Sunday 28 July 2013

Shandong Mama

Shop 7, 200 Bourke St 
Melbourne, VIC 
3000

Melbourne is a sucker for new things. New fashion, new trends, new festivals (hello White Festival!) – Melbourne is all over that stuff. But nothing beats new food, so when Shandong Mama opened in dumpling-loving Melbourne with her mackerel dumplings, the city practically went dumpling-crazy. Or at least the foodie community did. 



I’ve come to love this dodgy, low-ceilinged arcade connecting Bourke and Little Bourke Street. Most of the shops are past their prime, but it does house a few nice restaurants, and now Shandong Mama has been added to that list.



It could simply be because it’s new, but the interior was nicely decked out with glossy furniture and booths lining the walls. The waitresses were also friendly and efficient – thumbs up and fingers crossed they keep this up!


Pork and Cabbage Dumplings ($10.8 for 12)

There was a plethora of unusual concoctions on the menu, including pork and dill dumplings, prawn and black fungus dumplings, and even Melbourne dumplings, housing a mixture of seafood, chicken, lemon rind, and olive oil. In the end though, I couldn’t have done without a plate of Pork and Cabbage Dumplings ($10.8 for 12), my benchmark dish for assessing a dumpling house. 


Pork and Cabbage Dumpling

The pork dumpling had a more delicate skin than the Northern-China-styled dumplings Melbourne is more familiar with, and the filling was chunky and full of flavour. They’re not the best I’ve had, but they’re getting there, especially when eaten with the excellently chilli oil. 


Mackerel Dumplings ($14.8 for 10)

Traditionalist I may be, I couldn’t go past a plate of the signature Mackerel Dumplings ($14.8 for 10). Apparently these large, floppy dumplings are a Shandong staple (go figure), and having never had them before, I was excited to get to know them a bit better. 


Mackerel Dumpling

For once, Chris and I agreed on a dish being ‘interesting’. It was nicely flavoured, the mousse in the center faintly fishy and lightly herbed with coriander. However the texture completely threw me. I knew that it wasn’t going to be a solid filling like your usual dumpling, but I wasn’t prepared for just how... squishy it was. As nice as it tasted, I’m just not sure how sold I am on a mushy, fishy mouthful. 


Preserved Egg and Tofu Salad ($6.8)

Fortunately, I had my favourite side-dish to focus on after being disappointed with the mackerel dumplings. There is possibly no Asian-er dish than Preserved Egg and Tofu Salad ($6.8) – silken tofu topped with chopped up century egg and a dressing of sesame oil and vinegar.  I know it doesn’t sound very nice, but don’t knock it until you try it. The pearly smooth slices of tofu were a cool vehicle for the creamy pieces of egg, and the vinegar kept it bright and zesty. It could very well have been a light meal in itself.

Barring the bizarre texture sensation that was the mackerel dumplings, I rather enjoyed the food at Shandong Mama, but it didn’t leave me all too keen on trying the other unusual concoctions. So that raises the question – what reason do I have to come back, if I’m not going to be trying the seafood, chicken and lemon rind dumpling, and if I can get cheaper, better traditional dumplings elsewhere? Don’t let me discourage you though, it is certainly worth a visit, and it’s a great find if you’ve a more open mind regarding your dumplings.

Rating: 12.5/20 – open-minded dumplings.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And how much the wrinkled dumpling skins looked like brains. 

Shandong Mama on Urbanspoon

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Kalamaki

389 Lonsdale St 
Melbourne, VIC 
3000

I was ready to hate Kalamaki before we even stepped foot inside. Why? Because it was standing where Aspro Ble, one of my favourite restaurants in town, used to be. Yes yes, I know it’s unfair to be biased like this but, old affections die hard.


I was surprised to find Kalamaki packed at lunch o’clock on a Thursday.  But then again a gourmet souvlaki shop opening right at the top of Hardware Lane is basically a honey pot for office workers. 



The owners of Kalamaki kept most of the easygoing Greek vibe that Aspro Ble had, choosing only to change the small tables to a long window seat, and doubling the length of the communal table. Despite how packed it was, we had an easy time finding a seat for two, as most of the patrons were crowded around the counter for take-away. 


