Proud Mary

Potato hash, double smoked bacon, poached egg, asparagus, bagna cauda (Italian sauce of anchovies and cream)

The shredded hash brown was wonderfully crispy and tasted fantastic with the bold bagna cauda and the warm golden yolk from the poached egg.

★★★★☆

Cotechino pork sausage, roasted mushrooms, poached egg, charred onion, zeally bay sourdough

This dish has definitely made me a fan of cotechino!

★★★★☆

Mork Hot Chocolate served with unrefined coconut blossom sugar

Not the best latte art in the world however the drink itself was rich and comforting.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Proud Mary is a place that I can always count on for a great experience. The food is delicious and filling, the service quick and friendly, and the atmosphere very laid back. Waiting times can be quite long during the weekend so these days I prefer to avoid the crowds and visit on a weekday.

Proud Mary

172 Oxford St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9417 5930

http://www.proudmarycoffee.com.au/

Rye Cafe

Dukkah poached eggs served with roast pumpkin, spinach and goats cheese

Tasty, wholesome, and very filling.

★★★☆☆

Corn and zucchini fritters served with poached eggs, homemade guacamole and tomato relish

These fritters were a bit burnt and woeful looking, and were unfortunately nothing out of the ordinary.

★★☆☆☆

Berry Sensation Smoothie

(strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, apple, low fat yogurt, ice)

★★★☆☆

Banana Bomb Smoothie

(banana, honey, skim milk, vanilla yogurt)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located in a quiet shadowy corner within the bustling Showgrounds Village, Rye Cafe is often overlooked by many people passing by. However new owners Alanna and Eddie are in the midst of a revamp, so it won’t be long before we see a new and improved Rye Cafe that will undoubtably be noticed by all.

Rye Cafe

320 Epsom Road, Flemington, VIC

(03) 9376 3863

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

En Izakaya

Seared momen tofu and oven baked miso infused eggplant

A great combination of flavours and textures made this dish very delectable.

★★★★☆

BBQ calamari with white miso and vinegar coated rocket, served on Yamagata soba noodles

The calamari was seriously amazing; it was smoky and tender, and some of the best I’ve had in a while. Unfortunately there were only a few pieces to enjoy as the majority of this dish was rocket.

★★★★☆

Salmon and broad bean tempura fritters with a Tasmanian salmon cream dipping sauce

The batter was extremely crispy however the salmon was slightly dry.

★★★☆☆

‘Son in law’ tsukune – pork, ginger and chilli meatball with a soft steamed egg and sweet soy

Underwhelming. I suppose I was expecting something bigger and something more unique tasting. This was just a average meatball with an egg on top.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

The dishes here were delectable and well presented. Our waitress recommended 4-5 dishes to share between two people which turned out to be just the right amount. Service was attentive and the decor sleek and modern. I must return one day to sample their $17 lunch set menu.

En Izakaya

277 Carlisle St, St Kilda East, VIC

(03) 9525 8886

http://enizakaya.com.au/#/home

12’s Cafe & Co

Gold Sticker

(pan fried dumplings with crispy flake)

These light and crispy dumplings were tasty on their own so I didn’t even need the chilli dipping sauce.

★★★☆☆

Potato Pocket

(crispy potato croquette filled with crab, corn and creamy sauce)

Predominantly potato.

★★☆☆☆

Chicken Ribs

(crunchy panko crumbed chicken spare ribs)

Fantastically crispy and well flavoured.

★★★★☆

Crackling Crackle

(roast pork crackling chips)

Lightly salted, non greasy and satisfyingly crunchy.

★★★☆☆

Char Siu So

(BBQ pork in puff pastry)

Delicious yum cha fusion.

★★★☆☆

PC 007

(potato chips with 7 herbs and spices)

Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, nicely seasoned.

★★★☆☆

Peking Duck

(12’s Peking duck with salad greens, pickles, cucumber, served in a twister roll with plum sauce)

A fresh take on the classic Peking Duck Pancakes. The succulent duck and the crispy skin was simply moreish.

★★★★☆

Crispy Hainanese Chicken Salad

(steamed chicken with crispy skin served on cold soba and salad with 12’s soy and sesame dressing)

★★★☆☆

Tempura Soft Shell Crab

(soft shell crab served with cold soba and salad with 12’s soy and sesame dressing)

★★★☆☆

Pork

(slow cooked pork belly in master stock served on rice cake with Thai green apple salad)

This pork belly was seriously amazing! Cooked in an 80% steam oven, the fat is rendered out allowing the stock to completely infuse leading to incredible melt in your mouth pork minus the grease! I wasn’t a fan of the rice cake however which was very chewy and sticky, and would have preferred regular rice.

