Sunday 30 June 2013

Mook Ji Bar

406 Lonsdale Street 
Melbourne, VIC
3000

I’ve been having a lot of Korean food lately, but that’s more than understandable given the weather. Korean food’s warm and sweet/hot and spicy palates were made for cold climates, and Melbourne has been having way too much of that recently. 




Because I’m such an eager study beaver, we didn’t get to Mook Ji Bar until past 6:30pm, by which time the little eatery was packed out with students ordering way more food than they can possibly eat. We stood around salivating for just under 10 minutes before a table freed up, and we ordered straight away, having perused the menu thoroughly whilst waiting. 



Cute little paper drinking cups! I called dibsies on the rhino, leaving Chris to sip from a cup covered with pink dolphins. Love <3


Banchan

Whilst waiting for the mains, I dug into some Banchan and Rice ($2pp) – I was starving. There was the obligatory kimchi, which was very fresh but lacking in flavour, slices of fluorescent pickled radish that was sweet and juicy, and satisfyingly crunchy preserved radish in a thick chilli sauce. 


Beef Bulgogi Hot Pot ($15)

It was freezing outside, so of course we had to have the Beef Bulgogi Hot Pot ($15). This is everything I love in winter – a hot, flavoursome stew filled with veggies, beef slices, and sweet potato noodles. The cloudy beef broth was especially good; very umami with a good depth of flavour, and a light sweetness from the mushroom and zucchini that’s been steeping in it. And best of all, it stayed scalding hot right throughout the entire meal, warming us to our fingertips.


Tteokbokki ($15)

We also ordered a plate of Tteokbokki ($15), which was off the entree menu but was actually huge. This was a mixture of chewy, stodgy cylinders of rice cake, slices of fish tofu, and bewilderingly enough, two types of fried dumpling. It was all doused in a sweet and spicy sauce, the fieriness and heavy carb content making for perfect winter fuel.

I liked Mook Ji Bar way more than I thought I would. I had expected some sort of basic Korean eatery, serving food in small-ish portions with forgettable flavours. On the contrary, everything was generously doled out and the food was tasty, with the exception of the beef hot pot, which was delicious. I may have been freezing and starving at the time but I’m sure it’d be just as good even when I’m not.   

Rating: 14/20 – bulgogi hot pot.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the number of hairs on Obama’s head. 

Mook Ji Bar on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Squire's Loft Steakhouse

12 Goldie Pl 
Melbourne, VIC 
3000

Tonight is a special night; it’s the night Chris lost his rib-ginity. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that a man of 20 years has never had ribs before: luscious, fatty ribs with juices that drip down between the fingers, the flavours soaked in so as to make you want to gnaw on the bones after the meat’s long gone. And where do you get ribs? At a steakhouse of course; namely, Squire’s Loft Steakhouse



If there’s one thing Melbourne likes, it’s guilty-pleasure food masquerading as fine dining (hot dogs, burgers, baos – just to name a few), so it’s no surprise that Squire’s Loft was all completely booked out on a Friday night. 




I was disappointed that Squire’s Loft didn’t have a loft. Until we were led up into the loft. Whilst the downstairs dining area had to share itself with the cash register and semi-open kitchen, the upstairs was a dining hall for nothing but feasting. It’s truly a man’s domain up here – nothing but brick, wood, and makeshift chandeliers hanging from the exposed rafters. 



There’s nothing better than bread, except free bread – that’s what I always say anyway. This bread was pretty good, Chris and I agreed. The edges were crusty and the center was warm and springy. Then we came to a crossroad of opinions; Chris on the one hand loved the way the butter melted into the bread, whereas I thought the entire doughy confection was ruined by the watery, subpar Western Star butter. 


Porterhouse Steak (200g, $25) and Garden Salad ($4 surcharge)

You can’t go to a steakhouse without ordering steak, so aside from the ribs, we got the Porterhouse Steak (200g, $25). It came with a side of potato chips/mashed/baked, which I decided to swap to a Garden Salad for a $4 surcharge. 



Plenty of people, especially my mum, would cringe in horror at this, but I like my steak to bleed when I cut into it. Keeping that in mind, I ordered my steak medium-rare, expecting a bright red center. This was definitely not medium-rare; it was medium, leaning towards medium-well on one side. Add that to the fact that the steak is hardly wagyu, and you have yourself a tough, flavourless hunk of protein.