Slow Roasted Lamb Souvlaki ($9)

Slow Roasted Lamb Souvlaki ($9)

The Slow Roasted Lamb Souvlaki ($9) was a winner. The copious amounts of juice from the lamb soaked into the cushiony pita and herbed chips, the soft richness of the meat broken up by tomatoes, onions, and a smear of tzatziki. 


Sheftalies Souvlaki ($10)

The Sheftalies Souvlaki ($10) was filled with small Greek sausages, which were chunky and tenderly flavoured with lemon and oregano. Unfortunately, between slightly overcooked sausages, a carbohydrate double whammy from the pita and chips, and insufficient tzatziki, this was rather dry and a bit hard to swallow, despite tasting nice.



All in all, I quite liked the souvlakis served up at Kalamaki. They’re not as big as the two-handed monsters you find on Sydney Road; they’re more akin to small hefty grenades of protein. But when you combine fork-tender lamb, pillowy bread, and a few classic fillings, what you get is an age-old recipe that can’t fail.

Rating: 13/20 – juiciest lamb ever

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the number of sheep my sister is keeping in Minecraft.

Kalamaki Greek Street Food on Urbanspoon

Saturday 20 July 2013

Brown Bagels

330 Collins St Shop 10 Equitable Pl 
Melbourne, VIC 
3000


I adore Melbourne’s laneway culture. Even after 2 and a half years of food blogging, and hanging around the city for the last 10 years, I’m still constantly discovering little bits and pieces Melbourne has tucked away in its pockets and seams. Such as Brown Bagels, a teeny tiny cafe kept hidden in a narrow strip between 2 buildings that I didn’t know about until today. 




It’s a bit of a squeeze inside the palm-sized cafe, with a narrow communal bench inside and another one just outside under the eaves. It’s cosy not cramped, and I liked the little homely touches, though most of my attention was arrested by the large shelf at the back with different types of bagels catalogued in baskets.


Angus Beef Burger ($9.9) on a Plain Bagel

The unimaginative one chose to have the Angus Beef Burger ($9.9) on a Plain Bagel. On first glance, the thick patty looked grey with exhaustion, but it actually turned out to be flavoursome and moist, with herbs gently folded through. It was a very enjoyable meal, especially considering the way the sharp cheese melted into the beef. It wasn’t so much a bagel as a burgel, but good food is good food. 


Spicy Pork Bagel ($9.9) on a Wholemeal Bagel

I on the other hand tried one of their newer creations – the Spicy Pork Bagel ($9.9). It was quite similar to Chris’ Angus beef bagel, but instead of tomato sauce and a patty, my Wholemeal Bagel was stuffed with spicy shredded pork and chilli sauce. I found that the tender shredded pork to be very comforting, flavoured with the chilli bean paste that I’ve been having all my life. All up, it made for a generous and tasty meal.

If you came to brown bagels expecting the traditional bagel experience, I imagine you’d be disappointed. What’s on offer is more circular bread than a dense, chewy bagel, but I loved the variety of fillings on offer, including a tantalising nutella, strawberry and hazelnut one. Keep your mind a little bit open, and I guarantee that you’ll enjoy your experience.

Rating: 13/20 – normal is boring.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the number of creases in my lettuce. 

Brown Bagels on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Hellenic Republic

434 Lygon St 
Brunswick East, VIC
3057


I love George Calombaris, aka Georgie. Not only is he the most adorable TV chef personality (BOOM BOOM SHAKE THE ROOM), he’s also some sort of chef genie, winning Young Chef of the Year at age 24. Now at the ripe old age of 34, he is the owner/co-owner of 6 esteemed restaurants around Melbourne, as well as one in Mykonos. That pretty much sums up why I was so excited to eat at Hellenic Republic, one of Georgie’s earlier restaurants, serving traditional Greek fare with a modern twist. 




I had just blasted through all three of my exams, received my dream pharmacy intern position for 2014, and was 3 weeks away from a holiday in Japan. It was a good day, and the plan was to order way too much food and celebrate in style. 




We had made a booking for 6pm but we arrived half an hour early. We attempted to loiter outside for a bit, but being on the more rustic end of town, along with the amazing smells emanating from the building, made waiting more than 10 minutes impossible. So instead, we chose to sit inside in our wicker chairs, watching the meat turn on a spit, inhaling the thick wafts of delicious scents. 