★★★★☆

Chicken

(grilled chicken fillet braised with house blended sweet soy sauce, served with shiitake mushroom rice and wafu salad)

Tender chicken that was full of flavour.

★★★☆☆

Green Tea Latte

A tad grainy with too much foam for my liking.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Opening a cafe has always been the dream for owner Jack Kwan. After venturing to Hong Kong to learn all the techniques associated with Hong Kong barbecuing, Jack decided to open up 12’s Cafe & Co, which fuses Chinese barbecue together with Modern Australian cuisine.

Although the place appears small and unassuming at the front…

the beer garden out the back was quite spacious and certainly impressive!

They even have a ping pong table which also functions as a dining table that seats up to 16 people. 12’s Cafe & Co is a great addition to the Camberwell area however opening hours are somewhat limited with the place being closed on Sundays and between 3-5pm on all the other days.

12’s Cafe & Co

207 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East, VIC

(03) 9042 3986

http://12s.com.au/index.html

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of 12’s Cafe & Co.

Rochford Wines Yarra Valley

Cured Kingfish, Avocado, Threaded Chilli, Nettles

★★★★☆

Heirloom Carrots, Quinoa, Seeds, Dates, Smoked Almonds, Orange Blossom Labne

★★★★☆

Roasted Quail, Sweet Corn, Pickled Grapes, Lardo, Scotched Quail Egg

★★★☆☆

Confit Octopus, Cauliflower Skordalia, Crispy Onion, Spiced Hazelnut

★★★★☆

Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb, Carrot Hummus, Spring Slaw

★★★☆☆

Leg of Corn Fed Chicken, Jerusalem Artichoke, Farro, Guanciale

★★★☆☆

Baked Apple, Freeze Dried Custard, Oat Crumble, Milk Sorbet

★★★★☆

Salted Caramel Tart, Pear, Ginger Praline, Mascarpone

★★★★☆

Overall:

A fresh and exciting transformation has taken place at Rochford Restaurant with the recent appointment of Head Chef Raki Andriana. With over a decade of experience in the food and wine industry, Raki brings forth French style techniques and Middle Eastern influences to the iconic Yarra Valley winery. The menu’s new direction aims to create delicious flavours that match their award winning wines. Add to that breathtaking views of the Yarra Valley and the nearby Dandenong Ranges, Rochford Restaurant is undoubtedly a wonderful place to visit.

Rochford Wines Yarra Valley

878-880 Maroondah Highway, Yarra Glen, VIC

(03) 5957 3333

http://www.rochfordwines.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Rochford Wines Yarra Valley.

Mick Adams Burger Bar

Kostaki Fried Chicken

(spicy fried chicken, iceberg lettuce, avocado, chilli jam, radish, coriander, mint and chilli mayo)

Amazing toppings but the dry overly fried chicken prevented this good burger from being a great burger.

★★★☆☆

The Big T

(two premium beef patties, double cheddar, pickles, cos lettuce, tomato, aioli, ketchup)

Ordinary but satisfying.

★★☆☆☆

Truffle Parmesan Chips

These needed a good mix as all the parmesan was on top while all the truffle was at the bottom.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

With so many burger places popping up all over Melbourne, I was hoping that Mick Adams Burger Bar offered something special that would make it stand out from the crowd. Service here was efficient and the atmosphere casual. Although the food was good, unfortunately it wasn’t good enough to bring this place straight into my mind the next time I get a burger craving.

Mick Adams Burger Bar

38 Portman St, Oakleigh, VIC

(03) 9563 0331

Addict Food and Coffee

Granola

House made coconut yogurt, fresh strawberry and orange, cinnamon, dried cranberries, raisins and apricots

★★★☆☆

Addict’s Pulled Pork Burger

12 hour cooked pork shoulder, slaw, jalapeños, gochujang mayo, salt and vinegar chips

★★★★☆

Grilled Cheese Kransky Big Breakfast

Bacon, fried egg, mushroom, smoked confit tomato, spicy apple and tomato chutney, gluten free toast

★★☆☆☆

Dark Choc Fondant Pancake

Wild hibiscus, strawberry, cacao crumble, mascarpone

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I had a lovely experience but the food, service and atmosphere were nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps my expectations were set too high after reading so many glowing reviews about this place. Or perhaps we ordered the wrong dishes. Or perhaps we came on an off day. Perhaps perhaps perhaps!

