Monday 21 September 2015

Japanese Adventures @ Hanaichi

Hanaichi is the go-to place if you're looking for great and affordable food (under $10) which is generous in portion and is prepared at a fast-food restaurant speed. Located in 2nd level QV, Hanaichi's popularity is as strong as ever with customers constantly ordering and waiting at the store.

Japanese Curry Chicken + Miso Katsudon ($9.80)

The store introduced a new half/half deal where you could order 2 different dishes on one plate. My friend had opt for the curry chicken & miso katsudon. Both dishes were strong in flavour and nice but because the dishes both had strong distinct flavours, it didn't mix well together.
(2.2/5)

Japanese Curry Chicken + Kay's Chicken ($9.80)

The Japanese curry chicken and Kay's chicken are the top dishes as most customers tend to order either one of these. The Japanese curry chicken had a great taste and mixed well with the rice, the chicken was freshly cooked and crispy. The Kay's Chicken sauce is addictive, i could eat a whole plate of the chicken and sauce but i would probably die from a heart attack from the unhealthy goodness. 
(3/5) 

Overall for the speed and price, its really good. Obviously you can better in proper restaurants but if you're in a rush or looking for takeaway then Hanaichi is the place for you.

Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Service - 7/10
Total FoOodie Points- 20/30 

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








Thursday 17 September 2015

Burger Adventures @ Babu Bar Burger

Venturing out to Prahran, Babu, located on chapel st is one of those burger joints where you can make your burger from scratch. From the size of the patty to the various types of cheeses and ingredients, Babu tests your burger making creativity.

Sweet Potato Wedges w/ Sweet chilli & Sour cream ($6.90)


Starting off with the Sweet Potato Wedges, these were crispy and delicious, accompanied by the sweet chilli & sour cream sauce it was a great combination.
(4/5)

Babu 220Grams beef patty, Maple bacon, egg, swiss cheese, grilled mushroom, garlic butter ($18.20)

My friend had this combination, the burger overall was great but apparently for the first time since a number of visits, the bacon was overcooked therefore being a slightly disappointing burger but aside from the bacon he stated it was still a great burger.
(4/5)

Babu 220Grams beef patty, avocado, pineapple, caramelised onion, feta cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle ($16.40)

My other friend had a smaller combination, overall same as above it was quite above but she felt that the meat was too thick, therefore it was difficult for her to eat. But some people prefer to have a thick meat patty so that depends on preferences.
(3.5/5)

Babu 220 Grams beef patty blue cheese, caramelized onion, grilled mushroom, garlic butter, egg & maple bacon ($19.90)

 This was combination. Originally i wanted the goats cheese but apparently i asked for blue cheese when i was ordering but oh well whats done is done. At first i had no idea how to eat it because it was huge, but i managed by taking massive bites. Anyway overall the burger was nice but with one exception, the blue cheese. The cheese flavour was way too strong and overpowered the flavour of the rest of the ingredients. So from time to time it was a bit too much for my tastebuds.
(3/5)


Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Service - 6.5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 19.5/30 

Babu Bar Burger With Balls Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Tuesday 15 September 2015

Korean Adventures @ Darac

Located alongside the main RMIT building on A'Beckett Street, Darac is famous for their beautifully presented Budae Jigae, also known as Korean Army Strew. Upon entering you will be greeted with a funky interior (which sadly i could not grab photos of) and sweet service.

Beef Bibimbap ($15)
Assorted Vegetables, egg, beef in a hot stone pot with rice

Beautifully presented, the bibimbap had numerous types of vegetables which mixed well with the dish. One problem is that the egg was raw with was somewhat unappealing but otherwise an enjoyable dish.
(3/5)


Pork ShabuShabu Sausage Stew + Ramen (Medium)  ($32)
Korean Army Stew, variety of spicy sausage stew with mixed vegetables

Upon ordering you can see that almost every table has ordered the Korean Army Stew, so obviously for this visit i would get the same. The difference between the way Darac and other korean joints differs when it comes to their Army Stew is that Darac's presentation is amazing. Simple but perfect. The food itself tasted great, a must have on a cold winter evening. 
(4/5)

Spicy Pork Bulgogi w/ Rice ($15)
Stir-fried thinly sliced pork belly with sweet chilli sauce

The spicy pork bulgogi was generous in portion but sadly the pork felt a bit dry and the flavour was lacking. When combined with rice it was a good combination but did not meet my expectations.
(2.5/5)

Spicy Rice Cake ($17) (Non-Spicy)
Slice rice cake with vegetables and spicy sauce with boiled egg and fried dumpling

We ordered the Spicy Rice Cake, but we had one person on our table who could not handle spice at all so we opt for the non-spicy / soy version. Overall it was okay, i prefer the spicy version alot more. Its great for those who can't handle spicy as it still has the same ingredients such as egg, fishcake, and dumpling.
(2/5) 

Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 6.5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 21/30 






Dessert Adventures @ Mocha Jo's

Venturing into the Melbournes East, Glen Waverly. I had stumbled onto Mocha Jo's, a friend took me there because they were craving sweets and i saw many great reviews about this place so i had decent expectations.
Mocha Jo's does both breakfast, lunch & dinner. But for this occasion, we wanted to satisfied our sweets cravings.

