EatThePlanet

Los Amates (Mexican)

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:55:23 +1000

Most of us have tried Mexican food. It’s hardly the realm of the culinary wanker, tacos, enchiladas & nachos are what we all made as kids from Old El Paso packs! However, an authentic Mexican meal? No most of us haven’t tried one. So it was decided we needed to visit Los Amates to find out what food is really like in Mehico! Also we brought a swag of our food loving friends.

When we sat down there was a lot of looking at our surroundings, we appeared to be in a room with murals painted on the walls of skeletons and other ‘Día de los Muertos’ decorations.

For starters we got the ‘Sopes’ – corn based tarts topped with beans, sauce, cheese and guacamole. Tasty little buggers, but nothing to brag about.

Next came the nachos: they come in small, large or chicken! A fact which some of us won’t get over. As odd as it may seem this was the highlight meal for most of us as the chicken was done in such a lovely manner (with tomato and spices) and went so well with the delicious nachos. It was a great all round dish, and we’d recommend sharing a plate for starters.

For mains we all shared 4 different varieties of taco; lamb, beef & chorizo, pork – Al Pastor and mushrooms in cheese. The lamb was surprisingly tasty, served with a simple salsa. The beef & chorizo was also a favourite, the pork one was interesting but we weren’t really fans of the shredded dry meat, also we all had too much of the (very!) hot sauce which came with it, most of us simply assumed it was just another salsa….we were wrong! The mushrooms in cheese was a great option to break up the meat and diffuse chilli with, however if you’re thinking of ordering it as a standalone meal we discourage you strongly as it is very rich. There is so much (delicious) cheese and it is a heavy, rich dish.

For dessert we all shared the ‘Tre Leches’ cake, the caramel egg-custard and the corn flan. Each was great in it’s own way, the milk cake sweet but not too heavy, the caramel custard rich and sweet, the corn flan was surprisingly light, sweet and served warm.

This is a great place to check out, the meals aren’t too cheap however, and if you’re looking to share it’s cheaper to select several meals that chose the sharing options. We are definitely going back to try the cactus. (yes you heard right!!) Also worth noting are the spectacular cocktails and sangria, a meal would not be complete here without one so don’t come when you’re stingy.

Danielle – 3.5 chicken Nachos
Natalie – 3 Tres Leches

Us looking very pleased

Los Amates
34 Johnston St Fitzroy
9417 0441
www.losamates.com.au

Cafe Barcelona

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:05:00 +1000

Hello there fellow foodies! Apologies for taking so long to get this on the net but we have been coming to terms with what is easily our favourite place since we started eating the planet. Cafe Barcelona is located right next to St Kilda beach in a small nook amongst other restaurants and cafe’s, we were lucky enough to find this diamond in the rough thanks to a twitter follower! There are so many great options but in the end we got the option C Lunch Banquet! 4 decadent dishes of glorious tapas bliss!

Before we get into it we’d like to give a disclaimer for those who haven’t had much experience with tapas; yes, it is a collection of small snack like dishes, but no you cannot just plough your way through 10 of them like at yum cha! Tapas are generally speaking much richer, more decadent sncks. There’s a lot of deep frying and bread based things. You should probably only start of with a small selection and then work your way across one dish at a time. And this is coming from us, the queens of excessive eating! The drinks are splendid too, and with a bar along the window it’s worth a drop in for drinks if you’re in the area.

Sangria

Berenjera con queso (Eggplant chips with aioli) - Oh. My. God. Eggplant has a gooey quality which makes it feel even oiler and bad for you than potato! We can’t understand why anyone would have chips made out of potato when these exist in the world! The batter on the chips was so crunchy and when you bit in this gooey eggplant flavor just hits you in the mouth, gorgeous!

Croquets del dia - filled with cheese and bits of chorizo. They had a tomato relish under them which contrasted with the oily deep fried crispy texture of the bite. These were interesting but could have been skipped.

Gambas al ajilio (Prawns in a garlic butter sauce) - not like you’ve ever had it before! As with the other dishes this was very rich, buttery and oh so delicious.

