W39 Bistro was something Miss XS mentioned to me a few years ago, but other than one ill-fated attempt to visit at 11pm, was something that slipped from our collective minds.
I'm not sure what was going through my mind when we set off that night; I had a vague notion that I wanted a slice of cake, and it sounded like the sort of place that'll open till the late hours, so off we went.
Luckily, a few birthdays later, I became much wiser,...
27 December 2015
23 December 2015
One recommendation by a trusted friend is worth ten positive reviews online. Sorry, Zomato; you and I go a long way back, and I love you deep deep, but it's true.
"Baba Sus is my favorite brunch place in Melbourne!" my friend declared exuberantly about this Asian-Brunch fusion restaurant. We have similar taste, but she works with a larger dining budget. (This is the same friend who had sampled some of the best food Shira Nui offers...
19 December 2015
A few months ago, I bought a large bag of cornmeal to make a deconstructed mango cheesecake. Afterwards, I promptly lost the bag in the overflowing labyrinths of my cupboard.
I knew it was somewhere amid my collection of jars and the bits and ends of leftover ingredients from other baking projects, but I couldn't get more specific than that. A few days ago, I was digging through my cupboard looking for a bag of azuki beans...
17 December 2015
Shira Nui is the kind of place that is just a little out of the usual university student's awareness. I hear about Shyun, Jyu-jyu, and Waya frequently, but no one ever seems to mention Shira Nui. It's a little away from the hotspot in Glen Waverley, and it doesn't have the most appealing appearance from the outside looking in, but when I went with a few friends last year after Miss XS's recommendation, I learnt that you can't judge a restaurant...
13 December 2015
Okay, so Gaijin isn't the most convenient restaurant to get to from my place. And looking for nearby parking may be a problem. But if you don't mind these slight inconveniences, you'll find yourself at one of the best, and affordable, Japanese restaurants of Melbourne.
I've been here a couple of years ago for dinner with Miss XS. The dim yellow lighting wasn't conducive for photo-taking, so we kept our camera away and gave the food our...
09 December 2015
When a couple of surgeons opened Volume Cafe across the main street from Dandenong Hospital, it caused a bit of a stir. I hear (don't sue!) that up along the food chain, the people in management were concerned whether opening Volume would divert traffic away from Zouki's, the in-hospital cafe chain.
But still, no one was as ecstatic about Volume as the staff and students were, and everybody that I've talked...
07 December 2015
The first time I made this fondue, I had an accident. I took my eyes off the water bath for just a minute, and water managed to get into the chocolate and seized the chocolate into an unappetizing glob. Don't be like me. Because my mind seems to wander off more often than a goldfish with ADHD, I took no chance with my second batch a few days later and chucked the chocolate-milk mixture into the microwave, as Alice Medrich recommended.
If...
03 December 2015
My first childhood memories of cakes came from prying a slice of Sara Lee's pound cake from the aluminium container. These cakes can be found in the refrigerated section of any supermarket back in those days, and it was a treat to come home to find a box in the fridge. We were probably meant to heat the cake up in the oven, but for some reason, I just never got around to it and often eat it cold from of the fridge.
...
01 December 2015
Jyu-Jyu is a no-frills Japanese place for a quick informal meal, where good Japanese food comes at an affordable price. There is plenty to choose from on the menu, but the only thing I've ordered was the Katsu-Don ($9.80 - above), which comes in my Goldilocks portion- not too big, not too small. It's satisfying for a lunch, and doesn't leave me in a food coma. Which makes it a terrific place for me to pop into for lunch before heading...
27 November 2015
Snow Pony is one of Melbourne's popular brunch places, and a restaurant which I've been eyeing for a while. The waitress tells us that Snow Pony sources its ingredients locally as much as possible, and the restaurant has some nifty home gadgets to minimise their environment impact. I was pretty impressed with their restroom set-up. The tap is connected to the toilet cistern. You wash your hands and the used water flows into the cistern, where...
19 November 2015
Ahh. Persian Flavours. You give my love for food a little more variety, you. There is a bit of a debate on Zomato about whether you lean more towards Persian or Afghanistan, but all that talk just makes you even more exotic. As long as you keep on firing up those charcoal grills of yours, anything goes.
I've been here before in the tail-end of 2014, but I've neglected to write about it. Well, I've came once again with a large group of friends...
17 November 2015
If you happen to be a goat or a chicken, Meat in the Middle must be what hell looks like. And what are you doing on the internet, you. Go chew on some more grass.
If you're a human who love meat as much as I do though, it's pretty much heaven. I've been here twice, both times with a full-on meat craving, and I left completely stuffed and satisfied. You'll love it here. I promise. (Caveat: Unless you are a vegetarian; in which...
14 November 2015
After spending every hour of the day over the last few weeks being glued to my seat in my room moving from deadline to deadline, I forgot there's so much more to life than the four walls of my room. Once in a while, it's nice to say to myself enough is enough. As a wise friend said, don't spend so much time trying to make a living that you forget to have a life. A break once in a while is well-deserved, and I pushed aside my inexhaustible...
11 November 2015
After a delicious meal at Persian Flavours, I couldn't get my cravings for grilled spiced chicken out of my head. I was busy with school for a few weeks, but luckily, the Dandenong area is a Middle Eastern area packed with restaurants. A quick Google search later, and I located Afghan Charcoal Kebabs just a few minutes drive away. My friend and I had a rare occasion where our schedules coincided one day, and we hopped on over to the restaurant...
