Darac Grill & Bar

Seafood Sausage Stew

This hearty stew compromised of a great selection of ingredients and was cooked right in front of us which was nice.

★★★☆☆

Ramen

I give this ramen one star because it costed $3. Ridiculous.

★☆☆☆☆

Gyoza

These prawn dumplings had an extremely soft filling and were not as crispy as I would have liked.

★★☆☆☆

Cheese Fire Chicken

Spicy Korean stir fried chicken with melted mozzarella cheese. Yum!

★★★☆☆

Seafood Spring Onion Pancake

Bland and underwhelming.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Good service, wide menu selection, relaxed atmosphere, sticky floors. I think my expectations were a bit too high so I was a little disappointed that nothing in particular stood out.

Darac Grill & Bar

51 A’Beckett St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9662 2441

Scarvelli Cafe

Wood Fired Salmon

Torn wood fired smoked salmon, caramelised onion, minted pea and caper frittata, rocket, avocado and tomato corn salsa, poached egg

Ample salmon, fresh ingredients and a perfectly poached egg made up this colourful dish.

★★★☆☆

Milawa Chicken

Poached Milawa free range chicken breast, organic soba noodle salad, nori sesame dressing

The chicken was slightly dry but overall this dish was light, fresh and very filling.

★★★☆☆

Orange, Watermelon and Apple Juice

★★★★☆

Iced Chocolate

★★★★☆

Overall:

A cheery comfortable cafe with flavoursome food and a newly revamped food menu. There wasn’t a drinks menu when we visited however the usual range of drinks were available along with a variety of juices that you can mix and match yourself. Service was friendly however we did have to wait a long time for our food to arrive (during a non busy period), so perhaps there are still some kinks in the kitchen that need to be worked out.

Scarvelli Cafe

143 Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn, VIC

(03) 9816 8887

http://scarvellicafe.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Scarvelli Cafe.

Joomak

Peach Soju

★★★★☆

Corn with Cheese

★★★☆☆

Takoyaki

★★★★☆

Seafood Pancake

★★☆☆☆

Cheese Egg Roll with Fish Roe

★★★☆☆

BBQ Beef Rib (LA Style)

★★☆☆☆

Deep Fried Chicken Drumettes

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Pancake

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I must admit that I am one of those people who didn’t even know that this place existed even though I walk past all the time. This Korean style pub has no signage and is located down a set of stairs on Swanston St. Once you are down the stairs you will find lots of cozy booths, friendly service and a variety of tasty traditional Korean fare. Note that Joomak has some awesome late night opening hours (they close at 3am on Wednesday and Thursday and 5am on Friday and Saturday!) making it the perfect place for a decent late night meal.

Joomak

Basement 407-409 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9663 7123

http://www.joomak.com.au/

Friends of Ours

Stack It Up

Veggie fritter, spinach, smoked trout, avocado, poached egg, homemade hollandaise

★★☆☆☆

French Kiss

French toast, fresh strawberries, strawberry coulis, vanilla ice cream

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Portions were generous however the food we sampled was nothing out of the ordinary. The atmosphere was relaxed and the service was average. What’s great about this place however is that $1 from every meal is donated to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Friends of Ours

1097 Mount Alexander Rd, Essendon, VIC

(03) 9374 2610

http://www.friendsofours.com.au/

Royal Stacks

The King

All Australian pasture fed beef patty, tomato, butter lettuce, hand made mac & cheese croquettes, American mustard, special burger sauce

The fantastic mac & cheese croquettes undoubtedly added something special to this burger.

★★★★☆

Queen Bee

Hand made chickpea patty, tomato, butter lettuce, American cheddar, special burger sauce, pickles

It had been a while since my last veggie burger experience and I’d forgotten how great they can be when the right ingredients are used.

★★★★☆

Miss Elizabeth

All Australian pasture fed beef patty, Swiss cheese, truffle mayo

I pretty much inhaled this burger! Deliciously simple and definitely crave-worthy.

★★★★☆

Saint

Two all Australian pasture fed beef patties, tomato, butter lettuce, bacon, American cheddar, raw onion, chipotle mayo, pickled jalapeños

One heck of a tasty and good looking burger!

★★★★☆

Fries

If you like McDonald’s fries, then these are for you.

★★★☆☆

Potato Gems

I know this may sound a bit weird, but these humble potato gems were the epitome of potato gem perfection! Perfectly seasoned and unbelievably crunchy on the outside with soft fluffy potato on the inside.

★★★★★

Frozen Custard

Salted Caramel, Mixture of Chocolate/Cheesecake/Peanut Butter, Kinder Surprise

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Royal Stacks is one of Melbourne’s newest burger joints and I was fortunate enough to be invited to one of their launch nights last week. This American-style fast food eatery is Dani Zeini’s latest venture (in case you didn’t know, he’s the guy behind Dandenong Pavilion, Grand Trailer Park Taverna, Easey’s and Truck Stop Deluxe) and needless to say, I had high expectations. But of course my expectations were met, as the food here was pretty darn tasty! Each burger was consistently good and you could tell that the beef they used was of high quality. It turns out that all of their beef is all Australian, pasture fed, GMO free with no added hormones or antibiotics and is minced fresh daily. The locally made bread is baked fresh daily and is free from any additives, while the gelato and frozen custard is sourced from 7 Apples. If the CBD is a bit tricky for you to get to, don’t stress because a Brunswick store and a Dandenong store will be opening within the next few months. So head to Royal Stacks where the food is fit for a king (or a queen)!

