Grand Noodle

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Grand Noodle is a good solid takeaway staple for those nights where you just can't be faffed.  They do a more Westernised take on the standard hawker store noodles and rice dishes.  The serving sizes are decent and the service is quick - no mucking about.

Our standard order (for we are predictable people) include:

Curry Laksa

 Their curry laksa had loads more veggies than the more traditional curry laksa, which is actually a positive.

Nasi Goreng

Their Nasi Goreng had plenty of BBQ within and not too spicy which made it family friendly.

Char Kwai Teow

 So this may not be the most authentic tasting Char Kwai Teow I have ever tasted but as stir fried noodles go, it tasted more than fine.  Better than what I am capable of.

In summary - Grand Noodle, a handy go-to takeaway place.  It might not be authentic hawker stall fare but it tastes more than fine, service is quick and serves are substantial.



Until next time...

Shanghai Garden Dumpling

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Purely in the name of investigative reportage and not for gluttonous reasons, I have tried many a dumpling places of late.  I present to you the first in a series to come of dumpling reviews.  Shanghai Garden Dumpling apparently makes their own buns and dumplings from scratch daily.

I very much enjoyed their Pan Fried Chive Pancake ($6.80).  It was filled with chives (obviously) but also with glass noodles and dried shrimp.  The pancake had a warm toasted/char taste and it was not soggy at all given the moist interior.

Pan fried chive pancakes

We also ordered the Pan Fried Pork Soup Buns ($7.90).  P declared these to taste just as good as the ones he lined up on the streets for in Shanghai.  But I found these very greasy with a overwhelming porky aftertaste.

Pan fried pork soup buns

 They redeemed themselves with the Pan Fried Pork Dumplings ($7.00).  The wrapper were thin and slippery which made the dumplings themselves very light.  They were deliciously crisp underneath and the filling inside wasn't too greasy.  I would highly recommend these dumplings!

Pan fried dumplings

I would definitely return for the dumplings and the chive pancakes and perhaps also try some of their Shanghainese noodle and rice dishes.



Until next time...

Madelines at Jells Park

Hello Fellow Nom  Seekers!

Madelines is a cafe situated within the picturesque Jells Park.  Because of it's location it makes it a convenient place for an apres sportif coffee / lunch / brunch.  There is a indoor cafe area as well as an alfresco dining and a even more casual kiosk opening for coffee orders.  Being a cafe in a park, it naturally is bike and scooter friendly.

After a brisk walk in the bracing wind around the lake, we headed to Madelines for coffees and a wee snack.  The staff were very friendly and Kiddo received an activity sheet to keep her occupied.  The wood fire was roaring which was a much needed comfort on a wintery day.

The food service came rather promptly however there was a bit of a wait for the beverages (10 - 15 mins).
We ordered a latte;  hot chocolate for Kiddo;  green tea and their "Meat Platter" ($17) which is more or less an antipasto plate to share.  The Meat Platter came with salami, proscuitto, bococini; semi sun dried tomatoes, marinated eggplant, fetta, rocket salad, grilled capsicums, grisini and lavosh.  It was surprisingly filling with the coffees as a snack between four people.

Latte

Hot chocolate

Green tea

Meat platter

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the best antipasto plate ever to be constructed or the best coffees/teas brewed.  But the view is magnificent, it's convenient for park goers and it's child friendly which makes Madelines worth visiting.  

Until next time...

Oasis Bakery (Revisit)

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers

I freaking love this place so much I had to take the olds there for brunch.  Well any excuse would do.  I recently lunched at Oasis and absolutely loved their food and more particularly their grocery store.

Continue reading...

Schnitz

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I am a little obsessed with the chips and schnitzel at Schnitz...I can't stop thinking about them!

I love love love the beer battered chips with their 'secret' seasoning.  They are so moreish.  Here is the large for $4.50

But when it comes to the actual schnitzel, I like mine chicken and I like mine in a wrap.  My favourite combos are the Hey Habib with grilled peppers, eggplant and hommus and a squeeze of lemon ($11.50) and the very similar Vegged Out with grilled veggies and tzatiki ($11.50).

The schnitzels are pan fried on the spot so it sure beats the usual fast food schnitzel which have been deep fried and sitting under a heating lamp for eons.

I guess I should be ashamed to admit I go there weekly but really there shouldn't be any shame in that as they undoubtedly do good schnitzel.  I think the queues speak for themselves.



