The Gluttony Blog

Fisces.

2005-09-01T02:22:00.000+10:00

I'm quitting this blog.
It's not that I've stopped eating. More like, combining this food blog together with my normal blog.
Because, why bother handling two blogs when I can just do one? Lazy you say. Well. I guess so.
So on my 30th post, I bid goodbye.
If you still want to know more about food, visit my original blog.

don't ever go unprepared

2005-07-27T01:58:00.000+10:00

ASIANA. 181 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park.
Sorry this Chinese restaurant review has to go without picture as I was caught off guard by an appointment to go there.
It was a great dinner with my brother's girlfriend's sister and her husband. (Yup, have fun decyphering that)
We had scallop dumplings in Laksa soup for starters.
Then we had tiger prawns with sweet and sour sauce. I think. It tasted close to Scampi yet it's better than any Scampi I've had.
We had Peking Duck. It's TDF. Probably the best Peking Duck I've ever had in my life. Really.
And we had this beautiful black pepper beef on Choi Sum. It's not your regular beef stripes beef. I'm talking about steak quality beef.
How much did the dinner cost you ask? I dare not imagine. David paid. Such kindness. Such generousity.
And yea, we got a complimentary dessert because we ordered a really great wine as well. Unforgettable night.

don't ever say I went Sydney for food again

2005-07-08T22:26:00.000+10:00

Left to right:
1. DA NIANG DUMPLINGS. It's so so. The dumplings are really good though. Fried rice was alright. The cold dish was interesting. We had pig ears. Crunchy.
2. EAST OCEAN RESTAURANT. Yum Cha! My friend said it is probably the best place in terms of quality and value. I enjoyed it. Egg tarts. Yummm. Egg tarts...
3. STEAMBOAT. Well, my friend's friends prepared the steamboat. If you really want to know. Call room 553 in International House, USYD.
4. MAX BRENER'S. See review below.
5. KOPITIAM. Malaysian restaurant. Small and full of tourism posters to Malaysia. Haha. Maybe I miss home too much. Although it's not as authentic, but I enjoyed the curry and sambla.
6. Ahhh. I've forgotten the name of the restaurant. We had supper there after watching Initial D the movie. Sooo good. Fried dough and porridge is the ultimate mix...

don't ever say I went Sydney for food

2005-07-08T21:55:00.000+10:00

From left to right:
1. KRISPY KREME. I'm sure they don't need any more introduction. They are THE doughnuts to die for. According to Chris Rock: Krispy Kreme doughnuts are so good, if they were to tell you there were drugs in them, you'd believe it.
2. ICHI-BAN BOSHI. A Japanese franchise in Sydney. We had to wait for seats. The Dan Dan Ramen is great. My friend ordered the Tokyo Ramen. He said he's addicted to it now. Quite reasonable I must say. The waitresses are pretty. They speak Japanese.
3. MAX BRENNER'S. Ah. Chocolate shop. Nothing but chocolate. I tried the Suckao for the first time. Yum.
4. FISH MARKET. We ate at the Barbeque Grill Shop. The commercialised one with the BLACK banners and signs. It's a seafood platter for 2. Costs $26.50. The top left corner was a salmon Sashimi for $5. The Sashimi's practically melted in my mouth. Mmmmmhmmm.
5&6. PANCAKES ON THE ROCKS. See review below.

don't ever go there during peak hours.

2005-07-08T21:16:00.000+10:00

PANCAKES ON THE ROCKS. 10 Hickson Road, The Rocks, SYDNEY.

Whenever I look at that photo, I feel like throwing up.
In a good way.
The last time I was there, I was so full that my stomach hurts.
Apparently it's THE place to eat in Sydney.
My friends and I went in at 6pm. At 6.30 pm there was already a queue going on. And it stayed until 8pm.
Obviously the Pancakes are the best dish in POTR. Yet do not neglect the other items on the menu.
Our party of four had Nachos, Chicken Ceasar Salad, Thai Chicken Crepe, Chicken and Bacon Pizza, Chocolate Pancake, and Macademia Nuts Pancake.
Now you understand why I was full.
I ended up eating most of the food.
Urgh. I felt so guilty. I thought of the starving children in Africa. I thought of the homeless people around.
But... but IT'S SOOOO GOOOOD!
Apparently I heard that the steaks were good too. But quite pricy: $25+. Of course, you can always share with your friends.
Then again, Sydney's quite far.
If you live in Sydney, I hate you.

don't ever expect big portions

2005-06-29T11:33:00.000+10:00

IKU YAKITORI. 139, Sydney Road. Brunswick.

