Category: Reviews

New Found Gem : Kang Na Roo Korean Restaurant

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I have something to confess : I’m a convert! Let me explain. I use to think that my favourite cuisine is Japanese food. Don’t get me wrong. I still love my sashimi and sushi. But of late, I’ve realised that I would actually rather have korean when given the choice! Just something about hot plates and hot pots that I am craving for all the time. (: And I have to admit, we’ve been a bit korean crazy lately. haha

We chanced up this small little restaurant when we were furnishing our new place and needed to get some materials. Traveling up and down to Bunnings Warehouse at Clayton and saw this restaurant, at the corner opposite Clayton train station, was still buzzing with patrons at 9pm on a weekday night! So we both decided it was a place we have to check this place out.

Of course, we decided to pop up on a Friday night at 7pm. PEAK HOUR ALERT! And waited, willingly and excitedly, for half an hour to get our seats. Standing at the doors was pure torture, only because we had to withstand the cold winds that was coming through the doors whenever customers were going in and out, and also smell the aromas from the food in front of us (and salivating non-stop because of it!). The restaurant was really cosy and everyone working there were koreans. We were excited, cause we knew we were going to get some authentic korean food.

Kang Na Roo

Address : 309-315 Clayton Road, Clayton Vic 3168

Tel : 03 95432842

I dunno about you, but I absolutely adore the small dishes that come just before the food comes. The top of my favourite list is the caramelised sweet potato! I could just have that all night, although my waist wouldn’t be too pleased about that. haha

We flipped through the menu and this hot pot dish caught our attention : Gamja Tang. It’s mild pork bone marrow stew with vegetables and potatoes. It was just the right amount of spice that we needed to warm our tummies up for the start of winter. The Mr was just happily slurping on the marrow and we finished everything in that pot.

What was special about this particular hotpot is that you could order a serve of special rice with vegetables that will come after you have finished 95% of the soup in the pot. Then one of the wait staff came to mix the rice into the hotpot and fry it on the spot! The Mr and I were just smiling non-stop cause we were so amused!

It looked simple but it tasted A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! With the flavours of the stew, it was a home run for us!

This, dear readers, was no ordinary fried chicken. It’s drizzled with a sweet chilli sauce that intrigues us. It’s almost like malt –  it’s super duper thick and sticky but not overly sweet when you taste it! We just couldn’t stop eating it even though our stomachs were starting to feel stuffed! The addition of peanuts and pine nuts just adds a bite to the dish. Just describing it now is making me hungry even though I just had dinner. haha

We could not be happier when we were done with our meal that night. Both the Mr and I had the widest smiles and the happiest bellies (: Definitely a place we will visit regularly from now, seeing that it’s about 5 mins drive away from our new place! (: And do know that you could call and book a table in advance so you won’t have to wait too long for a table!

So are you a japanese or korean food lover? Or are you a convert like me? Would love to know!

Miss Polly

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Sorry for my long absence in posts as the past month! It has been a really tiring but exciting time for both the mr and I and I do hope for your kind understanding and thank you for your continuous support of Food Made With Love! (:

You see, the mr and I bought our first place and been crazy busy with the packing-moving-unpacking-and-decorating process! Plus we had no internet for the first 3 weeks after moving in, but now that the internet is up, I am back and here to stay!

This is a photo of our dining and living room. (: Loving our sofa from Freedom! hehe But this post would be dedicated to food, after being MIA for so long! haha But I promise to share more photos of the new place in the post to come!

Miss Polly

Add : 26 Britannia Mall, Mitcham Vic 3132

Tel : 03 98738246

I’ve always considered myself very lucky cause I have a family who care and love me unconditionally and a husband who loves me and loves to give me surprises! (: He came home one Saturday from training his clients and told me to get dress cause he’s bringing me to brunch! When I asked where brunch was going to be, he refused to tell me and replied simply, “secret!” haha. Weekends (especially long ones) couldn’t get any better just spending time with him and enjoying what we love – FOOD!

