Morris Jones, Windsor MELB

A few days ago, I was invited by the team at Morris Jones to sample their new California Japanese menu as part of their newly executed concept. Incorporating well loved Asian flavours into innovative, modern dishes, I was looking forward to check this place out.

Our waiter was very attentive towards our needs and gave us a detailed run down of each item on the menu, paying emphasis towards our likes and dislikes. The restaurant has a tasting menu for those who are unsure of what to order and I think this is an excellent idea as it allows diners to have bite sized portions of just about everything there is to offer.

White chocolate passionfruit martini - I am hopeless when it comes to ordering cocktails but hey, am still learning. Thankfully, the waiter was quick to point out a crowd favourite to which, I did enjoy immensely. Not overly dosed in alcohol and carries a subtle scent of passionfruit that matches well with the sweetness from the white chocolate.

Spicky king prawn and avocado roll, bamboo charcoal prawn tempura - WL and I were equally hungry after a long day at work and so, this was our only entree prior to the mains. Freshly prepared to order and has a good balance of sweetness from the prawns, acidity from the sushi rice and spiciness from the mayonnaise. Charcoal prawn tempura gave the overall dish a lovely crunch factor.

Crab and uni nachos, 'chipotle queso' dashi chips - for those wanting to stray from traditional fare, this may tickle your fancy. One of the lightest mains I have had and is akin eating chips topped with sauce. Certainly healthier than a standard bowl of chips except a little more luxurious with the addition of crab and uni.

Crisp pork belly salad, chicharrons and ginger caramel - I could easy finish the entire plate myself and secretly had imagined eating this with freshly steamed buns. For those unfamiliar, chicharron is basically a piece of deep fried pork fat that has bubbled and expanded in the cooking process. No meaty dish is complete without some refreshing herbs and vegetables to cleanse the palate with. Oh and did I mention that each cube of pork is almost symmetrical?

As I was having an almost vegetarian diet the entire week, this plate of beef was a tasty change to my regime. Cooked medium rare and still dripping in its juices, this was a delicious meal and one that I would happily reorder again. Right amount of sauce to dress the beef with too!

Cherry blossom roasted duck with soy and sweet plum sauce - I can't decide if I loved the beef dish or this fella more. Yes, duck is a favourite of mine and I would usually order this in favour of other types of protein. Crisp skin enclosing a thin layer of fat and pinkish flesh, we found this divine and best consumed dipped in approximately half a teaspoon of sauce.

'Violet crumble' chocolate cremeux, violet ice cream and nitro honeycomb - We ended our meal with this theatrical dessert. Despite being paired with bolder flavours such as chocolate and honeycomb, the violet flavour was still evident throughout the dessert. A very floral and fun play on the palate.

Okra Restaurant, Hawthorn MELB

Okra is a Malaysian/ Thai/ Indonesian restaurant that owner Lawrence started more than 10 years ago in the heart of Hawthorn. Last Thursday, Lawrence and co were kind enough to host an event for us bloggers/instagram-ers to get together and sample their menu. It was a small gathering but gave us a good insight on what the restaurant has to offer for diners.

Cassava crackers and sambal chilli sauce - a vegetarian option and truthfully, I couldn't tell it was vegetarian at all. Sambal chilli sauce is made in house and is extremely fragrant, all thanks to the usage of fresh chilli.

Khanom jeep chicken dumplings - a sweet, salty broth encompasses the lightly flavoured dumplings. Petite enough as an appetizer and kept us intrigued on what else will surprise us that evening.

Satay chicken and beef - WL laughed when he realized that I have no recollection as to whether I had beef satay before or not. Probably one of the best grilled satay dishes in Melbourne,

Thai style beef salad - another light entree to whet our appetite for the next few dishes.

Tangy oyster shooters - probably a bit too hot to be a shooter but nevertheless, seasoned well with Asian aromatics, a feat that has to not overpower the sweet, milder oyster flavour.

Loh bak - a traditional Malaysian dish of meat filling wrapped in bean curd skin before being deep fried. Nailed it.

Crispy whole snapper in tamarind sauce - WL liked this a lot for its tangy taste on the palate which pairs well with the deep fried fish. Fish was easy to consume as the chef had removed the main bones from the fish. Do be careful of the smaller bones when digging into this dish, just in case.

Okra belachan - another Malaysian favourite and thankfully, not overly spicy on the palate nor were the bite sized okra pieces overcooked.

Indonesian grilled chicken - crispy grilled skin and succulent chicken flesh.

Special lamb shank - managed to nibble on a small portion of this lamb shank but loved how rich and moorish the curry sauce was.

Homemade roti canai - I have recently became addicted to roti and this was no exception. Deliciously crisp, oozing a pleasant butter aroma through it.