Until next time...

Rice Paper Vietnamese Restaurant

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

It's an ongoing challenge to eat healthy when on the run.  I was particularly thrilled when I realised the Vietnamese restaurant, Rice Paper on Swanston St had a takeaway counter for those who perhaps did not have the time for a sit-down meal.  The takeaway counter situated right outside their entrance sold only rice paper rolls but that is more than ok by me.  They came in a sturdy takeaway box with a little container of hoi sin sauce.

I ordered a chicken and salad filled one.

And a lemongrass pork one.

To be honest, I didn't really enjoy these and they would be the first rice paper rolls (store bought or home made) that I didn't like.  They were airy and insubstantial, made of mainly salad leaves and little else.  I had to really seek out the chicken or the pork hiding within.

For a few cents per roll extra I would much prefer the rice paper rolls at Roll'd.  I wouldn't mind going back to Rice Paper to try their sit down menu but I would definitely be giving their rice paper rolls a miss.



Until next time...

Thr1ve

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Thr1ve is an eatery inspired by paleo and primal protocols.  Apparently the menu has been approved by a nutritionist.  So in a world where food court pickings are usually considered bad for you, Thr1ve fills a niche for those of us who are eating on the run but want a nutritional meal in the process.

So here's the process when ordering a main:

• you pick you base which could be sweet potato mash, brown rice, greens, etc
• you add your protein - choice of chicken, fish, greens, beef, etc.  Apparently the protein is measured out to the nutritionist's guidelines
• you can either upsize or add side bits such as egg, more greens, sauces, etc.  

So here's what we got:

This was the sweet potato and cauliflower mash base with grilled chicken with pesto, roasted capsicum and spinach.  As I feared I would be still hungry, I added an extra side of smashed avocado.  ($14.90)  I was right in thinking I would be hungry because I was!  Don't get me wrong, it was very delicious, the herb chicken had great flavours and the mash was comforting but it left me 90% full or rather 90% satisfied.  So then I was obsessing about snacking for the remainder of the day...eventually I succumbed and scoffed down a packet of tortillas.   

My sister ordered the brown rice base with grilled teriyaki salmon.  ($12.90) Her's was even mingier in size.  Whilst she reported it was well cooked pieces of salmon, unfortunately there were too little of it.  She ended up snacking on a sushi handroll later in the day.  

Whilst the concept of Thr1ve is a great idea and a much needed option in the food mall space, the portion size was a little on the wee size leaving one slightly less than replete.  

Until next time...

Sasa's Cafe and Fine Food

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Sasa's was disappointing at best.  We rocked up for lunch on a public holiday, being one of the few places opened and given the steady stream of people coming and going, it looked like it would be a safe bet.  *sigh*

It started off promisingly. The wee macchiato was so cute:

The decaf latte was fine.  No objections there.

The spiced chai was stock standard.

The menu itself was exhaustive.  I estimated there was at least 40 odd menu items taking you through from the breakfast offerings to main affairs along the lines of slow roast meats, and with a side trip of pasta and baked goods along the way.  Maybe Sasa's was trying to be too many things to too many different people that it ended up serving nothing really well.

Case in point, the seafood skewers I ordered.  They were $20 and on paper, it sounded really good.  It also looked pretty appealing when it came to the table.  But too bad on closer inspection, the mussels were still bearded and very very chewy.  I ate it because I didn't want it to go to waste but I did not really enjoy the taste of it.  It didn't really have any taste and it was slightly disconcerting to have my seafood skewer padded out with bits of pineapple and zucchini.  It was not something which I would pay $20 for again.

My sister ordered the salt and pepper calamari with aioli in the entree size.  Once again, it sounded good in theory but the execution left a lot to be desired.  The calamari was so oily that the batter was no longer crispy because it was so grease-sodden.  It was also missing the salt and pepper component.  She left most of it.

My cousin ordered the vegetarian breakfast with gluten free bread.  It was probably the pick of the bunch but that is not saying much.  The feedback was that the beans were homemade and tasted reasonable.  The hash brown which is that sorry piece of fried thing between the tomato and the beans was purply-black in the interior.  When my cousin queried the waitress as to the origin of a purply-black blob within her hash brown, the waitress disappeared into the kitchen to ask the chef.  She came back to advise the purply-black thing was 'some ingredient they put in with the potato'.  So we were none the wiser and I'm guessing the kitchen staff had no idea what ended up in the hash brown mixture either.  