Miss Polly is a small and cosy cafe tucked in a small lane in Mitcham. It’s apparently opposite what used to be Coles a few years back! I kinda overheard the conversation the owner was having with another couple the table next to us. haha. Their mother used to go to that Coles! Love a place with rich history (: Makes the place more unique!

I was super happy that the mr brought me here. I was crazy jealous when he went there on his own after sending his car in for a service. I saw his pictures on instagram and it was on my “to-go” list (which by the way is ever growing! haha). Lucky us took the last table available besides the communal table! Plus, everyone at the cafe was really friendly and nice! Straight away we ordered our choice of hot drinks, as it was super cold that morning!

Our drinks are pretty standard for brunch : chai soy latte for me, and a large cafe latte for the mr. It was my first time seeing a large latte served in a tall glass! And what’s better? They use the beans from Proud Mary! The Mr’s favourite coffee. hehe it was a win-win!

Thank you for surprising me with brunch ! (:

When I skimmed through the menu, the one thing that caught my eyes was the dish with corn fritters! Ever since I had corn fritters at Replete Providore, it’s something that I crave for brunch constantly! So when I saw it, I just had to order it. It’s called Something Salmon! What a cute name aye? It has alternate layers of corn fritters, smoked salmon and spinach leaves topped with a poached egg and delicious tangy tomato relish! How pretty does it look? It tasted as delicious!

Of course, I couldn’t finish it haha (nothing new there!) and the mr had to, once again, clean the plate up for me! hehe Even after having his order of Polly Big Breakfast! The breakfast platter includes scrambled eggs, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, chorizo, a slice of bread and a side of tomato relish!

Loved how their scrambled eggs were still a little runny! The magical part of the dish was definitely the chorizos and the tomato relish. Really adds depth and flavour and also puts a smile on the mr’s face! hehe

Miss Polly is definitely a cafe we would frequent from now on. Good food, goof company and good service. It’s like a trio-winner-factor! Although it’s not exactly close to where we now live, but it’s near Box Hill, which means we can have brunch and then do marketing! hehe Well, distance will never be a barrier to us having our brunch! Don’t you agree? (:

So what do you like to order when you go for brunch? Would love to know your choices! Happy mid week everyone! Just 2 more days till the weekend again!

{NZ} My Kitchen Part 2

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Remember my post on My Kitchen that had all the vegetarian Taiwanese food? This amazing place is also known for their meat-y delicacies and they are also equally mouth-watering! I’m sure if you’ve been to Taiwan, you know will know that they are well known for starters (小吃).

Pig’s ear! It’s stewed till the outside is really tender and the middle is really crunchy! It’s the fav of my parents and my hubs! It’s something you either like it or hate it I suppose. But in my family, we love it! hehe Mum said my grandma use to cook this but she doesn’t anymore. That explains why my dad loves it so much! hehe

Pan fried dumplings! I do love my dumplings. With lots and lots of vinegar! (: This came after our main for some reason and we were SO STUFFED. but still finished them all. haha

I ordered minced pork rice (卤肉饭)! I absolutely loved it! Worth every penny too! Just $4.95 for this small but mighty bowl of yumminess!

The hubs ordered the deep dried chicken cutlet. It was really crispy and was really well seasoned. It brought us back to Taiwan when we had the deep fried xxx-large chicken cutlet at the road side. This definitely came pretty close!

Mummy ordered braised pig trotters! Just looking at the photo makes me miss my grandma’s pig trotters even more! But these were really good too. Not too salty and the trotters were really tender, and the gravy. I could just have the gravy and rice to be honest. Think I might make some soon. haha

Dad had the dry noodles with mince. This sound and look ordinary but with the addition of the mince (similar to the rice) it was delicious. Could do more of the sauce though, cause it turned out a bit dry. The crunch of the zucchini was genious though. Added a bit of freshness with every mouthful! (:

The portions are really huge and we obviously didn’t learn from our first visit here and share our mains. haha Got too excited and just wanted to try everything on the menu! hehe Definitely a place you should try when you’re around the area!

