Review | D.O.C Mornington

A few months ago in the Epicure section of The Age, a list of 12 of the best pizzas from around Melbourne was released. I love these kinds of articles, as to me, it feels like I have been issued a challenge from Epicure, to sample their nominated pizzas myself!

D.O.C Mornington was recommended to me by a few friends, and since I was told to go on a nice sunny day, E and I kindly obliged. It was a gorgeous day, and a very pleasant drive down to Mornington.

I love the traditional Italian atmosphere at D.O.C - it set E and I off dreaming about our trip to Europe that we have in the works. The restaurant was very open and with it's long communal tables stretched out through the main dining room, it gave off a real sense of comradery. When we arrived, there was a short wait for tables so we wandered through their deli next door to pass the time. I was in heaven here. Everything was so fresh and looked so delicious - I only wished they had samples out!!

Before we knew it we had been seated on a table in the outdoor area and our order had been taken. The time we waited for our pizza to be delivered seems like a blur - between talking about how fantastic going to Italy would be, and gazing over watching the chefs do their thing in the kitchen, time passed quickly.

Having had subconsciously accepted Epicure's challenge I was set upon ordering the pizza they reviewed. It being a special - I was doubtful that ordering it would actually be possible, so you can imagine my pure delight when I saw that the Tallegio, radicchio and porcini pizza was on the specials board that day (Hooray!). I'm glad I tried this one - it's not the kind of pizza that I would usually order, but it has definitely broadened my pizza horizons. The bold flavour from the radicchio was a great match with the tallegio cheese and the nutty taste from the mushrooms. No wonder this one is a favourite with the Epicure writers!

Tallegio, radicchio and porcini pizza

E fell in love with the San Daniele pizza - and when I tasted a slice, I found out why. We had never had San Daniele prosciutto before - this ham is pure perfection, there are no other words I can use to describe it. It was sliced so delicately, that each tender shaving melted in your mouth, and, with the comforting taste of it's tomato base made for a sensational pizza party on my tongue. I was suddenly overcome with food envy. This was one of the best tomato based pizzas I have ever tasted.

San Daniele pizza

If you do know either E or I, then you will know that we are suckers for dessert, and especially, nutella. Therefore, we could not leave without trying the Nutella Calzoncino with fresh vanilla icecream. The waiter also convinced us to try the Tiramisu - because it was his mother's recipe. He had the funniest little story about this, but the twinkle in his eye might have meant that it wasn't the most accurate story. Stories aside, these desserts were fantastic. A special thankyou to E's food styling for the calzoncino pic - he wanted to convey how delicious and melty the nutella was. (Yes, I said melty!)

Nutella Calzoncino

Tiramisu

Prior to our visit, I had read up about D.O.C and was surprised to find so many negative reviews - many saying that the staff were very arrogant. After our visit there, I can say that this couldn't be further from the experience we had. The staff that served us were all very friendly and efficient, and our waiter was lovely and had the best stories to tell us about Venice.

I'm looking forward to returning to D.O.C Mornington on another sunny day - and maybe have a nice family lunch in the sun.

Review | Ici

Nestled in the hip backstreets of Fitzroy is Ici. This trendy little cafe was suggested by my sister as a breakfast meeting spot on a quiet weekday morning during the lead up to Christmas. Noticeably popular with the locals and regulars, Ici boasts quite an extensive and unique breakfast menu.

The service at Ici, although very friendly, was at times a bit slow even though they were not too busy while we were there. Being such a small cafe, I was also surprised at the number of staff working. 

I decided to order the Chickpea pancake, and a Hot Chocolate. Both of which were delicious - the Hot Chocolate was adorned with flakes of real Lindt chocolate - impressive, and very tasty.

My meal was definitely the source of everyone else's food envy! Presentation was impressive, and the flavours were even better. I would definitely recommend this! The chickpea pancake was served with a salsa of fresh avocado, tomato and coriander, a poached egg, and lovely, delicate slices of smoked trout. In all, it was a great breakfast!

Review | Andrew's Burgers

Enabling our new Melbourne Burger adventure, E and I created an opportunity to taste one of the pioneers of the scene, Andrew's Burgers in Albert Park. In action since 1939 this local burger joint has definitely served some important customers. The walls are adorned with autographs, newspaper snippets and framed photos of Andrew's famous fans - all of which were the perfect reading material during our short wait for our burgers. In fact, they probably made me more hungry!

