Australian Adventures @ Meat Fish Wine

31 Artemis Lane, Melbourne VIC

8660 6333

12pm - 3pm Lunch

5pm - 10pm Dinner

Closed Sunday

Definitely a classier atmosphere than I expected, I've been pretty excited on coming down to Meat Fish Wine since it first opened. Enchanted by the modern and fancy interior the restaurant gave off a fine dining vibe. 

Coming with a group of 4, we came during lunch time of a weekday, and surprisingly the restaurant was empty during the rush hour. 

As I was late, I awkwardly made my way through the restaurant as I was completely under-dressed and totally didn't fit in at all (learnt my lesson) 

2 of us including myself opted for the express lunch special which included and entree, main, dessert and a glass of wine. Whilst the other 2 decided to order a main and side from the a la carte menu

Complimentary Bread, Butter & Olive Spread

We were served complimentary bread, some sort of butter and olive spread right after we ordered. I don't remember what the waiter said as he was explaining what was what on the plate. 

The olive spread was absolutely delicious, I've never had it before but I wanted more. The butter on the other hand was nothing special, definitely had a great flavour but I preferred the olive spread by a mile.

(8/10)

Spiced Duck Liver Parfait

Onion relish, parsley, cornichon salad

My friend (R) who opted with the lunch express set with me ordered the spiced duck liver parfait as his entree which he said he enjoyed. I had a bite and it was a unique dish which I haven't tried before. The texture was smooth, when combined with the mini-toast, created a unique flavour. Unfortunately it wasn't my cup of tea.


(5.5/10)

Beetroot Cured Salmon

beetroot and mizuna salad, avocado puree

I instantly knew which entree I was going to get. With my history and love of salmon, I had no choice but to choose this dish. 

The beetroot cured salmon itself was delicious and fresh. with many elements on the dish there was numerous combinations of ingredients that made this dish enjoyable. The avocado puree worked well with the salmon and the black rice cracker which I didn't know was included in the dish was delicious.

(7.5/10)

Lamb Rump ($40)
celeriac & apple puree, dates, puffed quinoa

My friend (D) ordered the Lamb Rump, I wasn't able to try the dish but she did quote "The presentation of each meal was so beautiful. The lamb was dayum good, cooked nicely & went well with the combination of sauces of the plate"

Snapper 

smoked cauliflower, "noir cracker" & sea foam

(R) and myself ordered the Snapper for the main dish. I absolutely loved this dish, the snapper was tender, flavorsome and cooked to perfection. Though the rest of the dish was questionable. 

The sauces which I believe was mayonnaise, a type of spicy sauce, sea foam and I have no idea what was in the 3 bubbles in the photo. First of all is that those bubbles are extremely sweet and in my opinion, did not work well with the dish at all. The other sauces were mediocre and underwhelming, I felt like there could've been much better alternatives to the sauces as the fish was absolutely stunning.

(6/10)

Wagyu Rump Cap ($55)

garlic butter

My friend (S) got the wagyu rump cap, I didn't try any of the dish but she did mention that the steak was underwhelming and "not that good" for the price. With such a large price tag she would've much preferred Meat & Wine Co steak instead.

Vanilla Creme Brulee 

Lastly is the dessert, both (R) and I ordering the creme brulee. The creme brulee was underwhelming and wasn't my cup of tea. There was home-made ice cream which accompanied the dish, and to be frank, it tasted bad. I had no idea what was in that nor what flavour it was but I did not enjoy it.

(4/10)

Overall Meat Fish Wine has a few hit or misses and I feel they could improve on food. Service was attentive but at the same time there was only one other table dining during the time we were. I will definitely come back as I've heard they have changed their executive chef and perhaps the food will be much better than it was on my experience. 

Food - 5.75 / 10 

Ambience - 10 / 10

Service - 9 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 24.75 / 30

Japanese Adventures @ Shujinko

225 Russell St, Melbourne VIC

9654 0989

Open 24 Hours

The infamous 24 hour ramen shop, it's the perfect restaurant after a night out if it weren't for the long queues. Dining here for a late dinner, the atmosphere was definitely loud with the occasion Japanese greetings from the workers, a comfortable environment. 

Tsukemen ($14.50)

various vegetables, and special seafood sauce with thick and chewy noodles

Ordering the Tsukemen for myself, I found the dish to be quite underwhelming. The broth lacked flavour and depth, whilst the noodles, in my opinion did not match well with the broth. I've had plenty different types of Tsukemen before but unfortunately this is rated quite low in my list. 

(5.5/10)

I also had the gyoza which I forgot to take a photo of, and it was pretty good. Delicious flavour and made the dish even better with the dipping sauce, I would highly recommend it on the side. 