Black sticky rice with egg custard, sago pudding, served with durian, coconut, mango and green tea ice cream - and a whole lot of fruit. Loved the sticky rice with egg custard and could have easily polished it off myself as it was not sickeningly sweet.

Thumbs up to Lawrence and Mark for accommodating the bunch of us that evening and for feeding us well. Lucky Hawthorn residents definitely have a good Southeast Asian restaurant in their neighbourhood :)

Amba, South Yarra MELB

I was invited to visit Amba for lunch and despite the less than desirable weather, I found it somewhat comforting to be under the shelter with probably one of the most amusing characters I have met thus far.

Being a soft spoken individual that I am, I seek solace in cafes that enable me to carry out conversations without needing to raise my voice too much. Kai and his team were quite attentive towards us and made us feel very much at home in our little corner. Having a bouquet of freshly plucked pink lilies nearby was bonus too.

Hot chocolate and latte -

Linguine with seafood and seared salmon - Portion size was decent and this would be the dish any seafood lover can consider ordering. I liked how the thin slices of parmesan provided a pleasant sharpness to the overall dish and was light enough to enjoy without worrying about it being too moreish for lunch.

Soft shell crab salad - I actually liked how fresh this was on the palate which boiled down to having crisp slices of green apples, lettuce, juicy cherry tomatoes and thin slices of sweet onion. Would have liked a bit more soft shell crab pieces on the dish but aside from that, no qualms whatsoever.

This review would not have been made possible without the generous invitation from Amba's management.

Saint James Cafe, Malvern MELB

Sundays are my absolute favourite days to head out for a meal despite any sightings of gloomy weather. As I was feeling under the weather that day and doubting the accuracy of my taste buds then, I beckoned the sister and a friend to tag along with me as I visit this cafe.

Owner Craig was very accommodating to the bunch of us (despite my feeble attempts at trying to be audible) and in terms of service, very friendly and efficient - could not ask for anything more comforting especially after working 6 days a week.

Latte - I love a good latte and brownie points for good latte art.

Classic OJ - nothing beats a glass of freshly squeezed juice packed full of vitamin C. Just what the doctor ordered to get rid of nasty colds quicker!

Saint Benedict - Being egg-cited about egg benedict and having had more than 10 plates of it since I first came to Australia (call me an expert if you may haha!) , I loved every single bite of this. The pulled pork shoulder was soft and generously topped on a crusty, thick slice of sourdough which had to be the perfect companion for lapping all those flavourful juices up. The addition of dollops of sour apple compote slightly softened the meaty pork taste, making it feel not as heavy on the palate. The sister had this and was happily filled to the brim - I on the other hand, managed to sneak little bites when she's not looking haha.

Rob's black pudding - I am not usually adventurous with my choice of food but strangely enough, this was on my "to eat" list after hearing a lot of rave about it. And it's pretty good too! Ok, Craig probably got his hands on some of the best ones made in Melbourne after putting on his Sherlock Holmes hat and it sure has paid off. I was pleasantly surprised by the spiciness of this dish as it is uncommon to see it boldly incorporated into a dish as opposed to being sprinkled on top. And true enough, the Brits are no stranger to spices and chilli from overseas imports in the earlier days, as pointed out by Craig.

So I do have a penchant for yolk porn.

Pikelet stack - easily one of the most picturesque items on the menu (I still love their other dishes tho!). Creme fraiche, strawberries, meringue and fluffy pikelets. Made my day looking and indulging in it. Could not have asked for a more refreshing way to end the meal.

What to have next time? Quite possibly one of their many types of sarnies along with a good cuppa and a good novel to laze the afternoon away. Or perhaps a cup of tea too;)

Once again, a big shout out to owner Craig Tate and his lovely staff for their hospitality and excellent food.

 

Three One 2 One, Richmond MELB

Just like any other "normal" foodie, I tend to scroll through a restaurant/ cafe's instagram feed in an attempt to find an item that I want to order when I get there - time is money after all! The latest trend in the food scene would be those insanely sinful milkshakes that started in Canberra and slowly made its way onto Melbourne grounds.

Little did I know that one day, I would encounter this beast after restaurant owner, Krishna, invited me to try out the restaurant's newly launched menu. Companion and I shared a table with another fellow food blogger and her other half, of which, meant we managed to sneak pictures of each other's meals!

Wake me up thick shake - roundd one of this crazy journey started with a strong hint of caffeine paired with hazelnut syrup and generously laced with fairy floss, ferrero rocher and a large piece of roasted marshmallow. This, my friend, is not for the faint hearted.

Neverland - cookies and cream met tim tam, maltesers, gummy bears, fairy floss and snickers. This is a dream come true for the 10 year old in me and truthfully, all the individual sweets somehow complimented each other pretty well. Verging on the sweeter side of the scale and has made all those strenuous hours in the gym worthwhile.

Kick Ass Mac and Cheese - this was two meals bundled into one burger. Fellow blogger Ming enjoyed this thoroughly although she did struggle with the remaining few bites;)

The Ghetto 2.0 - fellow companion is a fan of cheeseburgers and this would be something I can see him indulge in whenever he's having a miserable day. Burger patty was flavourful and secret sauce gave it a little spicy kick. Were we glad the chef exercised restraint with the cheese because it allowed for the other ingredients to shine through.

The Italian - Ming's partner enjoyed his burger although it got a little messy when the bolognese started to ooze out of the burger. Pretty interesting burger and probably something I would happily dig into with a spoon;)

Soft shell crab burger - I love soft shell crabs and this gets the thumbs up from me. Was a little smaller compared to the other burgers but it fits into my hands and mouth perfectly so no qualms at all.

Krishna recommended us to try his favourite which is this waffle meets mac and cheese meets fried chicken combo. I love how well prepared the chicken pieces were and when drenched in the mac and cheese's sauce, it was like a match made in heaven. Kinda overtakes my obsession with soft shell crabs.

This blog post is made possible thanks to owner Krishna's hospitality. Delicious burgers and shakes and remember to come here hungry!;)

 

Advertorial: An evening with SunPork

As someone who's heavily involved with my career progression, I try my best to sustain a healthy lifestyle by literally dragging myself to go to the gym after work and by minimizing my sugar/salt intake. After a hectic day at work, the latter is so much harder to achieve - I'll be reaching out for something sinful to de-stress myself with and can't be bother to prepare a decent meal.

Having just attended a dinner hosted by SunPork, it dawned on me how little I know about pre-prepared meals. Yes, there are a lot of packaged meals out there that are not ideal options but there are also good ones.

Each plate of food that we were served utilized SunPork's pre-prepared products and can be formulated at home in no time. Fully owned by 3 Aussies farmers, these guys have been supplying pork to Woolworths for more than two decades and decided to venture further into the retail market, paying close attention to what consumers these days want.

Without further ado, allow me to bore your eyes with snippets of the dinner. Despite being pre-packed meals that have been reinvented into restaurant quality dishes, I have noticed that every morsel of meat is indeed fresh and still succulent to taste.

Canapes:

Shredded chicken arancini, lemon aioli ~ utilizing their "Slow cooked & shredded roast chicken" meal, the meat was well seasoned and not dry. Wouldn't have thought about using it to make arancini but this has me thinking.

Did I forget to mention the table set up was amazing? So much attention to detail.

Mini pork schnitzel and tomato chutney ~ and now, we can have tasty schnitzels and beers in the comfort of our own home! Adding a dollop of tomato chutney gave the dish a tad more zing but hey, no problems whatsoever if you want gravy on it!

Shredded beef empanada and aji dipping sauce ~ again, the meat used here was very flavourful and the dipping sauce complimented it well.

Plate one:

Pork belly rasher in Korean BBQ sauce, radish slaw, confit apple and apple cream ~ to recreate this entire plate may be time-consuming but have no fear as the pork belly was actually the star on the plate - I would happily snack on this.

Plate two:


Shredded pork croquette, seared scallop and fennel puree ~ this was by far my favourite dish. The croquette was not greasy but rather, evenly crumbed and deep-fried to perfection. The varied textural elements from the crunchy bits, croquette and scallop was sensational together. We were given a recipe card for this dish and I am keen on trying it out myself.

Plate three:



 Peri peri pork schnitzel, labneh and braised cos ~ my brother would love this because 1) its delicious and 2) its a fraction of the price from a pub/cafe. Again, I was impressed by how the manufacturers took care in ensuring that the meat was not dry when it gets re-cooked.

Plate four:

Slow cooked pork ribs in BBQ sauce, potato rosti and mushroom crisps ~ this would be a good one to have in winter, considering that lighting up the barbie might not be the wise-est thing to do now. Meat easily pulled away from the bone and boy, was it sticky, sweet and finger licking good.

Plate five:

Slow roasted pork belly, celeriac puree and grilled fennel ~ the pork belly had an even crackling top which was a nice contrast to the smooth, creamy fatty layer of the belly. I have come across pork belly meat that oozes of a strong unpleasant smell and was so glad this was not a reminder of a bad memory.

Dessert:

Apple, rhubard, fennel and pork skin crumble ~ who would have thought of incorporating crispy pork skin as a crumble? As it is slightly salty in nature, it cuts through the sweetness and acidity of the entire dish perfectly. Move aside salted caramel sauce!

Alas, we were served with petit fours and tea/coffee to end our meal. It was indeed a lovely night in Melbourne, up high in Eureka 89, surrounded by the city's magic. Thank you SunPork for hosting this event and keep up the good work in feeding Australians well:)