Chorizo al porto - Dish was absolutely to die for! Wow, I mean wow. It was served with a sweet peppery sauce, obviously the sweetness goes with the savory pork flavour of chorizo but WOW. This dish was just so perfect. The flavours balance out in such a divine way. Also the pepper in the sauce warms your throat as you eat it. It is the ultimate sweet and peppery dish.

We followed up our banquet with a spectacular dessert selection, we shared the churros with a chocolate dipping sauce and the chilli chocolate panacotta. The doughnuts were of course divine, but we’ve all tried a good deep fried churro (if you haven’t please stop reading and do so immediately) but it’s the panacotta that we’ll never forget for as long as we live! It was perfect in every way! The texture, flavour, and topped with a berry compote which contrasted the heavy creaminess of the cream.

We’re both pretty in love with this place. Anyone with a culinary bone in their body should check it out. The restaurant isn’t huge (if you want dinner on Fri/Sat we’d recommend booking ahead) but the space and décor is presented in such a warm, authentic fashion you’ll feel like you could stay for hours!

This is the first place we’ve both been happy to give 5 stars to! We’re hardly the David and Margaret of food (if we were though I’d be David – Danielle) but it’s still a huge achievement!

Danielle – 5 sangrias (woah that’d knock me out!)
Natalie – 5 pannacottas!

Cafe Barcelona
Spanish Tapas Restaurant
25 Fitzroy Street,
Saint Kilda
Melbourne
VIC 3182

Phone (03) 9525 4244

http://www.barcelonamelbourne.com.au/

Great Blog, looking forward to find out about the Tapas, and where to get them the look very tasty! Cheers LJ

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 21:16:21 +1000

thank you!! I’ll give you the heads up it’s a place called “cafe barcelona’ in st kilda - honestly the food is AMAZING!

sneak peek of the spanish tapas!

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:37:20 +1000

sneak peek of the spanish tapas!

Golden Terrace

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:49:14 +1000

We found the door to narnia on the way… but no golden terrace? Anyway… Sydney road once again took us on a tour of Turkey, We originally were looking for Afghani food and were under the impression from a google result that Golden Terrace was indeed Afghani food. Word on the street was that it was epic Turkish place! So in true food blog style we went with it.

Golden Terrace is set up in a friendly manner, has a family vibe about it and when we sat down for our lunch we felt at home. We decided against another banquet (the easy option) and went bat shit crazy ordering anything that caught our eye!

We started once again as you always should, with dips! They consisted of hummus (FRESH!!) tatziki, olive, capsicum and baba ghanoush. They were very nice and still better than what you would buy in the supermarket but nothing really outstanding. This was followed by grilled eggplant drowning in yogurt. The eggplant was flavorsome but didn’t have the kick we were looking for, it was a nice addition to the overall meal though!

We both ordered kebabs, one mixed donor kebab and one lamb donor kebab. Both were good, the chicken in the mixed was very tender and Natalies personal highlight. But towards the end of eating Danielle found the meat to be over seasoned.

We finished the meal with a Turkish pizza which was topped with beef, egg, tomato and green chillies. The pizza was our highlight of the meal, was beautifully seasoned and the chilli gave it the kick it needed without being a show stopper and burning our mouths. The only issue we had was the fact we had stuffed ourselves on the previous dishes, but our host got us a take away bag without even needing to be asked! (We were holding our stomachs and groaning in pain so it may have been a give away)

So all in all Golden Terrace was a good choice, there are definitely worse but not our top choice. However we would gladly go back for the pizza alone. So thanks Golden Terrace for giving us one hell of a lunch!

Natalie 3/5 eggplants!
Danielle 3/5 chillis!

803/805 Sydney Road Brunswick VIC 3056 - (03) 9386 6729
Open Daily 11am-11pm

Zara

Tue, 31 May 2011 12:11:56 +1000

Hello fellow gluttons! After almost a year long hiatus we are back on the food blog! In the past month we have been to TWO Turkish restaurants! Both were “Lezzetli!”as well as on Sydney road! But we will begin by gloating about Zara’s!

