Burgers

The Beaufort

421 Rathdowne St, Carlton 9347 8171

Deep fried pickles with ranch sauce

Country fried chicken

The Beaufort Butt sandwich

The Out-N-Out burger

French dip roll

Thoughts:

Deep fried pickles – crispy batter, tangy pickles, tasty ranch sauce = Not bad

Country fried chicken – super crispy chicken served with pico de gallo and a bowl of shoestring fries = Good

The Beaufort Butt sandwich – juicy pulled pork, kimchi, sririacha sauce, lemon and ginger aioli in a soft white roll, served with shoestring fries = Good

The Out-N-Out burger – meat, cheese, french mustard, ketchup, tomato and spanish onion in a soft white bun, served with shoestring fries = Not bad

French dip roll – slow roast beef in a french roll with sauteed onions and hot English mustard. This dish came with some onion dipping gravy and shoestring fries. I now feel that all rolls should come with some dipping gravy. They just make the roll extra delicious! = Good

Overall:

Good food, average service, poor dining atmosphere (it was so dark that we couldn’t see our menus or even our food without using the light from our phones).

Drugstore Espresso

194 Toorak Road, South Yarra 9827 5058

Corn fritter stack

Brioche french toast

The Somerset burger

Drugstore’s full prescription

Thoughts:

Corn fritter stack – enjoyable fritters packed with plenty of sweet corn kernels served with diced avocado, fresh salsa, smoked salmon, a poached egg and wild roquette = Good

Brioche french toast – served with fresh berries, grilled banana, creme fraiche and drizzled with a copious amount of maple syrup (making the entire dish intensely sweet) = Not bad

The Somerset burger – wagyu beef patty (cooked medium), English cheddar, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and aioli, all in a toasted brioche bun served with crunchy thick fries = Not bad

Drugstore’s full prescription – a general big breakfast dish comprising two poached eggs, bacon, grilled tomato, roast mushrooms, smoked chorizo and wilted spinach = Not bad

Overall:

The service at this place was great. Our waiters were fun and goofy but also quick and attentive. The food on the other hand was fairly average while the coffee was disappointing (ie. served weak and lukewarm). Also note that the menu is now smaller than it used to be and that they no longer serve the Mr Miyagi burger (which was listed in the Herald Sun’s top 25 burgers of Melbourne at the end of 2012).

Tuck Shop Take Away

273 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North 0431 406 580

Redskin and Salted Caramel milkshake

Nutella milkshake

Minor burger

The Cuts

Pulled Pork jaffle

Dessert jaffle

Thoughts:

Milkshakes – absolutely amazing! If only I had enough stomach space, I would have tried all of their flavours. Made with house syrups, the milkshakes are served in a mini-milk bottle with stripy paper straws. The redskin flavour tasted exactly like redskins, the salted caramel flavour had the perfect balance between salty and sweet, and the nutella flavour tasted like Ferrero Rocher = Excellent

Minor burger – beef patty, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, pickles and Tuckshop sauce (tomato sauce/mayo/mustard combination) in between a grilled linseed brioche bun. Unfortunately the beef patties here are a lot smaller than the bun so that two thirds into my burger, I only had bun and lettuce left. What I also noticed was that the homemade Tuckshop sauce reminded me of the sauce you get on a Big Mac = Not Bad

The Cuts – hand cut chips! How many places are even doing this these days? Crunchy with an earthy flavour, these chips were definitely something different = Not bad

Pulled Pork jaffle – juicy pulled pork with a tasty smoked cheddar béchamel = Good

Dessert jaffle – banana, liquid cheesecake and salted caramel jaffle = Excellent

Overall:

A small takeaway shop located on the corner of Hawthorn and Glen Eira Road, this place can only seat about 10 people so grabbing takeaway is a good idea. The menu is also quite small, and the decor is simple and quirky. I have to mention that the service from the guy owner of this place is extraordinary. He is super friendly and also very observant in making sure that his customers are happy with their food. (For example when our order was given to us without our chips, he overheard us question to each other whether or not we had forgotten to order them and straightaway went to check our order for us and brought us our chips, all before we even had to ask anyone). The stand outs for me were no doubt the marvellous milkshakes and the desserts. Apart from the dessert jaffle, they also have a variety of other homemade desserts such as redskin brownies, chocolate chip cookies and toffee apple crumble. I am definitely coming back again to try all of these! Note that the close at 8pm on Monday to Thursday, 9pm on Friday and Saturday, and are not open on Sunday.

