don't ever compare it to the ones along Lygon

LIX GELATO. Corner of Swanston and La Trobe Street.

It's new, this gelati shop.
Although located at the corner of Melbourne Central, I don't think it is any more popular than the street drummer across the road.
Too greedy I say. They sell gelati, coffee and smoothies. And they don't even have the space for it.
I did not have many choices. I'd say less than 20.
The price is a whopping $4.50 for a single cone. If you want a waffle cone, it's $5. The most expensive gelati I've ever had.
Obviously Lix's gelati is half cold style. Which means they are all mixed with whipped cream to make it tastes like mousse.
I wasn't a big fan. Sure it tastes good at the beginning, but in the end my toungue can only taste milk and sugar.
Well, they do have special flavours as Toblerone, Cadbury Dream and French Vanilla. But I tried Bacio, Ferrero Roche and Lime.
As I said, in the end I couldn't taste the difference between bacio and roche. The Lime, however, was fantastic. It was as sour as eating an actual lime. The flavour stayed for long.
I was impressed.
Overall, it's really not that big a deal. Unless you have an intense craving for gelati in the city. Or else it's always better to take a longer journey to Lygon.

Quality: 6.5 Service: - Value: 5.5 Variety: 6.5
Score: 6.2

Note: I am a sorbetto person. Therefore people who enjoys fredo gelato might actually like Lix. Sorry, food is as subjective as arts.

don't ever say it's a hawker centre

CHILI PADI. Corner Elizabeth and Little Lonsdale Street.

Chili Padi is a cinderella restaurant to any hawker centre back home in Malaysia: located in the heart of the city, having famous designer to design their identity, providing both smoking and non smoking area and a second floor, cool dark wooden furnitures (but what's with the crumbled papers, inconsistent offers and not user friendly menus?). And they're serving food like nasi goreng, laska, bah kut teh that costs at least $8 per dish. If that's not a hawker's dream come true then what?
My ancestors would chew out of their grave to hunt me down if they actually know I paid $8 for a bowl of laksa. But then again, every dish in Melbourne cost $8.
Having said that, the laksa in Chili Padi is actually the best I've ever tasted in Melbourne. It's like the S-class of laksa.
If you look at the picture you can even see mint leaves on the laksa. MINT LEAVES? In Malaysia we get extra tau gay we happy already, but MINT LEAVES?? For what?
Anyway on a bowl of laksa in Chili Padi you get: chicken, sliced cucumber, onions, beancurds, mee and mee hoon topped with fried onions and (cough)mint leaves.
Yet the essence, is still the soup.
Surprisingly, the spice and santan(coconut milk) balanced out pretty well. It's not too milky nor gravy-like.
And the soup's actually spicy enough to let me think: hmm, I think it's a bit spicy. For Malaysians, that's a rare thing.
Especially in Melbourne.
Other dishes I've tried before: Nasi Lemak. But no memory whatsoever. A bit of the bah kut teh: total opposite to the word 'authentic', but according to my sources it's the Singaporean style.The soup is clear and spicy. For people from Klang, that's already a big difuckingfrence.
Every Thursday to Saturday 10pm to 5am. Chili Padi tried to have some 'mamak' things goin on. But with dishes starting at $6 I think it's more like 'mamak' for the rich.
I'll stay home and cook my noodles thanks.
Oh, and if you're a student you get $1 off your meal. But apparently you only get that when the boss is around. Hmm.
But definitely try the laksa.

Quality: 8 Service: 8.5 Value: 7 Variety:7
Score: 7.6

don't ever say it's too heavy

CROWN BAKERY. 215 Swanston Street.
CROWN BAKERY. 2nd floor, Melbourne Central Foodcourt.

