Teppansan

179 Russell St
Melbourne, 3000

Japanese Pizza. Sounds like a fusion disaster waiting to happen, doesn’t it? Add that to a grungy interior and a menu that was translated into Chinese, not Japanese, I almost regretted stepping foot into this narrow Japanese eatery. The only thing that kept me from bolting was Matt Preston’s glowing review of the restaurant. Despite being grungy and disconcertingly non-Japanese (the staff were speaking in Cantonese to each other), the decor wasn’t actually half bad. A couple of pretty red lanterns hung just inside the entrance, looking very inviting from the outside, and large Japanese paintings adorned the interior. 

Chicken Okonomiyaki ($9.00)

With Teppansan’s specialty being their Japanese pizza – the okonomiyaki, there was no way I could order anything else. Whilst I chose the chicken okonomiyaki ($9.00), there was also the option of beef, pork, vegetarian, or for a dollar more, seafood. It came out generously drizzled with BBQ sauce and Japanese mayo (best condiment EVER, except maybe aioli, but only on chips), and some katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) on top. Cutting into it revealed piles of tender chicken pieces canoodling with shreds of cabbage and onion, and the pizza was soft and melty, having the same consistency and flavour as takoyaki. Despite being a ‘pizza’, it tasted distinctly Japanese, and whilst traditional okonomiyaki isn’t served folded over (or so I’ve heard), I was perfectly happy to overlook that.

Beef in Wafu Sauce ($10.00)

 

K (HI K****!!!!!) chose the Beef in Wafu Sauce ($10.00). Chunks of beef sat on top of a bed of bean sprouts, scattered with a few sesame seeds and some scallions, and with a serve of rice on the side. The beef, whilst tender, was nothing special, and (in my opinion at least) tasted too much like the sprouts they were sitting on. We also spent the entire meal trying to work out what ‘wafu sauce’ was exactly, and googling revealed that wafu meant ‘Japanese styled’, which left us none the wiser.

The menu here is a bit of a hit and miss, with one of the highlights being the okonomiyaki. They also do a fantastic lunch special, one for $6 and one for $10, which from what I’ve heard, is generous in both portion and flavour. But even if you don’t come for the lunch specials, then at least come and try the Japanese pizza.

Rating: 13/20 - Moral of the story: Don’t argue with Matt Preston

Flora Indian Restaurant and Cafe

238 Flinders St

Melbourne, 3000

EDIT: Read about my most recent visit HERE

The best thing about combo meals at Indian restaurants is that it allows you to try out several different kinds of curries, even if your stomach is as small as mine. And the best thing about Flora is that it was still open on Labour Day, when everything else seemed to be closed. And it doesn’t hurt that the restaurant is also clean and spacious.

Eggplant Curry

We weren’t very hungry today, so we decided that a large combo 1 (rice with 2 non veg, one veg, daal and pappadam, $11.50) between the two of us would be enough. Little did we know that a large combo is exactly what it promised to be – LARGE.  The size of each of the curries weren’t huge, but between 3 smaller serves of curry, some daal, a pappadam, and a mountain of rice, there was more than enough for both of us.  But how was the food? The eggplant curry shown above is a little sad looking, but it was actually probably the best curry on the plate. It was rich and creamy with coconut milk, and even though there was barely any eggplant at all, it was quite nice when mixed in with the rice. 

Beef Korma

We were told that the beef korma was of medium spiciness, and even though I like my curries burning hot, I had to settle for this because Chris wouldn’t eat anything spicier. So I was doubly disappointed when I found that I couldn’t even taste the chilli at all, and on top of that the flavours were fairly subdued and bland.

Lamb Rogan Josh

I was hoping that the lamb rogan josh would be a bit better, but unfortunately it tasted almost exactly the same as the beef korma – somewhat bland, and no spiciness at all. And like the beef korma, the meat wasn’t exactly tender.

Unsurprisingly, the daal and pappadam were also nothing out of this world, on the blander side, and really quite average. The portion is good for what you pay for, but if you want a cheap Indian meal, you’re better off going to Crossways.

Rating: 11/20 – quantity over quality

Petaling Street (Glen Waverley)

111 Kingsway, Glen Waverley
Glen Waverley, 3150

I love this place. I’ve come here with my family on countless Saturdays where mum can’t be bothered to cook, and I don’t think I remember us ever ordering anything that we didn’t like. And mind you, we’ve ordered about half the things off their huge menu.

Malaysian Special Soya Sauce with Steamed Fish ($13.80)

Mum wanted fish today, so we got one of their more recent additions to the menu – Malaysian Special Soya Sauce with Steamed Fish ($13.8). A thick, sweet, and gingery sauce was doused liberally over an entire steamed barramundi, tasting both light and flavoursome, and is great value for money at less than 15 dollars. You can also get the fish with 5 other sauces, 4 of which we’ve yet to try.