Joe’s Bar and Dining Hall

64-66 Acland St, St Kilda 9525 3755

Greenvale Farm Pork Sliders

Bucket of JFC

Harissa chicken salad

Romsey range beef burger

Sausage sizzle kransky

Mac ‘N’ Cheese

Thoughts:

Greendale Farm Pork Sliders – pork, pickled cabbage, BBQ sauce and apple puree. The hint of sweetness from the apple puree completed the taste of these yummy sliders = Good

JFC – four huge pieces of crispy (boneless!) chicken served with chipotle mayo = Excellent

Harissa chicken salad – tender harissa chicken, beetroot, goats cheese, rocket, pepita seeds and quinoa. I normally don’t order salads but I’m so glad that we did because it was surprisingly fantastic! = Excellent

Romsey range beef burger – deliciously juicy Romsey range beef, lettuce, cheese, red onion, pickles, mustard mayo and tomato sauce. A tasty no frills basic beef burger = Good

Sausage sizzle kransky – salty kransky served with cider onions, vermont cabot cheese, bourbon mustard and cabbage = Not bad

Mac ‘N’ Cheese – macaroni pasta with vermot cabot cheese and a sage and garlic crust = Good

Overall:

It’s a shame that this place always seems to be quiet whenever I pass by because the food here is something worth talking about. Not to mention that you get also get complimentary chipotle popcorn! The staff here are great however service from the kitchen can be a bit slow. The atmosphere is average but if you go on a friday or saturday night, there is a house DJ (who is awkwardly placed on the far side of the room near the toilets) that plays from 9pm till late.

The Tree Of Us

71 Church St, Richmond 9077 3839

House onion rings

Ribs

Breakie burger

Stelios burger

Thoughts:

House onion rings – thinly sliced onion rings covered in a really nice crispy batter = Good

Ribs – average ribs covered in a sweet Jack Daniels BBQ sauce, served with mash potato (which tasted like it had been sitting around for a while) and some salad = Not bad

Breakie burger – bacon, chorizo sausage, egg, house hash, relish, rocket lettuce and mayo all combined into one delicious burger! = Good

Stelios burger – an epic burger made up of 2 x 140g beef patties, bacon, mushroom, lettuce, tomato, jalapeños, swisse cheese, mozzarella, tomato relish and truffle mayo. The beef patties were extremely juicy and the truffle mayo taste was quite distinct = Good

Overall:

A cozy little place that has friendly service and terrific burgers. The front dining area has a contemporary feel with lots of interesting artwork displayed, whereas the back courtyard has a very relaxed feel with its fake grass and colourful fairy lights (I can imagine it being a great place in summer for having after work drinks). Note that wednesday nights are their rib night and that on thursday nights the beers are only $2 with any food purchase. Bargain!

Dandenong Pavilion

61a Princes Hwy, Dandenong 9793 2133

Calamari, wild rocket and onion, tartare sauce

Chilli Prawns – Pan fried black tiger prawns, tomato, chilli, basil, finished off in white wine & parsley

Risotto Pescatore – Mixed seafood, pan fried with tomato, spring onion & garlic

Vegetable Risotto – Roasted mediterranean vegetables & baby spinach, finished with napoli, white wine, spring onion & garlic

Mediterranean Chicken – Chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese, semi dried tomato & spinach, served on scallop potatoes

BBQ Pork ribs – American back ribs with BBQ sauce, chips and salad

Chicken Florentine – Combination of diced chicken breast, creamed spinach and cheese, wrapped in puff pastry and oven baked, with mushroom sauce, served with chips and salad

Creme brûlée with mixed berries, berry sauce & chocolate flakes

Waffle Stack – Three waffles, layered with vanilla custard, chocolate fudge sauce, mixed berries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Thoughts:

Calamari – light and crispy, lemony and peppery, a great starter dish = Good

Chilli prawns – light tomato based dish that was mildly spicy = Not bad

Risotto Pescatore – strong tomato taste, generous serving size, came with lots of seafood = Not bad

Vegetable Risotto – strong tomato taste, generous serving size, very tasty roasted vegetables (this is one of the few vegetarian dishes that I actually sometimes crave) = Good

Mediterranean Chicken – chicken was slightly dry while everything else was fairy average. (note that you have to allow for 25 minutes if you decide to order this dish) = Not bad

BBQ Pork ribs – soft tender pork that tasted so-so = Not bad

Chicken Florentine – rich chicken filling, crisp buttery pastry, creamy mushroom sauce. Add these together for an amazing dish. (note that if you prefer your chips to be more crunchy than soft, ask to have them served on the side) = Excellent

Creme brûlée – the caramel surface did not crack properly which was disappointing, creme brûlée itself was average, mixed berries were sour and the chocolate flakes had lost their flavour and tasted old = Not bad

Waffle Stack – thick tantalising waffles that had a good balance between sweet and sour = Good

Overall:

A place that you would not expect to find in Dandenong. This restaurant attracts quite a crowd as the food is consistent, the atmosphere is very welcoming and the service is always great.