Having not learnt anything from our Huxta-venture, E and I again, both ordered the same burger.  We would be conquering the burger with The Lot - egg, bacon, tomato and cheese, along with the standard lettuce, cooked onions and sauce. I don't think I realised just how big this burger would be - so I happily agreed to sharing a mini serve of chips as well.

After a little bit of wait (it was worth it), my name was called out and we were presented with our order. I was so surprised at the level of service we received from this little shop - when the owner realised we would be eating in, he presented us with two silver plates. Such a little touch, but I was in awe of his kindness and hospitality.

These burgers were kind of... massive. I spent about a minute eating the chips, and deciding how to take on the burger. The chips, for the record, were somehow perfectly crisp on the outside and velvety on the inside, with no excess of oil, or salt - they were the way chips were meant to be. Usually when I eat a burger, I go about eating it layer by layer, however, judging by the sheer mass and complexity of this burger, the usual method would not be possible. I realised that the only way to eat a burger from Andrew's, was to actually put my face into it. There was beetroot on my chin, but there was no way that I cared for table manners until the whole burger had been consumed. Everything was delicious. Flavoursome, tender, moist and definitely recommended.

Andrew's Burgers serve up what burgers are supposed to be, with no mucking about. I hope to return to Andrew's soon - and probably with some guests who have not yet experienced these burgers.

To compare Andrew's to Huxtaburger for me, is a simple task. While both serve up a delicious fare, and a great burger, I preferred the traditional and local feel from Andrew's.

Stay tuned for when my Melbourne Burger adventure continues!

Review | San Telmo

To celebrate a special weekend I decided to take E out for dinner to a surprise location. After deliberating for weeks on where the perfect restaurant would be, I finally decided on San Telmo after doing some research (and salivating) on their traditional Argentine menu. Since every member of my family except for me have visited Argentina, and have schooled me on the ways of the cuisine, I feel like I knew a bit more about it than the average Joe, even though to be honest, that probably only true in my head.

After wandering through the somewhat enchanting restaurant to our table, I couldn't take my eyes off the great decor. There was leather and cow hide covering most of the surfaces, and a kind of rustic-chic theme in decorations, which I thought was really cool.

Our waiter that evening was very friendly and helpful, and explained everything on the menu for us. San Telmo is unique because they use the traditional 'Parrilla' grill for cooking. This grill is about two metres wide, and is an important part of the Argentinian national dish of 'Asado' - which is basically a barbecue of a wide range of meats and cuts. You will notice this grill as soon as you enter San Telmo, and the delicious flavours cooking over the grill float throughout the entire room. It was really impressive to see the team in the kitchen during our meal, as they seemed to operate seamlessly and perfectly. I was especially in awe of their seemingly silent communication - I have never seen such a quiet kitchen before! It looked like everyone must have been communicated telepathically - otherwise, they may be the next generation of Chef - quiet, calm, and freakishly organised.

Within minutes of sitting down, we were presented with two condiments - Chimichurri and Salsa. We had never tasted Chimichurri before - and it turns out we were missing out on amazing deliciousness. We tried it with everything during the night, and I told E countless times that I would make it for him (this is yet to happen, but I'm optimistic). While I am certain that we would have both been content with a bigger serving of the Chimichurri and some fresh bread, our food began to trickle out to the table. Everything is designed to be shared, which was perfect, since E and I love to share!

Chimichurri (left) and Salsa (right)

First up was the 'Chapa' - Flat bread with Olive oil, with Pickled Zucchini. This zucchini was so fresh and zingy! The flat bread was a tiny bit dry, but it was no drama, since we draped some of the delicate zucchini slices over it, and added with some of our new friend, Chimichurri, this was great!

Chapa - $4.00

The Chorizo came out right away too. I was so excited about tasting this, I was eyeing off the plate as soon as the chef placed it on the pass. This was the juiciest chorizo I have ever tasted. Delicious oils and goodness came oozing out of each slice as we pressed our forks into them. It was salty, but not too salty, and the smokey flavours from the Parrilla grill gave the sausage a great flavour.