Salted Fish Fried Rice ($8.90)

 

The salted fish fried rice ($8.90) delivers much more than its unassuming name suggests. Besides salted fish (which unlike many other places, they’re very generous with here), the rice is studded with chunks upon chunks of tender chicken, pieces of egg, two whole prawns, and a small handful of shredded lettuce on top, all wrapped up with a lovely lick of wok breath, giving it a deliciously smoky flavour. Whilst not exactly a dish that can be done wrong easily, they’re certainly doing it right here.

Hakka-Styled Cooked Belly Pork with Dry Egg Noodles ($9.00)

Hakka-style Cooked Belly Pork with Dry Egg Noodles ($9.00) isn’t something we’d usually order but once it came to the table, we sure were glad that we did. Chunks of pork belly have been deep fried, before being slow-cooked until they were unctuously soft, and bursting with flavour. The noodles they sat on had the perfect amount of bite, slightly sweet, and thankfully, not nearly as greasy as the pork. A mandatory handful of greenery and a couple of pieces of wood-ear fungus on the side lets us pretend that we are not clogging up our arteries with aforementioned deliciousness.

Hor Fun Beef with Black Bean Sauce ($8.90)

 

Instead of going with the Fried Koay Teow ($8.90), which Petaling Street does the best rendition I have ever had by far, we went instead with the Hor Fun Beef with Black Bean Sauce ($8.90), just to try something different. The beef was tender, the veggies crunchy, but in the end, it was nothing to shout about. The best part of the dish was probably the rice noodles huddled beneath the beef, slippery and silky smooth with a strong breath of wok to it. Still, next time I’d stick with the Fried Koay Teow.

Ice Kacang ($4.50)

   
They may only have one other dessert on their menu (Banana Fritter with Ice Cream), but who cares when the Ice Kacang ($4.50) is so awesome? An iceberg drizzled liberally with rose and green (?) syrup arrives at our table, and digging into it reveals a treasure trove of corn kernels, grass jelly, peanuts, and red beans. There is a perfect amount of condensed milk that gives the dessert just enough sweetness without being cloying. Mmmm-mm.

Despite being fairly new (just a bit over a year old), Petaling Street has already made it into the 2011 Cheap Eats Guide, has lines extending out of the door every single night, and its fourth branch will be opening in the CBD soon. Their success is well deserved though – clean and nicely decorated interior, delicious food in huge portions, cheap prices and fast service – what’s there not to like? 

Rating: 15/20 – epitome of cheap eats

Pancake Parlour

Centrepoint Arcade, Bourke St
Melbourne, 3000
www.pancakeparlour.com

Short Stack with Vanilla Ice Cream ($9.80)

Mmm free stuff. We got two short stacks for the price of one using a voucher. I got mine with vanilla ice cream, whilst Chris got his with chocolate ice cream. We are happy.

FoodInc.

360 Elizabeth St
Melbourne,
www.foodinc.com

Any event involving food is a good event in my books! We were booked in at FoodInc. for the yearly Universe (that’s the name of the Christian club on my campus) welcome dinner, and despite having walked past the cafe every morning and afternoon on my way to school, and for the last 2 years, uni, I’ve never actually stepped foot into the cafe. Maybe it’s because cafe portion sizes scare me, maybe it’s because there are so many other places in the city to eat for 20 dollars. Either way, despite the breakfast smells emanating from inside every morning, I’ve always skipped (read: trudged) past it without looking twice. But there was no way that I’m passing up a 3 course meal for 20 dollars. Admittedly, warning bells should’ve been ringing at the fact that a 3 course meal was ONLY 20 dollars, and the fact that they would’ve been catering for over 50 people. But I pushed those thoughts aside, and set out to enjoy dinner with an open mind.

On the night, we got to choose between a few options for each course, and between me and a couple of friends (HI SOPHIA AND MIRANDA!), I got to try most of the things on the menu. 

Baked Avocado with Scallops Mornay

 

For the entree, I decided on the baked avocado with scallops mornay. The quality of this dish actually surprised me – there were 4 whole juicy scallops frolicking in a cream sauce, on top of half an avocado, and topped with a chewy layer of cheese. It wasn’t mind-blowingly good or anything, but the ingredients were fairly good, and cheese makes everything nice anyway.

