Salad

Red Mango Thai Restaurant

3a Station St, Oakleigh 9569 6879

Pad gra prow with prawns

Stir fried prawns, chilli, onion, mixed vegetables and basil in a medium spicy sauce

More sweet than spicy

= Not bad

Red Duck Curry

Sliced Peking duck braised in a red curry with vegetables and Thai herbs

Minimal duck, minimal spiciness

= Not bad

Larb gai

A traditional Thai salad with minced chicken cooked in lemon juice, herbs, chilli and red onion

There was an overpowering taste of fish sauce and there was a lot more salad than chicken (which shouldn’t be the case when it comes to larb gai)

= Not bad

Pad Thai

Stir fried rice noodles with egg, ground peanuts, vegies and bean sprouts

= Not bad

Overall:

I am very particular when it comes to Thai cuisine as I always find myself comparing it to what I’ve eaten in Thailand or to my mum’s home cooking. Like many other Thai restaurants in Melbourne, the dishes at Red Mango Thai Restaurant have been tweaked to suit Western taste buds. So for me the food here was very average as was the service and the ambiance.

Note that this place only opens for dinner.

Takumi

32 Bourke St, Melbourne 9650 7020

Edamame and Sake

Takumi’s Special Wagyu Beef

(thinly sliced wagyu eye fillet grilled on the outside topped with finely diced onion and lightly dressed in refreshing citrus seasoning)

Tsukune

(grilled chicken meatball skewers)

Salmon Carpaccio

(salmon sashimi infused in tangy carrot, onion and soy sauce seasoning)

Jo-hire eye fillet steak and Karubi wagyu beef bolar blade

Mixed salad, Squid, Salmon

Sweet red bean ice cream and Green tea ice cream

Overall:

The quality of the food here was fantastic. Everything tasted fresh and the flavours were superb. I found the usage of lard/fat to coat the grill plate quite interesting. No wonder the meat here tasted so good. We came with a Groupon voucher and definitely felt that we had snapped up a terrific deal. The staff were efficient and the “smokeless” grills that they use here are great as it meant that you could leave without having that strong grill smell attached to your clothes and hair.

Gazi

2 Exhibition St, Melbourne 9207 7444

Tzatziki dip and Sweet Potato Skordalia dip with pita bread

Ouzo cured salmon with Karpouzi salad, goats curd and grain crumb

Saganaki with honey, lemon and sesame

Prawn and Duck Souvlakakia

Chips with feta, garlic oil and oregano

Red cabbage salad

Wood fire spit chicken with white beans and Tyrokafteri

Barramundi with walnut dressing

Acropolis Now

(strawberry mousse, coffee and mastic)

Loukoumades

(Greek donuts with honey and nutella)

Overall:

If you decide to have their 10 dish sharing banquet (like we did), be sure to come in HUNGRY and ready to eat. Everything we tried was enjoyable, but it would be the delicious dips and the extraordinary souvlakakias (small souvlakis) that I would be returning for. The staff were friendly and efficient, the atmosphere loud and buzzing, and the decor fascinating with a sculptural canopy of bright orange terracotta pots hanging from the ceiling.

Wombat Hill House

Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Daylesford 4373 0099

Wombat smoothie

Herb and goat cheese tart with salad and relish

Cottage pie with salad and chutney

Thoughts:

Wombat smoothie – refreshing mix of blueberries, Jonesy’s milk, yoghurt and honey = Not bad

Herb and goat cheese tart – small servings of an okay tart = Not bad

Cottage pie – small servings = Not bad

Overall:

This large open cafe has a great relaxed feel. You can choose to sit amongst a charming vegetable garden out the back or at the cheerful side courtyard or perhaps inside where everything is neat and homely. It’s a shame that the food here is mediocre and rather expensive considering the serving sizes. Note that this place is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Bistro Goemon

281 Glen Huntly Rd, Elsternwick 9523 9900

Frozen umeshu (plum wine)

Sweet corn kara-age

Spicy pork salad

Satsuma-age

Seared scallops with mountain vegetables

Assorted sashimi

Thoughts:

Sweet corn kara-age – lightly fried sweetcorn, sprinkled with seaweed salt. As the corn had been fried, it was chewy instead of juicy = Not bad

Spicy pork salad – sliced pork mixed with shredded vegetables and a Japanese chili soy dressing. A light refreshing salad = Good

Satsuma-age – fried fish cakes mixed with edamame and octopus = Not bad

Scallops – tasty scallops that were lightly seared and nicely flavoured with Japanese seven spice = Good

Assorted sashimi – chef’s choice of 10 pieces of fresh sashimi, served with an assortment of seaweed = Good

Overall:

Good service, a comfortable atmosphere, quality Japanese fusion (which comes as no surprise as the the owner and head chef of this place used to work at Nobu and Akachochin)

Soba noodle salad

I went to a potluck a little while ago and a friend of mine made this amazing salad. It was light, crunchy, sweet, tangy and had a distinctive sesame flavour to it. I was desperate for the recipe and when I asked for it, my friend simply stated that it was all in the dressing: Roasted Sesame Kewpie Japanese Dressing.

So this dressing can be found at asian grocery stores, particularly the ones that stock Japanese and Korean items.

