Food adventures in Melbourne and wherever the tummy goes
When I heard about an indoor lagoon and waterfall at a brewery, I knew I had to make a group outing to check it out. The venue was AMAZING! A brewery, a lagoon, a play centre all rolled into one venue. Various beers and cider and tap and even food for snackos!
Toro Cafe. An unassuming cafe in Mount Waverly. Frequent by local residence and those that work in the area (just like us!). We stumbled on this cafe when the restaurant we wanted to wasn’t open. We walked into Toro Cafe and boy oh boy it was such a quaint cafe. It was cosy AND the staff were super duper friendly.
Glen Waverly is reknown for their food and when a new restaurant pops up, everyone knows about it. K-Town Restaurant and Bar is located in the Montclair Avenue Building. Don’t be fooled though, when you step out of the elevator, it has a very modern decor, pumping music and friendly and attentive staff. We got there smack bang at lunch time and we were the first ones in which meant we got to pick our table. Once seated, we flicked through the menu and started our little feast.
Melbourne has gone hotpot crazy and we have found the hottest of the hotpot! Located in the previous Dracula building stands Panda Hot Pot. You will not miss this venue. Two stories high, a massive dragon facing the entrance with a centre stage, you can expect great things from here. It gets real busy so make sure you make a booking to nab a spot.
On Parkstone Ave sits an aptly named cafe, Parkstone. It does get super busy with locals but despite that, there’s plenty of parking. Once you step inside the bustling cafe, you instantly feel welcomed as if you’re part of their family. Despite how busy it was, the staff are very attentive and will help you through the menu to making sure you’re having a great morning.
Amongst the construction in South Yarra lies little bustling cafe called Two Birds One Stone (such a cute name don’t you think?). Many people pop in and out for some coffees and others will wait for a table. We walked in on Sunday morning and boy was it busy. There were people everywhere, staff running around and the sound of coffee being frantically made. We got a table and you know the rules, first we coffee.
I’m a huge fan of Chinese food and when there’s a new Chinese eatery in town, I definitely want to check it out. O’Wok Shop in Camberwell has been on the food scene for 3 months and it’s already pretty busy. It’s located on Burke Road which is the main (busy) road, but there’s plenty of parking around too! The interior is modern and at the front of the shop, you’ve guessed it! There’s someone making dumplings for you in plain sight (love that!). Walking inside you’re welcomed with open arms by the staff and they are very attentive and friendly. There’s quite a bit on the menu so be prepared to spend quite a bit of time going through it.
I am a huge fan of Indian cuisine and there’s a new bad boy that just opened in Toorak that serves modern Indian food. Located where all the restaurants were, it is a very humble venue. We were invited to try the 7 course set menu which costs $75 a head. Now that’s a feast that got me super excited.
Highett isn’t the first place you’d think of Vietnamese food and here sits a hidden gem. Ngon Vietnamese translates to Yum Vietnamese and you’ve gotta be amazing to name your restaurant that. The staff were super friendly and we came in at lunch time which we found out that not a lot of people come in for lunch, but for dinner. So luckily for us we had the whole venue to ourselves *wink wink*.
Dragon Hot Pot has made a name for themselves, opening more and more shops around Melbourne so it’s no surprise when they decide to embrace veganism and release a vegan Ma La Tang soup base! So if you’ve never been here before, just walk in, get a table and then pick up a pot and put whatever the hell you want in the pot. From meat to seafood to fishcake and heaps of veggies, there’s something for everyone. Once you’ve got all your ingredients, shuffle over to the counter so they can weigh your pot and it’s $3.38 per 100g and the minimum weight you need is 400g. So you’ve guessed it, the more you put in your pot, the more you gotta pay.