Chorizo - $14.00

Next up were the empanadas! My level of excitement from the Chorizo grew, and I did a little dance in my seat as these treats were placed at our table. We ordered one of each kind - Beef, egg, and olive, and Provolone, mozzarella, basil and capsicum. The pastry around these little half moon shaped parcels was really good. I eagerly tried the Beef empanada, and nodded with great enthusiasm as I found that it tasted very similar to my own Beef empanadas! Out of the two, the beef empanada was my favourite. The cheese empanada was nice, but I found it to be a bit too salty for my liking.

Empanadas - $6.00 each

The main dish of the nice was brought out - a serving of Parrilla grilled Suckling Pig, that had been slow cooking all day. Please be sure that this is really not the best photo of the dish - in my excitement to get right into it, it seems I lost all sense of photo-taking! Whilst the meat was moisty and tender, both E and I felt that we had too many boney pieces in our dish, and not enough meaty goodness. The flavour of the meat however, was a delight.

Special of the Day - Suckling Pig

We chose to accompany the Suckling Pig with a side of Remolacha - a beetroot salad, which was great. It reminded me of my mum's cooking, since sometimes we have beetroot like this at home. The beetroot was served with a tasty white cheese called Queso Blanco (which was just like a cottage cheese) and with fresh parsley and cumin.  This was the perfect end to our main meals - the flavours were very calming and homely - and it was nice to end on a fresh salad.

Remolacha - $10

We then sat, digesting and contemplating our dinner, and also enjoying the great atmosphere of the restaurant. Having already made up my mind what we would be having for dessert, I then (politely) notified E and after a few restful minutes, we ordered! I had selected the Alfajor and the Flan. I have tasted a few Alfajores biscuit treats from my family's Argentinian travels, and I was keen to see and taste how San Telmo had recreated this treat. As for the Flan, well, you can't really have an Argentinian meal without some element of Dulce de Leche (it's a rule), so it was almost obligatory for me to do so.

Both of the desserts were great. the Alfajor biscuit was filled with a lovely almondy taste, and it was coated in a layer of desiccated coconut - these two additions to the traditional treat were definitely a pleasant surprise. I found the biscuit part of the Alfajor to be a teeny tiny bit on the dry side of things - perhaps it could be served with something on the side, maybe icecream- though I'm not sure how traditional that would be.

Alfajor - $5.00

The flan was so soft and silky. The bittersweet flavours reminded me again of home - my mum makes a great flan! This one however had the added greatness of being served with two more interesting textures - shards of crunchy salted peanut praline, and the rich, smooth and luscious dollop of Dulce de leche on top. On the border of being too sweet, this dessert was a highlight for me. This dessert is definitely recommended, and definitely to share!

Flan - $14.00

Review | Wonderbao

Ever since hearing about Wonderbao, I had been squirming in my seat, waiting and waiting for the day that I could finally visit and try the goodness that is steamed baos. Not working in the CBD has many advantages for me, but I suddenly realised one massive disadvantage - not being walking distance to these little buns. In the mean time, I got by, with a daily intake of Wonderbao, visually. Facebook, urbanspoon, instagram. I was stalking these baos!

So, you can imagine my excitement when I finally ventured into the boundaries of the city, with my heart set on some steamed baos for lunch. I won't lie, it took us about five minutes to figure out exactly where Wonderbao was, but we made it in the end!

Now steaming!

Wonderbao itself is in a little shop, with the majority of the space taken up by the kitchen. There is limited seating, but since the customers are mainly for takeaway, it's not much of a problem at all. We quickly jumped in the queue and read through the little menu while we were waiting. We decided on a Cheung chay bao, a Char siu bao, a Braised pork belly gua bao and a Roast pork belly gua bao. Since the gua bao's are made fresh to order, we were notified that there would be a 5 minute wait on our order, which was fine! We scored two seats at the bench, and happily observed the busy little joint. To my surprise, our order was brought out to us not much longer. I almost didn't get photos because E and I were so keen to start eating, luckily he has good discipline!!

