Sunday 26 July 2015

Japanese Adventures @ Fukutontei

I came across Fukutontei as it was just recently opened, there was a huge line for the grand opening which i believe had an 50% off special, but i wasn't too keen at the time so i came when the hype dropped,

Gyu Tataki ($9.80)
Lightly seared Beef slices w/ Soy dressing

 I absolutely love raw/sightly cooked beef so i had to try it out. But it wasn't able to live up to my expectations, the soy dressing was really sour and overpowered the meat. My least favorite dish.

Buta Don Soba ($12.80)
Stir-Fried Spicy Pork Belly on Rice served w/ Soba

Iwas overwhelmed by the quantity of food there was, because for $12.80 it was a lot more than i expected. Both the soba and the rice dish was mediocre, nothing outstanding, really average in my opinion. It left me full because it was large in quantity but didn't satisfy my tastebuds.


Kaisen Udon ($14.80)
Seafood Udon Noodle Soup

My friend opted for the seafood udon, there was numerous types of seafood in the dish and was visually appealing. But it turned out worse than expected, the soup was incredibly bland with no trace of seasoning, and you could taste that the seafood was frozen.

Overall we did leave the restaurant quite full but we were disappointed in the quality of the food as we felt that everything was mediocre or below standard. After this experience, i wouldn't come back again unless. But maybe i will come back after some time for dinner to see if they have improved. 


Food - 4/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points- 16/ 30 

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Thursday 23 July 2015

Hotdog Adventures @ Snag Stand

 I've never tried Snagstand before and decided to give it a go because they were giving a 2-4-1 special. I've heard numerous good reviews about this place so i was quite excited.

Wagyu Beef ($10.90)
Rustic Roll w/ Butter & Garlic Mash, Herbed Gravy & Topped w/ Sauteed Onions

I decided to go for the 'Wagyu Beef' because the picture on the menu looked really good. But sadly when i opened the box it looked nothing like what i expected. The bread did not look and was only a tiny bit toasted, it was tasty but i expected more flavour and the "bang" appeal. Overall quite average in my opinion but i couldn't complain since it was half price.

 Toulouse ($10.90)
(Pork, Garlic & Wine)
Freshly Grilled w/ Sauteed Onions, Rosemary Mushrooms & Truffle Aioli On A Toasted Brioche Roll

My friend got the 'Toulouse' and once again, the bread wasn't as toasted as i expected. But it was okay as it was actually quite nice, the mushroom was flavourful and the truffle aioli was a complimenting addition to the hot dog. I couldn't decide if the 'Toulouse' or the 'Wagyu Beef' was better as they were both quite average.



Chilli Cheese Fries ($7.90)
Chilli Beef Sauce, Served On Chips, Topped w/ Cheese, Chipotle Aioli & Paprika

You can't go wrong with chilli cheese fries, and Snag Stand does it well. the overall dish was hot and delicious, chipotle aioli & paprika compliments the dish and made it burst with flavour.


Food - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Service - 5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 17.5/ 30 

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Monday 20 July 2015

Thai Adventures @ Mr Nice Guy


Whenever i'm on uni break i always have a tendency to explore new restaurants because of my "Try Everything In Melbourne" checklist. So today, after an exhausting 4 hours of uni, we decided to try out "Mr Nice Guy". Though the main reason we were going here is because we needed to check out the place for a marketing project. (Yes, i study business)

Once again i completely forgot to take interior photos of the restaurant but i won't forget next time.

Green Curry Chicken ($13.9)
Chicken thigh, green curry paste and roasted veggies with white rice, 

I came here with 2 of my uni friends so we each got a main. 

My chosen main was the "Green Curry Chicken" with a choice of either white rice, brown rice or vermicelli noodles. I chose the white rice as i felt that curry goes best with it because it soaks up the flavour of the curry. I absolutely love spicy food, and i wasn't sure if it was going to be spicy or not. 

I didn't think it was because of the colour and boy oh boy was i wrong. Upon first bite i felt a good but not too intense spiciness  and that made me love the dish. The chicken was tender and flavourful, accompanied by roasted veggies it was a delightful combination.


Roti Roll ($10)
Ice burg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onions chicken and satay sauce

I sadly wasn't able to get to try this dish but it did looked delicious. But my friend said that it was "Cold in the middle" which i will assume isn't suppose to happen. But apparently the dish upgraded in quality/visually from the last time he came here. Overall he did enjoy his meal and was left quite full.


