57 Cafe Bar Restaurant, Mt.Waverley MELB

Quick lunches always mean dropping by a conveniently located cafe to fuel myself before proceeding with daily chores. Got here before the lunch crowd appeared and not long after placing our orders, food arrived at our table.

Latte

Creamy lemon tart - the waitress asked if I wanted a bigger piece of the tart and initially, I was under the assumption that she meant a slice of the large sized tart as opposed to a mini tartlette. Raised my eyebrows when I saw the size of it but glad I got it as it fulfilled my cravings for a good dessert. Smooth textured, slightly tart and sweet at the same time...could not have asked for anything better.

57's the works - a little disappointed with this as it turned out greasier than anticipated. Not sure if it was worth the price tag attached.

Cumulus Inc, CBD MELB

Rejoice, for I finally get to dine here after hearing so much rave about it from friends. Minus having to wait for about an hour for a table and the fact that the bar area is fully occupied so no drinks or nibbles booo....

Cumulus Inc encourages the sharing plates concept whereby an assortment of small to medium sized dishes are ordered and placed in the middle of the table for sharing. Certainly an excellent way of trying out more dishes without having to compensate on tummy space.

I have always been a fan of eating bread with butter and found these two ingredients to be extremely addictive here. Butter was very creamy and one could easily get carried away with the amount lashed onto each piece of bread. The bunch of us had at least two rounds before we put the brakes on, in anticipation of our entrees and mains.

Tuna tartare with crushed green pea salad - a delicious plate of freshly sliced tuna tartare, albeit small in terms of size.

Burrata, fermented cabbage, bottarga and chilli - creamy and fresh, blending perfectly well with the accompanying ingredients. This was served with thinly sliced toasted bread.

Couldn't recall the name of this dish but fondly remembered it as akin to honey smoked ham. Love how the ham's sweetness goes well with the contrasting acidic flavours from the pickles.

Ricotta dumplings, pumpkin and pine nuts - one of my favourite dishes of the night. The mild ricotta flavour compliments the tiny shreds of pumpkin and pine nuts. Am always a big fan of dishes that showcases a produce's sweetness naturally and this was one of them. The flavour combination from the currants, pumpkin, pine nuts and ricotta was indeed a memorable one and something that I can see myself going back again time after time.

Whole slow roasted lamb shoulder - the sister and were game enough to order this for sharing between the two of us. The lamb had been slow roasted for a good 45 minutes which saw each strand of meat sliding off the bone quite easily. A bit of resistance in some areas that did not have as much fat content but still a pleasant meal nonetheless. Walked away with a small takeaway container of it and that was enough both our lunches!

Poached ocean trout, avocado, sorrel, broad bean and crabs - a simple dish done right. For the healthy diners out there.

This plate of pickles was served with the lamb although we didn't really use it at all. Yes, the lamb that good, if you are willing to wait for it ;)

 

Mama's Buoi, Malvern East MELB

I must have been in and out of Chadstone for at least 5 times since the newly renovated site has been up and running. And each time, I indulge at a different venue depending on my preferences and budget, of course.

As I wandered up to the newer end where the cinema is located, I cannot help but notice how each restaurant is brightly lit and have crowds of hungry diners queuing up just for a spot in these elusive restaurants. Does not help me when I am hungry tho.

Service at Mama's Buoi is efficient and friendly. The menu is pretty much concise, making it much simpler for me to pick a few favourites.

Special crab fried rice - I loveeee every bite of this flavourful dish and could easily polish off the entire plate by myself. Every grain of rice has been evenly coated by the seasoning used and it has a sweet, savoury fragrance from the crab meat incorporated.

Again, my memory has failed me and I am unable to recall the name of this dish, leaving you to do your best to describe this dish to the waiter should you choose to order it. This brinjal dish was well flavoured and overall, a pretty tasty vegetarian dish.

Wagyu beef with broccoli, chilli and oyster sauce - not bad at all although I do question if the beef used can be deemed as wagyu.

A happy feed nonetheless. Would like to meet mama one day too;)

 

Little Sparrow, Malvern East

Came here for a sneaky feed with the sister and was seated rather quickly. Did not manage to try out their coffee or brekkie dishes as it was past dinner time. Instead, cake and a burger was an option we could not pass out.

Service could do with some improvements - took awhile to flag down a waitress despite it not being busy. Anyways, on to the food...

Mixed berry cheesecake - biscuit base was a little uneven but aside from that, it was a decent cheesecake.

