Oriental Spoon Story 2, CBD MELB

Nothing beats a piping hot pot of soup on a chilly winter day. Melbourne's weather is known for being notoriously fickle-minded and winter here can be a bitter experience.

Another good point about consuming out of a pot of bubbling broth is the wonders of sharing. There is a communal feel about it, am I right?

At Oriental Spoon 2, we ordered a kimchi hot pot that comes packed full of vegetables and a decent serving of pork belly. Not forgetting the complimentary cold dishes that are customary at just about every Korean restaurant.

We noted that the hot pot was loaded with vegetables - not a bad thing especially if you like to nom on vegetables like me. Would have liked the broth to have a bit more flavour as it had only a mild taste of kimchi.

Perhaps next time we might jump straight to the barbequed meat section - yet another excellent winter meal option, if you do not mind the after smokey aroma on your clothes;)

Oldtown White Coffee, CBD MELB

The much anticipated OldTown White Coffee restaurant had finally arrived in Melbourne and being part Hainanese from Ipoh (Hainanese is a type of Chinese dialect known for running kopitiams back in the days), I was very keen on getting my Malaysian fix here.

For those unfamiliar, kopitiams are akin coffee shops that usually serve traditional Chinese brekkies such as soft boiled eggs, toasts with butter and kaya (a pandan infused egg custard) and of course, coffee. These establishments are very popular in Malaysia and much sought for quick and cheap meals.

OldTown White Coffee sachets are commercially available in most Asian grocers and is something that my family usually drink on a daily basis. Now that I have given you a summarized history lesson, let's talk about the food here!

Iced coffee ~ slightly on the stronger caffeine scale with a smooth, creamy after taste.

Toasted bread with butter and kaya ~ not too sure what's the story behind the overall browned bread (the ones served in Malaysia are toasted white slices of bread) but it was satisfying. Sufficient quantity of butter and kaya provided - just the way I like it.

Chicken hor fun ~ this is one of Ipoh's signature dishes that is not to be missed if you are visiting Ipoh. The broth had a pleasant prawn aroma and in terms of portion, it was more than suffice.

Hokkien mee ~ tasted just like the ones back home. Do be warned that the thick soy sauce used to coat the noodles can cause noticeable staining so do be careful when slurping it up. Decent quantities of vegetables, prawn and meat in this dish too.

Roast Duck Inn, Box Hill MELB

I've tasted duck meats from various continents but I find that the taste of a Chinese roast duck is still tops on my list. After arriving back to Melbourne, I immediately pounded on the opportunity to tuck into a few favourites.

The staff in this restaurant are very efficient; not a minute wasted after you are seated. On downside is that the restaurant is located in a street that may be tricky for some to find parking (if all else fails, there is always the option of paying for a parking slot.

Siew yoke aka roasted pork ~ not bad in my opinion; meat was still succulent and not overly salty.

Roasted duck ~ the piece de resistance. We got a tad fatty cut of duck but hey, that's the only unfortunate event. The skin was crisp and meat was indeed very succulent.

Snow peas with scallops ~ strangely enough, we got more scallops than snow peas so...not sure which ingredient is the star of this dish.

Yokozuna, Chadstone MELB

Hello fellow readers!! I am back from an extremely long hiatus and I am looking forward to getting back into my usual blogging rhythm. After spending the morning running errands, it was time to tuck into a hearty bowl of noodles.

Considering that it is winter in Australia and that I have not tasted a strand of noodle in such a long time, I've decided to bring the sister to Chadstone for lunch. Despite frequenting Chadstone quite a fair bit, I found it strange how the thought of dining here never really did cross my mind.

We got here at around 12.30pm and it was packed full of people, noting that there is a queue outside the restaurant. Customer turnover was quick that day so we did not have to wait too long.

Iced matcha latte ~ call me crazy but the closest I've gotten to matcha in the last couple of months was in the form of sencha aka tea in hot water. Not overly sweet but would have liked a little less ice in the cup.

Chicken karaage udon ~ the sister loves her udon or ramen noodles and so, it was not a surprise she ordered this. The broth was piping hot, chicken pieces were not too oily and each strand of udon was evenly separated. Overall, I wouldn't mind ordering this again.

