Mount Street Cafe, 6000

You could come here for a nice breakfast, a great coffee, or a slice of house-made chocolate hazelnut cake, but really you should make time for the contemporary Asian fusion menu. It's fantastic. Hailing from Longrain (Melbourne, Yelp it), the chef ups the ante on Asian favourites like - Vietnamese pho with ox-tail wontons ($12), Pork belly braised in, wait for it - coffee - with radish and green apple ($28), and Chinese style duck crepes with orange and hoisin sauce ($12). Zing-zang!

MSC is located at street level of Riverview apartments. Eucalyptus trees abound

The prices tip the higher end of the scale, but this shouldn't come as a shock considering the standard, or the privileged location. The only surprises you'll find is - a truly tranquil unchartered territory that serves up divine haute-Asian fusion cuisine. Just note that quality takes prevalence over quantity. Think delicate small portions, but exquisite. 

I ordered the Pan Fried Pink Snapper with Apple Potato Puree and Radish Salad ($28). Artfully presented, the plate was an appetising juxtaposition of textures and flavours - crunchy/creamy, and sweet/salty. Beautiful.

Snapper with apple potato puree and radish salad, $28

I was was eyeballing dishes placed before my neighbouring diners, and they were doing the same onto me. I think I eye-witnessed just about every dish on offer (quite a small, yet well formed menu), and they all had me making mental notes for next visit. And there will be a next visit 

Sit at the bar for prime kitchen viewing

The ambience and service reflects the direction of the food - modern, a little bit slick, but open and peaceful. The Eucalyptus leafy, Cul-de-sac location really lends to the tranquil setting.

Modern alfresco dining area

Also note - so you're not in for a rude shock, that parking is limited and its not exactly cheap. 

Food: 4/5 Contemporary, creative, a feat of balance and texture

Ambience: 4/5 Peace and quiet, shut away

Service: 4.5/5 Enthusiastic, fast and pleasant. 

Cambridge Forum International Food Court, 6014

This Wembley food court is an ol' faithful for food urgencies among locals. There's no food in your house, you don't want too spend much money and you want to eat now. Cambridge Forum food court is cheap, open most nights a week, has choice and is BYO. Most food courts are generally parcel of a larger shopping complex, where business is owed to shoppers in the right place at the right time. Cambridge Forum brings customers without the help of nearby stores. People visit for the food court fair alone.

It’s not all gravy though – the carvery and Japanese aren’t super great. But that’s ok, it wouldn’t be an authentic food court without the bad stalls too. The best is probably the Singaporean – famous for their Char Kuey Teow. Flat rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, tender strips of chicken, omelette egg, bean sprouts, onion and chives in a mix of soy sauce. I have not eaten a truckload of Char Kuey Teow in my time but a plate of this stuff is too more-ish to savor. Delicate ribbon like noodles tossed with a bundle of chunky fresh prawns, combined with the salty soya sauce and a tinge of aromatic sourness…ideal comfort food.

Stir fried vegies

Char Kuey Teow $10.50

A plate of the Char Kuey Teow will set you back $10.50 here. We also knocked back a bowl of stir fried vegetables which came to under $10. These were tastier than they sound. I could eat a bowl of the veggies and be satisfied. If you don't feel like noodles, the dim sum place is also pretty good.

bzzzzz..

Dim Sum

Food: 4/5 (For the Singaporean Char Kuey Teow! Seriously better than tasty and not too oily, generous on the seafood)

Ambience: 2/5 (Its still a food court)

Service: 4/5 (Super fast, buzzer system)

Value: 5/5 (good size and freshness for what you pay)

Tong 86, 6000

Cutting to the chase - this place is pretty cool. I have never experienced the world of Korean BBQ before and if you’d ask me what I though of it after my time at Tong 86, I’d say I’m a bit of a fan! I like the cook-it-yourself ritual, but it was really the atmosphere that had me sold on this place. 

The first thing I said when I walked in Tong 86 is “I don’t feel like I’m in Perth”. It’s a warehouse style restaurant, with pen-scribbled walls; dim, amber lighting and the place is buzzing with a full house of Korean peeps! It seems as if you’ve stepped into the underground. There’s also Korean pop music videos projected onto one of the walls. 

For those not clued up on the Korean BBQ; it’s all about the meat. A pretty clear-cut menu that lists various carves and chops of meats. You make your order and the meat is brought to your table raw, along with typical sides, for you to engage in some DIY cooking! 

We ordered a serve of Scotch Filet, Brisket, Spicy noodles, Mushroom and Kimchi (cabbage) pancake.  Kimchi is like pickled vegetables; a famously Korean side dish.  The Kimchi cabbage pancake was my favourite; I recommend you order this one!

I didn't care much for the scotch filet and found it a bit chewy (this may be on account of our rookie BBQ-ing skills) but I did like the thin shavings of brisket.

Scotch Filet, Brisket, Mushroom and sides

If you’re looking for a fun but inexpensive night, with an alternative mood, and you don't like to be rushed through your dinner; then beeline to Tong 86 with your favourite non-vegetarian buddies! 