Mocha w/ extra espresso shot & Latte

It was around 10-11pm at night, and we thought coffee was a great idea. Safe to say i barely had any sleep :(. I don't remember the prices of the drinks but it was reasonably cheap. The mocha was delicious and paired well with the cake i had ordered. Whilst the Latte was quite average.
Mocha (3.5/5) Latte (2.5/5)

Caramelised Apple Cheesecake ($10.50)

Upon browsing the cake display, i had chosen the 'Caramelised Apple Cheesecake'. I was surprised it came with strawberries and i'm not entirely sure what the accompanying sauce was, but i will assume it was custard? (don't take my word for that). But it was definitely a great pairing, the cheesecake was sweet and wasn't too much for my tastebuds. 
(3.8/5)

1st Date, Sticky Date ($13.50)
Sticky date pudding, vanilla bean ice-cream & warm butterscotch sauce

My friend had gotten the 'Sticky Date' and my god it was marvelous. This was my first time trying a sticky date and it surpassed my expectations by a mile. The combination of the sticky date pudding, vanilla bean ice-cream and warm butterscotch sauce was delightful. Next time i come here i will definitely be ordering this.
(4.6/5)

Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points- 21/30 

Mocha Jo's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Chinese Adventures @ China Bar Swanston St

Located in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, Swanston St Chinabar is one of few restaurants that is open 24/7 in the CBD. 24/7 restaurants is slowly becoming a thing in the CBD as new locations are popping up catering to us late night junkies :).

Corn & Chicken Soup ($6.50)

First off, Corn & Chicken Soup. For $6.50, The restaurant serves a generous amount of corn & chicken soup that can easily fill you up. It was average, nothing too great but perfect comfort food after a night out.
(2.5/5)


Seafood Laksa ($13.80)

My friend had ordered the 'Seafood Laksa', from first sight you can tell there was a generous amount of seafood in the dish. Sadly you can easily tell that it was frozen and the overall dish was average, you can easily find a better laksa dish elsewhere.
(2.9/5)



Curry Chicken w/ Dry Noodles & Bokchoy

You can't go wrong with curry chicken w/ dry noodles. Which is why i usually pick this dish whenever i come to China Bar as i feel that the other dishes are a hit or miss at times. Delicious, but nothing outstanding. It was overall still a flavoursome dish. 
(3/5)

Overall, The restaurant is quite mediocre, serving average to above average dishes. But if you're looking for a place to eat at 3am in the morning. Then you can't go wrong with China Bar.


Food - 5.5/10
Ambiance - 5/10
Service - 5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 15.5/30 






Cafe Adventures @ Hash Specialty Coffee & Roasters

A newcomer in the brunch scene, Hash Specialty Coffee & Roasters have proven to be one of the new underdogs in the hardware lane district.. Serving their specialty drink, the 'Hash Hot Chocolate' and their refined breakfast and lunch menu. 

Hash Hot Chocolate ($6)
Melted Mork Chocolate (Dark) w/ Fairy Floss

First up is the one and only 'Hash Hot Chocolate', Melted chocolate poured on top of fairy floss? sounds like heaven to me. It turned out to be quite average, the chocolate had an alcoholic taste to it, but that was due to the dark chocolate. An interesting mix.
(3/5)

Slow Roasted Pork Belly ($20.5)
Slow roasted pork belly, goat's cheese, pickled mustard seeds, hazelnut, & textures of apple

The pork belly was amazing!, succulent and tender, it was definitely the highlight of the dish. though the accompaniments were lacking in flavour it pulled down the overall score from at 4 to at low 3. 
(3.2/5)

Ocean Trout Rilettes ($19.5)
Smoked Trout Rilettes, toasted s'dough w/ poached eggs & bearnaise sauce

An average dish in my opinion, it was good, but there wasn't a 'wow' factor when i first took a bite. The bearnaise sauce was beautiful but it had overpowered the dish.
(2.8/5)

Leek & Cheddar Croquettes ($19.5)
Leek & cheddar croquettes, cauliflower puree, ham hock, cavolo nero, and a tumeric poached egg

Before you all judge me, i did come here a second time to try out the dishes so don't think i ordered so much in one sitting :)

The 'Leek & Cheddar Croquettes' was definitely my favourite dish from my overall experience dining here. The croquettes were crispy and flavourful, combined with the cauliflower puree, poached egg, and well, everything else on the plate, it was marvelous. Though i felt the ham hock could've been replaced with something that would've paired with the flavour of the dish as it stood out too much.
(4/5)

Chorizo, Scallops & Eggs ($20.5)
Chorizo, seared scallop on toasted sour dough w/ fried egg, chilli and a white bean spread

My friend had ordered this dish, she said that the dish was overall quite disappointing as there wasn't enough flavour. I had a sample of the dish and i can tell that each individual ingredient was delicious but combined together, it didn't provide a 'wow' factor therefore resulting in an average mix. 
(2.5/5)

Food - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 6.5/10
Service - 7/10
Total FoOodie Points- 20/30 

Hash Specialty Coffee & Roasters Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato