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St. Ali, South Melbourne (2nd Review)

December 23, 2011
★, Breakfast/ Brunch, Coffee, Eating Out, South Melbourne
1 Comment
12/18 Yarra Pl
South Melbourne, 3205
(03) 9686 2990

My first visit to St. Ali’s  was a very satisfying one, so went there again but this time for lunch on a Friday noon with Adrienne & TT.

It was busy but we managed to get  a table, our waiter was friendly and efficient.

Their menu has altered slightly since my last visit.

We had coffee, My Mexican Cousin (corn fritters, spinach, haloumi & kasundi w/ poached eggs) $17, Mr. Beans ( house made braised beans ) $16.50 and the Goat Mitzvah ( slow roasted goat w/garlic yogurt & chickpea salad) $18.

Coffee is excellent as usual.

But unfortunately, food was a let down this time around.

My Mexican Cousins $17

The Corn Fritters which TT ordered are more dough-y compared to my first visit, but nonetheless still a winner dish, tasty and a favorite to order on the St. Ali Menu.

With the House Made Braised Beans which Adrienne had, besides tomato-ey, I found it lacking without much flavour coming through the beans. In addition, they were still quite hard which didn’t make it any easier to eat. It wasn’t left to cook/braise long enough to achieve any nice soft mushy-ness.

Mr Beans $16.50

 

The Goat Mitzvah which I ordered was a disappointing dish as well for me. You know how some dishes make you salivate by just looking at it and you just wanna gobble it all up? Well, this wasn’t one of it.

Besides being rather unattractive, ( the wrap was plonked the other way round when it arrived, which I flipped over for photo-taking purposes) the goat was dry and the yogurt didn’t help much. As time passes, the wrap lost its warmth which just added to the dry-ness. The salad was palatable, peas being the yummiest thing on that plate ( what has the world come to? peas and yummiest in the same sentence? lol).

Everyone has different tastebuds and preferences and to augment on this point, Adrienne liked and enjoyed the Goat Mitzvah. She didn’t find it dry, but yummy which I gladly offered to her and she continued eating :)

Overall, a somewhat disappointing lunch by St. Ali despite the excellent coffee.

Might still pop in some other time, hopefully this visit was just a once-off bad day for them.

On this visit alone, I would give them a mediocre for food but since the coffee’s too good to pass and they do have several winner dishes, I would think it’s still worth a try.

Rating:

★             relatively good, still worth a try

$$           $15-25 per main

St Ali on Urbanspoon

Dainty Sichuan, South Yarra

December 15, 2011
★★, Chinese, Dinner, Eating Out, South Yarra
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176 Toorak Rd Map 
South Yarra, VIC 3141
03 9078 1686

My sister loves Sichuan food and we used to frequent Dainty Sichuan when it was located on Corrs Lane in the CBD, now taken over and renamed Sichuan House.

One of our favourite dishes to order would be thier ‘Sui Zhu Yu’ which directly translated means Water Boiled Fish. It is a pot of Sichuan style boiled fish with lots of chilli and ‘hua jiao’ Sichuan Peppercorns.

However since moving to their new location along Toorak Road, they started having hotpot as well which we decided to try that day.

Hot Pot here is good, soup’s flavorsome but don’t drink too much of it or you would have to put up with an insatiable thirst after from all the salt/MSG.

We also ordered their Chilli Chicken and Meat Paos.

Their Chilli Chicken has been decreasing in portion over the years, with more dried chilli than actual chicken pieces. As I don’t like to eat chicken/pork/fish skin, ( haha yes even pork crackling) I personally am not a fan of this dish, however my cousins really like it.

The Meat Paos were mediocre, wouldn’t recommend getting them.

Overall, still one of our favourite places for Sichuan Food. Also, good for large groups.

Rating:
★★         good, recommended
$ to $$       $15-25 per main

Dainty Sichuan on Urbanspoon

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

Morrocan Soup Bar, Fitzroy North

December 6, 2011
★, Dinner, Eating Out, Fitzroy North, Moroccan, Uncategorized, Vegetarian
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183 St Georges Rd Map
Fitzroy North, VIC 3068
03 9482 4240

A highly popular spot with a consistent queue, Moroccan Soup Bar is a small restaurant that serves vegetarian food.

After reading raves about their food on Urbanspoon, I really wanted to try the place out for myself and so began my exasperated attempts.They don’t take reservations for less than 6 ppl, and walk-in usually results in around a two hour wait. Keeping in mind that despite arriving at 5pm upon their opening, unless you’re one of the early fews (of 2 ppl), the next available slot would be around 2 hours later.

Finally, on the 4th try, went at 5pm and made a booking for 4 people for the next available slot which was 6.30pm. Left, and came back.The previous times we went, the service was really rude.That night the waitress was alright.

They only have a verbal menu, and BYO takeaway boxes. Although I already planned to have the Banquet (after reading about the comments on Urbanspoon), I didn’t like the idea of a verbal menu. Well, it not only makes it difficult for the customer to catch all the dishes, choose and order but also frustrates the waitress if she has to repeat it. Therefore in a way, customers are compelled to simply go with the Banquet for ease.

We had the Banquet for 4 ($20 p.p) and added the Soup of the Day.

Banquet consisted of Mint Tea, Flat Bread with Dips, Chickpea Bake, Eggplant & Couscous, Lentil Curry, Mixed Veg Curry, Potato Curry, Coffee and Sweets.

I really enjoyed the Soup, although I cant rmb what it was. The Couscous and  Mixed Veg Curry was really tasty as well.

Besides that, I didn’t enjoy the rest of the dishes as I’m not a fan of Greek yogurt which was used excessively in most of the other dishes.

The coffee was strong and had a bitter taste to it, but it was offset by the very sweet baklava.

