Sunday 30 September 2012

Brother Baba Budan

359 Little Bourke St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
 
brotherbababudan.com.au


There’s a lot about Melbourne that I take for granted, and being able to find a good coffee on any street corner is one of them. From what I’ve heard, there’s usually only one type of coffee served in America – coffee, and Starbucks is where you would head if you want some good fancy brew. Then you come back to Melbourne and every other cafe is offering 7 different blends made any way you like – cold drip, syphon, filtered, you name it and they’ll probably do it.




My favourite place to grab a morning coffee would have to be Brother Baba Budan. It’s a non-descript little shop on Little Bourke Street, something you probably walked past a million times without noticing. But in the early hours of the morning, the small space is absolutely jam packed with office workers and coffee fiends getting their first caffeine hit of the day. Just look out for the shady tree out the front and chairs hanging from the ceiling inside.





What I love the most about Brother Baba Budan is how their coffees have a unique flavour each day, thanks to the different blends they use. The Small Skinny Flat White ($3.8) I had today was bold and rich, which huge malty and chocolate overtones. If you have time (and if you’re lucky enough to find the space) you can easily stay here for a whole afternoon, with a cold drip coffee or two (single origin, of course) and one of their many slices and pastries.

Rating: 15/20 – coffee heaven. 

Brother Baba Budan on Urbanspoon


Thursday 27 September 2012

Kokoro Ramen

157 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000



Another candidate for the perfect ramen appears. I wasn’t the only one supremely excited about the opening of Kokoro Ramen, another restaurant determined to bring the ‘true’ noodle dish from the land of the rising sun. Within half a year of opening, a good couple dozen of reviews have popped up around the blogosphere with some very polarised views. Hence my delayed visit. But cravings be cravings, and after 3 weeks of my appetite being AWOL, any craving shall be sated without delay.






Hungry for a bowl of noodles like a crack addict for their next hit, we arrived at Kokoro Ramen just after 5pm, finding ourselves in a mostly empty restaurant. I have to say I really liked the decor; the wood panelling, dangling lights, and happy hour posters really gave off a homely izakaya feel. There was even a winter special of charcoal-grilled skewers, but ramen cravings, remember?


Butter and Corn Ramen in Tonkotsu and Miso Broth ($14.5)


Having heard some good reviews, I ordered a dish that I normally wouldn’t – the Butter and Corn Ramen in Tonkotsu and Miso Broth ($14.5). The broth was rich and thick from the butter melted in, and whilst it’s faint, the porkiness is definitely there. The toppings were unremarkable, but props to my favourite menma being one of them. Unfortunately the corn and butter didn’t add much intrigue to the dish, and a bit more spiciness would have been good.


Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen ($10.5)


Sticking to the safe and predictable (as usual), Chris went for the Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen ($10.5), a simple noodle dish in a clear broth of chicken, pork and shoyu. Unlike my ramen, the soup is a lot lighter in this one, with the chicken flavour taking center stage instead. It is a pleasant, but wholly unremarkable bowl of noodles that I probably would have enjoyed less had I not been craving them.


Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen ($10.5)


One thing that did catch my attention though was the noodles they used in the ramen. Instead of the curly and yellow Tokyo-styled noodles that I know and love, they used the straight, thin Hakata styled ones instead. I’m sure some people prefer them this way, but I just can’t get over the loss of springiness and that uniquely addictive taste from the alkali mineral water.

Kokoro Ramen is just ok. We enjoyed the meal but it was nothing to write home about. The prices were also a bit on the high end without the quality or portion size to match; I polished off my entire bowl with ease, soup included. I left with my craving satisfied, but I probably wouldn’t come back unless I was craving another bowl of predictably boring noodles. On second thoughts, maybe I’ll just go to RamenYa. $15 would get me a bowl of springy yellow noodles AND a plate of gyoza and green tea on the side.

Rating: 12/20 – predictability in a bowl.

Kokoro Ramen on Urbanspoon