Massamun Curry Beef ($14.9)
Beef brisket, massamun curry paste, roasted veggies, fried shallot and cruched peanut topped with white rice

For the last friend, he got the 'Massamun Curry Beef.' The curry was a lot less spicier than the 'Green Curry Chicken' which i got. Because the last time he came here he said that the curry chicken was way too spicy. He stated that it was "Sweet, Creamy & Rich", overall he was satisfied and left bloated. I sampled the curry also and it was just as he stated. Though i prefer the 'Green Curry Chicken' over this one because i love my spice.

Overall a pleasant experience for an mid-uni lunch break and it didn't hurt my wallet at all. Though the next time i come here i would order the pad thai as i saw it being served to another table and it looked delicious~. 

Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 6.5/10
Service - 8/10
Total FoOodie Points- 21/ 30 

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Wednesday 15 July 2015

Italian Adventures @ Wood 'n Chimney

We ventured upon Wood 'n Chimney after purchasing a $25 Groupon which consisted of an entree, 2 mains of your choice and 2 soft drinks. The restaurant is located next to Hoyts in Melbourne Central, and honestly, i rarely see customers inside besides peak hour so i was quite hesitant in trying out this place. But my uni break just started so i was in a rush to eat, so i took the gamble and bought the Groupon.

Upon entry, we were the only customers in the store, with the manager i will assume serving us. Sadly service wasn't up to par as our food was left sitting on the bench waiting to be served, but our server was distracted for a good few minutes watching soccer on the television.

 Trio Of Dips w/ Garlic Bread ($13.90)


After a long wait, we finally got our food. The deal came with a "Trio of Dips" entree. Visually, it was quite appealing, but that was all there was to it. The garlic bread and dips were nothing special, it was ordinary and quite tasteless. The salad didn't help either. There was no little to no dressing, tasteless and dry, i did not finish it.


Peri-Peri Chicken Pizza ($20.90)
mozzarella, spinach, capsicum, chicken, homemade peri-peri sauce

Clearly we weren't off to a good start, but we hoped that the pizzas would make up for it.
The first pizza we ordered was the "Peri-Peri Chicken Pizza," it just came fresh out of the wood-fired oven so it was quite hot, just the way we wanted. Overall the pizza was okay, the chicken was dry and tasteless but the other ingredients made up for it.

The Lot Pizza ($19.90)
Mozzarella, Ham, Salami, Onion, Pineapple, Mushroom, Chicken.

Our second order was "The Lot Pizza", Luckily this one was the best out of the 2 and partly made up for our disappointed experience so far. It was tasty and flavorful, though i felt like it was lacking in toppings as it was quite thin.

Overall the experience was okay, maybe less than average but it was really cheap and left us bloated. So you can't complain there since i wanted a cheap feed. 

Food - 4.5/10
Ambiance - 5.5/10
Service - 3/10
Total FoOodie Points- 13 / 30 

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Friday 10 July 2015

Cafe Adventures @ Breakfast Thieves



I decided recently to explore the world of brunch, and i wish i discovered this earlier in my life. I never went to cafes until recently after being introduced by a few friends, now i'm always looking for people to adventure with me into all these beautiful brunch locations.
I came here on a cold weekday afternoon looking for comfort food. the cafe had a nice relaxing atmosphere which was what i needed, on arrival we were pleasantly seated upon a high-top table for 2. 

(TOP) Leprechaun ($19) (V)
Crisp fried sweet corn fritters on puree of chipotle & grilled corn, pickled beetroot, yuzu-avocado mousse & poached eggs

(BOTTOM) Spanish Gypsy Dance ($19.5)
Spanish morcilla (black pudding) served with crisp rosemary & parmesan polenta bars, chilean pebre, cherry tomatoes, pickles, basil oil & poached eggs

at first glance of the menu i had absolutely no idea what anything was. Being a brunch newbie, the worker serving my table assisted me with recommendations as i looked like a clueless patron. After a few "uhh" and "hmm" i decided to go for the Spanish Gypsy Dance. Generous in portion and full of flavour it did not disappoint and was a filling meal. I also ordered the Chai latte w/ bonsoy, it was nothing special surprisingly as i felt it tasted like an ordinary Chai latte from your local coffee shop.


Overall pleasant experience and i would definitely come back!

Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 7/10
Total FoOodie Points- 21.5/ 30 

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European Adventures @ No35 (Old Post) (LQ)


No35 is a High-end European restaurant on the 35th floor of Sofitel Towers, Hence No."35". I came here today as a celebration dinner for my partner and also to tick another restaurant off in the "Try everything in Melbourne Checklist". I heard this place is a hit or miss from friends but luckily i was not disappointed and was mainly satisfied with each and every dish.

