Food adventures in Melbourne and wherever the tummy goes
Shujinko has made a name for themselves and has been popping up new stores here and there. In St Collins Lane, Shujinko Express opened up and they don’t have the whole menu because, well, it’s an express venue. There are a few seats inside and out and I can imagine that it would get full at lunch throughout the week. Now, back to Shujinko, choose your dish out front, pay and grab a seat whilst the staff brings your food over to your table.
DIY hotpot is picking up speed in Melbourne and every corner you turn, there seem to be more DIY hotpot popping up. David’s have their sichuann hotpot restaurant and have opened up DIY hotpots. What do I mean by DIY hotpots? Pull up a seat, sit down and let me show you a whole new world. David’s Spicy Pot does get busy so if you plan on dropping by in peak hour, be prepared to wait. We decided to have an early dinner and there were plenty of seats available.
Shopping can get tiring and when you’re not a huge a shopper, you get hungrier quicker than usual (yep, that’s me!). Mr D and I headed towards the food court and I’m a bit of a snob and didn’t really want food court food but something in the corner caught my eye – Lanzhou Beef Noodle Bar. We didn’t think much of it so we shrugged our shoulders and walked straight in.
When you’re wondering around in the city and your xiao long bao cravings hit, you hit it back by getting them XLB into your belly. I love trying new places I haven’t been to and walking past New Taipei, we steered right in. We were greeted by friendly staff and there weren’t a lot of customers yet so we quickly grabbed a table. Mr D got the Sichuan Style chilled poached chicken dry la mian and it was bloody fantastic. It was quite spicy (for me anyway) but it was quite refreshing and full of flavour. The noodles had a bite to it and my gosh Mr D was going to town on this dish.
Sichuan Style Chilled Poached Chicken Dry La Mian – $12.80
The stooges and I are massive fans of Japanese food, in particular gyozas. When we heard that Chotto Motto are serving gyozas, we had to check it out. Located in Collingwood, just off the main road, there’s plenty of free parking around the area if you go to the side streets. Inside the restaurant, it was filled with cool retro decor including a vending machine to get your drinkies.
I’m a Nhu Lan kinda gal when it comes to banh mi
La Bohemia cafe is a little gem hidden away in Nobel Park. It’s small, cute and ran but friendly staff. We ordered our meals the day before (we had that day) so we could eat quickly and get back to the grind after lunch. The food came out quick smart and we were ready to chow down.
TSK is the the new sushi joint in town and I was luckily enough to be invited to their opening launch in South Melbourne. Music pumping, free flowing alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinkies, who couldn’t be more excited.
Another little spot for work lunch and this time
It’s lunchtime at work and we ventured out to Brandon Park Shopping Centre for a bit of Vietnamese food. Well, specifically pho for Ms Curly Fries and for me, Bun Bo Hue (BBH). We headed to Pho Village in the Brandon Park food court and yep, it’s crowded but the service was real quick. For only $11 you can get a steaming bowl of pho. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of the pho but it was pretty good pho. It was light, had all the right flavours and it was enough to me safe and warm. Definitely a recommended dish.
I went for the BBH and boy was that a mistake. It didn’t have the right flavours and it tasted very diluted which was a shame.
Bun Bo Hue – $11
If you’re in the area and want a pretty decent pho from a food court, I’d definitely recommend Pho Village. However, just keep in mind to just get the pho and steer clear of the BBH.
Verdict: 🍷🍷🍷
Food: 🍷🍷🍷
Service: 🍷🍷🍷
Value: 🍷🍷🍷
580 Springvale Rd, Wheelers Hill VIC 3150
Tel: 0456 019 732