Garlic

Suga Korean Restaurant

Tofu Canape

(pan fried homemade tofu topped with Suga’s seasoned rice balls and fried lotus chips, served with wasabi mayo)

★★★☆☆

Side Dishes

★★★★☆

Seafood Pajeon

★★★☆☆

Original Fried Chicken

Sadly dry.

★★☆☆☆

Handmade Kal-Gook-Soo

(knife-cut wheat noodles boiled with egg in fish broth, flavoured with seasoning, onions, garlic, topped with carrots and dried seaweed)

★★★★☆

Spicy Soft Tofu Stew

(soft tofu stew with seafood, mushrooms, zucchini, spring onions and onions in spicy hot soup topped with a cracked egg)

★★★★☆

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Soondae

(Korean style sausages stuffed with pork blood, sweet potato glass noodles, carrots, onions, spring onions, seasoned with ginger, salt, garlic and pepper)

With so many other ingredients mixed in, these didn’t taste like your typical blood sausage (ie. they didn’t have that livery iron-rich blood taste)

★★★☆☆

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Cold Noodles

(thin buckwheat noodles served icy cold in beef broth topped with cucumber, beef slices, half a boiled egg, served with vinegar and mustard)

★★☆☆☆

Tofu donuts with vanilla custard and ice cream

There was tofu mixed throughout the batter which made these donuts extra soft on the inside.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

You will find a huge range of traditional and contemporary Korean dishes at Suga, many of which I have not seen served anywhere else. The must try item however is their delicious home-made tofu which is prepared daily on site! Staff were friendly but service was slow. I just have to make sure that I’m hungry but not ravenously hungry the next time I come here.

Suga Korean Restaurant

269 Huntingdale Rd, Chadstone, VIC

(03) 9888 1001

http://www.sugarestaurant.com/

Bondi @2016

Poutine

(chips, bacon, cheese, gravy)

★★★★☆

Polenta Chips with Smoky Ranch Sauce

★★★★☆

Grilled Corn Cobs with Smoky Ranch Sauce and Parmesan

★★★☆☆

Southern Fried Chicken with Honey Butter, Sweet Potato Fries and Homemade Slaw

★★★☆☆

Mushroom Ragout

(wild mushrooms, potato mash, spinach, garlic, rosemary, thyme)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Formerly known as Fat Rupert’s, Bondi @2026 is the kind of place you’d want to hang out at after a long day at work or a day at the beach. The vibe here is really laid-back and the food pretty terrific. And if you go between 4pm-7pm, beers and wines are only $5!

Bondi @2026

249 Bondi Rd, Bondi, NSW

0421 866 735

http://www.fatruperts.com.au/

Percy’s Aeroplane Cafe

Matcha Hotcakes

(green tea hotcakes sandwiched between a Nutella brioche donut drizzled with chocolate ganache, pistachio and a dollop of whipped cream served with fresh and reduced red berries)

Deliciously decadent without being excessively sweet.

★★★★☆

Percy Thyme

(roasted mushrooms infused with thyme and garlic, tossed through baby spinach and served on smashed avocado and multigrain toast, served with dukkah, goats curd and a poached egg)

A good solid dish however the serving size of this used to be larger.

★★★☆☆

Pulled Pork Benedict

(poached eggs smothered in apple cider hollandaise, apple, roast pumpkin, onion, garlic and carrot, resting on a toasted pan de mie bun)

The toasted bun was surprisingly incredible! Generously buttered, soft in the middle and ultra crispy around the edges. The rest of the dish was also quite tasty however the rubbery overcooked eggs were a disappointing let down.

★★★☆☆

Matcha latte

Weak and watery.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

A friend of mine suggested this place for a recent catchup and I was pleasantly surprised with our experience. The atmosphere was comfortable and although we were seated by ourselves all the way in the back room, the service was great as the wait staff continually checked up on us to refill our water and ask if we needed anything. What I also liked about this place was the staff’s interest on customer feedback. Apart from asking the usual question of whether or not we enjoyed our meals, we were asked about our thoughts on the Matcha Hotcakes, which were a new menu item (eg. Was the serving size adequate? Was the dish sweet enough?). Serving sizes in general could be improved, but I’d still return if I was in the area.

