Thaiger

“Pou-Nim” Black Burger

(crispy softshell crab, granny smith Asian slaw, sweet and tangy dressing)

★★☆☆☆

Tom Yum Goong Burger

(grilled spicy prawns, fresh herbs, coriander, lettuce, Tom Yum mayo)

A tasty burger that was a bit stingy with the prawns.

★★★☆☆

Taro String

Best eaten while hot (as they are no longer crispy once they have cooled down)

★★★☆☆

Lemongrass Pork Chop Burger

(grilled 24 hour lemongrass marinated pork chop, cucumber, mint, mixed leaves, caramelised onion, “Nam Jim Jeaw” dressing)

Tasty tender pork chop that was very well marinated.

★★★☆☆

Prawn Croquette Burger

(prawn croquette, Asian slaw, sriracha mayo)

★★★☆☆

Crispy Sweet Corn Fritters

Extremely chewy with an unusual texture.

★★☆☆☆

Chick-Chick Bang-Bang Burger

(crispy chicken thigh fillet, Thai sweet chilli mayo, tomato, lettuce, sliced boiled egg)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Delicious Thai inspired flavours and ingredients can be found at this unique little burger joint. There are 14 different burgers to choose from as well as 7 house salads and a number of sides which include taro string, grilled pork skewers, fish cake and corn fritters. Deciding what to order was quite tough as everything on the menu sounded amazing. Each burger turned out to be surprisingly filling considering their moderate size. The brioche buns were perfect (buttery, crispy, not too sweet) however the black burger bun was a bit dry. Service was a little slow and there are only 3 small tables available so if you come during peak lunch time, be prepared to get a takeaway. In any case I wouldn’t mind coming back here to try the rest of their burgers.

Thaiger

Shop 16 The Walk Arcade, 8 Causeway Lane, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9663 8558

http://www.thaiger.com.au/

Burgled

The Sin Miedo (Mexico) – beef patty, jalapenos, smashed avocado, lettuce, cheese, tomato

Lacked a bit of flavor as there was no sauce and the beef patty was unseasoned

★★☆☆☆

The Gettysburger (USA) – beef patty, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onion, pickles, mustard, aioli, cheese, ketchup

★★☆☆☆

Chips with ketchup and aioli

Similar to Schnitz chips (which I LOVE), these were diamond cut and shaped like a thin wedge so were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

★★★☆☆

Ferrero Rocher milkshake

Sweet, milky, distinctive Ferrero Rocher taste.

★★★☆☆

Shortbread biscuit filled with nutella mousse, kiwifruit and strawberry

The lovely owner of Burgled actually gave this to us on the house. The filling was tasty however something less dense than shortbread would have been preferable.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Fantastic sports bar-like atmosphere, warm efficient staff, great chips, wide variety of tasty milkshakes (eg. Oreo, Cherry Ripe, Lychee & Vanilla, Butterscotch, Salted Caramel, Peach & Coconut and much more), average burgers. Soft white burger buns are used here which is a nice change from the sweet brioche buns found everywhere else. However the beef patties lacked flavour and the burgers themselves did not stand out.

Burgled

287 Huntingdale Rd, Oakleigh, VIC

(03) 9540 0355

http://burgled.com.au/

Flavours of Asia Market Festival – 28 February 2015

I was recently lucky enough to be invited to a sneak preview for the Flavours of Asia Market Festival that is part of the 2015 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes Day. The Flavours of Asia Market Festival is one of the first events on the 2015 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival calendar and will feature a range of delicacies from across the continent, cooking demonstrations and live entertainment. The festival is designed to bring together an array of authentic Asian street food with dishes starting from $5. Expect to find delicious menu items from Hammer & Tong, Hoy Pinoy, Wonderbao, Overdosa, Lankan Tucker, Uncle, Gogi and Eat the Chicken.

What: Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes Day – Flavours of Asia Market Festival

When: Saturday 28 February 2015

Time: 12:00pm – 6:00pm

Where: Caulfield Racecourse, Station Street, Caulfield

Cost: Adult $20, Concession $10, Children Under 14 Free (includes admission to the racecourse and the Flavours of Asia Market Festival.)

