Food adventures in Melbourne and wherever the tummy goes
On the long stretch of Burwood Highway sits a Teppanyaki restaurant that doesn’t catch your attention unless you’re actively looking for it. There’s plenty of parking in front and behind the restaurant, so that’s one less thing you have to worry about. Walking in you’re greeted with friendly staff, laughter and loud noise. If you walked in wanting a quiet night, you’re in for a big surprise.
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.
Japanese cuisine is one of Mr D’s and my favourite food and when there’s a place close to home, we couldn’t say no. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to try the teppanyaki side this time but the a la carte side was quite cosy. The staff were efficient, quick yet very friendly.
Shonan Kamakura, a little Japanese eatery hidden away in Katherine Place away from the bustling main street. It’s small (yep, whatever you see through the window is what you get) but don’t let the size fool you. The service is efficient, friendly and very attentive. It doesn’t matter how small or big your group is, you’ll get the same service. Walking in you’ll be greeted by the bar (who doesn’t enjoy a good drink by the bar) and a mural of Mount Fuji on the side at the back.
Chez Olivier is a place which has been on my list and when I finally found an opportunity to go, I seized it and booked it without Mr D knowing (my bad!). Located in South Yarra on the busy road of Toorak road, there’s quite a lot of foot traffic and if you’re driving there’s free side parking if you can nab a spot.
There’s a new bad boy in town and they’re a little bit fancy and oh so authentic. Newly opened, The Wanderer Thai Bar and Kitchen has a very welcoming vibe with a fully stocked bar. It could be for a first date (or 5th or 6th date), catch up with friends after work drinkies, it could be basically for anything and you know that this is the place to be.
Mr Burberry, of course, was still celebrating his 30th months after he actually turned 30 but we weren’t really complaining. He picked Imbue in Maribrynong since it was local for the girlies and I would be at the parentals that night. It does get quite busy so make sure you make a booking (we missed out last time). There are few parking spots in the carpark but they do get full real quick so your best bet is to park in Aldi’s carpark. Now back to the venue, it’s dim, it’s comfy and it looks a touch fancy. The staff are really friendly and treats every customer that walks in like they’re a long time friend.
Lux Foundry, known for their brunches and coffees and always super busy in Brunswick. The venue itself is large warehouse space and it looks oh so rustic. It’s been a few years since I was here last and I’ve always had an itching to revisit. This time around I brought Mr D and we found plenty of parking around the corner and it was free too (SCORE!).
Scoopy Milk Bar is the first Bingsu specialty dessert bar located in HWKR Food court. Its bright store with cute stickers and delicious mountainous shaved ice, you are definitely in for a treat. Various flavours AND happy staff, make sure you nab a table because you’re going to need to sit down to eat these bad boys.
Matcha lovers, the matcha bonsai is for you. Bitterness from the matcha, sweetness from the condensed milk and fluffiness from the whipped cream, it was fantabulous!
Matcha Bonsai – $13 (regular)
Matcha green tea flavoured bingsu with sweet red bean mochi, lychee popping pearls, chocolate soil, topped with house-made whipped cream, toasted almond flakes served with condensed milk.
We were craving some Vietnamese food and whilst in the city we remembered twenty pho seven. However, when we got there, it has now changed to Straight Outta Saigon and is no longer 24hours BUT they were the same owners AND the menu has tweaked a bit. We thought to ourselves, well why not check it out and luckily we got a table immediately on a school night.