Pork Spare Ribs (500g. $32.5)

Thankfully the Pork Spare Ribs (500g, $32.5) we came here for were significantly better. The meat was literally fall-off-the-bone tender, and whilst their signature steakmate baste didn’t really stand out, the addition of some good cracked pepper in the marinade was all that was needed to flavour the succulent ribs. If only the 500g didn’t include the bones.

Squire’s Loft Steakhouse was definitely a miss for me. The ribs were very tasty, but the steak was frankly atrocious, especially considering that steak is what this establishment specialised in. Coupled with the fact that, for the price of the better cuts and sauce to go with (it’s charged separately), you could get an amazing piece of wagyu at Rockpool Bar and Grill that is cooked to a juicy medium rare. And bottomless bread and butter. And 7 different condiments. And service that isn’t sparse and dismissive.

Rating: 11.5/20 – boot-leather steak.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the number of times I blew my nose during the meal. 

Squires Loft City Steakhouse on Urbanspoon

Friday 21 June 2013

Viet Star

750 Glenferrie Rd 
Hawthorn, VIC 
3122

Do you ever eat somewhere despite knowing that the food probably isn’t the greatest? I try and avoid it because it’s almost always a waste of money, and it makes me grumpy and a little spiteful. But laziness is a big motivating factor (ironically enough), and I was just too much of a sloth last Monday to think of a better place to eat, so Viet Star it was. 



Walking inside, my fears were confirmed – no cheap and cheerful Asian restaurant that looks this nice could possible serve good food, right? The interior was clean and spacious, one wall panelled with wood, the other with back-lit pictures of a bamboo forest.


Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Chicken ($10)

Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Chicken ($10)

On the rare days when I’m craving Vietnamese but am not too keen on the pho, I usually want a bowl of Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Chicken ($10). There are so many reasons to love this fresh, warm salad, and this bowl covered most of them. The chunks of chicken are tender in a way that only the Vietnamese seem to know how to achieve, and the overall flavour, whilst mellower than I would usually like, was livened up by the occasional burst of mint and basil. 


Egg Noodle Soup with BBQ Pork ($10)

Chris was also after simple and comforting today, so he had the Egg Noodle Soup with BBQ Pork ($10). A nest of bouncy egg noodles swam in the depths of the light vegetable soup, hidden by pieces of pork and vegetables. The meat was tough and bland, but I had an abundance of good chicken in my salad and I was all too happy to share (for once), so it all worked out in the end.

So once again, I look like an ass for ASSuming that an Asian place can’t serve decent food AND be easy on the eyes. Viet Star provided us with a pleasant meal that was exactly what we wanted, with no surprises. I’d joyously return if I were in the area craving for some Vietnamese, and who knows, maybe one day I’ll try even try their pho.

Rating: 12/20 – making an ass out of u and me.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the angle the moon made with Jupiter. 

Viet Star on Urbanspoon

Monday 17 June 2013

PappaRich

92-94 Kingsway 
Glen Waverley, VIC 3150

When I went to Malaysia earlier this year, I was surprised to discover that ‘real’ Malaysian food is rather different to the Malaysian food served in Melbourne. It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me but I guess I’m not a very smart cookie once I have food in my mouth. So when Pappa Rich, a Malaysian hawker food chain, opened in Melbourne, it immediately generated the sort of hype that led to half-hour waits at dinner time. And whilst I am very, very late to the party, I finally got around to making a visit. 




The interior of Pappa Rich (the Glen Waverley branch at least) was very nicely fitted out. It’s not what you’d expect of a restaurant for hawker food; in fact it felt rather European. It certainly made for a nice change from your usual cheap and cheerful.


Pappa Chicken Rice ($11.5)

After perusing the lengthy photo menu, we wrote our orders down on the order pad, before handing it off and sitting back to wait for our meals. I was in the mood for comfort food, and the Pappa Chicken Rice ($11.5), aka Hainanese chicken rice, with its fragrant rice, plump chicken, beans sprouts, and chicken soup certainly seemed to fit the bill.


Pappa Chicken Rice ($11.5)

After tasting the dish...I was neither impressed nor disappointed. The food came in modest portions, and whilst it wasn’t outstanding like other chicken rice I’ve had, it was still pleasant, and made for good comfort food. That is if you discount the soup made of nothing but MSG and salt. 