This restaurant here serves the best Gyoza.
Really. The skin is actually soft and tender, like the dumplings were actually pan fried instead of the normal deep fried crunchy greasy feelings you get.
I've tried the Dan-Dan Ramen as well.
I think 'Dan-Dan' dishes only come from Shanghai?
Oh well, so it's pretty much ramen topped with mince spicy pork in soup. As disapporving as it sounds, it was good.
Damn good I might say.
Their signature dish here is obviously the Yakitori's. But they cost a bomb. And the portions are small.
I forgot what I ordered, some grilled chicken breast with plum sauce(?). As you can tell, it didn't leave a long lasting impression.
I strongly urge you to order the Dan-Dan Ramen & Gyoza against the Yakitori's. It's only chicken on sticks anyway.
But still, expect to pay $15 for a meal.
Ouch! Don Don, anyone?

don't ever bring more than $10

2005-06-29T04:50:00.000+10:00

CAMY SHANGHAI NOODLE HOUSE. Tattersalls Lane, China Town.

Ah. Cheap food you say?
This is as cheap as it gets.
15 dumplings for $5.80.
You can choose from a classic dumpling, soup dumpling. chili oil soup dumpling, or pan friend dumpling.
If yous share it among 2, you pay $3 each.
The noodles are pretty much the same price. Big servings. I always struggle to finish them. I think sharing is a better solution now.
I suggest the Shanghai fried noodles. I still wouldn't say it's the best ever. But it's still better than Spicy Fish.
Still don't have the courage to try the spice-famed Dan-Dan Noodle. Tell me how it is if you do happen to come across it.
I strongly recommend the pan cake with spring onions above. It's not actually pancake. It's like Chinese fried dough.
Nothing can go wrong with fried dough.
This restaurant is listed among the '100 things to do below $10' in Melbourne. I think. Maybe it's outdated.

don't ever crown the laksa

2005-06-29T04:22:00.000+10:00

LAKSA KING. Shop 3, 320 Rececourse Rd, Flemington.

Sorry for the long absence.
Although it's called Laksa King, their Laksa was appaling.
Go back to Chili Padi.
BUT! But, their other dishes are superb.
Most people are head over heels for their Fried Kueh Teow. That's because you can actually see deep friend dices of pork fat.
And if you're an expert in FKT, that's the essence.
I've tried the Tomato Spare Ribs on Fried Rice.
As well as the Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice.
Both good. Both satisfying.
Expect to pay the normal 7-9 dollars range for Laksa King.
I'd say the most difficult part of eating in Laksa King is finding your way there. If you have no car, make friends who do.

don't ever miss it

2005-06-17T22:45:00.000+10:00

BRUNETTI. 194-204 Faraday Street, Carlton.

This will be a short review.
Simply put: no one I've met ever said anything negative about Brunetti. Ever. No one.
Everyone seems to have their own favourite item in Brunetti. The cakes or the biscuits or the chocolates or the drinks.
For me it used to be their Mocha. But after I discovered their italian hot chocolate. Woo. Wooa. Wooaaahahaha.
Every sip is like an orgasm. Trust me.
It's small, but I always find it difficult to finish it.
So go. Now. Like now. Add 'trying the Italian Hot Chocolate' to your to-do-list before you die.

don't ever believe everything

2005-06-17T22:15:00.000+10:00

Ah. I just realised I haven't put on the scores for the past two review. Seriously, I don't think I need them anymore.
Maybe I've found my conscience(highly doubt so), for the past few days I'm pretty reluctant on reviewing restaurants.
I am no cook. And setting myself up as a know it all, taking cheap shots at the people trying to make a living peeling calf tongue, peeling liver membrane, scalding their hands on red hot steel pot while I sit in my room and type with nice clean fingers.
That's just not right.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, well, they criticize.
I'm just a mouth and a computer.
This has been bothering my so much that I think I should quit writing review. But then again, I thought: I'm not making money out of this.I'm writing these reviews as a recommendation to my friends, which are the people who visits this blog anyway.
It is based strictly upon my own subjective sense of taste.
If you're unhappy, leave. This applies to any of my blog. And I insist that we have the same right towards restaurants.
If some restaurants give crap services. I have the right to know and avoid. But that doesn't mean that I do not appreciate the effort of the workers, especially the chefs.
So I'll keep writing. As a guide. As a recommendation. As my way of life, food wise. Read with care. But do not take it personally.

don't ever complain about health

2005-06-17T21:57:00.000+10:00

MEIJI JAPANESE CAFE. 105, Little Bourke Street.