Crown is a bakery. It sells cake. and coffee. and normal stuff a bakery would sell. But Crown expanded since last year.
Besides opening a second shop in the food court of Melbourne Central, it is also providing the cakes for BreadTop, which I also will be reviewing soon.
Well, it's really simple. Say you walk into the shop. If you decide to have the cake in the shop, it'll cost $3.60 for a slice of cake.
If you take away, it's $3.30.
So it's kinda reasonable, considering the fact that if you go along Lygon or any 'high class' cafe they'd charge you at least $7.
If you take that amount of money and go to Crown, you get two slices of cake. Although it's smaller, I still think it's a plus on value.
The choice is great ranging from tiramisu to chocolate fudge cake to black forrest to mango cheese to strawberry.
But for now, I shall review the Green Tea cake.
It's great. It's not like other 'green tea' food which everyone tried to make the tea fragrance really heavy and thick and in the end you have no idea what you were eating.
The taste of green tea in this cake is light, yet enough for you to realise it's green tea. The cake is soft and tender.
You get red beans in between the layers of cake. Which balanes the bitter taste of tea. That was a nice touch.
The whipped cream wasn't too greasy as well. Although I'm still kinda reluctant to actually have a mouth full fo the cream.
Overall, I was surprised. A must try for cake/green tea lovers. Mango chesse used to be my only favourite. Now seems like I have two favourites in Crown.

Quality:9 Service: - Value: 9 Variety 8
Score: 8.6

Note: The picture above wasn't taken at the actual place. The cake's a take away. Actual cafe might look different.

Yan can cook. You can too.

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don't ever go there alone

MESHIYA RESTAURANT. 200 Lonsdale Street.

Ok. There's a catch to this review.
I went to Meshiya with 14 other people. We told the manager that we are willing to pay $20 per person and if they could provide us a set dinner, which they did.
So if you're going alone or in a smaller group, I have to say it's difiicult to measure with this review.

Anyway, as an introduction, Meshiya is a part of QV. It's along Lonsdale Street and apparently it's a sister restaurant to Shoya, a more exclusive and expensive restaurant in Chinatown.
It's quite new, so the interior is grey in colour and furnished with designer's chair. Unfortunately we were not served by Japanese.
Yet, they play awesome Jazz music through the radio.
We started with salad in a sweet dressing with sesame. The saltiness was just right. No complaints about the freshness.
The killer appetizer would be the sashimi. I'm always reluctant to try it as I'm senstive to the fishy taste of raw fish.
Yet I found the sashimi alright. The taste wasn't too strong, except maybe for the tuna. The salmon and the bream were great that they didn't taste like normal crap sashimi at all.
Then came the Tempura plate. It was an assorted plate of prawn, brocolli, lotus root, fish and eggplant Tempura.
The brocolli, lotus root and prawn were fabulous. The Tempura batter wasn't thick nor soggy nor greasy. Just nice.
The final dish we had was chicken and egg roll in Teriyaki sauce, accompanied with Japanese fried rice.
All I can say was it was freshly made. The Teriyaki sauce was thick and substancial. Although I did choke on the pepper of the fried rice and I feel mighty thirsty now. MSG maybe?
Overall, I enjoyed my meal very much. No eyebrows were raised. There was nothing I was unhappy about.
Maybe it was because I was with 13 Japanese girls, we got good service. I'll try going there again just with guys. Let's see if there's any difference.

Quality: 9 Service: 8 Value:10 Variety: 9
Score: 9

Note: The above score only applies when you go in a big group of 15. It does not apply to ala carte meals.

don't ever say it's not worth it

DON DON. Near the intersection of Swanston Street and Little Lonsdale Street.