The Cheung chay bao (Chinese sausage bao) was different to what I was expecting. It was basically like an asian version of Pigs in a Blanket - where the sausage is wrapped up in the soft dough. Even though I am crazy for Chinese sausage, this didn't wow me. I cannot fault this bao, I think it is everything that it sets out to be. I imagined it to be chopped up pieces of Chinese sausage with some yummy herbs and spices all inside the soft bao dough, and I think my own imagination cause me to be let down by this one. 

Char siu bao (front) and Cheung chay bao (back) - $2 each

Next up was the Char siu bao (BBQ pork). This one was delicious! It was even better with some Sriracha chilli sauce drizzled over the top. The filling seemed really fresh and flavoursome, and something was just that little bit nicer than the usual mass produced yum cha style BBQ pork bun.

Inside the Char siu bao

Next in line were the gua baos, which in my mind, are like the asian version of burgers! I can't tell you what gua bao means, or where this treat originates from, but I can definitely tell you that they are super tasty. My previous encounter with a gua bao was also delicious, so I was hoping these would not disappoint me.

They didn't!

The Braised pork belly gua bao was probably my favourite of everything. For me, the combination of the soft, juicey, tender pork, with coriander and the crushed peanuts is a winning one. Add to that the perfectly pillowy bao dough, and you've got yourself one tasty little burger!

Braised pork belly gua bao (front) & Roast pork bellow gua bao (back) - $3.80 each

The Roast pork belly gua bao was also very tasty. The flavours from the fresh cucumber and pickled carrots, along with the daikon and hoisin sauce complimented the tender pork really nicely. Daikon is also known as Japanese radish or White radish, and had a nice refreshing taste.

After plowing through those four menu items, E and I were both still on a bit of a Wonderbao high and order some more food.... for the purposes of blogging (ahem). E minded our seats while I went up to order us a Fried silky tofu gua bao and Nai wong bao (Egg custard goodness!) each, and a refreshing cup of cold homemade soya milk. 

After a short wait, our food and drink was again brought out to where we were sitting and I was filled with joy in anticipation of how yummy the egg custard bun was going to be. I love egg custard buns!

The cold soya milk was very refreshing, and tasted nothing like the 'regular' soy milk you would buy from the shops. I didn't quite like the taste, but I think I would like the hot version. E loved it and sipped it all up down to the last drop.

Leaving the most exciting until last, we dove into our tofu gua baos, and I discovered that these weren't called 'silky' tofu gua baos for nothing! This tofu was a pure delight. Along with the corander and crushed peanuts, this gua bao was a winner. I think I like this one equally as much as the Braised pork belly gua bao.

Fried silky tofu gua bao - $3.80 each, Egg custard bun - $1.70 each, with a Cold soya milk - $2.8

*Drum Roll* It was now time for the Egg Custard buns! If you know me, you will know how much I love Egg Custard buns. My sister has pioneered a step by step process for eating these buns, which I employ every time, and of course teach to whoever I am eating with. It is now my pleasure to share it with you!

Step 1: Carefully peel off paper from the base of the bun, being careful not to burn your fingers. 

Step 2: If necessary, leave the bun to sit a little to cool down to 'not burning fingertips' temperature.

Step 3: Carefully break the bun in half.

Step 4: Take some time to smell the goodness of the custard in the bun, and reflect on just how tasty it is going to be.

Step 5: Put one half down, and using both hands, bring a half bun to your mouth and take a small bit out of it. It is important that you make this very specific sound effect while biting into the bun.

Step 6: Enjoy the rest of the bun. Note, biting sound effect is only necessary for the first bite into the bun.

Inside the Egg custard bun

Needless to say, the Egg Custard buns from Wonderbao were great. Please try one if you are there!

I'm looking forward to returning to Wonderbao, and hopefully trying some more of the baos.

Review | Huxtaburger

With the recent wintery weather we have been getting, on a cold and windy night, E and I ventured out to Collingwood with our coats all buttoned up, to try the latest foodie craze - burgers from Huxtaburger (yes, we are a bit late, but the early bird gets the worm, not the burger).

Huxtaburger is dedicated to the lovable American family from The Cosby Show, and all the burgers bar one, are named after a character on the show. The theme is quite fitting as these burgers seem to me like your good, old fashioned American style burgers with a tasty makeover.