The specialty of Meiji would be the Kamameshi rice dishes. It is, I would assume, a really healthy dish.
They'd toss the ingredients and rice into this metal bowl on a wood stand, and steam it till it's cooked.
I tried the chicken and prawn kamameshi while my friend ordered the salmon, ham and egg kamameshi.
Tha latter tastes better.
It's not greasy nor sticky and tastes like something my mother would cook back home: 'Aiyo food outside so unhealthy!'
It's not that popular judging on the number of customers. But it's good so that you get to talk better with your friends.
It's not the 'I'm out of business' type of empty. The shop is empty, but with pride and dignity.
I'd say do try out the Kamameshi. Apparently Meiji is the first restaurant to introduce this dish.

don't ever order the noodle

2005-06-10T03:25:00.000+10:00

SPICY FISH. Little Bourke Street. Next to Target.

Personally, I think Spicy Fish is a really bad name.
Why is it so difficult to get a good translation? In Chinese, if you translate literally, the shop's name is The Residence of Fish Village. It's terrible anyway, but better than Spicy Fish!
Anyhow, about the food.
My parents and I ordered Shanghai noodles, Sweet and Sour fish, fried dumplings and stir friend Kai Lan.
The fish tasted like frozen fish pieces dipped into a pre made S&S sauce. I think they use it for pork and chicken as well.
Except for the dumplings and Kai Lan, the rest are pretty crappy. Then again, the dumplings are quite greasy.
The Kai Lan was really tough but the sauce is good.
I gobbled as much as I could anyway since it's been a while since I had Chinese stir fried vegetables.
It's a well decorated restaurant. But the location just turns you off. At one side you've got pedestrians walking past you along Lt. Bourke, and at the other you've got people walking in and out from Target supermarket. All of them, staring at you.
The price is not reasonable.
I know, I know it's a chinese restaurant. But I do not think the noodles or the Kai Lan cost $11 each.
I advice against this restaurant. But then again you might have different taste in Chinese food like I do.

don't ever expect to relax

2005-06-08T16:23:00.000+10:00

PHO BO GA MEKONG VIETNAM. 241 Swanston Street.

Disregard the rumours. That they reuse the soup.that they resuse the food. That they never wash the bowls. That it's really dirty in the kitchen. That people get food poison constantly.
I mean, hey unless you can give me proof that it's true, or confirm to me that other restaurants NEVER do that, I'm eating there.
Yet something I can confirm, is that Mekong is a really small restaurant. It has walls of mirror to create the illusion of space. Yet to fuck that up they've got giant photos of Jackie Chan, Samo Hung, Michael Chang etc pasted on the mirror walls.
I know it looks sleazy compared to the shops along Swanston. In fact, I'd never notice it at all if I weren't brought there.
Traffic is busy in Mekong. It's crowded and you have to elbow your neighbours while eating.
The menu is quite limited. Well, it's either noodle or rice. Well, they've got steamboat on the menu but I doubt it's popularity.
The dishes are flexible though. You can choose from a whole range of bull intestines to chicken liver to egg yolks to meat balls to chicken breasts. Or all of the above in S, M or L size.
I say don't try anything else before you try the noodles. The magic about Mekong noodles, is the soup base. I don't blame people suspecting them reusing the soup, as it's awesomely sweet and tasty, either with rice or egg noodles.
And the fried spring rolls. Whatever you do, order the chicken and prawn spring rolls! It's like, the best spring rolls I've eaten in Melbourne. Oh, and the sweet chili sauce. The sauce!
Overall, it's a great 'uni student' kind of place. Not entirely a wholesome meal but you get satisfactory.

Quality: 10 Service: 8 Value: 8 Variety: 5
Score: 7.75

don't ever underestimate the spice

2005-06-07T18:16:00.000+10:00

YING THAI 2. 110, Lygon Street.