Goat Cheese and Smoked Salmon Tartlet

Sophia went with the goat cheese and smoked salmon tartlets. They came out looking as pretty as a picture, but a bite revealed that it was already starting to go cold. Aside from that, the pastry was flaky and buttery, and it was filled with your generic egg filling; the cheese and smoked salmon on top looked nice, but didn’t taste like very much at all. It was a little disappointing, seeing as it looked so good and everything when it came out. The other two options for the entree were the vegetarian risotto, which no one on my table ordered, and the soup of the day, which was potato and bacon, served with a slice of baguette. I didn’t get to try the soup but, from what I heard, it was ‘just ok’, and barely lukewarm.

Gnocchi Avocado

For mains, I chose the gnocchi avocado. It was probably the best main out of the 3 choices, with soft-enough gnocchi and generous chunks of avocado tossed in a cream sauce with slices of parmesan on top.

Porterhouse and Garlic Mushroom

The porterhouse and garlic mushroom went to Sophia, who was really just after the mushrooms. Shame there weren’t much of them, but it was reasonably flavoured with garlic and lemon. The steak was chewy and not very well-rested, and bland – lots of people were reaching for the pepper-grinder. It was served with a generous side of chips, which thankfully were crunchy and fresh. 

Parmagiana with Chips

 

I also got to have a taste of the other main – Parmagiana with Chips, thanks to Miranda. The identical shape of each of the parmas on our table immediately told us that they were of the frozen variety, not that we were surprised. There wasn’t much to say about it – it was a standard parma, with your standard cheese and Napoli sauce melted on top. And whilst being difficult to get wrong, it’s also hardly a dish designed to impress, and the version at FoodInc. is no different.

Chocolate Mousse with Double Cream

 

Mmm dessert time! After having some mousse-in-a-cup the day before, I was craving more of it, so naturally I went with the chocolate mousse with double cream. I was fairly impressed with the plating, though less so with what was on the plate. Whilst it all tasted fairly nice, it was clear that it wasn’t made from scratch, and the mousse was more like chocolate cream. The slightly sour strawberry sauce it sat in made a nice contrast to the richness though, and of course, being dessert, I finished it all.

Lemon Pancakes with Ice Cream

The other option we had was lemon pancakes with ice cream (there was also a third option of fruit salad with orange ice cream but that’s not REAL dessert), and being international pancake day and all, Sophia just HAD to have the pancakes. The pancakes certainly came out looking the part – silkily folded with crispy edges, and a scoop of ice cream slowly melting on the side. The flavour however, was disappointing. Besides the lemon juice squeezed on top and the ice cream on the side, there was literally no flavour to the pancakes. It was somewhat redeemed by the fact that the pancakes were a very nice texture, chewy yet soft, a halfway between a crepe and a pancake.

Maybe it was just the fact that they were catering to a crowd, maybe it was the fact that it was late, or maybe it’s the fact that we only paid 20 dollars for 3 courses, but I couldn’t help feeling disappointed at the end of the meal. At least it’s another restaurant to cross off my list though.

Rating: 10.5/20 – just ok

Delicious Delights Cafe Bar (and Thai Viet Bibigo)

Capitol Arcade

113 Swanston Street

Melbourne, 3000

I feel like I’ve stepped back in time. Back to the days (or so I’ve heard) where lunch costed no more than a handful of loose change. Most things on the fairly extensive menu at Delicious Delights Cafe Bar cost around the lower end of $5-$10, with a small handful of items, such as the steak and parma, going just a couple of dollars over.

The cafe itself isn’t much to look at, cleaner and a tad neater than that Chinese restaurant we all have where we eat at on a weekly basis, and definitely less busy. We went at that awkward time between brunch and lunch, so the place was deserted, save for 3 university girls, presumably enjoying their break like us.

After a quick look (or what’s nothing short of a detailed examination on my part) at their menu, which includes everything from pastas to sandwiches to all-day breakfast, we settled on the bacon brekky ($4.90) and a plain burger ($5.50). There was also the option of coffee, smoothies, and even wine, all of which we decided against.

Bacon Brekky ($4.90)

 

HELLO BACON! Our bacon brekky came with a slice of thick buttered toast with 2 gooey poached eggs on top, 2 rashers of extremely lean bacon on the side, and a couple of pieces of grilled tomato on the side. Taste wasn’t fantastic, nor was it bad – it was exactly as you would expect, but at $4.90, I know I’m not complaining!

Plain Burger ($5.50)

 

My first impressions of the burger wasn’t great – the bun was pretty big, so I was quite disappointed when I took off the top half of the bun and saw that the patty was significantly smaller. It looked pretty standard as well – toasted bun, patty, cheese, couple slices of tomato, handful of lettuce, and a splodge of tomato sauce on top (it was an extra dollar for bacon, or for a side of chips). But after a couple of bites, all was forgiven. Once again, it was nothing spectacular, but it tasted... homely, like something mum (though not my mum, Asians don’t do burgers) would make for a no-fuss dinner, or something you can pick up at the local milkbar. It tasted like a real burger, nothing gourmet, but the patty was moist and flavoured with diced onion, and every single bite was satisfying. 

