CJ Lunch Bar

Japchae (stir fried sweet potato noodles, vegetables and beef in soy sauce)

★★★☆☆

Bibimbab (steamed rice topped with sautéed vegetables, beef and special chilli sauce)

★★☆☆☆

Fried chicken served with cabbage salad

★★☆☆☆

Cheese chicken bulgogi (chicken bulgogi topped with cheese and spicy sauce)

★★★★☆

Kimchijeon (pan fried kimchi with vegetables and special flour batter)

★★☆☆☆

Dongaseu Don (deep fried marinated pork loin with rice)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Slightly cramped seating, efficient service, good portions, fantastic value. (eg. the Dongaseu Don was only $6!)

CJ Lunch Bar

Shop 2/391 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne

(03) 9602 1155

The Beer and Burger Bar

Beef Burger (beef patty, smoked bacon, beetroot relish, cheese, tomato, lettuce, American mustard, tomato sauce, aioli)

Wonderful smoky bacon, marginally dry brioche bun, bland patty, excessive relish that overpowered the entire burger.

★★☆☆☆

Onion Rings with relish and aioli

★★★★☆

El Mucho Burger (free range spicy chicken, chipotle aioli, jalapeños, lettuce, corn salsa, smashed avo and corn chips)

★★☆☆☆

C.C.G (chips, cheese, gravy)

★★☆☆☆

Spicy Chicken Wings

★★☆☆☆

Salted caramel milkshake

Inconsistent. One was lumpy and clearly tasted like salted caramel, while another was smooth and tasted like mild caramel.

★★☆☆☆

Hills Apple cider

$2.50 pots all day Tuesday? Yes please!

Overall:

Ordinary burgers, average service, casual atmosphere. Come for the $2.50 pots on Tuesdays.

The Beer and Burger Bar

112 Swan St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9429 5934

http://www.tbbb.com.au/

+39 Pizzeria

Toscana

(Italian tomato salsa, fior di latte, Italian Berkshire sausage, rocket, parmesan)

★★★☆☆

Capricciosa Italiana

(Italian tomato salsa, fior di latte, leg ham, olives, artichoke hearts, mushroom)

★★☆☆☆

Tartufata

(Cream of mushrooms, fior di latte, mushrooms, rocket, truffle oil, parmesan)

It’s been a long time since a pizza has made me go ‘wow’ but the flavours of this tartufata were incredible! If only the centre had been less soggy, this definitely would have been a 5 star pizza.

★★★★☆

Linguine All’Amalfitana

(Amalfi style pasta with prawns, cherry tomatoes, chilli, garlic and crayfish bisque)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Deliciously light pizzas that have a fantastic thin base but tend to get soggy rather quickly in the centre. Even so, they still tasted amazing! Service was efficient and the ambience was bustling. I certainly recommend the pizzas here and will doubtlessly return for the Tartufata.

+39 Pizzeria

362 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9642 0440

Home

Mama’s Buoi

Mama’s Buoi is all about authentic home-style Vietnamese cuisine. Unlike other Vietnamese restaurants, this place offers more than just pho noodle soup and rice paper rolls. Co-owner Tin Ly explained to us that he could never get his favourite Vietnamese dish “caramelised pork belly hot pot” from anywhere but home. I had never even heard of this dish before and couldn’t wait to try it out.

Chicken and pork liver pate with sesame crackers

Pulled duck pancakes with hoi sin sauce

Rice noodles stuffed with pork, mushroom and fried shallot

Shell on school prawns with salt, pepper and citrus

Steak roll Vietnamese salad wrap with citrus and green chilli dressing

Roast pork belly and crackling with pickled veg

Reconstructed Can Chua (sour soup) with fried noodles, mussels, calamari and prawn

Ginger chicken stir fry with bok choi

Steamed barramundi wrapped in bamboo with lemongrass, chilli and citrus dressing

Mushroom and snow pea stir fry

Caramelised pork belly hot pot with boiled egg

Reconstructed three colour drink with black jelly, pandan jelly, rum and mung bean puree, basil seeds, jack fruit and coconut milk

Lychee & Watermelon Martini

(vodka and lychee liqueur muddled with lychees and watermelon)

Overall:

Talk about being well fed. Not only did the food look amazing, it also tasted fresh and delicious. The standout dishes for me were the chicken and pork liver pate, the shell on school prawns, the reconstructed three colour drink and of course the caramelised pork belly hot pot! The cocktail list here was also quite interesting. I wasn’t daring enough to try their ‘pho’ cocktail, however I was pretty happy with my lychee & watermelon martini.

Mama’s Buoi has opened me up to a whole new range of Vietnamese food. With its cheery homely atmosphere (bright colours, raw timber tables, festoon lighting, photo album-like menu), this is a place I would gladly return to.

Mamas Buoi

Mama’s Buoi

G25 Postal Lane, GPO, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9671 3426

Home

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Mama’s Buoi.