Zara’s is a pretty trashy looking place, but dont be deceived foodies! For the poorly chosen decor just adds to the charm of what was one of the most scrumptious banquets we have consumed! Being the scoffs we are we went with the King’s Banquet - a $30 tour of Turkey via food (no passport required!)

Of course it began with dips - the staple of any Mediterranean meal. The dips consisted of hummus, tatziki (our favorite), capsicum, and baba ghanoush. Were served with side of bread (Turkish of course) and a mini potato salad which seems out of place but the flavors complimented the dips! The dips were fresh which is something that makes all the difference as the flavour is so much more vibrant when served fresh. This was followed by a fresh, basic salad and 2 glorious dolmas with natural yogurt smothered on top, the dolmas weren’t amazing but tasty nonetheless.

Next came the first meat dish (yes you heard right!) which was a iskender kebab (from the spit) with yogurt and tomato sauce on top. The meat was…. epic! Tender, well seasoned, fresh and exactly as how it should be served.

Our second meat dish was a mixed grill of lamb cutlets, what resembled a meatball on a stick and chicken skewers on a bed of white rice. everything was juicy, perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned. You honestly couldn’t find a better mix grill around! Even the rice was perfectly cooked, it melted in your mouth and while basic was very tasty.

By this point we were in pain from eating so much, so we were looking forward to a light ending to the meal. Zara’s delivered. With bite sized Turkish delights and baklava, they were both just the right size and a standard ending to a meal. Nothing fancy just nice. We should mention that the coffee was only instant which we think was a one off and was therefore pretty shite, but we were so full of food that it didn’t impact on our overall enjoyment.

Oh also, when we arrived we got a flat tyre which ended with us setting up deck chairs on Sydney rd waiting for the RACV!

So, if you have no qualms about sitting amongst a lame decor, head on down to Zara’s where we had the meal of our life! It’s absolutely our favourite Turkish restaurant in Melbourne!

Danielle: 4/5 dolmas!
Natalie: 4/5 baklavas!

Zara
166-168 Sydney rd, Coburg VIC
93841415

Holy crap!

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 15:18:06 +1100

Okay we need to update, foody goodness coming soon! boo ya!

Katarina Zrinski

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:23:50 +1000

It was about time we did something Eastern European! And so this is how we found ourselves at a rather swish Croatian social club in Footscray. Katarina Zrinksi has both traditional Croatian food and your standard local social club bistro fare (i.e seafood baskets, steaks the size of your head etc.) We, of course, went down the more traditional path and started with Croatian coffees. They were exciting, presented in a copper coffee server, one each with about 2 coffee’s worth in each one. However despite it being quite smooth and creamy it was amazingly strong, impossible to fall asleep after a couple of these!

We got the antipasto platter as a starter, we were met with meat, and when we say meat we mean copius amounts of cold meat and cheese along with some olives and about half a loaf of crusty bread. We devoured it. The prosciutto was tasty and almost had a smoked taste to it which was a nice twist. The salami was the typical hungarian mild salami, it was nice but nothing special as well as the kabana. The olives were homemade and there was variety of kalamatta or green olives. The feta cheese was tasy, but there could have been more to even out the meat. Of course we were quite full after this but we stuck to our guns and decided to do the whole 3 course meal!

Next were the mains, and after such a massive amount of meat we ordered… ok we ordered more meat consisting of a mixed grill and cabbage stuffed with pork. We ordered entree sizes and thank goodness we had the foresight to do so due to the fact they were still a mammoth size.The mixed grill had various meats such as grilled pork, chicken and sausages with pan fried mushrooms, chips, capsicum, coleslaw and salad. It was really nice and not too much meat which meant you could enjoy the whole dish including the capsicum etc. But we thought that the salad could’ve been bigger, and a bit better, or there could’ve been more vegies.

The second main was wonderful, the cabbage filling was a simple pork mince concoction, complimented perfectly by the small side of mash, which we originally thought would be too rich.

We almost didn’t have any dessert, but encouraging each other to stick to our guns, we soldiered on. We ordered 2 crepes, one with rose hip jam and the other covered in roasted walnuts and cinnamon, which complimented each other amazingly and both with a side of ice cream. They were both really delicious and with the ice cream perfect end to the meal.