Salmon Avocado Hand roll ($2.20)

 

My peanut-sized stomach seemed to have magically expanded that day, and I found myself hungry after all that food, so we skipped next door to pick up a sushi roll from Thai Viet Bibigo. I wasn’t expecting much from my salmon avocado roll ($2.20), but boy was I surprised! The salmon was in chunks, as opposed to flimsy little strips, and was unbelievably fresh. There was just the right amount of Japanese mayo, enough for extra flavour but not enough to overwhelm the salmon, and the rice was perfectly vinegared. It was possibly the best sushi I’ve had in quite a while!

So even though the food was nothing spectacular (ok the sushi was pretty great, but that aside), we agreed that will definitely be coming back. All day breakfast for under 5 dollars? Count me in!

Rating: 13/20 (15/20 for the sushi) – whoever said it was expensive to eat in the city?

Panned Pizza

234c Russell St
Melbourne, 3000
www.pannedpizza.com.au

I’m so hungry I could eat a baby. Or pizza. Pizza will do nicely. A quick search on Urbanspoon led us to Panned Pizza, which seemed to be the perfect halfway between gourmet and suburban pizza joint. 

Pizza Counter

 

To be entirely honest, I was actually a little hesitant when I first walked in. I mean, the place was TINY, and looked a little too much like your local Dominoes for comfort. Add that to almost non-existent seating and back-lit menu, I was almost ready to bolt. Thank goodness I didn’t. The pizzas here come in three sizes – small (9-inch, $6.90), large (12-inch, $13.00), and ‘new yorker’ (18-inch, $25.00). They also sell pizza by the slice, as you can see in the picture above, for $4.50. We stuck with the panned special ($13.00 for large), which was essentially their version of ‘the lot’.

Interior; bonus points to anyone who can spot K in this picture

 

Whilst waiting for our pizza, I got to look around more closely at the interior. Besides the pizza counter and kitchen, there’s also a little cafe section on the side with very nice shelving. The mish-mash of trinkets sitting on the shelf gave the place a much homelier feel.

Panned Special (12 Inch Large, $13.00)

Our pizza came out within 15 minutes (though when you’re hungry every minute feels like an hour), and I would’ve probably dug straight in without taking any photos if it weren’t for the fact that we didn’t get individual plates, and so I took a couple of snaps whilst the waiter was getting them. My surprise at the fact that our pizza didn’t come with cutlery is probably iron-clad proof that gourmet pizzerias are starting to dominate the pizza market way too much – after all, pizza tastes better when you use your hands, everyone knows that! And no one knows that better than the people at Panned Pizza – not only did we not get cutlery, but we didn’t even get proper plates, just those paper picnic ones. Admittedly, despite all I’ve just said, I was still a little unimpressed with the lack of proper plates. But the pizza more than made up for that.

The first thing I noticed about this pizza is how the base wasn’t soggy. I hate soggy bases on pizza; they make all the toppings flop off if you don’t support the entire slice with your hands. Plus, soggy bases taste mooshy. There was a perfect base-to-topping ratio, with neither overwhelming the other, and the crust was wonderfully crispy. The ingredients tasted fresh, and the ham was in slices, as opposed to those little rectangular chunks. But I think the thing that lifted this pizza above the ordinary was the pineapple. I’ve never been a big fan of pineapple on pizza, but this pineapple was sweet and juicy, nothing like the tasteless stuff you get on most pizzas, and it gave the whole thing an extra dimension. Another thing Panned Pizza specialises in is Poutine – the Canadian dish of cheese and gravy on chips. We didn’t get it on this occasion but I will be back to try it. Soon.

Rating: 14.5/20 – first impressions can be deceiving

Waffle On (part 2)

Shop 9, Degraves Street

Melbourne, 3000

le normand (ham, French brie, tomato, lettuce, butter, $8.50

Because you can never have too many good sandwiches. No more than 10 days after our last visit, we were back, and this time we went with le Normand (ham, French brie, butter, lettuce and tomato, $8.50). Everything in the baguette was fairly standard (though of course, wonderfully fresh), but the gooey French brie was what tied it all together, it’s soft creaminess almost a halfway between a cheese and a sauce. Chris originally wanted the chicken one (which I had before and can confirm that it is great), but we flipped a coin and I won. So there. And it’s not like he complained about the one we got anyway.

Rating: 14/20 – mmm creamy