This place was packed to the brim! After waiting our turn to order, we both settled on the same (delicious sounding) burger, Bills burger. In hindsight, this may not have been the best plan, since now I only have one thing to talk about.. but we were both drawn to Bill.

Bills Burger - $10.50

Bills burger, a brioche bun hugging a beef pattie, mustard, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, tomato, cheese, lettuce, pickles, bacon, egg, pineapple & beetroot, is quite literally a mouthful (or twenty). It is impossible to eat this as you would a flat cheeseburger from McDonald’s, but is also impossible to compare the two. This burger has it all. Although consuming it will be a challenge for those of you with small mouths, your taste buds will definitely be rejoicing. The highlight for both of us, apart from the fantastic taste and obvious quality of all of the elements in the burger (and the bun!) were the fresh pickles. These babies were not your average bottled pickles, they had a fresh zing to them!

Much to my dismay, we forgot to specify that we wanted the Chipotle chips when ordering, so we were served a regular chips – which were very tasty anyway! We shared one serve of chips between us both since we knew the burgers would be filling – a smart decision. These chips were somehow perfectly crisply coated, with silky soft potato on the inside. Not too salty too, which meant they were the perfect accompaniment to our burgers. Judging by how good these chips were, I am now almost aching to go back to Huxtaburger and try the Chipotle chips!

When we do return to Huxtaburger, it will be at a less peak time since it was quite crowded when we were there. I am thinking about trying the Denise burger next time..

Have you tried the Denise, or any of the other burgers at Huxtaburger? Tell me what you thought!

Review | Afghan Pamir Restaurant

After searching for somewhere completely different to venture for a family dinner, my sister and I were happy to agree on Afghan Pamir Restaurant! The restaurant has recently moved to a new location in Dandenong, and going by reviews alone, has been very popular and successful, serving up delicious food.

Our other sister is actually currently living in Kabul, and while at the restaurant I felt just that little bit closer to her, and I wondered whether she had eaten any of the foods we were about to try.

The décor of the restaurant once inside is very regal, all the furniture was solid wood, with gorgeous detail. I couldn’t help but to wonder how many people were living in these almost majestic circumstances in Afghanistan these days, which brought down my mood a little, but not a minute later I was smiling, thanks to the lovely staff and service at the restaurant. It was clear to see that the owners were proud to showcase their culture, and were very polite and hospitable, answering any questions we had about the menu in great detail.

Since we had quite a large group dining, we decided to opt for the $35 Banquet option which included salad, naan bread with dips, Mantu dumplings, Afghani traditional rice, lamb Kofta curry, Kabab skewers, and a vegetarian dish of our choice. We decided on the green Okra dish.

The naan bread with the dips was so delicious, I tried to stop myself from eating too much so I would still have enough room for the rest of the feast, but in the end, the bread won. The dips were yoghurt based – one was very similar to Raita, with cucumber and mint, and the other had carrot shavings through it (I think). The bread was great throughout the evening to clean up our plates in between dishes so nothing went to waste!

The Mantu dumplings are traditional steamed dumplings, made from mince and onions, wrapped up in a silky pastry and served with yoghurt and a kind of really mild, tomato based sauce. These were so good, I wish we had ordered another serve! The pastry was such a lovely consistency, and the flavour from the dumpling was great. Again, the toasted naan bread was such a help to mop up all of that yoghurt tomato goodness!

Mantu dumplings

Next up the rice was brought out along with the Kofta curry and Okra dish. The traditional Afghan rice is served with barberries and bright strands of carrot. The perfectly cooked pillow of rice was so impressive. Each grain of rice was loose, none of them were sticking together, and it all had been coated in amazing flavour. The grains themselves were long and thin, similar to a Basmati grain.  The barberries, which I had never even heard of before, were so small, but had quite a kick to them! The sour berry flavour combined with the soft rice was great. The rice was the perfect accompaniment to the rest of our main dishes during our evening. They even brought out another whole (massive) serve for us!

Traditional Afghan Rice

The Kofta were made from lamb mince, and served with another delicious mild tomato based sauce, along with some peas. These were nice, but the centre of the Kofta was a little dry for me – this turned out not to be a problem –the yoghurt and cucumber dip came in very handy . I did really enjoy the mild sauces. I really enjoy tasting a different culture’s version of a similar mix of ingredients – everyone has their own version of a tomato based sauce don’t they!