Addict Food and Coffee

240 Johnston St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9415 6420

45 Degrees

Vietnamese Pork Pizza

(five-spice pork, spanish onion, roasted red capsicum, fresh herbs, pickled carrots, cucumber, sliced chilli, aioli)

Vietnamese-Italian fusion that actually worked!

★★★★☆

Prawn Pizza

(garlic prawns, mixed olives, capers, green capsicum, feta, rocket, chipotle ketchup)

Great toppings. If only they weren’t spread out so far apart. I’d have one bite and it would be purely feta, then the next bite would be purely prawn, etc, etc.

★★★☆☆

Peruvian Chicken Pizza

(Peruvian chicken, sliced green capsicum, roasted red capsicum, corn, jalapeños, black beans, coriander, guacamole, Bloody Mary aioli)

It was like eating a delicious taco, except in the form of a pizza.

★★★★☆

Beef Cheek Pizza

(12 hour slow cook smoked beef cheek. mushroom, caramelized onion, candied pecans, fresh herbs, chimichurri aioli)

The centre was slightly soggy however the ample beef cheek was incredibly tender and its combination with the other toppings made this a very enjoyable pizza.

★★★★☆

Multigrain Garlic Bread

The bread was a bit tough, and a bit more butter would have been nice.

★★☆☆☆

Popcorn Chicken

Although over fried, the chicken was still tender and well seasoned.

★★★☆☆

Brioche Doughnuts

These doughnuts were AMAZING! They came out freshly fried so were crispy on the outside, and light and fluffy on the inside. There are two varieties available: Nutella doughnuts and Hot Jam doughnuts. Both were delicious but it was the Nutella doughnuts that made me go wow! Best Nutella brioche doughnut I’ve ever had.

★★★★★

Overall:

Fantastic innovative pizzas, funky urban atmosphere, quick and friendly service, and of course amazing brioche doughnuts! There are still so many items I want to try from their menu (eg. the Korean fried chicken pizza) so I must visit again soon.

45 Degrees

33 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9429 5577

http://www.45pizza.com.au/

Cafe 51

The Meataxe

(beef patty, crispy southern fried chicken, crispy bacon, double dirty cheese, lettuce, onion rings, two jalapeno poppers, chipotle and XXX BBQ sauce)

★★★☆☆

Mac Daddy

(mac’n’cheese, triple dirty cheese, beef patty, potato cake, slow cooked beef brisket, crispy bacon, ketchup, mustard and mayo)

★★★☆☆

Soul Sister

(crispy southern fried chicken, American cheddar, crispy bacon, hand cut pickles, house made chipotle, American mustard and maple syrup in a toasted waffle)

★★★☆☆

Disco Fries

(fries, melted cheese and gravy)

★★★☆☆

Dirty Fries

(fries, bacon, melted cheese and ranch sauce)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Look no further than Cafe 51 for big juicy burgers that are stacked high with tasty fillings. There are plenty of creatively named burgers to choose from as well as a variety of hot dogs, subs, fries and shakes. Service was quick and everything was good value for money. Although this place is in the middle of nowhere, it has undoubtedly become quite popular. We thankfully arrived before the lunch time rush and managed to grab some seats at one of their few tables. This visit certainly earned me an extra gym session, but I’d like to think that it was worth it.

Cafe 51

51 Buckhurst St, South Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9699 7853

http://www.cafe51.com.au/

Feast of Merit

Jerusalem artichoke and chips, Iraqi spices, dill

I love jerusalem artichoke and devoured this in no time!

★★★★☆

White BBQ fish, yogurt, sesame, lemon, herbs

Moist succulent fish.

★★★☆☆

Pumpkin, baharat, almonds, moghrabieh, barberries, garlic aioli

Great combination of ingredients. Plus I am now a big fan of moghrabieh (Lebanese couscous).

★★★★☆

Overall:

Delicious Middle Eastern influenced food, efficient staff, cosy rustic atmosphere. Portions were small considering the prices however I didn’t mind too much as 100% of the profits directly support YGAP (a movement of entrepreneurs who launch ventures to improve the lives of people living in poverty). Kudos to Feast of Merit for supporting a great cause.

Feast of Merit

117 Swan St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9428 8480

http://www.feastofmerit.com