Pappa Char Kuay Teow ($11.5)

I got really excited when I saw that the Pappa Char Kuay Teow ($11.5) was made with the thin rice noodles found in Malaysia, as opposed to the wide, fat ones here. Unfortunately that was where the similarities ended. This had neither the smokiness nor spiciness of a genuine char kuay teow, and I really missed the little pieces of cockle that’s supposed to be scattered through the dish. It sat at a disappointing halfway between authentic hawker food, and Melbourne-styled Malaysian.

Two traditional Malaysian dishes later, I found Pappa Rich to be thoroughly ho-hum. Maybe we just ordered the wrong dishes but I felt the food was average, over-priced, and only semi-authentic. So until I find a restaurant that offers up the kind of nosh I dined on in Malaysia, I’ll be going to my regular haunts for Char Kuay Teow made with wide, fat noodles.

Rating: 11/20 – entirely underwhelming.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. 

PappaRich Glen Waverley on Urbanspoon

Thursday 13 June 2013

Simon's Peiking Duck

197b Middleborough Rd 
Box Hill South, VIC

I am so ducking happy. My parents have figured out that there is nothing I love more than a ducking good feed, so when I finally turned 20, they took me to Simon’s Peiking Duck Restaurant for a ducking awesome birthday celebration. 


Simon’s looked just like your everyday Chinese restaurant – it hustles, it bustles, but it’s a lot cleaner, newer, and brighter. The staff were bewilderingly helpful and ever so charming. I have to say, as much as I don’t expect stellar service at Chinese restaurants, having it did make a huge difference to our overall experience.



And of course, the man himself. Throughout the entire night, Simon stood at the front of the restaurant in his little bowtie, silver hair tied back, serving up duck after duck. He twirls the bird around on the plate in a little dance, making a precise incision here and a nifty flick of the wrist there, and before you know it there’s a pile of duck plated up and ready to be served. It was magic of the most hypnotic variety. 


Peking Duck

We opted for just one Duck served in Three Courses ($55) between the 4 of us, then some additional dishes and rice for mummy, who doesn’t eat poultry. 10 minutes later, there were 15 pieces of succulent duck, topped with a tile of golden skin, placed in front of us. Served up alongside were soft pancakes so delicate they could’ve been made of tissue paper, and the classic garnishes of cucumber, spring onion, and plum sauce.



A quick demonstration later (duck, cucumber, spring onion, sauce, fold fold fold, *eating motions*), Simon was off again with a chuckle and a joke, leaving us to practice our new-found Peking duck pancake making skills. The first bite had us all humming in delight; the duck was sweet and succulent, the oil oozing out of the crispy skin as we sank our teeth in. Dad even admitted that it was better than the duck he had when he last went back to China. 


Stir Fried Beanshoots with Duck Meat

What did they do with the rest of the duck, I hear you ask? Well they take it back into the kitchen, and once we had finished with our pancakes, it was served up as Stir Fried Beanshoots with Duck Meat. It almost seems unholy to say this but, I actually enjoyed this even more than the duck pancakes. The wok they tossed this through must have been blistering hot, because that was the only way the vegetables could’ve been so unbelievably smoky yet still crunchy-fresh. I’d fit out my future home with a professional kitchen just to make this dish alone. 


Duck Bone Soup with Beancurd

Not a single bit of our duck was wasted, with the remaining bones and organs cooked up into a Duck Bone Soup with Beancurd. This was a refreshing welcome after the richness of the last two dishes, the clear and umami broth flavoured with the sweet herbal flavours of star anise, to be slurped up along with tender slips of tofu. 


Eggplant with Pork Mince ($15.8)

So whilst we were gorging ourselves on various reincarnations of our duck, mum sneakily worked her way through practically the entire plate of Eggplant with Pork Mince ($15.8). The bits I managed to steal between mouthfuls of duck were scrumptious; the eggplant was sticky with caramelisation, almost to the point of gooeyness, and the mince was vibrantly flavoured with generous amounts of garlic and spring onion.


Sweet and Sour Pork ($16.8)

And because we’re all big kids at heart, a plate of Sweet and Sour Pork ($16.8) done perfectly with crisp batter encasing generous chunks of pork, a sauce that isn’t overwhelmingly sweet or sour, and crisp vegetables.

