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Melbourne CBD

Hoboken; Waffle On; Cup of Truth, Melbourne CBD

December 7, 2011
★★, ★★★, ½, Breakfast/ Brunch, Coffee, Eating Out, Lunch, Melbourne CBD
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3 Hosier Lane Map
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9078 2869
hoboken.com.au

Hosier Lane is known for its graffiti-covered walls and Hoboken is located right along this popular colorful laneway. Since I was heading out for lunch with Mum, I thought why not head to Hoboken and at the same time show her the amazing artwork along Hosier Lane.

We went on a quiet wed morning for lunch, we were served immediately and the service was nice and friendly.

Menu is simple, more suited for a light breakfast/lunch. 

We had the Red Beans & Rice $8.50 and a Cheese & Tomato Croissant $7.50.

Coffee was good, Hoboken uses Coffee Supreme.

The Croissant was alright, the Red Beans & Rice portion were on the smaller side. Taste wise however was disappointing. They were lacking in flavor and the rice was dry and difficult to eat.

They do provide several Hot sauces to go with the beans which i gladly tried.

Overall, Hoboken is a good spot for coffee but I would give it a miss for food. Unless you are after something light.

Still feeling peckish after lunch, we headed towards Waffle On located on Degraves St. A favorite among the working crowd during lunch hours for their $9 Baguettes takeaway, they also serve (duh waffle on) yummy waffles with a topping of your choice $4.

Shop 9, Degraves St Map 
Melbourne, VIC 3000
04 0140 8168

The waffle was warm, soft and covered with a layer of chocolate. Yums

We also headed to Cup of Truth prior for another coffee. It is one of my favorite spots for takeaway coffee.

Best way to find it is to walk down Flinders St, before turning right into Degraves St, you will spot a stairs heading underground ’Subway to Station’. Head down the stairs and you will spot Cup of Truth.

12 Campbell Arcade Degraves St Subway Map 
Melbourne, VIC 3000

Hoboken Rating:

½                  mediocre, nothing special

$ to $$       $15-25 per main

Hoboken Cafe on Urbanspoon

Waffle On Rating:
★★         good, recommended
$              under $15 per main

Waffle On on Urbanspoon

Cup of Truth Rating
★★★     excellent! 

$              under $15 per main

Cup of Truth on Urbanspoon

Guhng (The Palace), Melbourne CBD

December 4, 2011
★, Dinner, Eating Out, Korean, Melbourne CBD
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19 McKillop Street Map 
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9041 2192
Recently met up with some friends for dinner and they suggested to have Korean food over at Guhng. I happily agreed since I’ve never been there before. We made a booking for 7 of us and were seated once we arrived.
The interior is nice. Although not too wide, there were several floors which allowed it to accommodate a fairly large number of patrons with large tables suitable for groups of 6 to 8 ppl.
Service is friendly but can be a bit slow.

We ordered quite a lot of food, including ox tongue, pork belly, beef ribs and hotpots.

Everyone really like the Pasta Coleslaw side dish (side dishes are refillable). The BBQ dishes ordered were tasty. The hotpots on the other hand were just mediocre and at a heftier price of $35+

Overall, Guhng offers good Korean BBQ but no stand outs from other Korean BBQ restaurants.

Rating:

★             relatively good, still worth a try

$$$        $25-35 per main

Guhng (The Palace) on Urbanspoon

Pho Dzung City Noodle Shop, Melbourne CBD

November 25, 2011
★★, Dinner, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, Melbourne CBD, Uncategorized, Vietnamese
2 Comments
234 Russell St Map
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9663 8885
 

Located along russell street, I’ve walked past this place many times.

Had pho cravings but unwilling to head to Mekong (I think the last time I visited that place was around 3 years ago?, it was so MSG laden that I actually woke up with a puffy eye the next day, due to water retention from the excessive MSG or sth. I’m not kidding!)

So decided why not try Pho Dzung City Noodle Shop instead.

I had the Special Beef/ w/ Chicken Combo (minus Tendons & Tripe, forgot to mention no blood D: )and K had the Beef Combo.

Tastewise, the noodles were good, salty but still not that bad. Portions were good as well.

