italy and they had the risotto challenge. Jan and I were chatting and imagining how flat our risotto will be! haha that was definitely emphasised when the contestants were making their risottos. Alas! It arrived and it sure was flat and the smell of the mushrooms was just heavenly! Every single mouthful was just mmmmm! We could taste every single grain and it was al dente and coated with mushroomy-goodness! We couldn’t stop singing praises about it!

When we told the wait staff about how flat the risotto had to be cause of what we saw on Masterchef, she asked if it was George who said it, as she use to work for him and she told us that he use to always say that! hehe Hilarious! I was quite entertained by that fact. hehe

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the braised beef cheeks with the most amazing mash EVER. Thick, creamy, buttery and luscious! I could have that all day! The beef cheeks were marinated in red wine for 26 hours before being slow braised for 5-6 hours. So you can imagine how it just falls apart with the touch of our forks/knives! The meat was oh-so-tender and just melts in your mouth! AMAZING!!

Sweet, Guilty, Vanity (Desserts)

Of course. There will always be space for desserts (in fact, some may argue we have a separate stomach for sweets hehe). We were pretty full by the time the mains were done, but we couldn’t not have desserts to end the meal (and meet up) on a sweet note! The kitchen had some difficulty with the blow torch, so there was a bit of a delay. But the friendly staff came by our table, twice, to apologise and update us on how long more it would take. We were very very impressed by their sincerity and professionalism!

Let me tell you, the chocolate bar was well-worth the wait! It was such a decadent dessert which a thick, chocolatey mousse (78%) accompanied by some chocolate soil, a Pedro Ximenez (port wine) jelly and spiced milk sorbet! The chocolate bar had just the right  level of sweetness and when eaten together with all the components, it was very well-balanced! Definitely not too rich, though it sure looks like it! hehe If you’re a fan of chocolate, this is a MUST HAVE!

When the vanilla creme brulee arrived at our table, it reminded me of the one I had in Paris many years back. The first thing I did was to take my spoon and crack the toffee layer at the top. Nothing more satisfying than hearing that crack when the spoon hits the hard surface, and a wide smile followed (: The custard was smooth and you could definitely see the vanilla seeds but was a tad too sweet for me. It helped having it with the biscotti though! hehe kinda mellowed the sweetness as it had the spiciness of ginger.

Hare & Grace has definitely lived up to our expectations and even more! Lovely and friendly wait staff, delicious food with awesome company (thanks Jan!) made the whole experience very memorable! In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I brought the Mr back for lunch a few days later and he really loved it as well!

So do give H&G a try when you’re around the city, and do remember to call them up to book in advance. Do note that they are only open on weekdays for lunch and dinner! (:

 Stay tuned for the post on Peach Water this weekend and have a read of her review of the place and her beautiful photos!

Hare & Grace on Urbanspoon

Beef Onion and Guinness Pies

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Have you been watching Masterchef Australia? Cause I have! I’ve been watching religiously. hehe And loving it! Friday’s Masterclass is the day I will never miss and even if I do, I will catch up on it online. It is during this time when I get inspired and motivated to try making completely new things. I love the fact that they post their recipes on the masterchef australia website too! Makes it so much easier when trying new dishes!

The Friday that we saw Gary made his beef onion & guinness pie, the mr immediately asked me to make it for dinner the next day! I was very hesistant to make pastry from scratch cos the first time I made a pie/tart base, it failed miserably! So I had a back-up plan, if the pie case failed, I would mash potatoes and turn it into a cottage pie instead! So with a back-up plan in mind, I went all out! So much so I invited friends who were in Melbourne for a visit over for dinner! Haha. I wasn’t too sure what got into my head.

Thank goodness the pie was a big hit! The pastry was buttery and flaky. We could just have it on it’s own (and we did for the left over pastry haha)! I couldn’t really believe how easy it was to make it and I had alot of fun rolling it out and cutting it to fit the baking tin as well! hehe And the best way to have the pie? With a whole heap of tomato sauce of course! YUMMY!

This is definitely a pastry I can see myself making very very often in the future for either sweet or savoury dishes!