We were full, we were content, and we left with less than $100 damage between the 4 of us. A good time was had all-round, especially by my ridiculous little sister.


Rating: 15.5/20 – ducking fantastic.

The rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.

Simon's Peiking Duck Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Monday 10 June 2013

Red Silk

Level 1, 200 Bourke St 
Melbourne, VIC 
3000

Surprises are the best, but good surprises are even better. I was going out of my mind on a Friday night, trying to find a cheap restaurant I haven’t visited before, and served food I felt like eating. I had practically reached my wit’s end when I remembered Red Silk, a Chinese/Malaysian restaurant that’s hovered indistinctly at the edges of my mind for as long as I could remember. Let that be known to all the non-bloggers out there – going out to eat thrice a week and then blogging it isn’t as glamorous as it may seem!




So why haven’t I visited Red Silk up until now? In my head, a slick bar/lounge interior and Asian food always clash to form subpar, expensive dining. Then I actually took a look at their menu. It turns out that whilst appearances say drinks and bar food, what they actually do serve is a surprisingly extensive spread of Malaysian and Cantonese dishes, from street food like curry laksa, to restaurant fare like herbal lamb hotpots. There’s even a smattering of Japanese and Indian thrown in there. 



Milo with Pearl Sago ($3.8)

The downside to ambient lounges however, is the complete lack of light. Balking at the photo-murdering darkness, I opted to sit outside on the balcony instead, warmed by heat lamps and a tall glass of hot Milo with Pearl Sago ($3.8). Sitting above Bourke Street on a crisp night with a frothy glass of hot Milo is exactly what winter should be. 


Salt and Pepper Crispy Chicken Rib with Fried Egg on Rice ($9.8)

I really wanted fried chicken so I ‘bullied’ Chris into ordering the Salt and Pepper Crispy Chicken Rib with Fried Egg on Rice ($9.8). It’s hard to go wrong when it’s fried chicken and whilst not awe-inspiringly crunchy, it is deliciously marinated with salt and pepper, scattered with a fragrant mix of fried shallots, chilli, and garlic.


Wonton Egg Noodle Soup ($9.5)

The bowl of Wonton Egg Noodle Soup ($9.5) that I’ve been craving gave a very solid performance. Floating in the light, clear soup was a tangle of al-dente noodles, and half a dozen of tight little parcels filled with pork and prawn.  My only gripe was the lettuce in the soup; why would anyone want lettuce in soup?

By the time we left, both the inner lounge and the balcony were packed with people. I was really impressed with Red Silk as a place overall; it’s a gorgeous place to while away the night if you want more than just cheap drinks. It’s not exactly a place I would go out of my way to eat at but it’s definitely a place I’d remember if I wanted a tipple and something good to eat.

Rating: 13/20 – red cotton.

The rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.

Red Silk on Urbanspoon

Thursday 6 June 2013

Golden Fields

2/157 Fitzroy Street 
St Kilda, VIC 
3182


Another year, another Andrew McConnell restaurant. I’ve been a little obsessed with the bloke ever since the extraordinary birthday dinner I had at Cumulus Inc last year, and less than a week after that, I had locked in Golden Fields as the dining destination for my next birthday. 



Golden Fields has been predictably popular ever since it’s opening, and even more so after it was crowned ‘Best New Restaurant of 2012’ by The Age. That said though, it was so quiet at 6pm on a Monday night that the 5 of us could have probably walked in without a booking. 




I quite liked the sparse and restrained interior, its austerity lightened up by a front wall made entirely of glass, and a large mirror hanging at the back. There was a long, tall marble bench lining the open kitchen in what seems like the signature style of the McConnell restaurants, though Golden Fields felt a lot more impersonal compared to Cumulus Inc. I did really like the chicken claw coat hooks though; they looked simultaneously like birds taking flight, and chicken claws lamenting their fate with a gesture that wailed ‘WHY ME?’


Sake

Chris, Daniel and I had arrived early, so we kicked things off with a small carafe of Sake, the name of which I had conveniently lost. My blunder aside though, this was a light and fruity sake that quickly dissolved into a spicy finish that held a hint of fennel. It was very easy to drink, but I could feel the heat spreading to the tip of my ears before I had even finished. 


