Eggplant

Mum’s Burger Kitchen

Pamela Burger

(double beef patty, double cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, garlic aioli, tomato relish)

This burger was huge and multiple bites were needed for me to get through all the layers. The taste reminded me of a Hungry Jack’s whopper except with less of a flame grilled flavour.

★★★☆☆

Macaroni and Cheese

Kind of tasted like instant mac and cheese.

★★☆☆☆

Barbara Burger

(beef, cheese, spinach, roast pumpkin, eggplant, beetroot, onion, tomato relish, avocado, basil pesto)

Really tasty. I’d definitely order this again.

★★★★☆

Bad Boy Chips

These chips took a really long time to come out but at least they were super fresh albeit underseasoned.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The buns and burger fillings were great however the beef patties were inconsistent. Some parts would have a nice char-grill flavour, while other parts had no flavour at all. Service was friendly but seats are limited so it’s a good idea to book a table if you plan on dining during peak times. Otherwise you can simply order takeaway and enjoy your burgers somewhere else.

Mum’s Burger Kitchen

Boronia Village, 5/159 Boronia Rd, Boronia, VIC

(03) 9761 3363

Okra

Cassava crackers with sambal

You can’t go wrong with fresh complimentary crackers.

★★★☆☆

Eggplant with Homemade Sambal

★★☆☆☆

Ayam Merah Nonya

(red curry chicken with kaffir lime leaves)

Mildly spicy, tender chicken.

★★★☆☆

Pad Thai

(rice noodles with chicken, prawns, bean shoots and peanuts)

The tastiest Pad Thai I’ve had in a while. The noodles were cooked perfectly and unlike many other places, the dish wasn’t laden with sugar.

★★★★☆

Duo Seafood

(scallops and prawns with palm sugar and chilli)

From the menu description I thought this dish would predominantly comprise of scallops and prawns, not vegetables.

★★☆☆☆

Twice-cooked Black Pepper Duck with Champignon

Cooking the duck twice removed it from all its flavour, while the sauce had a disagreeable liver taste to it.

★☆☆☆☆

Overall:

Apart from the Pad Thai, the food was unremarkable. The staff however were very attentive as our dishes were taken away as soon as we were done with them and our water glasses were constantly being refilled (I don’t think my glass ever reached half empty). Note that this place is in the Entertainment Book.

Okra

159 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East, VIC

(03) 9813 1623

http://www.okrahawthorn.com.au/

Lawyers, Guns and Money

Chicken Congee, Ginger and Spring Onion

★★★☆☆

Crispy Wonton Skins, Masterstock Egg and Century Egg

★★☆☆☆

Fish Fragrant Eggplant

Spicier than expected and had a distinct fish sauce flavour.

★★★☆☆

Trung Nguyen Black Coffee with Condensed Milk

★★★☆☆

Ceylon Tea with Condensed Milk

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Whenever I travel to South East Asia I often have Hawker style congee for breakfast, so I love the idea of having more places like this available in Melbourne. That being said, I couldn’t help but compare the quality and quantity of congee at this place to that from overseas. The chicken congee here was $12 for a relatively small bowl and while it was warm and comforting, it wasn’t anything spectacular. So although Lawyers, Guns and Money provides something that is out of the ordinary, I think I’ll stick to ordering congee while I’m overseas (or making it myself at home).

Lawyers, Guns and Money

505 Little Collins St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9614 5989

http://lgmmelbourne.com/

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

Afghan Rahimi Restaurant

Salad, Dips (chilli, mint and yogurt, carrot and yogurt), Naan bread

★★☆☆☆

Mantu

Steam cooked traditional Afghani dumplings made from pastry, lamb mince and onions, served with lentils, topped with yoghurt and tomato gravy.

★★☆☆☆

Vegetarian Ashaak

Steam cooked pastry filled with chives and leek, served with lentils and chickpeas, topped with vegetable gravy and yogurt.

★★★☆☆

Meatball Curry (Kofta)

Lamb mince meatball served with a tomato and pea gravy.

★★☆☆☆

Traditional Afghani Rice

★★★☆☆

Borani Banjan (Eggplant)

Fried Eggplant covered with a tomato and yoghurt sauce.

★★★☆☆

Chicken Korma

Chicken thigh fillet cooked in a mild tomato curry.

★★☆☆☆

Lamb Backstrap and Chicken Tikka skewers

★★★★☆

Overall:

We decided to get the $35 banquet option which was satisfying and extremely filling! The smoky charcoal cooked skewers and the borani banjan were the highlights for me, although the borani banjan could have been less salt-heavy. Service was lovely (the owner of this place is super friendly and we felt very well looked after), and the decor was quite lavish (lots of hand crafted solid wood furniture and Afghan artwork). A good place to come to if you are after a big feed.