Percy’s Aeroplane Cafe

96 Denmark Street, Kew, VIC

(03) 9939 7642

Morries Anytime

Fried Cauliflower

(chili, garlic, bean sprouts, coriander, peanuts, soy dressing)

A bit heavy on the soy dressing otherwise this was really delicious.

★★★★☆

Beetroot Gnocchi

(house-made gnocchi, pine nuts, citrus ricotta, kale, confit, tomatoes, almond garlic puree)

Wonderful flavours and textures, however the gnocchi was a little dense and chewy.

★★★★☆

Tempura Whiting

(apple, pine nut remoulade, lemon)

Crispy deep fried batter, fresh crunchy salad.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We visited this popular place during lunch to take advantage of their $25 lunch special which included any lunch main with a glass of wine or beer. The service here was efficient, while the decor was modern and sleek. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Margaret River area.

Morries Anytime

Shop 2/ 149 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River, WA

(08) 9758 8280

http://www.morries.com.au/

Tazio Birraria Pizzeria Cucina

Porco Carne Pizza – tomato, mozzarella, pork and veal meatballs, goat’s cheese

Thin crispy base with delectable toppings.

★★★☆☆

Pasta – linguine with prawns, garlic, chilli, white wine, extra virgin olive oil, rocket

Bland. Needed more garlic, chilli, and a squeeze of lemon.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

It was a busy Saturday night at Tazio and I was absolutely ravenous. You know how food tends to taste better than usual when you are really hungry? Well this wasn’t the case on this particular night. Although the food was tasty, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. The ambience on the balcony was nice and the service was average.

Tazio Birraria Pizzeria Cucina

66 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9654 9119

Tazio – Birraria Pizzeria & Cucina

Ponshu Kiroro

Edamameholic

(stir fried edamame with garlic and red chilli)

Spicy, salty, garlicky deliciousness covered each and every edamame bean! I found these to be very addictive.

★★★★☆

Parfait Lunch Set

(marinated salmon sushi parfait, chunky miso soup, wasabi dressing)

Fresh, tasty, and well presented.

★★★★☆

Spicy Miso Ramen

(spicy Hokkaido miso ramen with kurobuta pork, boiled egg, cabbage, onion, bean sprouts, spring onion and sesame)

The thin broth reminded me of kimchi soup. The pork was quite tasty and the pieces of cabbage came in really big chunks.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

A bright charming place that offers delicious Hokkaido fusion cuisine, as well as a lovely range of Japanese beverages. This hidden gem is well worth visiting for their interesting dishes and their friendly service.

Ponshu Kiroro

9 Katherine Place, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 8657 8553

http://www.kiroro.com.au/

ANOIA Artisan Pizza & Pasta Bar

Linguine Del Mare

(tiger prawns, calamari, cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilli)

★★★★☆

Zucca Pizza

(bianco-fiore di latte, roasted pumpkin, pinenuts, rocket, goats cheese)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

As soon as we walked in, we were inundated with delicious smells coming from their open kitchen. Now the fit-out at Anoia is dark and sleek and although the place appears to be small, there is actually more seating available at the back of the restaurant. The food we sampled was delectable while the service was ordinary. Note that this place also does takeaway.

ANOIA Artisan Pizza & Pasta Bar

779 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9819 2900

http://anoia.com.au/anoia/

Sun Moth Canteen & Bar

Fried bread, green olives, lemon, chilli, garlic and percorino

These crunchy little morsels were very addictive.

★★★☆☆

Duck liver parfait, salted figs and candied walnuts

Solid parfait that initially refused to come out of the jar but ended up being quite tasty.

★★☆☆☆

Sweet corn and chicken soup with buttermilk dumplings, spring onions and greens

A light Asian style soup with gnocchi-like dumplings.

★★☆☆☆

Mushroom, olive and barley risotto

This hearty risotto was perfectly cooked and had a delightfully rich mushroom flavour.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Enjoyable food, chillaxed atmosphere, clean and simple decor. A great place to unwind.

Sun Moth Canteen & Bar

28 Niagara Lane, Melbourne

9602 4554

http://www.sunmoth.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Sun Moth Canteen & Bar and the team at Zomato.

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/

Lemon and Coriander Hummus

Recipe:

400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 – 1/2 cup water (depending on how thick you want your hummus to be)
small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chilli sauce (optional but recommended!)

Method:

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until fully combined and smooth. Spoon into a bowl and serve.

Overall:

Super tasty, super quick and super easy. ANYONE can make this.