(7.5/10)

Food - 6.5 / 10 

Ambiance - 8 / 10

Service - 8 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 22.5 / 30

Cafe Adventures @ Manchester Press

8 Rankins Ln, Melbourne VIC

9600 4054

7am - 5pm Weekdays

9am - 5pm Weekends

Hidden in a secret lane in Melbourne CBD, Manchester Press has been renown for their famous collection of bagel indulgences. From savoury, sweet and even a bit of both, you'll be sure to satisfy your bagel-cravings at Manchester Press

If you've never been here before, then bear in mind that you might need the great power of google maps in finding this place as I wandered around for like 5 minutes before deciding to rely on it.

NY Lox ($14)

a mountain of smoked salmon & baby capers, served on top of a fresh dill cream cheese

A generous serving of smoked salmon had me salivating when the dish came out. The salmon was delicious, but I felt that the dish could've been better if there was more of the dill cream cheese. The bagel itself was quite dry and hard.

As this was my first time ever eating bagels, I wasn't sure if that's how the texture is supposed to be.

(7/10)

Mel's Maple Mayhem ($13)

Toasted blueberry bagel topped with grilled bacon, mascarpone, sliced banana & drowned in authentic canadian maple

I've always known that bacon and sweet flavours were a trend, but I never pictured it being that great to be honest. After having a bite of Mel's Maple Mayhem, I could see why it's popular. The bacon flavour works really well with the maple syrup, banana and blueberry bagel, but the bacon was quite dry and was difficult to chew on which is either from over-cooking or the bacon was left out ?

(5.5/10)

Chorizo ($14)

grilled spanish chorizo, spinach, sliced tomato and cheese topped with tomato relish

The chorizo was amazing!, bursting with flavour, they worked well with the other components of the dish. To be honest it was my favourite out of the 3 that I tried, and i'll definitely be getting this the next time I come back.

Though the only fault which may be due to personal tastes is the toasted bagel. As mentioned above I wasn't sure if the bagel being really dry is normal. Maybe another visit will let me know.

(8.5/10)

Salted Caramel Cookie

&

Vanilla Bean Cookie

Finishing off with irresistible desserts which I saw on the counter, the Salted Caramel & Vanilla Bean cookie were absolute delicious. But a warning, this isn't a sweet to have all to yourself. After the first few bites the cookie becomes overpowering with sweetness and becomes too much.

(8/10)

Food - 7.1/ 10 

Ambience - 7 / 10

Service - 6 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 20.1 / 30

Korean Adventures @ Yami Yami (LaTrobe)

200 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, VIC

9654 4460

12pm - 9:30pm Everyday

Another Yami Yami post, but this time it's the Latrobe / Melbourne Central edition. 

Compared to the Lonsdale St Yami Yami, this store features different dishes that aren't seen in their sister store. Though both stores have their own specialty / exclusive items.

Beef Japchae

In terms of quantity, Yami Yami La Trobe beats a lot of other Korean joints by far, the flavour is on par with many other places I've been too which is a good thing as I have yet to try a japchae which I actually dislike.

(7/10)

Seafood & Spring Onion Pancake

Tasted too "flour-y"?, I didn't like the seafood and spring onion pancake as much, the overall flavour wasn't that great and was disappointing in general.

(4/10)

Deep Fried Chicken w/ Spicy Rice Cake & Cheese

This is a specialty at this store, I've ordered almost every time I come here with my friends as it's the 'must have' dish when it comes to sharing and I highly recommend it. It's a combination of fried chicken and spicy rice cake (Ddeokbeokki), and you simply can't go wrong with that. 

A warning though, if you can't deal with spicy food, then this isn't for you. The spiciness level can vary depending on your visit, but most of the times I've had it, it was extremely spicy but so delicious. 

(7/10)

Kimchi Pancake

Definitely the better pancake if I were to compare it to the seafood and spring onion one. the kimchi flavour is delicious and works amazingly well when you dip it in the soy sauce.

Unfortunately from experience, the kimchi pancake can vary in quality sometime, with one time I went, the pancake was dripping in oil and tasted bad. But from what I've seen, they've maintained their consistency.

(7/10)

Food - 6 / 10

Ambiance - 7 / 10

Service - 7 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 20 / 30

 

Cafe Adventures @ Eden's Backyard

161/163 Nicholson St, Carlton VIC 

9663 8887

Monday: Closed

Tue - Fri: 7:30am - 4:00pm
Sat - Sun: 8:30am - 4:00pm

I've been meaning to try Eden's Backyard for quite some time now. From their adorable coffee art and delicious looking food on my Zomato feed, I was excited. 

My friend 'D' and I came in around 2pm and there was plenty of space inside. with a cute garden theme at the back, the interior of the cafe was chic and laid-back.

I was planning to order the 'Bob The Burger' after much deciding on the tram to the cafe, but my hopes and dreams were ruined when we were informed that they had ran out of ingredients. Devastated and hungry, I decided to order my 2nd option which was the Lasagna.