The beef was tender, especially the rare beef (which I would recommend getting as it continued to cook in the hot soup resulting in a perfect state of ‘done-ness’ ahah). Also liked the sausage peppercorn.

However, would’ve preferred if the waiter actually asked which size we wanted. He gave us mediums, K managed to finish his but I couldn’t finish mine (small would’ve been just right).

Overall, a good place for pho in the CBD.

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main
Pho Dzung City Noodle Shop on Urbanspoon

Shanghai Street Dumpling, Melbourne CBD

November 22, 2011
Asian, ★★, Chinese, Dinner, Eating Out, Melbourne CBD
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342 Little Bourke Street Map
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9600 2250
 
 
 

We had the Chicken + Prawn Shanghai XiaoLongBao $9.80 & Pork Shanghai XiaoLongBao $ 8.80. Also, the steamed Vegetable Buns $4.80, Chili Beef on Rice $9.50, Beef Braised Beef  in Noodle Soup and Beef slices Noodle Soup (around $8.80 to $9.50).

 

The Pork XiaoLongBaos were juicy and delicious!

The Chicken and Prawn ones were just alright, was rather dry. Didn’t enjoy the Vegetarian Buns, looked and tasted like it it came from the frozen section of the asian grocer.


The Chilli Beef on Rice was just alright, with the beef pieces rather chewy.

Both noodles were good, especially the braised beef which was soft and the broth the soup was yummy.

Overall, a bit hits and misses but real yummy Pork XiaoLongBaos and food’s still good. Prices are cheap and portions are good as well.

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main

Shanghai Street Dumpling on Urbanspoon

Yu-U, Melbourne CBD

October 26, 2011
Asian, ★★, Eating Out, Japanese, Lunch, Melbourne, Melbourne CBD
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137 Flinders Ln Map
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9639 7073

Yu-U is a bit tricky to find as many previously have noted. They don’t have any noticeable signage outside, closest thing to a signage would be the small frame hung on the wall right outside thier door.

The restaurant has a sleek modern japanese style with a large bar type table in the middle. The place is quiet and relaxed. Me and TT went for thier Lunch Set $18

I had the Grilled Beef Set $12, whilst TT had the Salmon Set $18 + Sashimi (2nd main) $12 and both with seasoned rice $2 (each).

Sashimi (chef’s selection) $12

Grilled Beef Patty Set w/ Seasoned Rice $20

TT really liked the Sashimi and commented on its freshness. Both of us prefer the Grilled Beef Patty over the Salmon Curry.

The Beef Patty was tasty and went well with the garlic soy sauce. The Salmon Curry however was very mediocre, the curry lacked ‘pow’ and tasted quite flat. Portion was also rather small.

Curry Salmon Set w/ Seasoned Rice $20

The seasoned rice was yummy, moist and cooked with bits of mushroom and veg.

However, we found a strand of hair in with the rice.  We notified the staff and she apologized and removed the bowl promptly. She did return with a new bowl of rice but it was quite a long while later.

Overall, food is pretty good and it’s a nice hidden lunch spot in the city.


Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$$           $15-25 per main


Yu-U on Urbanspoon

Nutrients, Melbourne CBD

September 28, 2011
★★, Eating Out, Indian, Lunch, Melbourne, Melbourne CBD
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Shop T10b, The Foundry,
399 Bourke Street Map
Melbourne, 3000
(04) 0367 5084
www.nutrients.com.au
 
It was a little bit tricky to find as it’s in a small food court area located inside The Foundry.  Only opens for lunch on Weekdays, bain-marie style, this place emphasizes on a ‘No Junk Lifestyle’.
A variety of options, food here is freshly prepared, wholesome and healthy (Preservatives free, cooked with minimal oil and no deep frying). They also only use leans meats in their dishes.
Portions are good and prices are cheap ranging from $7 to $10 depending on how many dishes you choose.
We went there for a late lunch and most of the dishes were already sold out. We had the Chicken Curry, Poached Chicken Breast w/ Gravy, Brussel Sprouts, and Brown Rice.
The dishes were simple but they also tasted good, the food was still flavorsome. There is a tendency for Chicken breasts to be quite dry when cooked but the Poached Chicken here was succelent.
Overall, a filling and tasty healthy meal.

