Italian Adventures @ Pellegrini's Espresso Bar

66 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC

9662 1885

8:00am - 11:30pm Everyday

You don't find any classic Italian style restaurants nowadays, as most restaurants aim to go more a modernized look and atmosphere. 

But that's an exception for Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, because from just looking at the store outside, with it's cozy atmosphere that will make you feel like your in Italy.

You can really tell this store has been here since 1954 and has almost remained unchanged with its old classic interior which takes you back a few decades in the past.

To be honest I was really confused about how the ordering system worked, upon entering we weren't greeted so we just awkward stood at the entrance before deciding to just sit at one of the stools.

What disappointed me about this place is one of the waiters here, we were served by a waiter and he gave off a rude vibe and it felt like he didn't want to be there. But the owner on the other hand, though we weren't served by him, we could tell who he was by his bright personality as he was very talkative to the other customers.

Anyways, ordering was really confusing as we ended up figuring out that the menu is actually on the wooden board hanging from the ceiling, but luckily we did our research so we already knew what to get.

 Lasagna ($19)

Classic, home-style Lasagna, obviously the presentation from Pellegrini's doesn't have much effort put in we were hoping the flavour would make up for it. 

To be honest, it was good, but it wasn't anything superb. I felt the Lasagna was lacking in actual cheese instead of the Parmesan added on top of it, the dish was a bit too salty for my liking and to be honest wasn't quite worth for $19. 

(6/10)

Spaghetti Bolognese ($19)

The Spaghetti Bolognese was pretty average, generous in portion, it lacked in flavour and didn't taste as great as other bolognese dishes I've had before. The store doesn't actually show how much the dishes cost so we were quite surprised to find out at the end that the dishes were $19 each. 

(6/10)

Also to mention that they provide complimentary bread with butter which is a plus. Though the quality was inconsistent with my bread being quite dry whilst my friend had soft and fluffy bread.

Sadly it just wasn't worth for the price as we can easily find better restaurants elsewhere.

Food - 6 / 10

Ambiance - 6 / 10

Service - 3 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 15 / 30

Korean Adventures @ Uncle Jung's

 360 Elizabeth st, Melbourne VIC

9654 3428

Mon - Thu: 5pm - 11pm

Fri - Sat: 12pm - 11pm

Sun - 10am - 11pm

A new Korean takeaway establishment Uncle Jung's, which has just opened up recently, it serves up Korean fusion food such as burgers and tacos but with a Korean twist. 

After walking past this place a few times I decided to give it a try, from what I could tell, they also own the bar which is directly above this store and serves up alcohol and bar food just like any other bar would.

 Galbi Burger Combo ($10.50)

The Galbi Burger was pretty small, the size of my palm if I were to be precise. I hoped that the flavour would make up for the lack of size but it was pretty ordinary. Nothing really special about the Galbi burger.

(5/10)

The combo came with chips & drinks, the we were offered 3 different types of flavours with the chips that were (Ordinary, Chilli & Rosemary). The chilli flavour was chosen for this, and I absolutely loved the chips. Crispy, golden and the chilli salt added a great flavour to it.

(7.5/10)

2-Fried Chicken Combo (Fries + Drink) ($10)

The fried chicken was crispy and succulent, though I was disappointed because the pieces I received were pretty much mostly bones and lacked actual meat itself. But I would definitely come back as the chicken was pretty good

(7.5/10)

The Rosemary chips were pretty disappointing in portion, I wasn't able to tell between the ordinary flavour and Rosemary besides the tiny specks of Rosemary on the chips itself. There was a lot more on the bottom of the basket but I felt that it could've been served or done better. Either way the accompanying chilli mayo sauce matched really well with them.

(7/10)

Food - 6.5 / 10

Ambiance - 6 / 10

Service - 8 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 20.5 / 30

 

Dessert Adventures @ Lindt Chocolate Cafe

271 Collins St, Melbourne VIC

9667 0900

Mon - Wed: 8:30am - 6:30pm

 Thu - Fri: 8:30am - 9:00pm

Sat - Sun: 9:00am - 6:30pm

If you're someone that loves chocolate, then you'll know what Lindt is, and if you love Lindt, then I introduce to you to the haven of Lindt Chocolate Cafe. 