Tickets available via: mrc.racing.com

Now onto the menu preview. So when we first arrived we had the opportunity to sample the Flavours of Asia Market Festival’s feature cocktail ‘The Market Mule With A Kick’ which was a fusion of vodka, dry ginger ale, lime and chilli. I was a little apprehensive about the chilli at first but it actually gave this refreshing cocktail a nice gentle heat. It was seriously good. So before I knew it I had polished off my cocktail and I had forgotten to take a photo of it. Whoops. Here’s a picture of a lady dancing instead.

Wonderbao’s Pork Bao

Fluffy steamed buns filled with sweet tender pork

★★★☆☆

Hoy Pinoy’s Lechon Kwali (slow braised and crispy fried pork belly with buco, chilli and yemma sauce)

Absolutely incredible! Delicious sauce, super crispy crackling and pork that simply melts in your mouth.

★★★★☆

Hammer & Tong’s Red and Black rice salad (pomegranate, broad beans, peas, mint & grapefruit mignonette)

A light rice salad with a lot of flavour and texture.

★★★☆☆

Marinated barbecued skewers cooking over a customary BBQ from Hoy Pinoy. Candied meat. Mmmmmm. Notice that the skewers are delightfully sizeable!

Inihaw na Baboy (pork belly skewers in banana ketchup glaze)

★★★☆☆

Inihaw na Manok (chicken skewers in traditional soy glaze)

★★★★☆

Wonderbao’s ‘Roast Pork Belly Gua Bao’ with cucumber, pickled carrots, daikon & hoisin sauce and ‘Fried Silky Tofu Gua Bao’ with pickled mustard, coriander and crushed peanuts.

★★★☆☆

We also had the opportunity to see the making of Hammer & Tong’s famous Soft Shell Crab Burgers .

It isn’t surprising that up to 1000 soft shell crab burgers are sold during a night at Queen Victoria’s Wednesday Night Market!

Soft Shell Crab Burger (brioche bun, sriracha mayo, sesame seed slaw, soft shell crab, spring onion and coriander)

The perfect soft shell crab burger.

★★★★★

Wonderbao’s Ice cream Gua Bao (golden fried bao dusted with sugar and filled with sesame seed ice cream, caramel and nuts)

★★★☆☆

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Melbourne Racing Club

Hammer & Tong

Rear 412 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9041 6033

Home

Hoy Pinoy

Location varies, Melbourne, VIC

Wonderbao

4/19-37 A’Beckett St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9654 7887

Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato

I love the theatrics involved with liquid nitrogen gelato. No matter how many times I see it, I still find it incredibly cool. (haha get it?) Once liquid nitrogen is added to a gelato mix, freezing occurs almost instantly resulting in tiny ice crystals and gelato that is deliciously smooth and creamy.

Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato offer eight different flavours at any one time, with flavours changing every 2-3 weeks.

After Ate

(milk chocolate gelato infused with peppermint oil and churned with crunchy brownie chunks, topped with fresh vanilla cream)

I was hooked after the first bite! Incredibly smooth and chocolatey with a hint of fresh peppermint.

★★★★☆

W.I.T.S

(watermelon iced tea sorbet made from fresh watermelons, limes, mint leaves and brewed tea)

Fruity and extremely refreshing.

★★★★☆

Lazy Dinner

(sage, burnt butter and caramel gelato, topped with sticky caramel sauce)

Sweet and buttery with a subtle aroma of sage. However after a little while this flavour became too rich and heavy for me.

★★☆☆☆

Pink Flamingo

(peach and rose moscato sorbet, topped with rosewater coconut cream)

Amazing sorbet! But the combination of peach and rose moscato with the coconut cream was a bit odd for my liking.

★★★☆☆

Cold Pressed Juice (rock melon, mango, granny smith, royal gala)

Juices here are pressed in store daily with seasonal fruits so flavours are constantly changing. Cold pressed juice apparently retains more flavour, nutrients and enzymes compared to traditional juice. In any case the juice I sampled was very fresh and very tasty.

