Food adventures in Melbourne and wherever the tummy goes
YOOOOO my gosh, YOMG has been around and I have yet dipped my toes (ewww lets change that to fingers) into their burgers. Since Mr Italian was due for a catch up, he suggested YOMG in Glen Waverly so we can get our burger hit. It was a Tuesday night and at 7:30PM, it was packed like sardines in there. We weren’t able to bag a seat inside so we had to sit in the winter cold rugged up next to the outdoor heaters.
The girlies wanted a catch up to hear all of my Japan stories and I found out that Dimmi has amazing 50% offers at various restaurants and they change every week so I suggested we check out Tazio for some Italiano! I made a booking and BAM we turned up on the night and it was quite busy for a Wednesday night and a lot of people were here for after work drinkies. Stepping into the eatery, the staff were warm and friendly and I was already enjoying Tazio. Since all the food were 50% off, we were definitely going to go to town.
After coming back from Japan, I was missing Japanese food oh so much. In the anticipation of missing this fine cuisine, I had booked Minamishima for the week I come back with my two stooges. There wasn’t an online booking process, you just have to call the restaurant directly but they were lovely and accommodating. When we got there, we were greeted by the staff and shown to our table. Since there were 3 of us, we missed out sitting by the bar. Our menu was slightly different to those at the bar where some of our dishes were also from the kitchen.
Melbourne, home to the never ending cafe openings where good food is always promised. Au79 in Abbotsfords is a spacious venue which seats 200 diners with a very greenery atmosphere. There was definitely a buzz in the air and I could feel it in my bones. There were a few bite sized dishes that came around to sample.
After arriving back in Australia, Mr Kingdom Hearts suggested a ramen date to see if I could find any ramen in Melbourne that tasted like those in Japan. So we explored Mugen Ramen since this has been on his list and he was oh so excited to check this place out. We turned up on a Wednesday night without a booking and they managed to squeeze us in. The atmosphere was casual, the staff were super friendly and the decor was very suave.
We were oh so hungry and decided on the Wagyu Tataki and this was AMAZEBALL! The wagyu was seared perfectly and the mash and the ponzu sauce was on point. This was a fantastic starter and we were super excited about our mains. This was more on the pricier side but it was definitely worth it.
Wagyu Tataki – $18
Seared Wagyu served with Yuzu Mashed Potatoes, Spring Onions and Ponzu Sauce
Soul Origin has just recently popped up in the food court in Eastland and I decided to check it out. There’s a huge range of salads, baguettes and sandwiches for you to choose from.
Since we’re finally moving in, we decided to check out the local eats and I’ve been eyeing Rocco’s Burger Cafe every time we drove past and FINALLY we had the opportunity to casually drop by to stuff our faces. It was quite busy when we went at lunch time but when we stepped into the cafe, we were greeted by smiling staff (even though they were super duper busy). You can definitely tell that it’s a family-owned cafe because they pay extra attention to you and they had a different kind of friendliness to them.
Situated alongside the Yarra River and Flinders Street station stands a bar which is always full of people laughing and chatting, staring into the river called Arbory. I dropped by with the babies after a day of showing my overseas cousin around the city, we were famished and I’m so glad I did because it was a very Melburnian place.
Hakata Gensuke, the place where I’ve been told has the closest ramen to what they have in Japan (big claim I say). With our bellies empty and expectations high, the babies and I lined up outside to snag a table. We queued up around 15 minutes and the staff had given us an ordering sheet so once we got inside, everything would be super efficient and we’ll get our ramens ASAP.
Hokkaido Baked cheese tarts have now arrived in Melbourne for quite a while now and yes, they’re a dessert except it’s a touch on the savoury side. The one at QV didn’t have a line so I went inside and got a few for everyone. At $3.90 a tart, it is a bit on the expensive side but that’s what you’d expect from a specialty store opening up in Melbourne. When you step inside, you can definitely smell the baked goodness and it smelt divine. A bite into these babies and you can taste the cheesiness and it just oozes right out. I’d prefer it to be a bit more fluffy but hey, that’s just what I’m into.