The Good Loaf Sourdough Cafe

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I love roadtrips. I don’t know bout you, but I ALWAYS look forward to going on one. Regardless on how far or near they are. When my parents were here, they decided to head to Bendigo, since it’s different from the usual Great Ocean Road or Mornington Peninsula we usually go to when they are here. I was super pumped!

It was a really great day for a roadtrip. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn’t a single sign that it might rain at all. The 2 hour drive was really smooth (and straight!) The mr had alot of fun driving there. His first roadtrip drive since he passed his driving!

We made sure we left my place in time to try out The Good Loaf Sourdough Cafe in the city of Bendigo! It was showing on a program in Singapore, and was one of the places on the “have-to-go” list. haha

The Good Loaf Sourdough Cafe

Add : 404 Hargreaves Street  Bendigo VIC 3550

Tel : (03) 5444 2171

And we made it just in time! They open till 3pm on Saturdays and close Sundays! So remember to make your way down to Bendigo a little earlier cause this place sells the most amazing freshly baked bread! They sit nicely in a corner and is not like the older squarish buildings, but round! (:

We saw all the bread that was displayed and couldn’t resist buying them. We bought pumpkin sourdough bread as well as the raisin and walnut loaf! Amazing when warmed up and with some butter. NOMS!

So so true! I found this quote in the toilet. haha But I totally agree! Who could resist freshly baked bread? I definitely can’t! The Good Loaf serves amazing breakfast/brunch too! There are quite a number of choices to choose from and also a Saturday special : French Toast with caramelised bananas and vanilla mascarpone. Let me tell you, the special is SO GOOD.

Yes I know it looks sinful. But after a 2 hour drive and working at for the past 5 days, you should reward yourself with this sweet treat! Worth all the calories. haha (: Besides, you don’t have this everyday do you? hehe

We also ordered their bacon and tomato frittata with a side of salad and it was so good. They made bacon cups and had a whole egg in the middle. It was like a kid eating Kinder Surprise and finding a toy in the middle; I was beaming when I cut into it and found a whole egg! hehe Their salad was really yummy! It had a combination of barley, red quinoa, walnuts, capsicum, avocado, raisins and rocket leaves! So gonna try making this at home. hehe Yummy and healthy. Best combination!

Even though this looks like a normal sandwich, this bacon, egg and homemade pesto sandwich was delish! The adding of pesto was just genius! Brought this sandwich to a whole new level of yums!

The Mr picked the savoury muffin and it was delicious! Really different form the usual sweet muffins we have. Having it is making me want to bake my Broccoli and Cheese muffins! mmm!

Butter just goes well with everything aye? (:

This is something that caught my eye the moment I looked on the menu board. Indian baked beans! A slight tinge of curry powder and chilli with a dollop of yogurt! Something different but in a good way! Not the usual tomato based baked beans. We all really enjoyed it!

I love love love how they serve their milk in an old school milk bottle! (: Mum loves her long black with warm milk. She said if the milk is not warm, then her coffee would not be as hot anymore! haha

Of course, I had my chai soy latter and it came with a packet of honey! I have to say I’m very reliant on my chai latter. It’s one of my morning essentials. (:

So if you’re a bread lover like me, it’s definitely worth the roadtrip down to Bendigo and try their breads! (: You and your bellies will not regret it! You have my word!

{NZ} Puhoi Cottage Tea Rooms

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Puhoi Cottage Tea Rooms

50 Ahuroa Road, Puhoi

Tel : 09 422 0604

Web : http://www.puhoicottage.co.nz/

I love traditional tea rooms. Those that have been there for a very long time, with really rich history and recipes that have been around for ages. I absolutely adore such places. The Puhoi Cottage Tea Rooms is one such place! It has been around for 40 years and is one of the oldest tea rooms in New Zealand! Highly recommended for their lovely scones, I just couldn’t wait to try them!