Royal Stacks

470 Collins St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9793 2133

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*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Zilla & Brook and Royal Stacks.

When I Was In Spain…

Although I was constantly on alert for pickpockets, I love-love-loved travelling through Spain! I loved the language, the history, the castles, the palaces, the churches, the monuments, the artwork and of course the food! It is a beautiful country that I must definitely return to.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar

Plaza de España

Jamón Ibérico

Sagrada Família

La Rambla

Paella

Port de Barcelona

Olympic Stadium

Barcelona Olympic Stadium

Spanish Chorizo

Casa Milà

(or more popularly known as La Pedrera)

Patatas Bravas

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

El Oso y El Madrono

(the Bear and the Strawberry Tree)

Aqueduct of Segovia

Segovia Cathedral

The Market of San Miguel

Churros

I sampled churros from various places and found that the churros in Spain are less sweet and more crispier and lighter than the churros in Australia. The chocolate dipping sauces in Spain were also different in that they were less rich (but still delicious).

Flamenco Dancing

Roman Bridge of Córdoba

Cathedral of Cordoba

Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba

This place has such a rich history! Over time it has been a temple, a mosque and a cathedral.

Royal Palace of Madrid

(on a very FOGGY day)

Tortilla Española

(Spanish Omelette)

Toledo

Seville Cathedral

Toledo Cathedral

Plaza Mayor in Madrid

Montserrat

Orange trees lining the picturesque streets of Seville

Tall Timber

Slow Cooked Honey and BBQ Pork Ribs with Apple, Cabbage and Coriander Slaw, Sesame and Lime

Tender fall-off-the-bones ribs with a disappointingly average sauce.

★★★☆☆

Breaky Board – Dukkah Poached Egg on Pumpkin Loaf with Hummus and Smashed Avocado, Muesli with Berry Yoghurt and Seasonal Fruit, Small OJ

I love menu options that allow you to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And of course it’s even better when everything tastes great, like it did here!

★★★★☆

Overall:

Tall Timber is a popular cafe that offers great food and friendly service within a bright and comfortable space. Menu options are unique and delicious-sounding and I can easily see why this place is a favourite for so many people.

Tall Timber

60 Commercial Rd, Prahran, VIC

(03) 9510 4111

When I was in Portugal…

This was a very short visit and my sole regret was that I didn’t get to sample any authentic Portuguese barbecued chicken. Talk about first world problems.

Jerónimos Monastery

Portuguese Custard Tart

From Pastéis de Belém. Known to have the secret recipe of the ORIGINAL custard tart, this store was established in 1837 and sells around 18,000 tarts per day! The pastry was light, flaky and crispy, while the custard was creamy and mildly sweet. These delicious morsels are sold fresh from the oven and are a MUST HAVE if you are ever in Lisbon.

Belém Tower

The lighthouse at Cape St. Vincent

Portuguese Black Eyed Bean and Tuna Salad

Monument to the Discoveries

Ponte 25 de Abril Bridge

Resembling San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the name of this bridge commemorates the Portuguese Carnation Revolution that occurred on 25 April 1974.

Dom Rodrigo

A conventual dessert from the south of Portugal that comprises of sweet egg threads and cinnamon. This delicacy is typically wrapped in colourful metallic paper and presented in a pyramidal shape.

Sagres Fortress

Portuguese Orange Roll

When I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia…

This post is more travel related and less food related as I was only in Cambodia for 3 days and spent most of my time exploring the magnificent sites rather than the local food. I suppose that will have to wait until my next visit!

Angkor Wat

Face Temple

Bayon Temple

Fish Amok

(Cambodian fish curry)

The Victory Gate

Ta Prohm Temple

Siem Reap Art Center Night Market

Chicken Kuy Teav

(Cambodian rice noodle soup)

Preah Ang Chek Preah Ang Chorm Temple

Wat Thmey Killing Fields Skull Monument

Smith and Daughters

Non Alcoholic Cocktails

(No Way Rosé, Coco No Vod-co with Watermelon, Coco No Vod-co with Pineapple, Chill Niño)

Each were deliciously refreshing!

★★★★☆

Nachos Cargados

(slow cooked jackfruit carnitas, chipotle salsa, molten spicy cheddar sauce, pickled jalapeños, guacamole, coriander cream, blue and white corn chips)

Nearly every table around us had a plate of these nachos so we knew straight away that we had to order some. The blue corn chips turned out to be a lot crispier than the regular ones, while the jackfruit carnitas provided a nice meaty texture. This was good for vegan nachos but I couldn’t help but think how much better this could have been with cheese!

★★★☆☆

Quesadilla

(spiced black bean and cheese quesadilla served with chipotle salsa and avocado cream)

Delicious quesadilla served with AMAZING avocado cream!

★★★★☆

Champiñones Al Ajillo

(button mushrooms simmered in a creamy Spanish sauce of Pedro Ximenéz, garlic and smoked paprika, served with toasted bread)

This flavoursome dish was wonderfully rich yet light, making these mushrooms very addictive.

★★★★☆

Dulce De Leche Doughnuts

(Spanish doughnuts filled with dulce de leche cream)

The dulce de leche cream didn’t exactly fill these sugar dusted doughnuts but rather sat on top of them.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

What a fantastic vibe this place has! The dark stone walls, vintage prints and tattooed staff gave this place a definite punk rock feel. Service was friendly and the food pretty tasty considering that everything here is vegan.

Smith and Daughters

175 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9939 3293

http://www.smithanddaughters.com/