John Dory, Salmon Roe, Scud Chilli, Ginger and Lime ($15)

Once everyone had arrived, we started our meal with a couple of raw dishes. The first was a plate of John Dory, Salmon Roe, Scud Chilli, Ginger and Lime ($15). The delicate fillets of fish were firm and delicious, the squeeze of lime and the tiny yet potent slivers of scud chilli dancing on the palate.  


Bonito, White Miso, Ponzu, Sesame Seaweed ($16)

Bonito, White Miso, Ponzu, Sesame Seaweed ($16)

Our other raw dish – Bonito, White Miso, Ponzu, Sesame Seaweed ($16) – was a fun little piece of DIY. We were instructed to put a piece of the fish on the crisp square of seaweed, top it with miso paste and shreds of white ginger, before wrapping it up and dipping it into the ponzu dressing. When you do it right, this is a lovely little parcel of melt-in-the-mouth fish, crisp seaweed, and a potent hit of umami. When you do it wrong like me however, you end up with a messy (albeit still delicious) handful of disintegrating seaweed to shove as quickly as possible into the mouth before it collapsed. 


Shredded Chicken, Sesame Paste, House-Made Cold Rice Noodles, Chilli Oil ($17)

We moved onto the more sizable dishes with the Shredded Chicken, Sesame Paste, House-Made Cold Rice Noodles, Chilli Oil ($17). This was a fresh yet substantial offering, the cool slippery rice noodles pairing wonderfully with crunchy veggies and tender poached chicken. The entire salad was drizzled with chilli oil that had a hint of bean paste to it, and slathered with a thick, nutty sesame sauce. I’ve nothing negative to say about this, it’s really quite yummy. However on the other hand, the flavours are so traditional and uninspired that it’s the kind of thing you can find in any Chinese restaurant with a half-decent chef. 


Szechuan Braised Eggplant, Minced Pork, Rice Noodle ($18)

The Szechuan Braised Eggplant, Minced Pork, Rice Noodle ($18) was the perfect comfort food for a chilly near-winter’s day in Melbourne. The sticky caramelised eggplant and pork mince were bursting with chilli and ginger, and it was especially good for me because it had the slippery rolled rice noodles that I spent the first 5 years of my life eating in China, but never had again since moving to Australia. 


Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder, Cumin, Salted Lemon ($68)

Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder, Cumin, Salted Lemon ($68)

The Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder, Cumin, Salted Lemon ($68) was a no-brainer of a choice. The lamb was faultlessly cooked so as to fall apart the moment it was cut open. Served with thick lemon dressing and a pinch of cumin salt if you so choose, this was simple, satisfying, and delicious. 


Whole Roast Flounder, Shredded Potato, Seaweed Butter ($36)

Our second main was the Whole Roast Flounder, Shredded Potato, Seaweed Butter ($36). It didn’t look as tantalising as the lamb shoulder, but I loved it just as much, if not more. The seaweed butter gave the silky fish an indescribable richness that’s both light yet decadent, and the pile of shredded potato on top was sour, slightly crunchy, and very addictive paired with the creamy tenderness of the fish. 


Peanut Butter Parfait, Salted Caramel, and Soft Chocolate ($12)

The first of our two desserts was the famed Peanut Butter Parfait, Salted Caramel, and Soft Chocolate ($12). The ingredient list was practically fail-safe, and the fluffy peanut butter ice cream with dark chocolate, drizzled with sticky salted caramel was indeed scrumptious. I will admit however that whilst I enjoyed it, I wasn’t wowed by it, as I found everything about it rather predictable. 


Baked Tapioca and Vanilla Custard Brulee ($15)

We finished our meal off with a shallow bowl of Baked Tapioca and Vanilla Custard Brulee ($15). The little popping spheres of tapioca were especially enjoyable in contrast to the silky custard and crisp toffee. And I thought I would never say this but, it could’ve done with a little more custard and a little less toffee, as the sugariness all but overwhelmed the delicate custard.

Overall, I would say that, food-wise, our meal at Golden Fields was quite good. There were no stand-out dishes but they were all enjoyable, even if you could find similar quality dining in any decent Chinese restaurant. The service however fared less well. It was distantly polite at best and rather non-existent all up. It was a pain how all the dishes arrived one after the other; it would’ve be fine if it were just two people dining, but not so good when there are 5 hungry stomachs sitting around the table. I liked Golden Fields, but only just.



Rating: 13.5/20 – bronze fields.  

The rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit

Golden Fields on Urbanspoon