Imagine a telephone booth. Multiply it by 15 and that's the size of Don Don, a Japanese takeaway restaurant.
The exterior of Don Don is near to invisible. It has lots of grafities and pulp posters pasted on their wall. If you don't pay enough attention, you might get deceived by the other 'colourful' and well designed restaurants beside it.
This might be personal and subjective, I think Don Don is one of the best restaurant in Melbourne in terms of service and value.
First of all, their service is so swift that they could easily beat any fast food restaurant you can think of.
Of course, if you order some rare dish like the sashimi on rice, you'd have to wait a wee bit longer.
Beef Sukiyaki and chicken Teriyaki are the main favourites, with sea weed and ginger on rice for $5.50 and $5.70. That's ridiculously cheap for a main dish.
The speciality of Don Don would be the Don Don Box. It is a bento box which consists of both the Sukiyaki and Teriyaki with rice and some salad with a slice of fruit. All that for $7.70.
More suggestions to try would be the Curry Chicken Don or Curry Tofu Don for the vegetarians. Their ratings depends on if you're used to the smooth sweet flavours of Japanese curries instead of the spicy hot chunky gravy of Indian curries.
One important factor, is that you get served by actual Japanese in Don Don. How many times have you entered a Japanese restaurant, only to discover that the chef is speaking mandarin/cantonese to the waiters?
The dim lights and the Jazz music creates a funky ambient that actually pulls it off even with that little amount of space.
You might need to avoid lunch hours if you want to have a quiet, relaxed and peaceful meal with your friends.

Quality: 8.5 Service: 10 Value: 10 Variety: 7.5
Score:9

don't ever say it's really cheap

MAXIM'S. Near corner of Russell Street and Little Bourke Street.

Maxim's is a Chinese bakery.
You get egg tarts, melon cake, BBQ pork bun, Chinese sausage bun etc. instead of apple danish or pineapple tarts or chesse sticks.
One item would cost from $1 to $2.
Honestly, I think it's a wee bit over rated. It's popular because it is located at the heart of Chinatown.
Yet I have to admit, it's the only place you can get a proper hard crusted egg tarts unless if you want to go all the way to Boxhill.
(Note that I wrote 'hard crusted'.)
The BBQ pork bun is so-so.
I've also tried the ham & egg bun. That was impressive. I'd actually rate the ham & egg higher than their egg tarts.
I wouldn't take this place as a proper meal place. Probably just snacking. You know, taking a break from Uni or work. As a dessert after meal. Taking away for breakfast the next day.
If you really think about it. It's quite an expensive snacking. let's say you spend an average of $1.30 on one item. All you need is 5 items and you'll be spending $6.50, which is equivalent to a proper rice/noodle dish in Chinatown.So that's a big stab in value I say.

Quality: 7 Service: 7 Value 5.5 Variety: 8
Score: 6.8

don't ever say it's a strange combination

A1 CAFE. Between Bourke and Lt Bourke. Along Russell.

A1 Cafe is a typical Chinese Ala Carte Restaurant.
It is always compared to King of Kings(to be reviewed soon) for a certain dish for which I shall mention later.
However, I think what makes A1 special to me is their baked cheese with chicken stripes on rice.
First of all, do not, I repeat, DO NOT be ignorant enough to think that this is some random dish the Chinese made up to woo the westerners with cheese with a combination of rice.
Baked rice is a common dish in Hong Kong. In fact, the default baked dish would be baked tomato with pork chop on rice.
The dish is served on a steel plate, with a layer of cheese on top. Once you cut through that creamy parting of richness, you get fried rice mixed with nicely steamed chicken stripes.
Of course, you can always choose to have chicken chop if you're not that familiar with chicken stripes. Just that the chicken wouldn't be sliced up nicely for you. Easy.
It costs $9.80. A bit steep for a Chinese Ala Carte meal. Yet again, it's really filling and rewarding. Sharing would be ideal, yet big macho man should have no problem finishing them. Note that some people might find the cheese too heavy to handle.

Quality: 9 Service: 7 Value: 7 Variety: 8
Score: 7.75

don't ever say it tastes like eggplants

CAFE NOTTURNO. 177-179 Lygon Street. Carlton.