And the beef. Where can I begin? It melts in your mouth. Pity I couldn’t cook it for slightly longer cause I already made my guests wait for 1 hour (lucky thing I had Running Man on so they were entertained! hehe) and so I just really needed to get it in the pastry cases, baked and served!

Remember my back-up plan? I had to use it anyway because I had so much beef left, it was a great way to serve them – with creamy parmesan mash! To complete the meal, I made a bowl of salad and viola! (: Was a perfect night with good company!

Beef Onion and Guinness Pies (Adapted from Masterchef Australia)

Filling

3 kg chuck steak, cut into 5cm pieces

150ml olive oil

6 onions, sliced

8 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

5 dried bay leaves

4 tbs plain flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper, for season

2 carrots, cut into large chunks

600ml Guinness

1.5 litres beef stock

1 egg, beaten

Tomato sauce, to serve

Maggie Beer’s Sour Cream Pastry

200g chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

250g plain flour, extra for dusting

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sour cream

Steps : 

1) Season the beef generously with salt and black pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan with 100ml of olive oil on high heat, and cook the beef in a few batches until all sides are well browned.  Add the carrot and cook for 5-6 minutes until golden. Set aside.

2) In a large pot, add the rest of the 50ml of olive oil and heat over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, stirring continuously. This will take around 40 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the bay leaves and cook until a slightly darker brown, without burning it. Add the flour and stir till there is no visible flour left.

3) Add the beef and carrots into the pot and pour 1/2 of the Guinness into the pan to de-glaze, scraping all the brown bits on the bottom. Pour that and the remaining Guinness into the pot. Add the beef stock and make sure there is enough liquid to cover all the beef. Bring it to a boil.

4) Partially cover the pot with the lid and lower the heat to low. Allow that to simmer fir at least 2 1/2 hours or until tender. Set aside and allow it to cool until the pastry is ready. This could also be made in advance and kept in a fridge for up to 3 days.

5) To make the pastry : In an electric mixer, blend the butter and flour and a pinch of salt until the mixture resembles large bread crumbs. Slowly add the sour cream and mix until it comes together to form a dough. Shape it into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

6) Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius. Grease 12 holes in a cupcake baking tin with butter (or 6 in a muffin tin). Roll out the pastry to 3-5mm, using a little extra flour for dusting. Cut out 12 rounds about 4 cm bigger than the cupcake holes and another 12 rounds that are about 2 cm larger for the lids.

7) Place a pie base in each hole, then press in lightly with your fingers. Make sure there is about 1 cm left above the mould. Fill each hole with some beef mixture and top each with a pastry lid and crimp the edges to seal in the filling. Brush each pastry top with the beaten egg, and cut a small hole in the center of each pie for steam to escape.

8) Bake the pies for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Turn out and serve with tomato sauce.

ENJOY! (:

PS : I made much more than the 12 pies needed, so like I mentioned before, I topped the leftover beef filling with a creamy parmesan mash. You could easily make another batch of pastry and make more pies! (: Or just cut the recipe into half! 

Huxtaburger : Best Burgers in Melbourne

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Yes. I got to try the much anticipated burgers from Huxtaburger! I’ve been wanting to try their burgers since the end of last year! Don’t know why I even waited this long to try it, cos now I just want to have it again and again!

It’s a small little burger place, that has a few bar seats and outdoor tables. We went at dinner time, and it was buzzing with people! The bar seats were all taken and majority of the people were buying takeaways. Although it was a crazy cold night, the mr scored us a table outside and we took it without much consideration!

The chef at work! (: Patties, eggs, bacon, pineapple and buns!

The Mr ordered the Denise which has  jalapeno & sriracha mayo ! The spicy option between the 5 on the menu. It was so good that the mr took one bite of his burger and stood up, went to the counter and ordered another! haha I couldn’t stop laughing and couldn’t wait to bite into my own!

I shared the Huxtaburger with Alicia and my smile got wider after every bite into the burger! It was simple but so delicious and super tasty! Exactly what burgers should be. The buns were fried so they had the extra crunch when you bite into the burgers and it was super soft! AMAZING!