Filled with Lindt delicacies such as their signature chocolate items, cakes and beverages made with pure Lindt chocolate. You just can't go wrong here.

Interior 

Lindt Create-Your-Own Gift Box

They have a pretty cool create-your-own gift box where you can choose the box size, and fill them up with Lindt goods of your choice.

Cake Display 

Dessert Display

Brownies & Macaron Display

The Collection

With so many options to choose from, it was a great idea that I came here with a group of friends so I could try numerous delicacies Lindt cafe has to offer.

Opera Cake ($10.50)

A layered cake of dark chocolate ganache, coffee buttercream and almond sponge

I was quite disappointed in the Opera cake, Though I feel like the main reason was due to coming to the cafe when it was just about to close but the Opera cake was really dry and didn't have that smooth, creamy texture that most cakes have. But i'm sure that if i came earlier it would've been a better experience.

(5/10)

 Salted Caramel Cake ($10.50)

Dark chocolate mousse, crunchy hazelnut and salted caramel ganache on a Lindt chocolate brownie base

The Salted Caramel Cake on the other hand was pretty good. A smooth and creamy texture, with a beautiful salted caramel taste, it was great mood food. The salted caramel ganache was a great addition as it enhanced the salted caramel flavour when mixed together.

(7/10)

Lindt Chocolate Brownie ($6)

A tad dry, but I wasn't expecting much from a brownie, it was pretty good on it's own with a rich chocolate flavour. But it was definitely lacking something to make it satisfying, perhaps ice-cream would've been a good idea.

(6/10)

Lindt Mocha ($6.50)

Layers of Lindt dark chocolate, velvety milk and a perfectly drawn shot of espresso coffee topped with a Lindt chocolate thin

Topped with a Lindt chocolate, it was an uplifting drink. I reckon on the high end of the Mocha drinks I've had. A bit pricey but it's definitely worth it.

(7.5/10)

Lindt Decadent Chocolate Milkshake ($8.50)

Lindt excellence 70% dark chocolate ice cream blended with with milk and Lindt chocolate.

Now if you love a rich chocolate drink, then you'll definitely love the chocolate milkshake. My first sip of this and I was in heaven, rich, creamy and enhanced with that extra dark chocolate ice-cream, I could easily come back just for this.

(8.5/10)

Iced Coffee ($8.50)

Espresso blended with vanilla white chocolate ice cream, ice and topped with icecream and dark chocolate flakes

The Iced Coffee was pretty average in my opinion, the coffee flavour wasn't strong enough which led the drink becoming too sweet for an iced coffee.

(6/10)

Food - 6.6 / 10

Ambiance - 8 / 10

Service - 7/10

Total FoOodie Points - 21.6 / 30

Dessert Adventures @ Movenpick (2015)

2/210 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 

9654 4423

     11am - 10pm Sun - Thurs

11am - 11pm Fri - Sat

With so many stores around the CBD, everyone must know of the famous Swiss ice cream franchise Movenpick. I've had Movenpick plenty of times to try a bit of everything here and have only come to love a few dishes and flavours, but for this blog it'll just be the ice-cream.

Swiss Chocolate, Mint Chocolate & Maple Walnut Ice-cream ($9.95)

I can proudly say that my favourite ice-cream in Movenpick, and possibly in general, is the Swiss Chocolate. I'm not sure whether its the amazing chocolates bits in the ice-cream or how the flavour just gives a huge punch, but it's my all time favourite, highly recommend!.

(9/10)

The mint chocolate is also another great flavour, I've had other mint chocolates before and the one at Movenpick would rank mid-tier on the chart.

(7/10)

Maple Walnut was quite average and didn't impress me that much.

(5/10)

Espresso, Lemon & Lime & Strawberry Ice-cream ($9.95)

To be honest the other flavours didn't really stand out to me as much as the Swiss Chocolate did. Everything else felt pretty average with a few better and worse ones.

The espresso was normal, had a strong espresso taste, but a bit too strong for my liking.

(5.5/10)

Overall, I think that Movenpick does pretty disappointing fruit / sorbet flavours, the lemon & lime just tasted like lime and wasn't that great. I recommend sticking to the sweeter / non-fruity flavours. Same goes for the Strawberry Ice-cream.