Olives Local and Hellenic ($5.5)/Pita ($4.5)/Taramosalata (small, $6)

We began with the classic trio of starters – Olives Local and Hellenic ($5.5), Pita ($4.5), and Taramosalata (small, $6). The olives were well marinated and heavily flavoured, but they didn’t hold a candle to the pita bread. The pita was pillowy around the edges, getting crispier as you moved towards the center, all infused with a charred, woody fragrance. 


Taramosalata (small, $6)

Best of all though, was the Taramosalata, aka cod roe dip. It was sheer decadence, the smooth creamy texture holding a subtle but intense briny flavour. I was in heaven, dragging the top-notch pita bread through the dip and wondering how anything could be so seductive. It all made sense when I was found out that the dip was made almost entirely of cod roe, with only a smidgen of breadcrumbs, olive oil, and garlic blended in.


Tyri Saganaki ($14.5)

Of course we had to sample Hellenic Republic’s signature dish – the Tyri Saganaki ($14.5).  The wedge of cheese was grilled until it was crisp outside and chewy in the middle, and its rich saltiness tempered by the soft figs sweetened with honey and balsamic. It’s hardly a groundbreaking combination, but it is sheer decadence and an explosion of classic flavours.


Small Spit Combo ($16.2)/Tzatziki (small, $5)

You haven’t really eaten at a Greek restaurant until you’ve had their grilled meats, and because we couldn’t decide between lamb and chicken, the waiter helpfully suggested the Small Spit Combo ($16.2), which had some of both. To be honest, I liked this but I didn’t love this. Whilst it had the requisite deliciously smoky flavours, I’ve had much more tender and flavoursome experiences elsewhere. It did go well with the sweet and refreshing plate of Tzatziki (small, $5) though. 


Kipriaki Salata Dimitriakon (small, $7.2)

On the suggestion of our waiter, we ordered a Kipriaki Salata Dimitriakon (small, $7.2) to go with all our protein. Despite the complex sounding name, it’s actually just the classic Cypriot salad consisting of grains, pulses, nuts and yoghurt. Naturally this made for a rather hefty salad, but it wasn’t weighed down thanks to copious amounts of coriander tossed through with a tangy dressing, and the sweet pop of pomegranate. I especially liked the slivers of toasted almonds.   


Htapodi (small, $10.8)

Because I could never neglect the seafood, I ordered a small serve of Htapodi (small, $10.8), which was Western Australian octopus, pickled with ouzo and spices. This was a much needed break from the more substantial dishes, the cool sour flavours and the addictive chewiness making for a great palate cleanser. 


Kalamari (small, $10.8)

I can never look past Kalamari (small, $10.8) when it’s on the menu, but this one was a bit of a hit and miss. It was exquisitely tender with just a hint of chewiness, but I couldn’t taste anything else above the overwhelming, bitter smokiness.  


The stone says 'Passion'!

Hellenic Republic isn’t the pretentious dining experience you’d expect from a celebrity chef. It’s honest Greek food that’s been giving a good polish, and DAMN do those Greeks know how to eat. It would’ve been nice if everything had been as amazing as the cod roe dip but, that would be asking for the impossible. 



Oh and whilst we’re here, some amazing end-of-exams cupcakes I had from Cupcake Central

Rating: 15/20 – shiny greek food

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the amount of battery left in my gameboy advance.

Hellenic Republic on Urbanspoon

Friday 12 July 2013

Cafe Soho

113-115 Kingsway 
Glen Waverley, VIC
3150

While Ming’s busy studying for exams at time of writing, it falls to me, Chris, yet again to take the lead for another blog post. Enjoy!


You’d think that, living so close to Glen Waverley, Ming would have tried about every restaurant on offer on Kingsway. But in addition to the ever-increasing backlog of places to eat at, occasionally a new one crops up, such as Café Soho – replacing Café Moretti which previously stood in its place.




Not sure what to eat after a day of exam study, we ended up settling on Café Soho and rushed inside to get away from the winter chill. The interior is very much unchanged from our visit to Café Moretti, with the exception of various new Asian touches and the addition of TVs playing miscellaneous Asian dramas while you eat.