Overall, it was good but not great, and portions were plentiful. However, I doubt I will be returning soon. Might consider takeaways but generally, it’s just too troublesome to get a table.

 

Rating:

★             relatively good, still worth a try

$              under $15 per main, $20 for Banquet p.p

Moroccan Soup Bar 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

Monk Bodhi Dharma, St. Kilda

November 26, 2011
★★, Breakfast/ Brunch, Coffee, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, St. Kilda, Vegan, Vegetarian
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202 Carlisle St Map
Balaclava, VIC 3183
03 9534 7250
monkbodhidharma.com.au

Walk down the lane beside Woolworths towards the parking lots, you will come across Monk Bodhi Dharma which is this red brick block. Serving wholesome vegetarian food, vegan options if needed and a varying Daily Lunch Special of Sambar/Stew/Curry.

Coffee was good although the Soy latte was a tad clumpy.

Food wise, we had the Yucatan Peasant Beans $14.50, Umami Mushrooms $18.50 and the Lunch Special which was Mysore Spinach Pea & Potato Sambar w/ Rice $14.50.

The Yucatan Beans were a tad dry but nonetheless flavorsome with its mixture of beans, and vegetables. The Sambar was equally yummy and both dishes were really filling. I wasn’t a fan of their chilli jam which was more of a watery nature than jam. It tasted sour-ish and lacked punch compared to other chilli jams I’ve tried.

The Umami mushrooms were on the pricier side but tasted delish. Served with thyme on a housemade polenta bread, WH really enjoyed this dish. However, would’ve preferred if the portions were more  generous for a $18.50 price tag.

Overall, a good place for vegetarian food brunch/lunch and good coffee.

Gluten Free Friendly

Vegan Friendly

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

Monk Bodhi Dharma on Urbanspoon

Horn, Collingwood

November 25, 2011
★★, Collingwood, Dinner, Eating Out, Gluten Free Friendly, Melbourne
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20 Johnston St Map
Collingwood, VIC 3066
03 9417 4670
thehorncafe.com.au

I was meeting some friends up for dinner and feeling rather adventurous, I suggested we try Ethiopian food.

Settling on Horn located at Collingwood, the place is rather spacious with a courtyard located around the back. They also have live performances Thursday to Sunday. As we went on a Wednesday, we missed that opportunity.

We made bookings just in case and arrived around 7.30pm. Surprisingly, we were the only ones there. The lady who served us was helpful and nice.

We told her that it was our first time having Ethiopian food and she gladly explained to us the various dishes and how we were supposed to eat (with our hands).

We had the Doro Wot (chicken cooked in red onion sauce), Keysir Wot (vege dish – beetroot, potato, carrot and spinach), a Lamb stew/dahl type dish , and the Ethiopian Donuts for dessert . The dishes came with Injera, which is an Ethiopian food staple. Looks like a pancake version of crumpets with tiny holes and tastes sour-ish.

The wait for food was quite long even though we were the only ones there.

Food wise, all three dishes were savory and tasty. Especially enjoyed the Doro Wot. Dessert was really good as well. Cinnamon, pine nuts & sultanas shallow fried in donut batter, served with ice cream & maple syrup. Nice crunchy exterior and soft centre, it was a good dish to end the night.

Overall, food was good and it was a good experience. But just be ready to wait as the food does take a long while.

Gluten Free Friendly

According to Science of Bread “ Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten”

I’m not too sure about this as the restaurant might use other ingredients as well (best to just check).

Vegan Friendly

 

Rating:

★★         good, recommended

$$           $15-25 per main

Horn 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

Danny’s Burgers, Fitzroy North & Andrew’s Hamburgers, Albert Park

November 23, 2011
Albert Park, ★★, ★★★, Dinner, Eating Out, Fitzroy North
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360 St Georges Rd Map 
Fitzroy North, VIC 3068
03 9481 5847
 

A favourite amongst the locals around that area, it was bustling during dinner time on a weekday.

With only a few counter seats, Danny’s Burgers are best for takeaways.

They have hamburgers (1 meat up to 3 meat + filling options), chicken burgers, steak sandwiches, and an option for lamb burger and vege burger (no pattie, just vege).

The guy at the counter messed up our order. He missed out one burger on our first order, resulting in us having to join the long queue again, and he also added egg on our burgers despite us very clearly saying we wanted tomato (on both orders).

Service is relatively quick,  but because of our second order, we had to wait quite a long while as it was really busy.

 

We had the Hamburgers single & double, and chicken burgers.

 

Taste wise, hamburgers were yummy, meats were flavorsome. However, did find it lacking in sauce which made it a bit dry.

The chicken burger was pretty good as well, but KK mentioned that the meat was on the drier side.

Also, The buns here are toasted, whereas at Andrew’s (refer below) it’s grilled.

Overall, Danny’s burgers are good, worth a try.

Rating for Danny’s Burgers:

★★         good, recommended

$              under $15 per main

Danny's Burgers on Urbanspoon

 

Another great place for burgers is

Andrew’s Hamburgers

144 Bridport St Map
Albert Park, VIC 3206
03 9690 2126
andrewshamburgers.com.au
 

 A hotspot for burgers, Andrew’s serve a variety which includes traditional Beef Burgers, Chicken Burgers, Vegetarian Burgers (w/ pattie).

For takeaways only, the burgers here are delicious.

The meat is juicy , buns are grilled and options for extras (or you can always just get The Lot which comes with everything).

Would recommend getting the Hamburger + egg + pineapple. Real yummy and satisfying burgers.

Overall,

Although personally, I prefer Andrew’s Hamburgers, both places are still good!

Rating for Andrew’s Burgers:

★★★     excellent! 

$              under $15 per main

Andrew's Hamburgers 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

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