(5/10)

Food - 6/10

Ambiance - 8/10

Service - 5/10

Total FoOodie Points - 19/30

Japanese Adventures @ Shimbashi Soba

17 Liverpool St, Melbourne VIC

9654 6727

Lunch: 11:30am - 2:30pm

Dinner: 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Everyday

When you think of having some good quality Japanese soba, then you think of Shimbashi Soba, a popular Japanese soba specialty restaurant which has customers raving about their handmade soba.

I didn't know about this place till I randomly walked past it and i'm glad I did, because I wouldn't have found out about this place if I didn't.

Outside 

To be honest the prices are a bit steep for soba but it's pretty worth, but if you're interested in coming here and wanting to spend a bit less, then I highly recommend in coming at lunch hours as their lunch menu is a lot cheaper than the dinner menu.

Interior 1

Also a great mention is that they have daily specials which sound mouth watering.

Interior 2

The atmosphere is pretty casual with a large shared table for those that haven't booked, if you're looking for a table for 2 then you'll need to make sure you call up beforehand.

Complimentary Mashed Potato

A first actually, that I've went to a Japanese restaurant in Melbourne that provides a complimentary side dish. The mashed potato was great to start off with.

Salmon Yukke ($9)

Marinated spicy salmon sashimi

The salmon was definitely fresh, you can tell by the texture of it, but the flavour disappointed me. I felt that the marinade overpowered the taste of the salmon sashimi and was too bitter for my liking.

(6/10)

Okonomiyaki ($13)

Japanese style pizza topped with special sauce and mayo

The okonomiyaki was quite average, it had a great texture but it lacked in flavour. There wasn't enough sauce for the entire dish and lacked a punch which most okonomiyaki dishes give.

(5/10)

Chicken Soba ($17)

Warm soup noodle with dumpings & chicken fillet

To be honest, i'm not a big fan of warm soba dishes. I feel that the texture of the noodle itself is a lot better chilled but that's just my personal preference. As my friends who had this dish said it was pretty good, overall the dish was pretty satisfying, the soup was delicious with a great combination of ingredients.

(7/10)

Tempura Seiro Chilled Soba (Large) ($23)

Chilled noodles with assorted tempura

Feeling really hungry as it was the only meal I had for the entire day, I ordered a large size which is an extra $4, and they sure give a lot. Chilled soba always hits the spot on a hot day, and with crispy assorted tempura on the side, it was a refreshing meal. 

The soba noodles itself had the perfect texture and the dipping sauce was perfect in enhancing the flavour of the soba. The assorted tempura, the prawn to be precise was my absolute favourite. Crispy and succulent, it was amazing.

(8/10)

Lemon Lime Bitters 

I was hoping for a home-made lemon lime bitter instead of a bottled one, so it was slightly disappointing. Nonetheless, it was still pretty good.

Food - 7/10

Ambiance - 6/10

Service - 8/10

Total FoOodie Points - 20.5/30

Cafe Adventures @ Rustica Canteen

33 Guildford Ln, Melbourne VIC

9642 2203

7am - 4pm Weekdays

8am - 4pm Weekends

We were confused at first if Rustica Canteen was the same as Rustica Sourdough, and upon looking at the menu, we were sure that they were pretty much the same thing but with a few tweaks on their dishes.

Located in the hidden alleyway of Guildford Lane where another popular cafe 'Krimper' is located. Rustica Canteen provides customers with amazing food and a comforting atmosphere as their counterpart Rustica Sourdough Bakery.

The Selection

Dining Room

Counter

Selection of baked goods

We arrived at the last hour so most of the baked goods were already gone, we weren't able to try some but perhaps on our next visit we shall.

Crispy Skin Vodka Cured Ocean Trout ($19)

Smoked sea salt, radish - green salad, poached eggs, citrus yoghurt & light rye toast

The ocean trout was magnificent, Beautifully cured which enhanced the flavour by a mile, it worked really well with the other ingredients. The poached eggs were cooked perfectly and everything just seemed to work really well with each other, a pleasing dish.

