Vietnamese cuisine

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/

Mama’s Buoi

Mama’s Buoi is all about authentic home-style Vietnamese cuisine. Unlike other Vietnamese restaurants, this place offers more than just pho noodle soup and rice paper rolls. Co-owner Tin Ly explained to us that he could never get his favourite Vietnamese dish “caramelised pork belly hot pot” from anywhere but home. I had never even heard of this dish before and couldn’t wait to try it out.

Chicken and pork liver pate with sesame crackers

Pulled duck pancakes with hoi sin sauce

Rice noodles stuffed with pork, mushroom and fried shallot

Shell on school prawns with salt, pepper and citrus

Steak roll Vietnamese salad wrap with citrus and green chilli dressing

Roast pork belly and crackling with pickled veg

Reconstructed Can Chua (sour soup) with fried noodles, mussels, calamari and prawn

Ginger chicken stir fry with bok choi

Steamed barramundi wrapped in bamboo with lemongrass, chilli and citrus dressing

Mushroom and snow pea stir fry

Caramelised pork belly hot pot with boiled egg

Reconstructed three colour drink with black jelly, pandan jelly, rum and mung bean puree, basil seeds, jack fruit and coconut milk

Lychee & Watermelon Martini

(vodka and lychee liqueur muddled with lychees and watermelon)

Overall:

Talk about being well fed. Not only did the food look amazing, it also tasted fresh and delicious. The standout dishes for me were the chicken and pork liver pate, the shell on school prawns, the reconstructed three colour drink and of course the caramelised pork belly hot pot! The cocktail list here was also quite interesting. I wasn’t daring enough to try their ‘pho’ cocktail, however I was pretty happy with my lychee & watermelon martini.

Mama’s Buoi has opened me up to a whole new range of Vietnamese food. With its cheery homely atmosphere (bright colours, raw timber tables, festoon lighting, photo album-like menu), this is a place I would gladly return to.

Mamas Buoi

Mama’s Buoi

G25 Postal Lane, GPO, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9671 3426

http://www.mamasbuoi.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Mama’s Buoi.