★★★★☆

Cold Brewed Coffee

Containing up to 67% less acidity than hot brewed coffee, cold brewed coffee is naturally sweeter, more intense and has less of a bitter aftertaste.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located down a small CBD laneway, Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato is without a doubt a place worth visiting. A lot of testing, tasting and sourcing of quality ingredients is involved with every gelato flavour produced here. It was obvious to me that owners Jesse and Wei Ming are extremely passionate about their jobs. In fact Jesse informed me that he wanted every single person leaving the place to feel happier compared to when they walked in. And this is easily the case considering how amazing their gelato/juice/coffee is and how friendly the staff are. I really liked the space and the layout of this place as it felt like a nice spacious cafe that you could sit down and relax in. What I also liked about this place is how the team here are environmentally conscious and only use reusable bottles for their beverages. (Bottles can also be purchased if you really like them). Note that fresh pastries will soon be available here so that is something to look out for.

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato.

Dex2rose Nitrogen Gelato

377 Little Bourke St, Melbourne , VIC

(03) 9078 0784

Home

Punch Lane

House smoked tuna, goats curd, pickled fennel, mustard seeds

This entree was originally served on a different plate and our waiter divided up the contents, hence the careless presentation. The creamy goats curd, sharp fennel and spicy mustard seeds were perfect accompaniments for the wonderfully smoky tuna.

★★★☆☆

Roasted quail, almond cream, grape bath, vine leaf, red grapes

Crispy tender quail with extremely sweet grapes.

★★☆☆☆

Roast baby snapper, cauliflower, capers

★★☆☆☆

John Dee Black Angus scotch fillet, roasted shallots, harissa and watercress

The harissa was quite mild and did not overpower the tender scotch fillet

★★☆☆☆

Peanut butter parfait, dulce de leche, peanut brittle

The parfait itself was delicious but remarkably rich. Sharing this dessert would be a good idea.

★★☆☆☆

‘A bit of a mess’: strawberry sorbet, frangipane, custard, meringue, Antico Rosso jelly

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I first ventured here almost a year ago and I remember being truly impressed with the food. Thus I decided to once again order the five course menu however this time I left feeling disappointed. The food was good but not outstanding (like my previous visit) and the portions served were TINY. (The tuna and quail each took all but three small bites to finish). In fact we ended up having a second dinner someplace else that night. I understand that fancy places tend to have smaller portions and I wouldn’t be grumbling so much had the dishes been more superlative. Perhaps things will be different with the next menu change. On a positive note the service was wonderful and the atmosphere was lively. I really do hope that Punch Lane was just having an off night with their food.

Punch Lane

43 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9639 4944

http://punchlane.com.au/

Kitchen Inn

Kolo Mee Special

Soft handmade noodles served with minced pork, BBQ pork and prawns. The regular serving was rather sizeable so I can only imagine what a large serving is like.

★★★☆☆

Sarawak Laksa

Rice vermicelli served with omelette strips, fish cake, chicken breast, prawns, bean sprouts and laksa gravy. The fragrant curry-like soup had a unique peppery taste, with a tinge of sourness. The first couple of bites were terrific but I soon felt that the heavy oil content was too much for me.

★★☆☆☆

Crispy Chicken

Simple no frills chicken that was well seasoned and deliciously crispy.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Kitchen Inn’s latest branch has many things going for it: a good location, efficient service, an extensive menu, generous serving sizes, cheap prices, and cuisine that is still fairly uncommon in Melbourne. And it is because of these things that I will very likely return to Kitchen Inn to sample more of their menu. Fingers crossed that whatever I order won’t leave me feeling bloated until the next day again.

Kitchen Inn

Shop 3 Village Walk, 52-54 O’Sullivan Rd, Glen Waverley, VIC

(03) 9886 3062

South of Johnston

SOJO Burger of the week (Pulled Pork Burger)

Satisfying burger filled with lots of juicy pulled pork

★★★☆☆

Pancakes topped with banana, butterscotch sauce, vanilla ice cream and toasted crushed hazelnuts

★★☆☆☆

Corn fritters with a poached egg, tomato relish, avocado, smoked salmon

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Funky eclectic decor, ordinary food, ordinary service. Might be worth your while exploring Collingwood’s many other eateries instead.