We were both very very pleased as we rolled out of Katarina Zrinski, with full bellies and a satisfied smile. It’s a very casual atmosphere, but nicely decorated. It would suit both a formal dinner as well as a casual get together. It’s worth noting that the Croatian menu is quite short, with only about 10 things to chose from, including appetisers.

Danielle: 4/5 walnut crepe’s!
Natalie: 4/5 Croatian coffee’s!

Katarina Zrinski Restaurant
72 Whitehall St
Footscray 3011
(03) 9689 5866

Vegie Hut

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:18:00 +1000

Well who saw this coming, Natalie and Danielle going to yum cha!? You don’t say! We know that Vegetarian (and Vegan) yum cha isn’t, strictly speaking, another style of cuisine, but in China there is a common trend for people to be occasional vegetarians, for instance every Monday. Also there are many Buddhists who don’t eat meat and have their own vegetarian cuisine, so in a way this is us eating that style of cuisine. Us being, well, the gluttons that we are, we wanted to order one of everything on the menu. The best part of this was the waitresses confusion when we asked for “1 through to 12 please”. “Huh?” Obviously they don’t normally get our kind of clientèle. Most people order from both the normal menu and the yum cha special one, but we were there for glorious yum cha, so that’s what we were going to order! We backed off a bit, only ordering one each of half the menu to start with. We had some faux pork buns, some congee (which was plain yet delicious!), some mini salad sandwiches (not real yum cha food) some crisp pastry with faux seafood inside, infact lots of faux meat products in general.

We decided we were tough enough to ‘take on’ a few more dishes (but not the lot) and enjoyed some faux pork ribs (recommended) taro prawns (that is faux prawn with taro paste inside, very interesting), faux chicken nuggets and the Gold and Silver balls (neither silver, nor gold).

In conclusion, this is a great place to go to if you or your friends are either vegetarian or vegan, or you simply want a change of pace with your food. It’s not authentic obviously, but is satisfying, and the faux meats and seafoods are certainly fun, and some quite convincing. At about $4 a dish Vegie Hut is a very affordable place.

Danielle: 2.5/5 Gold and Silver balls Natalie: 3.5/5 faux ribs

Vegie Hut 984 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill 03 9898 2287 www.vegiehut.com.au

Nelayan

Sun, 30 May 2010 13:20:27 +1000

As the months have gotten colder we decided to try something a little spicier. So with our Indonesian expert, Olivia in tow we moseyed on down to Nelayan Indonesian Restaurant on Swanston st. Nelayan is a very casual eatery, with a bain-marie and pre-packaged snacks and desserts at the counter. Upon entering you will almost always find Indonesian people snacking away on the food that they miss from home, and it’s always a good sign to find the natives of the cuisine snacking away at the place you walk into.

We ordered from the board and from there they were cooked fresh to order. We also chose one of the pre packaged deserts, terang bulan also known as sweet martabak which was like a pancakey crumpet with melted chocolate an Indonesian cheese, which is not actually Indonesian but a dutch dish that is prevalent in Indonesia due to their history. We ate this first while waiting for our meals to come but it’s actually a desert. It was scrumptious!

Then our mains arrived, soto which is a soup made with a lot of spices, chicken, tomato, and a kind of fish cracker in it served with rice and lemon wedges. Oh my god it was amazing! If you were to cross a laksa wih a Vietnamese pho you would have something along the lines of this gorgeous dish. The second main was ayam penyet which was a chicken with crispy skin with dried shallots on top and rice, it was spicy and too salty, however it’s said in Indonesia that when the food comes out and it’s too salty it’s because the chef is to be married, so on that note the chef was clearly engaged. The third main was lamb satay with peanut sauce, it was spicy and the sauce was rich and generously slathered across the lamb that was beautifully tender.

Nelayan is a great casual place to grab a feed if you’re in the middle of the city anytime of day. It’s cheap and a little different to the typical quick meal in the city, it’s rich and filling so great value. Just remember to be adventurous and check out everything they have because you never know what delicious treat you will find.

Danielle: 3/5 Avocado juices!
Natalie: 2.5/5 Bamboo skewers!