In summary, I would not be going back.  Considering that everyone had elements of their meal that was inedible, it doesn't really have any redeeming qualities other than it is open on public holidays.  

Until next time...

Peter's Fish Market, Gold Coast

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

A trip to the Gold Coast landed me in one of my favourite eating joints for lunch - Peter’s Fish Market where you can either order cooked seafood or simply buy fresh seafood. It is also a great spot to have a quick and cheap meal by the water after a jaunt to Seaworld.  

On this occasion, I did a variation on the fish and chips theme. I ordered half a serve of chips (how very restrained of me) for $3 with calamari, prawn cutlets and scallops.  All this totaled $13 plus $2 extra for the tartare sauce which I thought was a very reasonable price given we are in a touristy hot spot.  The prawn cutlets got a double thumbs up.  

Tucking into good seafood waterside, basking in the warm sunshine with squawking seagulls overhead is an epitome of the good life in Queensland.  *sigh*  That is my 'happy place' which I conjure up when faced with dreary Melbourne winter ahead.

Same waterfront at dusk.  *sigh*

Until next time...

Provence Artisan Bakers

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I feel like I'm about to divulge highly classified information.  For Provence Artisan Bakers, in my mind is a little hidden gem tucked up the top of Burke St just away from the hubbub of Camberwell junction.  It has a very narrow shop frontage so it is a case of blink and you will miss it.

The sourdough is to die for.  It is the right density and chewiness and tanginess.  I'll be frank, that is the only thing I have.  Sourdough sandwich.  I might switch up the fillings on various visits but the order is essentially the same.  The service is also excellent.  The kitchen was very accommodating when informed of my no sugar diet and they suggested what dressings I could have with my ham and salad sanger.

Ham and salad on sourdough

Berry Green tea

There is also a vast array of French style baked goods as evidenced here.

Do seek this place out, you won't regret it.  I wager the bread here will convert any die hard Atkins devotee to the wonder of carbs.



Until next time...

Kotaraya

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

My sister in law suggested we have family dinner at Kotaraya Malaysian restaurant.  Neither of us had been there before but we were both pleasantly surprised by the food and service.  Whilst it was family style dining, the service staff were responsive and with a large table, we weren't made to feel like a hindrance, like in some family restaurants.  The cuisine has a more Malaysian and Nonya style influence which makes for a nice change from the usual Chinese restaurant offerings.

Just to switch it up a bit, kiddo and some of her cousins wanted their opinions on the dishes represented in this post, so I did a Vox Pop of the children's opinions.  After all, being a family restaurant, whether the whole family enjoyed dining there or not is an important factor.

"Winsy Poo" aged 6:  "I like the tofu".  This is the soft Japanese style tofu, lightly coated in egg, fried with a slightly sweet sauce on a sizzle plate.

We also ordered another tofu dish which is this variation on the pei pa tofu.   These are little goujons of tofu fried nestled around braised beef and spring onions.  It was different presentation of something familiar but delicious.

One of my picks for the night - prawns with a coconut coating.  Deep fried.

Also one of my fave - Nonya chicken.  This is a piece of chicken flattened paper thin, fried with a salty sweet dipping sauce.

"Bobby's Girl, aged 9.5:  "I like the eye fillet.  It sounds scary but it tastes good".  Well put, Bobby's Girl.  This was a tender beef eye fillet with a black pepper glaze.

Kiddo, aged 8 initially declared she liked the plain rice the best.  But after careful reconsideration, she decided she liked the fried yam with stir fry pork the best.  This is sort of like a seafood basket sans seafood.  The fried yam was the basket of sorts with the stir fry nestled within.

Myself and the kids's grandma enjoyed the one and only vegetable dish - Belachan eggplant and string beans.  Loved the shrimpy flavours.

"Happy Face", aged 8:  "I like the watermelon".  So do I Happy Face, so do I.  A nice piece of refreshing complementary watermelon to de-grease.

The tea was also complementary however the charge on the rice was little steep.  It was $22 for 13 of us with the additional charge of $2 per bowl extra.

Kotaraya is a happy find for us.  It is not often you find a family style restaurant which everyone is happy to eat at and serves good food at reasonable prices.  Will be back.



Until next time...