Code Black Coffee

Leek and goat’s cheese croquettes with crispy pancetta, carrot puree, snow peas, baby carrots, toasted almonds and a poached egg

I enjoyed every single bite! Delicious flavours and perfect for those who love goat’s cheese.

★★★★☆

The Brunswick Ploughman’s Lunch

(soft boiled egg, smoked eggplant, pickled fennel, house made feta, olives, fresh radish, pastourma, smoked yogurt and house made flatbread)

★★☆☆☆

House made crumpets with orange and cinnamon ricotta, toasted pistachio, poached berries and vanilla syrup

★★☆☆☆

Grilled roast mushroom sandwich with caramelised onion and gruyere cheese served with a mushroom broth

A great tasting sandwich however the broth was extremely salty and essentially tasted like soy sauce.

★★★★☆

Overall:

What can I say about Code Black Coffee? There was a lot of black: black building, black walls, black ceiling, black tables. This former warehouse offers high quality coffee and a wide variety elegantly presented food. I had my eye on the grilled banana bread before coming here and was a bit shattered when I found that it was no longer on the menu. It is meant to be amazing so I hope they bring it back in the future.

Code Black Coffee

15-17 Weston St, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9381 2330

http://codeblackcoffee.com.au/

Zinc Restaurant and Lounge Bar

Prosciutto and Sage Wrapped Chicken Supreme

(semi dried tomato scented baked polenta, sauteed medley of cherry tomato, kalamata olives, capsicum, roasted garlic, balsamic and thyme jus)

★★★☆☆

Honey and Seeded Mustard Coated Pork Tenderloin

(braised fruity red cabbage, charred peach chutney, truffle scented cream braised potato, pink peppercorn and lemon espagnole)

★★★☆☆

Beer battered Fresh Market Fish

(potato chips, summer salad with rock melon, lemon and remoulade sauce)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Lovely food, service and atmosphere.

Zinc Restaurant and Lounge Bar

53-61 Macrossan St, Port Douglas, QLD

(07) 4099 6260

Zinc Restaurant – Bar – Port Douglas

Pho n Thai

Pad Thai

Stir fried noodles with meat, egg, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts

★★☆☆☆

Beef Japchae

Sweet potato noodles stir fried in sesame oil with vegetables, sliced beef and soy sauce

These noodles were tough and chewy, and the sauce was exceedingly sweet.

★☆☆☆☆

Singapore Noodles

Stir fried rice vermicelli with meat, bok choy, soy sauce and curry powder

★★☆☆☆

Laksa Noodle Soup

Coconut curry noodle soup with meat and vegetables

An average laksa that was overloaded with onion.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Despite the name being ‘Pho and Thai’ this place actually offered a range of Asian cuisines, and was completely staffed by Koreans. Food was passable, service was average and the atmosphere laid-back with orders taken at the counter.

Pho n Thai

39-49 Lake St, Cairns, QLD

(07) 4031 6001

Ora Cafe

Spiced Tiffin Egg with Bombay hash, kasundi and cashew crumb

This distinctive dish comprised of fresh ingredients and delicate Indian flavours.

★★★★☆

Prawn Toast with sesame, avocado whip, lime, and egg

The toast was a bit too thick for my liking, while the vegetables reminded me of those you find in bánh mì (Vietnamese pork rolls).

★★★☆☆

Mork Hot Chocolate

Hard to go wrong with Mork.

★★★★☆

Chai Latte

Very milky, lacked flavour.

★☆☆☆☆

Overall:

Cosy atmosphere, friendly staff, small unique menu.

Ora Cafe

156 Pakington St, Kew, VIC

(03) 9855 2002

Whet Restaurant

Whet house chicken curry served with basmati rice, tomato and apple chutney and pappadums

Fiery curry that was packed full of flavour.

★★★★☆

Tempura battered local wild caught barramundi served with chips and house made tartare

Average fish with really good chips.

★★★☆☆

Chicken, avocado, rocket, tomato and bocconcini served on a freshly baked baguette with basil aioli and chips

Once again it was the chips that made this dish.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Set amongst tropical Daintree rainforest, Whet has an earthy and natural vibe. Whet is in fact fully self-sustained with generated diesel power, a tertiary level sewerage and grey water treatment plant, plus they have their own private water supply and rubbish removal. Pretty impressive! Service was average but the food was enjoyable so I’m glad we stopped by.