Nelayn Indonesian Restaurant
265-267 Swanston Street Walk
Melbourne
9663 5886

Pellegrinis

Sun, 02 May 2010 12:36:00 +1000

When it comes to eating Italian food, both of us have Italian families, and generally don’t actually go out to eat it. The few times that we do we are generally disappointed. However, Pellegrinis is an institution in Melbourne and we simply had to give it a try.

Known for it’s authenticity, Pellegrinis is a Pasta bar in the truest sence, like the ones actually in Rome. It’s been around for a long while and is well known by most Melbournians. We went in a small group, which isn’t necessarily the best thing to do at a pasta bar as you need to find a stretch of bar long enough to fit your group. Luckily for us as we arrived one of the two tables set up in the kitchen (yes, they’re actually in the kitchen) freed up so we got to sit there.

We ordered from the board, although here you can ask for your favourite pasta and sauce combination and they will make it for you. We were asked if we’d like drinks and offered some watermelon granitas which we quickly agreed to. It was clearly home made as you could actually taste the watermelon chunks. It was refreshing and helped to clear the palatte before and between dishes.

Being famous for pasta we all went for pasta dishes. We got raviolli napolitana, rigatoni ‘Pellegrini’ which was a bolognese type sauce, spaghetti saltati and a glorious lasagna. The actual pastas in our opinion were nice but nothing too special, we’ve both had better. However the lasagna was GLORIOUS! It somehow managed to be creamy, and also had the traditional strong tomato flavour both at the same time. The way was made with the perfect balance of cheese to pasta sheets meant that it fell apart as it hit your mouth. It is just how our nonna’s would make and highly recommended!

Even though we were stuffed fill of pasta, we (of course) had to get coffees and dessert. We shared a tiramisu, a ricotta cheese cake and a apple strudle. The cheese cake was the highlight, light and fluffy and high on flavour. The tiramisu was more biscuit based than we would’ve liked and the strudle was about what we expected from and Italian place.

Now there is a big discrepency between the experience of eating in the kitchen at a table and eating at the bar. If you want to feel like you’re in the kitchen at some random Italian family’s home, then the kitchen is the go. But in the bar you won’t experience anything like a restaurant atmosphere, just a good quick feed. When reading through many of the online reviews and comments about this place, we came across many who had said they felt the pastas were too oily. We feel we should prbably explain that Italian food always uses olive oil as it’s central to all Italian cuisine. The sauces here certainly weren’t oily but to the uninitiated in true Italian pasta it may seem so to you.

To conclude, we were impressed with Pellegrinis and would definately go back for a quick feed/to inhale as much lasange as possible. Excellent!

Danielle: 3.5/5 antipasti!

Natalie: 4/5 ricotta cheesecakes! (based soley on the lasange alone)

Pellegrinis

66 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

61 3 9662 1885

Nyala

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:28:00 +1000

So the next stop on our glorious food parade was Nyala, and Ethiopian and general African cuisine. Natalie had never tried any African style food before so this was exciting! We rocked up with a posse in swag.

The decor is fairly simple, with a bit of African kitsch like masks and some photos. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

We started with a plate of mixed appetizers to share. It had some sweet meat (minced with raisins, almonds and spices), deep fried cauliflower with cheese, a samosa like pastry with meat and vegies, an eggplant dip with mountain bread (which was AMAZING) and a fresh salad. All in all it was a swell starter plate and good introduction to the cuisine. Danielle wasn’t too impressed with the cauliflower because she is used to pekora style deep fried cauliflower which is much spicier.

For mains we shared three meat dishes and one vegetarian (although we actually ordered a fourth meat, but were happy when the staff forgot to bring it as we ordered way too much!). The dishes were; a platter of four vegetarian dishes (coconutty cabbage, silverbeet, lentils done like a dahl, beans also done in a similar manner and a garnish of potatoes, carrots and green beans), a traditional stew with beef, potatoes and carrot, a spicy chicken with tomatoes and capsicum, and lastly a beef done in peanut sauce. Mains all come with rice, cous-cous and injera which is a traditional pancake bread used to eat meals instead of cutlery.