When we got there it was a cute little cottage with both seats inside and outside. With the sun shining above us, we just had to sit outside to enjoy the heat and greens.

There were even chickens running around us. Cheers to animals in the wild! (:

When we arrived, we were greeted by the owner, David, who was strumming jazz and blues on his guitar and singing for his guests! They had a whole range of different homemade cakes and savouries and hot drinks to go along. The devonshire tea/coffee set came with one large scone and a hot drink. Scones along are $5 each. May seem a little much for a scone, but you will understand why when you see the size of them!

We were warned! hehe Knowing how big the scones would be, we ordered 3 sets of scones and a serve of carrot cake for the 6 of us! (:

How glorious do those scones look? They were fresh from the oven, and served with freshly whipped cream and beautiful jam. The scones were so huge that they took up more then 1/3 of the tray! My face just instantly lit up when the tray arrived.

A mouthful of yumminess!

Beautiful carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. You could really taste the cinnamon in this cake and absolutely loved it! Was slightly moist which is how I love my cakes. hehe Gorgeous!

We had an absolutely amazing time and we were so full when leaving the tea room. (: Happy bellies, definitely!

{NZ} My Kitchen Part 1 : Vegetarian

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I don’t know about you, but Taiwanese food has always been a favourite in my family. There was a period of time we went to Taiwan at least once a year. And when we are there, we would always eat till our hearts content! Especially the street food that you can get at the night markets. Simply delicious!

After days of western food, I think we were craving for something asian so my cousins brought us to My Kitchen! The good thing about Taiwan restaurants/cafes is that they cater to vegetarians as well. Which was awesome! We ate so much, we were stuffed by the time we were done with our starters. haha But the food was too good to not finish (of course the mr had to finish half of my food for me haha).

i was never a big fan of century eggs. I use to only like them in my porridge when I have dim sum. But I tried a dish a while back with toufu and a century egg sauce and totally loved it! When my cousins ordered this, I couldn’t be more pleased! It was delicious! I wanted more!

Thai style deep fried toufu! This was super yummy too! Just didn’t know whether it fits the Taiwan street food theme. I guess smelly toufu would fit more, but thank goodness they didn’t order it! haha Nonetheless, the toufu was super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Went perfectly with the sweet and spicy sauce!

This was a childhood favourite of mine. Fried mantous with condense milk! No one at the table tried it before. I was so super excited when they placed this on the table. I was practically grinning! haha They seriously compliment each other. If you haven’t tried this, PLEASE DO! Hot and crispy man tou with sweet condense milk.

mmm. just thinking and looking at it makes me salivate!

It’s vegetarian braised mince pork rice (素卤肉饭) ! It was so so good! And only $4.90NZD! Delicious (:

This is my braised mock beef noodles (红烧牛肉面) and the soup was really herbal and perfect for a cold day. The noodles were endless and of course the mr had to finish it for me. haha

 Mummy’s mince mock pork noodles! This was a little ordinary compared to the rest. Loved the addition of fresh cucumber and carrots though!

The Mr ordered the pork chop set which came with braised mince pork rice and three side dishes. Doesn’t that pork chop look amazingly similar to the real ones we usually have? So so amazing!

The portion sizes were all really huge here so if you want to try more dishes, I suggest sharing the mains instead! Unless you’re a big eater or have someone who would finish up everything, like me! haha Stay tuned for the non-vegetarian meal we had at this place next! (:

A Day of Two Brunches

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Brunch has been a weekend affair ever since I can remember. The Mr and I would try to explore different cafes on Sundays after church, especially if they are highly recommended. On some Sundays though, we rather head back to a place we know we would definitely love and enjoy. In fact, we went to 2 of our favourite places within 2 hours. Thank goodness for close proximity!