Kofta

The Okra was also served in a tomato based sauce with some onion and garlic, but this one was actually quite spicy! Okra, (or Lady’s fingers) are a vegetable that are quite unique. My mum actually cooks Okra semi often, and in a way that is pretty similar to the way that this dish was served, the only difference being the level of spiciness.  If you have never tried Okra - give it a go!

Green Okra

Just when we were just realising just how full we were getting, a plate of sizzling skewers were brought out and suddenly, any feeling of being full or close to it disappeared! There was a chicken skewer and a lamb backstrip skewer for everybody. After quickly sharing them all out I quickly went about eating these delicious chunks of meat. They had so much flavour and were so oily (a good kind of oily.. the kind that makes you salivate), and, the meat was UNBELIEVABLY tender. Cooked to perrrrrfection. I would go back to Afghan Pamir Restaurant just to have these skewers again. Although, while I was there I would probably have a whole other banquet too.

Chicken & Lamb Backstrip Skewers

Now at this point, I think we all got a second (or third) wind and we all decided to order dessert! There isn't too much choice of dessert at Afghan Pamir Restaurant - but this is not a bad thing. I would imagine that the  majority of people would be too full for dessert anyway! The dessert on offer is Gulab Jaman, a delicious sweet that I think may be of Indian origin, since know of it from Mauritius. Usually there is some kind of cardamom flavoured element (which I am not crazy about), but the Afghan version was super simple and super sweet. Gulab Jaman is a ball of dough, that has been fried, and then soaked in a sugar syrup overnight. The result is a sweet, moist, little ball of goodness, and served with a refreshing scoop of icecream - a perfect end to a great evening. Apologies for the blurry photo of dessert - I was just super keen to eat it!

Gulab Jaman with Icecream

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who has not yet tried Afghan cuisine, and I am sure that once you try it, you will want to go back pretty soon, just like me!

Review | Nuts Chan

Nuts Chan, even though it has a bit of a funny sounding name, is a great little local japanese restaurant. I have frequented the Mount Waverley area for many years, and have never even noticed it hiding out in it's little corner shop location.

We went there for a quiet weeknight dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the freshness and homely-ness of the food they served. To start we ordered a mixed sashimi plate, and for mains, I chose the Bibimbap with Beef, and E decided on the Tonkatsu (pork) on steamed rice.

All of the dishes were served very quickly, and with very polite service. The sashimi was all very fresh and tasty. I think we got the larger size.

Mixed Sashimi

For mains, E gobbled up his Tonkatsu dish pretty quickly - it must have been really good! I had a little taste of one of the pork pieces, and it was really good - their had been an egg placed on top of the dish, and it had soaked through all of the pork and rice - mmmm!

Tonkatsu with Rice

My dish, was incredibly fresh, and just plain good. The egg was cooked to perfection, and all of the ingredients were great. From memory, there was beef, carrot, cucumber, mushrooms and a whole lot of pickled goodness. In a rather un ladylike manner, I mixed everything together, and stirred the egg yolk through it all to make it super delicious with the hot steamed rice. I would definitely recommend this dish. The flavours from all the different elements were great!

Bibimbap with Beef

If you are heading out to Nuts Chan to dine at the restaurant (they also offer take away) I would not recommend wearing your favourite clothes as I smelt like their kitchen for the next day or so. It would seem like the whole restaurant is quite open, so the (yummy) smells from the kitchen waft everywhere.

All in all, a great little local spot!

Review | Sweet Lemon Thai

One night out before seeing a play at the Malthouse Theatre, E had spotted Sweet Lemon Thai nearby on his Urbanspoon map, and seeing that it had a high rating, he was super keen to try it out! We both love Thai food, and looking back, I am so glad we tried it, as Sweet Lemon Thai was surprisingly delicious. Located just off the busy Kings Way intersection, the restaurant is tucked away in a cute little cottage style house. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is in the area.

We decided to order two noodle based dishes, with a side of roti bread. We chose the Chicken Pad Thai, and the sweet Pad See-Ew with beef to share. Everything came out pretty quickly and altogether, and all the dishes had great aromas.