View from No35 

The beautiful view from our table, though the other window had a much better view which overlooked Southbank and Crown but we only managed to book the last table since going here was a last minute decision. 

Complimentary House-Baked Sourdough & House-Made Butter

Complimentary House-Baked Sourdough & House-Made Butter on arrival. Complimentary stuff is always a plus sign for me. Though the bread was quite tough but the butter was full of flavour and made up for the toughness of the sourdough.



 Dark Mocha Martini & ?? (Cocktail Special)
Ketel 1 Vodka, Kahlua, Dark Choc Mozart, Espresso

We started off with a cocktail for each, Sadly i forgot what cocktail my partner got as the waiter notified us of the drink special of the day, therefore was not listed on the menu. The cocktail tasted of a sour lime/citrus flavoured with a sweet aftertaste. It was okay, but we expected more as the waiter hyped it up.
As for me on the otherhand, I had the "Dark Mocha Martini". I chose this because; I love my mocha, and i love my cocktails, So i thought, why not both?. It was exactly how i expected it to be, the espresso overpowered the alcohol and provided a sweet aftertaste, though it lacked in punch because of the espresso, it was still a pleaser.



Carpaccio of smoked Petuna Ocean trout (gluten-friendly) ($26)
Horseradish & lemon cream, egg & caper salad, trout caviar, citrus and herbs.

My entree of the night was the "Carpaccio of Smoked Petuna Ocean Trout". With my love for seafood, i couldn't resist when i spotted this dish on the menu. The ocean trout was tender and fresh, combined with everything else in this dish, it was light and full of flavour. Surprisingly, this dish was quite filling, and made me overestimate how much food i could handle.


Spiced Duck ($26)
Plum wine gel, picked enoki, beetroot, apple, raspberry & golden elk.

My partner chose "Spiced Duck" as her entree, on first bite, it was packed with flavour, though the duck wasn't as tender as i had expected it to be, it was definitely satisfying. Though i was a bit confused with the condiments, such as apple & raspberry, it was still a visually satisfying mix.



Tasmanian Wild Clover Roast Rump of Lamb ($42)
Butternut pumpkin puree, freekah with dried cranberries, chocolate sauce, rapa and broccolini

Sadly i was unable to get a good photo because the lighting in the restaurant was quite dim, so this is the best i could do with my horrible phone.
My main of the night was the Tasmanian "Wild Clover Roast Rump of Lamb". As i had a seafood dish to start, i felt like i had to try meat to mix it up. The dish was visually appealing, the lamb on first bite was simply amazing, tender and full of flavour. But the star of this dish the the pumpkin puree, i swear i can eat this on its own. Combined with the lamb it created an amazing mixture full of flavour and punch. Definitely my favorite dish of the night.



Seared King Salmon ($39)
Squid ink linguine, calamari, spanner crab, sweet corn, sauce bouillabaisse, ocean greens

My partner had the "Seared King Salmon". It had a mixture of different types of seafood and i was luckily able to sample everything on the plate as my partner wasn't a seafood lover and only wanted the king salmon. The salmon was cooked beautifully, it was soft, tender and packed with flavour, there was no surprise as it was the main dish. the bouillabaisse sauce provided a nice taste in accompanying the calamari and crab, It was simply satisfying.



Apple Marshmallow ($16)
Green apple sorbet, blueberry & jasmine gel, basil wafers, cider jelly, clotted cream & apple chips.

At this moment i was bloated, but as for every food lover out there, there is always room for dessert.
I had ordered the Apple Marshmallow, it sounded the most appealing and my love for apples made me choose this. At first glance t was quite confusing to eat as i had absolutely no idea what anything was. But after sampling each, my favourite was the green apple sorbet, it tasted amazing. Sadly everything else on the dish was questionable, especially whatever that marshmallow thing was. I was clueless to what it was and it had no flavour at all.



Strawberry cheesecake ($17)
White chocolate, passion-fruit and raspberry gel, milk almonds & consomme

My partner had the Strawberry Cheesecake, at first glance it did not look like a cheesecake at all. But after observing it closely it was just uniquely constructed. I was able to have a bite, and that bite was heavenly. It had full of flavour and the white chocolate was really good. The only thing lacking would've been the size for i wanted to have more of the cheesecake but my partner had already finished it :(.

Overall my experience at No35 was satisfying as each dish did not disappoint. I would recommend this place for anyone that wants to impress their partner with fine food, or for a special occasion. With a beautiful view, romantic atmosphere, amazing service and great food, No35 does not disappoint.


Food - 8.5/10
Ambiance - 9/10
Service - 8.5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 26/ 30 

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