Green Tea Latte ($4.5)

To be honest, one of the main reasons I wanted to come here was so I could see this adorable whale art in person. The green tea latte as a drink was average at best, the matcha taste wasn't distinct and lacked overall flavour

(5.5/10)

Brekkie Chicken Lasagna ($18)

Chicken ragu, light bechamel sauce, sauteed spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, fried egg

The lasagna was delicious!, served piping hot, you can taste the ricotta and mozzarella cheese really well on each bite of the lasagna. The fried egg enhanced the flavours of the cheeses and delicious chicken ragu. Though I felt that the presentation of the dish can be improved as it looked quite boring. Perhaps a salad or some sort of side would work better.

(8.5/10)

Shephard's Lover

Mild chicken curry w/ cheesy potato mash

The Shephard's Lover was a potato lovers heaven. The cheesy and smooth potato mash was delightful, and the chicken curry at the bottom worked well with the potato mash when combined. Whilst the potato mash was good, the flavour was quite overpowering, as there was much more mash than curry..

(7/10)

Food - 7/ 10

Ambiance - 7 / 10

Service - 7 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 21/ 30

 

Mexican Adventures @ Pablo Honey (Invited)

 68 Acland St, St Kilda VIC 3182

9534 3246

11:00am - 1:00am Everyday

On the courtesy of the Em, I was invited to dine at Pablo Honey, a Tapas & Tequila bar situated in St Kilda. Renown for their innovative and cocktails and tapas sharing plates, I've been looking forward to coming down for quite some time. To be honest I haven't tried much authentic Mexican cuisine at all so this was a first, and an exciting experience. 

Pablo's Blossom
a zingy blend of gin, lychee and cranberry all combined in a snow cone like drink
My choice of cocktail was the Pablo's Blossom, I was looking for something that was refreshing and sweet. Whilst the drink did deliver in the refreshing department, the flavour was lacking, resulting in a watered down taste which I will assume is from the large quantity of crushed ice.

(5/10)

Pearfect

blend of Absolut pear, elderflower and apple

My friend 'D' ordered the Pearfect, unfortunately it was the same result as the Pablo's Blossom. The flavour was lacking and felt watered down, perhaps that's how the drink is supposed to be?. Unfortunately it did not suit our tastes.

(5/10)

Chorizo & Cheese Fundido

Hickory corn chips

Starting off with a number of recommendations from our waiter, the Chorizo & Cheese Fundido was spectacular. I did not expect the presentation of this at all. The chorizo & cheese fundido worked really well with the hickory corn chips, combining the 2 flavours made a marvelous aftertaste

(9/10)

Grilled Spiced Mackerel

Jicama, coriander & smoked chilli

Spicy, that's the first thing I think of when I ate this dish. It was spicy, and I loved it!, the grilled spiced mackerel was cooked perfectly, resulting in a tender texture. the spiced mackerel and smoked chilli combination gave that dish the spice element I enjoyed.

(8/10)

Prawn & Crab Moqueca

coconut, tomato & coriander

So i'm a huge fan of spicy food, and after eating the spiced mackerel, my chilli endurance was pretty strong. But the prawn & crab moqueca almost doubled in spice level compared to the mackerel. It was way too spicy, resulting in my failed attempt of eating the dish. 

The seafood was delicious, though the crab meat was lacking so all I was eating most of the time were the prawn and vegetables. Perhaps if they added something else to compliment the dish then it would be better

(6/10)

Grass Fed Beef Tartare

salted egg yolk, smoked chilli, finger lime, coriander & cumin seed lavosh

Soft & tender, the grass fed beef tartare was amazing. The meat had a soft texture which required minimal chewing. Paired with the smoked chilli or finger lime, there was a number of flavours which exploded in my mouth. Accompanied by the bread/pastry that accompanied it, the soft and tender meat, joined with the crispy cracker was a marvelous duo.

(8.5/10)

Chipotle BBQ Lamb Shoulder

salsa roja, black bean hommus & tortilla

I was absolutely stuffed at this point, and the final savoury dish was from the ''Large plates' menu which meant it was going to be a struggle to finish. 

First off, the lamb shoulder was inconsistent. 3/4 of the lamb was beautifully tender and soft, and the rest was completely burnt, resulting in an inedible portion, but that was probably due to the method of cooking.

The black bean hommus, in all honesty. I couldn't taste anything at all when I combined it with the tortilla and lamb shoulder. It tasted flavorless so I barely touched it in the end.

the tortilla were nicely toasted and warm and worked really well when everything was combined.

(7/10)

Dulce De Leche Mousse

Berries & bitter chocolate popping candy

Saw photos of the Dulce De Luche Mousse online and it looked funky!, mousse was smooth, creamy and delicious. Combined with the kick affect of the popping candy it really created that 'party in your mouth' feel which I enjoyed. Unfortunately the skull candy casing? was not my cup of tea.

(7/10)

Food - 6.9 / 10

Ambiance - 8.5 / 10

Service - 8 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 23.4/ 30