We ordered a large side of crinkle cut chips and they came in a cute paper cup! The chips were so crispy on the outside and soft-pillowy middle! Just the way I like my chips! hehe And nothing goes better with burgers right? (:

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is truly the BEST burger EVER! Introducing the Bills. It’s the Huxtaburger with the works : Egg, bacon, pineapple & beetroot! Oh-My-Goshhhh! I had a bite and really, this was truly the winner! I am salivating just looking at the picture! A burger is definitely needed this week!

Now you can definitely understand why the mr (and I, just don’t have a shot of me haha) were SO HAPPY after having our burgers! It was so darn good, and we will definitely be back for more!

PS : They also have a kid-size burger so do bring your children along too! (: I’m pretty sure they will love it!

So what are you waiting for? Head to Huxtaburger as soon as possible! You won’t ever regret it! *SLURPS*

Chin Chin

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 I was super excited when the mr texted me to tell me that his colleagues are planning to head to Chin Chin for lunch and I was able to follow them! Chin Chin has been one of those places that you have been planning to go.But the first time I went there, they told me that a table of 3 would only be available after 2 and a half hours. It made me think twice whenever I think about the wait if I did want to head there for a meal! Thankfully, we went during the non-peak hour (2pm) and we got our table for 6 almost instantly!

Though it was 2pm, it will still packed with customers and the smell that greets you when you enter just makes you hungrier and just can’t wait to try their creations! As I was a plus one, I left the ordering to the mr and his colleagues. The only dish I requested was the famous son-in-law eggs! hehe (:

It was an extensive menu. I just wanted to try everything on it! haha So I can only imagine myself back at Chin Chin very soon trying more of the food that we didn’t get to try this time round! Chin Chin is a warehouse converted place that serves delicious Thai food! And boy have I been craving for some thai in my tummy! So every dish had some asian-thai influence on it.

 Our first starter was the kingfish sashimi with lime, chilli, coconut and thai basil. This was really fresh and with every bite you just want to have more. Love how a dish has many textures and this one had the sour, the sweet, the spicy and the crunch! Perfect dish to start our meal.

Our second starter was the DIY spring rolls! These were fun! The addition of the raw vegetables gave the dish a crunch with the very soft and thin handmade skin! What I really liked was the peanut sauce that came with it. Was really delicious! I couldn’t resist and had a second roll. hehe

I love restaurants who have dishes that encourage interactions between their customers at a time by having these DIY spring rolls! I think it’s a brilliant idea! This inspired me to have a DIY rice paper roll dinner which I will be blogging about soon! (:

Salad course : Salt & pepper salmon fin with banana blossom salad. The deep fried salmon skin just melts in your mouth the moment to bite into them. It was seriously delicious! It was our first time having banana blossom. It complimented the crunch of the fish and we just couldn’t get enough of it to be honest! Noms!

This was another really delicious dish. It’s dry curry “pad ped” with vegetables, spiced crusted organic tofu, kaffir lime leaf and thai basil. It’s a dry red curry and had a slight sweetness to it. It was so good! I could easily have this dish and a bowl of rice and be very happy!

 This was from their barbecue side of the menu : the salmon wrapped in banana leaf with coconut red curry, lime and thai basil. It reminded me so much of the otah we can get back home! The flavours were really good, but the mr and I felt that the salmon was a bit overcooked. And make us miss the otah his mum makes! can’t wait to head home and get some at the end of the year!

The stir-fried sirloin with green peppercorns were quite good as well. But wasn’t one of the stand out dishes in my opinion! Was pretty norma. Please don’t get me wrong, it was good, but compared to the rest of the dishes, this just didn’t stand out as much. The slices of the beef were really tender though!

And the much anticipated son-in-law eggs! They were so so good! We first had them when we went to Gingerboy last year, and also learned out lesson. haha We were told we have to put the whole egg in our mouths at Gingerboy and bite in to allow it to explode. But many of us had so much difficulty fitting an egg in our mouth! haha Thankfully this time, we cut it into halves and could really taste all the flavours in our mouths! DELICIOUS! The chilli jam that accompanied these fried eggs with gooey center was perfect. A true balance of flavours. Genius!

We were stuffed when we were done and just didn’t have any space for desserts, which I was actually looking forward to. So till we meet again Chin Chin, I really can’t wait to try the other dishes you have to offer! (:

PS : Chin Chin doesn’t take bookings unless for tables of 10-12. So do head there early (or late) and I highly recommend going there during off-peak hours so you will be able to get a seat and start indulging in the yummy food they have! 