Digging into the roti bread first, I discovered that it was just pure crispy, buttery goodness. This roti was amazing. Not your average roti bread at all. It was so fresh and rich, and the perfect start to our evening.  Somehow it was crispy and soft in the middle, and I just could not get enough of it.

Roti Canai - $4.90

The two rice dishes were just as delicious. The Pad Thai had a great zestiness and freshness to it, and I liked that it had tofu added to it - I don't think I have had a Pad Thai with tofu before, but it was very nice. The flavours were so authentic and I couldn't get over how fresh it all was.

Chicken Pad Thai - $15.90

The Pad See-Ew was addictively sweet, and the crunchy pieces of bright green Chinese broccoli were so great with the rice noodles. Rice noodles are my favourite kind of noodles, in particular the wide ones like this. The beef in this dish, and the chicken in the Pad Thai were both cooked to perfection.

Beef Pad See-Ew - $15.90

E and I really enjoyed our meals at Sweet Lemon Thai, and we had a great night because of it. I would love to go back to Sweet Lemon, and try some of their curries and other dishes. We were both also very surprised at how reasonable the prices were here, as well as how generous the servings were. Hopefully it will not be too long before we can return!

 

Weekend Spontaneity

On a quiet Sunday, E suddenly wanted to try the famous chocolate dumplings at Oriental Teahouse, so we quickly, we hopped in my little car and scooted ourselves to Chadstone. On our arrival at Oriental Teahouse, we were actually a bit surprised at the high prices, so even though we felt like something savoury and a bit more filling than just the Chocolate dumplings, we decided to go elsewhere later on.

We noticed that there was both Milk chocolate dumplings AND White chocolate dumplings, so we had to order both!!

The Milk chocolate dumplings were coated with sesame seeds and served with rich vanilla ice cream. The chocolate sauce that had been drizzled over the plate was nice, but a bit too sweet - and reminded both of us of the chocolate ice cream topping sauce. The dumplings themselves were very nice, but there could have been even more gooey chocolate inside, so that it exploded everywhere if you tried to cut it in half!!

Milk Chocolate Dumplings

The White chocolate dumplings were so pretty. I think the actual dumpling was made out of rice flour, and there was peanut praline and coconut sprinkled over the dumpings, which altogether combined for a great taste. I really enjoyed the ricey taste of these dumplings, with the sweet white chocolate flavour.

White Chocolate Dumplings

Although it was a bit expensive, we both enjoyed all that chocolate!

Feeling quite a bit more spontaneous, we made our way to Box Hill, for one of our favourite things! BEEF WRAP!! One of our favourite places in Box Hill is The Booth, a Taiwanese restaurant that serves up quick, cheap and tasty food. If you go there, you must try the Beef Wrap - it is amazing. 

Feeling gutsy, we ordered a Beef Wrap (surprise, surprise), a Pork Belly Burger and mostly out of curiosity, a serve of Chicken Nuggets. It all came out pretty much altogether, and as always, the kind staff at The Booth had slice up the Beef Wrap for us to share.

First up, the Beef Wrap, which never fails, was just as good as we remembered. The juicy meat wrapped up in crispy roti-like bread is just great. Please try this!! You won't regret it. We noticed on the menu that there was also a Chicken Wrap - so we will have to come back to try that one. Hopefully it is just as good (or better)!

Beef Wrap

Next, the Chicken Nuggets. These had a really strong flavour - and were also a bit salty. The batter had a nice peppery taste to it too. With the combination of the basil, the little nuggets were really tasty, but there was not enough basil! This perhaps could be served with some kind of sauce, as we were pretty thirsty after eating them all up.

Chicken Nuggets

Last but not least, was the Pork Belly Burger. Amazing. The pork was so good! It was so juicy and delicious. And I LOVE coriander! Altogether in a delicious bun - what more is there to say?! Just one more thing - the crumbs they had sprinkled over the top of it all - I couldn't work out what it was exactly, but it was so good, and so moreish. I kept scraping that plate until it was all gone. We will probably order this one again when we go back for the Chicken Wrap!

After that, we were pretty full, so we drove home and settled up on the couch. A pretty successful Sunday afternoon for eating!