Pork Belly

Ms. G’s

Burrata, “strange flavour style” sesame sauce, chilli oil, spinach, peanuts

It was the “strange flavour style” description that drew in our attention, but it didn’t taste strange at all. The Asian flavours nicely complemented the creamy burrata, and this was quite an enjoyable dish.

★★★☆☆

Kingfish, aged ponzu, konbu, chives

Fresh and delicious.

★★★★☆

Cheeseburger spring rolls

I loved how these tasted exactly like cheeseburgers, although $6 per spring roll was a bit steep.

★★★★☆

Warm salad of calamari and pork belly, soft egg, caramelised shallot dressing, “bibim style”

A delightful Asian salad that had a good variety of flavours and textures.

★★★☆☆

Homemade fettuccine, octopus cooked with kimchi, spicy marinara sauce

An interesting fusion dish that was spicier than expected.

★★★☆☆

Stoner’s Delight Part 3

(doughnut ice cream, peanut dulce de leche, peanut and pretzel brittle, crispy bacon, mars bar brownie, raspberry curd, potato chips, deep fried Nutella)

So wrong yet so right.

★★★★☆

Raj Mirage #2

(pandan, calpis, lime, fresh mint, soda)

★★★★★

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Pash a Panda

(yuzu, passionfruit, cranberry, soda)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Brilliant experience at a place where the menu is quirky and interesting, the atmosphere buzzing, and the service quite speedy considering how busy this place is.

Ms. G’s

155 Victoria St, Potts Point, NSW

(02) 9240 3000

http://merivale.com.au/msgs

Red Spice Road

Chiang Mai pork relish with cassava crackers

This relish had such fantastic punch! A harmonious blend of sour, sweet, salty and spicy flavours made this pork relish very Thai and very delicious.

★★★★☆

Tamarind chilli chicken with red peppers and green onion

Sweet, sticky, spicy, standard.

★★☆☆☆

Pork belly, chilli caramel, apple slaw, black vinegar

Just as amazing as everyone says it is! The pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender and had a marvellous crispy skin, while the vinegar balanced out the sweetness of the chilli caramel sauce.

★★★★★

Barramundi, watermelon, cucumber, hot mint, chilli and coriander salad

I liked this salad except for all the soggy pieces of fried fish. If only the fish had been served on top of the salad rather than tossed into it.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

We ordered the $29.50 per person Express Lunch Banquet which included an appetiser, 3 mains and steamed rice. The servings were surprisingly generous making this banquet option fantastic value for money. Although I’m not the biggest fan of their circular communal tables, I do like the atmosphere and I would definitely come back for the pork belly!

Red Spice Road

27 McKillop St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9603 1601

http://redspiceroad.com/

Seoul Soul

Chargrilled Pork Belly

Dry and chewy.

★★☆☆☆

Stir Fried Beef Noodles

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Fries with Cheese

Spicy and delicious.

★★★☆☆

Seafood Pancake

★★★☆☆

Deep Fried School Prawns

Crispy and addictive, especially with the accompanying sweet chilli sauce.

★★★★☆

Bong Bong Grape Drink

I loved how this came with actual grapes in it!

★★★★☆

Overall:

Small place with quick service and tasty Korean fare. I’d visit again if I was in the area and was after a quick Korean meal.

Seoul Soul

323 Victoria St, Abbotsford, VIC

0478 768 760

http://www.seoulsoulgroup.com/#organic-korean-cuisine

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

Carnegie Korean BBQ

What’s better than Korean BBQ? The answer is all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ!

Pork Belly, Mushroom, Onion, Sweet Potato

Pasta Salad, Bean Sprouts, Kimchi, Fish Cake

Mandu

Beef Bibimbap

Soy Bean Soup

Green Tea and Black Sesame Ice Cream

Overall:

There are 2 all-you-can-eat options: the Standard Buffet ($31.90) and the Gourmet Buffet ($35.50). For a few dollars more the Gourmet Buffet offered a greater selection of meats, soups and dessert, so we ended up opting for this. We initially wanted to try all the different meats however this turned out to be impossible as there was simply too much food! The meats that we did manage to try included the LA Beef Ribs, Beef Brisket, Marinated Beef, Diced Beef, Non Spicy Chicken, Pork Belly, and Spicy Pork. The only meat that did not take our fancy was the Diced Beef as it was super tough and extremely difficult to chew. The staff were friendly however unlike some other Korean BBQ places, they don’t help out with any of the barbequing (which was fine with us). In any case, the all-you-can-eat options here are perfect for all you carnivores out there.

Carnegie Korean BBQ

Shop 2, 23 Koornang Rd, Carnegie, VIC

(03) 9563 6608

Mixed Business

Apple Pie Waffles

(buttermilk waffles, maple baked apples, pecan crumb, vanilla ice cream)

These waffles arrived piping hot which quickly melted the ice cream leading to soggy waffles. However everything still tasted good so it wasn’t a big deal.

★★☆☆☆

Sherry Roast Swiss Brown Mushrooms

(whipped Meredith chevre, hazelnut and herb salad on toast with a side of slow roast pork belly)

Thank goodness we ordered the side of pork belly (which was delicious) otherwise this dish would have been rather lacking.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

After reading so many positive reviews about this place, I felt a little let down with our experience. More precisely it was the food that failed to make an impression, as the staff here were terrific and the atmosphere pretty stock standard for a brunch-type place.