(8/10)

Chilli Scrambled Eggs ($17)

Bacon, spring onion, manchego cheese on sourdough

Soft, fluffy and flavoursome, the chilli scrambled eggs are delightful. Though lacking on the chilli side as I couldn't taste any spice, the manchego cheese enhanced the flavour of the eggs which made it satisfying to eat. 

My friend was never a fan of sourdough as it was a challenge for her to cut so that was a downside for this dish, but i'm pretty sure requesting a lighter bread wouldn't be a problem here.

(7/10)

Iced Mocha & Iced Chocolate

I was unable to get the prices of the drinks but it was either between $6.5 - $7.5. Prices towards the pricier side, they were well worth, the way it was presented was great and unique. 

Taste, well that wasn't a problem as it was delightful, the iced chocolate being creamy and had a strong chocolate taste whilst the iced mocha maintained a good level of bitterness.

(7/10) for both

Food - 7.3/10

Ambiance - 8/10

Service - 8/10

Total FoOodie Points - 23.3/30

Italian Adventures @ Bar Napoli (2015)

Emporium Melbourne, Level Three, 287 Lonsdale Street, CBD, Melbourne

9020 4302

10am - 7pm Sat - Wed

10am - 9pm Thu - Fri

Located in the level 3 food court of Emporium, Bar Napoli is known to serve up authentic pasta and pizza dishes that will fulfill your taste buds within the first few bites.

In terms of food courts in shopping centres, the emporium food court is probably one of the best in Melbourne. No typical fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC, etc, they have takeaway joints which are on par with actual restaurants with different types of cuisines.

Gamberi Pizza ($13)

Prawns, cherry tomatoes, fontina cheese, fresh rocket, shaved grana padano cheese, E.V olive oil & vincotto

For the price of $13, you get a generous size of wood-fired pizza, with generous amounts of ingredients. The prawns were indeed fresh and delicious and the rockets worked well with every single ingredient on the pizza. It's great quality coming from a food court.

(7/10)

Real Carbonara ($12)

Real Carbonara made without cream with Guanciale instead of bacon

I've tried the carbonara here on numerous occasions, and the quality is pretty consistent. The carbonara is quite different from the ones I've tried and that's probably because it was made without cream. I'm not sure if I like this more than the ones with cream, but it's still quite delicious.

(6.5/10)

Food - 6.7/10

Ambiance - 7/10

Service - 7/10

Total FoOodie Points - 20.7/30

Italian Adventures @ Tiamo (2015)

303-305 Lygon Street,Carlton, Melbourne, VIC

9347 5759

7am - 10:30pm Everyday

Conveniently located right next to my favourite ice-cream store 'Pidapipo', We decided to dine at Tiamo before indulging on some quality ice-cream next door.

Photos are a quite poor in quality as this was a 2015 post and when I didn't have a proper camera but I can assure you the food is quite good here.

Though on entry the place itself felt quite cramped, we were seated directly next to the door which was uncomfortable because there was barely any leg space / space in general because I had to move my chair in when someone wanted to enter/exit the store. Service on the other hand was quite friendly.

 Caesar Salad ($15.50)

Cos lettuce with a poached egg, anchovies, crispy bacon and croutons topped with shavings of parmesan and served with house-made caesar dressing

Let's be frank, if you're trying to eat healthy, don't go for a caesar salad. Even though it's a salad, it's probably one of the most carbs inducing salads you'll get, but nonetheless, it is delicious. 

With whole cuts of crispy bacon, generous amount of shaved parmesan, delicious dressing and a fluffy poached egg. This was amazing, though completely ruining the purpose of a salad being healthy, it's still an amazing dish.

(7.5/10)

 

 Zucca Pizza ($21.90)

Mozzarella, roasted pumpkin, pinenuts & fetta

The pumpkin & feta combination has been a new pizza trend from what I've seen lately, and it works incredibly well. The creamy and strong taste from the feta combined with soft roasted pumpkin works well with the pizza dough.

(8/10)

Salsicce Pizza ($23.90)

Mozzarella, tomato, pork sausage, caramelised onion and rouqette

The pork sausages, pizza dough and rouqeutte worked really well together and made this pizza on par with the pumpkin and feta pizza in terms of flavour, if I were to compare, the 'Salsicce' is more savoury whilst the other is more sweet. So choosing one would depend on cravings. 