South ofJohnston

46 Oxford St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9417 2741

http://southofjohnston.com.au/

Coombe – the Melba Estate

675 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream 9739 0173

A little while ago I had the opportunity to attend a private garden tour and morning tea at Coombe – The Melba Estate. This stunning property was once home to Dame Nellie Melba, Australia’s first world-famous opera singer.

The 2.8 hectare garden was designed by William Guilefoyle, who also designed Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

Hedge

Six hundred metres of beautifully manicured cypress hedges can be found here. By getting into a crouching position and slowly shuffling forward, I was able to squeeze into this particular hedge opening and experience being inside of an enormous hedge. It was pretty cool.

Not only does this spectacular garden contain plants (including rare ones), it also contains…

an old English oak tree (estimated to be over 180 years old)…

Victoria’s oldest swimming pool (built in 1913)…

vegetable gardens…

chickens…

a croquet lawn…

and much more. So after our garden tour, it was time for morning tea!

Top Tier: Fresh baked scones, Peach Melba Jam, Clotted cream

Middle Tier: Lemon meringue tartlet, Strawberry tartlet, Dark and white chocolate truffle, Friands

Bottom Tier: Pork and apple sausage rolls, Leek and Persian feta quiche, Coombe Farm pate on Melba toast, Asparagus dill cream cheese pinwheel, Smoked salmon ribbon sandwiches

Overall:

The restaurant is located within the restored motor house and historic clock tower, having a design that cleverly incorporated old and new. I found the huge glass windows that overlook the gardens to be particularly impressive. The morning tea served was good but nothing outstanding. Perhaps the brunch or lunch here is more delectable as seasonal and estate grown produce are used. Nevertheless I loved the history of this estate and the calming picturesque gardens. It’s amazing how after more than a century, this estate is now open to the public. Note that this place is available for weddings and private functions.

*Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of Two Hands Agency. All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I felt about the service, food and quality at the time of visit.

Ricotta Hotcakes with Banana and Honey

Original recipe from Taste.com.au, however I tweaked it slightly.

Ingredients:

1 cup self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sugar
130g fresh ricotta
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
25g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 a lemon rind, grated
Olive oil
Sliced bananas and honey, to serve

Method:

1. Sift the flour, bicarb and salt into a bowl and stir in sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, milk, egg, melted butter, and lemon rind, beating well until smooth. Gradually whisk this into the dry ingredients to form a smooth batter.

2. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and pour in batter to form hotcakes. Cook over medium heat until bubbles appear over the surface and then flip over and cook until both sides are golden brown.

3. Serve hot with banana slices and a drizzle of honey.

Overall:

These hotcakes were so good that the banana and honey were not really needed. Each hotcake was soft and fluffy with slightly crispy edges. The fresh ricotta gave some subtle creaminess and the lemon rind added some zesty freshness. Another quick and easy recipe.

Chicken Cacciatore with Double Corn Polenta

Ingredients:

Chicken

4 chicken breast fillets, cut into thirds
salt
pepper
1/2 cup plain flour
olive oil
1 large red capsicum, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
fresh basil leaves

Polenta

2 cups milk
1 cup water
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Sprinkle chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Mix thoroughly.

2. Lightly coat the chicken with plain flour.

3. In a large pan heat the oil, add the chicken and cook until golden brown. Set aside the chicken.

4. Heat more oil in the pan and add the capsicum, onion and garlic. Saute over medium heat until the onion is soft.

5. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and oregano and bring to a boil.

6. Return the chicken to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a simmer.

7. Meanwhile, prepare the polenta. In a medium saucepan, bring milk, water, and fresh or frozen corn kernels to a boil.

8. Gradually add polenta, stirring constantly until incorporated. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened. If polenta is too thick, add more water.

9. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese.

10. Serve polenta on plates with the chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Overall:

Simple to make and super delicious!