My friends and I call it Notto's.
They offer food which any restaurant along Lygon Street would offer: Pizza, Pasta, Cakes, Gelato...
ABSOLUTE must try: Eggplant chips.
I've never seen it anywhere else. Then again, I might be ignorant. Anyway, the eggplants are sliced and deep friend, covered with their secret batter. It's so good it makes me forget that I hate eggplants. The best snack I've had in Melbourne.
Another appetizer that is satisfactory is the Caesar's Salad with Chicken Stripes. It is a bit pricy for $12.90, but I say it's worth sharing with a friend or two. Note: some people(like me) might find the anchovies a bit too salty.
For mains, you'd be satisfied with any of their pizza's. For pasta, I recommend the Veal Tortellini. The mushroom cream sauce just gets you hooked on for more.
One thing that I adore, is that they serve old fashioned Coke bottles. It's just a nice additional touch.
If you like dessert, do try the cakes in Notturno. Yet be aware that they'r all GIGANTIC. It will be difficult to finish a slice by your own. I'd recommend the Mars Bars Cake.
They do serve gelato, but then again, CASA DE GELATO is just five shops away. So save it and walk next door.
The put off of Notto's will be their service. Most of the time you'd have to wait for at least 20 minutes as they're always full.
The price is how much you normally get charged for eating in Lygon. But I'm definitely sure you'll find satisfactory in a meal for at most $15 in Notturno.

Quality: 9 Service: 6.5 Value: 8 Variety: 8.5
Score: 8

don't ever hate lollies

SUGA CANDY KITCHENS. QV, Lonsdale Street.
Royal Arcade, Bourke Street.

Suga sells nothing BUT lollies and candies.
The main attraction of this candy kitchen is that all the candies are hand made freshly everyday. On the spot.
You can see the candy cooks mixing and meshing and shaping and cutting the candies away while you shop around the shop.
Of course, as a lolly shop the varieties and flavours are countless. They sell candies in bags, in jars, or in big tins. They sell small lollies, big lollies, and REALLY big lollies. Then again, they're all candies.
Recently they started on personalising the candies. So you have 'get well soon' or 'thank you' notes tatooed on the small candies.
If you look closely you can actually see 'welcome' written in chinese on one of the giant candies behind counter in the picture.
Most of the candies have this sour powder wrapped in them. Some like it, some doesn't. I say it's an experience trying out freshly made candies. In the end, they're still candies anyway.
Suga Candy Kitchens are around Melbourne, yet those in the city are quite discreet. I really like the atmosphere of the Royal Arcade branch.
While I was scouting for raffle prizes two years ago, the lady actually gave me 2 giant lollies on the spot, which was really rare.
So I'd say the people in RA branch are cool.

Quality: 8 Service: 8 Value: 7 Variety: 7
Score: 7.5

don't ever think vege laksa, by Ghibs

ROSE GARDEN. 43x, Elizabeth Street.

Alright. This is sort of a guest review by my friend.
When I heard his reaction, I knew I had to put this on the blog. For the sake of the rest of the people like us.
This is from our msn chat log:

Him: i can go out for a drink maybe, anyway, did i tell you i went to rose garden?
Him: yesterday night, for dinner, i ordered their vegetable laksa.....
Him: i am normally thankful for food on my table, but yesterday's dish was so bad i felt like going in there to kill the cook
Me: ok... sounds disasterous
Him:it was, all they gave was a lot of vegetables, which i think they hardly cooked, cause it was hard as rock
Him:it only had 2 pieces of taufoo, the curry was watery
Him:and the noodles was just bee hoon, which was also stiff
Him:they hardly cooked it
Him:and the best of ALL!!! there was no TASTE!!! NOT EVEN SALT!!!
Him:i wanted to fling the whole bowl unto the floor and upturn the table ala Young and Dangerous style...and it costs $7.20, that was what really burnt me, the meat dishes was a little cheaper
Him:idiots....