The stew was quite spicy (and glorious says Danielle) with an array of spices that slowly become more prevelant as you eat more of it. The chicken was tasty and more friendly to those who aren’t common with African food. The peanut beef was unique, not at all like a satay sauce, the meat just fell apart as you ate it and the sauce as a result mixed into the meat perfectly. Everything was enjoyed by all, but the cabbage was a particular hit.

By now we were all stuffed! We needed a small break to let the food settle before we inevitable forced ourselves to eat some dessert. We shared two desserts; a fried banana dish and a cous-cous piece. The banana was great, done with cinamon and ice-cream except after a while some of use couldn’t handle the ripe, rich banana flavour. The cous-cous was wonderful! With raisins, nuts, chocolate sauce, some sort of cream and ice-cream on top it was a perfect combination of sweet and ligth flavours, and different textures meeting. It was kind of like a dessert porriage that wasn’t as gooey (or tasteless). Highly recommended.

This place is not too fancy, but neither is it shabby. You’d be comfortable either walking in off the street, or arranging an event booking. It is also vegetarian and vegan friendly. We recommend Nyala as a good introduction to African food.

Danielle gives it 3.5/5 injera pancakes

Natalie gives it 4/5 coconut cabbages

Nyala African Restaurant

131 Brunswick Street Fitzroy

(03) 9419 9128

Tomodachi

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:21:00 +1000

As most of you know, we are obsessed with sushi. So it might be surprising to see it took us this long to go to a sushi train. Tomodachi was calling us, with it’s glorious fish, and rice, and seaweed etc etc. In case anyone hasn’t had the honour of pulling up a stool at a sushi train, let us explain. Think of a conveyor belt that keeps moving continuously around a table delivering a number of Japanese delights! Each plate is a certain colour that corresponds with a price. (see the menu for the prices and colours)

We entered the establishment wide eyed and hungry as hell. Found a couple of stools (that were honestly from hell) and pulled up a few plates (when we say a few we mean around 10 plates) and enjoyed some glorious raw fish. Each plate comes with 2 pieces of fish or sushi or sashime (some had more) and you can take as many as you want at a time. We, of course stretched the limits what one would eat in a normal meal, but again we are obsessed with sushi.

Word to the wise; go hungry due to the fact that the sushi train is extremely tempting, portion sizes are small and your eyes are usually bigger than your stomach. Again stretchy pants are a necessity! We shared around 15 plates from various price ranges (mostly Salmon) and due to the plates being so enticing probably could have had a few more. Most of our dishes were raw fish but we did have some deep fried pieces and takoyaki. The plates we chose was really delicious, fresh and amazingly well presented. Our personal opinion is that there could have been more selections (more greens please!!) and a little less mayo on the dishes!

The restaurant is really nicely put together, the warm colours and funky (although uncomfortable) chairs mix the traditional with modern, much like Japan itself.

To sum it up Tomodachi is a pretty good way to enjoy Sushi, while not the cheapest option still very reasonable for a sit down place. Great location hidden away in the buzzing Melbourne Central.

We walked away feeling very very full. Satisfied, but full.

RATING:

Danielle:

3/5 takoyaki balls!

Natalie:

3/5 spider rolls!

Tomodachi
Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, Level 3
Cnr. Swanston & Latrobe Sts.
Melbourne VIC 3000

Ph: (03) 9663 1940
Fax: (03) 9663 1948
E: infor@tomodachi.com.au
www.tomodachi.com.au

Kouzina

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:27:00 +1000

Helloooo Greece! We were really determined to try some decent Greek food when we started this blog so Natalie took a gander at Googling up some Greek, the result? Kouzina. Kouzina is a mid to high dining experience with 5 locations around the country and we found out why one fateful Thursday morning, to be exact the same day Michael Jackson passed away, while millions were mourning we were filling our faces with the best bloody Greek meze of all time!

With special guest Melanie we headed on over to Doncaster to what turned out to be a really swank set up with a great city view.

We were truly overwhelmed by the massive menu but decided to get the Lunch Banquet which has a minimum of 3 people. The starters was a never ending line of meze such as dips, cheeses, olives, spanakopita, fried calamari, and dolmades.