Tipo 00

House made focaccia with ricotta and basil oil

★★★☆☆

Gnocchi di patate

(braised duck, porcini mushroom and pecorino pepato)

Perfectly textured gnocchi that was light, smooth and springy, while the duck and mushroom sauce was simply delicious .

★★★★☆

Verdura

(green beans, snow peas, witlof, goats cheese and almonds)

★★★☆☆

Riso carnaroli

(moreton bay bug risotto)

Well cooked risotto, strong distinguishable taste of moreton bay bug.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Named after the finely ground flour used to make pizza and pasta, Tipo 00 is a place that offers simple yet quality Italian fare. No wonder it was one of Melbourne’s best new restaurants of 2014 according to the Good Food guide. I highly recommend getting the chef’s menu which allows you to sample a delicious range of starters, pasta and dessert.

Tipo 00

361 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9942 3946

http://www.tipo00.com.au/

Breakfast Thieves

Spanish Gypsy Dance

Spanish morcilla (black pudding) served with crisp rosemary and parmesan polenta bars, Chilean pebre (salsa), cherry tomatoes, pickles, basil oil and perfectly poached eggs

★★★☆☆

The Legend

Spicy baked eggs with spinach hot chorizo, mushrooms, green peas, sweet corn and feta served with herbed garlic bread

★★★☆☆

Leprechaun

Crisp fried sweet corn fritters on puree of chipotle and grilled corn, pickled beetroot, yuzu-avocado mousse and perfectly poached eggs

★★★☆☆

Overall:

There were so many things I liked about Breakfast Thieves: the captivating menu, the well presented food, the charming decor and the efficient service (although our food did come out before our coffees which was a bit unusual). This place is definitely worth visiting.

Breakfast Thieves

Shop1, 420 Gore St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9416 4884

http://www.breakfastthieves.com.au/

INSTAGRAM!

I know I am super late to the Instagram party but better late then never right? I posted my first photo just then. Very excited 😛 Check out the my link on the right. Hope you guys are able to follow me @dammitjanetilovefood

Janet xx

The Collection

Cucumber Gimlet (cucumber infused gin, lime, elderflower syrup, orange bitters shaken and charged with sparkling wine)

★★★☆☆

Nilla Killa (vanilla vodka, apple, strawberry liqueur, vanilla shaken and served tall)

★★★☆☆

Mac and cheese croquettes with hog crackling crumble and cajun aioli

★★★☆☆

Buffalo chicken wings in hot sauce with blue cheese dressing

★★★☆☆

French fries with slow cooked chilli beef and cheese sauce

★★☆☆☆

New England lobster rolls (crayfish, baby cos lettuce, kewpie mayo)

★★☆☆☆

Southern fried chicken, country gravy, cornbread waffles, whipped maple butter

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Brilliant cocktails, good variety of dishes, prompt service, charming decor.

The Collection

328 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9429 8333

http://thecollectionbar.com.au

Lorem Ipsum

Tomato and mozzarella macaron

Crab, corn, yogurt and yuzu sake canapés

Scallops, black pudding, triple-cream mash

Sticky pork pancake, sweet pickle, togarashi mayo

Beef brisket, sauerkraut and secret sauce on brioche

Braised lamb, caramelised shallot puree, pickled onion, salt bush

Passionfruit tartlet

Hidden at the far end of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, this impressive pop-up gala event space is the first of its kind in Melbourne and aims to create an experience unlike any other. Lorem Ipsum is a space that captures Melbourne’s creativity, design and culinary culture. The space features stunning chandeliers, spectacular floor-to-ceiling gold pressed panelling, state-of-the-art audio and visual as well as the single largest outdoor area of a function venue in Melbourne. In fact Lorem Ipsum has the capacity to host gala dinners or lunches for 500 to 1200 people and cocktail functions for up to 2000 people. This unique space is available for end of year gala events from Thursday 3 December to Tuesday 22 December inclusive. For bookings or more details visit http://www.loremipsummelb.com.au.

Lorem Ipsum

*Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Lorem Ipsum.

Rockwell And Sons

Fried Chicken Sandwich

Crispy tender juicy chicken, iceberg lettuce, buttermilk dressing and Crystal Hot Sauce served on a lightly toasted brioche bun. The only regret was the abundance of sauce which quickly led to a soggy sandwich.

★★★☆☆

Buttermilk Biscuit, Sawmill Sausage Gravy, Poached Eggs

Not the most attractive of dishes but a Southern breakfast classic that I had been meaning to try for some time. While I enjoyed the light slightly flaky buttermilk biscuit, the poached eggs were unfortunately overcooked and the Sawmill sausage gravy was EXCEEDINGLY seasoned (particularly with salt, pepper and thyme). I had to drink a lot of water after sampling this dish.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Come for the burgers.

Rockwell And Sons

288 Smith St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 8415 0700

http://www.rockwellandsons.com.au/