Coffee Hit : Famish’d

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The holiday food adventures continues! The Mr brought me here after our wonderful lunch at MissChu for some digestive – coffee and cakes. Just what we needed to complete our lunch. There is ALWAYS space for dessert, or some kind of sweet, regardless of how full you are. haha Trust me!

Famish’d

Address : 130 Little Collins Street, Melbourne Vic 3000

Tel : (03) 90040322

Website : http://www.famishd.com.au

Opening Hours : 7-4pm

 Love the decor of the place. You feel a kind of comfort I can’t really describe. Everyone is so friendly there and the Mr said that they actually address you by your name when you’re a regular. Adds a personal touch to your visits here and definitely allows you to be more comfortable while dining there. How fabulous is that? To me, great service is everything!

Famish’d is actually known for their salads. It’s almost the same concept as Salad Stop in Singapore, where you can actually design your own salads, and pick your combination from a whole huge range of different ingredients. Or pick from daily salad special which are the hot favourites! How exciting is that? And now that it’s winter, they offer a soup special daily with freshly baked bread! YUMS! I am definitely returning back on an empty stomach to try their salads and soup!

But for this visit, I was there for some sweets and a good cuppa coffee using St Ali coffee beans.

When I saw what they have to offer, I just instantly picked these two cakes : citrus & poppyseed and orange & almond ! The cakes had a burst of flavour the second it touches your tongue and they were so moist. It’s a slightly denser cake, but I actually like dense cakes. haha Feel like they have more bite to it!


Word.

We both had lattes. Just that the mr ordered their large. And their hot drinks all came with a meringue that will filled with a surprise. It’s filled with chocolate chips! I have no idea how they make it, cause you don’t see the chocolate chips till you bite into it!

I do apologise that I didn’t get a shot of the chocolate chips in the meringue. I got too excited and it was too delicious, I finished it in 2 quick bites. haha I guess I just have to head back to have it again!

 I can’t wait to head back to try the food they have to offer. I have a good feeling they will be yummy! (: So if you work in the city and want a healthy and hearty lunch or even just a cuppa and something sweet, why not drop by and satisfy that hunger!

MissChu’s Tuckshop

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It’s the holidays! (: After 10 weeks of work, the 3 weeks of break is exactly what I need. One thing that has been on my agenda is heading to the city to meet the mr for lunch after his work! It’s something I use to do when I was studying, but now that I started work, it’s difficult (actually impossible) to head to the city during the weekdays to meet him. That’s something I really miss!

Love their delivery bicycle! Definitely environmental friendly!

A friend of mine, Felicia, brought me here a while back to try their rice paper rolls. Believe it or not, that was my first time having a rice paper roll. I never really thought they tasted good. In my mind, it was something cold, dry and not very pleasant. But my first bite into these scrumptious rolls changed my mind instantly! So much so that I got totally hooked onto them and would crave for them every now and then. More now than the latter to be very honest!

The Mr knows I love their rice paper rolls, so he would, the sweet person he always is, buy me some for lunch the next day. But it’s never really the same, having it the day after as compared to those freshly made. So we decided to meet at MissChu’s for lunch and try the other things they have to offer as well.

Love the concept they use, reminds me of queueing up in a school canteen! We place an order on the order list and pay at the counter and the food got to our table in no time! We sat on tables and chairs that are made from milk crates. How old school is that? Absolutely loving it!

We ordered the green mango & tiger prawn and the roast duck & banana flower rolls. The roast duck & banana flower is my favourite! It’s generously stuffed with roast duck and the addition of banana flower is just perfect. I highly recommend it! Even though it costs $1.50 more than the others, it’s definitely worth it!

The main difference when you eat fresh at the tuckshop is the soft rice paper skin that tend to get a little hard when you keep it overnight. So I recommend that you buy it and eat it within the same day! You won’t be able to resist the urge when it’s infront of you anyways! hehe I am sure of that!