Afghan Rahimi Restaurant

23-29 Walker St, Dandenong, VIC

(03) 9793 9981

Home 2

Misuzu’s

Crispy Chicken Maki

★★★☆☆

Roasted Dengaku Eggplant and Tofu with Sweet Miso

Enjoyable but super salty and had to be eaten with rice.

★★★☆☆

BBQ Salmon Belly Nigiri

★★★☆☆

Spicy Miso Beef

(stir fried scotch fillet and vegetables with a chilli and red miso sauce)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The food was good, but not good enough to justify the prices. Service was ordinary and the red lighting that bathed the dining area reminded me of being in a darkroom.

Misuzu’s

3-7 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park, VIC

(03) 9699 9022

http://www.misuzus.com.au/

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

Home

Muskaan K Indian Gourmet

Garlic Naan (flour bread with crushed garlic)

Butter Chicken Curry (chicken in tomato cream sauce)

Aloo Baigan (eggplant, potato, tomato, onion, coriander)

Chilli Cheese Naan (flour bread with cheese, green chilli, coriander)

★★☆☆☆

Goat Curry

★★☆☆☆

Mango Lassi

Sweet, yogurty, refreshing.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

After reading so many fantastic reviews about this place, I left feeling a little bit disappointed. The food was unexceptional and the place was more like a takeaway shop than a dine in restaurant. Nevertheless the service was great as were the prices.

Muskaan K Indian Gourmet

3/273 Huntingdale Rd, Huntingdale, VIC

(03) 9544 9005

http://muskaankindiangourmet.com.au/

Moroccan Soup Bar

Hummus, yoghurt, olives, potatoes, eggplant and pickled carrots served with flatbread

Roasted eggplant, yogurt, rice, almonds

Tomato rice, yogurt, eggplant, salad, almonds

Rice and vegetables (cannot remember what this was exactly)

Chickpea bake (sumac, almonds, yoghurt, chickpeas, crunchy pita crisps)

Stewed pumpkin

Rice and salad (cannot remember what this was exactly)

Turmeric rice, lentils

7 Vegetables with couscous

Fried doughnuts, coconut date balls, pistachio baklava

Mint tea

Black coffee

Overall:

Whenever I used to think about Moroccan Soup Bar, I always thought about their chickpea bake. I had it for the first time a few years ago and I remember being blown away by how deliciously crunchy and creamy it was. I was seriously looking forward to sampling it again. The first thing I noticed about the chickpea bake this time around was was how oily it was. A lot of oil pooled on top of the yogurt and the pita crisps were also quite oily. I could only eat so much before I had to stop. Don’t get me wrong it’s still a nice dish, but I definitely did not enjoy it as much as I did previously.

A verbal menu is used here and this usually results in people choosing the easiest option which is a banquet. A $23 banquet includes dips, mains, dessert and coffee while a $28 banquet includes starters, dips, mains, dessert and coffee. We chose the $28 banquet which offered a good variety of dishes that were average to good, as well as extremely sweet desserts. The mint tea served reminded me of toothpaste while the coffee was nice and strong.

Service was average and the atmosphere was pleasant and homely. A few things to note: this place is closed on Mondays, bookings can only be made for 6 or more, and you need to bring your own containers if you order takeaway.

Moroccan Soup Bar

183 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North, VIC

(03) 9482 4240

http://www.moroccansoupbar.com.au/

Base Camp Northcote

Onion Bhaji

Crispy fried onion rings served with sweet tamarind chutney

★★☆☆☆

Butter Chicken

Tandoori roasted chicken tikka cooked in a rich tomato butter cream sauce

★★★☆☆

Cheese and Garlic Naan

We couldn’t decide whether to get the cheese naan or the garlic naan, so our waitress suggested that we get both. It was a great choice as this naan was simply soft and delicious!

★★★☆☆

Baigan Aur Mirchi Ka Salaan

Eggplant and capsicum in a slightly piquant sesame, tomato and coconut sauce

★★★☆☆

Pilau Rice

Fragrant and delectable

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The food here was certainly impressive and the portions were good, while the service was prompt and the atmosphere casual. This place is one of the better Indian restaurants that I have been to in a while, and undoubtedly worth a visit.

Base Camp Northcote

102 High St, Northcote, VIC

(03) 9482 1168

http://www.basecamprestaurant.com.au/