Garlic Bread ($4)

I wouldn’t normally be in any rush to order garlic bread at a restaurant, but ever since loving the Garlic Bread ($4) at Horoki, I’ve been eager to see if I can get my garlic bread fix anywhere else. I’m no garlic bread connoisseur, but the bread in this instance was dry and not particularly flavoursome. Not something I’d bother ordering again, though I suppose if you were dying for garlic bread this might get you by.


Spicy Minced Beef with Bean Curd on Rice ($9.8)

Spicy Minced Beef with Bean Curd on Rice ($9.8)

Ming ordered the Spicy Minced Beef with Bean Curd on Rice ($9.8), and out came a very generous serving indeed. However, it was bland, with barely enough spice for even me to notice – and I’m a spice lightweight compared to Ming. There may have been enough of it to fill most people up easily, but we were left unsatisfied by this dish.


Fried Rice Noodle with Beef ($9.8)

I ordered the Fried Rice Noodle with Beef ($9.8), and I daresay this fared better than Ming’s order. Another generous serving, I was thankfully hungry enough to polish this off without any problems. It can probably best be summed up as sufficient; each component of the dish tasted about as good as you might expect from such a restaurant, but absolutely nothing more.

Overall, Café Soho delivered a barely OK experience. None of the dishes stood out, and 2 of 3 were sub-par. I can’t say there were any major faults, but that’s about it – take from that what you will.

Rating: 11/20

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

Cafe Soho on Urbanspoon

Monday 8 July 2013

Longrain

44 Little Bourke St 
Melbourne, VIC 
3000

What justifies a special meal out? For me, it usually has to be some big event, but occasionally there are days where I just need a little pampering and something a bit more luxurious. So after the stress of a really, really big job interview and an entire day of exam study, I decided that I wanted to my stomach to be full of modern Thai food from Longrain that night. 



The moment Longrain opens its doors at 5:30pm, the people just pour and pour and pour in, until the large communal tables are crammed to the brim. As a party of two, we were given the option of sitting at the huge banquet table, or along the marble bar. And why would I turn down the opportunity of watching the bartenders mix, crush and shake their way to hundreds of gorgeous looking cocktails?


Caramelised Pork Hock, Five Spice, Chilli Vinegar/Ping Pong

I had actually made a small visit to Longrain earlier in the year for the Bar Express offered during the Food and Wine Festival. The Caramelised Pork Hock, Five Spice, Chilli Vinegar we had then was delicious, as was the Ping Pong (Lychees and Passionfruit with Citrus Vodka and Lychee Liqueur, balanced with Fresh Lime Juice), thus paving the way to my return visit.


Salt and Pepper Silken Tofu, Fried Eschalots, Sweet Soy ($16)

I can never pass up a good plate of Salt and Pepper Silken Tofu, Fried Eschalots, Sweet Soy ($16), and this was the best I’ve ever had without leaving the country. The tofu was so silken that it was the consistency of thick custard, and the exterior was tempura-light and magically crisp. It didn’t need anything other than the small jug of sweet soy to give it flavour – the crunch-and-melt texture itself was enough to make the dish. 


Slow Cooked Yellow Curry of Bultarra Saltbush Lamb with Kipfler Potatoes ($39)

We were starving that night (I was so hungry that I ate way too quickly and had a stomach ache for 40 minutes afterwards and had to sit on the toilet floor just in case the food made a reappearance, followed by 4 antacids), and we cut straight to the chase by ordering the Slow Cooked Yellow Curry of Bultarra Saltbush Lamb with Kipfler Potatoes ($39) to soak our Jasmine Rice ($3pp) with. This was delicious. On first taste the curry was a comforting mix of sweet and creamy, but the flavours soon expanded to show a surprising depth, and just a little chilli for personality. The lamb was unctuously tender, and the richness was balanced out most deliciously when mixed with the sour green relish of onion and Asian herbs.

I am kicking myself for not having visited Longrain sooner. Our meal didn’t blow us away with inventiveness or new flavours, but it was probably the most delicious meal I’ve had for quite some time. And whilst the prices may look steep, the portions are very generous and you can easily get by on about $30pp. That’s if you don’t indulge in their myriad of Asian-inspired cocktails; and let me tell you, I was sorely tempted.

Rating: 15.5/20 – me love you longrain.  

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the number of sultanas in the trail mix I’m eating now. 

Longrain Melbourne on Urbanspoon