The pictures speak for themselves, our stomachs were filling up quite nicely by this point, then the main meal came out… our response was excitement and sheer joy.

Our main consisted of: Greek sausage, meatballs, chicken skewer, lamb skewer, chips and a Greek salad with dipping sauce. Good God it was delicious.

Seeing as we were in banquet mode we decided to order a desert each, by this point we were all full (Including Danielle - yes we finally succeeded!) but we were all determined to finish this meal on the sweetest note possible.

Melanie had the baklava with ice cream, before this point Melanie had never tried baklava and this was the best way to initiate her to the baklava lifestyle, it was perfect.

Danielle’s desert was the caramelized eggplant with rice pudding. It was epic, EPIC! and incredibly filling, absolutely delicious. (Danielle still dreams about it… seriously)

Natalie’s Desert was the Ice cream triada, a trio of pistachio and rosewater, halva and baklava ice cream. The ice cream was fresh, sweet and AMAZING! Really refreshing and light after such a massive meal!

In summary, we are in love with Kouzina and incredibly hungry just thinking about it. The meals are good value, but not cheap more in the mid to high price range but completely worth it. The quality here is really high, and the presentation is spectacular as you can see, so treat yourself to a meal at Kouzina - you won’t regret it!

Kouzina

Westfield Doncaster

9840 6055

Gold Leaf Restaurant

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:46:00 +1000

Hungry? No seriously are you ready to feel like you’re pregnant with a 5 kilo dumpling filled with chicken legs? Whats that? Yes you Say?? Well look no further!!

Welcome to Gold Leaf Restaurant Where you come for the food and stay for… well the food.

This Chinese Restaurant is known especially for it’s amazing Yum Cha which is served 11.30 - 3 7 days a week but be warned, if you’re going on the weekend expect to line up for about half a hour so head over early.

For those of you who have never been to Yum Cha (if theres anyone out there who has never experienced such an epic dining experience) basically trollies of food are carted up and down with a selection of tasty treats from dumplings to vegetables to soup to sea food to deep fried delights to meat to crazy deserts to whatever else you can possibly imagine in a tiny portion size.

We are the kind of folk who are happy to delve into the weird and wonderful selections on offer and are usually pleasantly surprised. To cut to the chase, we are Yum Cha aficionados, bow to us… please?

Some things might seem weird to the uninitiated eg. chicken feet, offal but everything’s worth a try.

We started with the more tame meals like the spring rolls, pork dumplings, prawn dumplings and green vegetables then took it to the next level with tofu, stuffed vegetables with seafood, chicken feet and various dim sung.

Everything at the Gold Leaf is good, honestly we promise it’s good, the food is priced averagely, not cheap but nowhere near as expensive as fancier Yum Cha places but the quality is just as good, if not better. The place is nice, slightly tacky but exactly what you would expect from a massive Chinese Yum Cha. Very very pleasant atmosphere.

Bring your fat pants folks, and water for the drive home because there is no way you’ll leave here feeling like you could ever eat again. But you’ll be dreaming about the next time you walk through the Gold Leaf doors and into another world of Yum Cha goodness…. I wanna go again… now.

Gold Leaf Chinese Restaurant

491 Ballarat Rd Sunshine 3020

9311 1863

Made Cafe

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:20:07 +1000

One morning we decided to try a Spanish breakfast - not the kind where La Cucaracha plays on repeat in your head with people waving maracas with Spanish fleas dancing on top of your omlette. But the kind where it’s breakfast, Spanish style.

We found a small cafe that does breakfast and lunch with a Spanish twist, if you’re looking for a full blown Spanish feast of Paella and a seafood platter look elsewhere. But if you’re in the mood for a good cafe style meal with a Mediterranean vibe Made is the place for you! The cafe is quite small and unassuming, only fits about ten people total so I wouldn’t recommend having a meal with a large group there.

We both went for the breakfast plate - nothing too fancy or traditional but we were damn hungry and well, once theres a big breakfast option who are we mere mortals to turn such a delicious challenge down!