Miyako Japanese Cuisine & Teppanyaki, Southbank MELB

One of my last few meals in Melbourne before I go overseas, Miyako fitted the bill for a quaint, reasonably priced and delicious stop before we adjourn onto other places to indulge at. Service here is efficient and staff are very friendly so don't be afraid to chat with them if there are questions spinning in your mind.

We ordered the set meals as it worked out to be more economical and we could sample a wider array of dishes.

First up was the cold Japanese salad dish to kick start our palate. Thoroughly refreshing and was a good start to begin our meal.

As a side dish, we ordered a plate of oysters. Each oyster was covered in a different type of dressing be it with ponzu, red wine vinegar with shallot or worcestershire sauce with tomato.

Assortment of sashimi and nigiri~

To begin our teppanyaki menu, we commenced with a freshly cooked plate of beansprouts, shredded cabbage and carrots.

Afterwards, we were served with equal portions of lightly seared scallops, prawns and fish. Without a doubt, the seafood was immaculately fresh and required little additional ingredients to bring out their true flavours.

Up next on the menu was a medium rare steak that had been evenly cubed. As the meat was not overcooked, the steak still retained a good amount of its juices and was extremely succulent to taste.

To end our meal, we were served with Japanese pancake that is filled with red bean paste, served with a side of whipped cream and fruit. It was a little dry but we still managed to clean our plates!:)

Oh, and not to mention that we had a lobster tail prior to dessert. Lobster was cooked with a good serving of butter and fried garlic which enhanced it's aroma. The lobster flesh was silky smooth, sweet and easily pulled apart from the shell.

Max Brenner Chocolate Bar, Glen Waverley MELB

I am not a huge fan of chocolates but when I do get the chocolate cravings, it's difficult to get rid of it. Consequently, I needed a quick overdose of chocolate to fix the problem.

Max Brenner has been around in Melbourne for a long time. Not surprising that it's an excellent place to hang out with friends until the wee hours of the night or for a quick chocolate-y dose.

The bunch of us were a bit "itchy" after dinner so I suggested a walk up the road to Max Brenner. The place was packed full of people on a Saturday night but we were fortunate enough to secure a seat and place our order before the kitchen closes.

Dessert pizza ~ pizza topped with marshmallows, cornflakes and slathered with a thick, rich layer of chocolate spread. This is not for the weak hearted as it is very sweet. I would suggest a slice per person.

Waffle with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and chocolate drizzles ~ can't say no to waffles served with a couple of my favourite ingredients. On the flip side, this was not overly loaded with sugar and would be a nice finish to a meal.

Quanjude Peking Duck, CBD MELB

If you ask me to decide on a favourite poultry, it will have to be duck. To be honest, I rarely consume duck back in Malaysia, probably only on special days where us kids have been good enough to deserve a bite haha. Having said that, I had a very memorable duck experience in Beijing 13 years ago and until today, I am hunting down for a place that serves something similar.

Which brings us to today's post, a little experimentation with peking duck at Quanjude. From memory, this was a guarded recipe from the imperial palace's kitchen and it was a dish that is famous in Beijing.

Traditionally, the duck's skin has to be shattering crispy. This is the most important criteria. When a piece of the duck's skin is wrapped with a few slices of spring onions and cucumber, topped with a teaspoon of hoisin sauce, perfection is achieved.

Now back to this place, the entire restaurant is decorated with miniature pieces of duck ornaments, just to remind you that they specialize in peking duck;)

We ordered a whole duck to ourselves and had to order an extra plate of steamed wrapper skins. The cost of the duck is at least $20 more than other places but for the experience, we gave it a try.

Sliced spring onions and cucumber pieces.

I was a little shocked when the plate of duck skin appeared on our table. From my understanding, we ordered a whole duck and so, we should be getting a lot more skin? Was very confused because we were advised to eat it by itself or alternatively, dip it into sugar.

A few minutes later, we were served with a plate of duck meat. The duck meat was succulent but I still couldn't understand why we had a tiny plate of duck skin because the heart of peking duck cuisine is the skin. Overall, it was a confusing meal and it made me doubt my knowledge in this area:/

On the other hand, their fried rice was very fragrant indeed. Simplicity at it's best!