Spicy Noodle

 

Kimchi Pancake

Food: 3.5/5

Ambience: 5/5

Service: 4/5

Spice Shack, 6053

Its slim pickings out in Bayswater and Spice Shack is a welcome relief from the monotony of grotty lunch bars around this industrial area. I discovered this little oasis driving on my way to work one day and have been back a few times since trying their delicious Sri Lankan home cooking.

The curries are SO tasty and not to mention great value. 1 Meat + any mix of vegetable curry is $10.50 and 2 Meat + Veg combo is only $12.50. They also have a "Pick Me Up" pack, which they describe as a "quick, fresh and tightly packed box of takeaway goodies".
Its also nice to try some spicy food that's a little different from the plethora of Indian and Thai curry options around Perth. So today I got the special which was some sort of hot pot of Roast Pepper Chicken along with a Dahl, a Pumpkin curry and rice ($8.50). The rice was fragrant, light and not starchy. The chicken had a tasty smack of pepper and chilli and the pumpkin was mushy and mildly honeyed. I generally find Dahl to be a runny, bland excuse for a vegetarian curry but the Dahl I had today was a lovely lumpy texture and full of flavour.

Great taste and rotating daily specials have made spice Shack a lunch time favorite. They also sell a selection of refrigerated meals and Ceylonese snacks like Roti breads, cutlets ($1.50), fish cakes, curry puffs ($2.50) and a sweet home-recipe iced coffee. An assortment of curry pastes, chutneys and spice mixes are also available, making it possible for customers to make their own spicy creations at home.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Decor: 2/5
Value!: 5/5

To To Vietnamese, 6101

Are you a visual person? I am, and I love it when Asian restaurants design their menus complete with pictures and number references.  Almost like taking a jab at Western ignorance where we need it spelt out for us....It is quite handy when you want to avoid the anti-climax when the meal you're presented with is a far cry from the image you conjured up in your mind.  Picture menus allow you to avoid order bungles - you know exactly what you're getting and pronunciation is not a problem, "No. 16 please".  Like that scene in (500) Days of Summer.  Expectations > Reality =  disappointment.

The perfect lunch

Easy to navigate menu

Vermicilli with braised beef, lemongrass

Mixing it up is a fun ritual

You MUST try the beverages at To To's too! They make the most delicious traditional Vietnamese iced drinks I have tried...although they say 'beverages', but they're more like desserts; shavings of ice mingling with cubes of jelly, lychee, creamy coconut milk and exotic fruits. So refreshing on a warm day! Sometimes the contents of this fabulous concoctions are unidentifiable, but thats all part of the fun.

To To's 'special' drink

Dessert+beverage in one

Bill  -$15 such good value

No skin off my back

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 3/5

Space: 3/5

Cookie, 3000

On a recent trip to Melbourne,  I was excited to finally get the chance to try Cookie, the bar and eatery below sister venue The Toff in Town.  The thing I love most about this place is that the decor has absolutely no connection to the food, except for maybe that its f-ing awesome.  Looking at the modern wall art that mixes images of Canadian woodlands with boxy graffiti art, you would never guess this dive serves up superb Thai cuisine.

L: Duck jungle curry with eggplant and bamboo shoots,  R: Crispy fish salad with green mango and pickled crab

The menu at Cookie is pretty extensive and is broken down into dishes of Small, Medium and Large. This makes it great for sharing amongst groups or if you're like me and want to try as many different  recipes possible. Why get one dish when you can try three different small ones? Sweet!   Feeling not overly hungry, my sister and I chose just two mid-sized plates - the Duck Jungle Curry with eggplant and bamboo shoots (we love bamboo shoots) and the Crispy fish salad with green mango and pickled crab.  Both were SO delicious - the salad sweet and zesty and texturally wicked - light crispy flakes of battered fish with the mild crunch of the green mango was an absolute pleasure to eat. The standout was the curry however, and we both ended up literally slurping the remainder of the curry sauce like it was soup.  Our conversation changed from complaints of Chapel Streets growing lacklustre, to repetitive mumbles (mouths full, not wanting to break from the munching) of  "oh my goodd...yummmm, this is amaaazzzinng..."

A picture of a German beer hall-doll hangs above our table; a quirky departure from your typical Buddhas and temples

Tall windows open to bustling Swanston Street

The service here is a admittedly a bit arrogant. Cookie seems to have a slight case of "fit but don't you know it", but I really don't care 'cos the food is that tasty. Egos aside, the staff are very knowledgeable and the waiter  confidently recommended a great wine to enjoy with our food. 

Barely a drop of curry wasted

I  adore the contrast of the the contemporary Thai street food, against the sweet 60s printed crockery, and crochet table pieces.

L: Lime, rum based cocktail, R: Banana coconut cocktail

Cookie doesn't end at amazing Thai cuisine, the cocktails are top-notch too. The bar staff, like the restaurant staff, know their stuff and happily whipped up some rather complex and extremely delicious cocktails after we declared our favourite flavours and poisons.  I think it's obvious I love this place; the buzz, the chatty staff, the kitchy-cool setting and of course the sublime Thai!  I cannot wait to go back when i'm next in Melbs.

Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 5/5
Price: $$$

Cookie
252 Swanston Street
Melbourne 3000

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