Recipe:

Soba noodles
Kewpie Japanese dressing
Carrots (cut julienne)
Cucumber (cut julienne)
Baby Spinach leaves
Sesame seeds
Hard boiled eggs (optional)

Method:

1. Cook soba noodles according to package directions

2. Once the noodles are cooked, drain under cold running water for a few minutes minutes until they feel silky

3. In a large bowl combine the noodles, carrots, cucumber, spinach, hard boiled eggs (sliced) and Kewpie dressing. Mix well.

4. Serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds

Afghan Pamir Restaurant

195 Lonsdale St, Dandenong 9792 0197

Mantu

Meatball kofta

Salad, dips, naan bread

Afghani rice

Borani banjan

Chicken and lamb skewers

Thoughts:

Mantu – soggy tasteless dumplings that were served drowning in yogurt = Bad

Meatball kofta – spiced lamb meatballs served in a mild tomato and pea sauce = Not bad

Salad, dips, naan bread – simple salad, undistinguished dips, hard (almost stale) bread = Bad

Afghani rice – long grained rice blended with bright strands of carrot, barberries and spices = Not bad

Borani banjan – oily fried eggplant topped with cooked tomatoes and an abundance of yogurt = Not bad

Chicken and lamb skewers – tender pieces of smoky meat = Not bad

Overall:

We were completely blown away by the magnificent decor; hand crafted solid wood furniture, marble table tops (albeit covered by a layer of plastic), and stunning pieces of Afghan artwork. It would have been a wonderful dining atmosphere except for the fact that this place was completely empty when we arrived, and would practically remain so for the remainder of the evening. The food at this place is rather pricey in comparison to other Afghan restaurants in the area, and we ended up opting for the $35 banquet which enabled us to try a bit of everything from their menu. Unfortunately the food did not impress me as much as the decor did, and I would most likely not venture here again.

Afghan Salang Restaurant

343 Lonsdale St Dandenong, 8774 6778

Bolani

Kebabs

Afghan bread and salad

Burani bonjon

Mosh palow

Chicken korma

Jalebi

Thoughts:

Bolani – thin traditional flatbread layered with pumpkin or potato, capsicum, onion, coriander, garlic and herbs, served with a garlic infused yogurt dip. The potato bolani was good but the pumpkin one was even better! = Excellent

Kebabs – tender pieces of deliciously smoky charcoal cooked chicken and lamb, served with a fresh chunky dip made from parsley, coriander, jalapeños, 5 types of capsicum, celery and vinegar = Good

Afghan bread and salad – comes with the kebabs. The afghan bread is plentiful and freshly baked while the salad is just a regular salad = Not bad

Burani bonjon – golden fried eggplant topped with garlic yogurt and spice = Good

Mosh palow – brown rice and beans. Recommended by our waiter, this dish was very tasty = Good

Chicken korma – not as heavy as an Indian chicken korma, this chicken stew was filled with a interesting blend of spices = Not bad

Jalebi – deep fried dough soaked in sugar syrup = Not bad

Overall:

The food is freshly made and is actually quite healthy as they do not use coconut milk, cream or cooking wine. Service is friendly and attentive while the atmosphere was dim and average.

Zagar’s Charcoal Grill

9 Royton St, Burwood East 9884 4067

Homemade beef sausages

Continental potato salad and coleslaw

Scotch fillet steak

Eye fillet steak

Thoughts:

Beef sausages – a blend of eye fillet, scotch fillet and porterhouse trimmings. Succulent mouthwatering sausages that will put any other beef sausage that you’ve ever had in your life to shame = Excellent

Potato salad and coleslaw – creamy potato salad, crunchy tangy coleslaw, both are satisfying accompaniments to the main courses on offer = Good

Scotch fillet – tender, well-marbled, full of flavour. I just couldn’t get enough! = Excellent

Eye fillet – top quality piece of steak that was tender and had a well balanced flavour = Good

Overall:

What a fantastic surprise this place turned out to be! The meat they have on offer is simply delicious! An authentic Mallee Root charcoal grill is used here to give all of their meat a wonderful wood smoked flavour. The menu is small and simple, but the food that they serve up is marvellous. The atmosphere is cosy and the service is great (our waitress was prompt, really friendly and gave us helpful recommendations as to what to order). The only downside to this restaurant are the limited opening hours: Wednesday to Friday 7pm until late.

Shira Nui

247 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley 9886 7755

Sashimi Lunch Special

Katsudon

Momoyaki Chicken

Thoughts:

Sashimi Lunch Special – Fantastic value for money! For less than $20 you get kobachi, chawanmushi (egg custard), tsukemono (pickled veggies), miso soup, salad, rice and a LOTS of tasty fresh sashimi (apart from the sashimi that comes on the side of the salad, there was more hiding in the actual salad itself!) = Good

Katsudon – Average, portion seemed a bit small for me = Not bad

Momoyaki Chicken – A very sweet pan fried chicken dish that comes with pickles, miso soup, rice and salad = Good

Overall:

A nice little japanese restaurant that has good quality of food and service. The lunch menu is a lot more cheaper than the dinner menu, but either way a booking is a must as this place is quite small and very popular.