Mixed Business

486 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill, VIC

(03) 9486 1606

http://www.mixedbusinesscafe.com/

The Garden of Good & Evil

Baked scallops with garlic and chilli butter

Well cooked but tasted purely of butter.

★★★☆☆

Street Corn

★★☆☆☆

Twice cooked pork belly with Asian slaw and micro herbs

Great flavours except the pork belly skin was extremely chewy and difficult to cut/bite through.

★★★☆☆

Soft shell crab tacos with smashed avocado, salsa fresca and chipotle aioli

Crispy crab with a delicious combination of ingredients.

★★★★☆

Beef brisket sliders with smoked hickory BBQ sauce

★★★☆☆

Seafood paella with tiger prawns, calamari, mussels, barramundi and saffron rice

This was in the ‘something bigger’ section of the menu so I was expecting something well…bigger. This dish was a little salt heavy otherwise the flavours were good and the seafood plentiful.

★★★☆☆

Trio of vegetable crisps

An interesting mix of sweet potato, potato and red cabbage.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

The inside dining area was poorly lit so we decided to grab a table in the lovely back courtyard. Service was friendly and the food enjoyable. Note that the $10 paellas are only available 12-4pm on Sundays.

The Garden of Good & Evil

13 Station Rd, Cheltenham, VIC

(03) 9585 6067

http://www.thegardenchelt.com.au/

Wide Open Road

Thick cut bacon with gruyere cheese potato cake, poached eggs, beetroot relish, rocket, chipotle mayo

The thick cut bacon was delicious and had a lovely hint of sweetness. If only there had been more of it!

★★★★☆

Corn, black bean and smoked mozzarella tortilla with chipotle lime creme fraiche, fried eggs and pork belly

I would have preferred less beans however the pork belly was quite enjoyable.

★★★☆☆

Caramelised tiramisu french toast with espresso mascarpone, poached plums and a cocoa nib, cinnamon and nut dukkah

The sugar crust on the french toast was a nice touch, while the espresso mascarpone and poached plums made for an interestingly delightful combination of flavours.

★★★★☆

Chai latte

★★★★☆

Overall:

Great food, average service, definite hipster vibe.

Wide Open Road

274 Barkly St, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9387 6079

http://wideopenroad.com.au/

Le Miel Et La Lune

House made grilled cured salmon – served with yuzu cucumber, salad, red onion, strawberries, blueberries, poached egg and toasted mulitgrain bread

Apart from the overly sweet salad, I really enjoyed this dish. The salmon was well cooked and the egg perfectly poached.

★★★☆☆

Pork belly potato hash – potato hash, sliced pork belly, enoki, shimeji mushrooms, capsicum, poached egg, creamy sesame sauce

Drowning in creamy sauce, this ordinary dish was extremely heavy and difficult to finish.

★★☆☆☆

Lamb burger – tzatziki, beetroot relish and cheddar cheese served with chips

Average burger, bland chips.

★★☆☆☆

Iced Hummingbird chai latte

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Korean fusion at a place with a French name. Although the service was good, the food was sadly nothing out of the ordinary.

Le Miel Et La Lune

330 Cardigan St, Carlton, VIC

(03) 9043 9767

http://www.lemiel.com.au/

SunPork Fresh Foods – Tasting Event

SunPork

I recently had the exciting opportunity to attend a tasting event that showcased SunPork’s expanding range of pre-prepared pork products. This stylish event was held at Eureka 89 and the views were truly spectacular!

SunPork Drinks

The night began with a few cocktails and we later settled down to enjoy the mouth-watering menu created by Eureka Head Chef Renee Martillano.

Shredded Chicken Arancini with Lemon Aioli

Mini Pork Schnitzel with Tomato Chutney

Shredded Beef Empanada with Aji Dipping Sauce

Pork Belly Rasher in Korean BBQ Sauce, Radish Slaw, Confit Apple, Apple Cream

Shredded Pork Croquette, Seared Scallop, Fennel Puree

Peri Peri Pork Schnitzel, Labneh, Braised Cos

Slow Cooked Pork Ribs in BBQ Sauce, Potato Rosti, Mushroom Crisps

Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Celeriac Puree, Grilled Fennel

Apple, Rhubarb, Fennel and Pork Skin Crumble

Chocolate

Attending this event reinvigorated my love for pork! Everything was simply delicious however the clear stand outs for me were the shredded pork croquette and the pork skin crumble dessert (who would have imagined that pork skin would be incredible in a dessert?). SunPork Fresh Foods is the largest pork producing group in the Southern Hemisphere and is 100% Australian owned and operated. Our menu was inspired by SunPork pre-prepared products which are perfect for busy people who want delicious home-made meals that can be easily made with minimal time and effort. SunPork Fresh Food products are available at Woolworths and their range includes Pork Schnitzels, Slow Cooked Pork Belly, Smoked Pork Chops, Sweet and Spicy BBQ Pork Ribs as well as a wide variety of fresh pork products. For recipes and more information visit: www.sunporkfreshfoods.com.au.

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of SunPork Fresh Foods and KDPR.