Quality: 0 Service: 7 Price: 0 Variety( food on the dish): 0
Score: 1.75

Ouch. I guess don't even think about Vege Laksa when you go to Rose Garden. I don't know. When a restaurant could cook a dish this badly, they might as well take it off the menu.
It's really dangerous if that's the dish first comers ever ordered.

don't ever say it's Nando's

OPORTO. Shop 19-21, Level 1 QV2 210 Lonsdale St

Rated 'the fastest growing food franchise in Australia' by BRW, Oporto is, well, a fast food franchise.
I think it started off from Sydney(Bondi Burger. Hint hint?). Unfortunately, Melbourne city has got only one Oporto in QV foodcourt, and another one along Chapel St.
And like any fast food franchise, they'll claim their food is better than others. In this case, Oporto says their food are 'fresh not frozen, grilled not fried'. 007 kind of fast food.
And their tagline is ' legendary sauce with irresistable force'. Oooooh wow. Sounds like THE food for Star Wars.
The irony is, they still serve you big chunky crispy chips. Along with carbonated soft drinks I might add.
I've only tried the grilled chicken once in Sydney last November. If I remember right, a whole chicken, a jumbo fries, and a 1.25L soft drinks cost around $19.00. So it's nearly 10 dollars per person if you share it among two.
To say the least it was good. I know, I know, you're gonna ask me: So it's like Nando's, right?
Well, the sauce is different. Firstly, all you need to do is to decide if you want chili sauce. No mild or hot or extra hot peri peri sauce to screw your minds up. Secondly, it's cheaper and faster. Compared to Nando's, their main attraction would be burgers instead of chicken. Though I've yet to try their Bondi Burger or Otropo Burger, which looks really appetizing on their website.

Quality: 6(hey, it's fast food) Service: 7.5 Price:7 Variety 6.5
Score: 6.75

For a fast food restaurant, I think it's pretty good. Give it a try anyway since it's exclusively an Aussie thing.

don't ever say it's ice cream

CASA DE GELATO. 163 Lygon Street, Carlton

Ok, before you read this you should have no doubt of this: Gelato is completely different from Ice cream.
Gelato is a combination of milk, eggs, sugar, and natural flavouring(or fresh fruits and sugar in the flavouring); Ice creams, turn most flavours into pastels.
Gelato is a less firmly frozen, softer, more intensely flavoured and coloured creation of the italians.
They all melt faster than ice cream.
The best fruit gelato is made from crushed fresh ripe seasonal fruit; the best milk based gelato is is flavoured with all natural ingredients and has a silky consistency.

Glossary:
Semifreddo: "half-cold". Made from the same base as gelato but has whipped cream folded in. Vaguely resembles a mousse.
Sorbetto: fruit sorbet.
Granite: slushy grainy water ices.

Now that we've got all the facts right, let's do the very first review.
Casa de Gelato is along Lygon Street. Its style is more prone towards Sorbetto. I think it is the only gelaterie along the whole of Lygon that offers that many flavours.
You can normally find traces of freshness in Casa's gelato. Eg, hazelnut in the Bacio flavour. watermelon seeds in their Melon flavour, candy crisps in their Ferrero Roche flavour. Of course, some might argue it could be artificially made to make us believe they're fresh, but at least they put in some effort.
Most of the fruit flavours in Casa is fantastic. It recently introduced Durian flavour. That is to counter the fierce competition that emerged lately.
However, the soul of Casa De Gelato is still the Bacio flavour.
As a Sorbetto shop, the Bacio is just too rich and thick to be true.
Weekends are mostly crowded. You'd have to wait for an hour.
But normally the service is swift.
A single scoop consists of 3 flavours, starts at $3.60 Aussie.
Casa De Gelato opens from 12 noon till late. Closes during winter.

Quality: 9 Service: 8.5 Price: 8.5 Variety: 10
Score: 9

Note: Some might refer Gelato as Gelati. I say chill, as gelato is the plural form and gelati is the singular form.

test run.

Apam. Briyani. Cendol. Durian. Escargot. Fondue. Grape. Honey. Inari. Jam. Kuey Teow. Laksa. Murtabak. Naan. Orange. Papadum. Quiche. Rojak. Salmon. Tuna. Unagi. Veal. Walnut. X-tra hot peri-peri. Yakitori. Zebra.