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main

Nutrients on Urbanspoon

Purple Peanuts Japanese Cafe, Melbourne CBD

August 19, 2011
★, Eating Out, Japanese, Lunch, Melbourne CBD
1 Comment
620 Collins St Map
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9620 9548

Went for lunch, this place gets pretty busy when the working crowd comes during lunch hour.

We had the Kakuni Pork $9.50 and Chicken Curry Soba $9.50.

Kakuni Pork

Chicken Curry Soba

The Kakuni Pork was good, with succulent pork belly. Would’ve preferred if there was more of the red sauce (tasted kind of like gochujang) that came with it.

The Curry Soba on the other hand was a disappointment, pretty flat on taste and kinda watered down curry. Didnt enjoy that.

Overall, one of the convenient places to grab a quick lunch, but will skipping the curry next time.

 

Rating: 

★             relatively good, still worth a try

$              under $15 per main

Purple Peanuts Japanese Cafe on Urbanspoon

Maccaroni Trattoria, Melbourne CBD

August 12, 2011
★, Dinner, Eating Out, Italian, Melbourne, Melbourne CBD
1 Comment
10 Manchester Ln Map 
Melbourne, 3000
(03) 9090 7634
www.maccaronitrattoria.com.au

Opened recently, Maccaroni Trattoria is a small place, good for a casual semi-quick Italian lunch/dinner.

Service is alright, cant say much- wasn’t good but wasn’t bad either.

We had the Cannelloni $10.50 , Osso Buco, and Smoked Salmon Risotto $13.50.

Would recommend the Osso Buco, meat was tender and fell off the bone perfectly. Cannelloni was pretty good as well. But didn’t like the Smoked Salmon Risotto, portion of the salmon was measly & just disappointing, taste-wise was just alright.

Overall, still pretty good Italian food and prices here are affordable too.

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main

Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana on Urbanspoon

Funky Curry, Melbourne CBD

August 12, 2011
Asian, ½, Dinner, Eating Out, Indian, Melbourne, Melbourne CBD
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164 Bourke StMap 
Melbourne, 3000
(03) 9662 2299
www.funkycurry.com.au

Walked past here many times, and the colourful yet dodgy looking exterior intrigued me to try it out. The Bourke St. Funky Curry is just one of many Funky Curry locations around Melbourne.

Went to Funky Curry for dinner,  the interior is fine albeit pretty brightly painted.

Foodwise, a variety of options from bain maries, decent curries at a good price ($8 to $10) depending on how many options you choose.

Taste wise, it was pretty good, although like most indian food, can get quite thirsty after the meal.The only disappointment was the naan, just tasted like microwaved frozen naan.

Overall, doubt i will be returning, but worth a try if you’re craving indian food.

Rating:

½            mediocre, nothing special

$              under $15 per main

Funky Curry on Urbanspoon

Chin Chin, Melbourne CBD

August 11, 2011
Asian, ★★, Dinner, Eating Out, Melbourne, Melbourne CBD
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125 Flinders LaneMap 
Melbourne, 3000
(03) 8663 2000
www.chinchinrestaurant.com.au

With all the hype around this place, you have to go early or risk waiting a long while for a table.

Place isn’t too big but still quite a number of seating. Quite dark and can get pretty noisy on a busy night. Service is good and pretty efficient.

We had the Spicy Eggnet Omelet Rolls $12 for 2 pieces, Roti Madtarbak $12 Massaman Curry $18, Soft Shell Crab $22, 3 Layer Pudding $9.

Spicy Eggnet Rolls & Soft Shelled Crab

Ma

Massaman Curry & 3 Layer Pudding

Overall, food was tasty, but there were hits and misses.

Didnt like the Roti- more of a thick pastry skin than a roti, might be due to the fact tht it was burnt. Massaman was on the saltier side. However, the rice that came with the curry was surprisingly good, yes I know its just rice! but actually some restaurants cant even get such a simple thing right! The 3 layer pudding was a good combination of flavours, however I think it wasnt thawed enough and some parts were abit too frozen for my liking.

Besides that, everything else was good, the Soft Shell Crab was crisp and delectable with the chilli that came with it. As well as the Eggnet Rolls although Price wise, is pretty pricey considering the small portions.

Overall, more hits than misses.

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$$           $15-25 per main

Chin Chin on Urbanspoon

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