Don't ask me what happened to Ying Thai 1. Maybe it's somewhere far out in the suburb. Maybe the father failed to open Ying Thai 1 before, and then the son call it Ying Thai 2 just to avoid pissing him off. It's just a name.
Upon entering YT2, I always have this nastolgic feeling as if I'm back in kindergarten. The wall is all colourful, the tables are squared blue matched with pink chairs.
Seriously speaking, if they're going after an exclusive posh feeling, they failed miserably.
Nevertheless, YT2 tastes great. That's if you can take spicy food like curry and tom yam and mince meat with chili.
Normally the crew will ask if you want it mild or medium or hot. If they don't ask, you should pray hard.
I recommend the mince meat with chili and spring onions. It goes extremely well with their fried rice.
The green curry is normally good. But the last time I went there it tasted like chicken pieces thrown into vegetarian curry. So I guess the quality fluctuates for the curry.
The price is well, standard along Lygon Street. But not for a normal meal in Melbourne. Expect to pay more than $10 for a dish. $15 should be enough to get a really satisfying meal in YT2. It would've been a yay restaurant if not for the service and price.

Quality: 9 Service: 6.5 Value: 6.5 Variety: 9
Score: 7.75

don't ever go there for fun

2005-06-01T12:00:00.000+10:00

THE ATRIUM, SOFITEL. 35th floor. 55, Collins Street.

The main attraction of this place, is the toilet.
Yes, you read me right. The toilet.
Factually, it's the view of the toilet.
Catch the view in my other blog, Harvardhism.
The whole wall is a transparent glass and you get a fantastic cityscape view. Therefore, it's best recommended to go at night.
Well, it's open from 5pm to 12am anyway.
And an advice: FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS ONLY
It's pricy. Really pricy. Don't ever expect to pay less than $10 for a drink. Since it's a cafe, u only get stuff like martini, alchohol, snacks, dessert, ice cream and cake.
Note: There's only one 'cake of a day' on the menu. So depends on your luck what cake they'd serve then.
Do try the Ice Cream Symphony.
It has I dunno, 15 scoops of ice cream and sorbet, topped with chocolate syrup and cinnamon sticks and waffle sticks and sprinkles and nuts. You know, the lots.
It's $25, to be shared by 2 people.
Yea, the rest of the menu is just really classy name for alchohol and martini and drinks. I wish I could be more knowledgeble in that area, but I'm not. Yet.
Final words: Only go to impress chicks. Or after a hot date. Or when you're sure you're getting some.
And girls, you know what it means when a guy brings you there. You're in a Hotel. Be careful of your drinks.
Kidding la.

Quality:9 Service:8 Value: 4 Variety: 5
Score: 6.5

don't ever argue, just go.

2005-06-01T00:30:00.000+10:00

BISMI. 848 Sydney Road, Brunswick.

If you're taking tram 19, Bismi is in between stop 27 and 28. There's a big sign in front saying 'Malaysian, Singaporean, Indian cuisines". I think that is just to confuse Australians.
Yet nevertheless there's always a lot of Malaysians, Singaporeans, Indians in Bismi. Everyday. Everytime. It's that good.
Hell, even I dine there at least once a month.
Everyone has their own favourites in Bismi.
It's not surprising. It's flexible in price: roti kosong or teh tarik for $1.50, curries and friend chicken at $4+, murtabak for $5.50, to nasi goreng or mee goreng for $7+.
You have lots of choices too. ESPECIALLY for vegetarians. Instead of the normal 'let's just pick the meat out' dishes, you actually get a whole section dedicated to vegetarians in the menu.
So try the usuals: roti canai(prata), mee goreng, nasi goreng, murtabak, fried chicken, dosai...
I recommend the Paper Dosai. It's a rolled up foot-long crispy Dosai. Nice to share as a snack or an appetizer.
I like the Mango Lassi too.
I dunno. I'm just writing this review for the sake of reviewing because Bismi is so damn popular and I'm sure you've been there before. No? you should be ashamed of yourself.

Quality: 9 Service: 7 Value: 10 Variety: 10
Score: 9

don't ever compare it to the ones along Lygon

2005-05-31T00:51:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-28T10:22:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-27T01:00:00.000+10:00

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.

2005-05-26T10:00:00.000+10:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

don't ever go there alone

2005-05-26T00:01:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-24T09:09:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-23T00:44:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-22T23:29:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-22T16:37:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-22T16:01:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-21T12:43:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-21T12:19:00.000+10:00

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

2005-05-20T02:32:00.000+10:00

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.

2005-05-20T01:21:00.000+10:00

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.