Proud Mary

172 Oxford Street, Collingwood Vic 3066

First stop : Proud Mary ! This definitely isn’t our first time at Proud Mary. The Mr and I came here on a weekly basis before we got married. But due to work commitments, we are only able to come once or twice a month. Not a bad thing though. Cause it makes us miss it alot more, and crave for their delicious brunch! As usual the queue was all the way to the road outside the cafe, so we had to put our names down on a waiting list. We were told it would be a 30 mins wait. So we decided to make a small detour and headed to our second stop : Monsieur Truffe (MT for short) that was just a few streets down to get ourselves our chocolate croissant fix!

Monsieur Truffe

90 Smith Street, Collingwood Vic 3066

When you enter MT, you are hit with the loveliest smell of butter pastry and cocoa. They make their own chocolates and you can purchase their bars as well! What got my attention was the huge chocolate rooster standing proudly on top of a cabinet of baked goods. We ordered a chocolate croissant each and had to head back to Proud Mary to wait for our seats!

This is what a croissant should be. Layers and layers of pastry. Crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside. With the addition of chocolate, PERFECT. The Mr just can’t get enough! (:

So about the time we got back from MT, our names were called and we got to our seats! Lucky ducks we were!

If you’ve never been to Proud Mary and you are a coffee lover. I URGE you to make a trip down as soon as possible. I usually am not a coffee drinker (chai is definitely my choice of beverage), but when I am there, I have to order their latte or cappuccino. Definitely one of the best coffees we’ve had! The baristas are super quick with the orders and professional, might I add. Proud Mary has so many different ways of brewing their coffee, I get so amazed!

Of course, it’s not just the coffees that are good here. The food is to-die-for! I didn’t really need to look at the menu. I knew what I wanted even before we got here. haha The Hash!

The potato hash was just heavenly. Every single bite was just more delightful than the one before. The saltiness of the bacon, the crispy bacon and the soft and runny poached egg. The hash was nice and crispy on the outside, but the unique thing about their hash is that you can see every strand of it. It’s not mush like others. Perfectly seasoned. YUM!

The Mr ordered the smoked herring. It was a new dish on the menu so he wanted to give it a try. And also because he didn’t want to end up ordering the same thing as me (oops). He also ordered a side of bacon (super generous portion) just cause he wanted some!

It came with a chutney, fried egg, salad and toast! Was pretty yummy, but we did prefer the smoke salmon they use to have! That was really good. hehe

After the 2 meals, you can imagine how full we were. But we were definitely very happy we had brunch there. (: So have you tried Proud Mary before dear readers? What was your favourite dish?

Till next time, have a lovely Easter everyone! xx

Brunch Sunday : Replete Providore

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Replete Providore

302 Barkers Road, Hawthorn Vic 3122

(03) 98184448

We arrived at 930am and the place was filled! We had to wait for about 10 mins for window seats, definitely had to wait a tad bit longer for a table. It’s a really cosy place and the staff were friendly. I didn’t know there was a communion table behind with sofa seats and really a really pretty light!

I first read about Replete Providore from Iron Chef Shellie and what caught my eye in her review post was their chai soy latte. If you know me, I LOVE chai! It’s absolutely vital for me to have a cup of chai soy latte in the morning, to start my day off well! So when I saw how they served their chai in a teapot, I had to go give it a try!

It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Love that they put more cinnamon powder on top to add a spice-kick to the hot and comforting drink. I don’t know if it’s just me. There’s just something therapeutic dipping the honey dipper into a big glass container of honey and slowly allowing it to drip into my cup of chai.

fuzzy wuzzy honey bee (:

The Mr, on the other hand, is a coffee lover. When asked how his coffee was, he said GOOD! haha So I reckon it’s something not to be missed too if you’re there for brunch and you need your morning cuppa!

 Sundays are brunch days for the mr and I. We always head to somewhere nice after mass in the morning. It’s just something we decided to do a while back. It’s definitely a day I look forward to and treasure very much. Especially since we are working everyday and get so drained by the end of the week and all we want to do is relax, enjoy each other’s company and have super yummy food! (:

On with the food. The best part! haha I’m having this current obsession with corn so the minute I saw corn fritters on the menu, my mind was made up! Layered with bacon and topped with sour cream and avocado salsa, I was sure it would be a winner (:

And yes, the portion size here is HUGE! Two really big fritters with heaps of bacon and a more than decent amount of sour cream and salsa. Everything came together and complimented each other. The flavours were just dancing in my mouth! I was a super happy girl.

