Lobster

Mammoth

Lobster donut burger, green mango and papaya slaw, cucumber jam, siracha kimpi mayo, salt and pepper

Talk about popular! Everywhere I turned, someone had a lobster burger sitting in front of them. And for good reason. The lobster was sweet and light, while the slaw and the sauces were perfect accompaniments. The only thing that spoiled this burger for me though was the donut bun. There was a lot of sugar on the already sweet bun, and each bite kind of confused my taste buds. I have nothing against mixing sweet and savoury but this burger just didn’t do it for me. Give me brioche any day!

★★★☆☆

Potato and goats cheese gnocchi, tomato and mint sauce, black cumin yogurt

Soggy gnocchi, sharp-tasting sauce, small portion size.

★★☆☆☆

Golden Gaytime panna cotta, honey comb, sablé biscuit, chocolate covered popping candy

The panna cotta had set a little bit too firm however it still tasted terrific.

★★★☆☆

Chai latte

★★☆☆☆

Soy latte

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This bright friendly place attracts quite a crowd with their inventive menu, attentive service and good coffee. So avoid peak times or expect a bit of a wait.

Mammoth

736 Malvern Rd, Armadale, VIC

(03) 9824 5239

http://www.eatmammoth.com/

Izakaya Jiro

Grilled Lobster Tail

Sweet tender lobster that was marvellously seasoned.

= ★★★★

Kushiyaki Combo: Yakitori (chicken thigh skewer), Gyu Kushi (beef fillet skewer), Tsukune (chicken ball skewer), Ebi (prawn skewer), Zucchini skewer

The meat skewers were smoky and well marinated, while the zucchini skewer was so-so.

= ★★★

Sashimi Moriawase

Fresh and tasty.

= ★★★

Overall:

Delightful Japanese cuisine however portions were disappointingly small. This place made it onto Melbourne’s Best Cheap Eats 2015 list and while the food was relatively cheap, you sure don’t get much of it (eg. $4.50 for an Ebi prawn skewer). Just a heads-up.

Izakaya Jiro

830 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn

9818 7163

http://izakayajiro.com.au

Meatmaiden

20-hour Rangers Valley Wagyu brisket with Tasmanian pepper berry rub (200g)

Quality house-smoked brisket that was meltingly tender.

★★★★☆

Lobster Mac Cheese

This classic macaroni and cheese dish was creamy but heavy, and had a surprisingly reasonable amount of lobster in it.

★★★★☆

Southern Fried Chicken with tequila mayo

Ordinary chicken served with bland mayo.

★★☆☆☆

Pulled Pork Shoulder

Sweet tender pork that was full of flavour.

★★★☆☆

House sausage, parsley, pickled red onion

Very dense and smoky.

★★☆☆☆

Crispy skin baby snapper, charred cauliflower, green bean salad

Well cooked, light and satisfying.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Meatmaiden is the sister restaurant to barbecue shack Meatmother in Richmond, and I must say that comparatively the meat served here is just as good or if not better. For 30 days the meat is dry-aged in order to achieve its greatest flavour and tenderness, and brisket is smoked for up to 20 hours in their custom built smokers. The 20-hour Rangers Valley Wagyu brisket was certainly a highlight and is something that I would easily return for. Service was good and the atmosphere casual. Note that this place is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Meatmaiden

195 Little Collins St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9078 7747

Meatmaiden

Sushi Hotaru (revisted)

Salmon cream cheese roll

Seared salmon and scallops

Lobster salad gunkan

Seared scallop nigiri

Spicy seared salmon nigiri

Prawn box sushi

Chicken karaage

Spicy tuna nigiri

Salmon avocado roll

Takoyaki

Overall:

Love this place. In fact not much has changed since my first visit over a year ago. The service is still super quick (I ordered pretty much everything from the electronic touch screens) and the food is still fresh and delicious. The menu is updated 3 to 4 times a year and everything is freshly hand made right in front of your eyes. This time around I especially enjoyed the spicy seared salmon nigiri, chicken karaage and the seared salmon and scallops (I could really go for more of this right now!) This is definitely the place to go to if you are after quick, tasty, reasonable priced sushi train food. Note that this place can get quite busy and that they will not seat you until your entire party has arrived.

Check out the first part of this clip to get more of an idea of what to expect at Sushi Hotaru.

Sushi Hotaru

Shop 118, 200 Bourke St (1st floor of MidCity Arcade), Melbourne

(03) 9663 7538

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of SD Marketing Global.

Parlour Diner

Lobster and Shrimp ‘Po Boy’ with Slaw and Chimichurri Salsa

★★★☆☆

Blue Ribbon Crispy Fried Chicken served with curly fries, sauce and salad

★★★☆☆

Dynamite Burger (beef patty, tomato, lettuce, cheese, pickles, chipotle, Asian slaw)

★★☆☆☆

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Spicy Lime Butter

★★★☆☆

Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Milkshake

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We came here for a late dinner on a weeknight and found the atmosphere, service and food to be fabulous. A special mention goes to the huge pieces of fried chicken (fantastically crispy on the outside, juicy and boneless on the inside) and the chocolate peanut butter milkshake (sweet with a hint of saltiness and contained tiny little pieces of peanut and a giant scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream). This place is quite small and the kitchen is minuscule so I can understand that waiting times for food can be quite long when it gets busy. Nevertheless if you are in the mood for decent American food, head to Parlour Diner.

Parlour Diner

64 Chapel St, Windsor, VIC

(03) 9533 2006

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).