American beef sliders - decent feed, nothing to shout about. Could do with a bit more protein and seasoning on the patty. For $19.90, I would think twice before reordering this.

Nine Taiwanese Dessert House, CBD MELB

In comparison to my siblings and close friends, I am often pointed out as the "oriental" kid of the pack. Not because of my Asian heritage but more so because I tend to listen to Asian songs a lot and at times, can come across as someone who's been brought up from a Chinese orientated school.

No Chinese schools for me, hence I doubt I can ever pull off a decent conversation in Mandarin. As for the Chinese songs, I find it soothing and comforting, strangely.

Despite taking a fancy for westernized types of cakes, I do enjoy traditional Chinese desserts such as silken, sweetened tofu or sweet soup aka tong sui. Nine Taiwanese Dessert House has been around since my first visit to Melbourne back in 2011 and serves quite an impressive array of Asian types of sweets.

Bubble tea - one of my favourite weekend treats.

Grass jelly no. 4 - grass jelly, sago, mashed taro, taro and sweet potato balls. Not too sure about the addition of cream/ milk but I did enjoy the cooling aftereffects from taking this combination. Not sure how to explain this sensation as its probably a saying coined by Chinese medicinal doctors in the past and rarely expressed these days. Try eating something spicy followed by a grass jelly or chilled barley drink afterwards and maybe that might paint a better picture.

Soy tofu no. 5 - tofu was a little grainy to my liking but still satisfying nonetheless.

Hills BBQ Noodle Shop, Box Hill MELB

Dropped by Box Hill after checking out the suburb and decided on having a quick bite around 9pm that night. Problem is there are not many options to choose from considering that it is a weekday night and most restaurants would have sold out on popular dishes - which is what I tend to inconveniently crave for.

Was recommended to visit this restaurant as food here is decent at extremely reasonable prices. Service can be a tad questionable but then again, its no stranger at unfortunately, many Asian restaurants.

Roast duck and roast pork - juicy and succulent were each piece of meat on the plate. Would have liked the duck skin to be a bit more crisp and less oily though.

Sweet and sour pork - decent fare. Each piece of meat may have been heavily dunked into a flour coating and so, I suspect the meat to flour ratio may not be balanced accordingly.

Oct-Nov mobile uploads: Breakfast bars, more salad bowls and selfie moments

Hello hello, I have been quite behind with posting on monthly updates via my iphone camera and so, this blog post is a compilation of what I have been up to in the last couple of months.

First up, I have been trying out various types of breakfast bars, emphasizing heavily on its protein and sugar content.  I love how tasty Carman's gourmet protein bars are and they are not overloaded with sugar. My personal favourite would be the dark chocolate version because it makes me feel excited when I get up in the morning:D

I have tested this out of curiousity and found it quite hard as in rock solid hard. Not overly sweet just like Carman's although would really prefer a softer version.

Again, Carman's did not disappoint and although I would still prefer the protein bars over this one, it does have a nice coffee aroma lingering afterwards which can be good in the morning.

Ho ho ho, here lies one of my favourite gifts, a Breville Teamaker. Has a setting for different types of brews be it mild, moderate or strong depending on the type of tea used. Easy to clean and very straightforward to use.

Meetings and more meetings, cest la vie.

And just like every month, here is a mini collection of what I have been eating on most weekdays for lunch or dinner.

Trying to be healthy with a serve of carrots, steak, kale and brown rice.

Bought some salad whilst at the shopping mall as I did not have a fridge for the time being and was craving some fresh veggies.

Rice with roasted chicken breast. The sister made such a sensational soy sauce flavoured roast chicken that I couldn't believe the chicken breast was not hard and dry. Such a treat it was and one that I happily went back for seconds.

Had leftover chicken and pasta in the fridge and so, voila, into the salad lunch bowl it went. Ps, I bought my pyrex bowl a couple of months ago and me thinks it true is an amazing investment. No more worrying about microwaving plastic and having such a decent sized bowl to carry around soupy items is a bonus!

And now, drum rolls please for the following vain shots of myself. Because I can.

Checked shirt, Topshop high waisted skirt, Karen Millen mini bag and Nine west shoes.

Zara navy jumper, Esprit puffed vest, Zara denim, Adidas shoes. The best sleeveless puffed jacket.

Sequined Zara dress and denim jacket

How to be lazy and still pull it together. Pyjamas t-shirt, Zara denim jacket and Zara shorts. Yea, a good jacket does go a long way.