With portions this big, I usually can only have half of it, and the mr would need to finish it up for me. But that day, I couldn’t stop eating it. Of course, I still couldn’t finish it, but I did better than just 1/2! An achievement in my eyes. hehe

Now, this is the breakfast for champions. Eating champions. haha How big is the Replete Breakfast? Toast, bacon, poached eggs, spanish sausage, tomato, field mushrooms and the most amazing hash brown! The hash was super crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. It is one thing the mr always looks out for when he’s out for brunch. A good hash. And he definitely found it here!

Of course, you can imagine how full we were by the end of the meal, but we were two very happy campers! With very round tummies! hehe Definitely a place I recommend. If you want to avoid the crowds, come during the weekdays. But brunch just isn’t brunch without the crowds and people flipping the papers and tables of friends laughing and having a good time with good food, is it?

Have a fantastic brunch day people! (:

A Review Post Gone Korean Crazy

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We are addicted. Addicted to everything Korean. But more specifically, Running Man! We were introduced to this awesome tv game show by the Mr’s sister, Melissa, and we have been crazy about it ever since! If you haven’t had a chance to watch any episodes, I urge you to watch them! I have to warn you though, you would laugh so hard, you would get cramps or even fall off your chair!

So the last few episodes that we watched, they went around the different cities of Korea buying the famous korean food and snacks at their night markets. That made us drool and made our stomachs growl. We usually watch an episode before going to bed, and boy was that a bad idea. We were so hungry by the time the episode was over. haha

Needless to say, we were both craving for Korean food! If you follow me on Instagram, you would have realised that for my dinners, I’ve been making my own versions of korean dishes just to satisfy those cravings. But after the weightlifting competition the mr took part in last night, we couldn’t resist but to head to Han Guuk Guan at Carlton for dinner since it on our way home.

Han Guuk Guan

Address : 13 Victoria Street, Melbourne Vic 3000

Telephone : (03) 96391747

This family-run Korean restaurant is gem hidden behind taller buildings along Victoria Street. We use to dine there really often when we were living in Carlton a few years ago. But haven’t been there for ages! They serve both chinese and korean dishes and trust me, both cuisines are yummy (Do take note that they only serve korean on Mondays, in case you would like to try their chinese dishes).

The staff were very friendly and the whole restaurant was filled with the delicious smell of BBQ meat. We couldn’t wait to get seated and have our food!

We ordered the seafood pancake as a starter. It was really crispy on the outside and was made with a mixture of vegetables and seafood. It came with a tangy sauce which made it even more delicious!

Though the starter appeared to be small, the mains were huge! The Yu Seul Jaa Jung Meon (Black Bean Noodles with Seafood) was DELICIOUS! There is something about me and black noodles. I can’t have enough of them.  As unappealing as it looks, trust me. When you take your first bite, you will be in love! However, the combination of hunger and delicious food was horrible though, I ate two bowls so quickly, I was stuffed even before the other dish arrived! haha

The Mr was really happy with how delicious the food was! (: And he sure had a big appetite after his weightlifting competition and he finished everything!

of course, we couldn’t resist ourselves from ordering our favourite dish: Soondubu Jjigae (Spicy Seafood Toufu Stew) ! Especially on a cold and rainy night, this was perfect! The soup was really tasty and breaking the raw egg yolk just made the soup/stew thicker.

We definitely left the restaurant full and happy! The price was really reasonable too for the portion size! And what made us even happier was that the Mr did really well at the competition! 3 Personal Best lifts yo! (: Congrats baby!

So the next time you are around Carlton or even the city and you crave Korean, you know where to go! (: