Cheese

The Jolimont

73 Jolimont Rd, Forest Hill 0438 333 595

Iced Chai

Sweet with a distinctive chai flavour

= ★★

Banana Milkshake

This brought to mind childhood memories of banana Nesquik

= ★★

Smashed avocado

(avocado, dill, lemon and feta cheese on seven grain sourdough, served with a fried egg)

= ★★

The Jolimont Platter

(antipasto platter with Chef’s selection of marinated vegetables, deli meats, cheese and bread)

= ★★

Overall:

This cosy suburban cafe serves up the usual breakfast/brunch items. Although nothing particularly stood out in terms of the food, service was great as the staff here were attentive, friendly and up for a chat.

Nachos Mexican Cantina

175 Waverley Rd, Mount Waverley 9888 3866

Enchilada New Mexico

Two chicken enchiladas topped with a fried egg and melted cheese, served with rice, frijoles and a taco

= ★★

Texas Chilli Burrito

Ground beef simmered in a variety of chilli powders rolled in a flour tortilla with tomatoes, onions and cheese, topped with guacamole and sour cream, served with rice and frijoles

Faintly spicy burrito filling that brought to mind a tasty bolognese sauce

= ★★★

Overall:

The food is decent but pricey, so bring your Entertainment Book voucher if you have one.

Richmond Hill Café and Larder

RHCL grilled cheesy toast with eggplant & chilli pickle

I simply cannot describe how amazing this was! The toast was perfect, the cheese was unbelievable, while the eggplant and chilli pickle added delicious zing and was a fantastic contrast to the heavy cheese.

★★★★★

The Lot

(two eggs any way with toast, bacon, baked beans, mushrooms & roasted
tomatoes)

★★☆☆☆

Potato & spring onion rosti with smoked salmon, two poached eggs, spinach pistou sauce, Cantalet cheese fondue & grain mustard

The crispy rosti was tasty but could have been finished within two bites. Okay maybe three bites.

★★★☆☆

Baked Eggs

(two baked eggs with RHCL sausage ragu, toasted pinenuts, feta & fresh coriander)

The feta was fantastic! If only there had been more!

★★☆☆☆

Baghdad Eggs

(two fried eggs with lemon & garlic, sprinkled with cumin & mint on homemade flat bread)

Super simple, super marvellous!

★★★★★

Overall:

Terrific food, warm atmosphere, prompt service (although we did feel a bit rushed when our bill was presented as soon as we had finished eating and before we had even asked for it). Richmond Hill Café and Larder even have their very own cheese room which offers an impressive selection of local and imported cheeses, many of which they mature in-house. I am so looking forward to my next visit. I already have my eye on the cheese platter…

Note that this place takes bookings.

Richmond Hill Café and Larder

48-50 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9421 2808

http://rhcl.com.au/

Twenty & Six

594 Queensberry St, North Melbourne 9329 0298

Bounty Bar Hot Chocolate with Mörk, coconut and almond milk (left)

The almond milk ruined this potentially terrific drink, making it extremely thin and watery

★★

Mörk Hot Chocolate (right)

Balanced and full of flavour, not exceedingly sweet

★★★

Brioche roll with beef brisket, kaiserfleisch, chilli, cabbage slaw, Swiss cheese and seeded mustard aioli, served with hand cut chips and rosemary salt

★★

Wild mushrooms with soft polenta, roasted shallots, endive, two poached eggs, parmesan and pomegranate molasses

★★

Overall:

The only thing impressive about this place was the outhouse they had at the back. Food was average and portions were small, while the service was so-so. The staff here were very strict about their menu and refused to serve us chips on their own as it wasn’t on the menu. To be honest I’d much rather head around the corner to Auction Rooms for a bite to eat.

KOBA

119 Hardware St, Melbourne 9973 8425

Korean Sliders

Sweet brioche bun served with short rib patties, Korean slaw, ssamjang mayo and crispy onion rings

= Excellent

Beef Taco

Marinated beef, tomato salsa, kimchi and Korean slaw

= Not bad

Kimchi Fries

Crispy fries topped with cheese, kimchi sauce, onion relish and sour cream

These fries were so addictive. Who knew Kimchi and fries went so well together?

= Good

Koba Fried Chicken Wings (Soy Garlic)

Not so crispy but well flavoured juicy chicken wings, with a sprinkling of quinoa for added texture

= Good

Spicy Pork Korrito

Sweet marinated pork, kimchi rice, melted cheese, tomato salsa and kimchi

= Good

Overall:

Incredibly tasty Korean-Mexican fusion! Service was quick and the staff were very helpful and friendly. Note that there is limited seating here (as this place is tiny) so grabbing takeaway is a good idea.

Fat Bob’s Bar & Grill

80 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin 95550909

Hummer burger (180g grass-fed beef pattie, tomato, jalapeño, spanish onion, cucumber, tasty cheese and Fat Bob’s “Hummer” spicy mayo) with fries and tomato relish

Jackie O burger (180g grass-fed beef pattie, tomato, spanish onion, fontina cheese, cos lettuce, mustard, tomato sauce and Fat Bob’s special sauce)

Popcorn chicken with sweet chilli mayo

Overall:

Fat Bob’s had been on my places to eat list for awhile and I was very excited to finally get my hands on one of their burgers. The verdict? Solid burgers that will satisfy any burger craving. Although the beef patties were bland, it didn’t matter as the other ingredients (especially the tasty sauces) made up for this lack of flavour. I fancied the Jackie O burger more so than the Hummer burger as the ingredients in the Hummer burger reminded me of the ingredients you get in a Subway sandwich. Similar to the beef patties I found the popcorn chicken and the chips to also be bland, requiring the sauces to provide flavour. Service was friendly (note that you place your order at the counter) and the decor was perfect for a burger joint (plenty of signs, posters and glowing neon lights). Definitely give this place a go if you are in the area and have a hankering for a good burger.

Little Chloe

1810 Malvern Rd, Malvern East 9885 2194

Pork, fennel & three-cheese meatballs cooked in a tomato broth, tossed with spaghetti, spinach, and roasted capsicum

The meatballs were somewhat bland however the spaghetti was cooked to perfection and the sauce was tasty and light.

= Not bad

Little Chloe’s corn fritters with red chilli scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, spring onion and goat cheese on sourdough toast

A splendid dish that was unfortunately ruined by one thing: the burnt corn fritters. Nevertheless the red chilli scrambled eggs were great, the bacon was super crispy and delicious, and the goat cheese gave this dish bonus marks (I love goat cheese!)

= Good

Overall:

A nice breakfast/brunch/lunch place that offers a good variety of menu options, quick service and a casual ambience.

Miam Miam Restaurant

Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Rd, Chadstone 9569 4499

Iced matcha latte with matcha softee

Peanut butter and banana milkshake

Lobster bisque pasta

Mac and cheese

Famous French toast

Vanilla souffle

Thoughts:

Iced matcha latte with matcha softee – milky green tea latte that contained lots of ice, topped with a swirl of green tea soft serve = Not bad

Peanut butter and banana milkshake – thick, sweet, had small chunks of peanut added to it which gave the milkshake an interesting crunch = Not bad

Lobster bisque pasta – the soup base tasted purely of prawns (I did not detect any lobster), the pasta was well cooked and the dish was topped with parmesan cheese and a grilled tiger prawn = Not bad

Mac and cheese – strong cheese aroma, had a nice crunchy top from the Japanese breadcrumbs = Good

Famous French toast – thick slices of delicious classic French toast served with a dollop of cream and a small jar of maple syrup on the side (which is fabulous because it lets you control how sweet you want your dish to be) = Excellent

Vanilla souffle – reminiscent of Asian sponge cake, this souffle was light yet a little bit wet and distinctively eggy. I also managed to taste a bit of salt with every second or third bite = Not bad

Overall:

This French-Japanese restaurant is one of those places that has such an intriguing menu that it makes choosing what you want quite a difficult task. The atmosphere is very casual and the decor somehow reminded me of a country farm house (red bricks, wood chip walls, white window shutters, simple wooden tables and chairs). The service was friendly however the arrival of our food was very staggered. Hopefully that won’t be the case the next time I dine here (as there are still other dishes that I want to try).

Ramen Burger

Recipe:

1 pack of ramen or instant noodles
2 eggs
1 beef burger patty
1 slice of Tasty cheese
1 slice of canned beetroot
handful of rocket
tomato sauce

Method:

1. Cook noodles according to directions on the package. (I didn’t add any noodle seasoning but you can if you want to) Drain the noodles and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Whisk 1 egg into a bowl and add the noodles. Mix well to ensure that the noodles are coated with the egg. Divide the egg-dressed noodles in half and place each half into a ramekin or other round container. Cover the noodles with plastic wrap, and place a can of soup or heavy bowl on top to press it into shape. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

3. Add oil to a pan and once the oil is hot, cook the noodle buns until each side is golden brown.

4. Cook the burger patty on a pan and once it’s cooked to your liking, place the cheese on top so that it melts onto it.

5. Fry 1 egg sunny side up.

6. Time to assemble the burger! The order I did this was: noodle bun, tomato sauce, burger patty (cheese side up), fried egg, beetroot, rocket and second noodle bun.

Overall:

A burger that looks terrific and tastes terrific!

Pumpkin and Broccoli Ricotta Pasta Bake

Recipe from: Taste.com.au

Overall:

This vegetarian bake was very tasty and easy to make.