Pickles

Laurie Dee’s

Chili Cheese Fries

(fries topped with mild beef chili, cheese sauce and diced onions)

★★★★☆

Chicago Dog

(tomatoes, pickles, diced onions, relish, cucumber, mustard and celery salt on a butter toasted bun)

★★★☆☆

The Laurie Dee

(minced patty, caramelised onions, melted cheddar, special D’sauce, tomato, lettuce, diced pickles, relish)

★★★☆☆

Strawberry Shortcake Sundae

(vanilla custard with a base of shortbread crumbles, topped with real strawberry sauce, coconut flakes and whipped cream)

★★★★☆

Overall:

So the way it works at Laurie Dee’s is that you order and pay at the counter, receive a ticket number, and collect your food on a tray once your number is called out. The place wasn’t full at the time and we waited around 15-20 minutes for our number to be called out. As for the food, it was simple, greasy, and somewhat messily thrown together. There was almost a fast food quality about everything so as long as you know that this is what you are in for, you won’t be disappointed.

Laurie Dee’s

Epping Plaza Shopping Centre, 571-583 High St, Epping, VIC

(03) 9408 0196

http://www.lauriedees.com.au/

Nomad

Wood fired sourdough with black olive butter

★★★★☆

Olives with cumin, preserved lemon, chilli

★★☆☆☆

Nomad charcuterie with pickles

★★★☆☆

Grilled scallops with salt baked celeriac and celery heart

★★★★★

Rangers Valley waygu tartare, spiced chickpea, roast eschallot and potato crisps

★★★☆☆

Nomad Jersey milk haloumi, wood roasted tomato, oregano

★★★★☆

Spiced cauliflower, cashew, wild rocket

★★☆☆☆

BBQ spatchcock, harissa, toum, guindilla

★★★☆☆

Valrhona Chocolate Trifle with raspberry, rosewater, and pomegranate

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We opted for the chef’s menu so that we could sample a wide range of dishes without having to think too much about what to order. Our food came out at a good pace and we left Nomad feeling truly satiated. What I like about this place is that you have the option of choosing where you would like to be seated (ie. the main floor, the window counter or the kitchen counter). Clearly I booked kitchen counter seats as I love watching the whole food preparation and plating up process.

Nomad

16 Foster St, Surry Hills, NSW

(02) 9280 3395

http://nomadwine.com.au/

Changz Canteen

Truffle and Mushroom Burger

(double beef and cheese, enoki fries, mushroom ‘ketchup’, truffle, roast garlic aioli)

Juicy beef patties that were well cooked, strong truffle flavour.

★★★☆☆

Canteen Classic with Fries

(beef, chicken brick, double cheese, bacon, onion, pickles, jalapeño, lettuce, canteen sauce)

This substantial burger was distinctively peppery, while the canteen sauce reminded us of Big Mac sauce.

★★★☆☆

Fried Chicken Ribs with Aioli

These tasty ribs were coated in a super crispy batter, and are only $1 each on Sundays!

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Solid burgers, enthusiastic staff, awesome Star Wars decor. Burger joints are a dime a dozen these days in Melbourne, and although nothing we tried was phenomenal, I really hope that these guys make it.

Changz Canteen

256 Glen Eira Rd, Elsternwick, VIC

(03) 8592 4941

http://changzcanteen.com.au/

Mountain of Bears

BBQ Pulled Pork Burger

(slow cooked pork shoulder served with lettuce, tomato, pickles, fried shallots and house made slaw with a side of grilled kipfler potatoes)

The pulled pork was juicy and well flavoured while the potatoes were a nice change from the usual side of chips that you get from everywhere these days.

★★★☆☆

img_20170115_131440

Valencian Paella

(clams, squid, chorizo, chicken and shrimp cooked with saffron infused rice served in a claypot, topped with parmesan and spring onion)

Bland but filling.

★★☆☆☆

img_20170115_130936

Berries For The Bears

(strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, milk, yogurt)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Tucked away in a small arcade, Mountain of Bears is a place that offers friendly service, an inviting atmosphere and cleverly named menu items. Let’s avocuddle anyone?

Mountain of Bears

556 North Rd, Ormond, VIC

(03) 9578 9882

Two Little Piggies

Pea & Ham – crisp roasted pork belly, poached free range eggs, green pea veloute, sourdough toast

Heavenly succulent pork with a beautiful crispy crackling. The pea veloute was also superb and the eggs were well poached.

★★★★☆

Little Pig Cubano – Mojo pulled pork, Grandmother ham, Blackjack cheddar, pickles, dijon mustard

A wonderful union of delicious ingredients made this a very enjoyable (and very filling) sandwich.

★★★★☆

Majestic Fries – duck fat and mustard aioli

Generous serving of light crispy fries.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Relaxed vibe, simple decor, easy going service. With a porcine influenced menu and an enticing charcuterie selection, the owners of this place are clearly passionate about meat. Choosing what to order was extremely difficult as everything sounded absolutely amazing. In the end I really enjoyed what we had picked out and will certainly return to sample some more dishes.