Whet Restaurant

1 Cape Tribulation Rd, Cape Tribulation, QLD

(07) 4098 0007

http://www.whet.net.au/

SunPork Fresh Foods – Tasting Event

SunPork

I recently had the exciting opportunity to attend a tasting event that showcased SunPork’s expanding range of pre-prepared pork products. This stylish event was held at Eureka 89 and the views were truly spectacular!

SunPork Drinks

The night began with a few cocktails and we later settled down to enjoy the mouth-watering menu created by Eureka Head Chef Renee Martillano.

Shredded Chicken Arancini with Lemon Aioli

Mini Pork Schnitzel with Tomato Chutney

Shredded Beef Empanada with Aji Dipping Sauce

Pork Belly Rasher in Korean BBQ Sauce, Radish Slaw, Confit Apple, Apple Cream

Shredded Pork Croquette, Seared Scallop, Fennel Puree

Peri Peri Pork Schnitzel, Labneh, Braised Cos

Slow Cooked Pork Ribs in BBQ Sauce, Potato Rosti, Mushroom Crisps

Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Celeriac Puree, Grilled Fennel

Apple, Rhubarb, Fennel and Pork Skin Crumble

Chocolate

Attending this event reinvigorated my love for pork! Everything was simply delicious however the clear stand outs for me were the shredded pork croquette and the pork skin crumble dessert (who would have imagined that pork skin would be incredible in a dessert?). SunPork Fresh Foods is the largest pork producing group in the Southern Hemisphere and is 100% Australian owned and operated. Our menu was inspired by SunPork pre-prepared products which are perfect for busy people who want delicious home-made meals that can be easily made with minimal time and effort. SunPork Fresh Food products are available at Woolworths and their range includes Pork Schnitzels, Slow Cooked Pork Belly, Smoked Pork Chops, Sweet and Spicy BBQ Pork Ribs as well as a wide variety of fresh pork products. For recipes and more information visit: www.sunporkfreshfoods.com.au.

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of SunPork Fresh Foods and KDPR.

4 Seasons Laksa

4 Seasons Combination Laksa

★★☆☆☆

Curry Chicken with steamed rice

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I was expecting amazing laksa seeing as this restaurant has ‘laksa’ in its name, but it was merely okay so I was a bit disappointed. Service was friendly and the place was small and simple.

4 Seasons Laksa

330A South Rd, Hampton East

(03) 9553 3332

http://www.4seasonslaksahamptoneast.com.au/

Salt House

Korean Style Beef Carpaccio with soy gel, pickled ginger and kimchi

★★★★☆

Beetroot and Belvedere cured Salmon with kohlrabi and horseradish slaw and watermelon radish

★★★☆☆

Vegan Cottage Pie with beetroot salsa and mint salad

★★☆☆☆

Peruvian Style Quinoa and Borlotti Bean Salad

(quinoa, borlotti beans, coriander, mint, roasted red peppers, blistered tomato, chilli and lime dressing)

★★☆☆☆

Sticky Sesame Soy Beef with cold soba noodles and pickled ginger salad

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located at Marina Point, Salt House offers stunning views of the ocean, marina and surrounding mountains. Add to that professional service, elegant atmosphere and a $28 lunch set menu, this place makes for a pleasant dining experience.

Salt House

6/2 Pier Point Rd, Cairns, QLD

(07) 4041 7733

Home

Saigon Sally

Spicy Mi Goreng

(thin egg noodles, chilli jam, fried shallots and 63° egg)

★★★☆☆

Eggplant XO

(mushroom XO, tempura eggplant, chilli and mint)

★★☆☆☆

Grilled Quail

(stuffed with sticky rice, spring onion, shiitake and lup cheung)

★★★☆☆

Vietnamese Chicken Colesaw

(coconut poached chicken, crisp vermicelli and peanuts)

★★☆☆☆

Bia Can Chicken

(whole roasted chicken, bia Hanoi, Hainanese style)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Funky ambience, great service (our waiter helped with dish recommendations and even advised us that we had initially ordered too much), a fresh vibrant take on modern Vietnamese cuisine.

Saigon Sally

2 Duke St, Prahran

9939 5181

http://www.saigonsally.com.au/

Bazaar

I rarely go to buffet restaurants these days due to my somewhat defective satiety centre, however this place certainly impressed me and I am glad that I went. The dining area was sleek and modern, while service was surprisingly outstanding for a buffet restaurant. Our cheery waiter was efficient and very observant which meant that we had fantastic table service.

There was a considerable variety of food and everything was fresh, colourful, and of great quality.

Unlike many other buffet restaurants, the dishes here are not labelled which encourages you to interact with the friendly chefs and ask questions about their creations.