Another of our favourites was the lemongrass beef (eye fillet) vermicelli salad! This was simply delicious! It’s not the usual leafy salad you get, and you will actually be full (and happy) after eating this! The dressing makes your taste buds come alive, with the sweet-sour-salty component to it. Just makes you want more after each mouthful!

The beef fillet was very well seasoned and tasted absolutely delicious! Was a generous portion once again, and was plenty of beef to go with the vermicelli noodles. We couldn’t have enough of it. NOMS!

The wagyu beef pho was pretty yummy too. Though compared to the other items we had, this didn’t really have the wow factor to it. But I guess, there isn’t really any other ways to serve a pho is there? The soup was really good though! Clear and really tasty. I could slurp a whole bowl of the soup! hehe

The Mr and I were both really happy by the time we were done and our plates & bowls were all really clean! Could not happier with our meal. Our bellies were definitely satisfied! Can’t wait for more lunches with the mr in the coming 3 weeks! (:

Brunch : Snow Pony

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If you haven’t already notice, brunch is one of my favourite meals of the day. And with foodie friends like Daisy, my list of  “to-go” places for brunch is ever growing. haha Not that I’m complaining! (: I have to thank her actually! Cause I have more choices for brunch now a days! Especially with the new Entertainment Book, we actually get discounts at some of the new places! Snow pony was one of them. And boy were we super happy with our choice of heading there for brunch.

Snow Pony

Address : 95 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn, Vic 3103

Tel : 03 98138911

Website : http://www.snowpony.com.au

The first thing you see when you get there is a huge pony standing tall right outside the cafe. Pity I didn’t snap a shot of the pony, as it was so cold, I just kept my hands in my pocket the whole time we were waiting for our seats. Yes. There is an endless queue at the door of Snow Pony. So get there early and put your name down as soon as you step through those doors! Don’t say you’ve not been warn! hehe The wait is definitely worth it!

I love that they have a different menu for each season. Definitely will be back before it changes cause the Winter menu is awesome! (: We were sitting right smack in the middle on the bar seats, and that was great! Kinda like having the center of attention, and a great spot to people watch. haha Not that we do it, really.

Don’t you just feel happy with orange roses shining and smiling at you? (: I was happy! Even happier after I had the yummy food in my belly! hehe But of course, we started the meal with a hot cuppa!

The Mr had his usual (large) latte and I had a chai soy latte. The latte was really good but that was no surprise because the beans were from Proud Mary! My chai soy latte, however, was quite a let down. There wasn’t much chai taste to it. Was like a whole cup of hot soy milk with cinnamon powder.  It looked really good though!

Having said that. The food definitely didn’t disappoint us at all!

I ordered the McPony’s. How cute is the name? Absolutely loving it. It’s like tastier and healthier muffin that you would only want more by the time you’re done!

It’s a toasted english muffin stuffed with ham (off the bone), emmental cheese and creamy dreamy eggs! Never had scrambled eggs in a muffin before. It was really good! And wasn’t soggy at all!

The Mr ordered the Smashed Avocado with thyme buttered mushrooms, marinated feta , torn basil on multigrain toast. This was to-die-for!

Everything just went perfectly together! Absolutely loving the marinated feta! We couldn’t stop going “wah!” after every mouthful. Have to thank Peach Water for recommending the dish! Definitely heading back to have this the next time! (: I’m salivating just seeing the picture! hehe

You must be wondering, how could I be full just having the McPony’s. Of course, I had other plans in mind. *evil laughter* haha Miss D has highly recommended the Toasted Banana Bread here. And as I have previously explained, when Miss D highly recommends a dessert, you have to give it a try!

The 2 thick slices of toasted banana bread was served with maple syrup mascarpone, fresh banana, berry compote and crushed pistachios. I’m a real sucker for banana bread. So I definitely couldn’t resist ordering this.

Doesn’t it look amazing? You just want to dive your fork into it and have a huge mouthful! When it arrived infront of us, you could immediately smell the aroma of the dense and moist banana bread. Nothing is better than that I reckon! I also highly recommend this dish!

The Mr and I definitely enjoyed our brunch here at Snow Pony. It’s a cosy cafe and everyone is very friendly. Good food and food service. Definitely will be back for more! (:

PS : Do note that this place only takes cash! So head to the ATM before having brunch!