07 November 2015
It was a happy coincidence that we ended up having lunch at Albion Hotel. I was on the way to Dandenong Market with S to buy a 10-kilo box of mandarin oranges and split it between the two of us.
This is why we make such perfect groceries shopping partners. We enable each other
We initially planned for a meal at Polish Rye Bakery, which I had heard really good reviews about. But, as we stopped by at Coles to pick up a few essentials,...
02 November 2015
Words by Miss XS
Korean dessert cafes is popping up all over the Singapore in these last few months, with more cafes offering Korean sweets in the food scene. Back into the days when I was a kid, the closest thing I had was ice kacang from hawker centres - which I crave whenever the day is hot. Shavings of ice, topped with colorful syrup and mixed with generous amount of red beans, sweet corn and atap seeds: yum! Then, came the Taiwanese versions...
31 October 2015
I've always wanted to make caramel: I see myself heating sugar until they bubble and turn brown, setting batches in trays and running a hot knife through the bars to make perfect little squares of freshly-made caramel.
Ingredients for a basic caramel recipe are pretty standard: sugar, maybe some cream and butter, and you're set to go. The only caveat is, well, caramel-making requires a candy thermometer. Seeing I don't exactly invest...
26 October 2015
Boy. This burger joint makes going to school worthwhile. Unfortunately - or fortunately for my waist-line? - my campus isn't close enough to hop over every day. Unlike some other lucky souls studying at the hip-and-happening Monash Caulfield campus, my campus is kinda situated in the middle of nowhere.
Growing up, I was a big fan of the Archie comics. I don't know how many of you would get this reference, but the food...
23 October 2015
The wintry season has finally ended, and so what better time is there to put my life on hold for half a day, slap on some sun-block, and head on down to the beach?
Just next door to Cafe Florentine, and a hop, skip and jump from Brighton Beach, is Fish Tank. I had been hankering to try this ever since I chanced upon it a year back, and finally made plans to do so. Look at that display of fresh seafood. It'll take a joyless person...
20 October 2015
Words by Miss XS
I’m on the lookout of good restaurants in the west and I was elated to chance upon this restaurant which is highly raved by many food bloggers. This place was really secluded and it’s not easily accessible without driving. We were there on a Sunday night and I was surprised that the restaurant was packed despite its ulu- location.
The Sweet Potato Leaves with Salted Fish came in a claypot, which was too salty. (2.5/5)
We also...
18 October 2015
I had the chance to revisit this recipe recently when I looked at my burgeoning chocolate collection, and decided it was time to cull some. Besides, J loaned me her lovely ceramic pot collection, and I've been looking forward to bake with them. I used up one bar for a chocolate fondue a week before, but the chocolate itch hadn't quite gone away yet.
I first made this recipe some years ago, when I was still trying to find my...
14 October 2015
Words by Miss XS
The food at Joyden Seafood is so good, I'm surprised how it's not more popular. Well, sorta. The restaurant is at West Coast Recreation, and the main entrance is cheekily located in the basement carpark. The first time I went, we wandered around the carpark for a bit looking a way in. Formerly known as The West Coast Seafood, it has since then revamped its menu and restaurant and is now one...
09 October 2015
"Are you alright?" One of my friends leaned over. "You look like you're in a lot of pain."
I was 3/4 of my way through YOMG's The Creeper ($18.50 - below): a triple beef patty, triple bacon and quadruple american cheddar burger from their Limited menu. I think my stomach is at full capacity. There's nothing wrong with the burger. Au contraire. The problem exists between the burger and the chair. I was just too full to continue. The...
05 October 2015
Up until a few months ago, I walked around Melbourne in a t-shirt and jeans, come summer or winter. Because I'm not the brightest light-bulb in the box, it took me three years in Melbourne to connect the dots: that my poor health in winter correlated with the single layer of clothing I have on in the dead of winter. Just this year alone, I spent most of May and June battling a cough and runny nose. I got much better over the holidays...
30 September 2015
Photo by R
I know how you're feeling when you first read the title.
Meh.
I know. I felt the same way too.
Vanilla Cookies? Isn't this what bakers call plain cookies because they're all out of other ingredients?
But wait. Just hang on a second. This ain't just any recipe you find on the streets. (Or the internet.) This recipe ain't shy about its pedigree. Known as Ovis Mollis in Italy, this recipe was from one...
28 September 2015
I was flipping through an old issue of 8 Days (an entertainment magazine circulating in Singapore), reading up on the latest(-ish...) restaurants opening in Singapore when I read that one of the restaurants, Carvers and Co, sources their single origin beans from a Melbourne micro-roastery called Little Chloe. I did a quick web search of Little Chloe, and was pretty chuffed that it's just about 20 minutes from where I live. They enjoy pretty...
24 September 2015
Words by Miss XS
The Sushi Bar's first outlet was a small unpretentious joint in Far East Plaza, with a snaking queue at its shopfront during peak hours. I remember having to wait up to an hour to get in (on a weekday night!) and no one was happier than me when I heard that a more spacious branch is due to be opened in Takashimaya.
The Sushi Bar is located on the fifth level of Takashimaya. We was there on a weekend afternoon...