Our breakfast consisted of - chorizo, marinated avocado, feta, your choice of eggs, pan fried mushroom, and marinated capsicum served with 2 pieces of toast.

The meal was very filling and with nothing subtle about it we struggled to finish it (although Danielle conquered it with quite gusto - obviously) but nonetheless the food was glorious. The chorizo was the highlight of the meal, something you cant just buy from a supermarket definitely a treat, while the feta was great after awhile it got quite overbearing. (again - Danielle conquered it with gusto) Our only complaint was the capsicum which was grilled and marinated with too much vinegar which again made it overpowering.

Great meals, next time the both of us will try something a little more traditional and adventurous. If you happen to be in the Flemington area and a tad peckish, give Made a squiz!

Made Cafe

60 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington Vic 3031

Sunya Thai

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:12:00 +1000

The second stop on our food adventure had us at the local Thai restaurant in Strathmore. I dont know many people who dont enjoy thai food, so if you do may I be the first to say “ARE YOU NUTS! THAI FOOD IS AMAZING!”

Sunya Thai is a small restaurant hidden in the Napier Street strip of shops in Strathmore, it’s a strange spot for a restaurant but when you walk inside the quiet, beautiful and relaxed environment prepares you for some absolutely delicious Thai cuisine.

The menu’s have artwork attached onto the front cover which is hard to describe but is lovely. Both of us ordered the mixed appetizers which was a samosa, chicken wrapped in bamboo and steamed, thai fishcake and a spring roll. It was all pleasant and nicely presented but nothing out of the ordinary.

The mains were in a league of their own. We ordered a stir fry and a curry. Both portion sizes were perfect where you were full but not feeling ill. The stir fry was grilled onion and mushroom with chicken, tomato, lime juice and basil. It was spicy, vibrant and to put it simply, glorious!

The red chicken curry with roasted cashews, pineapple and coconut milk was creamy but the pineapple and vegetables stopped it from being to rich, the flavorsome spices complimented each other perfectly, it was incredible!

We also ordered roti bread and peanut sauce as well as accompanying jasmine and coconut rice to go with the mains which was all delicious.

Both of our deserts were sticky rice, but one had custard and the other had ice cream, they both had a awesome contrast and were to die for!

We both left Sunya Thai very very satisfied with our meals. Delicious food for quite reasonable prices I know we would even hesitate to go back again! However if you plan on going over the weekend, call to make a booking!

Sunya Thai283 Napier St , StrathmoreMelbourne, VIC, 3041AustraliaP:03 9379 1450

Cafe Sarabella

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:08:00 +1100

Sarabella’s (Named after the owners daughter) is a tiny little cafe/cooking school that’s hidden off Bell Street, Coburg. Danielle and I had originally heard of Sarabella’s from Danielles mum who had had cooking lessons there from the lady who owns and runs the whole establishment. One Thursday afternoon we decided to head down and pick up some lunch.

When we walked into the shop there were a few tables and chairs and the kitchen is in full view, with a few large pots of amazing smelling south Indian cuisine. Unlike other restaurants Sarabella has 3 different dishes to pick from that rotate daily. There is always a meat, fish and vegetarian dish so it caters for all needs.

We ordered the salmon and lamb curry which is served straight from the hot pots into take away dishes, along with rice, dahl, yoghurt and vegetables. The salmon curry was a cutlet of salmon with bones, potatoes, fresh corriander, rice, beans, and yoghurt.

The salmon was sweet, the curry not overpowering but rather complimented the salmon and the fresh corriander gave the dish a whole new life. As for the lamb curry it was amazingly tender and flavorsome, absolutely cooked to perfection. The curry was sweet smelling and the spices added a kick to the vegetables which were cooked nicely.

Unlike other dahls Danielle and I had tried before this one was fresh, soupy and creamy which complimented the hearty curries. Light, fresh and delicious.

The meal was brilliant, serving size was generous without being too much and the dahl was a perfect touch. We are definitely looking forward to going back although the place is more of a pick up than a sit down meal establishment, but if you want to pick up some amazing home style Indian food on the way home, look no further than Sarabella.

Cafe Sarabella1 Victoria St, Coburg VIC 3058(03) 9354 5239‎