Tuesday 29 December 2015

Dessert Adventures @ Pidapipo

299 Lygon St, Melbourne VIC
9347 4596
12pm - 11pm Everyday

When I think of Pidapipo, i think of massive lines. It's especially suprising considering that Lygon st is the 'Italian' central of Melbourne. With tons of other ice cream stores on the same street, Pidapipo lives up to its reputation of top quality ice cream with their endless streams of customers.

3 Scoops Icecream ($7)
Banana milk, Nutella swirl & Fior di latte

After a grueling 20 minute wait in line I manage to secure myself 3 whooping scoops of ice cream. It was only an extra dollar for a third scoop, so i figured, why not. 

Confronted with the vast selections of ice cream flavours, I had chosen my 3 flavours.

Nutella Swirl
Banana Milk
Fior Di Latte

The 'Nutella Swirl' was definitely the standout for me. With generous amounts of nutella mixed in the ice cream, I fell in love with it at first bite. 

The banana milk was pretty good also, sweet, smooth and the taste of banana made it another favourite for me. 

The Fior di latte on the otherhand, wasn't my cup of tea. It was interesting if i were to comment on it, one of a kind. It tasted like sweet milk, but i had higher expectations for the flavour.


Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Service - 7/10
Total FoOodie Points - 20.5/30

Pidapipó Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Monday 28 December 2015

KBBQ Adventures @ Changgo

70 Little Latrobe St, Melbourne VIC
0449 247 355
5:30pm - 1:00am Everyday

Korean barbecue, sizzling meat, the aroma of freshly grilled pork and beef and the various soups and dishes that are being delivered to each table. It's no wonder these are one of my favourite types of places to eat at, and Changgo is no exception.

As one of the most popular Korean BBQ businesses in the Melbourne CBD, they maintain their popularity with their cheap price, generous servings and satisfactory quality of meat.

 Condiments & Side dishes

The set menus are the most popular here, so we decided to get the 'Pork Set' ($59.90). It comes with 8 different flavours of pork, vegetables, side dishes, soup to share and bowls of rice. These sets are pretty filling when shared between 2-3 people.

BBQ Vegetables for the Pork Set

The vegetables for the BBQ are delicious and pair really well with the meat. Pork belly wrapped in beansprouts and kimchi, a mouth-watering combination.

 8 Kinds Of Flavoured Pork

The pork belly itself is slightly disappointing in thickness as it's more thin than other restaurants in Melbourne. But the 8 different flavours is what makes this restaurant unique. From memory the flavours of the pork were

wine, herb, ginseng, garlic, curry, hot, miso, and plain

The standout flavours for me were the chilli & curry

(7/10)
 Fish Ball Soup

Generous in portion and variety, the fish ball soup has always been my favourite whenever i dined here. There's always enough to share and it tastes great

(7.5/10)

Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 8.5/10
Service - 7/10
Total FoOodie Points - 22.5/30



Sunday 27 December 2015


Blog renovations are currently still in progress

Though the blog is now online, Formatting and rewriting for previous posts are still underway with the new foundation system.  Therefore expect changes to posts before December 2015
Thanks!

Cafe Adventures @ Rustica Sourdough Bakery

402 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC
9417 7775
7am - 4pm Weekdays
8am - 5pm Saturday
8am - 4pm Sunday

Rustica Sourdough Bakery

Allured by the incredibly tempting photos online, I finally decided to try out Rustica. As you can already tell from the photos, Rustica's selling point is the presentation of their food, and i am glad i was able to witness the beauty of it in person.


Brioche French Toast ($16.50)
Fresh berries, compot, pecan + choc brownie ice-cream, vanilla marscapone + pop rocks

The French Toast was beautifully presented with local produces as the focal point. I would call this the epitome of food aesthetics if i could because it was so pretty. It was a shame that the taste itself wasn't on par with the presentation. 

The french toast was a tad dry and the dish entire felt like it was lacking something in flavour. A shame it wasn't as great as it looked.

(6.5/10)

Matcha Cured Salmon ($19)
Horse radish aioli, crispy potato, boiled egg, greens + rye sourdough

The mixture of colours from the ingredients made this dish almost on par with the french toast in terms of presentation. Unsure at first on how to start digging in i eventually decided to grab a bit of everything. 

One of the noticeable factors was the difficult in eating the dish, particularly the rye sourdough. It was incredibly tough to bite into so it was a bit of work finishing the dish.

 The flavours of the ingredients worked really well together, the matcha cured salmon was delightful and worked well with all the other ingredients.

(7.5/10)

Strawberry Cheesecake (Free)

We had also ordered a serving of the Strawberry Cheesecake, but what i will assume was a communication problem from the workers, we never received it and had waited for 20 minutes before asking again. Because of this they decided to give it us on the house :)

As someone that dislikes cakes but loves cheesecakes, i was excited when i saw this on the display shelves. The cheesecake was pretty good, above average is i were to rank it. The base was smooth and creamy accompanied by the crispy crust.

