Rice

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.

★★★☆☆

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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.

★★☆☆☆

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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

Bibimfresh

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Bibimfresh Signature Bowl

(kale, oak leaf, onion, pear, red cabbage, carrots and sashimi served with chojang sauce)

Fresh and healthy!

★★★☆☆

Kim Mari

(deep fried seaweed rolls filled with glass noodles)

I had never come across anything like this before so was curious to try these out. These little parcels of deep fried goodness had great crunch but needed the dipping sauce as they were quite bland.

★★★☆☆

Ddokbokki Carbonara

(rice cakes served with Korean style carbonara sauce, mushroom, prawns and bacon)

Small portion aside, I really enjoyed this carbonara dish! And the combination with the ddokbokki wasn’t anything extreme so this dish worked well for me.

★★★★☆

Spicy Seafood and Tofu Soup

(spicy soup with soft tofu, vegetables, and seafood served with white rice)

Mildly spicy with lots of tofu.

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Fried Rice

(kimchi fried rice, pork, fried egg)

The runny yolk mixed with the spicy fried rice made this really tasty.

★★★☆☆

Matcha Cake

This delicate sponge cake wasn’t overly sweet (which was nice), and had a distinctive matcha taste.

★★★★☆

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I loved all the awesome air plants that they had on each table.

Overall:

Bibimfresh isn’t your typical Korean joint. This place is bright and spacious, and offers a unique menu of delicious fusion food. From customised quinoa bibimbap and green juice to fried chicken and poutine fries, there is definitely something here for everyone.

Bibimfresh

Shop 9, 108 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9654 2371

https://bibimfresh.com/

Anshumann Da Dhaba

Complimentary papadums

★★★☆☆

Fish Malabari

★★★☆☆

Dhaba Eggplant Masala

★★☆☆☆

Butter Chicken

★★☆☆☆

Garlic Naan

There was hardly any garlic flavour and ghee was used.

★★☆☆☆

Biriyani Rice

★★☆☆☆

Badam Shake

This was very sweet and considerably grainy (from the blended almonds) so chewing was needed with each sip.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I can’t say the food stood out but the service certainly did. But not in a good way. So once we had been seated and were ready to order, we attempted to get the attention of one of the wait staff. There were at least 4 of them standing close the counter just staring out into the dining area. We managed to get the attention of a few of them but as soon as they saw us, they would look the other way or turn around. It was so bizarre because they weren’t doing anything to begin with. Someone eventually came to take our orders and when we asked her what she suggested from the menu, she wasn’t very helpful. At one point we asked her what her favourite dish was from the menu and her response was “nothing”. It was kind of funny in a way.

Anshumann Da Dhaba

331 Clayton Rd, Clayton, VIC

(03) 9544 2291

http://www.anshumanndadhaba.com.au/index.php

Kuku Mama

Cheeseburger Dumplings – beef, pickle, cheese, Bobby John sauce

Although these are not your typical dumplings, this is certainly fusion done right. Within each dumpling was perfectly cooked beef and plenty of melted cheese, which was delicious when eaten with the pickle and the sauce. The dumpling skin was a bit chewy though and needed to be steamed a tiny bit longer.

★★★★☆

Vegetarian Dumplings – sweet potato, shiitake, enoki

Unsurprisingly sweet and mushroomy.

★★★☆☆

Bao – Peking roasted duck, pickled cucumber, hoisin

Soft pillowy steamed buns with a decent amount of tasty duck.

★★★★☆

Tacos – blackened salmon, herb crema, chicharron

★★☆☆☆

Mac & Cheese squared with Bobby John sauce

★★★☆☆

Crinkle cut chips, honey, soy, sesame, chilli, spring onion

A great mix of sweet and savoury.

★★★☆☆

Bao – soft shell crab, kewpie mayo, Kuku kimchi

The soft shell crab had good crunch but lacked any actual crab taste.

★★☆☆☆

Balinese coconut seafood curry with herb rice

The curry was a little on the bland side, while the herb rice (ie. the coriander rice) was a little salt heavy. So I suppose the flavours balanced out when you ate them together.

★★☆☆☆

Bao – southern fried chicken, slaw, BBQ sauce

The crispy tender chicken combined with the slaw and BBQ sauce made for terrific baos!

★★★★☆

Overall:

This was such a cool place. From the vibrant decor to the comfortable booths and couches, Kuku Mama is a fantastic place to eat, drink and simply hang out at. Service was quick while the food was creative and reasonably priced. Make sure you come with a few people because there will be lots of things on the menu that you’ll want to try.

Kuku Mama

105 Chapel St, Windsor, VIC

(03) 9529 6900

http://kukumama.com.au/

Tim Ho Wan

Whenever a new restaurant opens, I often wait a little while so that I can read other people’s reviews and get a feel of the place before I head there myself. Thus I was fully aware of how long the queues here can become and decided to go on a weeknight. We arrived at 5:40pm and were immediately handed green clipboards with order forms to fill out.