Two Little Pigs

146 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9939 4042

Rustica Canteen

Free range roasted cayenne spiced chicken, kale, corn, lime aioli, pumpkin sourdough

★★★★☆

Grilled brisket, house pickles, gruyere, Russian dressing, watercress, light rye

★★★★☆

Poached eggs, smashed avo, rustica sourdough

★★★★☆

Crispy skin vodka cured ocean trout, smoked sea salt, radish green salad, poached eggs, citrus yogurt, light rye toast

★★★★☆

Overall:

Friendly service, great music (classic 80’s and 90’s), delicious food. The bread here is fantastic, making the sandwiches amazing! I also wanted to try their Ispahan croissant except they had unfortunately sold out. My next choice (the Chocolate and Peanut Butter croissant) was also sold out and I wasn’t particularly keen on the almond or the plain, so I must return here soon for the croissants!

Rustica Canteen

33 Guildford Lane, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9642 2203

http://www.rusticacanteen.com/

Leonard’s House of Love

Original Fried Chicken Tenders with Pickles and Chipotle Mayo

Fairly average chicken with terrific chipotle mayo.

★★☆☆☆

Cheeseburger

(beef brisket and short rib patty, special sauce, cheese, onion, green oak lettuce)

Tasty patty that was cooked perfectly.

★★★☆☆

Charcoal Chicken Fries

(fries, pepper gravy, onion, stuffing, cheese sauce)

★★★☆☆

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

(1/2 chicken, jacket potato, sour cream, fries, Greek salad, dinner roll and gravy)

What a feast this was! And special mention goes to the awesome gravy.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This unassuming bar is located in a small street right off Chapel St and offer a small and simple menu of American comfort foods. The staff were friendly however there was a considerable amount of wait time before our food arrived. Nevertheless I really liked the vibe of this place and would definitely come back for drinks and a snack or two.

Leonard’s House of Love

3 Wilson St, South Yarra, VIC

0428 066 778

Mick Adams Burger Bar

Kostaki Fried Chicken

(spicy fried chicken, iceberg lettuce, avocado, chilli jam, radish, coriander, mint and chilli mayo)

Amazing toppings but the dry overly fried chicken prevented this good burger from being a great burger.

★★★☆☆

The Big T

(two premium beef patties, double cheddar, pickles, cos lettuce, tomato, aioli, ketchup)

Ordinary but satisfying.

★★☆☆☆

Truffle Parmesan Chips

These needed a good mix as all the parmesan was on top while all the truffle was at the bottom.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

With so many burger places popping up all over Melbourne, I was hoping that Mick Adams Burger Bar offered something special that would make it stand out from the crowd. Service here was efficient and the atmosphere casual. Although the food was good, unfortunately it wasn’t good enough to bring this place straight into my mind the next time I get a burger craving.

Mick Adams Burger Bar

38 Portman St, Oakleigh, VIC

(03) 9563 0331

Tina’s Noodle Kitchen

Rice Noodles with Chicken Stock Soup

(rice noodles, tomato, spam, quail egg, bean curd skin, bok choy, spring onion, tofu, mushrooms, bean sprouts, fungus, deep fried pork)

★★★★☆

Rice Noodles with Pork Liver and Pickles

(rice noodles, black fungus, bean curd skin, bok choy, mushroom, spring onion, bean sprouts)

★★★★☆

Japanese Matcha Frappe

★★★☆☆

Overall:

When Tina’s Noodle Kitchen first opened, what caught my attention was the retractable belt barrier positioned in front of the place to control the crowds. I’ve eaten here a few times since then and this is what I know:

This place only serves noodles but the noodles are consistently good and very filling.
The 150°C bowls mean that the noodles arrive burning hot and remain that way for a quite while, so take your time eating otherwise you will leave with a burnt tongue.
Orders need to be made at the counter before you sit down.
Service is variable.
If you look Asian or anything slightly Asian, expect to be spoken to in mandarin.

In any case, Tina’s Noodle Kitchen is a good place to head to the next time you are in the mood for a satisfying bowl of noodles.

Tina’s Noodle Kitchen

231 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9041 6382

Grill Me

357a Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield 9533 0550

Spicy Melbourne burger

(grilled lean beef patty, havarti cheese, roasted peppers, dill pickles, lettuce, red onion, peri peri aioli)

served with chips, herb aioli and peri peri aioli

= Not bad

Chicken Delight burger

(grilled marinated chicken breast fillet, crispy bacon, havarti cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, herb aioli)

served with chips, herb aioli and peri peri aioli

= Good

Overall:

Great value for money as the burgers here are enormous. The thick beef patty was well cooked however was lacking in flavor, while the chicken fillet was deliciously juicy and tender. The chips were crunchy and well seasoned, and you can’t really go wrong serving aioli with chips. A nice burger place but nothing outstanding.