(7/10)

Mocha ($3.80)

Pretty average mocha, nothing outstanding but also nothing bad. 

(5/10)

Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Total FoOodie Points - 22/30

Rustica Sourdough Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Chinese Adventures @ D House

313-315 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC

D-House is one of your inexpensive 'Go-To' asian places to eat. With a large range of dishes for affordable prices, it can be considered it as 'fast food' with their unique order system of pen and paper which popular restaurants such as PappaRich have implemented.

Baked Chicken Fillet on Rice ($12.80)
 w/ Creamy Mushroom & Portugese Sauce

Rice, chicken and sauce, a simple dish but is one of the favorites for dining customers. Though the presence of MSG is obvious, the sauces are flavoursome and mix well with the rice. Its a basic dish that focuses on quantity which will leave you full at the end of the day.
(3/5)

Kimchi Fried Rice with Chicken & Fried Egg ($11.80)

Simple and average, don't expect to have top notch food when dining here as most dishes are of substantial quality for the price you pay for. The dish reminds me of an home-cooked meal as there is little attention for the eyes but the taste makes up for it.

Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Service - 4/10
Total FoOodie Points - 17/30


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About Me



Simon Kong

"Exploring the world of gastronomy for wherever my adventure takes me as That Foodie."

University Student

Appreciation for Food

Just, one of those guys that loves food :)

view my food journey on zomato!

Friday 25 December 2015

Cafe Adventures @ Namu Cafe

389 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC

Namu Cafe, a Korean fusion cafe with a modern atmosphere on hardware street which serves standard and fusion dishes. 

Big Brekkie ($18) (Scrambled Eggs)
Two eggs with herb roasted mushrooms and tomatoes, bacon, chorizo sausage, hash browns and sautéed spinach served on sourdough toast 

Overall dish was quite average, scrambled eggs were not seasoned enough and sourdough was dry.
(5/10)

Big Brekkie ($18) (Poached Eggs)
Two eggs with herb roasted mushrooms and tomatoes, bacon, chorizo sausage, hash browns and sautéed spinach served on sourdough toast 

Bacon was inconsistent with some being great and crispy whilst others were dry and soggy. Poached eggs were cooked to satisfactory level with the yolks coming right out as you cut in.
(6/10)



Cappucino ($3.8)

Nothing special, slightly disappointing coffee.
(2/5)
Food - 6/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points - 19/30
Melbourne Namu Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Dessert Adventures @ Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe

146 Swanston St, Melbourne Vic

As someone who isn't a huge fan of dessert cafes, i was actually pretty excited to try out Gulian as I've heard great reviews about it. 

Upon entering we stood around for quite a bit of time before one of the workers finally instructed us to sit at an available table.

Guylian Opera My Way ($13)
Belgian dark chocolate mousse with espresso coffee, butter cream layers, hazelnut and Belgian cocoa roulade

A delightful cake, it wasn't overly sweet which is to my liken and was smooth and delicious. Also surprised with the accompanying edible condiments which was pleasing presentation
(4/5)

Belgian Chocolate Ice-cream (1 scoop) ($4.50)

Nothing spectacular, though better than average, it worked really well with the cake when combined together
(3/5)
Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 4/10
Total FoOodie Points - 18/30

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Café Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Korean Adventures @ Yami Yami (Lonsdale)

With numerous restaurants around Melbourne, Yami Yami has displayed their popularity with their growing customer base and recent expansions in the CBD. This isn't the first time i've dined here, as this was a regular for me.

Kimchi Fried Rice with Creamed Garlic Prawn ($16)

The combination or the kimchi fried rice and the cream sauce was a pleasing combination, though i was unable to taste any garlic in the prawns. Creamed sauce is definitely one of my favorites and Yami Yami did not disappoint.
(4/5)

Japchae ($12)
Korean style clear sweet potato noodles with beef, vegetables & mushroom

I was quite suprised when this came out, at first glance there was a generous portion of sweet potato noodles. Which was definitely a +1 for me, as most of the Korean restaurants i've been to have been quite stingy in terms or portion. There was no problem to the taste itself, not the best i've had, but it was very satisfying.
(3/5)


Chilli Chicken Karaage ($17)

The Kara-age was slightly disappointing, before the restaurant had a management change, i'd order this dish almost every time i came here. But now, it's nothing to rave about. The sauce is too overpowering and the chicken itself didn't have that crispy texture that a chicken kara-age should have.
(2/5)

Tender Chicken w/ Spring Onion ($30)