By 6:00pm we were seated and once we pressed the buzzer at our table, a staff member appeared and confirmed our order by marking it on our menu/placemats. We didn’t have to wait very long before our food arrived…

Pork Dumpling with Shrimp

★★★☆☆

Steamed Egg Cake

★★★★☆

Vermicelli Roll with Shrimp

★★☆☆☆

Pan-Fried Turnip Cake

★★☆☆☆

Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling

★★★☆☆

Rice with Chicken, Sausage and Mushroom

★★★☆☆

Vermicelli Roll with Pig’s Liver

★★☆☆☆

Baked Bun with BBQ Pork

★★★★☆

Beancurd Skin Roll with Shrimp

★★★☆☆

Prawn Dumpling

★★★☆☆

Beancurd Skin Roll with Pork and Shrimp

★★★☆☆

Overall:

While I enjoyed my experience at Tim Ho Wan, there wasn’t anything in particular that makes me want to go rushing back. I found most of the food to be comparable to that found at good Yum Cha places around Melbourne, except the portions here are smaller and it’s a bit more pricier. What really stood out for me however was the steamed egg cake (which was incredibly light and fluffy), and of course the baked buns with BBQ pork (which had a sweet and crispy exterior that strangely worked well with the savoury BBQ pork interior). Service was prompt and efficient and I admire how well organised and smoothly this place runs. Avoid this place at peak lunch and dinner times if you hate long queues, otherwise there are plenty of seats that have been thoughtfully placed along the queue so that you rest your feet while you are waiting to get into this Michelin-starred restaurant.

Tim Ho Wan

206 Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

http://www.timhowan.com.au/

Elephant Corridor

Sri Lankan Devilled Prawns

(marinated tiger prawns, onion, capsicum, tomato tossed with spicy sauce served on banana leaf)

Reminiscent of a Chinese sweet and sour dish.

★★★☆☆

Steamed Basmati Rice

★★☆☆☆

Goan Fish Curry

(fish cooked with coconut milk, spices, mustard seed and lemon juice)

Average curry with inconsistently cooked fish. Some pieces were nicely cooked while others were dry and chewy.

★★☆☆☆

Complimentary papadums served with mint sauce and tamarind chutney

★★★☆☆

Garlic Naan

More butter and more garlic would have been nice.

★★☆☆☆

Green Jack Fruit (Polos) Curry

This was my first experience tasting green jackfruit and I really enjoyed it! It had an interesting chewy texture that is very similar to the texture of pulled pork. No wonder it gets called ‘vegetable meat’.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Elephant Corridor is a busy place that offers respectable Indian and Sri Lankan food, efficient service and a lively atmosphere.

Elephant Corridor

179 Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley, VIC

(03) 9561 8810

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

Pea and Spinach Risotto

Recipe adapted from The Healthy Chef

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Olive oil
2 cups Arborio rice
1L stock
2 cups water
500g green peas (frozen or fresh)
4 large handfuls baby spinach leaves
Parmesan
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice

Method:

Heat olive oil in a pan and saute onion and garlic until softened.
Add the rice and stir through for about a minute.
Add 2 cups of stock and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until absorbed. Continue adding stock and then water, 1 cup at a time, waiting for the liquid to be absorbed before adding more.
Blanch the peas for 1 minute in boiling water and then drain.
Add half the peas into a high performance blender or food processor and puree with half the spinach until smooth. Combine the pea and spinach puree along with the whole peas and spinach into the risotto and stir through.
Add parmesan, salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice to taste.

Overall:

I don’t think I’ve ever made a risotto this green before! This risotto was creamy and light, and tasted almost too good to be healthy.

Whet Restaurant

Whet house chicken curry served with basmati rice, tomato and apple chutney and pappadums

Fiery curry that was packed full of flavour.

★★★★☆

Tempura battered local wild caught barramundi served with chips and house made tartare

Average fish with really good chips.

★★★☆☆

Chicken, avocado, rocket, tomato and bocconcini served on a freshly baked baguette with basil aioli and chips

Once again it was the chips that made this dish.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Set amongst tropical Daintree rainforest, Whet has an earthy and natural vibe. Whet is in fact fully self-sustained with generated diesel power, a tertiary level sewerage and grey water treatment plant, plus they have their own private water supply and rubbish removal. Pretty impressive! Service was average but the food was enjoyable so I’m glad we stopped by.

Whet Restaurant

1 Cape Tribulation Rd, Cape Tribulation, QLD

(07) 4098 0007

http://www.whet.net.au/

4 Seasons Laksa

4 Seasons Combination Laksa

★★☆☆☆

Curry Chicken with steamed rice

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I was expecting amazing laksa seeing as this restaurant has ‘laksa’ in its name, but it was merely okay so I was a bit disappointed. Service was friendly and the place was small and simple.

4 Seasons Laksa

330A South Rd, Hampton East

(03) 9553 3332

http://www.4seasonslaksahamptoneast.com.au/