(7/10)

Food - 7.5/10

Ambiance - 5/10

Service - 8/10

Total FoOodie Points - 20.5/30

 

Cafe Adventures @ Pillar Of Salt

 541 Church St, Richmond VIC

9421 1550

7:30am - 4:30pm Weekdays

8:00am - 5:00pm Weekends

Nothing beats sitting outdoors in the relaxing sun and enjoying a quality meal which is sourced from our own local suppliers, Pillar Of Salt maintains a healthy relationship with local suppliers to give diners the proper delicious and relaxing cafe experience.

With an extensive range of dishes, coffees, shakes and super smoothies, you can always find something to enjoy.

Eggs Benedict ($17.5)

Poached eggs, braised and shredded cape otway ham hock, smashed peas, apple cider hollandaise on toast

The store had ran out of shredded cape otway ham hock, but offered us to use fresh ham instead which wasn't a problem for us.

The Eggs Benedict is definitely one of the best I've had so far, and it would've been even better if there was ham hock instead. The apple cider hollandaise enhanced the flavour of the dish immensely, generous in portion, and full of flavour the dish was magnificent

(8/10)

Kimchi, Corn & Sweet Potato Fritters ($19.5)

Pineapple, wombok slaw, pink grapefruit cured kingfish, house made kimchi hot sauce & poached egg 

I was quite disappointed about this dish, the fritters were dry and tasted quite bland even when I mixed in the sauce and the other ingredients. There was only an small amount of cured kingfish and the sauce didn't pair well with the dish overall.

(6/10)

Iced Chocolate ($6)

Chocolate, fat milk, ice

I wasn't able to get the name of the smoothie on the left as I believe it has been removed from the online menu, but it used to be under the smoothie section and was quite average.

The Iced chocolate had a bit too much ice in it, so it watered down quite fast because we ate outdoors. Accompanied by a piece of white chocolate, it had a perfect level of sweetness and was smooth, just keep in mind to drink it before it waters down if you ever eat outside.

(7/10)

Food - 6.6/10

Ambiance - 8/10

Service - 7/10

Total FoOodie Points - 23.5 /30

 

Cafe Adventures @ Little Rouge

12 Drewery Ln, Melbourne VIC

Phone N/A

7:30am - 6:00pm Weekdays

9:00am - 6:00pm Weekends

If it wasn't for finding out about this place on Zomato, I never would've found out about Little Rouge. I had absolutely no idea that there would even be a cafe in Drewery lane because I thought it was an alleyway for bins and such for restaurants on Swanston.

Little Rouge is a hidden gem located in an hidden alleyway between Little Lonsdale & Lonsdale st, A difficult place to find, it serves some of the finest matcha green tea beverages in Melbourne.

Drewery Lane (Outside Little Rouge)

Interior

Menu Board

The one thing I really like about Little Rouge is the ambiance, from the moment you walk in, you feel like you're at home. From the unique photo collection on the walls, to the sleek shelves with books and a type writer which is actually used by workers, it's definitely a relaxing atmosphere.

Matcha Latte ($4.30)

The Matcha latte had an perfect about of bitterness and wasn't overly sweet which is what I was looking for. It's pretty hard to find a good matcha latte lately as many cafes seem to be doing it wrong.

(7.5/10)

Iced Chocolate ($6.50)

It was good, but not as good as I was hoping it to be. I felt that the iced chocolate wasn't sweet enough nor it had enough of a 'chocolate' taste. 

(6/10)

Iced Matcha ($6.90)

The Iced Matcha was possibly the best Iced Matcha I have ever had, to be fair I've only had a few but Little Rouge's iced matcha was mind-blowing. Smooth, creamy and rich it became one of my favourite drinks to this day.

(9/10)

Almond Croissant ($9)

All the cakes which I was hoping to get were sold out already so the only thing left was the Almond croissant and a few cookies. In the end I decided for the croissant and i didn't regret a single thing. It was so long that I had a croissant that I completely forgot how much I love them.

 Soft and fluffy on the inside, accompanied with a crispy crust with a generous amount of almonds made it a great match with my matcha green tea.

(8/10)

Food - 7.6/10

Ambiance - 9/10

Service - 8/10

Total FoOodie Points - 24.6/30