I was only just recently introduced to the fried chicken and spring onion combination, and i am saddened that i wasn't any sooner. Recently i've been in love with the spring onion and chicken combination and hoped that Yami Yami would deliver a great dish. The dish was great, but it wasn't amazing. I felt that it lacked a flavour punch but it definitely had the crispiness i desired.
(3/5)

Chuncheon Spicy Chicken (For 3) ($57)
 Extra / Cheese, Crystal Noodles, Ramen ($15)


The Lonsdale restaurants has a speciality dish called the Chuncheon Spicy Chicken. Consisting of spicy stir-fried chicken, vegetables, and rice cakes, with added extras of cheese and noodles. I found this to be the best combination. Though it does cost to get the extras, i highly recommend it as it enhances the flavour. If you're a fan of spicy, then you'll definitely love this dish.
(4/5)
Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 5/10
Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points - 18/30

Sunday 15 November 2015

Italian Adventures @ Gradi

Located in the luxurious Crown Casino, Gradi is a restaurant that offers a more casual and affordable option compared to the premium fine dining restaurant that Crown has to offer.

Whilst it isn't on par with top restaurants such as Nobu, Rockpool, etc. Gradi still lives up to its reputation and stands dominantly with their outstanding customer base.

Arancini ($6)
Crumbed rice ball made with pork sausage, peas, mozzarella heart on a spicy rose sauce

The Arancini was an delightful entree, small in quantity but it made up for the quality of the dish. The combination of the spicy rose sauce was amazing and each bite just made me want more.
(4/5)

Margherita Verace ($26)
San Marzano tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil

We chose the Margherita Verace as it we heard it was great. Sadly it wasn't as great as anticipated  and was pretty average. the mozzarella was smooth and delicious but the pizza as a whole didn't give that "wow" factor i was hoping for.
(3/5)


Spaghetti Alla Carbonara ($35)
Traditional spaghetti carbonara with egg, Italian guanciale and pecorino sardo

For the price for the dish, its safe to say that it wasn't worth at all. It was lacking in both quantity and quality and i was dissatisfied with the Carbonara. It lacked flavour and the pasta wasn't al dente
(2/5)

Carpaccio Di Manzo ($21)
Beef carpaccio with genovese pesto, croutons and cherry tomato

Another dish i had high expectations for, but sadly turned out to be something disappointing. The Beef carpaccio was lacking in flavour which resulted in the bland taste. I'm not sure if its me, but the texture was really thin which i wasn't expecting, perhaps the dish wasn't for me.
(2/5)
Food - 5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points- 18/30 



Tuesday 3 November 2015

Japanese Adventures @ Taketori

Walking along King st, we decided to dine at Taketori because of our cravings for Japanese food. From the moment we entered we were greeted with an enthusiastic waitress and shown to our table.

I forgot to take pictures, but the interior of the restaurant was really nice, it could've came off as a fine-dining atmosphere. Difficult to explain, if you ever do come here, you can see for yourself.

Agedashi Tofu ($9)
Deep fried bean curd with dashi sauce

The Agedashi Tofu was disappointing, it was lacking the crispiness it should have and the overall flavour was bland. 
(2/5)

Ika Fry ($10)
Deep fried squid ring served with spicy mayo

The Ika Fry was average, nothing that great but nothing that would make it bad. The spicy mayo was actually a wasabi mayo which i didn't like as much.
(2.5/5)

Takoyaki ($8)
Teriyaki octopus balls served with shaved bonito

The Takoyaki was a crowd pleaser, topped with what i will assume is wasabi mayo and teriyaki sauce it was a pleasing combination. 
(3.5/5)

Tori KaraAge ($9)
Lightly marinated crispy chicken served with fresh mint leaf

In regards to entrees that were ordered, the Tori Karage was my favourite our of the 4. Served hot and crispy it was a delicious treat, though 'fresh mint leaf' was nowhere to be found and i will that it was the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce, was confusing, it didn't work well at all with the chicken and was just conflicting flavours.
(3.5/5)

Tempura Udon ($17)
hot udon in soup served with battered fried prawn


Quite average, the soup base was mediocre and was lacking in flavour. For $17, you can find better udon elsewhere. The udon itself was nice and smooth.
(2.5/5)
Food - 5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points- 18/30 

Taketori Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Japanese Adventures @ Mugen

Famous for their delicious Tsukemen, Mugen in my opinion, is my one of the best Tsukumen restaurants in Melbourne. Tsukumen is pretty much like ramen but separated, so the ingredients is all dipped into a bowl of broth therefore giving the name the 'Dip Ramen'.
Located in a secret alleyway on Flinders lane, Mugen also serves up different Tapas style dishes which will keep your tastebuds rolling.

The Glorious Food Table

Gyoza (8pc) ($15)
House Made Gyoza, Served with Mugen's Special Sauce
 +
 
Wafu Tsukumen (360g) ($15)
Soy Sauce broth, House made thick noodles served with Slow Cooked Pork (Chashu) Bamboo Shoots and Seaweed

This is my second time coming here with friends, and i can definitely say the Wafu Tsukumen is my favourite, compared to the other broths. The soy sauce broth enhances the flavour of the noodles by a whole new level, whereas the other broths such as curry, tend to be overpowering. 

For $15 you get a generous portion of noodles, alongside a Chashu, seaweed and bamboo shoot. Overall the dish is beautiful and tastes great, though the chashu tends to be dry most of the time but that's due to the nature of leaving it out.
(4/5)

The Gyoza was presented neatly on a plate accompanied by Mugens special sauce, which was some sort of spicy blend. It was a crowd-pleaser and a great accompaniment with the ramen.
(3/5)
Tebesaki (8 pcs) ($15)
Japanese Deep Fried Chicken Wings

We had an extra order of Tebasaki near the end of the meal, they were crispy and flavorsome. Nothing to extraordinary, it was an average dish.
(2.5/5)
Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Total FoOodie Points- 22.5/30 


Mugen Ramen & Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 


Monday 26 October 2015

Cafe Adventures @ Operator 25

Today's Food 'Operation' is Operator 25! Located in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, These guys have been serving up some great brunch dishes and are seasonally changing their menus to showcase their skills and show us what they have in store each time :).
Lets move on to today's selection


Today's Selection

(If only it wasn't raining, then we could've sat outside and get that perfect natural lighting shot)

Polenta Soldiers ($22)
broken egg, wilted greens, corn and tomato pesto, thick cut streaky bacon & poached egg

A mixture of everything, this is equivalent or similar to many 'Big Breakfast' dishes, that cafes serve. I would consider this to be Operator 25's version of a Big Breakfast. Plentiful and presented neatly each ingredient worked well together. Though the star of this dish would definitely be the thick cut streaky bacon which is an extra $4, but trust me, its worth it.
(3/5)


Doctor Reuben ($18)
Dr Marty's Crumpets, Gameskeeper pastrami, poached eggs, Russian hollanaise & Mizuna leaves

The 'Doctor Reuben' looked the most delicious out of all the dishes in my opinion, and i was not wrong. The Russian hollanaise sauce just made the dish 10 times better, Though i regret not switching the gameskeeper pastrami to smoked salmon as i felt that would've been a much better combination. Overall still a very enjoyable dish
(3.5/5)



Balinese Marinated Pork ($20)
Squid ink brioche, pickled vegetables, coriander labna, poached eggs, fried shallot, & traditional Balinese sambal

This was definitely an interesting dish when it came out. My friend had ordered this and expected something completely different to what it was presented to be. Overall he felt like the dish lacked flavour and didn't pack that punch that most dishes would give in terms of flavour. 
(2.5/5)

Food - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points- 18.5/30 

Operator25 Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Sunday 25 October 2015

Dessert Adventures @ Sweetie Mustache

Newly opened on Russell St, Sweetie Mustache is a dessert cafe / bar which specializes in desserts such as cake, honey toast, waffles, and also serves up bar food.
It's a shame i didn't take a photo of the interior of Sweetie Mustache as it was really nice and had a laid back atmosphere.

One thing i want to point out that disappointed me about this place is that there if you want to eat here, there is a $8 minimum per head rule which is pretty stupid.

Jasmine Green Tea ($4)

A pleasant start, though it turns out it was a packet of lipton green tea but it didn't really matter to me since it was good. Oh, and the fact that the cups were adorable and mustache-ficent, (no?, yeah that was pretty bad HAHA)
(3/5)


Lemon Cheese ($9)
NY cheese cake, lemon curd, lemon infused crepes & cream

The Lemon Cheese sponge cake was nice and had a creamy texture. Pretty good cake in my opinion, considering i don't actually like cakes that much. But i have a soft spot for cheesecakes so it was definitely a +1 in my books
(3.5/5)


Honeycomb Honey Toast ($18)
crispy honey toast cubes, vanilla ice cream, natural honeycomb, custard, honey, vanilla chattily, salted caramel pistachio,

The  honey toast was visually appealing and tasted great, it was unique that you were able to pour natural honeycomb and custard over the dish which made the experience better. The ice cream and toast combination, alongside the other toppings were pleasing. 
(3.5/5)

Nutella Supreme Waffle ($14)
banana, strawberries, nutella, salted caramel, vanilla ice cream

The waffles were actually quite disappointing, though the toppings were fresh and delicious, the waffle itself was way too dry for it to be satisfactory.
(1.8/5)


Food - 6/10
Ambiance - 8.5/10
Service - 4/10
Total FoOodie Points- 18.5/30 

Sweetie & Moustache Dessert Lounge Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato